Angel Monarch
Chapter 408 - 408: Sabyr, Tree of Endless Hunger

Sadly, Vicky's visit didn't last as long as Sera hoped for. A few days after arrival, both she and Henry teleported back to Europe.

In that time, Sera introduced her daughter to everyone, while she showed her around the Village.

The young girl and the Prince gazed upon the city with magnificence. While the infrastructure wasn't the most elegant, its logical composition and unique design made the Tree especially amazing.

The people of the Village also fell in love with Vicky's innocent curiosity. They watched in awe as the little girl easily opened portals between Branches.

Henry mostly just browsed in the library and talked for hours with John, asking questions about the Old World. While there were a lot of survivors from before the Apocalypse, their experience differed between continents.

He also listened to stories from the Last War, the tactics they used, the weapons and armor they had. Henry wanted to know everything, so he could expand his knowledge about strategies!

John happily explained and went into great detail. There were barely any individuals in the entire Village who could somewhat recall the Last War, so his talking partners were generally limited.

The old man also adored the youth and wished more children would show interest in learning history.

However, before Sera's arrival, they didn't have the luxury to deeper education. Children barely in their teens needed to join the hunters or scouts, otherwise the entire Village would've starved!

The few days went by quickly. Sera and Vicky spent a lot of time together, mostly sleeping, which's exactly what the young girl needed.

By the time their departure arrived, Vicky looked much more energetic and less melancholic. A small smile even crept onto her face as she stepped through the portal.

Still, she felt a bit sad, leaving her mother behind, luckily with the new watches they could stay in contact.

Another week went by quickly. Sera had another bloodlusted hunt, increasing her kill count into the tens of thousands.

However, a new problem arose. They were running out of monster hordes near the Village. This meant she either had fewer creatures to hunt, or she had to travel farther into uncharted territory.

Pakwa and her teams scouted out about two dozen kilometers to north and west, and another dozen to south. They stayed away from the east, since the Abomination which stole Faith essence live there.

While they struggled to find a solution to this issue, Sera continued spending her time in boredom.

At nights she usually climbed to the highest branch, where nobody lived. From there, she gazed up at the starry sky, letting her thoughts run rampant.

On one of these silent nights, though, she felt something different in the air. A gentle, warm breeze danced on her skin as a creature appeared beside her.

Sera didn't even glance at it. She just continued staring into the sky, like nothing happened. The humanoid creature also stayed silent and imitated Sera's bored gaze.

The moon's bright glow illuminated the otherwise dark world, not like either the Angel or the creature noticed. Their eyes perfectly adjusted to whatever brightness nature proposed.

"I was wondering when you'll show up. I thought you'd stay in hiding forever!" Said Sera, as she finally turned and looked at the creature with a small, cunning smile.

He… Or maybe she… Sera couldn't tell. The creature's face and body seemed androgynous, containing both feminine and masculine features.

Their skin was brown and ridged like tree bark, while dark auburn hair fell around their body, reaching their feet. They wore a long, flowing dress, similarly colored as their hair and seemingly made of leaves.

"So, why did you decide to show up now? I've been here for nearly a month… Also, what's your name?"

They finally turned their head and glanced over Sera's body. Their deep brownish-green eyes focused on the Angel's pristine white wings, reflecting hunger within their depths.

However, once those eyes landed on Sera's golden-green ones, they widened with surprise, recognition, and terror.

"Your eyes! What happened to your eyes? It's supposed to be white or gold, why is there green inside?!… Don't tell me… Which World Tree was so foolish to do something like this?!… Why would they give an Angel such power!"

The creature sounded strange, both in perfect harmony with nature, but simultaneously full of hatred and desire.

"Huh, my eyes? They are like this since my ex placed some strange seed in my heart. We never really figured out what it exactly does. Could you enlighten me?"

They just burst into laughter after hearing the Angel's words…

"Enlighten you?! Hell no! I didn't fight against Aerin, so later I could help you people back into power! Fuck you, and every other angel you create! I hope you die like everyone on Aerin!"

Sera narrowed her eyes in anger. However, even such small motion made the creature's brownish-green eyes widened with fear, and they quickly moved farther away.

