Episode 1120 The Weight of the Sacrifice (3)
Although he had heard about it from Legrit, Hilla, and Ferwik, the scenery of the desert nation ignited a fierce fire in Elder Sheorn’s heart.Who could have imagined that a human nation existed in the harsh, uncharted territory known as the Desert of Silence? Even the Leader of the Ark had found no trace of civilization when he traversed this place in the past.
The mud walls are thick. Given the vast daily temperature fluctuations, it must be to slow down temperature changes inside the building. As expected, many of the cultural styles depict the sun.
Elder Sheorn slowly approached Nuhara, observing the buildings. He stowed the ships traveling on the ground into subspace. He didn’t want the local residents to be startled.
Sabak—
Then, I stepped onto land instead of sand.
Elder Sheorn knelt on one knee.There was lush nature.He carefully stroked the fresh grass of the meadow and raised his gaze. Vegetation, which by common sense could not grow in a desert with such woefully insufficient rainfall, was reflected in his round glasses.
“A marvelously huge tree… Did that really lead me this far? To think that a tree creates and maintains such an environment in this desolate desert….”
A giant tree situated in the new capital of Tuhar looked down majestically upon the desert. I held in my hand the small branch Verden had gifted me.This must undoubtedly be a part of that giant tree.
To enter Tuhar from the outside, you must pass through two mirages.
The first mirage appears irregularly while closed, and the second mirage briefly disappears at specific intervals.
Only by crossing those gateways can you reach Tuhar, beyond the depths of the silent desert.
In the past, Verden forcibly shattered the first mirage along with space. Elder Sheorn taught him. Tuhar became the catalyst for Verden to learn his spatial magic.
anyway.
The tree branch owned by Sheorn allowed him to ignore all mirages. In fact, he encountered no difficulties during the journey. Thanks to this, he arrived at his destination much earlier than expected.
What did Verden send me to the desert to make me realize?
Elder Sheorn stood still for a moment, gazing at the Great Tree of Life. He felt as though he could sense some of Verden’s magic emanating from the tree, but it was difficult to say for certain.
Someone approached.
Although he had already recognized it as a space, he did not act as if he knew it first. He had quite a presence. It seemed he was a guardian protecting Tuhar.
“hey.”
A man of sturdy build appeared on the sand dune with a long sword at his waist. He was characterized by his bronzed skin, fitting for the desert.
“Judging by your appearance, you seem to have come from the continent. How did you cross the mirage? What business do you have in Nuhara?”“Atalan. A hero of the Great Desert.”
Hero of the Great Desert──Atalan.
The most powerful figure of the apostate forces who opposed the Tuhar Creed. Although his inner self was ugly compared to his reputation, a hero was still a hero. SinceAtalan’s personal details were already recorded in the Ark’s library, Elder Sheorn recognized the Guardian’s identity at once.
Atalan narrowed his eyebrows.
“You know me? Don’t tell me.”“I’m in league with Legrit and Verden, who used the alias Asher here. It’s nice to meet you. Please understand that I cannot reveal my name right now.”
Elder Sheorn concealed his real name. Outside, he was a deceased transcendent being. Even though he is a Tuhar separated from the international community, there is no reason not to be cautious.
“Just call me old man.”“…….”
Atalan’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
Berden and Legrit.
The new Sun God and Goddess of the Battlefield who shattered the Tuhar Creed… True heroes who, unlike Atalan, had no need to feign identity.Atalan had been jealous of them to the point of wanting to kill them, but not anymore. She had acknowledged that their innate caliber was different.
Besides, this old man is also incredibly strong.
Her senses, sharpened by recent training, partially detected Elder Sheorn’s presence. She felt that the current Atalan could even take down the Black Serpent, the third-ranked member of the Tuhar Creed whom she had defeated during the rebellion, but no matter how hard she tried to find an angle, she didn’t feel she could win.Damn it.Why are there so many monsters on this continent? I even thought about venturing outside like the others, but do I need to train more?
“Those two, no, the two of them… So, what do you want?”“Verden invited me.”
Elder Sheorn showed a branch of a giant tree.
