Chapter 322
Let's rewind time just a little... to the moment the demons finally found the World Tree in the Sea of The Afterlife and reached the frozen area surrounding it.
[We found the World Tree!]
Surprisingly, it wasn't the demons who were most delighted but the Shadow Dwarves.
[Kuhahahaha! It's really real!]
[We really found the World Tree!]
[I would have no regrets even if I died now! Wait… I'm already dead! Keuhahaha!]
They were delighted like children, cheering and shedding tears in front of the World Tree, sincerely thanking Sung Suho for allowing them to achieve such a great feat, even in death. But then…
[What?! No regrets even if you died now?! What weak nonsense are you spouting!]
[…!]
The most ambitious of the Shadow Dwarves, the one who built the Demon King's ship 'Alfheim', the greatest bearded dwarf, could no longer be satisfied with 'just' this. Perhaps it was because he had been exposed to such intense desires after death. His soul, now the embodiment of ambition, fumed with passion, mirroring his beard, which blazed with shadowy smoke.
[Are you really dwarves?!] He rebuked his kin with a heart full of anguish.
[If you've found the World Tree, shouldn't you be discussing what to make from it? Isn't that the way of a craftsman?!]
[…!]
His reprimand, like a lightning strike, shocked the Shadow Dwarves, who had been simply rejoicing, overwhelmed with emotion. Their beards, wavering with black steam, bristled in all directions, as if they had indeed been struck by lightning.
[…Th-that's right!]
[We were lacking!]
As expected, the dwarf who built the largest ship, Alfheim, was on a different level.
[We are blacksmiths!]
[Blacksmiths who conquered the Sea of The Afterlife!]
[Master craftsmen who used even the Elves' sacred tree as mere lumber!]
'Master craftsmen!'
That one phrase was enough to summarize all the hardships and great achievements they had experienced so far...!
Silence fell abruptly, the cheers and tears shed by the Shadow Dwarves ceased. The World Tree, a cosmic mystery previously known only through legends, now stood before them. What came next was obvious: with their entire bodies burning with passion, the Shadow Dwarves turned, glaring at the World Tree with identical grins.
[Alright, shall we begin?]
The endless branches, a true giant. What should they make with all this lumber? No one voiced it, but the moment they saw this enormous World Tree, they unanimously agreed.
[A fortress.]
[Let's build a fortress.]
[Let's establish our base here, centered around the World Tree!]
Wooooooooho!
No words were needed. The Shadow Dwarves instinctively grabbed their tools, united by a single goal. A plan? Why would they need one? They had worked together countless times before. They dispersed as if they were a hive mind, each fulfilling their roles in perfect unison.
[We have enough supplies!]
[Now that we've found the World Tree, we don't need to expand our fleet anymore!]
[Bring all the Elvenwood scraps!]
[Bring out all the weeds too!]
[We don't need to save materials anymore!]
Flawless teamwork. Loud voices echoed everywhere, creating a perfect harmony.
[Hey, demons! We'll need more materials! We're going to turn this World Tree into a giant harbor!]
The demons, without even having time to relish the joy of finding the World Tree, had to become the dwarves' errand boys once more.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The construction was incredibly fast. There was a huge difference between aimlessly floating in the vast sea and establishing a base in one place. In no time, a harbor for the demons' ships was built around the World Tree, and a fortress to defend against the residents of the gap and the weeds was erected.
Then came the real work…
[How can we make it obvious for everybody that the fortress is well made?!]
[We must build it robustly, so we can proudly say we conquered the World Tree!]
[Keuheuh! I'll start construction from this side!]
[Kyaha! That's a good idea! Then I'll make a sturdy staircase here!]
[Wait! I'm already busy removing the bark from this part!]
[That's a great idea! We can cut the bark as much as we want without weakening the Tree!]
"…?"
In the midst of that frenzy, Esil simply stood there with a blank expression. What exactly were those dwarves doing to the World Tree…? But knowing their nature, she began to worry rather than question. They were a race that pursued extreme efficiency and never made anything useless. And that meant… There was a reason to build a fortress here, quickly.
Swish!
Knowing that, Esil raised her head with a sharp gaze. A giant World Tree trunk, its end beyond her sight. Somewhere above…
"…Did it already notice us?" Esil's eyes flashed sharply. As the Demon King who inherited the Primordial Darkness through the succession ceremony, she could instinctively sense the gaze watching them from somewhere above.
"Gulp... Hurry." She swallowed hard and urged the dwarves along with all the demons helping them.
Rumble
Rumble
Rumble…
"Nidhögg is coming."
'Nidhögg, the serpent that gnaws at the roots of the World Tree'
The giant serpent, possessing five Primordial Darknesses, had fled to higher ground to escape the harsh winter created by Sirka. But there was something it could never give up, no matter how harsh the cold was. The 'roots'. It would never sit still and allow the vermin to occupy the roots of the World Tree.
"Hurry! Prepare all the magic cannons to stop it from coming down!"
The battle between Nidhögg, trying to come down to the roots, and the demons trying to stop it, had begun. But…
Graaaaaaargh!
