Chapter 1439: A New Phase (4)
Long ago, the Black Edict clan and an Ascendant met and researched the Heavenly Abasement Spellcraft together.
The Ascendant went berserk, plunging the continent into hell, and the Black Edict clan was executed for treason, their line annihilated.
However, the time the Black Edict clan spent researching the power of the Extinction Tree had not ended in vain.
A plant weapon, created using a sapling of the World Tree as a material, to control the power of the Extinction Tree, Acrottrinier.
After countless attempts to harness the power of an Outer God, had the Black Edict of a bygone era finally borne fruit?
“This way.”
Atera said, walking between the roots of the withered, twisted giant tree.
“The aforementioned plant weapon is stored in the heart of the giant tree where the Black Edict’s main house was located. It was the only place capable of handling its energy.”
“…What is that.”
Crack, crackle…!!!
The broken roots of a black tree enveloped the entire area where the Black Edict’s main house was located.
The giant tree’s roots, exposed to the air, sucked in all matter, ceaselessly creating a vacuum.
They appeared to greedily absorb everything in the vicinity without distinction—mana and will-thought, light and space, even particles.
Could the weapon Atera spoke of, the one that controlled the power of the Extinction Tree, truly exist inside this broken tree?
“From here on, the rate of erosion will increase dramatically, so I advise you all to be careful.”
Atera, who had walked past Lennok to take the lead, said calmly.
“I will divert it with my magic, but I won’t be able to block it completely. I recommend you move behind me as much as possible.”
“That… sounds less like a recommendation and more like a warning.”
“It’s becoming difficult to breathe….”
The expressions of the group members hardened as they felt their mana being steadily drained away in an instant.
But Lennok, instead of retreating behind Atera, faced the black tree and opened his mouth.
“Before we retrieve this ‘plant weapon,’ there’s something I need to confirm first.”
“Please, speak.”
“Why are you trying to hand it over to me at this particular time?”
Crack, crackle…!!
The tree roots exposed in the air pulsed, devouring mana and will-thought, yet they failed to reach Lennok’s body at all.
They seemed to wander aimlessly around him, unable to seize even a sliver of the mana or will flowing within his body.
While Atera watched Lennok in silence, Lennok expanded his shield to cover the party behind him and spoke.
“A long time has passed since the Emperor annihilated the Black Edict clan, and you said this place was left abandoned all that time.”
“That is correct. Members of the other families, myself included, have taken turns continuously monitoring this forbidden place.”
“In truth, most of the items left here were worthless. Any valuable treasures or research materials would have been taken by the Imperial Palace.”
Lennok turned his gaze.
“So, why is it that a tremendous object capable of controlling the power of an Outer God still remains here? Doesn’t that strike you as odd, even as you say it?”
“…”
“I can accept the fact that the Black Edict clan achieved a result after researching the power of the Extinction Tree. In truth, it probably wasn’t entirely impossible.”
Lennok said, looking at the silent Atera.
“But the idea that they managed to protect that weapon even as the Emperor was annihilating them is hard to believe. If that were possible, wouldn’t they have tried to hide a more important family heirloom, or a person, instead of a plant weapon?”
“Your intuition is sharp.”
“Even if, by some chance, they considered the weapon more important than their own lives, they would never have hidden it here in their main house. The Empire was hardly an opponent foolish enough to be outwitted by such a simple ploy.”
Lennok glanced at Atera, who had so readily agreed.
“Judging by your response, it seems you had no intention of hiding it anyway. In that case, will you tell me the reason before we arrive?”
While many parts of Atera’s proposal were surprising to Lennok, he couldn’t simply accept every explanation at face value.
The part about them achieving results after researching the power of the Extinction Tree was one thing, but the circumstances of them succeeding in hiding those results from the Emperor were simply incomprehensible.
A weapon capable of controlling the power of the Extinction Tree would undoubtedly be a treasure of immense value, and the fact that they would readily hand such an object over to Lennok didn’t add up in many ways.
The existence of the plant weapon, its hidden location, and the proposal to hand it over to Lennok, whom they had met for the first time today.
