<Crazy bastard. And an even crazier bastard (5)>
Step step.
Cale started to walk.
His feet became buried in snow.
His body shook at the cold gust of wind blowing at him.
‘This is not an illusion.’
This place was not an illusion.
But it was also not reality.
“Are you the World Tree?”
Cale approached the young boy kneeling at the center of the fire burning within the snowy mountain.The large flame was as vicious as the flames of the Fire of Destruction, but he did not feel any heat the closer he got.
In fact, the coldness burying into Cale’s body was what got stronger.
– Cale, I think you are going to catch a cold.
He just ignored the Super Rock.
Instead, he stopped in front of the young boy, no, more accurately, in front of the flame.
‘Are you the grim reaper who will kill me?’
The young boy had his eyes closed again after asking that question.
Well, his eyes were covered by leaves.
“This is my domain. Have you not looked at the sky yet?”
Cale immediately raised his head to look at the sky.
– Ah.
The Super Rock gasped.
He had not been able to take a good look at the sky because of the snowstorm.
He could see the radiant sky glowing in five colors through the low ash-colored clouds.
But those five colored lights could not reach the ground.
The ash-colored clouds and snow blocked the light.
“That must be the flow of the world.”
The World Tree looked at the flow of the world to see the future or sometimes even the past.
It was how the World Tree that Cale first met was able to give clues to him about the White Star and Raon’s parents.
“Yes. I am unable to reach that place.”
The young man answered calmly and his voice was not shaking at all despite being in the middle of flames.
However, Cale found some odd things in the young boy's appearance.
‘Ice.’
The young boy's body was covered in frost.
His whole body was shaking despite being in flames.
But his kneeling legs were burning.
‘No.’
The frost and the burns…
Everything recovered before the same situation repeated itself.
‘The World Tree is currently imprisoned at the time of her demise and repeats that scene over and over.’
He recalled what the Grand Elder had told him.
He had said that the World Tree probably did not have any time left.
The young boy, the World Tree, asked again.
“Oh grim reaper. Are you going to kill me?”
Cale asked in response.
“Does it not hurt?”
Silence filled the area.
The silence was quickly broken.
“Ha!”
The young boy let out a gasp-like laugh.
“Around two hundred years ago…”
Before the cataclysmic period in Aipotu…
“There is a future I saw the last time I reached the flow. It was not very accurate.”
“One moment please.”
Cale stopped the World Tree.
“Umm, is it okay for you to talk about the future or past like this?”
The World Tree that Cale knew had to give up a thick branch or vine and lost strength every time it talked about something like that.
“Won’t that put you in even greater pain?”
“…….”
The young boy's eyes were covered but he looked in Cale’s direction before finally answering.
“The future that I saw-”
Cale scowled as the World Tree continued.
‘This World Tree just says what it wants to say.’
He had not answered any of Cale's questions.
Cale slowly turned annoyed but he still paid attention to what the World Tree had to say.
“The future that I saw was one where a person full of nature comes to me in this prison and tells me that a new World Tree will lay its roots in this world.”
A small smile appeared on the boy's face.
“It was my destruction.”
The appearance of a new World Tree meant his death.
“Right after I saw that future was when the Dragon Lord, the Holy Maiden of the God of War, and a wanderer came to see me.”
The Dragon Lord was the head of the Purple Bloods.
The wanderer was probably a Hunter from the Five Colors Bloods.
‘The Holy Maiden of the God of War.’
The disappeared young lady Orsena.
Deputy Chief Priest Cotton told him that she had become the new Holy Maiden of the God of War.
“…The Saint of the God of Chaos came as well.”
The Saint of the God of Chaos.
Cale slightly scowled after hearing that term.
The Second Saint Dragon. She had been a believer of the God of Chaos.
She had disappeared with the wave of the God of Chaos's power last time.
‘A Saint is pretty high up there.’
The Saint should be someone whose position was much higher than a regular believer like the Second Saint Dragon.
“That’s quite a formidable group.”
The young boy chuckled at Cale’s comment.
"That’s right. The Holy Maiden and the Saint cursed me.”
“When you say curse, are you talking about this process of destruction that you are experiencing?”
“Pfft.”
The young boy let out a scoff.
“This is only a portion. At that time, I had to feel a greater despair than my own death.”
The young boy scowled.
Cale read the horror visible in the young boy's face and did not dare to ask about that despair. But the young boy soon described it.
"The end of this world. I had to experience the death of all creatures of this world thousands of times in an instant.”
“…In an instant?”
“Yes. The Dragon Lord’s power, yes, I guess I can call it power since he is at the Divine-Grade now.”
The Dragon Lord's power.
“As he is able to freely control time, he is also capable of speeding it up. He can make an instant feel like thousands of years.”
Instant.
That word roamed inside Cale’s mouth.
It felt like he was chewing sand.
– Cale, don't think about it anymore.
Cale suddenly felt upset at the Super Rock's urgent voice.
‘What do you think I am thinking about?
I am focusing on the World Tree’s words.’
