Catherine arrived before the fortress of Galaharad.
A place that should have been resounding with the chaos of war was eerily silent.
It was only natural.
Everyone who had reached this point had been stopped by the massive tree standing before the fortress gate.
From its roots, which quivered like heat haze rising from the ground, hung the defeated.
Seen from afar, the sight resembled people hanged by the neck from every root.
Though it looked gruesome, there was something strange about it—no one was dead.
Those bound by the roots were not corpses but merely asleep.
Under the soft light streaming down from the tree’s leaves, their faces were peaceful, almost serene.
The tranquil scene, so out of place on a battlefield, felt so unnatural it sent chills down one’s spine.
‘That tree... what is it...?’
Rine thought that to herself, but neither Catherine nor the other priestesses showed the slightest reaction.
No—Catherine did show something.
What appeared on her face was curiosity.
“What a massive tree. I knew the elf druids had intervened, but to think they’d use a pseudo–World Tree.”
Catherine saw through its nature at once.
It wasn’t the true World Tree, but something comparable to it.
That immense tree itself was practically a living biological weapon.
“Though... a bit soft, aren’t they? Not killing anyone.”
Yet the fact that it only put people to sleep instead of killing them gave her a clear sense of its user’s disposition.
“Or perhaps it’s the wiser choice—to disable and keep them as hostages buys more time than killing them outright?”
Sensing the intruder’s presence, the tree began to glow brighter.
Its roots writhed like enormous worms as they surged through the earth toward Catherine.
The ground bulged and heaved as the roots drew near—a sight that would chill even the bravest.
Catherine, however, looked utterly unbothered.
Five roots burst from the ground, lashing around her like whips, trying to ensnare her slender form.
In an instant, Catherine’s figure vanished within the mass of roots.
And then—
Shraaash!
Golden light erupted. The roots exploded apart, torn into fragments that scattered in every direction.
The severed roots caught yellow flames and vanished completely—without leaving even ash.
Even if it wasn’t the true World Tree, it was still a tree derived from it.
The fact that it had burned away entirely made Sedina, watching from a hidden spot far away, widen her eyes.
‘What... what is that...?’
The Saintess was far stronger than she had imagined.
‘That’s the Saintess’s power?’
But she couldn’t back down here.
‘I can’t let her reach where the Professor is!’
Sedina resonated with the tree and drew out all the power she had been holding back.
The light flowing from the tree intensified, and countless greenish spears shot toward the Saintess through the gaps between the dense branches.
There were too many to count—like a hailstorm descending.
Catherine raised her right hand and flicked her fingers lightly.
Snap.
A crisp sound, followed by a wave of divine power rippling through the air.
Wuuuuum.
The holy power swallowed the rain of green spears.
The same attack that had overwhelmed the Crusaders melted away in the air like sugar dissolving in water the moment it touched that wave.
But it didn’t stop there.
The wave reached the tree itself.
Yellow flames began spreading over its thick brown surface.
‘That’s impossible!’
Sedina gasped inwardly.
The trunk and branches remained intact, but all the leaves oxidized and disintegrated into nothing.
The now-bare tree thrashed, swinging its roots wildly, but before they could even touch Catherine, they burst apart with muffled explosions.
Julia, too, was speechless.
Magic that should have had no equal was collapsing so easily—it felt unreal.
And all of this was caused by a single woman.
‘She doesn’t care what happens to the captives?!’
Those people had been taken as hostages for a reason.
There was no need to kill them, but keeping them alive had served to restrain the enemy’s attacks and instill fear.
Yet Catherine was completely unrestrained, using divine arts without hesitation.
The reason became clear immediately.
Her divine power affected none of the captives—only the tree burned.
Julia bit her lip and infused the tree with more dream energy.
The green aura rising from the tree pushed back the yellow flames, but only barely.
“Julia! Buy me time!”
“Got it!”
Believing Sedina had a plan, Julia held on, straining against the Saintess’s divine power.
But the yellow flames only grew stronger, swallowing the dream energy whole.
‘Too strong!’
Even with the World Tree’s power backing her, she was being overwhelmed.
This wasn’t a matter of compatibility—there was a sheer, crushing difference in power.
‘Even if she’s a Saintess, this is ridiculous!’
She wasn’t human—she was something wearing human form.
But Julia couldn’t withdraw. Sedina had asked her to hold on.
She gathered every last drop of mana, amplifying the dream energy to its limit to resist the divine wave.
How long had she barely managed to endure like that?
“Thanks for holding on.”
Sedina finally completed her preparations.
At the same time, something strange began happening by the coast.
Ssshhh—
The waves lapping against the shore gradually receded, and then the sea began to pull back at an astonishing speed.
“Huh? Wh-what’s happening?”
The soldiers stationed on the shore, preparing for the next advance, stared in confusion.
Creak—
The warships docked along the beach tilted, colliding and tangling together.
As the seawater withdrew, the currents shifted, creating chaos among the ships.
“What’s going on! Report!”
“The sea—! The sea’s pulling back!”
“What?! What kind of nonsense—”
“Sir... look!”
The reporting soldier froze as something emerged beyond the retreating sea.
‘What is that?’
He pulled out his binoculars and focused on the newly exposed seabed.
A dark, massive shape jutted out.
‘That’s not a reef...’