There were so many suspicious points that it was baffling, yet Atera showed no particular reaction to Lennok’s questions.
He simply walked toward the distant, broken black tree, leisurely adjusting his collar.
His body, which glinted like an opaque mirror, shimmered darkly in the light.
“Before I explain, I must first tell you how the five oldest families have managed to endure.”
Atera answered.
“Just as the Black Edict researched the power of the Extinction Tree, all five families harbor a ‘long-held aspiration’ passed down through generations. It is like a conundrum that all members of the family must spend their entire lives researching, proving, and deriving an answer for.”
“…A conundrum.”
“Yes. As you may have already guessed.”
Atera slowly raised his gaze.
“All five families happened to accept the power of an ancient Outer God and blended that potential into their spellcraft. Therefore, this long-held aspiration is also closely related to the Ancient God that each family has taken as its symbol.”
“…”
“The status of the god each family symbolizes is different, and even the aspirations passed down are disparate, so the fruit the Black Edict bore is not something the other families can claim. Of course, it is not as if we did not try, as you suggested, but—”
“So because the way you use the power is different, you couldn’t obtain any meaningful results.”
It was a shocking explanation, but not an unacceptable answer.
The moment Lennok learned that the Black Edict had taken the Extinction Tree as their symbol, he had thought that the other families might be the same.
What if the Black Edict clan wasn’t the only one to have researched the power of an Outer God and mixed it into their magic?
What if all five families shared a similar history, which was why the Emperor had appeased them and incorporated them into the Empire?
“It was an incalculably long time ago that our ancestors founded the families… Only a very few Long-lived Beings remember it, so we do not know for certain when it began.”
Atera said as he walked.
“However, it was an open secret that the five families had blended the power of the Ancient Gods into their magic systems and taken it as their long-held aspiration… and the Empire must have suspected as much.”
“…”
“That is, until the strongest Ascendant in history visited the family and provided a clue to solving the Black Edict’s long-held aspiration.”
Ban-gung, who needed the power of the Extinction Tree to complete his Heavenly Abasement Spellcraft. The Black Edict, who cooperated with Ban-gung to study the power of the Extinction Tree.
Borrowing Ban-gung’s talent, the clan researched the power of the Extinction Tree and drew closer to its essence.
“With the Ascendant’s help, the Black Edict solved the aspiration that had remained a conundrum for so long and found a significant clue to controlling the power of the Extinction Tree.”
Atera said.
“The essence of the Extinction Tree is that of a fallen World Tree, close to a plant with a faded ego, so its growth can be promoted or guided in the same way as a World Tree…”
“So that’s why you said a sapling of the World Tree was used as a material to create the plant weapon.”
“They made a fateful deal with the Archdruid of Larabelli and obtained a sapling of the World Tree whose functions had withered. And after long research, they finally succeeded in bearing fruit.”
Atera turned his head toward Lennok.
“The Emperor already knew that.”
“…”
Silence fell.
“Was that… also the reason the family was framed for treason and executed?”
“Have you ever thought that many of the events surrounding the Black Edict’s annihilation were overly hasty?”
Turning his expressionless, mirror-like face, Atera asked in return.
“The moment ‘he’ left the Empire, the Emperor issued an imperial order and had those involved arrested and killed for treason. There was no verdict or trial, only a sentence.”
“…”
“If this entire process was because he knew the Black Edict clan had fulfilled their aspiration, don’t you think it is a perfectly understandable course of action?”
“So the five families were never truly loyal to the Emperor from the start.”
Lennok asked.
“I heard you enjoyed glory as members of the Empire for a long time… Did you not stand on the Emperor’s side until the very end?”
“The Emperor was never on anyone’s side to begin with. He did not take sides, nor did he want anyone to stand on his.”
Atera raised his gaze.
“From the moment he was born, he was looking at the heavens, paying no mind to the trivial creatures on the ground. He didn’t even care whether others understood him or not.”
“…”
“Some believed that his ruthlessness would become an unchanging standard in this world, and others followed him, thinking his cruelty was fair to all, but…”
Atera, who had stopped in front of the broken black tree, said.
