Clopeh Sekka held up the collapsing body of Cale. His face was pale, almost bluish. Even while unconscious, dark red blood dripped from the corners of his lips. His fallen body was completely limp.
"What is this...?"
The Grand Elder, approaching stutteringly, shuddered as Clopeh lifted his head in response to his voice.
‘That look... what is that...?'
There was no expression on Clopeh's face, covered in Cale's blood. His white hair made the bloodstains even more visible. And his eyes were strange. Honestly, he looked like a madman. The wisdom gained over centuries from the Elder Elf transmitted a warning in the Grand Elder's mind. That guy was dangerous right now.
Smiling faintly, that guy spoke.
"We can't leave our Lord here, can we?"
His gaze went directly past the Grand Elder's shoulder, to the approaching Three-Star Dragon, Exion.
"..."
Exion looked at Cale without saying a word. Then his gaze shifted from the unconscious Cale to the World Tree. Still standing, filled with bright flowers of all colors. A brief flash of admiration crossed his cold face.
"Steward, prepare a room."
"Yes."
The steward nodded slightly to Clopeh as he spoke.
"I will guide you."
With the steward's help, Clopeh carried Cale on his back. His back quickly became soaked. Blood continued to flow endlessly from Cale's mouth. Seeing that, the steward hurried to take the lead. Clopeh followed, but stopped for a moment. He looked around. He felt completely the gazes directed towards him, or rather, towards Cale, and spoke.
"When our Lord awakens, you must bring him whatever he desires."
Exion, the Grand Elder, Erza, and the First Bishop. They all finally looked at Clopeh. Clopeh smiled without wiping off the dried bloodstains.
"Ignoring this wonderful scene would be the most foolish, don't you think?"
With those words, Clopeh began to walk. Then he murmured quietly.
"The Sacrifice of a Hero. It's not a Legend, it's just a tragedy."
The steward, seeing the strange ardor in Clopeh's eyes, involuntarily averted his gaze and hurried to walk. Those who watched the steward and Clopeh, with Cale's limp body, couldn't look away until they disappeared through the garden door.
"Wow."
It was the First Bishop who broke the silence. He wasn't sure if his exclamation was of amazement or lament, but soon he understood what he had to do.
"I will follow them!"
He hurried in the direction Clopeh had disappeared. However, his steps faltered. His legs had no strength.
‘Damn it.'
He forced his legs to move. He had probably been under overwhelming pressure since he entered the garden.
‘No, that's not all.'
He bit his lip. He finally began to regain some composure.
‘What did I see?'
He couldn't believe the scene he had witnessed just now. With slightly firmer steps, he looked around. The garden was still beautiful. Various flowers filled the space with their splendor.
"Haha!"
He couldn't help but laugh. It was incredible. The flowers he saw now were the same, but also not.
"They are reborn flowers."
The flowers were in full bloom. Beneath them, petals were piled up. All the garden flowers had fallen and bloomed again.
‘Damn it!’
His mouth dried up. The First Bishop, a Dragon Half-Blood, remembered the scene he had witnessed.
When the sound of water was heard from somewhere, all the garden and World Tree flowers began to look as if they were soaked.
‘That was the beginning.'
The pressure filling the space, cold, empty, and suffocating, began to fade away. It wasn't Exion's power that had caused the change. The earth still showed its warmth only from the ground. The air had changed because of the water.
Fresh, clean, sharp air quickly filled the garden.
‘And then...'
"Haha!"
What followed was astonishing. From where the World Tree stood, a suffocating pressure suddenly spread. It was empty and full at the same time. It seemed to stimulate the fear ingrained in the First Bishop's instinct. He felt as if he were going to die, or just felt overwhelming fear. Unintentionally, he cowered in fear. Although he knew that the pressure emanating from the World Tree was only a small fraction of its true power. However, that pressure soon disappeared.
‘It was absorbed.'
To be precise, a cool breeze headed towards the World Tree. And it enveloped the tree...
‘The water appeared.'
The water surged, surrounding the World Tree, and rose into the sky. The First Bishop looked up.
It was nighttime.
Yes, it was nighttime. But, for a moment, when the water rose into the sky and disappeared, even if only for an instant, he saw something else.
It wasn't night. It wasn't the sky. He saw something shining and multicolored, a fragment of something.
The First Bishop knew what it was.
‘The Source of the World.'
That entity had briefly manifested in this place. And a multicolored light descended upon the garden.
“And then...”
After that...
"Destruction. Rebirth."
Destruction and rebirth occurred. All the flowers fell. And they bloomed again. Moreover, the scent of flowers filled the garden with a warm welcome.
The impressive spectacle of destruction and rebirth of life had briefly unfolded before his eyes.
The First Bishop, inhaling the floral scent that filled the garden, thought:
‘The World Tree has regained consciousness. It's alive.'
