With Elcia’s snap, white thorny vines sprang up, tightly restraining all the Elves.
When the sky-blue butterflies wrapped around their bodies joined the thorny vines, the restraints became incomparably tighter than before.
Arms. Legs. Torso. Head. And even their mouths.
For the Elves, the only place left free was their pupils.
Nothing else was allowed.
The Elves, firmly entangled, were extremely perplexed due to the different situation from before.
It was only natural for the red numbers over the heads of the regressed Elves to rise.
Sharit was also one of those Elves with an additional red number appearing over his head.
With the only mouth not sealed, Sharit let out a voice close to a scream.
“What the heck is that! What are these vines supposed to be!”
“I don’t know either!”
Elcia smiled brightly and snapped her fingers again.
Then, white thorny vines emerged, intertwining to create something.
“Whoosh!”
It was a chair.
Rather than a simple chair, it would be more accurate to call it a throne.
Elcia sat on the white throne, crossed her legs, smiled sweetly, and said softly.
“Watch with your own eyes. This time things will be quite different.”
“Ugh!!! You mixed-blooded b*tch!!!!”
“I had no idea it would turn out like this either.”
Only the hollow cries of Sharit echoed in this space.
*
In the distant past.
The progenitor Elves shared one common ability.
Yet, while the abilities were the same, the results varied greatly.
Some could manifest a pond with floating leaves in an empty space.
Some could conjure red stumps in places where plants couldn’t grow.
And the kinds were immensely diverse, most importantly permanent.
This was a power close to the realm of creation.
Among them were Elves who could conjure sky-blue butterflies and those who could manifest white thorny vines.
Realizing they had different things they could manifest, the Elves began to distinguish each other based on that.
And this distinction became a boundary separating their Elven groups, which grew into clans.
Their descendants also possessed similar abilities, but as generations passed and various bloodlines mixed, the number of Elves capable of only temporary manifestations began to increase.
Of course, this problem could be solved by thickening the concentration of Elf blood, so it wasn’t a major concern.
Meanwhile, due to an unexpected accident, nearly all Elves with abilities went extinct.
In an instant, the lineage of Elves was severed, and they walked down the path of decline, thinking they could never reclaim their brilliant past.
However, by pure chance, remnants of the past resided within the blood of one Elf.
Not just any Elf, but one that everyone dismissed as insignificant and labeled as mixed-blood.
The High Elf of the Sky Butterfly Clan.
The Half Elf of the White Thorn Vine Clan.
And Elcia, born of the two.
A mixed-blood Elf who chose to save herself and step towards a new future.
Instead of the predetermined future, she chose an uncertain one.
A small yet stronger being than anyone else.
As a tribute to that ambitious decision.
The past glory sleeping in Elcia’s blood gradually began to shine.
*
Meanwhile, Demian, facing Hyeji, couldn’t hide his considerable surprise.
He must have been caught off guard by an unimaginable situation.
However, realizing that he alone, still unbound, was his only hope, he challenged the god before him.
“You are persistent.”
“Winning or losing is not the problem!”
Demian gripped the half-broken axe firmly.
“No matter what happens, I must take you down right here-!!!!”
– Crack! Crack!
But Demian’s words were cut short.
Countless stun guns conjured by Hyeji struck Demian.
Ultimately, he ended up in a state just before fainting, having urinated in place.
With a puzzled expression, Demian looked at Hyeji, stuttering.
“Wh-why am I…”
“It must be because the hardened alloy conducts electricity well.”
“What nonsense…”
That was the last moment before Demian lost consciousness.
It was an electric attack even Thor couldn’t withstand; it was strange to endure.
I lightly kicked the unconscious Demian and said.
“F*ck off, stop bringing in emotional lines from other works.”
[Those lines are about to change soon.]
“Changing? That sounds suddenly lewd.”
[You crazy b*stard!!!]
Then Hyeji and I went to where Elcia was sitting.
Elcia again snapped her fingers, conjuring two more thrones.
We sat on our respective thrones, leisurely observing the situation.
Then Hyeji spoke to me.
“Shinwoo, it seems World Tree is completely done for?”
“Really?”
At times like this, there’s a way to know if someone is alive or dead.
“Did we take it down?”
「Guuuu…」
“Oh, it’s still alive!”
As Hyeji reached out, another Bunker Buster and White Phosphorus Grenade flew toward the World Tree.
The World Tree struck again, falling into silence.
At that moment, Jeong Ahyeon arrived, leading a group of animals, so Elcia conjured one more throne for her.
The animal pack swept all the important items from Elcia’s home.
No wonder; they struggled and stumbled as they moved.
Meanwhile, a Kodiak spotted me and asked for a drink, so I shared some vodka.
“Rooaar!”
“Cheers!!!”
“Give me a drink too!!”
“Me too!”
“Just one drink for Bonny, please.”
All together, we enjoyed some O2 as a side dish, feeling happy.
After a brief moment of merriment, I told the animal pack to wait by the gate, and they growled at the Elves around them as they headed toward the gate.
When they asked if they could bite me once each, I firmly replied.
“Bite just once? Did I teach you that?”
The animals trotted with their tails between their legs toward the gate.
