Game of the World Tree
chapter-197

▪️RISE OF THE ELVES

The devastation caused by the aftermath of the forbidden spell was akin to a natural disaster, leaving players stunned and filled with wonder and excitement for the power they couldn’t possess in real life.

However, compared to the players’ excitement, Evé, who had initiated the attack, remained dissatisfied with her own strength.

“Although this clever method allows me to wield power at the demigod level, it still lacks the foundation of a demigod body. Although this method lessens the consumption rate, it also diminishes its potency as a side effect.. At best, this form can only be considered a pseudo-demigod level.”

“Being in this form should be enough against beings below demigod level, but if I were to encounter a true demigod, I’d likely have to rely on my demigod incarnation…”

Evé sighed within her heart.

At the very least, if the last strike had been executed in her demigod incarnation, then it would have completely blocked the Shadow Dragon’s attack, and not a trace of the forbidden spell’s aftermath would have spilled out.

Moreover, the redirected forbidden spell might have directly even killed the Shadow Dragon…

Of course, if that were to happen then, the players might not truly feel the full might of the forbidden spell.

However, even though Evé couldn’t exert her full strength in this form and still couldn’t confront a true demigod while using her Zero avatar, she was more than capable enough of dealing with entities below the demigod level.

The Shadow Dragon was indeed quite powerful, almost reaching the demigod level, but in the end, it was still just a peak legendary-class creature, and not a true bona-fide demigod.

Although it had transcended mortal life and had reached a far higher plane of existence, in the end it still hadn’t ascended into godhood which is the highest echelon…

In this situation, the Shadow Dragon really stood no chance of defeating Evé since she possesses demigod-level power and is immune to the effects of the Dragon’s legendary shadow domain.

In fact, even the enraged Shadow Dragon realized this fact.

The forbidden spell that exploded from its mouth caused the Dragon to inadvertently let out a mournful whimper. Large streams of black blood flowed down its ears, eyes, nostrils, and the corners of its mouth, creating an extremely miserable sight to behold.

As its black blood dripped onto the ground, it corroded into black patches and emitted a sizzling white smoke…

While it cannot be described as completely defeated with just one blow, the damage inflicted upon it is still quite severe enough.

The once furious Shadow Dragon suddenly calmed down in an instant.

Although it had already degraded into a mere shadow creature that lost its rational thinking, it does not mean that the other party has become a complete fool.

It quickly realized that the glowing ‘mosquito’ hovering right in front of it was very powerful, far beyond what its own capabilities could contend with…

Then, under everyone’s astonished gaze, the Shadow Dragon that had been hit by the forbidden spell actually twisted its massive body and turned around to quickly escape back into the dimensional spatial rift located behind it…

That was the unstable spatial passage it had once torn open using the summoning array!

On the opposite side lay the intersection of the Netherworld and the Endless Abyss—a realm known as the Darklands, where shadow monsters were born.

Seeing the Shadow Dragon fleeing pathetically without hesitation, all the players within the vicinity showed strange expressions upon their faces.

“…It’s running away?”

“Why does this scene looks so familiar…”

“You’re right, it’s just like a bigger version of Meryer…”

“…”

“Haha, as expected of a ‘mighty’ dragon…”

“Maan, these game bosses are becoming more and more embarrassing…”

Meanwhile, the Dwarven High Priestess opened her mouth wide, utterly stunned at what she’s seeing.

The mere fact that the Elven Godwarden was able to counter the Shadow Dragon’s attack had already greatly amazed her.

But the Shadow Dragon’s behavior just now was even more shocking…

An almost demigod level kind of existence, and one of the strongest beings in the Darklands, capable of annihilating an entire kingdom by itself…

—And at this moment, it had chosen to escape?

Aren’t Shadow Dragons supposed to be evil, tyrannical, bloodthirsty and insane?

T-This…

Once more, the High Priestess gazed at the Elven Godwarden, who was hovering in mid-air, and her expression gradually turned awe-stricken.

This could only mean one thing.

It’s not that the Shadow Dragon was weak and a coward, but the entity it faced was simply just too powerful!

To force an almost demigod-level existence into quickly retreating just by using a divine possession…what kind of being was controlling this Elven Godwarden?

W-Wait, could it be…!?

In an instant, a sudden thought popped into the Dwarven High Priestess mind…

“Could it be…that the Great Tree from the Elven Forest had been revived?”

However, as soon as this idea emerged from within her mind, the High Priestess quickly dismissed it.

“No, It can’t be…If that Great Being had truly been revived, then the gods in the heavens would have already taken action at this point. I heard that the Elves destroyed a tribe of Orcs, so if the Great Tree had really been revived, then the God of Winter and Hunting couldn’t possibly have remained idle…”

“Besides, how could that being possibly bring the elves in such a state? Um… it’s not that these elves recent behavior are bad, it’s just that…hmm, how should I put it…t-they are just different from the elves I used to know…and I always feel like something is missing.”

“Nevermind, after this, I’ll just find a chance to pray and ask Her Majesty about it. If we are going to deal with these elves for the long term, then I need to find out who is the existence behind them…”

The High Priestess made up her mind.

Evé was unaware that Death’s High Priestess had some suspicions about her identity. However, even if she had found out the truth, then Evé still didn’t care much about it.

Since according to their oath, Hela would surely help conceal her identity.

As long as Evé didn’t recklessly expose herself, then she could continue to hide under the guise of being Hela’s subordinate.

Anyways, her primary concern lay in the amount of divine power the Shadow Dragon before her could provide.

A Shadow Dragon like this with nearly a demigod strength contained a considerable amount of lifeforce and energy within it, which is far from a insignificant amount.

