Chapter 41
Yeah, I thought something seemed a bit off.
There was no way the World Tree's attacks would end with just thrashing with branches and roots.
Of course, that alone would be devastating for ordinary humans, but considering its immense power, it was woefully inadequate.
And sure enough, that wasn't the end of it.
Franz's gaze suddenly turned to a single flower that had bloomed.
A dark red flower of unparalleled ominousness.
In the center of that flower, where the stamen should be, was something in human form.
It was just that its entire body's blood vessels were visible, and its eyes, nose, and mouth were sealed, making it impossible to see it as human.
...This is maddening.
Franz felt a chill run down his spine.
The Demon King and demons at least had somewhat understandable appearances.
Even magical beasts, while a bit creepy, didn't feel particularly repulsive.
But this was just pure horror.
Sticky, unpleasant red liquid dripping, and an unidentified lump of flesh shaped like a human protruding from a flower—if this were a game, it would undoubtedly be slapped with a gore warning.
It was then that Franz sensed something was amiss.
Suddenly, he felt as if every hair on his body was standing on end.
Mana began to condense within the flower.
The amount being gathered was unimaginably enormous.
8th Circle? 9th Circle? No, perhaps even beyond that.
In contrast, the shield protecting them was only of the 5th Circle.
Of course, its effect had been dramatically enhanced through structural and textual modifications, and strengthened further by increasing mana output, but could it block that...?
Well, it was probably impossible.
Unless it grazed the shield miraculously, like a bullet deflecting off a helmet.
Naturally, such a miracle didn't occur.
The human-shaped thing at the center of the flower grotesquely opened its mouth wide, and the condensed mana shot out.
The fired mana drew a straight line, heading precisely towards Franz's group.
It was almost sniper-level accuracy; the aim seemed impeccable.
But that attack never reached Franz.
After all, Magicians weren't the type to rely on miracles.
Snap—.
As Franz snapped his fingers, the hemispherical shield broke into pieces.
Then, the broken pieces all moved at once, stacking up in layers along the path of the mana beam fired by the World Tree.
Soon, the first shield collided with the mana beam.
Crack—.
The shield shattered instantly, like glass hit by a bullet.
As expected, a single shield was far from enough.
But what if there were two layers, three layers, countless layers?
'It can be blocked.'
The mana beam, which had been piercing through shields with tremendous force, suddenly lost its power and disappeared.
Even though it was a 5th tier magic, it had destroyed a full two-thirds of the hundreds of layers, showing just how terrifyingly powerful it was.
Still, if there was one drawback, it was that unlike the first shot, it took time to recharge.
At this frequency, it seemed possible to block it sufficiently.
Having blocked the World Tree's attack, Franz shifted his gaze to Yustia.
'This is going to take a while.'
Yustia was praying earnestly, but given how massive the World Tree was, it seemed to have absorbed a considerable amount of demonic energy.
Increasing the output would shorten the time, but the strain on Yustia's body would be too great.
So, it was impossible to guarantee how many hours it might take.
But thinking about it the other way, it meant that as long as they could hold out for however many hours, things would work out somehow, so the situation couldn't be called entirely bad.
Of course, this was assuming the current situation remained unchanged.
However, it seemed our World Tree had no intention of going down without a fight.
"Franz, l-look at that...!"
Hera pointed at a branch of the World Tree, and Franz followed her finger with his gaze.
There was a flower bud.
A flower bud identical to the one that had fired the mana beam.
The moment he saw it, Franz instinctively knew something had gone wrong.
If that damned flower would wither after firing its beam as a one-time use, that would be one thing, but the one that had just fired was still alive and kicking.
In other words, the more flowers bloomed, the more beams they'd have to block.
But that was just the beginning.
Flower buds started forming one after another, and soon the World Tree was in full bloom.
Have you ever seen humans dangling from tree branches?
The World Tree had become indescribably horrifying.
It made one think this might be a living hell.
This would probably look beautiful if viewed from the Magic Tower.
Being far away, the details wouldn't be visible.
So this is what they meant by 'comedy from afar, tragedy up close.'
'Just in case...'
