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Chapter 582

Elves fired their white arrows and summoned powerful spirits, but the flaming snake ignored all of them and shoved its red fangs into the world tree.

Whaaam!

The wall of mana protecting the world tree was shattered into pieces as crimson flame started to rage, igniting from the right side of the trunk.

As despair started to fill the eyes of the elves, a high elf with a similar appearance to Sterin stepped forward.

He looked tired, implying that he’d had other fights beforehand, but his gaze remained ferocious.

The high elf’s arrow advanced like lightning and pierced the snake’s mouth, which was burning the world tree.

The flaming snake screamed and was pulled away from the world tree for the first time.

However, the lingering flame was still burning the world tree inside and out.

Just as the high elf was about to approach the world tree to extinguish the fire, a red-haired villain with spiral horns on his forehead appeared from a rift in the air.

The villain stood in the high elf’s way, unleashing crimson flame just like the snake had done.

The high elf furrowed his brow and fired a white arrow at the villain.

However, the arrow was unable to break through the villain’s flame and melted in the air.

Humans with similar outfits to the red-haired villain appeared from the same rift, attacking the elves and supporting the flaming snake.

The huge snake raised itself back up, coiling around the world tree powerfully, and shoved its fangs into it.

The flame engulfing the world tree became even more intense, as if red ink was added to it.

The high elf was already tired from his first appearance, and his impatience over the death of his kin led to him succumbing to the villain\'s strike.

It was just a single mistake, but the result was terrible. The high elf collapsed, a dark hole in his stomach.

The red-haired villain gave the dying high elf a mocking smile, then he started to walk toward the world tree.

His subordinates were shooting the fire in all directions as if they were trying to incinerate the entire area, not just the world tree.

Crack!

By the time the land, once brimming with the energy of nature, transformed into a scene of wailing hell, the dark sky split open and flames rained down, dazzling like the sun.

The golden flame advanced along with a majestic wind and swallowed the crimson flame scorching the land and the villain’s subordinates at once.

A swordsman clad in silver armor landed on the fissured land of darkness.

His back was familiar. He was Zieghart’s ancestor.

He pointed his sword at the villain without saying anything.

The villain’s composure disappeared, and his lips twisted.

The red-haired villain thrust his flame-covered hand, just like how he’d killed the high elf.

However, his attack was on a whole different level from before. Ten fireballs burst out in the air and fell towards the ancestor’s head like meteorites.

Zieghart’s ancestor didn’t even look at the fireballs falling towards him. He solely focused on the villain and gently opened the hand holding his sword.

Whaaam!

Once the sword left his hand, it became a golden ray to pierce the villain’s heart, even destroying the red snake’s head before piercing into the world tree’s center.

Raon could see it. It was the sword manipulation. The principle of destruction was dwelling in the ancestor’s will, manipulating the sword.

The villain looked at the hole in his chest in disbelief before he collapsed, and the flaming snake also writhed in pain without its head before it scattered like dust.

“I’m sorry.”

The ancestor muttered that he had come too late, apologizing to the dead elves, and he approached the world tree.

He furrowed his brow while looking at the darkened trunk and roots of the world tree, implying that it was dying.

“It won’t be able to survive at this rate.”

The world tree had indeed taken too much damage. It could regenerate if only the outside had been burned, but the snake had even burned the inside by making a hole in the world tree with its fangs. It looked like it wouldn’t be able to survive as it was.

“This must be another act of fate.”

The ancestor closed his eyes before opening them again, taking out a red bead and a blue bead from an object that seemed to be a subspace pocket.

Actually, Raon couldn’t tell if they were beads or not. They could be eggs or jewels for all he knew.

However, the pure energy of nature overflowing from them was something that he’d never experienced before.

The ancestor placed the beads in the holes made by the snake’s fangs one after the other and used the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s flame to plug the holes.

“Survive.”

He looked upwards and gently caressed the world tree.

Whir!

The world tree responded to the ancestor’s thought with a small resonance, its branches and leaves swinging in the air. The translucent leaves that had managed to survive the battle fluttered softly in the air.

