Chapter 202
The sounds of explosions and blades clashing echoed throughout Elvenheim’s outer village, covered in flames and smoke. It had become a warzone of dragons, angels, and demons attacking from the sky, and beastfolk, orcs, centaurs, and other races invading from the ground. Others also joined the attack like hyenas, hoping to earn Karma and contribution points as well.
“Stop them! Reinforcements will arrive soon!”
“Don’t let them approach the Mother Tree!”
“Master Keter! Please save us!”
Countless elves, mostly grey elves, charged at the enemies to stop them. Fortunately, the heads of the thirty-two bloodlines were keeping the powerful enemies at bay.
“I do not understand why a noble dragon like yourself is coveting someone else’s possession,” said a robust, elderly elf with hazy white eyes, whose white beard reached his belly button, to a large, red entity in the sky—it was Adi Dahak.
“Someone else’s possession?!”
“How does the Earthquake Stone that a human possesses!”
“Belong to the elves?!”
Burning vapor was emitted from Adi Dahak’s mouth each time her three heads spoke.
“I have no idea what you’ve been talking about since earlier... Does Echion truly wish to wage war against Sefirot?” the elf asked.
“How dare you speak of Echion?!”
“You are sorely mistaken if we are like those cowards of Redeo!”
“Since it has come to this, we will also take the elves’ Race Stone!”
Flames appeared from inside Adi Dahak’s three mouths. It was a sign of a Breath, the dragons’ exclusive ability.
“Dammit,” the elderly elf, Chokmah, hastily drew out mana and Nature Force.
He thought, Master Keter... You must come to a decision! If you wish to start a war, I will act as the muzzle of your cannon by beheading this arrogant dragon!
The situation in the surroundings was no different.
“Ohoho! Where is that commendable human named Cheon Seong-Hwi?”
The Sefirah, Gevurah, was up against Andrealphus of Necrophilia.
“Grrr! Smash! Smash it all!”
The Sefirah, Netzach, was holding back Ursi of Barbaria.
“Hand over the heathen who dared to commit blasphemy!”
Two Sefirah, Tiferet and Malkuth, were resisting Raziel, a first-grade angel of Orbis.
“Chwik! Clear a path! Take the spoils!”
“Run like the wind!”
Three heads of superior bloodlines, Alef, Mem, and Shin, were keeping Bodonchar the orc and Chiron the centaur at bay with the powers of earth, water, and fire.
They were simply feeling each other out now, but it would eventually lead to an all-out battle, causing massive casualties on both sides.
***
[Keter’s Promise (Common Quest)
Rank: S+
Description: A promise Keter of the race Elf, true name Rafina, made with Lee Kang-San and Cheon Seong-Hwi of the race Human.
Condition 1: Rafina will not attack Lee Kang-San and Cheon Seong-Hwi for thirty days post-war, regardless of the negotiation results.
Condition 2: Rafina will not cause any harm to Domen until the negotiation is complete.
Penalty: Severe fall of caliber.]
Seong-Hwi became certain of his suspicions after seeing the Akasha Message.
They're betting their caliber. I’m sure of it now. Keter wants to stop the World Tree’s rampage by any means!
He looked beside him and saw Kang-San making a similar expression, thinking they were about eighty percent of the way there.
“What are you thinking about?” asked a woman carrying a refreshing scent.
Seong-Hwi turned and saw Lilicia staring at him, her turquoise eyes blinking.
He answered, “I’m nervous. After all, we’re on our way to meet the Fifth Lord.”
“Really? You look pretty calm to me.”
“Because we’re not criminals. We’re on our way to negotiate.”
Kang-San added, “Haha, well said. We’re on our way to meet with Keter as envoys of the Union, so chin up, chest out.”
Seong-Hwi nodded and thought, They made their decision quicker than I had expected. I thought it would take at least a few more days... Was there a variable I’m not aware of?
The elves of Sefirot had marched toward Seong-Hwi, Kang-San, and the elves of Domen when they had been setting up camp near the portal and freeing criminals. Seong-Hwi had assumed they had come to attack, and wondered whether to run or fight, but a familiar elf had greeted him—Lilicia.
Dalet, huh? So, she was the head of a bloodline, too. I should’ve known from how close she seemed to Consul Floriana.