And all of this -
All of this had been done by one person.
Cale Henituse was seen being carried on Clopeh Sekka's back. The First Bishop quickened his pace.
“Haha, haha-”
A strange laughter came from him. Although he thought this world was doomed, although he believed he must stop the Pope's destructive actions, and although he thought his life didn't have much time left...
"This is madness."
Strangely, at this moment he felt like he wanted to do something. Simply, he just wanted to have hope. A vague, unfounded certainty filled his heart, believing that something could change. Although he was aware that he was no longer young, he surprised himself with these youthful thoughts, but this time he felt it was real.
Because he had seen hope with his own eyes.
The Dragon Lord. Someone had truly appeared who could stop him and save this world.
‘This spectacle-’
He swallowed. He remembered the recording device in his pocket. Being a messenger seeking the Inquisitor and the Grand Elder, he hadn't moved without evidence. He had brought a recording device just in case he needed evidence. He decided he must show this video to the Pope. Perhaps then she could take a different path.
"We have arrived."
The First Bishop quickly approached Clopeh, who greeted him with a slight nod. He glanced at Cale's face. Even before passing out, Cale showed remarkable calmness. He was bleeding, but without any hesitation, as if he were sleeping peacefully. He felt a strange sense of familiarity.
‘He seemed familiar.’
Yes, he looked familiar and calm. And seeing how his knight supported him without saying a word, he understood that this had happened several times before.
"Bishop."
Then, the knight's voice resonated.
"Yes?"
The First Bishop, who had turned his gaze towards him, paused. Clopeh smiled faintly as he spoke kindly.
"Have you recorded the entire scene properly?"
"...! H-how did you know-"
The First Bishop was genuinely surprised. How had that man noticed his recording device? But, seeing Clopeh's calm gaze, he absentmindedly replied.
"Yes, yes. I've recorded everything."
"I see."
Clopeh nodded and continued speaking calmly.
"Could I ask you a favor?"
"Yes? Ah, yes, of course."
"While I attend to my lord, could you send that video to our group arriving tomorrow?"
"Group arriving tomorrow?" The First Bishop thought of the young Black Dragon and the black-haired swordsman.
"That won't be a problem."
"Yes. And please tell them 'send it to Black Castle.' They'll understand."
"Alright."
It wasn't a difficult job, so the First Bishop nodded willingly. Clopeh simply smiled.
After Cale's group had left, Exion directed his gaze towards the World Tree.
"It has revived."
He turned his back on the World Tree and began to walk towards the exit.
"World Tree!"
The Grand Elder was heard rushing towards the World Tree, while Inquisitor Erza fell to her knees, her legs weak. As Exion passed by Erza, he locked eyes with her.
"Mi-lord!"
Exion spoke to her calmly as she still hadn't regained her composure.
"Now that the World Tree has awakened, I am concerned about how we will deceive the Inquisitors. It's a relief they didn't see this scene."
"What?"
While she remained in shock, Exion let out an indifferent remark.
"World Tree."
He spoke to the tree behind him.
"The moment your prison was broken, the Dragon Lord must have realized."
Erza's eyes widened. As fear reflected in her eyes, Exion ignored her and continued walking.
"The Dragon Lord will return soon."
His footsteps echoed on the ground as he lifted his head. The multicolored sky that only covered the garden disappeared, and the normal night returned.
"The answer is clear."
A faint smile appeared and disappeared on Exion's face.
-----------------------
Cale twisted his face.
"Where am I?"
As soon as he passed out, he woke up in a new space. This situation was similar to when he found himself in unfamiliar places upon fainting in the past.
‘It's been a while.'
It had been a long time since this had happened to him. Cale looked around.
"But there's not much to see."
The place was completely dark.
-Why do you say there's nothing to see?
At that moment, a full voice was heard, it was the Dominating Aura.
-There's something to see, isn't there?
Well, he was right. There was something to see. Cale began to walk. In a dark space where there was no distinction between up and down, left and right, Cale headed towards a single light.
A small, bright light. Golden and shining. When he reached the light, Cale spoke.
"It reminds me of the Eye of the Saint."
-That's correct. You consumed the power that was inside it.
The voice of the Dominating Aura sounded excited.
-Now, shouldn't you digest it?
Cale let out a slight laugh. He now understood why he had lost consciousness to digest this power. He reached out his hand towards the golden light.
Paaaat--
A bright light enveloped him, and soon Cale could see a new space appear as the darkness faded. And he stopped.
[¡Raising My Precious Absolute God!]
[Welcome to the New World!]
[Could you tell us your name as you set foot in this land for the first time?]
"What?"
[Tutorial Mission 1. Establish your name.]
Cale was genuinely surprised.
…Did I just enter a game world?
"What is this?"
[Do you want your name to be 'What is this'?]
Damn it.
Cale began to feel annoyed.