As soon as Atalan realized that this was not a matter for him to get deeply involved in, he turned his back. However, he did know who he needed to guide this old man to.
“Follow me.”“Thanks.”
Atalan headed straight for the Great Tree of Life.
Elder Sheorn leisurely followed Atalan, taking in the scenery where the incompatible vegetation and desert were in harmony.
They soon arrived in front of the tree.
The entire Nuhara was clearly visible.
The tree roots visible beneath the trunk were thicker than any plant he had ever seen. He wondered if they might have come from the Great Forest. After all,if it hadn’t been connected to the elves, nature wouldn’t have overflowed to this extent.
“I’ve brought a guest. I’m sure you know who sent them without me having to say it.”“That’s true.”
A strange voice was heard from behind the giant tree.
‘……wizard?’
Elder Sheorn turned his head, grasping the opponent’s form with his transcendent sense of space. A moment later, the owner of the voice revealed himself from behind the giant tree.
and.
Elder Sheorn was more mentally shocked than when he first saw the Sky Island Ark.
If Elder Sheorn is still pursuing the unknown as a wizard, this small branch will guide the way.
I understood, both physically and mentally, what the unknown Verden had hinted at was. It felt as if lightning had struck the crown of my head. I could not bring myself to speak.
“Cho, invitation…….”
Elder Sheorn staggered, his feet crossed, and he sank to the ground.
“The First Demon King……!!!!”“You recognized the true form immediately.”
The white wizard described in the Akenad Magic Kingdom smiled at him.
“Is he a transcendent being of space?”“Are you saying this old man is also a transcendent being?”
The independent doppelganger of the First Demon King—the Administrator—approached with his hands clasped behind his back. He picked up a piece of the giant tree that Elder Sheorn had dropped.
“……Verden.”
The manager turned his head slightly.
“As you may have realized, I am not the original. I am merely a clone. I apologize if I raised your hopes.”“……That is not true.”
Elder Sheorn spoke respectfully.
You are not merely a doppelganger.
Elder Sheorn sensed an intellect and reason that a magical doppelganger could not possess.He could assert it.Even if the being before him was not Oldarc Ruin Akenad, the first Sorcerer King, or even the God of Magic, he must have inherited his essence.
The manager asked.
“What did Verden leave you?”“He said that if you are still pursuing the unknown as a wizard, that branch will guide your path.”“I see.”
The manager reached out a hand.
It is a choice because, like a past that has already passed, it cannot be reversed. Nevertheless, do you wish to be taught? To that unknown you do not know.
Sheorn Kernoden is an elder of the Ark, yet there is still so much he does not know. He was ignorant despite being the owner of the Library, the Ark’s sanctuary.Since the Leader of the Ark did not speak of it, he does not even know the origin of the Ark. The secret Verden possesses is likely just as significant.
Verden and Legrit kept silent about some of what had happened in the Desert of Silence. Trusting their judgment, I did not even doubt them, let alone interrogate them, but that did not mean I was not curious.First, I wanted to know in detail and clearly about the downfall of the Tuhar Creed, in which the two had been involved.
Elder Sheorn respectfully held the manager’s hands with both hands.
“I will gladly learn……!”
It was a once-in-a-lifetime choice that fate could not intervene in.
* * *
Sky Island Ark.
The Watcher of the World—Darisia Stella—was weighed down by tension. She struggled to endure her restless mind by fidgeting with her fingers.
The leader of the ark said.
“Is there… no mistake.”“I haven’t been able to verify everything, but a very small fraction of the undead are identical to beings who died in the past.”
Daricia reported again.
“The 6th Commander of the Xerion Empire, whom Yurion Hairos defeated, was…….”“You don’t need to say any more. I understand.”
The leader of the Ark had her back turned, but Darcia could see the expression on her face. For she was the captain bearing the duty of a watcher.
“How much of the inquiry analysis remains?”“It is in progress, but they say it is impossible to know when it will be finished. The outcome is also in an unpredictable realm, so I think we will only be able to make a judgment once it reaches the end.”“Instruct them to report immediately if there is any significant progress.”
