Episode 218
57. An Unchanging Future (4)
“Oh, Ishtar Arhalten. Blood of a noble royal family.”
Tergogh said, rubbing my chin. Even though thousands of years had passed since the extinction, it was as if he remembered Ishtar.
“Let everyone go.”
To such Tergogh, Ishtar commanded with a firm voice.
The appearance that was considered to be four-dimensional was nowhere to be found, and Ishtar was full of dignity as a princess of Artel.
“To headquarters.”
With that said, Tergogh quickly harvested the trees.
The trunk that wrapped around George’s body like a snake unraveled, and the tree that had pierced Camilla leaked out, and blood gushed out.
“Camilla!!”
I often ran to her and gave her the recovery potion she had.
The last elixir left by Illyana. When you pour the purple liquid into your mouth, the deep wound heals quickly.
“it’s okay?”
“… … I barely escaped the vital point, huh.”
It was difficult to even speak, so she gasped for breath.
“I’m resting for now.”
I took Camila to the side of the ark and laid her flat. George, who had a crushed ankle, was also carried with the support of other Artels.
When I try to support him instead, George blocks his hand.
“… … what’s the matter.”
“I wish I could calm down… … . With that, my role is over. But you still have other things to do.”
He said so and passed me by.
“Fix it from there. I want you to finish what you have done.”
what i did
George would be talking about this expedition, but from a standpoint who had clearly witnessed the past, it was heard in a different way.
In the end, all these incidents were due to the former Baeksan-woo’s contact with Tergogh.
By summoning Mary Celeste and sacrificing Artel, Sierra, the cursed beings were brought back to life.
finally.
I mean, that’s what I started.
“right. What I have done must be done with my own hands.”
I lifted my head and looked at Tergogh and Ishtar. A subtle silence drifts between them.
It was Tergogh who broke the indescribable atmosphere.
“To show up just to save two humans. It’s too soft.”
showed clear hostility.
Tergogh didn’t want to attack first. Are you afraid of the attack of Linell and his bodyguards?
‘no.’
I looked at the flowerpot Artel was holding, standing behind Ishtar.
seedlings of the world tree.
It is the water of life that is in direct opposition to the fallen Artel.
Tergogh must be wary of the power of that mysterious and magical tree.
“Smash your troops. And go back to where you came from.”
Ishtar’s eyes twinkled. The energy of the world tree in her words reverberated through the air.
The jet-black trunk of the tree was overpowered by its energy alone, and it dried up and twisted.
Tergogh stared at the scene, rolling his eyes.
“Is that the answer? Poor descendants, you still do not know what the true truth is.”
“Our truth is ours. I have no intention of going down the same path as you who have already forgotten… … !”
“Indeed, I’m sorry.”
In an instant, a corrupted Artel standing next to Tergogh was swallowed by a black tree.
It was literally.
Puhak!
Corrupted Artel was torn to shreds by the wooden tentacles that rose from the deck.
While everyone was frozen in such a sudden situation.
“Noble blood is worthy of sacrifice… … !!”
Tergogh opened his mouth wide and ran towards Ishtar.
At the same time, the black trees that had recovered their energy swung their tentacles all at once. He recovered his stamina by nourishing his people who had been sacrificed a while ago.
“Cuckoo!!”
The escorts could not quickly respond to the heavy attack from all directions.
The camp disintegrated in an instant— just before Tergogh’s twisted hand wretchedly grabbed Ishtar’s wrist.
“I have to finish it myself!”
Whoops! The flames of the yam tree narrowly cut the distance between the two of them.
Tergogh’s slashed wrists slammed onto the deck.
I didn’t stop. He shoved the sword right into the mouth of the man with a grin.
Jijik, Parts!
The blue lightning that came out of his hand flowed through the sword and exploded.
Lightning at zero distance.
“Gughg, he each!!”
Tergogh’s body trembled like crazy. Electricity exploded violently, making a squeaking noise.
“use… … none… … !! I would have done it!”
