Chapter 657
Above their heads, branches and leaves spread out endlessly like a sea.
It was not a forest formed by countless trees gathered together like the Primordial Forest.
A single tree had cast its branches and leaves so vast that it seemed as if it would cover the entire world.
Beneath the shade of that unbelievably gigantic tree, large and small trees had gathered to form a forest.
“Huh! Well, this is something!”
“Wow!”
Not only Jin Geumho, but even Seo Tae-ran, who rarely showed changes in expression, could not close her mouth in shock.
They had been amazed when they first saw the Primordial Forest, but it was nothing compared to the World Tree.
Their hearts pounded violently, and their hands and feet trembled so much that they could barely stand properly.
“Haha!”
In the end, Jin Geumho let out a hearty laugh and sat down on a nearby rock.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. I was just so shocked that my strength left me.”
Sitting on the rock, Jin Geumho quietly looked up at the World Tree.
Seo Tae-ran also calmed her racing heart as she gazed at the World Tree’s leaves rustling in the wind.
It was then.
“Lord Zeon, you’ve arrived.”
Latrisha and the High Elves approached the portal.
They had been nearby and saw Zeon appear.
Latrisha noticed Jin Geumho and Seo Tae-ran and looked slightly surprised. However, she soon greeted them calmly.
“We sincerely welcome your visit to our village, both of you.”
“Thank you for your hospitality, Lady Latrisha.”
“It is an honor to meet you.”
Jin Geumho and Seo Tae-ran greeted her politely.
No matter how absolute their authority was in Neo Seoul, they could not act that way toward Latrisha and the High Elves.
Then a familiar face suddenly entered their view.
“So you were here as well?”
“Have you been well?”
The one greeting them politely among the High Elves was Serian, the Queen of the Northern District.
Serian visited World Tree Village about once a week to discuss various matters.
After all, she was the one most capable of coordinating the interests of the Primordial Forest, World Tree Village, and all the elves and other races of the Northern District.
She faithfully fulfilled her role as a bridge, diligently traveling back and forth between World Tree Village and the Primordial Forest.
As a result, she had become incredibly busy, but her heart was fuller than ever.
Looking around, Jin Geumho said,
“How unfair! To think only you were freely coming and going from such a wonderful place.”
“Now you can come often as well, Mayor.”
“I don’t know how long I’ll live, but while I’m still alive, I’ll visit often.”
“What are you saying? From what I can see, you’ll easily live another hundred years.”
“I hope so too.”
Jin Geumho replied with a smile.
Zeon spoke to Latrisha.
“I’d like to have a quiet conversation with the Mayor. Would it be alright if we use this place for a while?”
“Of course. Lord Zeon is practically the owner of this forest.”
“What are you saying? The owners of this forest are all of you.”
“Hehe! That’s how we all think. In any case, if Lord Zeon wishes, you may bring others here whenever you like.”
“Thank you.”
After giving a slight bow in thanks, Zeon said to Jin Geumho,
“Please come with me.”
“Very well. Taeran.”
“Yes, Mayor.”
“You stay here and see if there’s anything the village needs.”
“I will.”
Seo Tae-ran replied with a smile.
Zeon headed beneath the World Tree with Jin Geumho.
On the way, they encountered many elves.
There were High Elves, and Dark Elves and ordinary elves were also seen frequently.
However, what stood out most were the young elves playing with clusters of light.
The multicolored lights freely flying through the air were spirits. Under the World Tree’s blessing, the spirits shared a deep connection with the elves.
“It seems spirits are common here.”
“Thanks to the World Tree, new spirits are constantly being born.”
“If one didn’t know better, it would seem like nothing more than a large tree. It’s remarkable that it possesses such authority.”
“Yes. I was very surprised at first as well.”
“Can humans make contracts with spirits too?”
“I’ve heard that if they possess the qualifications, they can.”
“I truly hope that happens. The more humans contract with spirits, the more it will prove that Earth is recovering.”
Jin Geumho reached out and brushed the grass that had grown up to his waist.
A smile naturally appeared at the smooth sensation on his fingertips.
Grasslands and trees stretched endlessly, as vast as the shade cast by the World Tree.
It was the scenery he had long desired.
Before the Great Cataclysm, it was not difficult to see such sights, but generations born after the Cataclysm had never seen such a landscape even once.
“I wish not only the elves, but all the people of Neo Seoul could see scenery like this.”
“One day, they will.”
“You’re certain?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll believe you. Now tell me. What is your concern?”
At Jin Geumho’s words, Zeon reached out and touched the base of the World Tree.
The warm energy of the new World Tree rooted in Earth flowed into him.
Thanks to that, the chaos in his mind settled considerably.
After taking a moment to steady himself, Zeon spoke.
“Do you remember the Great Cataclysm?”
“Of course I remember it clearly. How could I forget? There hasn’t been a single day when I didn’t remember that day.”
A fierce light burst from Jin Geumho’s eyes.
The veins on his forehead bulged, and his jaw muscles twitched as if he might explode at any moment.
He had lost his entire family during the Great Cataclysm.
Driven by vengeance, he had endured for over a hundred years.
Without that obsession, he could never have built the Neo Seoul of today.
“Then you naturally remember the dragon that turned Earth into that state?”
“How could I not? I saw with my own eyes the gigantic monster, over three kilometers from head to tail, circle the Earth and descend upon the summit of Everest.”
The colossal dragon that appeared one day by tearing open the skies above New York.