Floriana was a former Sefirah. Even if one were a high elf, it would be impossible to be so friendly with someone of that stature without being close to that stature oneself.
The conversation went much more smoothly because they were acquainted. Lilicia relayed the message that the arrest warrant on Kang-San had been lifted, and that Keter wished to speak to them immediately. Then, Kang-San showed off his guts by criticizing the irony of Keter treating him like an honored guest despite having wanted him killed.
Just then, an androgynous voice echoed from the crown-shaped branch that shone with an emerald light.
“I apologize for that, Lee Kang-San. I was disrespectful.”
The elves around them couldn’t hide their shock. Keter—the ruler of the elves, the mouthpiece of the World Tree, the Fifth Lord—had apologized to a human.
That was the moment we gained the initiative, Seong-Hwi thought.
The Union had risen to the same standpoint as Sefirot from the moment they found out that Keter desired to stop the World Tree’s rampage. Kang-San had gone even further and managed to obtain the Keter’s Promise quest.
With this, our safety is secured. The problem is the elves in Domen, Seong-Hwi thought as he unconsciously reached into his pocket.
His heavy heart lightened after feeling the Earthquake Stone Fragment. They were the ones with the trump card.
“Well, then. Let’s move to the next floor,” Lilicia said as she pulled on the Divinity of Scilla’s string and let go.
[Activating Unique Skill: Dalet’s Passage.]
A blue portal appeared before them.
“The next floor is Peri, the fruit floor,” she remarked.
“It sure is fascinating, no matter how many times I see it. It looks a little different from a warp gate,” Seong-Hwi remarked.
Lilicia smiled and said, “Only the head of House Dalet can activate a portal that travels this far, and only inside the World Tree, at that. Outside, its effectiveness falls dramatically.”
Seong-Hwi nodded and thought, According to Lina’s hypothesis, Lilicia probably possesses genes close to the master copy. Since Sefirot consists of thirty-two bloodlines, does that mean the primordial genes were divided into thirty-two, each containing different qualities, and became the foundation of each bloodline?
“Let’s go, Seong-Hwi,” Kang-San pressed.
“Ah, okay,” Seong-Hwi replied, setting aside his thoughts and entering Dalet’s Passage.
Light flashed, then disappeared, revealing a peaceful and clean city with fertile soil, bright green plants filled with nutrients, under a clear, bright sky and warm sunlight. Beautiful high elves, expressions filled with joy and leisure, were running around.
“Hahaha! Stop right there!”
“Slow down, Sharyn. You’ll trip!”
“Hm? It’s Master Dalet!”
“Are those humans next to her?”
The difference between Peri and Domen or Qetseb was like heaven and earth.
“It may be my second time here, but it still baffles me. Are they unaware of the war outside?” Kang-San mumbled as he stared at the peaceful atmosphere.
Lilicia smiled sorrowfully and replied, “They’re aware, but they’re just not worried about it because they trust in Master Keter.”
“Then what about those who are fighting outside?”
“A few heads of the bloodlines, and... most are grey elves.” Lilicia’s face reddened in embarrassment and continued as if to justify. “I know it’s cowardly, but... but... there’s no other way. Not even Master Lapsus, the former Hod, and Floriana unnie, the former Chesed, were able to change this custom. In the end, they both left. I would have too, if I had the courage.”
Seong-Hwi stared at Lilicia, biting her lip, and asked, “Is Keter on the floor above?”
“Oh, this way.” Lilicia, reminded of her duty, guided the two men to the center of the city.
Several fruit the size of yoga balls were hanging from a branch of the World Tree that had sprouted from the ground. A few elves were looking up at the fruit as they recorded things.
“That’s a grey elf.”
“Beside it is a Quarter.”
“Oh! This one’s a high elf. I wonder which bloodline they’ll be sent to?”
As they passed by them, Lilicia said, “This is the sorting process. Baby elves are growing inside those fruit.”
Elves did not address the World Tree as the Mother Tree figuratively. They had literally been born through the World Tree.
“The fully grown babies are dispersed to each floor, based on their innate bloodline,” Lilicia continued as she walked deeper into the center of the city.
Countless high elves stared at Kang-San and Seong-Hwi but did not approach, likely because Lilicia was beside them.
“We’re here.” Lilicia stopped and planted the emerald branch. The branch began to grow rapidly and turned into a door with a crown decoration at the top. The door opened, revealing a shining gold portal. “Go on ahead. My guidance ends here. I wish you luck,” she remarked.