“There’s a difference between not dying and not being able to attack, you idiot!”
To be precise, the attack is not nullified. If you cut off your body and cause an electric shock, you will be electrocuted.
It just doesn’t do effective hits.
This means that it is not immune to the attack itself.
I pushed even faster. Every time he swung his sword, flames covered his vision.
Arms are cut off, and the body is cut off. The upper body that soared into the air was torn apart once more.
“It is now, Princess Ishtar!! Avoid!!”
In the stern, there are Arthur’s members, Illuminati, and Aidan who boarded Moby Dick.
If Ishtar and Artel’s expedition join them, there will be enough chances of winning.
Ishtar understood what I meant and nodded.
hey hey! Linell’s Wyvern roars, grabbing Camila and George, who were recovering in the corner, and soars into the sky.
Instead, Linell remained a player.
She skillfully dodged the tree tentacles that sprang up from all directions, and hit the tentacles’ weaknesses one after another.
Really Dragon Rider. As far as my skill level was concerned, it was at a perfect level.
“Protect the princess!”
The Artel bodyguards roared and blocked the tentacles like a barrier.
The saplings of the World Tree also breathe life into the members of the Guards, just as they respond to their calls.
Blessings of the World Tree.
Even though it was only about the waist size when placed on the floor, it was enough to give a wide-area blessing covering the entire ark.
Of course, so was I.
Aww!!!
The yam island, which had the blessing of the world tree, cried. The blue flame that covered the sword was simmering beyond burning.
The holy heat rising like a volcanic eruption burns the ark’s black trees before they even reach it.
The victory that had been leaning towards Tergogh just a few minutes ago had begun to regain its balance.
Combat is the flow.
As long as the direction had changed, I had to keep moving forward so as not to overturn it.
“Ahhh!!!”
He screams and swings his sword. It caught the flying tentacle and destroyed the whole stem.
“Tergogh!! Quietly disappear!”
Linell’s arrow hits the body I cut. The flesh of Tergogh, who had been poisoned by the poison applied to the arrowhead, began to die.
“Originally, poison has no business!”
Unlike the World Tree that governs life, the Black Tree is only a shell left with a deep desire for revenge and a longing for destruction.
He does not possess any healing powers.
“Kyaah!”
At the rotting skin, he lets out a bizarre scream.
The rate at which you regenerate in response to my attacks has also been noticeably reduced.
The power of life against the curse of death.
Whenever the fresh leaves hanging from the seedlings of the world tree shake, the energy of blessing is clearly felt.
However.
Tergogh didn’t seem to have any intention of backing down or admitting defeat.
It leaps into the air and rushes to one of its clan. Wouldn’t it be nice to just grab it then?
Wow! Wow!!
Every time the gaping jaws murmured, a terrifying sound was heard.
The sacrificed ancient Artel did not even rebel, but just limp.
“Hey, what is that… … .”
A bizarre scene.
Even Linell was quite shocked, so he couldn’t attack.
Tergogh’s predation did not end there.
He bit his people who were confronting the guards, and ruthlessly ate up those who were wounded by Linell’s arrows.
Rather, Artel was behind the scenes.
“what?”
Surely in the past, Artel was sacrificed in memory, so why are they slaughtering my people now?
“Uh, uh… … !”
Tergogh, who ate even the last remaining ancient Artel, cried out.
His entire body was covered in blood, and the sight of his big eyes twitching was more bizarre than any other horror movie.
“Wow, whoops!!”
Linell couldn’t stand it and vomited. Then the entire ark shook as if there was an earthquake.
Gugugugugu.
Vibration pounding in the ears.
An ominous energy emanating from the depths of the abyss.
“… … !!”
I shouted reflexively, pulling Linell back.
“All off center!”
Likewise, as soon as the SS members who sensed something unusual quickly left the ranks.
The floor on which they stood was completely smashed.
Quickly! Quad Duck!!
What appeared was a huge tree. From the deck of the ark, the hull, and the bottom, a thick stem rises.
It was about the same size as the world tree.
