After Ten Millennia in Hell

It looked as if the sky was falling apart. Countless tree roots poured out from the crack in the sky that looked like shattered glass. The black rotten roots stretched toward the capital of Arnan as it squirmed violently. Their dynamic movements made them look more like tentacles rather than tree roots.

"This is..." Kim Si-Hun's eyes widened in shock.

Enormous energy swirled within the giant Rift in the sky that was about several kilometers wide. The ferociously storming energy wiped out everything in its area.

"H-hyung-nim!"

Si-Hun quickly called Oh Kang-Woo, who was staring in shock at the countless tree roots stretching toward the capital as he was supporting Elune.

Kang-Woo turned to Elune and asked, "Is that the World Tree?"

It looked far too abnormal to call the World Tree; they looked more like the moving tree monsters that the party had seen when they had first come to Aernor.

Elune nodded in pallor. [Y-yes, b-but how did the World Tree come here...?]

Kang-Woo turned away from the panicking Elune.

'So that's the corrupted World Tree, huh?'

He had expected it to be an unfathomably colossal tree from its name and because it was known as the pillar of the Triad.

'But...'

He had never expected it to be able to move. The World Tree coming out of the Rift was more like a giant monster than a tree, and one that could easily engulf the entire capital, no less.

'Regardless...'

Kang-Woo's eyes lit up. This was a little out of his expectations, but it did not change what he needed to do.

"We just have to get in there and dispose of the black thorn corrupting the World Tree, right?"

[Y-yes, but—]

"That's all we need to know," Kang-Woo interjected and turned to his party members. "Let's go."

The party members nodded.

[I-I will accompany you! I won't be of much help in my current state, but... I will do my best to support you all even a little!] Elune shouted as she clenched her fists.

Kang-Woo lightly nodded and put his foot on the window frame. He looked down and scanned the surroundings.

Rumble—!

Crumble—!

The roots of the World Tree that reached the ground were rampaging throughout the city like starved beasts. Each root was hundreds of meters long, easily able to destroy buildings with a single swing.

"Kyaaaaaahhh!"

"Wh-what the hell?!"

"H-help me!"

The people swept by the giant roots screamed. They were massacred all too easily by the undefiable disaster. Flames and smoke instantly filled the entire capital.

"Holy fuck..." Kang-Woo frowned aggressively.

He bit his lip as he looked down at the people being slaughtered by the roots of the corrupted World Tree. Fury ran down his back and throughout his body. Of course, he was not angry that people were dying.

'My precious farm!'

The population of the capital of Arnan was as large as the population of several cities combined, and the majority of the people in it were devotees of the Church of Splendor. His Divinity collection plant that he had raised with his heart and soul even while doing all sorts of cringe shit was being destroyed by mere tree roots.

"Those fucking I am Groot bastards..."

The back of his head hurt. He would burn down the World Tree if it were up to him, but he suppressed the desire and jumped out of the window.

"Let's clean up those goddamn roots first!" Kang-Woo shouted to his party members following after him.

He glared with fury at the World Tre roots destroying the capital. He clenched his fists and pledged.

'I'll protect them.'

His precious Divinity farm— no, his precious devotees of Splendor!

Whoooom!

Radiant splendor poured out from Kang-Woo, possibly having reacted to his heroic spirit.

Tap!

He jumped into the air and pulled his right arm back.

'Axes are the best to cut down trees.'

Grrrk.

Slushy went into the Key of the Demonic Sea, which turned into a giant ax. Kang-Woo twisted in midair and swung down his right arm.

Crack—!!

The golden ray of light split the world into two. The World Tree roots destroying the capital split in half with one attack. The energy did not lose its momentum after cutting the roots, charging forward as it destroyed buildings in its path.

"A-Aaaahh!"

"O Light!!"

"The God of Splendor has manifested!!"

The people being slaughtered by the black roots kneeled as they looked up at the light. They brought their hands together and burst into tears.

Boom!

"Gasp!"

A World Tree root fell toward the praying devotees. They tried to get away in shock, but it was far too late to dodge the root.

Clatter!

Red chains spread out like a net and deflected the root.

"For fuck's sake! Stop fucking around and run, you lunatics!" yelled Cha Yeon-Joo at the people who suddenly got on their knees to pray instead of running away.

"Wh-what? Fucking around?"

"Are you doubting the light?!"

"Prayer is the one true path to salvation!"

The devotees filling the streets got angry at Yeon-Joo instead of thanking her.

"These sons of bitches..." Yeon-Joo stared in exasperation at the devotees who went back to praying.

The problem was that there were more than just a few of them. Si-Hun and the other party members were unable to leave the area because they were protecting the praying devotees.

"Hey! Do something about these people!" Yeon-Joo shouted as she looked up.

Kang-Woo, who wiped out the roots of the World Tree with one attack, slowly raised his arms as he saw what was going on.

