I was stunned as I looked at the felled World Tree. The enemy has achieved its goal. Zazi, who is in charge of stopping me, laughs out loud at that sight.
“Now it is possible for a first-class angel to descend here. The fate of humanity will be decided, and the plan of the main god Goma-sama will be carried out without delay.”
“…………”
“Look at the sky. The way the barrier disappears is beautiful.”
Hearing his words, I looked up and saw a rainbow-colored barrier shattering like glass. Normally it is invisible, but it seems that it can be seen only at this time. The hole in the barrier was rapidly widening as it collapsed. As the World Tree was killed, the barrier stopped functioning.
Regret and despair ooze inside me. I did not underestimate the angels. But the enemy was one step ahead than me. Now that the barrier has been lifted, an army of angels will come rushing in. Since they are talking about exterminating humanity, their total number must be beyond imagination. In that case, it can be said that there is no longer any way to counter them. We don’t have the strength to fight millions or hundreds of millions of enemies.
If only I was able to protect the World Tree….
But no matter how much I regret it, I can’t change it back.
“Impossible! Why, why is there still a barrier!?”
Zazi yelled angrily so I looked up at the sky again. I also doubted my own eyes. The collapse of the barrier had stopped. On the contrary, the barrier had begun to repair. The hole in the sky is getting smaller and smaller. Eventually, the barrier was completely closed.
“What’s going on? Is the World Tree still alive?”
“That’s impossible! My comrade definitely killed that tree! It should be impossible to maintain the barrier anymore! All I can think of is that there is another being who can create the barrier —the fallen God Tree! That traitor!”
Zazi’s face contorts heavily, revealing his anger.
I still haven’t fully understood the situation, but I could understand that an entity called the God Tree had repaired the barrier. In other words, there’s still something I could do!
I then accelerate and slashed Zazi. My slash was blocked by a scythe, and a high-pitched metallic sound echoed through the woods.
“Looks like your plan has failed.”
“Not yet! We will carry out the orders we have been given! If killing the World Tree doesn’t work, the next step is to kill that God Tree! There will be no hindrance to Goma-sama’s plans!”
“Then I will do everything in my power to stop that. God can’t just do as he please, right?”
We then exchange blows in mid-air. As our fight resumed, my determination reached its peak. There is still hope. I can’t allow the annihilation of humanity. As these words ran through my mind, a large amount of sweat erupted from my hand holding the sword. The next moment, the sword is repelled by the scythe and completely slips out of my hand. Losing my weapon, a cold sweat broke out from my forehead, and Zazi raised the corners of his mouth sharply.
“You got impatient. It is foolish to lose your weapon in the middle of a battle.”
“Uh! Just what happened to me?!”
Not wanting to miss this good opportunity, Zazi goes on the offensive at once. He swings his scythe at me many times. I could only continue to dodge as I flew backwards. However, it was not so easy to escape. He did not even give me a chance to pick up my weapon. He continued to chase after me, trying to reap my life.
“If you don’t have that sword, you won’t be able to strike me with that Thunder Emperor thing. Just give me your head as soon as possible.”
“I refuse. I still have a lot of things I want to do.”
Saying that, I use familiar creation at the angel. A gauge appeared in my field of view and a red bar come out. Immediately, the green bar starts to push from the left side, but it does not go up easily. I had expected it. I know that it is difficult to turn an angel into my familiar. Still, I will continue to create chances.
“Ugh, what did you do!? I can hear your voice in my head!”
Zazi stops moving and presses his forehead. Seeing that, I closed our distance and kicked the scythe he is holding from below. His weapon leaves his hand, spins around and falls to the ground. Now we can fight on an equal footing again. I then slammed my fist into his side.
“Guu!? How dare you human!”
“Ubu! Do you surrender?!”
From there, it was a fistfight. My fist sinks into his body, and his fist shakes my vision. Even though I enhanced myself with skills and changed my race, what hurts still hurts. The blow causes my bones to creak and accumulate damage to the internal organs.
We hit each other with so many attacks that we couldn’t even regenerate ourselves in time.
“This is my real trump card. Heaven and Earth Meridian Hole!”
