Hey Guys, Aidka's Here!
Some of you were expecting an elf heroine in this arc, and actually, when I was starting to write the novel, I planned to include one.
Unfortunately, I decided against it afterward. Reason? Many of you already noticed, but the novel is reaching its end. Most of the plots of the novel are entering their climax, and I think in around two hundred chapters at most, this novel will see its conclusion.
Despite that, there are several heroines I have not explored completely yet, including Katherine, Alice, or Evelyn. Hence, I think it's better to spend time in them than to introduce new heroines that, to be honest, will not have much screen time.
Enjoy the chapter, Aidka :p
...
With a step, I teleported inside the World Tree.
The inside of the world tree was hollow, filled with stairs, rooms, and different structures that would have surprised anyone that comes inside.
I was already expecting this. As soon as I saw the World Tree, I knew it was hollow inside.
It was built this way purposefully. If I'm not wrong, the secret behind this tree can be found here.
However, I noticed that something was wrong as soon as I entered the tree.
Immediately, a powerful and enormous will woke up in the tree. The will was so powerful that it was comparable to the world's will.
And then, it surged towards my location.
I frowned. Without hesitation, I twisted the space around me, creating a mirror space and hiding inside.
This way, not even most Immortals will be able to find me unless they know I'm here.
The next second, the will descended on my location.
But it failed to find me.
The will was confused. It paused briefly before spreading around the entire tree, trying to find the source of the disturbance it just felt.
But no matter how much it searched, it found nothing.
It was as though the disturbance it felt just now was a lie.
However, although I managed to hide from the will, I was surprised.
This will… To think that something like this was created in this tree.
Moreover, it managed to feel the fluctuations on the laws caused when I moved across space to enter the tree.
Certainly, I did not bother to hide these fluctuations, but even so, the fact that the will of this tree managed to feel them is pretty amazing.
I'm more and more interested in the secret of this tree with each passing second.
Not even one minute after the will descended, several presences rushed to the place where I was.
Each one of these presences belonged to a powerful elf. There were more than thirty elves, each one with strength beyond the twelfth layer!
Pretty impressive.
One of these elves, an old woman with fifteenth-layer strength, wrinkled her brows when she arrived.
"What happened? Why the great one reacted?"
"I don't know." Another of the elves shook his head. "I can't see anything wrong. Could it have been a mistake?"
"A mistake? Do you think something like that is possible?" Another old elf sneered. "If the great one reacted it's because it felt something!"
"Calm down, everyone." The elf woman of the start said with a frown. "Although the great will reacted, it does not look like it found anything. Perhaps it truly made a mistake."
"Then–"
"But, we can't afford to be negligent at this point." The elf woman continued. "If something happens to the World Tree, it will be too late for regrets."
"What should we do then?"
At that moment, I felt a change in the will of the three.
I raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, the aimless will turned sharper, and its scattered nature condensed into a single and powerful strand of will.
Then, a powerful voice boomed inside the tree.
[Search the tree. I fear a cockroach has infiltrated inside.]
"""Great one!""" The elves kneeled on a knee as soon as they heard the voice.
[Find him. Nothing can go wrong at this point. This secret can't be leaked!]
"""Understood!"""
The elves nodded respectfully. Then, each one of them started to use their strongest abilities to search for me.
Meanwhile, I was looking at the strand of will with a curious expression.
This will…
Is It intelligent?
How interesting. Usually, world's wills or similar entities are barely conscious, and their behavior is guided by their instincts instead of wisdom.
Intelligent world's wills are incredibly rare, and they can become very powerful. In fact, I know of an Irregular who was born from an intelligent world's will.
And after thousands of years of growth, it became powerful enough to be comparable to Immortals, and its lifespan became as long as the world where it was born.
Even although it did not find a way to Immortality, it was as strong or even stronger than normal immortals.
Of course, the will of this tree is far from being comparable to that being. It can't be considered even a baby.
In fact…
Narrowing my eyes, I sensed the will closely.
… As expected, there is something wrong with it.
It's too impure. As though something else was mixed on it.
How intriguing.
As for the origin of it–
I looked up to the top of the tree and smiled.
There.
With a smile, I took another step across space.
But this time, I did not bother to hide my presence.
Releasing a bit of my aura, I appeared on the tree crown, looking at the beautiful and giant leaves of the three, and gazing down at the scenery from thousands of kilometers of heigh.
As soon as I stopped hiding, the will detected me.
*RUMBLE!!!*
The tree shook. Mana so abundant and powerful that it could crush any twelfth-layer practitioner rushed towards me!
At the same time, the will condensed in front of me, taking the shape of a beautiful man glaring me with hostility that seemed to freeze the world.
[Who are you?] 'He' asked.
I gazed at the scenery for a few seconds, keeping silent until I shook my head wistfully.
"Such a nice sight. A shame. I will have to destroy it soon."
[Destroy it? I see... In other words, you are an enemy.]
I smiled without confirming or denying his words. Instead, I turned towards the will and chuckled.
"Now I understand. You were not born from the will of the tree. Instead, you were a god who used the tree to escape from the world's shackles. A very clever method. How did you think about it?"
[You…] Hearing my words, the will's eyes narrowed.
Ice-cold killing intent filled my surroundings, feeling like countless needless prickling my skin. All the power of this tree was focused on me.
[How do you know about that, human!]
Once more, I did not answer.
Instead, I used Akashic Sight.
This tree is protected against fate divination, but my Akashic Sight is more than just fate. It uses several laws to work, including time, space, and soul.
Moreover, I'm directly inside the tree. Finding its secrets is much easier here.
I wanted to know. The origin of this tree. How this god fused with the tree. What the goal of all of this is.
However, my expression quickly turned serious.
Day after day, year after year, Akashic Sight continued looking at the past of this tree trying to find its origins.
I went back one hundred years ago.
Unfortunately, I was unable to find its origins.
However, I found another interesting thing.
This tree. The elves had been feeding it for generations. Giving it souls of living beings for years to make it grow.
And finally, in this generation, they were close to finishing growing it.
Everything for a single goal.
"This... Hahahahaha..."
I was speechless, and I laughed.
I could not stop myself from laughing. I laughed so hard, unable to believe that someone was so naïve and crazy as to do something like this.
All the elves of this world had connected their souls to this tree.
From the oldest living elf to the newborn children. Each elf was connected to this tree, creating a giant network able to cover the entire world.
With each soul connected, they feed this tree, giving it their faith, their will, and their lives themselves.
They thought they created a dream, but without them realizing, they created a monster.
And the most amusing of all, they still thought they were about to reach their goal.
They truly believed they could make their entire race immortal.