Eat The World Tree

Banya clenched her teeth tightly.

-If you slip up, it could all be for nothing. I’m talking to you, Banya.

‘I know that.’

Their role was to reduce the number of trees and national trees within the hotel as much as possible. When Banya’s magical beasts reached near the battlefield, the plan was already complete.

They had half-destroyed the cradle’s system. They concentrated the movements of the holy knights and hunters towards the foundation. The moment they entered the cradle without bloodshed, it was practically over.

All that was left was to eliminate the bewildered national trees and trees. However, the resistance was fiercer than expected, despite the national trees grouping under the sage.

-Growl.

The marks on the foreheads of the two magical beasts on either side of Banya grew larger.

“What the hell is this?”

-Swish!

Moving like a wolf, it slowly tightened the noose around her. A small shadow was flying towards her.

“…Who are you guys?”

Banya spat out in frustration. The movements of Lee Shiheon and Maronnie had long been blocked by Abie.

The battle should have ended there. Without the magic of the Tree Spirit King and Maronnie, the inside of the hotel was no different from an empty husk.

‘But.’

Blood flowed from Banya’s mouth. The presence of just two beings vastly exceeded her expectations. The two unknown beings beside Lee Shiheon. In the first trial, they were nothing more than weaklings contributing less than the national trees.

-Flash!

Banya’s face contorted, and suddenly, a girl with outstretched legs flew towards her.

-Boom!

Banya threw herself to the side. The magical beast behind her burst from the girl’s kick. Barefoot, in a pure white dress, with red hair flowing, Aori glared at Banya.

“Found you.”

Drip-drip-

The girl looked down at her, lifting a foot soaked in bright red blood. With her hands at her waist, the girl who had handled the magical beasts with just her feet smiled sweetly.

-Whoosh.

Dark magic seemed to rise from her feet, evaporating the blood to reveal pure white feet.

Tiny, cute toes caught the eye. Those were the feet that had just pierced through a magical beast.

“Who the hell are you?”

Banya asked irritably. Aori blinked her round eyes several times and chuckled with a seductive voice.

“Do you need to know?”

“……”

“Hmm. Hmm. Hmm? Looking again… His Majesty might like this.”

Muttering in a cold voice, Aori looked at Banya’s body with lascivious eyes. Her torn clothes barely covered her nipples and private parts, and her brown skin was intriguing. The words written all over her body would be a turn-on for some.

Aori licked her lips.

Shivering, Banya went into a combat stance. Vines spread from her hands, displaying speed and destructive power fitting for a national tree.

-Whoosh!

However, Aori’s speed surpassed this. Suddenly, the girl vanished from sight and appeared behind Banya, wrapping her legs around Banya’s head and slamming her to the ground.

-Thud!

Banya’s consciousness wavered as her head hit the ground. The movement was invisible to her.

-Crunch.

Aori sat on Banya’s fallen body, squeezing her neck with her thighs. She dusted off her dirtied dolphin pants and looked down from above at the now conscious Banya.

The granddaughter of the Tree Spirit King.

If the world had turned in favor of the king, Aori would have been a princess. The overwhelming vitality from her direct lineage seemed to suppress Banya’s momentum.

“Help-”

Bang!

“Shut up if you don’t want to die.”

Aori pressed down on Banya’s face as she tried to use her power. The pain felt like her skull might shatter.

“If His Majesty likes you, who knows, you might even become a concubine.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I told you to shut up.”

Aori tightened her grip around Banya’s neck, her hands wedged between her thighs, silencing her by pressing on her vocal cords.

“There won’t be a second chance. You insignificant bitch.”

‘What?’

Was she calling her that? Her, a shaman?

“Ugh.”

Banya’s eyes turned bright yellow, capturing Aori’s image. At that moment, her prophetic power activated, and she saw a glimpse of Aori’s future, smirking.

“?”

Startled by the sudden sneer, Aori paused.

‘…Is she already excited at the thought of being dominated?’

Dismissing it as no big deal, she immediately put her ear to the radio. Wondering if Banya might attempt petrification, neck pressure was essential.

“Your Majesty, I won.”

Come quickly to have a taste. Just as she was about to say it was natural…

The body of Banya, which Aori was holding down, slowly began to melt.

