Chapter 296: A Crazy Bastard and an even Crazier Bastard (5)

Cale continued walking, listening to the crunch of snow under his feet. The cold wind made him shiver.

'This place is not an illusion.'

This place is not an illusion. However, it is not reality either.

"Are you the World Tree?"

Cale approached the young man who was kneeling amidst a blazing flame in the snowy landscape. Despite the ferocity of the fire, he felt no heat as he approached, only a growing cold that penetrated his body.

- Cale, I think you're going to catch a cold.

He ignored the comment from Super Rock and stopped in front of the young man.

'Are you the messenger who will kill me?'

The young man, who had asked Cale this question, had his eyes covered by leaves.

"This is my domain. Haven't you seen the sky yet?"

Cale raised his head and looked towards the sky.

- Ah.

Super Rock let out a gasp of wonder.

A snowstorm made it difficult to see the sky. Between the gray, low-hanging clouds, a sky mixed with brilliant iridescent colors could be seen. However, those colors did not reach the ground, blocked by the gray clouds and snow.

"So, that's the flow of the world."

It was said that the World Trees could see the flow of the world and, from it, glimpse the future or the past. That was why the World Tree Cale had first met had given him hints about the White Star and Raon's parents.

"Yes. I can't reach it."

Despite being in the midst of flames, the young man's voice did not tremble. However, Cale noticed something peculiar about his appearance.

'Ice.'

The young man's body was covered in frost, despite being in the flames. His body trembled uncontrollably, but his legs were burning.

'No, that's not it.'

The frost and burns regenerated and then repeated.

'The World Tree is trapped in a cycle of self-destruction.'

He remembered what the Elder had said. The World Tree was trapped in an endless cycle of destruction and regeneration.

"Are you the messenger who will kill me?"

Cale asked the young man.

"Doesn't it hurt?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Ha!"

The young man let out a bitter laugh.

"More than two hundred years ago."

Before the world of Aipotu entered a period of radical change.

"I saw a future in the flow of the world. It wasn't a clear future."

"Wait a moment."

Cale interrupted him.

"Is it okay to talk about that future or past?"

The World Tree he knew weakened each time it spoke of those topics.

"Won't it harm you more?"

The young man, though his eyes were covered, looked in Cale's direction and, after a moment of silence, responded.

"The future I saw..."

Cale frowned as he listened.

'This World Tree only talks about what it wants.'

So far, he had not answered any of Cale's questions directly. Although his expression became increasingly serious, he continued to listen.

"The future I saw was that someone with the essence of nature would come to me in this prison and announce the arrival of a new World Tree."

The young man gave a small smile.

"That would be my end."

The appearance of a new World Tree meant his own death.

"Shortly after seeing that future, the Dragon Lord, the Saint of the God of War, and the Wanderer came to see me."

The Dragon Lord was the Leader of the Purple Blood Family. The Wanderer was probably the Hunter from the Five Color Blood Family.

'The Saint of the God of War.'

The missing Princess Orsena had become the new Saint of the God of War, according to what he had heard from the Deputy Chief Priest Cotton.

"...And the Saint of the God of Chaos also came."

The Saint of the God of Chaos. That word made Cale frown slightly.

The Two Star Dragon was a follower of the God of Chaos. The last time, when the God of Chaos had revealed part of his power, she had been swept away by that wave and disappeared.

'If it's a Saint, it must have a fairly high rank.'

The Saint would have a much higher position than a follower, even if that follower was a Dragon.

"Wow, quite an impressive group."

The young man laughed at Cale's sarcastic comment.

"That's right. And the Saint of the God of Chaos and the Saint of the God of War cast a curse on me."

"Are you talking about the experience of destruction you are living through now?"

The young man let out a bitter laugh.

"That's just a part of it. At that time, I had to face a despair deeper than death."

The young man's face twisted in pain. Cale saw the horror in his eyes and did not dare to ask more, but the young man continued.

"I saw the destruction of this world. I had to experience the death of all the creatures of this land thousands of times in an instant."

"...In an instant?"

"Yes. The power of the Dragon Lord, now that he has reached a divine level, could be called an Authority."

The power of the Dragon Lord.

"He can manipulate Time at will, accelerating it to make an instant seem like millennia."

An Instant...

The word 'Instant' echoed in Cale's mind, as if he were chewing sand.

- Cale, don't think about it anymore.

Super Rock's urgent voice made Cale feel irritated.

'What am I thinking?'

I'm just paying attention to the words of the World Tree.

- Don't use the Power of Instant. Although your Plate has been reinforced, the Instant you possess is not something a human can handle. I told you clearly! If you don't want to die, don't use it!