– Hey, let's not use your instant ability. Even if your plate was connected together and became sturdier… The instant power you have is not something a human can handle! I've made myself clear! Don’t use it if you don’t want to die!
The Super Rock made a fuss. But Cale was calmly thinking.
‘What the hell?
I have no need to use it.’
How many allies did he have right now?
The allies who came with him in the black castle were strong enough to sweep away a couple countries at once.
Furthermore, he also had allies from this world through the Pope, the Empire, the Haru Kingdom, and others.
There were also the Beast people and other races.
‘Plus, the way Axion is acting is making me think that he has a chance of not being my enemy even if he would never be my ally.’
If that happened, he would be able to consider a portion of the people gathering at Axion's castle to be his allies.
‘I'll also bring people from the Central Plains by pecking away at the God of Death.’
If that still did not seem like enough, he could have a nice conversation with Deputy Chief Priest Cotton for her to pull in her people as well.
‘We won’t lose in terms of strength anymore!
Yes, yes indeed.’
– Cale, why do you keep biting your lips like that?
‘Fuck!’
Cale worked hard to ignore the Super Rock.
‘No.’
But he ended up focusing on a thought.
‘It’s time of all things!’
How would he fight against time?
Especially an individual close to the level of a god.
‘We do have the Blue Wolf, but…’
Maybe there was a way to have Lock call the Blue Wolf again to have him fight against the Dragon Lord, but…
– Shouldn’t you have a power with a similar concept to fight against time? Something like a Dragon’s attribute.
The Super Rock was right.
– And your instant is not the only power like that.
‘Fuck!’
– Raon's present. Doesn't that sound like something that can go up against time quite well? Raon also seems to be slowly understanding his power.
‘Shit!’
He wanted to make the Super Rock shut up.
– You, You are planning on stepping in so Raon doesn’t have to, aren’t you?
‘…No?’
– Pfft.
The Super Rock sneered at him.
Cale did his best to ignore him and resolutely revealed his thoughts.
‘I'll make it so that such a situation never comes up.’
He would not create a situation where Raon would need to step in or he would have to use instant.
Wasn’t he working so hard to prepare in order to prevent that?
– Yeah. That’s right.
The Super Rock accepted it.
– Such a situation should not happen. No, it will not happen.
‘That’s right.
The Super Rock and Cale's opinions matched.
– Cale, let’s get as much as we can from the God of Death, Cotton, and the Blue Wolf's sides!
“‘That’s right.”
The two of them had the same thought.
The World Tree young boy was still talking.
“My mind temporarily crumbled after experiencing that reality-like hallucination for ages.”
All living creatures would have ended up like that.
Their minds couldn’t help but break being stuck in an illusion like that for thousands of ears.
"But that time was not even one minute.”
Once he realized that those thousands of years had not even been one minute…
“The shock was intense.”
The young boy lowered his head.
It was as if he was looking down at his body with his covered eyes.
“That was when these chains stuck to me.”
The chains were firmly binding the young boy despite being in flames and the cold.
"I cannot do anything as I want as long as these chains are on me.”
Cale quietly listened for now.
“Of course, even if I manage to get out of these chains, getting out of this dimension is a different issue.”
He could not contain his curiosity any longer and asked.
"But World Tree-nim.”
“Yes, speak.”
“You are maintaining your logical state longer than I expected.”
“…….”
The Grand Elder said that you had gone crazy.
“…….”
The young boy was quiet.
He then sighed.
“I am always in a logical state of mind. The issue is that my message does not get delivered properly to anybody trying to communicate with me from outside this domain. The Elf child connects to me every so often, but that is only when the ashy clouds have scattered a bit. I suppose I may look crazy to the others outside.”
"Then the Grand Elder-nim did not come to this domain?”
“No. You are the first to come to this domain since the Dragon Lord.”
The young boy hesitated before adding on.
“Furthermore, the nature inside you is why I thought you were a messenger sent by a god instead of a human. Or maybe a grim reaper sent to kill me.”
“I am human.”
The young boy nodded his head.
“Yes. You are human. But I can feel the aura of the World Tree inside your pocket.”
His voice carried a faint trace of joy.
“The Dragon Lord cut off my two feet here.”
Cale flinched and moved behind the kneeling young boy.
The boy had no feet.
“Just putting chains on me was not enough. He took my feet, my powers. And I can feel a portion of that power coming from you.”
The power of the World Tree inside the Central Plains sculpture.
That sculpture would now be used as a seed.
“Did you already meet the foundation?”
“Yes sir.”
“She probably told you to block the flow that has pierced through because I was unable to maintain it.”
“Yes sir.”
They needed to stop the Dragons that absorbed the foundation of this world.
“She is probably doing something to change this odd flow of aura.”
“She is.”
As expected of the World Tree, he knew all about the foundation's plans.
‘He really is not crazy.
Then isn’t he an amazing World Tree?’
Experiencing the destruction of this world for thousands of years in an instant had temporarily crumbled his mind but he was back to his senses now.
He had also persisted through the process of destruction for two hundred years in these flames and snowstorms.
‘A World Tree like this-
Does he have to disappear?
