Chapter 265 – Shadow of the World Tree
Uu-uu—
Pale, ghostly figures began to gather one by one. Perhaps to welcome the dead from the battle into their ranks, gloomy spirits surrounded a certain place.
Krrr—
But they could come no closer, retreating slowly at Cerberus’s warning.
The guardian told the spirits: their comrades were not here.
With a blank face, Natasha picked up the wide-brimmed hat of a woman lying peacefully.
At the moment Bersen Clarke retreated, Dorta “Oarla, the Illusionist”, having spent all her energy, passed away with a peaceful expression.
“…Why.”
At Natasha’s murmur, Samuel opened his mouth with a heavy expression.
“I told you it was no use trying to heal her. She used all her life force as the cost of casting ‘Absolute Illusion.’”
“She asked to fall into hell together with Lindbergh in her final moment. Her will was too resolute to deny.”
“I cannot blame her for that.”
Natasha removed her robe and gently covered Oarla’s body. Then, she walked toward the spot where Arthur stood.
Scorched black earth came into view.
Arthur stood at the center, his back turned.
As Natasha approached him, a crack appeared on her expressionless face.
“…Damn it.”
She cursed, then bit her lip hard as she looked beyond Arthur’s back.
Dorta Punkin.
Her scorched body stood upright, as if she had fought to the very end, pointing her staff toward the sky.
With a twisted expression, Natasha grabbed Punkin’s staff.
A staff that refused to fall, as if held in place by sheer will.
“All the children survived. It’s thanks to you, Punkin.”
Did she understand those words?
The staff slipped from her hand and fell to the ground with a thud.
Then,
Psshh—
Punkin’s body turned to ash and began to scatter with the wind.
The deaths of two Dortas.
They had walked into a trap, and three of Demtor’s Stars had mobilized.
And yet, among the hundred or so witches, none had died.
It was thanks to the sacrifice of the Dortas.
Punkin and Oarla had taken full responsibility for a misjudged choice, giving their lives to atone.
“This must be the difference between mages and witches.”
Unlike Demtor, who acted on reason and pursued gain, witches acted on emotion.
They were drawn by attachment, and moved by it.
These feelings often led to grave mistakes in critical moments, increasing the chance of bad choices.
In the world of the novel How to Survive Among Villains, such a survival strategy didn’t belong.
Whether the Ordor Forest, Beneta, or the Black Rose, it was the same.
A desire to protect their own.
Because of their irrationality, they became prey for villains and disappeared.
With a hollow expression, Natasha asked,
“Is the war with Demtor over now?”
“It’s too early to say, but from now on, they won’t be able to attack so recklessly.”
Hunt had arrived, and Lindbergh had taken a fatal wound.
He had lost an arm and a leg, and there was a gaping hole in his stomach.
Even though Ella, an excellent healer, was by his side, his chances of survival were lower than of death.
“They also saw the voodoo dolls being neutralized.”
Hundreds of voodoo dolls, now lifeless, were being transported deep into the forest by the witches.
This was to prevent anyone from collecting them later.
Of course, with the Siren’s Hymn active, there was no longer any threat from the voodoo dolls.
The Stars themselves had witnessed that scene—surely, they realized things had completely gone awry. Van Dyke was likely one of the major weapons in this invasion, after all.
While Natasha collected what remained of Punkin, I approached the others.
“Are you alright?”
After the intense battle against Lindbergh the Gale, Lochter, Elton, and Fenry were leaning against rocks, exhausted.
“I’m tired.”
“Yes. I’d like to rest a bit.”
At Lochter’s words, Elton groaned and nodded.
I looked at Fenry.
I expected her to spring up, demand compensation for taking down Lindbergh for my sake.
But Fenry’s reaction was strange.
She sat absentmindedly, staring off to the side.
Following her gaze, I saw she was looking toward the direction of the hut village.
What is she watching?
I tried to grab her and ask, but then I hesitated, noticing something odd.
Two Dortas had died in this battle.
But the only ones who came to help were Natasha and Lily.
‘What about Elder Medeia and Cordy?’
Just as I thought of the two, the forest began to tremble.
Hundreds, thousands of leaves rustled violently despite the still air.
Amid that shaking, a familiar voice rang out.
[Th-the village is in danger! Hurry……!]
Cordy’s urgent cry.
Merged with the forest, she used the leaves to deliver her warning across the woods.
Only then did Natasha sigh sharply and rush to me.
“We have to get back to the village—fast!”
“What?”
“Damn it! I forgot about this!”
We had lost focus because of the Dortas’ deaths.
But the crisis wasn’t over.
Natasha urgently gestured and took off running into the forest.
Realizing something was wrong, we followed her.
When I caught up beside her, she spoke again.
“A strange man appeared on the other side of the forest. At first, I thought he was a lost human—but he wasn’t.”
She quickly explained the situation before she left the village.
“A madman broke through the Ghost Forest and entered the Witches’ Forest! His face is mangled, so I don’t know who he is. But he’s not normal!”
