I Got a Fake Job at the Academy
Chapter 465: The Crying World Tree (2)

Chapter 465: The Crying World Tree (2)

The world tree's cry wasn't simply spreading in the form of sound.

It was a resonance of the soul.

The waves emitted by the massive tree's violent vibrations spread throughout the forest beyond the royal palace.

-Whoosh.

The trees swayed violently in the wind that blew through.

Birds in their nests took flight all at once, terrified.

Wild animals also sensed something and began fleeing in panic.

The pyramid of nature where creatures ate and were eaten failed to maintain its role, if only for this moment, as both predator and prey were too busy fleeing in fear.

The elves who had taken the path of evacuation watched this scene, then looked back toward the direction of the royal palace they had left.

"The world tree..."

Though the royal palace was no longer visible, the world tree could still be seen.

The world tree that had always bestowed warm light and blessings now seemed filled with anger and pain.

It was a bizarre sensation like throwing a stone into the depths of the soul creating ripples.

The elves could recognize the gravity of the situation from the massive vibrations that followed.

-Boom!

The ground surged upward in one great wave.

Some lost their balance and fell to the ground, while others screamed without realizing it.

In the silence that followed, one elf pointed with trembling hands toward where the world tree stood.

"L-look over there."

Everyone's gaze turned to the world tree.

Some sat down with wide eyes, while others bowed their heads in reverent prayer.

The world tree they saw was now completely writhing even its massive roots, destroying everything around it.

* * *

"Oh damn it."

Ambella Burke couldn't help but curse at the devastation before her eyes.

If someone had been around to point out how unbecoming such language was for a family head, sadly, they would have shared Ambella's sentiment.

She had vaguely guessed that the power of the world tree was being used when she saw the tentacle-like roots writhing in the inner castle but that was only superficial.

Ambella judged that this force couldn't be completely stopped.

That situation had now completely changed.

Though she didn't know exactly what Ventmin Lifrey had done, the world tree was now exhibiting far greater power than before.

Not only had the number of roots bursting forth throughout the inner castle increased.

The roots began attacking the Lifrey and Shadewarden elves defending the inner castle, draining their life force.

The loyal servants who had given everything to protect the inner castle from enemies were now forced to give even their lives to their master.

"Lady Ambella. What exactly is this situation?"

Vierano looked up at the crying world tree with a pale face.

The divine tree, the tree they believed in and served was enraged.

"Surely the Lifrey family head has done something..."

"It must be. Since they took over after the fall of Plante, they've probably been researching ways to handle the world tree for a long time."

"Isn't that dangerous then? If they fully utilize the world tree's power, with just the forces here..."

Vierano, who knew about the world tree's power, immediately grasped the severity of the situation.

The forces gathered here would have trouble dealing with it.

Ambella shook her head at that concern.

"No. This isn't its complete power. It feels like she’s forcibly drawing it out."

Ambella had seen the world tree's power up close more than anyone.

More precisely, she had observed elves handling the world tree's power up close.

Though she never handled it directly herself, and even that was limited to watching its simplified use from afar.

Still, with her long life experience, she could easily guess.

"That's an incomplete power. Rather, if we flee in premature fear, that malice will expand uncontrollably."

Just looking at how the roots were devouring every visible life form showed as much.

Ventmin Lifrey was trying to compensate for their insufficient power to handle the world tree by absorbing other life energy.

"Now is actually the perfect time. We need to suppress this as quickly as possible."

"But to get through the gaps between those roots..."

They would drain your life force the moment you touch them.

It wasn't impossible to move while avoiding them, but it would be difficult for this many soldiers to move all at once.

The larger the scale, the heavier the movement becomes.

So it was inevitable that they would need to lighten that weight.

"We'll have to go with an elite few."

Ambella swung the greatsword in her hand in a large circle.

-Whoosh.

A gust of wind blew as it cut through the air.

"If there's any consolation, it's that those who should have been blocking the way from inside are now helpless due to friendly fire. At least we only have to worry about the roots."

"Given that those roots are the most dangerous thing, that's no consolation at all."

"Well. You know that anything can happen in war."

Ambella said this as she looked back.

"Don't you think so too Helia?"

"Hmm. I don't really know since I haven't experienced much war~"

She had a bright and light voice completely at odds with the serious atmosphere.

Helia approached with a parasol, walking like a model, and whistled at the sight of the crumbling inner castle and rampaging world tree.