“Let’s go. Brace yourself,” Kang-San advised as he walked in, having experienced it before.
Seong-Hwi followed him as he asked Lilicia, “Do you have any intention of leaving Sefirot and gaining independence?”
“Pardon?”
“If you do, be ready to immigrate,” he said as he walked past Lilicia and into the golden light.
A card flew out of the Tarot Deck of Destiny at the same time.
[Activating Unique Skill: Borrowing Destiny.]
[Knight-errant of La Mancha]
He felt the reckless confidence overflowing in his heart and thought with determination, The theme of this negotiation is no compromise!
Sometimes, one needed to bulldoze their way through to obtain what they wanted.
***
Seong-Hwi came out of the golden light as he instinctively grabbed the Titanic Tide Kris, but quickly took his hand off its handle. The surroundings were fantastically covered in an emerald light, and a golden light fell from the ceiling. They had arrived on the Cherec floor.
“Damn, Seong-Hwi. What are you gonna do? I think the cat’s out of the bag,” said Kang-San, who had exited the portal first.
Seong-Hwi approached him and saw that the emerald wall reflected the situation in the outer village via several television-like screens. Individuals of various races were wreaking havoc as they called Seong-Hwi’s name.
— Find the human named Cheon Seong-Hwi!
— He has the Earthquake Stone, the Race Stone of the subterraneans!
— He plans to use it to negotiate with Sefirot!
— Snatch it before he can!
— He’s a walking lottery ticket!
“Oh, man... It appears Wang Chen did his job a little too well.”
“Haha, you’d undoubtedly become a beehive the moment you go outside. Why would you use yourself as bait?”
“That was the only choice I had. The more enticing the bait, the more piranhas gather.”
Just then, the screens showing the outer village disappeared, and the wall itself moved to form a mask-like face, then a torso, arms, and legs in order. An entity of unidentifiable gender was completely freed from the wall and opened their eyes with the flash of an emerald light.
“Hurgh!” Seong-Hwi lost his breath for a moment, weighed down by an enormous caliber.
He hallucinated a colossal tree growing before him, and himself becoming infinitely smaller.
[Operating Wings of Evolution.]
[Thirteen Wings.]
The pressure was reduced once he instinctively sprouted the Wings of Evolution, allowing him to look at the entity before him properly. Keter’s mask-like face was covered in tree-ring-like wrinkles, and their hair was like green vines, attached to the wall like an IV line. They were wearing a thorny crown on their head, and their emerald eyes thoroughly scanned Seong-Hwi.
“Huuu!” Seong-Hwi breathed deeply as he opened and closed his fists.
He had felt this sensation of an enormous difference in caliber when he had encountered Curiositas. However, unlike back then, he was standing tall.
Keter said, “You have some fascinating wings. Not bad. You’ve grown out of baby steps, reckless idealist.”
“You flatter me,” Seong-Hwi answered as he met eyes with Keter, who made it seem like they knew everything about him.
He shouted inwardly, I may be weak now, but I will soon run, fly, and surpass even you!
His determination blazed alongside Don Quixote’s destiny.
Keter also felt this, but did not express it and got straight to the point. “You’ve done something quite amusing. To think you’d drive uninvited guests to Elvenheim.”
Kang-San stepped forward and said, “Haha, that was just a little measure we placed for you to hasten your decision, Keter.”
Seong-Hwi felt the pressure alleviate slightly thanks to Kang-San standing between him and Keter.
“My decision? You talk as if you know what I have decided,” Keter said.
Kang-San smiled and said, “Don’t tell me you think you can hide your intentions after inviting us up here. I am certain you wish to stop the World Tree’s rampage... because you are the World Tree!”
Keter remained silent momentarily, their expression crumpling for the first time, then said, “Ozenta must have told you. It was a mistake to spare him for old time’s sake.” Their expression returned to its expressionless state, and they continued, “That is correct. I wish to stop the World Tree’s rampage. Do you truly have a way to stop it? Do you even know how it started?”
“What do you mean by that? If you didn’t make it go rampant, it must have started naturally.”
“Incorrect. This all started as if it were a joke. The World Tree suddenly fell into confusion one day,” Keter replied, their dry voice carrying intense rage.