[B-block it!]
From the start, it was too much for them. Of course, no matter how many creatures gathered, they stood no chance against Nidhögg. But the crisis was an opportunity. Adversity, after all, is a stepping stone for growth.
Kyaaaa!
Crunch! Crack!
As the giant serpent climbed down the tree trunk, many World Tree branches were broken, and World Tree leaves fluttered down from the sky. And the demon race, who ate them all, became stronger.
"Eat them all!" Said Esil, the Demon King, the Monarch of Gluttony.
"Eat and grow stronger!"
"For Radiru! For the revival of the demon race!"
Waaaaaah!
Under Esil Radiru's blessing, all the demons rapidly grew stronger and desperately tried to stop Nidhögg. Just then… Suho contacted them.
* * *
Thump! Boom!
The world shook.
Roar!
Splash!
The normally silent Sea of The Afterlife was willed with roars.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble…
The shockwaves continued to shake even the roots of the World Tree. As an absurd battle was unfolding around it.
Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
Nidhögg roared and grabbed the World Tree trunk with its thick tail, then it opened its five jaws unleashing fierce attacks everywhere.
Kaaaaaaaah!
Powerful breath spewed out and split the dark sea. The black waves surged from the shockwave, and the abyssal monsters wandering below screamed.
Crunch!
Nidhögg's struggle was a disaster in itself. Every time it moved, World Tree branches were shattered, and World Tree leaves scattered in all directions. But most of those leaves were sucked into Nidhögg's mouth, only filling its belly.
[Kyahahahaha! Good! Good!]
Throughout the battle against the ferocious Nidhögg, Ammut couldn't stop laughing. Has his blood ever boiled this much in his entire life? The battle against this ridiculously powerful abyssal monster was so delightful… Of course, his power didn't overwhelm Nidhögg. He didn't even think about winning. He was just enjoying himself like an innocent child, fighting with all his might as if this was a fun game.
'I was strong from the moment I was born.'
Crocors, the strongest race among the monstrous humanoids. To the crocor, 'strength' was like air. They had no natural enemies, and they were a battle race born 'strong' from the moment they came to this word, unable to be threatened by anyone. If the crocor had high fertility, the power structure of the monarchs and rulers might have been greatly different. But the 'Absolute Being' who created them all would never allow that. What the Absolute Being wanted was not the end of war, but the eternal continuation of war. So, the crocor, born so strong, had an innate weakness… 'growth'. They were born strong, so they didn't need to become stronger. No, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't become stronger. Growth? To crocor, that word was a weakling's expression. A process where weaklings struggled to survive. A process where they barely managed to become a little stronger. If that pathetic situation was called 'growth', the word had a completely different meaning to crocor. For them, born strong, growth meant aging. In other words, gradually weakening and dying. Even the great crocor had lifespans. To them, growing meant getting closer to death.
One day, Ammut began to observe the 'growing' weaklings. It was just a coincidence. Since he was from a race that couldn't become any stronger, he was simply curious about the fact that the weaklings were gradually becoming more powerful. So, wondering how strong they could become he tried to torment them a little. And their growth accelerated slightly. That was surprisingly fun, so he tormented them even more. As the weakling grew stronger, he brought an even stronger opponent and made them fight. It was a game at first, but then it became an experiment. And after countless tests…
'I envy them.'
He truly became envious of them. He felt jealous of the weaklings who struggled to become stronger. It was an absurd emotion, even thinking about it now. For a crocor, born as the strongest, to envy the weak? But what could he do? He didn't have anyone to fight against with all his might. And even if he fought with all he had, his race couldn't become any stronger anyway. That was the penalty the Absolute Being imposed on the crocors. So Ammut had never fought with all his might in his life.
…In short, Ammut had never experienced anything like this before.
Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
To fight an enemy he couldn't defeat even with all his might! That's why Ammut just laughed, even as he was thrown back by the creature's struggle.
[Kyahahahaha!]
Pain? What did that matter? He was just thrilled! To face an enemy that wouldn't break no matter how much he attacked. How could there be a more exhilarating moment than this?! And…
[Are you there?] Ammut's smile widened.
He glared at the giant jaw of Nidhögg that lunged at him again, No, towards the familiar presence he felt within. Beyond that was his former disciple, the weakest being he had ever met.
'Tarnak'
The Primordial Darkness left behind by the King of Monstrous Humanoids and the Monarch of the Iron Body, was staring at Ammut from within Nidhögg's mouth. He felt a sense of 'humiliation' from that gaze.
[How dare you, a mere pawn, try to judge me?]
Of course, he knew that Tarnak was dead. That was just the darkness he left behind, no, the darkness he possessed. But… He felt awful.
[Come out. I'll crush you once again after all this time!]
Whoosh—!
As soon as he finished speaking, darkness suddenly engulfed Ammut. And a human figure appeared from the edge of that darkness looking down at him with an arrogant gaze.
[…Heh.]
Ammut charged at the creature, much like the countless insects that had once risked their lives to attack him.