The ancestor caressed the world tree for a long time, then he finally stood up and turned around. His red eyes were wavering violently, as if he’d been looking at Raon all along.

The moment Raon leaned forward to see the ancestor’s face more closely, the Ring of Fire resonated once again and his vision turned dark.

* * *

“…on. Raon!”

“Ah…”

Raon’s head trembled faintly upon hearing someone calling him.

“Did you not sleep yesterday? Why are you dozing off while standing?”

Rimmer chuckled, asking why he was standing blankly like Runaan.

“I’m sorry.”

Raon shook his head while wiping away the cold sweat flowing from his forehead.

Where did you go this time?

Wrath glared sideways while sticking to his shoulder.

‘I just went to see my ancestor.’

Bullshit again!

It was an honest answer, but Wrath obviously didn’t believe him and briskly turned his head.

Raon chuckled and looked at the world tree. It had grown to be even more majestic than before, as if it had never been set ablaze, and Raon realized once again how great his ancestor was.

‘By the way… who was that villain?’

Those strange men appeared every time he saw his ancestor’s memories. The reversal of the black and white in their eyes made them look like demons, but their energies were unmistakably human.

‘And what were those beads?’

The power of his ancestor and the beads must’ve saved the world tree and made it grow even bigger. Raon became curious about what those beads were.

‘I wonder if they are still in there?’

Since the beads were left behind by Zieghart’s ancestor and the world tree had already managed to survive, Raon wanted to take them if possible.

“Haa…”

He could hear Rimmer’s sigh as he contemplated how to find those beads.

“The stubborn old men are here.”

“What?”

“The old men over there are the classic stubborn old elves.”

Rimmer raised his finger and pointed at the elves on the other side of the world tree.

The eleven old elves had wrinkles on their faces just like Sterin, and young elves wearing guardian outfits were standing in a formation behind them.

“Who are they…?”

“They are the elders.”

Rimmer furrowed his brow while looking at the elves walking towards them.

“Ugh…”

Siyan let out a brief groan and started to tremble upon hearing that elders were present.

Those elders must’ve been the ones who’d been nagging and humiliating her so far.

“Greetings, protector.”

The blond-haired elf standing at the center bowed at Sterin.

“Did you come in advance to prepare for the ritual?”

Sterin nodded, thanking them for helping out with the purification ritual.

“It’s our job. However…”

The blond-haired elf shifted his gaze to Raon.

“Why is there a human here?”

He wasn’t simply questioning. He even showed his anger at the sight of him.

“This is the holy ground of elves. Humans aren’t allowed to enter.”

“It will be fine because that human will be the spirit king’s contractor.”

The answer came from Erian, who was standing behind the elders, instead of Rimmer or Sterin. He raised his fist, still claiming that Raon was the spirit king’s contractor.

“Erian.”

“Yes, head elder.”

Erian confidently lowered his head.

“I wasn’t asking you. Keep your mouth shut.”

“I-I beg your pardon.”

Erian flinched upon hearing the head elder’s frightening voice and stepped back.

“Protector.”

The head elder briefly clicked his tongue and looked at Sterin once again.

“Let me ask again. Why was a human allowed to enter this holy ground?”

He glared coldly, asking what Sterin was even thinking.

“You should be well aware that humans tried to burn the world tree!”

“Are you trying to tell me that he should be treated the same as the humans who’ve attacked Seipia?”

Sterin responded calmly and narrowed his eyes.

“He is no different from them! Because he is a human just like them!”

The head elder shouted in irritation, but his eyes were still glowing coldly.

“All I’ve learned from our ancestors is that humans almost burnt the world tree!”

He pointed at the right side of the world tree’s trunk, where the scorching trace remained.

“The head elder is right.”

“Humans shouldn’t be allowed to set foot into the holy ground.”

“Please get him out right now!”

“Protector!”

The other elders shook their heads, showing their refusal.

Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the stubborn lips of the elders.

‘He didn’t leave any record.’

Inside the memory he’d seen, Zieghart’s ancestor had left without meeting anyone after reviving the world tree. It looked like history didn’t record the fact that he’d saved the world tree.

“Protector, we agreed to trade with humans because of your request, but we can never allow humans to approach the world tree!”