Fell into confusion? What are they talking about? Seong-Hwi thought, trying his best to understand what Keter was saying.
Keter continued, “The World Tree had been under my control, but on that day... that son of a bitch cast powerful confusion magic on the World Tree.”
“That son of a bitch? Confusion magic?” Kang-San asked.
He wondered, Who could Keter possibly refer to as a son of a bitch? Confusion magic on the World Tree?
Keter said, “His name is Curiositas. He confused the World Tree by telling her: You lack nutrients. At this rate, you will dry up and die.”
“Curiositas? The Second Fiend?” Seong-Hwi asked, wide-eyed in confusion about why his name would come up here.
Keter continued as if having no intention to answer the question in Seong-Hwi’s head. “As a result, the World Tree ran rampant. Not only did she believe it was not enough, no matter how many nutrients she absorbed, but she continued to spread her roots even further to supplement herself in excess.”
They did not mention the Fruit Project, but Seong-Hwi, who had already heard about it from Ozenta, thought with shining eyes, Those excess nutrients must be what forms the Fruit!
It was one of his objectives for the negotiation.
“Do you understand now? Stopping the World Tree’s rampage is the same as dispelling Curiositas’s confusion magic,” Keter said as they stared at the two humans as if asking them if it was possible.
Kang-San turned to Seong-Hwi, silently allowing him to do as he liked. He had entrusted all authority of the Union to Seong-Hwi, believing he himself had no talent in negotiation.
“Huuu...” Seong-Hwi took a deep breath as he approached Keter.
His mouth became drier as he got closer to the entity emitting the stifling pressure. A card flew out of the Tarot Deck of Destiny with a flash of golden light, showing a woman in red wearing a crown with sapphires embedded in it. She was sitting on a chair between two grey pillars, holding a sword in her right hand and a balance scale in her left. It was the Major Card, No.11 Justice, symbolizing balance, judgment, honesty, responsibility, fairness, and more.
[Activating Unique Skill: Symbol Embodiment.]
[Scale of Balance, one of the symbols of No.11 Justice]
Seong-Hwi embodied the symbol that symbolized balance. The gold Scale of Balance appeared in his hand.
“That is...” Keter trailed off.
“I am sure you can see the true nature of this object,” Seong-Hwi said as he smiled. “This is the Scale of Balance. The scale will become horizontal if our negotiation pieces are equal in value.”
“What an interesting skill,” Keter mumbled.
As Seong-Hwi had mentioned, Keter had instantly seen the true essence of the Scale of Balance with their Veritas Oculus. The scale’s mechanism was simple; it became horizontal if both parties believed the negotiation was fair. In other words, subconsciously trying to scam the other party was impossible.
“I will reveal my card first. It is the only card we can play, and yet the strongest,” Seong-Hwi said.
He grabbed the small fragment shining with a red-brown light from his pocket and placed it on the right plate of the Scale of Balance, tilting the scale to the right with a creak.
“Ahhh! That must be it!” Keter remarked as they stared at the Earthquake Stone Fragment.
Their eyes blindingly flashed with emerald light. Kang-San grabbed the Dual Dragon Swords from behind Seong-Hwi, but Seong-Hwi gestured to him that it was okay. Keter, not paying any attention to their reaction, simply stared intently at the Earthquake Stone Fragment.
They remarked, “It may have very little substance remaining, but it possesses such a pure earth aura! So, your claim of possessing the Earthquake Stone was true!”
“It is merely a fragment, but yes,” Seong-Hwi answered.
“I am sure... that will reassure the World Tree that she has enough nutrients. No, she will be beyond satisfied!”
Seong-Hwi caught a smile on Keter’s mask-like expressionless face, and he also smiled satisfyingly.
He then remarked, “I am glad to see your satisfaction with the prize. Well, then, please make the scale horizontal. We will not settle for anything less.”
Keter instantly frowned.
I’ve rolled the dice! Keep pushing forward! Seong-Hwi thought.
The laughing of an old knight echoed inside his head.
“Kahaha! I’m proud of you, Sancho Panza!”
A faintly vanishing voice also echoed from somewhere in his deep consciousness, far deeper than his superficial consciousness, where figures Seong-Hwi had borrowed destinies from resided.
“You’re almost there, weak one. Step up to the reserved stage. I have prepared the greatest climax, so you had better return it with the greatest performance.”