In the darkness connected to the World Tree, the Prophet was walking towards the center of the World Tree. The space, formed by overlapping dimensions, seemed endless.
"..."
He suddenly stopped in the middle of the long corridor.
He raised his hand and looked at it. Even in the darkness, he could see the glistening black scales.
"...Lizard."
Black scales sprouted like those of a lizard. His fingernails were sharp like claws, and there was a solid, hardened feeling, as if he were wearing several layers of protective gloves.
Swipe—
When he touched his head, he felt something unfamiliar and solid. Horns protruded from his skull, resembling a crown.
And behind him, black wings draped limply...
-I will place my bet on you.
After the [Dragon Crouched in the Abyss] shared the essence of its true form with him, the changes in his body were dramatic. The transformation was far more extreme than when he wielded the power of the wolf.
Sssss...
Even now, his arm was slowly being covered in black scales. The sensations from his wings and horns were becoming more vivid.
"..."
He resembled a priest of <Ratatoskr>. If this were a game, he would appear as some sort of hidden final boss, the kind that would only increase the difficulty exponentially.
The sight of himself made him chuckle.
'To think that, at this age, I’d end up looking like some dark, boss-level character in Yggdrasil Gate ...'
The type of boss who appears at the very end to backstab everyone.
"..."
Perhaps it was a fitting appearance for the choices he had made.
After all, after all those seemingly endless years, he had chosen to accept the power of the enemy that "they" sought to destroy.
'Enemy and ally... To the World Tree, they were nothing more than whetstones, wearing each other down.'
The distinction between good and evil was a foolish belief. Even the dragons were beings who suffered under the absurdities of the world.
What truly needed to be overthrown and changed was the system that governed this world. It had taken him far too long to realize that.
To turn back this meaningless world. To save this absurd world. He now had to reach the center of the World Tree.
'It's easy to put those living in the present into a dream, but to stop both the past and the future... I must go.'
To stop all time... He had to shut down the source, not just the monitor reflecting the present.
"..."
The Prophet took out the glass orb given to him by [The Priest of Illusions], Svafnir.
A glass orb shining with a brilliant light. It was the only reason the weakest boss, Svafnir, was respected as a dragon priest.
'This can wield the power of illusions and dreams, and it can put one person to sleep in an eternal dream...'
He intended to use this at the center of the World Tree.
He would transform the order governing this world into a dream. He would trap the past, present, and future all in the same dream.
And then...
"I'll save you now, Ymir."
He could still vividly recall her smile.
Just a little longer now. He would be able to see that smile again.
Throb—
The Prophet suddenly clutched his head as a headache struck him.
"Ugh...!"
All the events he had experienced flashed through his mind like a dream. Every trivial memory rushed into his head as if played in fast forward.
"Haah...!"
From the time he was in his mother's womb, Through countless stages of growth, until he finally became a pitiful office worker. Starting the mobile game Yggdrasil Gate ... And then meeting new companions in the world after his death.
And then, 1,500 years passed.
"Hah...! Hah...!"
The sudden influx of information made his head throb.
'Damn it, is it that time again?'
1,500 years.
Normally, even with hibernation and sealing, That would be enough time for anyone to succumb to oblivion and have their identity collapse.
Even if one didn't forget, Their purpose might change. He was such a weak and fragile human.
"..."
That's why, to avoid losing himself, He had placed a spell on himself to forcibly preserve his memories.
So that he could always recall that day. So that he could never forget.
Even though these periodic floods of information always brought headaches... he never removed the spell.
Not even once in 1,500 years.
The Prophet, still clutching his head, muttered once more.
Grit—
"I... will not change."
Because... I swore to save you.
And so the Prophet began walking again.
Stumble... Stumble...
He dragged his body, which was slowly transforming into that of a black dragon, along the long path. He continued onward, recalling the memories that occasionally surfaced in his mind.
Step... Step...
Slowly, the darkness faded away, Revealing a space filled with bright starlight. It was the center of the World Tree, where countless souls and destinies shimmered.
And there—
He encountered the pink-haired girl. She was standing proudly atop one of the three chairs.
"Hello—☆ You're late~☆ A man who keeps a lady waiting is disqualified~!!" "..."
...?
"Seeing you up close, you have quite a gloomy aura—☆ Are those long, black horns just for decoration? Hahaha, so funny. The Black Flame Dragon appears—☆ Roar♪" "..."
...??
The Prophet's mind froze.
'What... is this...?'
He hesitated for a moment, And eventually, he had no choice but to utter her name.
"Clara?" "Haha—☆ There was a time when I was called that♪ Isn't it a lovely name? It also means 'shining girl,' and what's more, the 'Lara' part at the end makes it sound like a song, like 'la-la-la~♪' when you say it~☆" "..."
She chattered on and on with nonsensical talk. All of it was completely unrelated to the main point.
The Prophet was momentarily confused by the situation.
'Why is Clara here...? I saw her fall into the abyss outside the World Tree.'
The path to the center of the World Tree and the principles behind it were never even explained in the original game.
So how could Clara suddenly appear here?
'Brünnhilde's power was sealed, and the three protagonists should be trapped by [The Dragon Crouched in the Abyss]...'
How on earth...?
The girl in front of him stood confidently, seemingly aware of the Prophet's confusion. Her pink hair and eyes shone brightly in the starlit space.
"Oh dear—☆ You think of this world as a game and do as you please, but now you're flustered because something unexpected popped up~?" "Is it really... Clara who came here...?" "Haha... You keep repeating the same thing, so you must be flustered☆"
Urd's triumphant expression faded, replaced by a bitter smile.