However, the aura of the world was completely different from that of the World Tree. The smell of blood and the stench of rotting corpses.
It was an ominous green shimmering giant tree.
Sunmi’s situation was no different, and the screams of bewildered students could be clearly heard from behind.
“By feeding you, we will fulfill our aspirations. The sacrifices of our people will never be in vain.”
Tergogh is engulfed in madness and tears the corners of his mouth.
“When that day comes, we will all meet in paradise.”
A sphere of blue light rose from the top of the tree. Before you even know what exactly it is,
A flash of light covered my eyes.
Aww!
A huge shock wave hit my body. The firepower was insane enough to be incomparable with the beam that intercepted shells.
“It is death. Meet your fate.”
“uh?”
At the end of Linell’s rant, one of her legs flew right in front of my eyes.
“Ahhh!!!”
“Lineel!!!”
It was a terrible sight, but it wasn’t only Linell who was attacked.
“Aww! my arm!! my arm!!”
“Wake! Someone help me!!”
Everything that was within a 10m radius of the rising black tree disappeared at once.
hell too.
I couldn’t even continue talking. It was the first time such an attack had occurred.
Gayroom of the Liberation Front, no… … Even Thanatos and Azetos, who are treated as gods, did not attack like this.
“I, my son, kill me… … .”
Linell’s hand trembled and fell to the floor. Blood flowed nonstop from the wound.
He seemed to have fainted from shock.
I knew I couldn’t leave it like that, but I was confused.
There are no potions right now. By what means did you stop bleeding?
Even that wasn’t enough, the vomit I had been holding back poured out like a boil.
“Kuh-huh, billion!!”
As I was exhaling choked breath, someone approached me.
A sour bloody smell that pierces your nose. It was Tergogh whose whole body was dyed bright red.
“This is the result.”
tuk.
A man was thrown in front of him.
A beautiful blonde girl, with lustrous hair and bright blood.
Ishtar Arhalten.
“It was good to try. However, if you were going to fight us, you should have brought a young tree, not a sapling.”
He crawled on the floor with trembling hands. Ishtar, her body was already cold.
Red blood continues to flow from the hole in the heart.
“This dog… … baby… … !!”
What the princess held until the end was the tragically broken branch of the sapling.
I wrapped around the branches as if possessed.
The handful of vitality left until the end is felt in the heart.
The World Tree seemed to say so.
Squeeze out even your own vitality and use this power to cut that guy.
final blow.
I grabbed my sword and stood up. I hugged the branch tightly in my arms.
“It’s okay. It’s just futile rebellion.”
There was another wave of fear, but the flames wrapped around the sword were now only a small haze.
All of the Lioner’s power was exhausted. It was completely discharged, and it was impossible to even raise the lightning.
It was only natural that the main subject, the Lioner, returned to the spirit world.
But it’s enough to feed him one shot.
I drew my sword towards Tergogh. In the end, it is my will.
When I rescued Camilla from Hisperiif, when I rescued Illyana from Aaron Nortonhale, and when I destroyed Blackrona’s Crystal Golem.
When he stopped Thanatos instead of Elijah, or when he cut Selaha while Nabe bought time.
In the end, it was my will that made the finale.
to protect your loved ones.
Not destroying, exploiting, or stealing—
To give them help and hope, to punish the enemies who made them unhappy.
“Ugh.”
take a deep breath
He widened his stride and poured all his remaining energy into the hand holding the sword.
Run towards Tergogh.
The sensation in his legs had long since disappeared. We just aim for the goal we see in front of us, the absolute evil.
The moment he raised his arms so high and swung his sword.
A bright light erupted from the branch of the World Tree it was holding.
A warm, warm breath of life.
And a soft nostalgic voice.
“I knew you wouldn’t give up.”
Kugugu, the branch that fell to the ground quickly turned into a huge tree, blocking the distance between me and Tergogh.
“I am a little late.”
Fluttering her shiny black hair.
“Sanwoo.”
Illyana wrapped her arms around my neck.