Daricia withdrew with respect at the order to expel guests.
A sense of emptiness hung in the air.
The leader of the Ark—Lugarth—sat into a chair, wiping his face dry. His emotions were shaken to the point where it could be said he had collapsed.
“……Alex. Why would you.
Before he was called the first adventurer, he had companions. One was a friend, one was a brother, and one was a lover.They fell in the war between races about three centuries ago. On a battlefield without Lugart.
Alex was a friend.
The image of him leading the front line, wielding a heavy halberd, was still vivid in my mind. Even the memories of the small adventures we embarked on together when we grew up in our hometown were etched in my memory.
Such an Alex was killed by a dwarf.
Lugard had long struggled to bury his most painful sorrow in his heart. However, a friend who should not have even left a corpse was reconstructed as an undead in the modern era and met death once again.
What has the Xerion Empire done?What on earth is the Four Gates?What kind of trick has the former king pulled?
Crunch crunch… … !
The handle was crushed.
Lugart felt an urge to descend to the ground immediately, but he restrained himself. He must not make a decision based on emotion.
I shouldn’t do that.
The Ark is a group dedicated to the survival of humanity. It does not intervene unless humanity itself faces a crisis. In this second war of the Transcendents, no such signs have yet been seen.
Lugart is already part of the Ark.
Basic rules are absolute.
You must not be swayed by personal emotions. Had you walked that path from the beginning, you would have annihilated the elves, beastmen, and dwarves to complete your revenge.
… … Thump.
Lugard leaned his head against the backrest weakly.
A justification was needed.A justification to join the war.
As the leader of the Ark, he desires the well-being of humanity, but as Lugard himself, he longs for the moment when humanity’s crisis arrives and he must step forward.
It was a terrible contradiction.
On the one hand, he was relieved that he did not have to choose one of the two himself.
Emotions and Humanity.
No matter what is chosen as the sacrifice, the price will be horrific.
* * *
[Now the numbers add up.]
Inside the gates of the Ternetia Federation, at the very center of the clash between the Alliance and the Empire, forces began to come face-to-face with the Second Commander one by one.
Layla.Triton Martus.Mountain King.Rateon Opniel.Vice-Captain of the Holy Order.
The best of the best in the advance unit stood beside Adrian and Leonhardt. All of them, except for Layla, had either reached the peak or were partially close.
“……ha.”
My whole body felt cold.
Layla could not have dared to join them based solely on her pure skill, but if she were to draw out the Archdemon’s supernatural abilities… to their fullest extent, the story would be different.Even more so than when she faced the Seven Horns and the Bone Dragon in the Republic of Beldirn. With a newcomer from the Holy Kingdom present, she should be able to maintain her composure.
Frost settled on Adrian’s breath.
The chill is gradually intensifying.
Rakdion’s abilities must surely be extensive. That is why the calculations were likely discussed. It would be inefficient to pour power capable of killing dozens of people into just two people.This meant that Rakdion could not continuously exert a certain supernatural ability.
However, if you wanted to annihilate the Allied Forces, you should have gone to a different sect.
They were not the only forces capable of defeating Lachdion.
The strong members of the main force joined.
“So that is the asymmetrical force that ran rampant in the Delharun faction.”
A perfect adventurer and the younger brother of the former king—a sinner of a fallen kingdom, Castian Linigea Tain Xerion.
“How dare an undead, worse than a human.”
A Guardian Elf empowered by the World Tree───Karans.
This is wiping the smile off my face.
Lord of the Legion───Grizwall.
Three men, each holding their own weapon, surrounded Rakdion broadly. Rakdion watched them for a moment, then turned his gaze toward the gate.
Saaa… … .
Another cold air flowed in.
Blonde hair fluttered among the savage elite warriors who had succeeded in entering the gate. A sacred sword scattering the aura of bitter cold flickered faintly.
King of the North and Watcher of the North.Commander of the Prohas Extermination Corps.
“……It’s quite chilly here, too.”
Eres Eindgel Prohas met Rakdion’s gaze. Eres also had a knack for handling cold.