“In the end, the ‘next’ that the Emperor pursued was not the answer we wanted. That is all.”
A giant black tree, withered and twisted, broken as if its back had been snapped.
Inside the worn-out, fragmented giant tree, only an endless darkness swirled.
A will of ruin, astonishingly similar to the origin of the Extinction Tree that had extended its branches toward this world from across the galaxy.
At the center of the seemingly bottomless darkness, something like a long spear could be seen floating in the air.
Kwoooo…!!!
Was this what the staff carried by a shepherd leading his flock felt like?
A straight staff of ebony, appearing slightly taller than Lennok himself.
It had consumed the entire interior of this withered giant tree, filling it with darkness.
Was that the sapling of the World Tree, containing the power of an Outer God? A type of plant weapon left behind by the Black Edict?
“Now that you have come this far, I suppose no more trivial words are needed.”
As Lennok silently gazed at the sight, Atera turned around.
“As you told the head of the Black Edict, there is only the choice.”
“…”
“This is the plant weapon the Black Edict clan obtained in their final moments, which grants ‘directionality’ to the power of the Extinction Tree….”
Atera said.
“It is the final legacy, grown by devouring the fate of the Black Edict. Perhaps the end of the other families will not be so different from this.”
“Grown by devouring fate….”
“Since you personally reaped the fate of the Black Edict’s head, you, more than anyone, have the right to decide its whereabouts.”
Atera asked the silent Lennok.
“What will you do?”
“Adamant Thunder… you should consider this carefully.”
At that moment, Hylaea, who had been standing with difficulty behind Lennok, spoke up.
“He never properly answered why that weapon remains in the Black Edict’s main house. He just shifted the topic to the family and the Emperor, deftly avoiding the question you asked….”
“…”
“There is something, another reason why that sapling remains here. It is—”
“Yes, I know.”
Hylaea, being one of the more astute members of Pandemonium, would have immediately noticed that Atera had avoided the question.
But Lennok had been aware from the beginning that Atera was not particularly trying to hide or conceal that attitude.
It wasn’t that he didn’t answer, but that he couldn’t answer.
To convey that to Lennok, Atera had maintained a consistent attitude from start to finish.
If that was the case—
“Watching it from this close, I can tell for certain.”
Lennok said, looking at the ebony staff floating in the endless darkness.
“That is an object that should be kept not in this world, but in ‘hell’. The Black Edict clan created that staff with that in mind.”
“…”
“If that is an object that only a being who has inherited hell can truly possess….”
Slowly extending a hand, Lennok said.
“Then it seems I must take it, if only to completely conclude the matter of Paradise Lost.”
“If you have found your answer, I believed you would surely understand.”
Atera bowed his head.
“In that case, I, too, as the head of the Empty Mirror, shall do my utmost to serve the Imperial Order for your sake.”
Kakakakak!!!!
At that moment, the opaque beings, like countless mirrors, standing on either side of Atera, turned in unison.
Like opaque mirrors that reflect no subject, those surrounding the ancient tree lost their human forms and collapsed in place.
Simultaneously, at their center, the darkness of the Extinction Tree began to swirl madly, compressing in a single direction.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!
“Ugh…!!”
“Gah, what is this…!!”
The bewildered members of the group hastily ducked amidst the countercurrent of darkness pouring out.
At the center of the unfolded opaque mirrors, Atera stood with his arms outstretched, slowly rising into the air.
“The essence of the Empty Mirror (空鏡) is a vacant mirror. A void where no image forms may be the most unilateral concept of all.”
Atera said.
“The ‘Unilaterality (一方性)’ our family has obtained is the power closest to our long-held aspiration.”
Crack, cra-crack!!!
Each time the opaque mirrors reflected the darkness, they endlessly cracked and reassembled, repeating a cycle of destruction and regeneration.
The countless mirror fragments moved according to Atera’s will, reflecting the darkness and guiding its direction.
With each movement, the ebony staff floating in the darkness swayed with the flow, slowly beginning to approach.
