“…If everyone else is dead but me.”
A genuine lament.
In response, the World Tree’s illusion began to glow with a green light.
Fwaahk-!
It exuded an overwhelming presence that surely didn’t exist in reality, merely a projection of the wind from its past.
The divinity of the World Tree enveloped the surroundings. Then, the environment began to change.
Unknown grasses grew in the plains, blooming small flowers, while in a nearby thicket, trees rapidly grew, threateningly extending their branches in all directions.
At a glance, they looked like thorns pointing toward the sky.
This was not a small divine power exerted by One Who Devours the Twilight or Karen.
This was a miracle that transformed the world, raised by an actual god. The fragments of that power had arrived here.
“Jonah! It’s dangerous!”
“Ellie, please. I’ll check on the hostage side.”
“This, this is… this is…”
With a start, Ellie reached out to me, and Lydia dashed toward the thicket where Lemon and Apple were.
And Karen was staring up at the World Tree blankly, like she was broken.
Well, it was indeed too powerful to be just the strength of a dead god.
In fact, it’s only natural. Why would the guardians of the first layer appear in the labyrinth if they weren’t guaranteed to drop their powers?
The layer guardians are the last wills left by the gods of that layer.
So, while a version that twists spacetime to regenerate may not have that essence, the first observed layer guardian carries the lingering thoughts of the gods left behind in their final moments.
In this case, it would be the worry for the safety of the elves until the very end.
If something unjust were to happen or if the existence of their kind were threatened, the World Tree vowed to lend its strength for the sake of its children, even in death.
That is the hidden setting behind the summoning conditions of the first layer.
“Ah, ah….”
What was merely a few lines of text to me became a reality, pressing down upon my body and soul.
It was overwhelming. It felt as if this moment could very well be a true miracle.
Of course, to Ellie, I probably looked like I was frozen in shock due to the sudden changes and pressure.
“Get a grip and come here! I don’t know what’s happening, but it’s definitely One Who Devours the Twilight’s last struggle, so just, uh, abandon the corpse….”
“No. That’s not it, Ellie.”
I corrected her misunderstanding.
“This has nothing to do with One Who Devours the Twilight.”
“…What?”
“Ellie. Don’t you understand? This is a sign of the layer guardian being summoned.”
“Su, summoned?”
“Yes. You saw my prayer just now.”
Barely managing a smile despite my lingering aftereffects, I continued speaking.
“So please don’t tell me to run away. Instead, watch me. Watch how I fight. Watch how the World Tree responds to my prayer. …Of course, if it gets dangerous, Ellie, you’ll have to help!”
“……”
I added that at the end with a grin, but for some reason, Ellie’s expression didn’t change.
She still nodded seriously.
“Okay. I promise. Always Jonah, I’ll be behind you. So don’t worry and do everything you want to do and can do.”
“Thank you, Ellie. You know I really like you, right?”
The kind of words I throw out dozens of times a day. But perhaps due to her small stature, today’s sentimental Ellie gazed blankly for a moment before nodding with a soft smile.
“I know. And I’m even more grateful.”
Her voice and atmosphere reflected genuine relief. I stood there dazed for a moment at Ellie’s different reaction.
Before I knew it, the World Tree’s divinity began to gather into one point amidst the overgrown greenery.
Creeeek—
The sound of something breaking and being crushed filled the air, the green light deepening. The glowing mass formed an oval shape akin to an egg, a crack appearing across it.
Crack!
Once a crack formed, it expanded uncontrollably. In an instant, the surface of the sphere filled with cracks, and a piece of light detached.
Ka-ching-!
A loud burst sound echoed. As if this were a signal, the green egg shattered into pieces, revealing its contents to the world.
It appeared to be about 2 meters tall. Its limbs were abnormally thick and long, and its body was covered in numerous thorns.
It looked like thornbush sculpted into a humanoid shape… or rather, a thornbush that had grown into a humanoid form was staring at me with its hollow eyes.
However, it looked strangely unfocused, as if its body wasn’t fully formed.
First strike victory!
“Die…!”
I fired the wrist crossbow I had set up beforehand.
Squeal-!
Though it could only shoot one bolt at a time, the destructive power had increased immensely compared to before. The arrow, fully receiving the tension, pierced through the air.
The moment the sharp arrowhead reached its eye.
Fwahrk!
Green flames erupted from the hollow eye socket, hot enough to melt the arrow.
“What the….”
The creature with metal dripping from one eye tilted its head, pulling out the part of its arm where the flames hadn’t spread yet.