"So you were there, at the Fall of Aerin… How many angels did you kill, I wonder… Maybe I should take revenge!"

The creature blinked once, during which Sera closed the distance between them. A silvery gauntlet appeared on her right hand, using it she grasped onto their throat.

She pulled the creature closer until only centimeters separated their eyes. A mad grin spread across Sera's face, while pure horror and hatred appeared on theirs.

"I ask you again. What's your name?"

They took a deep, shuddering breath, which had the smell of fresh spring flowers mixed with sweet honey.

"My… My name is… Sabyr… The Tree of Eternal Hunger!"

By the end, the Tree grew more confident and didn't tremble much under Sera's hand. However, when she 'gently' squeezed, the squirming returned.

With a small, amused chuckle, Sera lifted Sabyr into the air, then let go. They fell on the branch, coughing desperately.

Their panicked eyes glanced around the branch, looking for escape. However, after a few moments, they settled back on the Angel.

Sera just walked back to her place and continued staring at the sky silently. Her serene face gently reflected the moonlight's illuminating glow.

"W-why… Why did you leave me alive?… I fought in Aerin! I killed your species!… I was there when Gaelin broke the Seventh Seal and stole the Root of Light! I was there when Algorith killed The First Librarian and sacked Heaven's Knowledge!…"

"I watched as the Floating Towers of Caduin fell into the Endless Abyss! I witnessed as Eldrassyr fought and killed Mindra, the commander of the Faceless Guard!… I saw your kind fall from the skies as your cities burned!… I–"

Before Sabyr could've continued, Sera cut in without glancing in their direction.

"That's a lot of seeing you did, but tell me since you ignored me last time. How many angels did you actually kill?"

The Tree glanced away while blushing from embarrassment. It took all of Sera's willpower not to burst into laughter, but at least it seemed her guess was correct!

"I… I haven't killed anyone… I can't actually kill anyone… My powers have no offensive capabilities, and my physical strength is extremely weak for a Stellar…"

This time Sera couldn't help but turn towards Sabyr with widened eyes. The Tree took a step back, fear returning to their eyes. However Sera stayed put, only her eyes moved across Sabyr's body.

Eventually, she couldn't help but burst into laughter. She rolled on the ground, full of amusement, which further embarrassed the Tree.

"Well, shit! I wouldn't have guessed that you were a Stellar!… And you didn't kill anyone in the Fall of Aerin? Then why should I be mad at you exactly?… I killed more angels than you!"

Sabyr's mouth fell open with shock. They glanced at Sera's wings once more, and finally they began to realize something…

"You… You aren't from Aerin!… Are you a human? You changed into an angel?… Who did you kill?"

The question seemed strange to Sera. There must've been billions, or maybe more, angels living before the Fall of Aerin. How would the Tree know each?

However, Sera soon noticed the flaw in her logic. The other races were thorough when destroying Aerin, so there must've been only a handful of survivors, from them only three were famous…

The Archangel of Destruction, the Archangel of Light, and the Archangel of Despair!

With this new information, a cunning grin appeared on Sera's lips. She slowly rose to her feet and spread her white wings wide.

Sabyr couldn't help but take a few steps back, their face twisting with fear. Their brown body, albeit tall, seemed extremely small in comparison to the Angel's divine magnificence.

However, their torment only started as below the pristine white feathers, they saw yellowish eyes staring right into their brownish-green ones. Suddenly, Sabyr's mind went blank, while their body continued shaking with fear.

Under the gaze of those terrible eyes, they couldn't move, like their entire body became frozen solid. They couldn't blink, close their eyes or turn their head. They could only gaze into that yellow abyss, watching as it stared into their soul.

Through all the terror, a small giggle and a strangely clear voice reached the Tree's ears.

"I killed only one angel yet. His name you might've heard before… The Archangel of Despair!"

After hearing those words, Sabyr couldn't hold on any longer. Their vision slowly became blurry and their eyes began swimming with tears. Eventually, the Tree fell to their knees and, while breathing heavily, they passed out.

Sera just chuckled with amusement, and sat back down on the branch, watching as the moon moved across the night sky.

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