Mur Mur had mastered various techniques to handle the deceased as the holder of the Soul Domain. Despite the existence of the clearly superior Professor Sadako, the reason he could remain as an imperial professor was the Emperor’s strong will that the corpses and souls of the imperial professors must be managed by the Empire. Thus, he had at least the minimum specs as a tool to satisfy that will.
━━━
Squish + Torment + Scare
Hand that Disturbs the Soul
━━━
The hand that disturbs the soul seized the terrified evil spirit professors’ souls and twisted them as if wringing wet laundry, pushing them along.
“Stop it, I said stop!”
Unable to withstand the pain, the souls of the evil spirit professors succumbed to the overwhelming power of the Former Emperor, who had achieved even greater taboos, as they took their turn to advance. All souls having been lost, he was about to extend his power towards the evil giant’s soul standing around Ishtar, but the souls present were not so foolish as to merely watch.
━━━
Capture + Threaten + Confinement + Experiment + Offer Sacrifice
Soul’s Coffin
━━━
Mur Mur used the power of the scattered spirits to block the destructive force originating from the Former Emperor’s finger. Feeling disgruntled, the Former Emperor increased his meager output, causing one soul of the evil one trapped in the intangible coffin to ignite, thus enhancing the Former Emperor’s power.
“You naughty child. Naughty adult. Naughty beast. If you devour the karma of evil possessed by all wicked beings, you can use that power as your own. It’s a limited technique using the transformation skill that the evil deity passes through the bloodline, so compatibility is low, but isn’t the world overflowing with villains anyway?”
The Warrior was diligently exterminating the wicked. It was hard to believe how many stronger enemies he had slaughtered before even entering the Academy.
Thanks to that, the Former Emperor’s power could flow freely without drying up.
“NO, NO!!”
Just as he was caught in a duel of powers, Ishtar’s Holy Sword, which had approached him, delivered the final blow.
The professors’ walls finally crumbled. Now that the last bastion to protect the Black World Tree had fallen, no one could interfere with the Warrior anymore.
Boom…!
The master of the Non-fair Flight. The ruler of the Foundation’s Flagship. Excluding the Director, First Wahyhiemhai.
“There’s no time. Quickly cut down that Evil World Tree!”
“I never thought I’d express my gratitude to the villain I cut down with my own hands.”
Outside, the Emperor was resisting, while inside, the Former Emperor was giving him a hard time, but the Warrior bought some time with the help of the two emperors.
As the Former Emperor blocked the Director, trying to increase his power to break through, the Giant Monster carefully assessed the fight, and the Emperor sent out a restraint.
Now that the Director’s feet were tied, it was the perfect opportunity.
Ha!
Ishtar’s Holy Sword swung widely. The sword broke through three-dimensional barriers surrounding the Black World Tree and came to a halt.
“Cough, I can’t reach…!”
Among the two people in the world, the Director, who genuinely tried to take down the owner of a hundred dimensions, the Dragon Principal, had obtained the World Tree.
Naturally, the automatic defense systems that applied the dimensional barriers were as sturdy as those of the Dragon Principal or the Emperor.
Just a little further, if I can just cut that down, I can thoroughly take my time to search for the place where Oknodie’s torn soul is stored…!
It was then, with humiliation and despair bubbling up without pause.
“Ishtar. The strength not to rely on others is a good trait of yours, but right now it has become a detestable habit.”
“Yufi?! No, the Dark Mana emitted by that World Tree will expose you to tremendous Dark Mana just by attacking. I’m barely able to handle it with the Holy Sword!”
“Did you forget? I am also a proper Saintess.”
As Yufi gripped her decapitating scythe, the figure of a gigantic divine arm and a colossal decapitating scythe heralded behind her, manifested by divine power.
“Ugh, using this guarantees a year-long break, but I can’t ignore the crisis of world destruction out of fear of a break…!”
Hahaha. My new Pope, your stress about breaks, and the future where you get mocked for being a second-year student lagging behind your peers is truly a great faith greater than your stress towards the professors. I shall bestow upon you great power for that.
The new Pope of the Thunderbolt Celestial Divine Church, Nise, who was also ready to spend a year lying low for recovery and preparation, squeezed out her stress while calling upon the powers of the luminous Matheus.