The head elder blocked the path and confidently straightened his back.

Raon could guess from their conversation that Sterin must’ve made a deal with the council of elders to establish trades with humans.

“Hmm…”

The area around Sterin’s eyes wrinkled because of the unexpected disturbance.

“That’s so heartless.”

Rimmer came up next to Sterin and shook his head.

“He is my disciple. That should be good enough to…”

“You are also problematic.”

The head elder shifted his gaze to Rimmer, a frown around his mouth.

“You became a punk from human influence. How dare you run your mouth here?”

He glared at Rimmer even more sharply than he’d done towards Raon.

“You damn geezer! Do you want to find out how a punk really behaves?”

“Stop it.”

As Rimmer started to have a fit of anger, Sterin stepped forward.

“Do you all agree with him?”

“We do.”

The elders stood behind the head elder, supporting his opinion.

“And…”

The head elder furrowed his brow while looking at Siyan, who was standing next to Raon.

“How could you attend to this holy place with an appearance like that? Lady Siyan, I’m curious how much you are going to ruin the dignity of elves.”

“Uhh…”

Siyan trembled because of his sharp voice and pressure.

“For now, please send out that human and Rimmer from this place. And Lady Siyan won’t be allowed to enter in that state.”

The trembling of Siyan’s shoulders intensified as the head elder glared more and more fiercely.

“Are you suggesting we should fight over it now?”

Sterin was also getting irritated and raised his chin with a frightening pressure emanating from him.

“Of course not. Everything is for the prosperity of the elves. Please reconsider.”

The head elder shook his hand and took a step back.

“Please reconsider!”

However, the other elders and elves who followed his opinion were standing their ground without stepping back.

“Hmm…”

“Division leader.”

Sterin weakly bit his lip while looking at the elves, and Raon shook his hand towards Rimmer.

“Protector is equivalent to a head of house or a king for humans, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

“But there are so many people who look down on the king here.”

Because Raon was speaking in a high-pitched voice and a mocking tone, the elders and Sterin shifted their gazes at him.

“What did you say just now?”

“It’s true, isn’t it?”

Raon took a step forward and curled his lips into a smile.

“The protector told me that he’d show me the world tree two days ago. Since the other elves were aware of that fact, there’s no way the elders like you didn’t know about it. However, instead of complaining about it right away, you are blocking the path when we are already here. If this doesn’t show that you are looking down on the protector, then what would?”

“Th-that’s…”

The elders were unable to refute his words and averted their gazes.

“Even the humans you so despise put aside their factional disputes when they have outside guests, striving to present their better selves. Yet the elves are only showing their ugly side to their human guest, despite how great they claim to be.”

“That’s not it. We…”

“Aah, I actually don’t really care.”

Raon cut off the head elder.

It’s here! The special technique, Cut Him Off!

Wrath furrowed his brow while looking at Raon.

This is the most irritating special technique he has!

He bit his lip, saying that cutting them off before they could even justify themselves was the most irritating thing to do.

“More than anything else, what you just said was so laughable.”

“Laughable?”

The head elder furrowed his brow deeply. The pressure extending from him was so sharp that it felt like it could mutilate his body.

“You won’t be treated as a guest anymore if you cannot justify yourself.”

His frown showed that he was infuriated.

“Head elder!”

“Wait a moment.”

As Sterin was trying to stop him, Rimmer raised his hand.

“Believe in him, he must have a plan.”

Rimmer smiled, saying that Raon never acted thoughtlessly.

“Th-that’s right.”

Siyan murmured that they should believe in him, saying that she read it from the book.

“Hmm…”

Sterin listened to his grandchildren and stepped back with his arms crossed.

“Because, you know, did someone guarantee that the world tree belongs to the elves or something? In my opinion, the world tree is going to like me more than you.”

“You are completely insane. I’ve been serving the world tree ever since I was a baby. I’m not a high elf, but I’ve dedicated my entire life to the world tree. How dare you spout such arrogance?!”

The head elder sneered, saying that it was complete bullshit.

“The world tree closed its heart for centuries after it was burnt by humans.”

He turned around and walked towards the world tree.