“Huh?”

Sticky black lumps stuck to Aori’s lower body. Banya’s body had completely melted, leaving only a mud doll wedged between her thighs.

[What’s wrong?]

Hearing Lee Shiheon’s belated question, Aori’s eyes widened like the [ㅇ_ㅇ] emoticon.

“…I lost her.”

[Did you catch her?]

“I definitely caught her.”

[Then it’s fine. Good job.]

Could a shaman switch between their real body and a decoy? Aori, now quite downcast, hung her head.

“I thought it was time for His Majesty’s nourishment.”

[What’s this girl saying?]

Those who knew women well could tell. Aori smacked her lips in regret.

That woman was a masterpiece.

At the end of the promenade, midway up the mountain, civilians who had taken refuge sat, trembling in fear.

“Have some water.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Lee Hyang walked around, spreading smiles to the people nearby. Those who saw her handing out water let out a small, relieved chuckle.

No matter how tense the moment, seeing her bubbly nature made them smile.

-Buzz!

The Sage amplified her magic from the center. As the pure white magic spread, it teleported the seated civilians far away.

Having already notified each country, after the teleportation, personnel waiting at the airport would take the civilians back home. The magic had been cast several times already. Before long, beads of sweat dotted the sage’s forehead as she sat on a rock to rest from her fatigue.

“Are you managing okay?”

Lee Shiheon, who had somehow arrived, asked the Sage.

“It’ll be almost over in 10 minutes. I wonder if the others are doing well.”

“Wasn’t it you who knew best, Sage?”

“I’ve always said, even I don’t know everything.”

At the Sage’s exhausted laugh, Shiheon shook his head. His appearance was a mess to the eye.

Although no visible injuries were apparent, his torn, scorched clothes, missing pieces of flesh, and the blood stuck to him clearly showed how much he had bled.

Most of the people seated around turned their gaze towards Lee Shiheon. Many looked worried, but some were frightened by his appearance.

The people he had saved feared him. Some might even feel disillusioned. Shiheon calmly shook off those gazes, laughing playfully instead.

“Another bear day?”

“……”

The Sage’s face, ripening like a well-cooked apple, looked like one might want to take a bite.

“You really…!”

-Pow!

His back was struck, causing him to stagger. Shiheon, as if fleeing, shook his shoulders and descended the mountain. The Sage watched his retreating figure, unable to get angry and only puffing out her cheeks slightly.

‘…How is that a king?’

The direction Lee Shiheon was heading was towards the hotel’s entrance. It was clear where his final destination was without even spreading magic to find out.

The Sage turned her head to look at the civilians still coming up. The number of casualties was much lower than expected.

Even considering the national trees’ help, it was a miracle given there were no reinforcements from the church. The Sage unwittingly smiled, performed a dry wash of her face with both hands, and stood up again.

She once more raised her magic to envelop the surroundings.

The end of the brief skirmish was in sight.

At the hotel entrance, where the fiercest battle had taken place, Lee Shiheon arrived after all the civilians had evacuated.

Among the rubble of the hotel’s outer wall, there were students who had died. Several national heroes who had risked their lives to fulfill their duty were also visible.

Even among the seventeen recruited by Lee Shiheon, there was someone who had become a casualty. The traces of such a brutal fight were left like scars around the area.

Bodies with severed heads and limbs. Several buildings burning due to magic.

Black smog thickly covered the sky. Lee Shiheon, walking with muddy feet, stopped at a certain point.

-Thud!

The sound of attacks missing on both sides. Bao was doing better than expected.

“No more?”

“Ha.”

A look of boredom was slowly emerging on Maewha’s face as he chuckled.

“What’s this idiot saying?”

Bao raised both fists, her expression seeming to enjoy the fight, but there was no composure.

The King of Combat. Even if physical abilities could be enhanced, there was a limit to stamina—the only weakness of the power that could infinitely strengthen.

Bao’s eyes were blurry, likely from taking several hits to the chin, and her clenched fists occasionally lost their aim and shook.

Maewha’s body, which had taken similar hits, was still intact.

“If only I could have been freed…”

Suyeon, holding a sword, looked around. If there were no more civilians, she could use her power. Had she judged so? Not long after, her eyes met with Shiheon’s as he approached, and Suyeon’s face visibly stiffened.