I strike my fist directly at the red dot that appeared on his forehead. The red dot spread out in a double circle to indicate a hit. Then, the whites of Zazi’s eyes turned upwards and he falls helplessly. The heaven and earth meridian hole is the end of evolution of pressure point. Its biggest feature is that it can make acupuncture points appear in any place. The search for acupuncture points, which could be said to be a weak point, has been improved, and it is now possible to press the acupuncture point instantly whenever I want. It can be said that it is a one-hit killer skill.
I descended to the ground, pick up my sword, and look for the other Zazi. I don’t know what they’re going to do so I have to get rid of them as soon as possible. As I was thinking so, I saw the body of Zazi, whose head had been cut off, falling nearby. It seems that the person who defeated it is my clone. Then, the third-class angel that was flying over the city began to retreat.
“From the way it looks, it seems safe to assume that we have defeated all the second-class angels. This could be said to be a victory for the time being.”
However, I couldn’t be happy when I thought about the current situation where the World Tree had been defeated. The sacred beast that I was supposed to protect was killed, and the city was ruthlessly destroyed. People were still fleeing, and fires continued to spread throughout the city. The enemies are gone, but there is still a lot of work to be done. First of all, we have to put out the fire.
“Paoooooon!”
I heard the cry of an elephant and then it started to rain. Looking at the sky, there are no rain clouds. That was weird… Then, when I look at the largest pond in the city, I saw Airavata squirting water with its long trunk. It is working hard to extinguish the fire in the burning building. Mabia also moved around the city to help people. Mabia rescues children and elderly people by sticking its head into the building. Silva used a bell he had brought from somewhere as a bucket to help fight the fire. He lifts even larger pieces of debris with his massive body, picks up the unconscious, and gives them to the people of the city.
But the damage is still growing. Because it was a city of nature and rich with many trees, it was difficult to extinguish once a fire was ignited. In addition, dry winds were blowing from the north, accelerating the spread of the fire. If it goes on like this, it will be bad. The city is about to disappear even though the enemy has finally been defeated.
“Shinichi! We’re in trouble! The sacred tree!”
“Erna! You’ve come at the right time!”
Erna rushed in at the right time. I immediately asked her if she can use magic to extinguish the fire.
“I haven’t tried it, but I can probably do it with magic. I’ll use all my magic to save Zara.”
Raising her wand, she released an immense amount of magical energy, transforming it into water as it converged into the sky above. I don’t know how much water there is, but a giant water ball rotates and emits pale blue light in all directions. Then, the water ball changed shape and began to spread in the shape of a disk. It gotten so big that it obscures the sky in the city. It was at that moment when a lake that stretched for several kilometers appeared in the sky. Everyone was stunned by the sight. Even the Sacred Beasts stopped their movements and looked up.
“Aquarius!!”
The water turned into a waterfall and fell into the area where the fire was raging. White smoke rises and water pours into the streets of the city. When the fire was extinguished, Erna lost her strength and she leaned into me.
“You did your best. Thanks to you, many lives were saved.”
“I’m happy to hear that but…… I’ve used too much magic. Let me rest for a moment.”
I carried Erna on my back and head to the World Tree that has been cut down. There, the Sacred Tree, breathing weakly, was conversing with Queen Diana.
“—I will do so.”
『I’m sure everyone can get by without me. I guess it is time for your parent to leave. 』
“Parents think of their children, and children think of their parents. We elves will never forget you, who have watched over us for so long. The people of Sanargia will forever engrave the World Tree in their hearts as our parent.”
『I’m getting sleepy…… It’s strange even though I’m a plant…..』
“Rest in peace, Sacred Tree-sama.”
When Diana said that, the world tree never spoke again. I landed close to her and sat Erna on the ground. I nodded to the queen and then I bowed deeply to the sacred tree.
“I’m sorry. If only I had noticed the enemy’s intentions earlier….”
“It can’t be helped. There is nothing we can do about it now. Besides, I too, was to be blamed for this catastrophe. I was overconfident in the power of the Sacred Tree. I underestimated the enemy’s abilities.”
