The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

EP7. At the End of Darkness

I was confused. No matter how weakened the World Tree was, I never thought that the invaders would be able to burn it down.

In some ways, the World Tree was guarded more strictly than the royal palace, and was a sanctuary that all the fairies put their heart and soul into protecting.

Ricardo’s burning of the World Tree was only possible because the kingdom itself was divided. If an outsider were to touch the World Tree, it would be no different from having to deal with the entirety of Tyrantus.

But now, the World Tree was burning before my eyes.

The entire giant appeared to be engulfed in flames and sinking into silence.

I grabbed the sword.

I don’t know what’s going on, but I have to fight.

I was tricked into a double-crossing operation. Even considering that, there were more than a few strange things, but the fact that I was tricked into doing something this shallow was the problem.

I had to make up for it.

As we approached the burning World Tree, numerous fairies were confronting the warlock.

I didn’t know what the hell they were thinking. There was no way the warlocks could win against that number of fairies.

But contrary to expectations, the warlocks did not attack even once.

All they did was block the fairies’ attacks with the undead and hold them back, buying time.

In other words, what the black magicians are after is the meaning in itself of burning the World Tree…

‘…There is no benefit to be gained by burning the World Tree itself. So, there must be something to be gained from the World Tree that is why they are doing this.’

I miraculously destroyed the undead and then approached the World Tree.

A warlock was muttering something while holding his hand on the burning world tree.

I shot an arrow at it, but was blocked by another warlock.

The enemies had no intention of winning from the beginning. They were just sacrificing their lives for the sole purpose of buying time.

For what?

The demons were also cooperating with the black magicians. Is there a just cause worth going to such lengths to achieve?

The power of the black magicians was already quite large. However, the reason why the black magicians could not come to the forefront was because each black magician force was divided, and so the appearance of the black magicians who suddenly achieved unity was bound to feel low.

The question is what the purpose of this unification was. I tried to capture and interrogate the warlocks, but I couldn’t even guess what their real purpose was.

I knew that this couldn’t go on, and I looked around to find some way to resolve the situation.

Lena was seen holding a bow and sweating.

I approached her.

…

Lena wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“Fuck.”

She cursed. Her magical powers were so empty that she couldn’t even deal with the warlocks she could have dealt with earlier.

This was because he saw Ainzel clashing with the enemy and shot an arrow with all his magic power.

Shouldn’t I have used that much force back then? She thought absentmindedly and shook her head.

No, it was a good thing that he supported Ainzel like that. If he hadn’t supported Ainzel, there was no way of knowing what would have happened. At least this time. This time, he shouldn’t have abandoned him.

With that thought in mind, she smiled crookedly as she shot an arrow that didn’t have magic power as a makeshift measure.

Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I’ve shot an arrow without using magic power.

He showed a natural talent for archery since childhood, and quickly learned how to use magic power. When he became an expert, he shot arrows with archery, when he became a high expert, he shot arrows with magic power, and when he became a master, he shot arrows with strong power. When he reached the realm of transcendence, he even shot arrows made with only strong power.

That’s why she felt a strange discomfort when she saw that her attacks had no effect on her enemy.

Something, something had to be done. It was clear that the warlocks who had suddenly burned the World Tree had something in mind.

But thinking like that didn’t help her replenish her depleted magical power any faster, so she felt helpless.

And then, someone put a hand on her shoulder.

It was Ainzel.

“Lena, you lost your magic because of that arrow just now?”

Lena nodded to Ainzel’s words.

Ainzel said to Lena, who nodded.

“Then, use my magic power. Even if it’s the same amount of magic power, wouldn’t it be much more efficient if you use it?”

Lena pondered those words for a moment. You’re giving me magic powers? Then what about Ainzel?

Then Ainzel continued to place his hand on her shoulder and spoke.

“I have some divine power left. You use my magic.”

Lena nodded to Ainzel’s words.

Ainzel placed his hand on Lena’s back and began to breathe magic into her.

Lena felt Ainzel’s magic coming in and frowned slightly.

The magical power within a body resembles the soul of its owner. Knowing this, Lena couldn’t help but frown even more at the feeling of that magical power.

It is endlessly ferocious. It exudes a wild aura, like a wounded beast running wild. But in contrast, it is as calm as the surface of the sea. In such a contradictory feeling, what Lena felt most was the wound.

It was a feeling that fit the description of being wounded. It wasn’t just a little wound, but I felt that my whole body and my heart were deeply covered in wounds.

Lena felt the pain of that feeling. Why didn’t she know?

How could I not have known that you were so hurt, so in pain, yet you never showed it?

How could I not have noticed his wounds at all?

Although pain was engrossed in her heart, she pulled back the bowstring rather than kneeling in pain.

All she could do was fight with the magic power Ainzel had given her.

The magical power that Ainzel had given her was not sufficient. Of course, it would have been an incredible amount of magical power to most people, but for Lena, who was at a much higher level than Ainzel and had become accustomed to using her magical power like water, it didn’t feel like much.

But even if it’s not a generous amount, there’s no problem with launching a single powerful attack.

Lena poured her heart and soul into creating the energy. More destructive. More sharp. The blue arrow made of the energy glowed.

His own feelings are superimposed over Ainzel’s wounded magical power.

Ting, a light thud was heard.

And the arrow gradually created a gust of wind.

It blows away everything in its path like a gust of wind, piercing through it.

bang!

There was a sound that shook the heavens and earth, and many of the warlocks were reduced to nothing more than a handful of ash.

With that as the trigger, the fairies started running.

They took up swords and spears to punish the wicked humans who dared to invade the sanctuary, defile it, and burn the world tree.

The warlocks were unable to withstand the attacks and fell one by one.

As the screams echoed, the black magician who was touching the World Tree smiled.

“Finally, finally, I found it.”

The warlock trembled and pulled his hand away from the burning World Tree. He was severely burned as he was protecting his own hand, but it didn’t matter.

The warlock raised his hand.

The burnt World Tree fell and a red jewel burst out from within it.

“The Heart of the World Tree!”

The red, rough jewel, the size of a human head, contained powers that were difficult to fathom. Magical power, divine power, and above all, black magic.

The black magician smiled with satisfaction after assessing the black magic within it. At this level, it would be more valuable as a sacrifice than all the fairies combined.

The World Tree was seriously injured by the Demon King in the ancient past, and even now, it can only do the bare minimum to help the fairies recover from the damage. Thanks to this, the black magicians succeeded in killing the injured World Tree and pulling out its heart.

If only I had this, if only I had this.

Soon we will be able to proceed with the ‘ritual’.

“I got the ‘heart’. I’m retreating!”

The warlock screamed. With him, many warlocks began to leave the place.

Ainzel killed one of the retreating high-ranking warlocks with his hammer of light.

However, Ainzel could feel it.

That the eyes of the warlock showed no fear until the moment of his death, but rather were filled with fanaticism and joy.

Ainzel instinctively felt goosebumps.

He killed another warlock, who also died with the same emotion in his eyes.

Then, gradually, confusion began to grow in his mind.

What on earth is the identity of that fanatic?

Is that fanatic the one who brought the divided warlocks together?

Ainzel felt confused and quietly looked at the empty spaces left by the warlocks who had disappeared without a trace.