“Madman?”
The moment she described him, one name came to mind.
“…Lyon Martrein?”
But Arcane was supposed to have taken him away—why would he show up here? And a madman?
Still, figuring out Lyon’s and Arcane’s situation could wait—saving the village came first.
“The barrier protecting the village will break soon! Once it does, the village will be exposed. We have to hurry!”
“The barrier? You mean the one that hides the village’s existence?”
Only those granted permission could pass through it.
But Natasha was saying it would soon fall.
The reason was connected to the deaths of the two Dortas.
“The barrier is linked to the Dortas’ spiritual power.”
With the deaths of two Dortas, the barrier, once stable, had weakened.
If the barrier fell, not only would the village be endangered, but its location would be revealed.
And then—
‘The Millennium Tree will be exposed to the world.’
The very thing Demtor had been seeking—the existence and location of the Millennium Tree—would be laid bare.
The Millennium Tree was in danger.
‘Is resisting the novel’s flow really this difficult?’
Stop one disaster, and another explodes elsewhere. There’s not a single thing that flows smoothly, but I wasn’t going to give up.
I would protect the Witches’ Forest.
“Ku, kuhlk!”
“E-Elder!”
“I’m fine… I’m fine.”
“But—!”
Cordy shouted with a tearful expression.
Elder Medeia, her hands extended, coughed up blood.
She had already vomited blood several times.
The overwhelming fatigue and drained spiritual energy meant that continuing the spell could cost her life.
But Medeia couldn’t cancel the spell.
“Ggrrgh—!”
A beastly, choking sound was heard.
The madman, his whites of his eyes exposed, opened his mouth wide and tried to advance.
But—
Crack! Crrrack!
Hundreds of tree vines wrapped around his body, hindering his movement.
The entire forest was binding one man.
With each of Lyon’s movements, the spiritually-infused vines snapped, and the witches maintaining them coughed up blood and collapsed one by one.
Already, dozens of witches had lost consciousness right before our eyes.
“No…”
I wanted to check the witches’ conditions, but both the elder and Cordy were rooted in place to maintain the spell.
Even this binding spell had only barely succeeded.
The madman’s physical might was so overwhelming, it could only be described as catastrophic for the witches.
If the binding broke, another massacre would ensue.
‘The damage is already too great…’
Over thirty had died by the weapon he wielded.
The elder stared grimly at the madman’s weapon.
“What is that dagger…?”
It only brushed them.
But the witches let out horrifying screams, their skin rotted, and they died instantly.
A dagger infused with horrific corrupt energy.
‘Is he after the Millennium Tree?’
The madman wasn’t targeting the witches.
He moved relentlessly toward the village, attacking only those who got in his way.
We didn’t know his exact goal, but the deeper the dagger’s energy felt, the more I became convinced.
“Cordy, what about the other witches?”
“I just sent word. If we can hold out a little longer, they’ll come!”
“I hope nothing goes wrong…”
Natasha and Lily had gone out to help, but I was still uneasy. I couldn’t relax.
But there was no time to worry endlessly about those outside.
“Eeit!”
With the weakening spell bearing down on them, the burden fell entirely on the two.
Elder and Cordy bled from their mouths as they clung to the madman.
One step, two steps, three steps.
“Kugh!”
The madman slowly advanced.
The witches were dragged along.
The madman crossed the forest and reached the barrier in front of the village.
As he extended his hand toward the barrier—
Zzzzt!
A blinding light burst out, and the madman briefly flinched back. But that was it.
The elder grimaced with a groan.
That light was strong enough to knock even a 5-Star unconscious if caught off guard.
But he only staggered?
‘Don’t tell me… a 6-Star??’
Medeia thought of a 6-Star.
Being a madman, he couldn’t use his power properly.
But based on physical strength and aura alone, he could be believed to be a 6-Star.
Fortunately, even if he was a 6-Star monster, the barrier couldn’t be broken.
Whether he stabbed with the dagger or punched, the barrier glowed and kept pushing him back.
If they could just hold out like this, the other Dortas might arrive in time.
Just as hope began to flicker—
“Ah…!”
Cordy trembled as she looked up at the barrier.
Large ripples pulsed along the barrier’s surface, and then it collapsed like a waterfall.
The barrier that had protected the village for decades vanished in an instant.
Shocked by the result, the witches collapsed to their knees.
The barrier’s collapse meant one of the Dortas had died.
It was a devastating shock for the witches.
The same was true for the elder and Cordy—but they had something to protect.
“Everyone, get a grip!”
But it was already too late.
The moment the barrier vanished, the madman convulsed and charged forward.
The witches were dragged along, unable to overcome his monstrous strength.
The madman, dagger in hand, charged like a lunatic.
“S-Stop him!!!”
There stood the colossal tree, hidden from the world until now.
So tall it pierced the clouds—
The Millennium Tree revealed itself to the world, and between its massive roots—
Puhk!
The dagger of the decayed dead was stabbed in.