"Of course, you're flustered. You thought you had sealed someone who, like you, believed they had drifted into this world. You picked out the most advantageous knowledge from the 'original work' and moved faster than anyone to manipulate this world... And just when you thought your goal was within reach..."
Urd's eyes grew cold.
"...Suddenly, as if by a twist of fate, everything became tangled. You must be flustered."
"..."
Even when the world he thought he had saved was destroyed. Even when the world he thought was a game changed. Even when the world he thought he had altered remained the same.
"We can only blame fate and be flustered."
"..."
Though she had been granted divinity as a goddess of the past, She had lost the chance to change this world herself.
The despair, confusion, and the hope that had returned.
Eventually, it had all led to this point.
Grip—
'Now... it's the end.'
The Prophet was still bewildered.
Her nonsensical talk had thrown him into confusion, all to prepare for this moment...!
Urd was prepared to [sacrifice] everything to banish the Prophet. She began to emit a radiant light, creating a passage leading out of the World Tree's center.
Rumble—
The surroundings trembled, And a passage that only a divine beast could create began to form.
Seeing this, the Prophet's eyes widened.
"...!"
A glowing ring of light formed, created by the dazzling energy, and it advanced towards the Prophet.
"Now, leave this place!"
Whoosh—
The ring of light swiftly passed through the Prophet...
"..." "..."
And then...
Nothing happened.
The ring of light, which had brushed past the Prophet, scattered into the starry space, disappearing into the darkness.
It was an utterly empty scene.
Urd muttered in disbelief.
"Wh-Why...?"
How could the Prophet, who didn’t know of her existence, have prepared for this...?
Flash—
A blinding light radiated from the glass orb in the Prophet's hand. And the Prophet, who had been seen from afar, was now standing right in front of Urd.
Face to face with the Prophet.
Urd was shocked at the sight.
"...?!"
The Prophet, holding the glass orb, muttered with a bitter expression.
"I used the power of illusion from the moment I entered."
"..." "I already knew that whenever Clara opened her mouth, it would only be nonsense." "How could..."
The Prophet slowly raised his hand towards Urd and said,
"I never thought I’d end up doing something that feels so much like a final boss move."
And the Prophet released a black light from his hand.
"No...!"
He banished her from this place. Urd vanished from the spot as if she had never been there.
I was running. Even in this space filled with darkness, there was a place where I could place my feet and run.
"Hah...! Hah...!"
But the sound reminiscent of an arthropod's movements kept pursuing me.
Tsutsutsut—!!
No matter how much I tried to widen the distance, The numerous legs quickly closed the gap. The creepy, unrealistic movement was approaching at an inhuman speed.
It was only because I was the fastest in the academy city that I could manage to run this far.
'This is why I melted the [Priest of Erosion] quickly back then—!!'
The key was to take him down before he could do anything with [Pink Lemon Sorbet].
That was the only surefire strategy to quickly defeat the strongest priest, Grafvolund. But this crazy centipede had brought a new pattern as a gift.
The centipede old man shouted with a phlegm-filled voice.
[Hahaha...! How pitiful, how pitiful! To think you could escape with those thin little legs of yours!]
Shwaa—!!
Sticky liquid spewed from the centipede's mouth. It quickly dispersed into the air like mist and began to drain my ether.
Sssuuu...
The black corrosion was sucking up my ether. It felt like an old man in his eighties was running his lecherous hands down my spine.
"Aaagh—☆"
This... this was really the worst.
"Eeeek—?!"
Tsutsut—
As my speed slightly decreased, the centipede closed in. And from afar, the centipede old man whispered to me.
[Did you enjoy my energy?]
The moment I heard that, I felt a shiver run down my spine.
"Aaaagh—☆"
Oh.
Damn.
Damn it.
Shit—!!
The attack of the strongest priest was terrifying.
If it had only been Grafvolund, I would have used every ounce of strength to launch a barrage of [Pink Lemon Sorbet]...
Bam—!!
A mantis suddenly struck beside me from the air. It swung its blade-like forelegs, sending out a black slash.
[Kahahaha!! The chasing wind—!!] "Damn it!!"
I hastily jumped to dodge Othnir's wind slash. But as I soared through the air, Grafvolund closed in on me.
Tsutsut—!
A giant centipede's body wrapped around my vision. The lecherous laughter of an old man filled the air.
[Keke...]
I lamented as I saw it.
'Ah... Hildr, I’m sorry. I might get a bit sullied...'
But... You'll still love me, right...?
Just as I was mentally preparing myself to reinterpret my inner sense of chastity, A brilliant light suddenly shone from the side. It was a shining ring of light that seemed to have flown in from far away.
Flash—!!
'A ring of light...?'
And then...
"...!"
I could faintly feel [Bifrost] connected to the academy city. And I could sense the many hearts trying to help me.
While it was difficult to escape, If it was a matter of summoning something here...
I focused on that faint connection and shouted.
"Reach—!! [Bifrost]—!!!"
A rainbow-colored spiral wrapped around me, calling forth something.
Meanwhile, the centipede and mantis charged towards me.
[Kahahaha! You can't escape—!!] [Even your resistance is pitiful, keke.]
Their grotesque mouths and blade-like forelegs were slowly closing in.
And in the spot where the spiral passed...
"Lala—!!" "[Spiral]!! Are you okay?!" "Eek, eek?! What are those crazy bug bastards?!” “The Spirit of the Sword and Lady Urd sent us here!!” “Oh~ Hohoho!! Your juniors are truly worthy heroes!! I shall commend them!!”
Boom—!!
With an explosion of five colors, The help of my five friends arrived.