I halted their steps and said firmly.
“If you’re going to bite, do it right! Twice each!”
The animals cheered and started running around.
Seeing that scene, we smiled contently and sat back on our thrones.
Jeong Ahyeon sat on her throne and immediately asked Hyeji.
“Hyeji soldier, did we take it down?”
「Aaaah!」
“Oh! It’s really alive.”
“One more time!”
A set of Bunker Buster and White Phosphorus Grenade was rocket-delivered to the World Tree.
As silence reigned once more, it was Elcia’s turn.
“Did we take it down?”
「Please STOP! You dog bastards!」
“Open your mouth!”
The same situation repeated itself.
Soon, the World Tree screamed, as if squeezing out its life.
「Don’t you have a limit!」
“Limit?”
I recalled one lesson from Lord Ian Perkus.
“Ah, are you referring to an incision line?”
「No!!!!!!!!」
“Shut up.”
Once again, democracy was delivered to the World Tree.
「How long do you intend to keep this up!!」
“As long as it takes!!!!”
“Shinwoo, in times like this, until it burns down.”
“Oh, right. I mixed up the novels.”
[Innocent bastards…]
Seeing that, Sharit wept blood and screamed.
“What do you think you’re doing to the World Tree!!!”
“I’m not sure.”
Then we exchanged glances and shared our opinions.
“Just a big tree!”
“Just A Big Tree.”
“Isn’t it a giant log?”
“Everyone’s wrong.”
At that moment, Hyeji shook her head and spoke.
“It’s just ash.”
“Is that so?”
“Why?”
“What do you mean?”
As we expressed our疑問, Hyeji smiled wickedly.
“I’ll make it that way.”
“No way!!!!!”
“Yes!!!!”
‘Wow, that’s f*cking awesome.’
[You should follow Hyeji’s lead just half as much.]
All the loaded Bunker Busters and White Phosphorus Grenades painted the sky.
This time, they weren’t just targeting the World Tree.
The target was the entire Forest of Elves.
Numerous weapons swept across the Forest of Elves in an instant.
The entire Forest of Elves was engulfed in explosions, with flames devouring everything without mercy.
While watching the Forest of Elves burn brightly, Elcia clapped her hands and spoke.
“We’re feeling snacky, how about some treats!”
As soon as she said that, a wolf from the animal pack came out and handed her a bag of marshmallows.
As we each tried to stuff marshmallows into our mouths, an excellent idea suddenly struck me.
“Hyeji, can you light a fire here?”
“Here? With the Elves around?”
“If bullets only sting a little, fire won’t burn them if we use it gently.”
“Is it really okay to do it here?”
Hyeji asked me again, seemingly tense.
To ease Hyeji’s tension, I spoke a magical word.
“Are you afraid?”
Instantly, Hyeji’s eyes gleamed as she smiled ominously.
Looking back now, it seemed she wasn’t worried about burning the Elves, but rather excited about being able to burn.
“I’m thrilled! Just give the command, Commander! Right now!”
“I allow it. Burn it.”
Hyeji conjured incendiary grenades, setting fire to everything in sight.
Amazingly, the Elves didn’t burn, but they all groaned in pain from the heat.
Twirling flames danced menacingly in the background, resembling the Elves in a bizarre dance.
Ah, this place is a club.
There are druggies and lights blazing.
‘From today on, this is the Burning World Tree Club: Burning Tree.’
[……I know nothing about a club with “Burning” in the name. I know nothing.]
We roasted marshmallows over the blazing flames.
After toasting the marshmallows to perfection, Elcia popped one into her mouth and immediately began to cry.
“It’s delicious!”
“Ah, that’s what we call [delicious].”
[……Isn’t this from another work?]
‘Anyway, once it all burns, the Elves will become nomadic Elves. Don’t worry.’
“This is a treat we could never dream of in the Martial Artist Guild! I’m glad I came!”
“Shinwoo, shall we wrap it up soon?”
“Sounds good. Make it a big one.”
Hyeji concentrated briefly and conjured another set of Bunker Buster and White Phosphorus Grenades.
Naturally, the target was the World Tree.
Hyeji unleashed a barrage on the World Tree.
– Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!!!
“Oh, that hit hard.”
「Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!」
The World Tree, which had maintained some form, began to crumble completely, impressed by Hyeji’s culinary masterpiece.
After all, once you taste it, you might just collapse right then and there.
It was the taste of national pride.
Before long, in the place where the World Tree had been, an equally massive flame blazed brightly.
Right.
It was a sunset.
Even though it wasn’t the time for the sun to set, that blaze illuminated us like a sunset.
Watching that sight, we gathered together as if promised.
“Look over there! What an amazing sunset!”
“Ah, it’s truly beautiful.”
“What a beautiful color!”
As emotions exploded, tears began to glisten in everyone’s eyes.
I swallowed my rising tears and quietly remarked.
“Yeah….March…”
We stood silently, soaking in the atmosphere.
The remaining Elves were moved to tears, shedding tears endlessly.
Seeing them even bleed tears, it seemed they were really touched.
You guys.
Were. Touched.
Born a World Tree, ending as firewood.
Just the grand finale of a big tree.
[You crazy bastards…]