Thus Evé certainly wouldn’t let the other party escape easily just like that.

Zero once again extended her hand, controlling the divine phantasm behind her to grab the fleeing Shadow Dragon.

Then the phantasm behind her expanded once more, before transforming into a massive energy palm only a few hundred meters in size, grabbing the Shadow Dragon as if it were a mere little chick…

At that moment, the Shadow Dragon emitted a furious and fearful roar. However, due to the forbidden spell that had detonated within its mouth, the Dragon was still unable to vocalize properly, resulting in it letting out a subdued whimper instead.

Its enormous body struggled relentlessly yet it still couldn’t break free from the grip of the giant energy palm…

Dark-Dwarves: “….”

Players: “……”

Watching this surreal scene, they became numb to its ridiculousness…

At this moment, it was evident to everyone that this Shadow Dragon was no match at all for the Elven NPC named Zero.

It seemed like it was done for.

In a strange and aggrieved manner…

[Drain]

Evé controlled her avatar and activated this ability within her mind.

At the same time, she unleashed another beam of holy light, enveloping the entire body of the shadow dragon to conceal the utilization of her absorption ability.

The other people in Blackrock City only saw the golden light enveloping the Shadow Dragon, before it let out a mournful scream, gradually shrinking until it completely disappeared…

Was it…killed?

Silence fell on everyone watching at the city walls.

After relying on World Tree’s ability to “eat” the shadow dragon, Evé then looked at the shadow monsters that was still scattered on the ground, shivering under the combined effects of her holy light and her inherent godly pressure…

“A total of twenty thousand, huh…”

With just a glance, Evé could easily discern the exact number of Shadow creatures left.

Previously, she refrained from personally confronting these creatures to conserve her divine power and just let the players deal with them so that they could continuously provide her with lifeforce while also training them.

But now, With her enhanced mastery over divine powers and the the entire Shadow Legion clustered close together all at once, she found it more convenient to just eliminate them all at this moment without any concerns.

After all, they were merely a group of monsters with no religious affiliation, so even if she used the methods of a true god to clear the area, it wouldn’t attract resistance from other deities.

No more wasting time…

She decided to eliminate them directly and make a little profit for herself.

With this thought, Eve’s mind moved.

Suddenly, a brilliant light burst forth from the divine phantasm behind her, at it transforms into thousands of holy rays.

These rays then rained down like lasers, hitting all the Shadow Creatures within the vicinity.

As a result, the entire Deep-Rift Cavern became as bright as day!

Amidst sharp howls, the bodies of these Shadow creatures began emitting sizzling grayish smoke under such intense light…

Then, their bodies developed numerous cracks, and black smoke churned within, but it was instantly purified by the holy light…

After struggling for a moment, their bodies then eventually shattered, releasing radiant particles into the air, before finally completely dissipating and turning into dazzling “fireworks”…

For a while, the entire Deep-Rift Cavern was illuminated by the blossoming “fireworks,” continuously sparkling and disappearing.

This magnificent scene left everyone on the city walls utterly speechless…

Naturally, in areas beyond their sight, a hidden magic circle had already manifested beneath the holy light, consuming the residual life force, energy, and even the remnants of shadow gem left behind by the deceased Shadow creatures.

After a moment, the entire Deep-Rift Cavern fell completely silent once more…

It was a total mess around Blackrock City, but not a single Shadow creature could be seen anymore.

The Dark-Dwarves and the players were still in a daze, seemingly unable to recover from the shock…

After a while, Demacia, whose outside the city walls, slapped his thigh and wailed,

“Damn it! Those experience points! I haven’t killed enough yet!”

Then the Dark-Dwarves fell silent for a moment before each of them burst into loud cheers…

Blackrock City had finally been saved!

The High Priestess just like the rest of her kind was extremely excited. She looked up once again and search the skies for a certain individual, but soon found that the Godwarden named “Zero” had already disappeared without a trace.

“I thought I was close enough to Her Majesty and felt proud of being able to perform divine possession. But today… I finally know what a true divine possession is…what it means to borrow the power of a true god!”

The High Priestess’ expression was filled with excitement.

“Godwardens can achieve such feats…I’m afraid she’s a true saint! Perhaps one day, she too will become a true demigod…”

“With such a powerful individual presiding over them and the mysterious blessing of a true god, it seems that the elves…are about to rise up once again.”

Watching the elves outside the city search for something on the battlefield, the High Priestess of the Dwarves sighed wistfully.

Evé didn’t immediately dismiss her avatar.

She simply ended the state of borrowing divine power and descended into the ground.

This was the place where the Shadow Cultists drew their summoning array to call forth the Shadow Legion, but now it was already corrupted by the shadows, covered in a deep darkness and emitting a chilly and chaotic aura.

The presence of weaker creatures here could lead to their corruption, both in body and soul, causing them to transform into mindless Shadow creatures driven solely by their instinct to kill and devour…

Although the summoning array was damaged, there was still a black spatial rift present at the location of the summoning circle.

It was the dimensional space rift left behind by the Shadow Dragon after it tear through space.

Vaguely, sounds of howling Shadow creatures could be heard from the other side of the rift…

“To think they left behind a spatial rift connected to the Darklands…”

Evé was somewhat surprised.

However, she refrained from using her divine power again to destroy the spatial rift.

Instead, she chose to leave it intact.

“With this spatial rift left open, it’s likely that shadow monsters will keep coming out of it in the future. This is perfect! I can use this passage to create a permanent spawn point, ensuring that the players will have enough monsters to hunt here underground!”