[Devotees of light.] The words of a god echoed directly within the heads of everyone in the capital. [Prayer with just one's thoughts will not lead to salvation. One must first act toward reaching salvation of their own accord.]

"Aaaahh..."

[Save those in danger and evacuate the city. That is the true path toward the light.]

"I believe!"

"Take the injured and evacuate the city!"

The devotees who got angry at Yeon-Joo changed completely and got moving after hearing Kang-Woo's words.

"Wha..." Yeon-Joo feigned laughter as she stared at Kang-Woo enveloped in radiant splendor commanding the devotees/

'Has he taken a liking to that shit now?'

If that was not the case, how could he say such cringe lines so naturally?

Wham—!

"Kyah!" Yeon-Joo screamed.

A giant tree root attacked her and cut off her thoughts.

"Hup!" Si-Hun stood between Yeon-Joo and the tree root and swung his sword.

Slash!

He had lost the holy sword during the war, but swords were no longer of importance to him after mastering Formless Sword. A sword made of blue condensed sword energy split the tree root in half.

"Be careful," Si-Hun remarked.

"Y-Yeah. Thanks." Yeon-Joo nodded in embarrassment.

Si-Hun went past her and ran to where Kang-Woo was.

"Hyung-nim! There will be no end to them at this rate!"

Kang-Woo nodded. As Si-Hun had said, the roots were continuously pouring out of the Rift in the sky.

'I have to find that black thorn or whatever it was.'

If he did not, they would be stuck in an endless and pointless battle of attrition.

'Authority of the Beholder.'

Kang-Woo closed his eyes and focused. If the black thorn was the cause of the World Tree's corruption, he would be able to find where it was by tracing the energy within the World Tree. He spread out his demonic energy and searched the World Tree's roots.

"Motherfucker," he cursed after examining the roots.

'The energies are entangled.'

Hundreds of energies were violently clashing against one another within the World Tree. Among them, there were energies fundamentally different from mana, sacred power, and demonic energy.

"..."

Kang-Woo frowned. He was reminded of something after searching the inside of the World Tree with the Authority of the Beholder.

'It's like I'm looking at Chaos.'

It was insanely disordered.

"This won't be easy."

Kang-Woo clicked his tongue. If someone had heard that, they would have stared at him dumbfoundedly as if asking him what the hell he was talking about. Not easy? The issue was well beyond that.

The inside of the World Tree at the moment was as disordered as a record-breaking tsunami sweeping across an entire city. It would be like trying to find something on the ground while fighting through the extreme current. However...

'It's nothing I can't handle.'

For Kang-Woo, who possessed inexplicably extraordinary levels of energy control, it was only moderately difficult.

Whoooom!

Kang-Woo located a path in the chaotic storm of energies within the World Tree. He sprinted along the path that would annihilate him with just a single misstep.

'Found it.'

Kang-Woo's eyes shone. He found something embedded in the World Tree, the cause of what was entangling the energies within it.

"This way!" he shouted as he ran to where the black thorn was.

His party members frantically ran after him.

"Hyung-nim! Where is the black thorn?!" Si-Hun asked as he looked around after catching up to Kang-Woo.

He could not see anything besides the root of the World Tree.

"It's not here," Kang-Woo answered calmly.

The party members expressed confusion.

"Th-then where is it?" Yeon-Joo asked.

"There." Kang-Woo pointed at the sky; more specifically, the several-kilometer Rift covering the night sky.

"Don't tell me..."

"Are you saying that... It's in there?" Si-Hun looked up at the Rift in shock.

Hundreds of thousands of World Tree roots were squirming within the Rift.

[A-Aaaahh.]

Elune collapsed to her knees on the spot. If the black thorn was within that area filled with horrendous chaos, it was practically impossible to approach it. They would be ripped into shreds the moment they entered the Rift.

[Y-you... cannot.] Elune shook her head in pallor.

Even if one of the gods of the Triad were here, it would be impossible for them to enter that Rift.

"It's alright," Kang-Woo remarked.

[... Pardon?] Elune looked at Kang-Woo as if she couldn't understand. She shouted hurriedly, [It's alright? Y-you're not planning on going in there, are you?!]

That would be nothing but suicide.

Kang-Woo smiled. "No."

It would be impossible even for him to jump into that Rift and come back alive.

[Then...]

"If we can't go in..."

Crack!

Kang-Woo grabbed one of the roots swung at him and smiled. If they weren't able to go into the Rift, there was only one other option.

"Hup!"

Kang-Woo took a deep breath in, widened his stance, and pulled the root with all his might.

Rumble—!

Thunderous sounds rang throughout the sky of the capital.

'If I can't go in... I'll just pull it out.'

[W-Wait—]

Crackle—!!!

Before Elune could stop Kang-Woo, the colossal tree that acted as the pillar supporting the Triad began to be pulled out by Kang-Woo.

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