Chasing after the Beast King, I stared at the giant tree up ahead.
The tree was exaggeratedly tall, reaching the point where it touched the clouds. It was gigantic and enveloped in a divine power.
'Is that the World Tree?'
Feeling a sense of wonder, I descended to the ground.
Leaving Ti-Yong outside, I found the entrance to the World Tree and entered alone.
At the entrance and along the passageway, there were fallen beastmen and elves who appeared to be guards. It was likely the work of the Beast King.
'What the hell is she doing?'
I know that the soul of Igrel, the Beast King’s brother, was absorbed within the core of the World Tree.
Thus, it was evident that the Beast King had come here for the core of the World Tree, but...
I used my [Super Sensory] and followed the trace of the Beast King.
Continuing down the passage where the guards had fallen, I eventually arrived at a vast space.
“...!”
And in that place, I could see the Beast King.
Even at first glance, she seemed to be reaching out to the orange gem that clearly resembled the core of the World Tree, as if she would shatter it at any moment.
Thump.
Seeing the gold infiltrating the core, I urgently spoke up.
“Stop, Beast King.”
The Beast King stopped her actions and turned her gaze towards me.
A moment of silence passed. Without saying a word, the Beast King looked at me, questioning why I had pursued her to this place.
Approaching her a little closer, I spoke.
“Is that... the core of the World Tree?”
The abyss obediently answered.
“Right. It’s the core of the World Tree.”
“---Why would you want to destroy it? If you do, there’s no hope of stopping Fogwigg.”
The Beast King let out a laugh.
“What does it matter? We couldn’t stop it, and the Great Forest is on the verge of destruction, anyway.”
“But there’s no reason to destroy it now.”
“No, there is. Instead of letting that monster devour the World Tree and absorb its power, I’d rather destroy it first.”
“Even if you do, it won’t make much difference. That creature will absorb not only the core of the World Tree but also the vitality of the entire Great Forest.”
Beast King seemed displeased as I continued to argue.
Ah...
Could that be the reason?
As I thought about it, I realized the real reason why she wanted to destroy the core. It had to do with his brother, Igrel.
She didn’t want his soul to be swallowed by Fogwigg, so she wanted to extinguish it with her own hands before that happened.
“The reasons you mentioned earlier were just excuses. Is it because of Igrel?”
At my words, the Beast King’s eyes twitched.
“Seventh Lord, you know a lot about me. I really don’t like shady bastards like you.”
“I haven’t done any research on you. I just happened to find out.”
“Are you done talking? Don’t bother me anymore.”
Beast King snarled, baring her fangs. I stared at her intently, then shook my head.
“I can’t let that happen. Adessa’s fate is not just Adessa’s problem.”
Snap!
The greatsword that had aimed precisely at my head was blocked by my [Floating Veil] and deflected away.
Apparently, the Beast King wasn’t in the mood for further conversation.
“Then I’ll kill you first. By the way, I remember there was a time when we almost fought, but it ended abruptly, right?”
I pondered.
It seemed unlikely that this could be resolved through words.
But if I let her go on her rampage, the World Tree’s core would be destroyed.
Nor did I have the power to subdue her.
Although I could kill her since she was a pure physical fighter, that would also pose difficulties.
Kwaang!
I used [Space Leap] to dodge her punch.
Beast King immediately changed direction and charged at me again.
I defended against her attacks and dodged, but I couldn’t make a decision.
'What should I do?'
Beast King was a warrior stronger than the Tyrant whom I killed in the past.
I couldn’t endure for long by simply stalling for time.
But how on earth should I handle this situation?
At that moment, a thought suddenly came to mind.
'...Wait a minute.'
Come to think of it, there was that. But could it really be done?
I had concerns, but since there wasn’t any other viable option, hesitation was brief.
I teleported in front of the core of the World Tree, evading the Beast King’s ongoing attacks.
Upon seeing this, the Beast King paused her momentary rampage.
“Hey, what are you planning?”
I glanced at the core of the World Tree and spoke.