It examined the part it pulled out while tilting its head, then clenched its fist tightly. The arrow that should have broken absorbed into the layer guardian’s body.
Then, a sharp thorn sprouted anew from its body.
Despite its entirety being covered in thorns, the most noticeable was the thorn on its head.
Whether it was a horn or a crown, I couldn’t tell, but I muttered unconsciously.
“King of Thorns….”
-…….
Perhaps my words pleased it. The flames that had been in place of its eyes surged fiercely for a moment.
The King of Thorns slowly extended a finger, pointing it at me. The burning hate and rage in those eyes were endless.
Someone once said: the eyes are the windows to the soul.
Though we hadn’t exchanged any words, I could tell what it was trying to say.
‘Surpass me and seize my power.’
Is that so?
That’s my revenge. My anger, my resentment.
Though I reluctantly brought forth something that didn’t belong in this place, the feelings I had at the time were not lies.
All my lifetime’s bitterness stood before me, covered in thorns.
“Alright. You want to fight one-on-one? What a coincidence. I feel the same way.”
I chuckled and stepped forward. I didn’t particularly enjoy head-on fights like this.
That was partly due to my skills being optimized for ambush and stealth.
But for now, I couldn’t take a step back.
I needed to deal a certain amount of damage to gain contribution to obtain powers from the layer guardian.
But more than that, the most important reason was that the King of Thorns was a being born from my prayer.
For my trial, a creation born with my emotions. Then at the very least, shouldn’t I face it head-on?
…And there’s a slight thought that if it gets dangerous, someone else would help me.
“Let’s give it a shot.”
Speaking with a slightly coarser voice than usual, I drew my dagger.
The blade, now washed of blood, sparkled under the sunlight.
Tilting the blade slightly, I reflected the light toward the creature.
Flash!
Despite its burning eyes, did it have no different sensory organs from a human? The King of Thorns momentarily flinched at the brightness.
Taking that chance, I pounced onto a nameless wildflower beneath me.
“Haest!”
Activating all my magical devices for a short while, almost all my remaining mana flowed into my boots.
Then, like a payment for the mana, a wave of exhilaration filled my entire body, starting from my feet.
The flow of the world slowed. No, my body and thoughts were accelerating.
Splash!
The King of Thorns rushed closer. Its late response due to the brightness caused it to swing its arm wildly.
In an instant, thorns sprouted, swelling from its arm. It was too late to stop now; whether I dodged or shifted to the side, I would get hit directly.
If that happened, I might end up becoming a pincushion.
“Nowhere to run!”
So, I forced myself to exert strength into my thighs and leaped high into the air.
Fwaaat!
Thanks to the momentum, my vision spun as I soared. Seizing the moment, I tossed out a rope from my Subspace Ring.
Having caught the Iron Wolf before, I accurately hooked the rope around the King of Thorns’ neck.
It was a humanoid shape, but it wasn’t really human, so suffocating it was impossible… but it was enough to establish a reference point in mid-air, where up, down, left, and right were irrelevant.
“Haah!”
As my flying body was suddenly halted, I adjusted my posture. This time, I aimed to pull it backward toward its nape.
Avoiding being pierced by thorns, I swung my dagger at just the right distance where I could hit my target.
Swoosh!
I severed nearly half of the largest, most beautiful thorn on its head.
The creature, surprised, twisted its body at a weird angle. Then, its massive arm that was clearly aimed forward now swung desperately backward.
“Ugh!”
I was able to land on the ground, leaping back just in time, but… I couldn’t avoid the tip of a thorn grazing my nose.
Still celebrating my successful hit, I steadied myself for the next round.
“Whoa…?”
My vision wavered for a moment.
Could there possibly be poison on those thorns? Just a light brush, yet I felt this much. I was about to calmly take an antidote potion from my Subspace when—
Fwaahk!
The Unicorn Dagger erupted with a burst of pure white light, and my shaky vision returned to normal in an instant.
The wound at the tip of my nose had half-healed as a bonus.
“Oh.”
Now that I think about it, the Unicorn Dagger had the power of healing and purification.
At that moment, I played out calculations in my head.
My Muscle Strength and Stamina were undoubtedly far inferior to the King of Thorns. But speed? I could be faster. If I used Haest, I could momentarily overwhelm it.
And the poison nestled in those dense thorns could be treated with the Unicorn Dagger.
If at a crucial moment, I could squeeze out my remaining mana again to activate the Transparent Cloak…
“Hmm?”
Wait, I might be able to do this alone, as long as I play my cards right!
The Goddess of Love had thought of everything!
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