Yggdrasil's defensive capabilities were formidable. Magic, by its very nature, gained strength in proportion to the time spent constructing it.
The barrier, created by pooling the wisdom of Yggdrasil before the World Tree went berserk, had been designed to account for every conceivable scenario.
The layered barrier was no simple thing.
Yggdrasil's barrier rejected all who touched it—but if an intruder possessed power exceeding the barrier's capacity, it would allow them through rather than be destroyed. And then it would continuously assault whoever entered.
As the administrator of Yggdrasil, Seren understood perfectly how the defensive formulas were operating at any given moment.
When Adler and the others had infiltrated, the interception formulas hadn't activated at all because they had slipped past the boundary via spatial displacement.
This enemy was different. The barrier had activated, and the interception formulas were working—yet the intruder was ignoring them entirely.
A true monster. Even with Yggdrasil's combat power almost fully restored, it was unclear how much they could do against this thing.
Along with the gathered warriors of Yggdrasil, she formed a battle formation in the plaza.
Why the god was walking around outside while the Treasure Hall was collapsing—she had no idea.
But as long as Yggdrasil's barrier was still functioning, as long as their combat power remained intact—they had to stop it.
Sensing the alien presence, the fully armed members of the Star's Holy Thunder gathered together.
Lapis, standing at the front, glared toward the source of the god's aura with a grim expression.
"Hmph… I don't know what's happened, but—that's the presence of the god's Phantom, isn't it? Parlor tricks won't do you any good."
"…Forcing its way through Yggdrasil's barrier like that—its power is absurd, it is."
Normally, when a barrier was in place, you would first attempt to dispel it. Of course, Yggdrasil's intricate barrier wasn't something that could be dealt with so easily, but this intruder hadn't even tried once.
What stood there was either overwhelming confidence—or rather, why was this god trying to invade Yggdrasil, of all places, with its powerful barrier intact?
Still, having the chance to stop the god was a stroke of luck. If it had resurrected and walked right through Yggdrasil, there would have been no stopping it.
Before long, ominous dark clouds had gathered in the sky.
As if to blow away the sense of foreboding, Seren raised her arm high and issued her command to the warriors of Yggdrasil.
"Formulas ready! We'll draw it in and fire!"
If they had time, and if they had the numbers, there were moves they could make. Yggdrasil had always anticipated the World Tree's rampage—and by extension, a battle against the god.
The warriors of Yggdrasil synchronized their breathing and began their incantations.
Coordinated attack magic—multiple mages combining their power in a formation they had trained in for ages. Each individual's power fell far short of a god's; they knew that better than anyone.
But if they pooled and unleashed their power together, it should be enough to reach even a god.
"We don't have to defeat it! We just have to weaken it! The Treasure Hall showed signs of collapse—if we act now, we can win!"
The god's full manifestation was supposed to be another hundred years away. The current god was not in a complete state.
And even if Seren and the others couldn't defeat it, the Mourning Specter and the Thousand Transformations were behind them.
This was a meaningful fight. Even if—they lost.
The god's presence was drawing closer and closer. Despite the obvious escalation of power, it showed no sign of being wary of them.
The Thousand Transformations hadn't arrived yet. Neither had the Mourning Specter.
But they were their trump cards. Before they got here, they needed to wear the enemy down as much as possible—to gauge its power.
And so, before the god's form came into view, Seren brought her arm down.
"Fire!"
What was unleashed was light magic. But the light magic used by the Spiritfolk was different from that wielded by human priests.
Light magic drawing on the forces of nature was faster than lightning, though its offensive power was relatively low given its difficulty to master.
But when that energy was layered and compounded by multiple Spiritfolk, it could obliterate everything in its path.
The field of vision went white—and in an instant, it was over.
Everything along the direct line of the attack had been erased. Grass, buildings, and even the road itself were gouged deeply into the earth.
The power exceeded even Seren's estimates, but no one said a word. Holding their breath, they stared at the place where the light had struck.
The presence hadn't faded. The Spiritfolk's instincts were sounding an alarm. A dark, impossibly vast presence that shook the soul—utterly malevolent.
Suddenly, a voice came from nowhere. A calm voice, hiding unfathomable power.
*'Cease your attack, children of the forest. It is pointless. With that level of power, my march cannot be halted.'* "…! Second volley, prepare—!!"
Before terror could spread, she issued another order. Listening to the warriors' incantations at her back, Seren frantically worked her mind.
That voice—there hadn't been the slightest trace of magic.
The eyes of the Spiritfolk could read the flow of mana. It was impossible for them to miss the activation of a spell.
Sending a voice across a distance could be substituted with magic, but… was this the power of a god?
"Fire—!!"
A few seconds of charge. In a flash, the field of vision went white once more.
Despite being the second volley, the magic carried even greater force than the first.