“You would rather destroy your brother’s soul that let Fogwigg devour it. Isn’t that right, Fifth Lord?”
“Hey, Seventh Lord...”
“Then I suppose you don’t mind if I borrow his power for a moment.”
I reached toward the core of the World Tree, entangled in the tree trunk.
“Borrow his power. What the hell are you talking about?”
Ignoring the Beast King’s words, I made contact with the core of the World Tree.
[Soul Convergence].
A new Mystery I obtained from the Academy’s public library.
The ability of this mystery allowed the user to temporarily manifest the abilities of the target’s soul, enabling them to wield their powers for a short period of time.
In other words, if I could accept Igrel’s soul within the core of the World Tree, I would be able to borrow and use his abilities as the greatest warrior of the Great Forest.
'Soul Convergence.'
As soon as I used the Mystery, I could feel the presence of a soul within the core of the World Tree expanding greatly.
Swoosh.
Soon, a translucent figure that flowed out of the core took on a vague form.
A humanoid with a face very similar to the Beast King looked down at me with tranquil eyes.
I stood still, momentarily speechless.
“Seventh Lord! What are you planning to do?”
It seemed that the Mag King couldn’t see Igrel’s soul in front of me at the moment.
It wasn’t a physical form, just an image in my mind, visible only to me.
However, perhaps sensing something, the Beast King rushed towards me once again.
She seemed to think I was about to do something with the World Tree’s core.
While blocking Beast King’s sword with a [Floating Veil], I engaged in conversation with Igrel’s soul.
I needed the permission of the target soul to use Soul Convergence.
“Igrel, the forest you once protected is facing another crisis of destruction. The resurrected Fogwigg will devour the World Tree and absorb the vitality of the Great Forest.”
He continued to gaze at me silently.
“We don’t have much time. Please lend me your strength. Fogwigg is weaker than during the Great War. If we combine our powers, we might be able to stop it.”
At that moment, Igrael’s soul turned its gaze towards the Beast King, who was striking the barrier with a sword.
It seemed like a bitter smile appeared on his lips for a brief moment. And...
Saaaah!
Igrel’s soul became even more vivid and began to flow into my body.
I felt as if I was withstanding a massive storm throughout my entire being.
My body contorted, and my consciousness was in turmoil.
The power overflowed to the point of an imminent explosion, yet I could sense that my body was undergoing a transformation.
In that moment, I was harmonizing with Igrel.
Kwoong!
Eventually, the harmonization came to an end, and I looked down at my hands.
They were no longer my usual hands, but tough, muscular ones.
The same applied to my body.
Even my flowing, elongated bangs had turned red.
I took a deep breath and exhaled, raising my head.
With a slightly heightened field of vision, I absentmindedly gazed in the direction where the Beast King was.
“...Igrel?”
She murmured absentmindedly, her voice trailing off.
Since there was no mirror, I couldn’t see my face, but I realized that my current appearance resembled Igrel’s when he was alive.
'So this is what it’s like.'
Whatever it was, I succeeded in harnessing Igrel’s power.
Now, before the duration expired, I must quickly defeat Fogwigg.
Kwaang!
I unleashed the overflowing power throughout my body and swiftly moved forward.
Ignoring the Beast King, I rushed through the passage and escaped beyond the World Tree.
I sprinted in the direction where Fogwigg was.
'It’s fast.'
Igrel’s full-powered speed was much faster than riding a wyvern.
Although such a drastic physical transformation would normally be challenging to adapt to, it posed no problem for me.
At present, I not only obtained Igrel’s physical strength, but also assimilated his consciousness.
That’s why I instinctively knew how to handle and control this immense power.
In an instant, I reached the location where Fogwig was without stopping and charged towards it
Despite the continuous onslaught from the beastmen and elves, I boldly charged at the relentless creature that refused to yield. With unwavering determination, I delivered a powerful punch directly at it.
Kwaaaang!
A deafening boom erupted from a simple strike, causing Fogwigg’s body to tremble violently.
The creature ceased its movement once again.
