Chapter 476. The Crumbling Line of Defense (6) (2/2)

Cough, cough! Even as she coughed out blood, Seo Yuhui kept calling out a name, over and over again.

“Don’t you worry. We’ll get started right away.”

The Sky Fairy articulated every syllable.

“P-Please….”

Seo Yuhui’s eyelids trembled.

“Take… care of… him….”

Her eyes shut and her body went limp. She had lost all consciousness.

“I’m going to move her! You guys should….”

The Sky Fairy quickly commanded and lifted Seo Yuhui in her arms.

With that, Seo Yuhui became the third person to leave the battlefield after Philip Muller and Eun Yuri.

Under normal circumstances, their absence would have been a major setback.

But this time, no one was worried, because they knew a reinforcement strong enough to make up for the trio’s absence was about to arrive.

Soon, a small cheer erupted as the seed of the World Tree took root in the light-filled soil, germinated, and grew into a seedling tree all in the blink of an eye.

“You-You mustn’t touch the divinity in the soil, World Tree-nim.”

The Sky Fairy, who planted the seed, warned in surprise.

Although the surrounding area had thoroughly been cleansed, it was only a fraction of the entire imperial territory.

What Seo Yuhui did was, of course, remarkable, but strictly speaking, she simply reenacted a scene from the myth.

There was a possibility that once the World Tree absorbed all the divinity that was protecting the soil, it would start to wither again.

So they thought it would be safer to rely on a different method to mature the World Tree into the adult stage and let it take charge from there.

After the World Tree stopped absorbing the divinity in the soil, the Sky Fairy took five tuberous roots out of her pocket.

They were the Aphriso’s Sedges.

After the Tigol Fortress War, the Sky Fairies traveled to the Spirit Realm and asked the World Tree for its seed and Aphriso’s Sedges.

The World Tree willingly complied not only because it was its duty to prepare for the next life, but also because it feared the past would repeat itself.

Of course, once the World Tree’s avatar moved, Tigol Fortress would no longer benefit from its protection.

But that was the least of anybody’s concern. Both the Federation and humanity had staked everything on this war.

A moment later, the Sky Fairy, who finished planting all five roots, tilted her head farther and farther back until she couldn’t do so anymore.

A bright smile spread over the faces of those looking up.

*

“Euu, euuuugh!”

Exploding Patience was in a desperate position.

She had managed to hold out until now, but with every passing moment, she was becoming increasingly more disadvantaged.

It wasn’t blatantly obvious, only because she was withdrawing one step at a time rather than all at once.

But finally, Exploding Patience ran out of room to run.

‘What…!’

It couldn’t be helped.

It was hard enough just to deal with the Spirit Lords of Light and Darkness, but on top of that, she had a flock of Spirit Kings to take care of as well.

And if she wasn’t mistaken, Spirits had been buzzing around her for a while now.

This could mean only one thing: the enemy not only had broken through the front lines but had also defeated the Fifth Army.

That wasn’t all.

She felt multiple presences, all as powerful as the apostles of the Seven Sins, approaching her from the right.

‘What the hell is going on…!?’

She knew Vulgar Chastity and Unsightly Humility had perished.

But she didn’t even have the time to dwell on that. It was clear what would happen if she came under attack right now.

In the end, there was only one choice left for Exploding Patience.

“Damn it!”

Exploding Patience’s robe fluttered as her body emitted a bright light.

[KIAAAAAAAA!]

Finally revealing her true self, the Banshee Queen shrieked at the top of her lungs.

The sound waves carrying shocking amounts of energy filled the battlefield, bursting not only the Spirit Kings but also the palms of Light and Darkness….

[?]

…Or so she thought.

The palms of heaven and earth, which had been pushed back by the impact, once again began to rush toward Exploding Patience, giving off even greater energy than before.

Exploding Patience flinched.

‘But I released my divinity?’ she thought, confused.

So far, it was only in Tigol Fortress, which had been under the protection of the World Tree, that she failed to turn the tide of a battle even after releasing her divinity.

‘…Wait a minute.’

Come to think of it…. She could feel the Spirits around her getting stronger.

Exploding Patience turned her gaze nervously.

*

Around the same time, Teresa also sensed a change in the atmosphere.

She had been brandishing her longsword on a Horus when suddenly she felt all shackles fall from her.

Exuberant energy began to fill and revitalize her exhausted body.

Boom!

A loud noise resounded behind her.

As soon as Teresa turned around, her head tilted far back.

At the center of the pillar of light, she saw a giant ash tree standing so tall that it nearly touched the sky.

“Alright!”

Teresa tightened her grip around the hilt.

The fact that the World Tree was here now meant that two of the Army Commanders were dead, and all Nests were destroyed.

UWOOOOAAAAAAH!

She heard the cheers of the dwarves in the distance.

Following them, Fairies, Beastmen, Fallen Angels, Paradisians, and Earthlings all began to shout out one after another.

At last, the entire allied force roared in unison, rushing toward the enemy with a never-before-seen enthusiasm.

“Oh yeah!”

Teresa, too, shouted at the top of her lungs, waving her sword in the air.

On the contrary, a heavy silence descended on the Parasites.

Until now, they believed that the time was on their side, that the corrupted soil would weaken their enemies, and everything would work out in their favor over time.

But their hope was now ruined.

They knew too well what would happen from now on because they had already experienced it once during the Tigol Fortress War.

The deaths of the two Army Commanders served as a signal for the resurrection of the World Tree, which then marked the beginning of a change.

As a result, the Parasites’ line of defense was quickly falling apart.

No, in fact, it had already been destroyed, falling from right to left like a row of dominoes.

“Hey, Crybaby, how do you feel now?”

Gripping the Spear of Purity in his hand, Seol Jihu asked with a smirk.

“I—we have experienced what you’re feeling right now thousands of times before.”

The Parasite Queen remained silent.

She only stared at the wave of soldiers pouring across the battlefield.