A strike born from the combined power of Yggdrasil's exceptional mages. In sheer destructive power, it was unquestionably among the finest in Yggdrasil's long history—anything hit directly would not leave so much as dust.
The light cleared. In the silence that followed, a voice like one speaking to a child was heard.
"…You haven't received my message? What a waste of effort."
Wrapped in glittering particles, it stood there with perfect composure.
A strange gray mask, crude clothing that gave a somehow savage impression. Rings mounted on gaunt limbs scraped against each other, producing small sounds.
Keller. The ancient god born from the World Tree's rampage.
At a glance, its form didn't look particularly powerful—but no one would be fooled by that appearance.
Weak was the last word anyone would use. Seren's eyes could see the sheer magnitude of the power Keller wielded.
Keller existed there now with absolute, unmistakable power.
The alien presence made it clear at a single glance that reconciliation was impossible. Even without meeting its gaze, her body trembled.
The glittering particles clinging to the space around Keller came from the interception formulas built into Yggdrasil's barrier. The power meant to corrode intruders—wasn't reaching.
Floating before Keller was a sphere of light. A mass of compressed, vast mana. But it hadn't been created by Keller.
That was—the strike Seren and the others had fired moments ago. The spell had been compressed into a sphere.
"What… in the world—"
The sphere of light glowed softly. But the destructive energy contained within it was very much intact.
She had never heard of stopping a spell in such a form. Even if one could erect a barrier strong enough to fully absorb that blast of light, it wouldn't produce a sight like this.
As always, Keller gave off not the faintest trace of magic. All Seren's eyes could perceive was the enormous stock of Mana Material housed within Keller's body.
Keller did not answer Seren's question.
Through the eye sockets of the mask, blazing eyes gleamed. It spoke in a suppressed voice.
"The heroes of this age seem quite dim-witted. But… well, no matter. It is—a curse, now. You said someone was turned to stone—"
A curse…!?
There was only one thing that could refer to.
The curse on Luke Saikol, which they were supposed to break today.
She didn't know what was happening. But if Keller's objective was Luke Saikol, then she absolutely had to protect him.
Luke's statue was still in Seren's residence.
Keller raised the tip of one index finger skyward. With just that gesture, the suspended sphere of light shot upward as if time had resumed.
It didn't seem to have been frozen in time after all. The true nature of that power—was unknown.
Keller's face, its gaze, turned without hesitation in a single direction. The direction where Seren's residence stood.
"There you are—"
"Stop it, Mires—!!"
"!?"
At least for now, Keller didn't seem to regard Seren and the others as enemies. If they stopped attacking and fled, it might not pursue.
But the Thousand Transformations had saved their lives. There was no way she could take that option.
If the statue was destroyed, even Seren couldn't restore it. And the fact that Keller was targeting Luke meant there was a possibility that Luke Saikol was Keller's natural enemy.
In response to Seren's call, Mires deformed the earth and produced a massive cage that enveloped Keller.
She didn't understand the true nature of its power. They were outclassed. But that was no reason not to fight. On the pride of the Spiritfolk— Trapped within the cage that had risen from the ground, Keller's eyes looked directly at Seren for the first time. Through the glowing pupils, a flicker of disturbance was visible.
"Obliterate it, Finis—!!"
"Everyone—do not let them touch Luke Saikol—!!"
Over Ruin's roar came Lapis's command.
The supposedly reinforced cage burst apart from within, shattering into pieces.
And thus began Yggdrasil's battle against its worst enemy in all of history.
§ § § Swirling mana. The strain of a powerful barrier.
Unknown magic fired from every direction, attacks by high-ranking spirits. Amid the relentless onslaught that raged like a storm, Keller couldn't entirely hide its bewilderment.
Now then—what to do about this.
Being attacked like this wasn't something it had anticipated. Keller had come here to fulfill its contract with the Thousand Transformations.
Only a few hours had passed since recovering its physical body, but the girl from the Thousand Ghost Parade had given it enough information to grasp the general situation.
The forest folk before it were supposed to be allies of the Thousand Transformations. Keller had come here to break the curse on Luke Saikol, who was the Thousand Transformations' ally—there was no reason it should be attacked.
Not destroying the barrier had backfired. Keller had only just recovered its physical form.
By decomposing and absorbing its own temple and the Phantoms under its command back into Mana Material, it had managed to manifest as a solid existence—but it was far from peak condition.
On top of that, Keller was expending power to protect itself from the barrier's ceaseless interception formulas.
In that state, facing this full-scale assault was, to put it mildly, tiresome.
The barrier surrounding this city used formulas Keller had never seen before. Even as Keller, it couldn't instantly analyze and dispel unfamiliar formulas on first sight.
But it could have destroyed it. It could have dug the entire city up from the outside.
The reason it hadn't was that the forest folk were allies of the Thousand Transformations—in the end, it was nothing but sentimentality.
To think that Keller, who had reigned as the god of war, was being cornered for such a trivial reason—had sleeping so long dulled its senses?