“However, it started to open its heart around a hundred years ago thanks to the efforts of countless elves.”

The head elder placed his hand on the world tree, and the branches fluttered into the air to spread its pure mana. The bountiful mana spreading around made it feel like the entire world had changed.

“Are you saying that you can handle the world tree better than me?”

He shook his head, telling him to stop his nonsense.

“You’d better leave right now…”

“Then how about making a bet with me?”

“A bet?”

“Yes.”

Raon stood in front of the head elder and looked up at the world tree. He nodded while looking at the tree that was killed by humans and was saved by a human.

“What are you going to do if I make the world tree react even more strongly than you?”

“Hah!”

The head elder exclaimed, treating it as a ridiculous claim.

“You are insane…”

“This is the first time you have seen the world tree. Why are you even bluffing?”

“I heard he is the Dragon Slayer who killed Kaibar, but he’s just a madman.”

The other elders and elves were also dumbfounded by his suggestion and furrowed their brows.

“If I lose the bet, I’ll take Sir Rimmer and never return.”

Raon smiled faintly, telling them that he’d leave just like they wanted.

“Hey, hey! Why am I included in the bet?!”

Rimmer shook his head in surprise even though he’d told Sterin to believe in him. However, Sterin didn’t say anything, showing that he was going to keep trusting him.

“You will keep your word, right?”

“Of course.”

“Alright. If the world tree accepts you, I’ll grant every wish you have.”

The head elder twisted his lips, saying that the world tree was never going to accept a human.

“I have two conditions. The first one is to get some Sylvan Stream berries.”

“Just another greedy human.”

The head elder snorted, saying that it was nothing unexpected.

“And the second one is for you and the elders to kneel in front of me, Lady Siyan, and the protector to apologize for your disrespect.”

“What?”

“How dare you!”

The elders widened their eyes, surprised at his unexpected request.

“That sounds good.”

The head elder shook his head with his lips curled into a smile.

“It’s not going to happen anyway, so make whatever request you want to.”

“Then I’ll be adding another later.”

Raon raised his finger, murmuring that it was a perfect setup.

“…Wh-what about me?”

Rimmer tilted his head while looking at Raon and the elders. Raon had mentioned everyone else’s names, but his name was missing.

Raon confidently walked up to the world tree. He went to the right side where the color hadn’t completely returned yet and touched the part where Zieghart’s ancestor had inserted the beads and caressed.

‘Humans tried to kill you, but it was also human who saved you.’

Raon activated the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the Ring of Fire and gently stroked the part where holes had been made so that the world tree would recall the memory from that time.

However, the world tree remained completely immobile. It looked like it didn’t remember yet.

“But of course.”

“There’s no way the world tree would accept a mere human.”

“Rimmer, get ready to leave.”

The elders and the elves sneered upon seeing that the world tree wasn’t reacting at all.

“Protector, it’s truly regrettable.”

The head elder raised his chin with his lips curved into a crescent shape despite his words.

“It looked like you cherished that human, but he failed to seize your consideration because of his own greed. That\'s human nature.”

“......”

Sterin simply stared at Raon’s back without saying anything.

“Hey.”

The head elder’s smile deepened as he shook his hand. The guardians standing behind him stepped forward.

“Get that human, Rimmer, and Lady Siyan out of here. As for that human and Rimmer, just expel them from Seipia…”

He continued with a sneer, but a translucent leaf descended from the sky while fluttering in the air.

“Hmm?”

The moment the head elder looked up, the world tree shook its branches, bursting forth with majestic energy as if wings were spreading from it.

The world tree’s resonance spread around like a clear sword resonance and soared all the way to the end of the sky, filled with nostalgia and gratitude.

“Wh-what’s happening?!”

“Aah…”

“What a beautiful resonance of the world tree…”

The elves widened their mouths to the point of tearing as they sensed the world tree\'s radiant blue wave shining more brilliantly than ever.

“Uhh…”

The head elder’s wide eyes looked like they were about to pop out, and Raon turned around.

“What are you waiting for? You aren’t on your knees.”

He curled his lips into a slight smile and gestured toward him with his chin.

“Kneel.”