As I landed on the ground, beastmen and elves gazed at me with astonishment.
I shouted at them.
“I am the Seventh Lord! I temporarily borrowed Igrel’s power, which was dormant in the core of the World Tree! Since the time to maintain this power is limited, everyone, prepare for our final assault!”
I instinctively knew that there were only five minutes left before the effect of Soul Convergence would end.
It was a waste of time to explain what had happened.
Upon my shout, the beastmen and elves immediately prepared for an attack.
“Now is the time to stop that creature! Squeeze out your last remaining strength, everyone!”
And so, the final assault toward Fogwigg commenced.
If this failed, it would truly be the end, but I had a feeling that it wouldn’t fail at all.
Kuuuuuu!
The spirits exploited Fogwig’s weakness.
Then the beastmen unleashed their sword strikes.
“Seventh Lord!”
The Elven Chieftain shouted.
The Great Wind spirit wrapped itself around me.
Once again, Fogwigg’s weakness was pierced, and I leapt into it for the last time.
'One chance.'
This opportunity would only come once. It must be finished with a single strike.
Following my instincts and guided by Igrel’s soul, I thrust out my fist.
This was Igrel’s technique. A killing blow that compressed the power of the entire body into a single point.
...Quaaaang!
As my fist struck, a bloody aura exploded, and Fogwigg’s body split apart like the sea being cleaved.
And then he was finally revealed.
The Emperor’s body, buried inside the mass. My strength drained from my body, but I managed to squeeze out the last of it and reach him.
However...
Gruuuuuuh!
It seemed to be a final desperate act as clusters of Fogwigg exploded in all directions and were fired at me simultaneously.
With a level of destruction incomparable to anything before. The remaining elves and beastmen, who still had some strength left, attempted to assist me, but they were outnumbered.
No, this wouldn’t work. If we provided an opening while defending, Fogwigg would only regenerate in an instant.
In a moment of hesitation, while considering whether I should risk my life and dig into the Emperor’s main body, someone swooped in and swiftly annihilated the remaining clusters.
Beast King. It was she who had suddenly caught up and intercepted the attack.
'This is enough!'
And so, without any hindrance, I was able to rush in the place where the Emperor’s body was.
Then, once again, the surrounding clusters gathered and attacked me.
I was buried in the mass, but my [Floating Veil] bought me time.
'Enough of this, Emperor.'
His body was just within reach.
The [Floating Veil] gave me time to recover my strength for the final blow.
And...
Thud!
I tore through the clusters blocking my path and was able to face the Emperor’s body.
The Emperor was a horrifying sight.
His skin was sickly pale, his eyes covered only with white sclera, and his body adorned with magical stones, like runic inscriptions.
Among them, there was a particularly striking gem of pure white color, and upon seeing it, I narrowed my eyes. Could it be?
“...Human.”
At that moment, I heard the Emperor murmur.
Though his appearance had turned monstrous, there seemed to be remnants of his former humanity in his voice.
“I exist for the sake of humanity.”
“Your dream was a delusional dream. Just die already.”
I placed my hand on his head and activated the [Instant Kill].
As the emperor’s breath was cut off, the surrounding masses began to tremble and crack.
Kugugugugu.
Soon, all the masses disappeared, and I fell to the ground along with the Emperor’s corpse.
Looking around, I saw that the elves and beastmen were all staring blankly in my direction.
Wowww!
And then a scream resounded.
In the end, I had blocked Fogwigg and protected the Great Forest. I sighed and looked at the Emperor’s corpse beside me.
I found the pure white gem I had seen earlier and picked it up, holding onto it.
Anyway, was everything finally over with this?
The duration of [Soul Convergence] was almost over, and I could feel Igrel’s power fading away.
Struggling to rise with my sore body, someone rushed towards me.
Kwaaang!
I blocked the fist flying towards my face and took a few steps back.
“What are you doing, Beast King?”
The person who suddenly attacked me was the Beast King.
She had an excited expression on her face, as if she was enjoying herself, and she charged at me again.
“Let’s play! Igrel!”