The appearance of a lifeform larger than several aircraft carriers—the largest means of transportation on Earth—combined, shocked all of humanity.
The United States tried to control the information, but it was useless.
A monster with a body three kilometers long was not something that could simply be hidden.
After reducing Manhattan to ruins, it soared into the sky.
As if displaying its majesty, it leisurely circled the Earth once.
The entire process was broadcast live worldwide through satellites.
As a result, Jin Geumho and everyone else clearly witnessed Krasias.
Jin Geumho had been overwhelmed by the majesty of that transcendent being that looked down on humanity as though they were ants.
Even when it attempted to terraform Earth, he had not dared think of resisting.
Not only Jin Geumho, but all of humanity could do nothing but helplessly watch Krasias’s actions.
Earth’s weapons did not work on it.
Countries fired every weapon they possessed at Krasias as it passed through their airspace, but it suffered no damage whatsoever.
Even nuclear missiles failed to inflict serious harm because of its barrier.
Instead, the countries that attacked it were destroyed by its Breath, and countless people were slaughtered.
After displaying its might to the entire world, it descended onto Everest and attempted to terraform the planet.
That was the last day of civilization.
That day, Earth met its destruction due to the backlash from the terraforming process.
Jin Geumho was a living witness who had seen every step of it.
That was why he could never forget.
He could not forgive the powerless version of himself who had wailed after losing his family during the Great Cataclysm.
Simply recalling the memories caused blood vessels to appear in Jin Geumho’s eyes.
Carefully, Zeon spoke.
“What would you do... if Krasias were to revive?”
“What do you mean? It should have been completely annihilated by the backlash of the terraforming.”
“It’s only a hypothesis.”
“I know you. You’re not the type to worry in advance about things that won’t happen. You don’t move without certainty, and you especially wouldn’t say something like this. Why bring it up?”
At Jin Geumho’s words, Zeon hesitated briefly before speaking.
“Krasias was not completely annihilated.”
“What do you mean? It definitely disappeared...”
“Just before its destruction, it divided its thoughts into countless crystals and stored them inside. Then it scattered them across the entire Earth.”
“You’re saying it implanted remnants of its consciousness into crystals?”
“Yes.”
“But why?”
“If someone absorbs a crystal, they gain a portion of its power.”
“A portion?”
“A portion compared to its true authority. In reality, it’s an overwhelming power. Powerful enough to let a lifeform evolve beyond its limits.”
“Just by absorbing a crystal containing residual thoughts?”
“Yes. Even dragons are among them.”
At Zeon’s words, Jin Geumho’s eyes shook as if an earthquake had struck.
No one understood the power of dragons better than he did.
Even after death, their mere presence was so overwhelming that even S-rank monsters dared not approach Neo Seoul.
To think there existed a power capable of evolving even dragons was difficult to believe.
After organizing his thoughts for a moment, Jin Geumho voiced his doubt.
“Very well. Let’s say such crystals with that kind of authority exist. But why do you think Krasias might revive?”
“Those who absorb Krasias’s residual thoughts can absorb the crystals possessed by others. By doing so, their power increases greatly. Furthermore, those who possess crystals can sense one another’s existence. That isn’t natural.”
“Do you think that was part of its design?”
“Yes. It is not an ordinary monster. It is not even a dragon as we know them. It merely has the form of a dragon. It is a godlike being that transcends dragons. Would such a creature truly accept destruction so easily? A being that destroyed even its own world for the sake of its greed...”
“Wait! Destroyed its own world? What do you mean?”
Caught completely off guard, Jin Geumho asked urgently.
“The destruction of Kurayan did not happen naturally.”
“Then you mean Krasias was involved?”
“Yes. What Krasias did triggered Kurayan’s destruction.”
“What was it? And how do you know this?”
“The World Tree told me.”
Zeon looked up at the World Tree.
The World Tree within the vision had revealed to him the truth hidden behind Kurayan’s destruction.
When he first learned the truth, Zeon had felt so overwhelmed that he could barely breathe.
It was difficult to believe that a world as vast as Earth could be destroyed by a single lifeform.
But in retrospect, Earth had nearly been destroyed because of it as well.
That was how powerful Krasias was.
Caressing the World Tree, Zeon continued.
“It is similar to the World Tree, yet different.”
“Explain in detail.”
“The World Tree coexists with the planet itself as one body. They support one another and benefit each other. Krasias, on the other hand, becomes one with a planet and feeds on its power.”
“Like a parasite?”
“Yes. It should have coexisted with its host like a parasite, but for some reason, one day it used too much power. As a result...”
“That triggered Kurayan’s destruction?”
“Yes.”
“Do the races that migrated from Kurayan know this?”
“They do not.”
As Zeon answered firmly, Jin Geumho tightly closed his eyes.
The truth was simply too immense for an ordinary human to bear.
“So the races of Kurayan sought salvation from the one who destroyed their world.”
“Yes.”
“And because of that, Earth nearly met the same fate.”
“Yes.”
“And now you’re saying it will revive again?”
“Yes. If its thought-fragments become completely gathered within a single lifeform, the chances are high. No, without a doubt, that is what will happen.”
“Haa...”
Unable to bear the weight of the truth, Jin Geumho clutched his chest and sighed.
Now he understood why Zeon had kept it secret all this time.
There was no one in this world besides Zeon and himself who could bear such a truth.
The being that destroyed one world was trying to return.
The moment it revived, Earth would walk the same path of destruction as Kurayan.
It had to be stopped no matter what.
“We’ll have to activate Divine Judgement.”
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