"Wow. Looks like that Ventmin girl was in a hurry since she did something like this."

"So what are you planning to do now?"

"Hmm. Well. Actually, it seems like it would be enough just to draw attention so that man can infiltrate deeper."

Helia stared at the world tree.

She could also see the shadow bird rampaging nearby, and the man's struggle atop it.

The battle between Rudger shooting artifacts like starlight in various colors, and Ventmin responding with golden arrows below showed an ironically beautiful sight amidst this terrible situation.

Helia could barely contain the joy and exhilaration rising within her.

This world really is interesting after all.

Having made up her mind, Helia spoke to Ambella.

"Well, I'll help out a bit more as a service."

Helia raised the parasol in her hand and aimed it forward.

Watching the tentacles writhing while partially destroying the beautiful Serendel inner castle, Helia spoke playfully.

"Bang."

For an action at such a crucial moment, it was excessively light but the result was not light at all.

A massive monster's head suddenly emerged in the air around her, it was her authority - physical illusions.

No, could it even be called illusion anymore at this point?

At the point where it had physical force and could be touched, this had already far transcended the realm of fakes.

What appeared behind Helia was a beast with a reptilian head with hard scales and two horns standing proudly on its head.

The neutral faction elves who saw this were shocked.

"A d-dragon?"

A being that existed in the distant past, in the age of myths and legends, but was now said to be extinct.

Though merely an illusion, a fragment of myth that was once said to be closest to the gods had descended here.

The semi-transparent red dragon inhaled deeply.

Its chest, swollen to its limit, glowed crimson.

The dragon breathed fire toward Serendel Castle.

The dragon's breath, said in legend to burn the world, spread out and consumed the roots around the Serendel inner castle.

This was the world tree that had not budged even from the high heat of gunpowder and bombs made by humans but even though it was an illusion, the heat from the dragon's breath had a definite effect on such a world tree.

-Sizzle.

The roots that the breath swept over turned black and hardened in place.

The gates of Serendel inner castle, which had boasted beautiful exteriors, melted hideously as the surrounding area became sludge.

It was regrettable that a corner of the castle boasting the elves' long history would collapse so horribly but everyone here was too overwhelmed by its majesty to even think about that.

The expelled breath looked like it would reach beyond the Serendel inner castle to the world tree and its cradle.

"Oh my."

Helia let out an exclamation.

In response to this attack, Ventmin wasn't just going to take it.

-Crack!

Stronger and more powerful roots rose one after another to form a solid barrier.

If the roots that moved before were small roots, these were the main roots most closely connected to the base of the world tree.

When roots over 50 meters in circumference and kilometers in length moved, the ground flipped over and soil erupted upward.

Along with the cloudy dust, the entire world shook.

Even for a dragon's breath, it was impossible to burn through massive amounts of soil and the world tree's main roots all at once.

Helia pouted at the situation flowing differently than intended.

"Oh dear. Looks like I'll have to provide an uncharacteristically large service."

She had planned to just provide this much support and leave, but Ventmin's resistance was rougher than expected and Helia didn't like that.

She had originally come to sabotage Ventmin's schemes, and planned to pay her back doubly for thoroughly insulting her but when she was provoked like this, she had no choice but to get serious too.

"Pierce through."

The dragon receiving Helia's order added force to the breath it continued to exhale.

The radial flames that swept away a wide area at once began to gradually narrow.

"Wh-what heat!"

"Fall back!"

The watching elves felt the heat from the dragon's mouth grow even stronger and hastily retreated.

The gradually narrowing breath finally changed into a single line.

-Zzing.

It was now at a level that should be called a laser of pure heat rather than a torrent of flames.

The highly compressed breath punctured straight through the soil and world tree roots but the breath didn't stop there.

-Zzing.

The dragon's mouth tilted upward, and the red laser followed that trajectory.

From the Serendel inner castle gate up along the world tree's trunk to its branches, wherever the massive flash swept by, red explosions bloomed like petals with delayed timing.

Having completed its role, the dragon disappeared into the air like cotton candy dissolving in water.

"The world tree!"

The elves gasped as they saw massive scars being carved into the world tree's body but Helia paid no mind.

"What. Just with something like this. This damage is only momentary anyway. It'll regenerate soon."

Then she spoke to Ambella.