With its current power, Keller couldn't simultaneously defend against all attacks while digging up the city.
Each spell launched carried killing power enough to be a finishing blow.
Among the warriors attacking, there were a few who were still unskilled, but by pooling their power together, they had elevated their attacks into strikes that could kill even a god. Quite the ingenuity.
—Of course, that assumed the attacks actually hit.
Advancing step by step, Keller considered. Should it kill these forest folk, or should it wait for the Thousand Transformations to arrive?
Retreat had never crossed its mind. The disadvantages were mounting, but Keller still had margin to spare.
At this level of attack, Keller's "External Senses" would not be damaged.
The forest folk's attacks couldn't last forever. They were pushing their power to the limit. Their complexions had already visibly deteriorated.
If it just weathered this, Keller would win in the end.
But—.
Keller smiled beneath its mask.
"This is tedious… but interesting. If you haven't heard my message, that means you don't know my power. To still not break when facing the unknown—"
Keller was the god of war. In life, Keller had fought gods in the throes of battle, and had defeated them to become a god.
And even after being called a god, Keller had continued fighting until the final day of its annihilation.
Countless beings had challenged Keller with every means at their disposal. But creatures with this much tenacity when facing unknown power were rare.
Over time, Keller had begun revealing its abilities. To increase its followers by demonstrating the power of a god, and—in pursuit of a better fight.
Keller's power was a spontaneous mutation. It had been rare even in life. In the current age, no one would know of it.
"External Senses"
Once called a strange illness—a runaway of perception. A god's organ.
And there, Keller spotted the object it was looking for, and smiled.
"It's arrived."
The statue standing in the residence built within the distant great tree—Keller enveloped it in power, careful not to destroy it, and wrenched it free.
As the statue flew in at high speed, the warriors' hands faltered for an instant.
The statue struck the ground with tremendous force right before Keller's eyes, landing with pinpoint accuracy.
It was a statue of a handsome young man. Sharp, piercing eyes that seemed to glare, and a dynamism that made it look as though it might spring to life at any moment.
Keller had protected it thoroughly, so despite landing with enough force to gouge the earth, the statue hadn't received a single scratch.
"!?! What—what is this?!"
Using its power, Keller examined the statue. Indeed—it appeared to be a formerly human being petrified by a powerful curse.
Completely removing a curse that had thoroughly permeated a living being would be difficult for any creature in this world. But that was no problem.
"External Senses"
It was an invisible divine organ—serving as an arm, an eye, an ear—that moved freely and interfered with all manner of power.
It could see and hear things at a distance, receive magic, decompose and absorb the Treasure Hall into Mana Material, and—with precision, even excise only a curse.
Once the Thousand Transformations arrived, the misunderstanding would be cleared up. But waiting for that would be dreadfully boring.
Keller was the god of war. It did not dislike those who fought on with an unbroken will, regardless of whether they were friend or foe.
Placing a hand on the statue, it turned its gaze toward the woman leading the forest folk.
"I don't dislike a good fight, warriors. Once I break this curse, I'll play with you. Just try not to die too quickly."
"!?! Break the curse?! Why?!?!"
The woman's voice went shrill. So they truly hadn't been listening.
But there was no backing out of this fight now.
Clearly outmatched, but more than sufficient as a warm-up for invading the world. Its output would increase as it drew closer to death.
Thinking such things, Keller sent its power—its External Senses—into the statue.
And the moment it tried to remove the curse—the interference from the External Senses was violently repelled.
"!?"
Impossible. This petrification curse was certainly powerful. But it shouldn't have been beyond Keller's ability to handle.
No… that wasn't it. Intuitively, the resistance hadn't come from the curse. The resistance had come from—.
Keller extended its power toward the statue once more, gently. But this time, it couldn't even penetrate the statue—it was repelled again. There was no mistake.
Was this… the statue itself refusing to have the curse broken?
A pattern it had never encountered before. Keller furrowed its brow and this time listened to the statue's will.
A noisy, boisterous will—unthinkable for something that was stone—came flooding through the External Senses.
*'Don't you f*cking lay a hand on meeeee! I'LL cut this curse off myseeeelf!'* …What was this statue talking about?
"…Don't be ridiculous! Get back to normal—now!"
The statue's will was irrelevant. Breaking the curse was the condition of the contract with the Thousand Transformations.
Keller would break the curse, and in exchange, the Thousand Transformations would swear loyalty to Keller.
Loyalty had half-become meaningless to Keller by now, but the idea that a god would change its course of action because of a bit of resistance was absurd.
If it resisted, Keller would simply apply more force. It would rip the curse away by brute strength.
Just as Keller drove its power into the statue with full force, the stiffened leader of the forest folk screamed.
"!! I won't let you have your way! I will interfere with the curse-breaking! I'll cast further curses onto Luke Saikol!!"
"?!"