Super Rock was startled.

Cale, however, thought calmly.

'I'm not going to use it.'

How many allies did he have now?

The combat power of the allies who came with the Black Castle was enough to sweep through several countries. Besides, he now had allies in the Temple, the Empire, and Har Kingdom.

'And I also have people from other races, like the Beast People.'

'If I handle the situation well, I could prevent Exion from becoming an enemy.'

That would allow turning some of those gathering in Exion Castle into allies.

'And I can also count on the help of the people from the Central Plains.'

If that wasn't enough, he could talk to Deputy Chief Priest Cotton and attract her group.

'We are no longer at a disadvantage in terms of power!'

That's right, we are.

- Cale, why are you biting your lips like that?

Damn it!

Cale tried to ignore Super Rock's comment.

'No.'

But in the end, he came to a conclusion.

'It's Time itself!'

How should he face Time?

How should he face someone who is close to being a God?

'I have the Blue Wolf.'

He could try to call the Blue Wolf through Lock and have him fight against the Dragon Lord.

- Don't you need a conceptual power that can face time? Like the Attributes of Dragons.

Super Rock was right.

- And that power is not just your Instant.

Damn it!

- Raon's Present Power. It seems like it could face Time very well, don't you think? And it looks like Raon is starting to realize his power.

Damn it!

He wanted to shut Super Rock's mouth.

- Are you planning to intervene instead of Raon?

...No?

- Tsk.

Super Rock sneered.

Cale, however, maintained his stance.

'I won't let that situation happen.'

I won't let Raon have to intervene, nor will I use my Instant. That's why we are preparing all this.

- Yes, you're right.

Super Rock agreed.

That situation won't come. No, it won't come.

- Exactly.

Super Rock and Cale agreed.

- Cale, let's get all the power we can from the God of Death, Cotton, and the Blue Wolf.

That's right.

Both were in agreement.

Meanwhile, the young man continued speaking.

"In that infinite time, I experienced an illusion so real that my mind broke momentarily."

Any living being would. If suddenly trapped in such an illusion for thousands of years, their mind would inevitably wear out.

"But that time wasn't even a minute."

And when I realized that those thousands of years in hell hadn't lasted even a minute.

"At that moment, the impact was enormous."

The young man lowered his head.

As if looking at his own body with covered eyes.

“These chains clung to me.”

Even in the midst of fire and cold, the chains retained their form, firmly binding the young man.

“As long as I’m bound by these chains, I can’t do anything at will.”

Cale listened silently for a moment.

“Of course, even if I freed myself from these chains, getting out of this space would be another problem.”

But eventually, curiosity got the better of him, and he asked.

“But World Tree-nim?”

“Yes, speak.”

“You’ve maintained your sanity longer than I thought.”

“......”

“The Elder said you were crazy.”

“...”

The young man said nothing.

Then, finally, he sighed.

“I’ve always been sane. But to those trying to talk to me from outside this space, my words don’t reach them correctly. The elf child sometimes contacts me, but that only happens when those gray clouds disperse a bit, and I can get my voice out. So, to outsiders, I may seem crazy.”

“So, doesn’t the Elder enter this space?”

“No. You are the first to enter here since the Dragon Lord.”

The young man, hesitating, added.

“And I thought, carrying Nature within you, you were a messenger from the Gods, or someone sent to kill me.”

“I’m Human.”

At Cale’s words, the young man nodded.

“Yes. You are Human. But I can feel the World Tree’s energy in you.”

There was slight joy in his voice.

“The Dragon Lord cut off my feet here.”

Cale shuddered and moved to the back of the kneeling young man.

The young man had no feet.

“They not only bound me with chains but cut off my feet, robbing me of my strength. And I feel part of that strength is in you.”

The World Tree’s strength, enclosed in a statue that Cale brought from the Central Plains.

This statue would now be used as a seed.

“Have you visited the Source of the World?”

“Yes.”

“If so, she would have told you to stop this flow that I have not been able to manage.”

“That’s right.”

They must stop the Dragons who absorb the Source of the World.

“And she will also act to change this strange energy flow.”

“Exactly.”

As expected of the World Tree, he perfectly understood the plans of the Source of the World.

‘He’s definitely not crazy.’

So, isn’t he quite an impressive World Tree?

Although his mind momentarily collapsed from experiencing the world’s destruction in an instant after thousands of years, he had now regained his sanity.

And he has endured the process of dissolution in this fire and snowstorm for more than two hundred years.

‘Should this World Tree...?’

Should he disappear?

‘Hmm.’

Killing this World Tree, an immortal being, is also a problem.

