Chapter 124: Alien Troops from Earth (9) (1/2)
Episode 7: Tidal Wave of Monsters / Chapter 124: Alien Troops from Earth (9)
TL: emptycube / ED: Obelisk
Through washing blood with blood, they recovered the El Tribes’ sanctum.
However, every earthling who had arrived here had a dejected expression.
“What the hell… There’s nothing here.”
A black desert. The land had already died due to the monsters. This wasn’t what they risked their lives for.
However, the attitude of the El Tribes was different from the earthlings.
“Ah…”
They all showed expressions of having just woken up when they stepped into the sanctum. As if they had realized something important but were still dreaming, they walked in a daze towards a certain location. The earthlings mistook their dazed, slow movements at first.
“As expected… Is this place a dud? Look at them, they’ve completely lost it.”
Yet, the El Tribe members’ walking pace became gradually faster. They were all walking towards the same location. What seemed like a small commotion at first became a single stream, and then soon, a tidal wave.
The El Tribe members no longer walked. They all ran. The earthlings were taken aback.
“What? What’s happening?”
The El Tribe members gathered in a large, round circle at the location. To the earthlings, this place was a wilderness which looked no different from the other places, but the El Tribe members seemed to have felt something as they placed their lips on the ground and began to cry.
“… It seems we came to the right place.”
Diana said as she thoroughly wiped off the monster blood smeared on her sword.
“It seems so. What will they do now?”
Richard seemed slightly tense. He had recovered the sanctum after believing in the great elder’s ‘intuition’, however, it was still unclear just how this would help in the war. He crossed his arms as he looked at the great elders and great warriors from each tree discussing this.
Unable to hide their yearning and compassion, the great elders and great warriors were the first to arrive, but they were currently hesitant for some reason.
“… Wasn’t it set that we should only lift this restriction once we obtained Dragonic’s safety?”
“Great Elder of the Lassel Tree, didn’t we already discuss this?”
“But… Don’t you feel it too? This is an inheritance we cannot afford to lose.”
“I know. I’m scared and my heart is in pain, but we can’t forget that it was due to the earthlings that we were able to step forth into the sanctum.”
The most elderly great elders were more likely to be hesitant, while the younger great warriors urged for the fulfillment of their promise.
“We already rose up. There’s no place to retreat to anymore. This could be our first and last chance. We need to awaken the sanctum.”
“That’s…”
The El Tribe members instinctively hesitated but, in the end, accepted that this was the only way.
“Your words are right…”
The hesitant El Tribe members shut their eyes.
“We can’t fight if we are afraid of losing it.”
When they opened their eyes again, they looked more determined. They piled their hands together.
Someone began to sing a strange song.
“Don’t resent.”
Then all the other El Tribe members began to sing along as well.
“Even if you lose everything.”
“As it is the fate of those who live.”
“Don’t look back when you fight.”
“Since it will only result in, at best, you joining those who died first.”
“Or brightly opening the future, which was only but a string.”
“Don’t be afraid to lose everything.”
This song was originally sung to celebrate the El Tribes’ sacrificial rite, the harmony ritual. The ‘those who died first’ referred to the warriors who had died in the previous harmony rituals as well as those in the past who couldn’t enter the inverted trees during the extinction.
It was a very old song, but all the warriors of the El Tribes had killed their own in order to survive. They sympathized with the song more than anyone else.
They would fight when necessary. This was to respect those who died before them.
Piiing!
A bright light shone from their gathering of hands.
A change began to occur in the sanctum.
Rumble!
The ground shook as though there was an earthquake. Enormous trees rose from the ground, surrounding the earthlings and El Tribe members gathered there. They were the inverted trees of the El Tribes.
A tree with red leaves, a tree with green leaves, and all sorts of trees rose up from the ground. Among them, there were even a few the earthlings were familiar with.
“Huh? Isn’t that the tree that rose up near Overseer Camilla’s territory? Isn’t that the tree near Barhaloleun?”
Not only their branches and appearance, but even the shape and color of their leaves were distinct, making each tree identifiable.
“All the trees moved here! All the inverted trees in the world gathered in one place!”
A quick-witted person shouted in excitement.
It was as he said.
The ground shook crazily, and an endless number of trees rose up from afar, covering the horizon. As all the ‘inverted trees’ in the entire world gathered, the horizon was covered from all angles. The earthlings and El Tribe members were surrounded by an enormous fortress of trees.
Amongst the risen trees, the tribes, who had been unable to bring out their armies due to being located amidst the monsters, leaped out, their hearts being moved.
The El Tribes leaped out, and the trees rose up. Those that rose up spread their branches and roots further out. The trees tangled together and became one. More leaves grew out from each branch. The appearances of these inverted trees changed.
The earthlings fell into a trance at this great transformation.
“Those are… Dragons…”
Like the words someone had foolishly muttered, the curving branches and sprouting leaves looked like the appearance of a dragon from afar. The dragons tangled together and formed enormous trees, and these trees combined to form a gigantic fortress. The leaves shined like dragon scales above the fortress.
“Oh, my god…”
Richard had uncrossed his arms at some point. Looking left and right, his expression showed he couldn’t believe his eyes.
“This is… a fortress blessed by nature.”
Filled with wonder, the Queen of England Diana didn’t know what to do.
The fortress, created through the gathering of all the inverted trees in the world, encompassed enough land that tens of millions of people could enter within. A warrior from Seoul looked at the land and the surrounding trees and recalled Seoul, which was surrounded by mountains. This was much larger and grander than that.
Ddddrr… Drk!
The continuous noise died down. However, the El Tribe members had yet to untangle their clasped hands.
“…”