“……”

Saku, standing far away, was already covered in wounds to the point where fighting was impossible. Her wide-open eyes were out of focus.

“Huh, huh…”

Confronting her sister, she breathed heavily. Even on the brink of death, her refusal to unleash her power was understood by all to be out of concern for the surroundings.

“Saku.”

“…Hi.”

“I think it’s okay now.”

With Suyeon’s permission, Saku, who had been staggering, gritted her teeth and stood up.

-Crunch.

A fierce look appeared in Saku’s eyes, who had been holding on. Her kind heart was now filled with anger.

“Do you think you can do something now that you’re using your power?”

The Confident Haku and Saku frowned.

-Thump.

Footsteps grew louder behind them.

They held out for a long time. To be precise, Maewha was toying with people. If he had decided to gather all his strength and push forward, he could have killed several people, but he saw people as entertainment.

[Chirp]

A small bird descended and perched on the shoulders of a man who looked like a corpse.

At that moment, the sound of an explosion followed.

-Boom!

A white ring formed, and an arrow entangled with dark magic exploded between Maewha and Bao.

A massive explosion followed, consuming most of the people there.

Beep-

Beyond the sound of the rupture, the magic was so strong that it caused tinnitus. Saku and Suyeon, who barely escaped the explosion, looked at Lee Shiheon in shock.

“…Shi, Shiheon-oppa?!”

“You…”

What on earth was he trying to do? They almost got swept up and died.

The powerful magic that made one’s nerves rise with a threat to life pressed down on the ground. Bao felt the heat from the explosion on her skin.

“Ah, that bastard really…”

She clicked her tongue in disgust. Even Haku and Maewha’s gazes eventually turned to that spot.

“Lee Shiheon?”

A grotesque smile spread across Maewha’s lips. Haku’s face stiffened.

“Why is he here? Abie definitely… Damn that night owl kid. They can’t even hold one person? Hey, Maewha.”

“Lee Shiheon…”

“His eyes have gone mad.”

Without responding, Lee Shiheon moved again. The woodpecker perched on his shoulder had a conversation with him before flying into the air.

Maewha’s eyes were fixed on Lee Shiheon.

-Crack!

As the woodpecker moved, the two men locked eyes.

“Lee Shiheon…!”

Maewha spoke his name again. His sharp eyes quickly scanned Shiheon’s body.

“…The disciple of Baekdo. That’s what I heard.”

A childlike smile spread across his face.

“Baekdo?”

Shiheon reacted to Maewha’s voice, which sounded quite juvenile for what he was saying.

Maewha moved. He started walking, gradually picking up speed, then ran towards Shiheon, who was at a distance. Bao tried to follow, but she couldn’t match the speed.

-Boom!

An arrow sprouted from Shiheon’s shoulder, aimed at Maewha’s forehead.

-Bang!

“…Kaha.”

Ignoring the arrow that flew towards his face, Maewha continued to run.

“Shiheon-oppa!? Run—”

Just before Maewha’s unscathed body could collide with his, Saku’s words were cut off. Her pupils trembled as if she had seen something astonishing.

“Ugh, urgh.”

Maewha’s body, which was running, staggered and fell to the ground.

-Boom!

The sensation of being crushed all over his body. Maewha, reminded of the first trial, laughed as he lifted his stiff body. His muscles creaked, sweat flowed, and his eyes bulged.

“Khuhuhu.”

Maewha looked at Lee Shiheon standing right in front of him.

Shiheon frowned at the eyes that filled with pleasure.

-Swish!

Suddenly, the sound of something flying through the air was heard. It came from very high in the sky, reminiscent of a thunderbolt. At the cold sensation, Maewha’s head tilted back slightly.

“…”

Far away. Hundreds of dark-red, grotesque spears were drawn densely in the dark sky.

The spears, sharpened to a blue edge, were forming a magic circle, pouring out ominous magic and taking the shape of long spears.

Almost simultaneously, meteors enveloped Maewha’s creaking body like a net.

“Stupid bastard.”

“…Kik.”

Maewha laughed.

The great bombardment, capable of swallowing a small town, enveloped him in an instant.