Franz took out the half-empty Elixir from his bag and set it on the ground.
It was what Yustia had left after drinking at the cult gathering.
"Yustia, drink this if you feel like you're dying."
Even as he said it, he felt a bit sorry.
Using her like a rechargeable battery, giving her Elixir and using her as a purification shuttle.
Still, he felt a bit less guilty this time since she had come along voluntarily.
It was then.
Mana could be felt gathering from all directions, signaling the start of the real battle.
"Hera, do you think you can handle the roots and branches?"
There were already dozens of bloomed flowers.
In this situation, he didn't want to worry about the roots and branches too.
He could do it if he had to, but it would require that much more effort.
"I'll do it even if it costs me my life."
"Don't go that far, just tell me when it seems impossible."
"...At times like this, at least trust me. Am I not your slave, after all?"
At Hera's words, Yustia's voice, reciting prayers, wavered.
Saying such a thing in this situation...?
No, perhaps it was because of this situation that she said it.
Franz was dumbfounded, but decided to let it slide.
Trying to understand incomprehensible things would only give him a headache.
"Alright, I'll trust you. Make sure you do it."
"Understood...!"
With Hera's faintly joyful reply, the battle began.
Beams rained down from the sky, and roots shot up from the ground.
Snap—.
As Franz snapped his fingers, a hemispherical shield formed.
It was to protect against the red liquid that might splash and melt their flesh.
Then Franz's eyes quickly surveyed the overall situation.
Total number of beams: 108, directions...
Franz grasped everything—the total number of beams, the direction each beam was fired, and even potential variables.
And immediately,
Snap—.
He snapped his fingers.
Simultaneously, magic circles were drawn in the path of all the mana beams.
It was magic that applied teleportation.
If blocking them all was too much, he could just send them right back.
Soon, the mana beams passed through the magic circles in their paths and shot out of other magic circles.
As a result, mana beams collided with mana beams, and
Kwaaaaang—!
With a tremendous roar, they simultaneously vanished.
He wanted to change the trajectory of the mana beams directly back to those ominous flowers, but that might deal a severe blow to the World Tree.
So, well, this was the best he could do.
Still, thinking it was easier than dealing with an intelligent Demon King, Franz snapped his fingers again.
He'd like to move more leisurely, but he couldn't miss this opportunity while the flowers were gathering mana.
Snap—.
With a crisp sound, magic circles were drawn in front of all 108 flowers.
Then, flames burst from the magic circles, and began to burn the flowers.
Kyaaaaargh—!
The human-shaped things at the center of the flowers writhed, screaming as if in pain.
Franz turned his eyes away from that grotesque sight.
It was truly nauseating.
It was then.
"S-stop it...!"
A deep and majestic voice, as if molded directly from a heartbeat, was heard.
Franz raised his head towards the source, and through a split in the central trunk of the World Tree, he could see someone's form.
Given the circumstances, that person must be...
"Gruwen!"
Sure enough, Hera, who had spotted him, shouted loudly.
So he was indeed the main culprit behind this incident.
The Elf who had cooperated with the cult and taken his own life in front of the World Tree.
"L-Lady Hera.... Please stop...! I, I will protect this forest...!"
"Look with your own eyes! Is this truly the action of one who wishes to protect?!"
"Then are you saying we should just endure it?! Even if Elves are kidnapped, even if the trees of the Great Forest are cut down?!"
"Th-that's..."
Hera couldn't easily respond to his words.
After all, the responsibility for such problems ultimately lay with the leader.
And since Hera was currently the leader of the Elves, she must be feeling guilty.
"As I thought, Lady Hera, you're also a hypocrite. A hypocrite who claims to want to protect but does nothing!"
"That's not it...! What I mean is...!"
"If you intend to stop me to the end, I won't stand idle either."
Gruwen, embedded in the gap between the trees, stretched his arms forward.
Then, pushing apart the sturdy tree trunks on both sides, he began to emerge.
Seeing him like this, Franz quietly prepared his magic.
To attack a magical girl, you strike when she's transforming, and to attack a boss, you strike during their entrance cutscene.
You'd be a fool not to.