Something that should have been submerged was now revealed—and it was nothing like any natural formation.
It was enormous and long, like an immense, magnified root.
“What the hell is that...”
Even as the soldier trembled, the roots of the World Tree continued to ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) absorb the surrounding seawater.
The speed and volume were so great that the sea level near the coast visibly dropped.
That vast mass of absorbed water flowed underground through the roots, reaching the tree before the fortress.
Seeing the trunk swell grotesquely, Catherine smiled faintly.
“So it’s real, then?”
The words had barely left her lips when torrents of seawater burst from the tree, surging toward her.
It was as if a dam holding back the sea had burst—an enormous wave came crashing forth.
The seawater, mixed with soil, turned into a muddy torrent, a tsunami rising over three meters high.
Meanwhile, chaos erupted on the coast.
The void created by the roots’ sudden absorption drew in more water from the open sea, causing another massive wave to surge back toward the shore.
“E-everyone brace yourselves! A tidal wave!”
“Get to higher ground, now!”
The soldiers near the beach panicked, fleeing inland, while those aboard ships scrambled inside for shelter.
Swaaaash!
The tidal wave slammed into the anchored warships, driving them up onto the sand like toys.
Steel hulls collided, echoing with deafening crashes.
The wave swept over the entire beach, dragging everything into chaos.
Steam golems waiting at the rear were submerged, armored vehicles overturned.
But Sedina focused solely on Catherine.
Just as the muddy tsunami was about to crash into her—
“Guess I’ll have to get serious.”
Her voice carried clearly to Sedina through the World Tree.
Serious? What did that mean? Was she saying she hadn’t been serious until now?
Sedina’s confusion turned to dread the instant she saw a golden radiance flare through the muddy water.
Catherine raised both hands high.
A halo appeared above her head, and divine power surged, swirling around her body.
Kwooooom!
The massive wave that seemed capable of washing away everything split apart before it could reach her.
The holy light condensed into a sharp, blazing blade of gold, which shot straight toward the tree that was still spewing seawater.
A golden slash, gliding along the ground like a shark’s fin, surged against the flow.
It happened so fast Sedina couldn’t even react.
The strike cleaved the tsunami in half—then cut the towering tree clean down the middle like firewood.
The great tree teetered and collapsed, and the torrent ceased.
As mud spread across the devastated land, Catherine stepped forward.
Where her foot touched, the wet earth instantly dried and hardened into solid ground.
She walked slowly onward.
Sedina’s body trembled violently.
‘N-no... I can’t stop her...’
The sight was so overwhelming it robbed her of breath.
Beside her, Julia shook her shoulders, shouting something, but it sounded muffled, as though underwater.
They had failed. That thought echoed in Sedina’s mind, consuming her.
At last, Catherine passed the tree’s remains and reached the fortress gate.
The outer gate, which should have stayed sealed, opened of its own accord as she approached.
A place that should never have allowed any intrusion—now faced its most dangerous visitor.
“The—The gate must be—stopped...”
As Sedina muttered blankly, someone grabbed her by the collar and yanked her back.
Her senses snapped back to reality—just in time to see countless golden spears pierce the spot where she and Julia had been hiding.
“What are you doing?!”
Ambella Burke shouted sharply, pulling Sedina back.
“Snap out of it! Daydreaming on a battlefield—do you have a death wish? Think about your position!”
“G-Grandmother...”
“So you failed to hold a single entrance? Forget it! Stop whining and focus on what comes next! That’s what matters in war!”
Sedina’s pupils shook.
Ambella was right.
Only the outer wall had fallen. There was still time.
“Watch out!”
Julia cried out as new lances of light came streaking toward them.
“Tch. Persistent, aren’t they?”
Ambella swept them aside with her greatsword.
“Sedina! Prepare the next plan!”
“Wh-what about you, Grandmother?”
“I’ll hold this one off!”
The “one” she meant was the priestess approaching their position.
“B-but—!”
“Let’s go, Sedina. We have our duty.”
Julia grabbed her hand firmly, and Sedina bit her lip before nodding.
Once they had retreated, Ambella smirked faintly.
“At least she’s got good friends.”
She looked up at the approaching priestess and took a mask from her waist, placing it over her face.
It was made from processed World Tree bark—the same kind Vierno wore.
She couldn’t afford to reveal her identity.
Everyone already knew the elf kingdom had joined the war, but it was a different matter entirely if Ambella Burke herself were identified.
It was little more than a token disguise, but in this situation, that was enough.
At least it gave her a plausible excuse to withdraw later.
‘Assuming I survive to use that excuse.’
Gripping her greatsword, Ambella spread her golden wings and glared up at the floating priestess.
“So, I missed the rats, did I?”
The priestess realized Sedina had escaped and moved to pursue, but Ambella blocked her path.
“Sorry, but you’ll have to play with me instead.”
“Meaningless resistance. Unlike my sisters, I show no mercy to heretics.”
The priestess conjured countless lances of light around her—nearly a thousand in number.
Ambella muttered under her breath, “What a monster...”
Then, from within the fortress of Galaharad, a brilliant light began to pour out.
The fortress had always emitted a faint glow, but this was on another level entirely.
The sudden change made the priestess falter in confusion.
Seeing it, Ambella thought to herself—
‘They did it... finally!’