"Still, I've opened the path for a while. It's your turn now."

"Indeed."

Ambella rushed toward the world tree with her pre-selected elites.

Vierano did the same.

Helia watched the elves' retreating figures, then recalled Rudger's form fighting above the world tree.

"I really hope you do well. Because you can't die here."

* * *

Helia's single strike properly impacted the battle between Rudger and Ventmin.

Fierce flames of unknown origin swept across the battlefield and the cradle was also in the path of that trajectory.

The cradle, which had been a massive cavity, was split exactly in half.

Caught in it, half of Ventmin's entire body that had transformed into a giant tree burned away and scattered as ash.

"Aaaaah! Helia!"

Ventmin, whose senses were synchronized with the world tree, immediately recognized whose attack this was and burst out in anger.

But at the same time, what little reason remained in Ventmin held hope.

After all, Rudger floating in the air was also included in the breath's trajectory just now.

Given the Steel Crow's mobility, he probably avoided a direct hit somehow, but even so, the aftermath alone should have done sufficient damage but Ventmin couldn't hide her surprise when she saw Rudger floating in the air.

"How?"

Rudger was fine.

She clearly saw the breath graze past Rudger and the Steel Crow, but that man showed no signs of being singed.

What surprised Ventmin even more was the traces of flames and heat still flickering around Rudger.

The sparks created by the dragon's breath that still remained burning the air were swirling around Rudger.

The sparks were being sucked in as if drawn to something, contracting to a single point.

It was the bright red jewel gripped in Rudger's right hand.

"Dragon's breath, is it?"

Rudger, who had absorbed the flames with Quasimodo's spirit stone, glanced to one side while looking satisfied at the red-flashing spirit stone.

At the vanguard of the gathered neutral faction forces, he saw a familiar woman with black and white hair.

"Unnecessary meddling."

Rudger clicked his tongue, but he had to acknowledge the help he received.

At that moment, the world tree shook greatly once.

Even for the world tree, the pain was indescribable after being directly hit by dragon's breath, which could be called its natural enemy.

The inner castle shook violently, and the cradle trembled as if it would collapse.

The cradle that the breath had swept across split in half, unable to withstand the vibrations, and slowly began to separate.

Rudger shouted.

"Hans! Take Sedina and escape!"

[Y-yes sir!]

Hans took off with Sedina on his back.

Ventmin belatedly tried to catch them by launching roots, but was too late.

"No!"

The final key to Plante was getting away.

Above all else, she absolutely could not let Sedina go.

Though Hans realized Ventmin wouldn't be able to fully catch him, he still didn't take the escape lightly.

Hans, with magical power infused throughout his body, soon prepared to accelerate.

He planned to get as far away from the world tree as possible like this.

───!!!

At that moment, an anomaly occurred.

It was something neither Hans, nor Rudger, nor even Ventmin herself had expected.

-Crack.

The world tree's branches gradually lengthened, then began to spread out in all directions.

Like fully opening a folded umbrella, the gradually extending branches drew gentle parabolas before touching the ground.

-Boom.

The ground shook greatly wherever the world tree's branches touched.

In an instant, a massive cage was completed with the world tree at its center.

[Wh-what is this...!]

The branches forming the cage extended toward Hans, who was confused by the suddenly blocked path, targeting him.

[Hold tight!]

Hans tried his best to escape, but already trapped in the cage now, he was under the world tree's influence no matter where he went.

In an instant, Hans was captured by the branches, and Sedina riding on top of him was the same.

Watching this scene, Ventmin muttered in a trembling voice.

"The, the world tree moved directly. The world tree wants that child."

* * *

"What a complete mess."

Luther Wardot couldn't hide his bewilderment at the scene unfolding before him.

It was just days ago that he had set out to prevent war after hearing from the First Princess that the elf kingdom was preparing for battle.

The elf forest he arrived at was in utter chaos.

Those who should have been guarding the forest's borders were gone, and battles were taking place inside.

Above all, Serendel Castle, which could be called the capital of the elf kingdom, and the world tree were rampaging as if disaster had struck.

"I thought I'd catch up with my old mentor after so long, but it seems I've gotten mixed up in something troublesome."

Seeing the world tree rampaging like that, this was no ordinary serious matter.

At minimum, the outcome of this would have some impact on the empire too.

"No choice then."

Luther slowly walked toward the chaos, sword in hand.

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