- Why? Just burn it like a common tree.

Cale ignored the Fire of Destruction.

- No, if you reduce it to ashes and disperse them completely, it won’t be able to rebirth, right? I don’t know, but let’s try it. Now is the time!

...he ignored the Fire of Destruction again.

Instead, Cale looked around him.

“Hmm.”

“What are you hesitating about?”

The young World Tree spoke softly with a smile.

“Surely, if the Source of the World has sent you, that means there’s now a way to save this world.”

Then, I no longer have a reason to keep enduring. So please, kill me. And give me freedom.

“Why are you hesitating so much?”

There’s no need to hesitate.

The young man was trying to say that.

But Cale, who always showed respect to his elders, opened his mouth.

If he asked, he should give him an answer.

“I’m hesitating about how to break this space.”

“...?”

The young man stopped.

“And-”

Cale looked at the young man.

“I also want to break those chains.”

“What?”

“Then, World Tree, you will gain your freedom and be able to work properly again, right?”

The Dragon Lord. That guy seems quite dangerous. It’s better to have one more ally, right?

Wouldn’t the World Tree be a great ally?

‘But the seeds should be planted after everything is over, right?’

That, for us, wouldn’t be a disadvantage?

The corner of Cale’s mouth curled up.

It was then...

Woooong-

Something vibrated in Cale’s chest. In this illusory space.

“Wow. It seems like it’s possible to connect with the outside here.”

Cale murmured with a smile.

“This prison created by the Dragon Lord is not completely perfect. There’s a crack.”

Then, the Elder could receive the message from the World Tree, even if only for a moment.

“If that’s the case-”

Cale took something from his chest. A mirror was vibrating.

“Sacred Objects also work properly.”

The God of Death had sent a message. There was only one reason why this God would contact him.

<Confirmed, the God of Balance is not in her right mind.>

<It is possible to move some helpers from the Central Plains to the world of Aipotu.>

What Cale wanted, experts from the Central Plains.

<There’s only one problem.>

Hmm?

When Cale’s forehead furrowed a little.

<Do you have any object brought from the Central Plains?>

- Oh.

Super Rock responded.

And the corner of Cale’s mouth curved into a smile.

<You, since you have a Sacred Object, can move freely between dimensions. But for the experts from the Central Plains, it seems we’ll need to create a temporary portal between the Central Plains and Aipotu for them to cross.>

“Yes. I have the object.”

Woooong.

<Oh, as expected of our Cale! Do you know how much I’ve been suffering these days trying to maintain balance?>

<No, seriously, the God of Chaos has divided the Word of the Gods, you should see it. I’ll show you a model later.>

Woooong. Woooong.

The messages continued. And Cale put the mirror back in his chest.

He ignored it.

Woooong. Woooong.

<Cale?>

<Are you there?>

<Why did you stop reading? Could you read to the end...?>

Cale paid no attention to the unread messages. Instead, he crouched down and looked at the young man in the midst of the fire.

“I-”

The young man asked in a low voice. But for the first time, his voice trembled.

“Can I... can I be free? Am I not going to die?”

Cale opened his mouth. His gaze directed at the chains binding the young man.

“First, we need to break the chains.”

He had seen these chains before. Although they were smaller now, the energy emanating from them awakened Cale’s senses.

“These chains, were they used by the Saint of the God of War?”

When Cale said that a presence responded.

- Did you know? I thought you didn’t know. That’s why I thought I had to say it myself.

Sky Eating Water.

Water of Judgment, bound by the God of War, wanted to break the chains binding her and become a spear that reached the sky.

So, she called herself the Sky Eating Water.

- Cale. Then, let’s try it.

Her voice began to grow more excited. Despite being clear, it became rougher.

- Break these rotten chains first, and those clouds up there, the ones covering the sky and pretending to be real.

The gray clouds that hid the bright colors. Cale looked up and gazed at the sky.

- Those clouds are the ones that have dominated this space, right?

- Then, as you said, this space is stopped by time.

The process of destruction.

The World Tree, trapped in the Prison of Time.

Sky Eating Water whispered temptingly.

- If we break this space, if we remove the space that stops Time...

If the snowstorm, the fire, the prison disappears.

- Wouldn’t time lose its meaning?

- Wouldn’t it?

Haha.

There was an excited warmth in Sky Eating Water’s meaningful laugh.

- What do you say? Shall we try it?

And at her proposal, Cale nodded slightly.

“Yes. Let’s try.”

He spoke to the young man.

“I’ll save you.”

He added.

“I think it’s possible.”

The young World Tree realized that the future he saw was not his disappearance, but his rebirth.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]