Mmm.’
Killing an Immortal like this World Tree was an issue, but…
– What is it? Just burn this flower tree.
He ignored the Fire of Destruction.
– Seriously, if you turn him into ashes and scatter them, won’t he not be able to be reborn? Is that not right? We won’t know since we haven’t tried, but let’s try it! This is our chance!
He ignored the Fire of Destruction once again.
Instead, Cale looked around.
“Mm.”
“Why are you hesitating?”
The World Tree smiled as he gently asked.
“The fact that the foundation sent you means that there is now a means to save this world.
Then I have no reason to hold on any longer.
So go ahead and kill me.
Give me my freedom.
“What is making you hesitate?”
There was no need to contemplate things.
The young boy was trying to say that.
However, Cale, a human who was good at respecting elders, answered the question.
Shouldn’t he answer since he was asked a question?
“I am contemplating how to destroy this domain.”
“……?”
The boy flinched.
"Also-”
Cale looked down at the boy.
“I want to break those chains too.”
“Huh?”
"Then World Tree-nim, you would get your freedom and be able to work properly again, no?”
The Dragon Lord…
He had an ominous feeling about that bastard.
He needed to make as many allies as possible.
Wouldn’t the World Tree make a great ally?
‘We have to plant the seed when everything is done.
Isn’t that quite the loss for us?’
Cale smirked.
It was at that moment.
Ooooooong-
Something started to shake inside Cale’s pocket.
This mysterious domain…
“Wow. There really is a connection to the outside.”
Cale smiled and mumbled.
“This prison made by the Dragon Lord doesn’t seem to be flawless. There is a gap.”
That would be the reason the Grand Elder had been able to get glimpses of the World Tree's will.
“…Like this-”
Cale pulled the item out of his pocket.
The mirror was shaking.
“An item of a god functions properly too.”
The God of Death had sent a message.
Of course, there was only one reason for a goddess to contact him.
< Confirming that the God of Balance is not in the right state of mind. >
< Capable of moving some helpers from the Central Plains world to Aipotu. >
The request Cale made
< Sir, I do have one concern.>
‘Hmm’
As Cale slightly frowned…
< Do you happen to have anything you brought from Central Plains? >
– Oh.
The Super Rock reacted.
Cale then started to smile.
< You can freely travel dimensions because of the divine item. The Martial artists will need to use the temporary portal to climb over to this world. >
“I do have it. An item.”
Ooooooooong.
< Oh, as expected of our Cale! You know, do you know how hard it has been for me to be wary and tactful these days? < No, seriously, the God of Chaos has messed with the world of the Gods. I wish you could see it. Maybe I'll show you a small replica of it later. >
Ooooooooong. Ooooooooong.
The message continued.
Cale put the mirror back away.
He ignored it.
Ooooooooong.
Ooooooooong.
< Cale? >
< Are you sleeping? >
< Why did you stop reading? Can you please read............? >
Cale paid no attention to the unread messages.
He crouched down instead and made eye contact with the young boy on the other side of the flames.
“I-”
The boy quietly asked.
But his voice was shaking for the first time.
“I, I can be free? I, I won’t die?”
Cale opened his mouth to speak.
His gaze moved toward the chains the young boy was holding.
“We need to undo the chains first.”
He had seen these shackles before.
The ones in front of him were naturally small, but the peculiar aura coming out of the chains had awakened Cale’s senses.
“These shackles, are they the ones used by the Holy Maiden of the God of War?”
The moment Cale said that…
An existence reacted.
– You, you knew about it? I thought you didn’t know. I thought I would have to tell you.
The Sky Eating Water.
The Water of Judgment that had been bound by the God of War had wanted to break the chains holding her back and become the spear that hunts the heavens.
Hence she gave herself the name of Sky Eating Water.
– Cale. Then let’s try it this time.
Her voice slowly started to get excited.
Her voice was clear but slowly getting rougher.
– Break these rotten shackles, and then the sky… Those shitty clouds that are hiding the true sky and pretending to be the real thing…
Those grey-colored clouds that are covering the ash-colored lights–
Cale raised his head up to look at the sky.
– The snow that starts from those clouds is the thing that has suppressed this area, right?
In that case…
Since they said that the reason this domain is stopped is because it is trapped in time…
The experience of death.
The World Tree was stuck in a time prison like that.
The Sky Eating Water whispered, almost as if seducing him.
– If we destroy this domain itself… if the domain that the time is suppressing is destroyed…
If the snowstorm, the flames, and the prison disappear…
Won’t time be meaningless as well?
Isn’t that right?
Hoo hoo.
The profoundly laughing voice of the water was full of excitement.
– Hmm? Let's try it.
Cale nodded his head at her suggestion.
“Yeah. Let's try it.”
He spoke to the boy.
“I will save you.”
He then added on.
“I think it will be possible.”
The World Tree realized that the future he saw was not his destruction but his birth.
—
Translator's Comments
Anything is possible…when you're a possible. Oh wait, this isn't Kim Possible, this is Kim Rok Soo… badum ch.
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