Fragment of the Black World Tree
Dark Servant
In response, the Black World Tree, impressed by the Giant Monster’s doppelganger technique, sent out dark mana laden into its doppelgangers, but the tank Vanilla, beastman fighter Xenia, and archer Skola held firm, their hands dripping with sweat and blood, as they endured the encroaching Dark Mana and bought time.
“Warrior! We’re fine, so quickly gather your strength!! There is no moment more rewarding for me as a tank than protecting you right now, so don’t worry about me!!”
“I’ll repay the favor of eating with that Beastman reject, Xenia, who eats alone today!!”
“Returning after defeating a monster worthy of myth. How magnificent. With this, I can brag in front of that arrogant Oknodie.”
As the terrifying torrent of Dark Mana bore down, everyone’s exposure to Dark Mana was rapidly rising, yet the flawed explosion of power made their devotion and sacrifice meaningless.
Gathering their strength to the limit, they unleashed it in a single blow.
Ishtar, Yufi, and Nise ramped up their Mana Flow Technique, pushing themselves to the limits of their bodies and beyond, as they engaged beyond the thresholds they could bear.
Great Goddess of the Sun, Sofemia,
I, Ishtar, pray here.
You are the source of grace that gives life to the world of light,
And you are the compassionate mother who embraces all with warm love.
But now, dark forces are rampaging.
The evil forces represented by the Black World Tree are trying to swallow the world of light.
Only your power can dispel that heinous darkness.
The authority to cut down the Black World Tree that you grant will be
The only hope to save this bleak era.
Though I am just a mere Warrior,
If you are with me, I will surely defeat evil with that strength.
Great Sofemia, bestow your grace upon us.
Grant us the ability to cut down the Black World Tree to your children who are trying to protect the world of light.
With that power, we will save humanity,
And eternally sing of your greatness with our praises.
Ishtar’s prayer magic made her feel the surging power of the sun within her soul more than ever. She thought it was Sofemia’s will enhancing her strength, but the response she heard from within was different.
[Dear child Ishtar, the sun shines in everyone’s heart even during the darkest histories.]
[Even as darkness drapes over the earth and evil forces thrive, how can the brilliant light within you, which truly seeks to save the world, be hidden?]
[Close your eyes and feel the radiant light pulsating within you.]
[I have always been with you.]
[Your sense of justice radiates like the sun as the guardian of the world of light.]
[You have already fulfilled my every will, so there is no need for me to bestow anything.]
The inner sun.
A radiant light that filled her own microcosm to the overflowing point.
At the moment when Ishtar’s overflowing mana felt the courage to release the suppressed unique mana against the dark mana of the villains she had cut down earlier, she realized that her fear of Dark Mana had long obstructed the expansion and evolution of her mana.
Meeting Oknodie.
As the fear of Dark Mana faded, she prepared to accept the damage to her body for a greater fight.
The culmination of all her accumulated experiences declared a new realm, surrounded by her own law, her own radiant light.
Ishtar
Realm Level 4 – Radiant Domain
Effect – Grants an extremely powerful buff proportional to the certainty of their actions to all who confront evil.
As Ishtar filled her inner universe with her own sun and spilled over into the external space, she was brimming with self-assurance.
The buff from the Holy Sword and the buff from the Radiant Domain stacked together, granting her strength that transcended any hierarchical differences.
In that moment, as Yufi’s decapitating scythe severed hundreds of streams of Dark Mana, an immense lightning bolt erupted, obliterating all the dark spores at the end.
Flash!
In an instant, the solid power fused in unshakeable faith did not scatter even if divided into a hundred dimensions, cutting the Black World Tree clean in half.
No matter how many dimensions the world has, there was no dimension united by good will and firm faith.
Kugukung
With the barriers lifted and the amplification of darkness dissipated, the Warrior’s achieved feat turned the tide of the battlefield.
The Warrior, the Emperor, and the allied forces could defeat the Foundation.
“Oh, it’s finally opened.”
“Why is the barrier so tough?”
“That’s why they called us three former players from earlier rounds to conduct a search. This round is insane.”
The joy before discovering the three tankers who had been waiting in line beyond the barrier deployed by the Black World Tree was exhilarating.