Kwagwagwa!!!!
Although it was undoubtedly reflecting the power of the Extinction Tree, its image was not contained within the mirrors; it was merely diverted.
By joining countless mirrors, he guided the flow of darkness, compressing and condensing it into one spot.
And so, the moment the ebony staff, riding the flowing darkness, was grasped by Lennok’s hand.
Paaaaaaang!!!!
The ebony staff in Lennok’s hand expanded as if exploding, extending black tree stems in all directions.
The stems, splitting into hundreds, thousands of branches, instantly clung to every visible space and landscape, absorbing matter.
A horrifying power that turned all organic and inorganic matter into a pinch of dust, annihilating it on the spot.
Jjeojeojeojeok!!!!
“How can this be…!”
“Get back, now!!”
But Lennok, grasping the staff taller than himself, closed his eyes.
In his past, while researching the power of the Extinction Tree with the Black Edict clan, he had realized how to handle this.
If I can do it, I will eventually reach it. If I know I will eventually reach it, I can do it now.
If Myeong knew this and intended to return everything of the Black Edict to Lennok—
Jjeo-eop…!!
At that moment, the tree stems, which had been growing madly while sucking up nutrients, came to a halt.
As if time were reversing, the thousands of branches that had spread out compressed back toward Lennok’s hand.
In an instant, it returned to its original form of a long staff, sucking in all the surrounding darkness.
Kwaaaaaaaah…!!!!
After the deafening roar that had numbed their ears faded and the surroundings grew quiet, the others struggled to raise their gazes.
“Is it… over?”
“Almost.”
The ebony staff in Lennok’s hand trembled faintly, as if alive.
The sapling, having received its master’s will, twisted itself on the spot, slowly changing its shape.
The moment it was about to transform into the shape of a firearm that looked strangely familiar—
‘This is…?’
Kwajik!!
Before he could even register it, it instantly reverted to a staff.
Lennok, who had been watching, then unsummoned the ebony staff.
“It seems I can change its appearance if I handle it well, but it’s still difficult. I think I’ll need more practice.”
“…That was a gun just now, wasn’t it? Are you saying you’re going to modify a sapling containing the power of an Outer God into a magic gun?”
“I briefly thought about what kind of object I would need the most… and there was feedback.”
The application of Mass Manipulation Spellcraft, which the Director of Pandemonium had personally requested of Lennok.
If there was one area where he hadn’t made any gains on this journey, it would be that.
That was why Lennok had naturally imagined a weapon that could withstand a magic bullet imbued with Mass Manipulation Spellcraft.
“Excellent. Though you have only just taken ownership, you handle it as naturally as a long-time master.”
At the same time, Atera, who had slowly descended before Lennok, spoke.
“If I may say just one more thing, then I believe I can lay down my long-held duty.”
“A duty.”
Lennok looked at Atera without a word.
“You certainly said it was an Imperial Order.”
Just before handing the staff to Lennok, Atera had said he was following an Imperial Order.
If that was the case, then the one who had left this plant weapon in the Black Edict’s main house was none other than—
“Originally, the World Tree is a great life form that grows from the [Navel of the Star], where the star’s Dragon Veins are concentrated.”
Atera said.
“In the past, the Emperor seized the roots of the World Tree in Larabelli, planted them in the Imperial Palace, and focused the Dragon Veins on the palace. Because of this, the World Tree continues to die, having lost its function even now.”
“…Larabelli?”
“By forcibly changing the massive existing flow, a great disaster befell Larabelli… The World Tree, connected to that twisted flow of Dragon Veins, is the medium most strongly connected to the Imperial Palace.”
At that moment, Lennok instinctively understood why Atera had handed him this plant weapon.
A plant weapon created using a sapling of the World Tree as a material, for the purpose of controlling the power of the Extinction Tree.
But its purpose wasn’t simply to destroy or annihilate everything, but—
“If you take that and go to Larabelli… you will be able to see the true form of the Imperial Palace that you desire.”
Atera said.
“Because this is an invitation sent by the Emperor to the you of a bygone era.”