“I feel the same way. I never thought that disguise skill would make them slip through the net. What’s more, they had thoroughly marked me. They prepared for a double strategy.”
Diana nodded silently. I can see the extreme fatigue on her face. I’m a little worried that she might fall.
“It seems that the enemy was several times better, but it is fortunate that the barrier was spared from collapse. It would have been the worst if the Sacred Tree hadn’t told the God Tree about the crisis at the last minute.”
“Why the God Tree?”
“According to the Sacred Tree, it is the God Tree that binds the life force of the Sacred Beasts into the barrier. I don’t know the details, but it seems that the God Tree repaired the barrier in some way in response to the warning of the Sacred Tree.”
“So, to be precise, it is the God Tree that is creating the barrier. If that was the case, the angels should have aimed for the God Tree instead of the Sacred Beasts, right?”
“It’s probably because they can’t find out where the God Tree’s location is. The forbidden island where the God Tree is located is in a realm where nothing can just come near. I’m guessing that even the angels are having difficulty to find that place.”
I see. That’s why they targeted the Sacred Beasts instead of the God Tree. However, in that case, it may be difficult to go to the forbidden island. I want to see what kind of existence God Tree is.n But if I can’t even step into it, I have no choice but to give up. Besides, right now, I have to focus and prepare for the angel’s next attack.
A figure with bat-like wings swooped down from the sky. When she landed in front of us, she brushed off the dust by tapping her skirt with one hand.
“It’s terrible. I didn’t expect that beautiful Sanargia would end up like this.”
“What’s the point Eva? The battle is already over.”
“I did not come here to help. I received a good news so I came to tell you about it.”
“Good news?”
I tilted my head in confusion and question marks were formed in my head. Eva jumped lightly on the rubble and stood on tiptoe looking down at us.
“A messenger of the God Tree appeared in front of me just now. He wants to invite the Homeless to the forbidden island. In particular, Shinichi Tanaka is absolutely required to come.”
“I didn’t expect to be summoned by the God Tree, but I will have to decline that invitation. We have to be prepared for the next attack of the angels.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. The barrier that is currently in place is as perfect as it used to be. I don’t think angels will attack us for a while. Besides, don’t you think that the one in command has a responsibility to find out why the barrier was re-established?”
“….…”
I couldn’t argue with that. Certainly, I should understand the reason why the barrier was re-established. Is this transient or permanent? If it has a limited amount of time, we have to take measures.
Then Erna, who was sitting, stood up and smiled.
“I’ve heard the conversation. Let’s go to the Forbidden Island.”
“Is it okay? Your hometown is in this state……”
“That’s why the more we need to go. Let’s save them by doing what only we can do. And it’s not too late to help with the reconstruction. It’s okay, the queen has father and mother here.”
Diana replied to Erna’s words, “That’s right.”
It’s decided. The Homeless party will head to the forbidden island.
“Looks like things has been settled. Now then, I shall take my leave.”
When Eva shows her back, I activated Analysis+ on her.
I remembered that my clone had said that I would understand who she really is if I do so.
| 【Analysis result: Eva Kreis (Shadow): One of the Four Demon Kings. She rules the vampire clan. A faithful servant of the God of Destruction and even now, she secretly hopes for the resurrection of her Lord. Eva Kreis’ clone. Rarity: S, Overall Ability: S】 |
| 【Status】 Name: Eva Kreis Race: Crown Vampire (Shadow) Magic Attributes: Wind, Darkness, Evil Magic: – Skills: Analysis (Intermediate), Fang King Technique (Intermediate), Fist King Technique (Intermediate), Search+ (Intermediate), High Speed Flight (Intermediate), Universal Adaptation, Pressure (Intermediate), Dictatorship (Intermediate), Paralyzing Eye+ (Beginner), Improved Blood Manipulation(Advanced), Flash Fist(Advanced), Red Qi wave(First Pitch) Evolution: ― |
I was speechless. The Eva in front of me is not real. She is the clone of demon king, Eva. When I saw the word “servant of the God of Destruction”, I doubted if she was really on our side. Perhaps humanity will have to fight against angels and demons from here on.
I didn’t look up at the sky because of the turmoil that awaited me.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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