“…If only everyone else but would just perish.”
A sigh filled with sincerity.
Responding to this, the illusion of the World Tree began to glow green.
Whoosh-!
A massive presence emanates from the World Tree, which clearly did not exist in reality, but was rely a projection of a lifeti of wishes.
The divinity of the World Tree envelops the surrounding area. And the environnt begins to change.
In the plains, unnad grasses began to grow and wildflowers began to bloom, while the trees of the nearby forest rapidly grew, stretching their branches threateningly in all directions.
At a glance, the thorns look as if they are pointing towards the sky.
This is not so minor divine power of humanity displayed by the One Who Devours the Twilight or Karen.
It was a real world-changing miracle caused by a god. Fragnts of that miracle have co to this place.
“Jonah! It’s dangerous!”
“Senior Ellie. I’ll leave this to you. I’m going to go take a look at the hostages.”
“This, this…this is…”
Ellie hurriedly reaches out like a person who had just co to her senses, as Lydia runs towards the bush where Lemon and Apple are.
And Karen looks up blankly at the World Tree as if sothing was broken.
Co to think of it, it’s too powerful to be the power of a dead god.
Actually, this was only natural. Why would the first appearance of a Floor Guardian in the Labyrinth have a guaranteed power drop.
A Floor Guardian is the will left by the God of that floor.
So, even if the respawned version of that twisted space and ti is unknown, the first observed Floor Guardian contains the lingering thoughts left behind by that God in their final monts.
In this case, it must have been the concern for the well-being of the elves until its very end.
In the case they were treated unjustly, or that there is an event that shakes the existence of the species, the World Tree resolved to lend its strength even in death for its children.
That is precisely the hidden setting of the summoning condition on the first floor.
“Ah, aah….”
To , what was rely a few lines of text about the World Tree’s heart has beco a reality, pressing on my body and soul.
It was overwhelmingly moving. I felt as if the real miracle might be happening right at this mont.
Of course, to Ellie’s eyes, it seed like my body had stiffened due to the sudden change and pressure.
“Snap out of it and co here! I don’t know what’s happening, but it must be the last struggle of One Who Devours the Twilight, so let’s forget the corpse and…”
“No. That’s not it, Ellie.”
I corrected her misunderstanding.
“This has nothing to do with One Who Devours the Twilight.”
“…What?”
“Ellie. Did you not know? This is a precursor to the summoning of a Floor Guardian.”
“Su-summon?”
“Yes. You just saw it. My prayer.”
Perhaps because the lingering feelings hadn’t faded, I had to contort my face to force a smile on and continued speaking.
“So please don’t tell to run away. Instead, watch over . Watch fight. See how the World Tree answers my prayers. …Of course, if it’s dangerous, Ellie will have to help !”
“……”
Despite grinning broadly after adding that, Ellie’s face didn’t seem to relax.
Ellie, still with a serious expression, nodded.
“Alright. I promise. Jonah, I will always be behind you. So go ahead and do everything you want to do, everything you can do.”
“Thank you, Ellie. You know I really like you a lot, right?”
Words tossed around dozens of tis a day, insignificant as they may seem. But could it be because of that small figure? Today, the sentintal Ellie paused with a blank expression, then soon nodded with a gentle smile.
“I know. And I’m even more grateful.”
A voice and atmosphere that seed genuinely relieved. It was only for a mont that I stood dazed, captivated by Ellie’s unusual response.
Before I knew it, the preparations were complete, and the divine power of the World Tree began to converge into a single point within its shade.
Crunch-
With the sound of sothing breaking and being crushed, the green light deepened. The light, now an egg-shaped sphere, developed a crack.
Crack.
Once cracked, the fissures expanded uncontrollably. In an instant, the surface of the sphere was covered with cracks, and a piece of the light mass fell off.
Shriiing-!
A piercing sound rings high. At this signal, the green egg shatters into pieces, revealing its contents to the world.
A stature about two ters tall. Abnormally thick and long limbs. And thorns densely covering the entire body.
Like a thorn bush carved into a human shape… No, a thorn bush that grew into a human form, staring intently this way with hollow eyes.
However, the focus seems oddly off, suggesting its body isn’t fully ford yet.
The first strike wins!
“Die…!”
The wrist-mounted crossbow that had been prepared earlier was fired.
Swoosh-!
Although it’s only able to shoot one bolt at a ti, the crossbow’s destructive power has been increased to an incomparable level. The fully tensioned bolt pierces through the air.
At that mont, the sharp arrowhead reaches the creature’s eye.
Whoosh!
Green flas blazed from the empty eye sockets, hot enough to lt the arrow.
“What kind of ….”
Dripping molten tal from one eye, it tilted its head and pulled out the part of the shaft that hadn’t yet caught fire.
As it tilted his head and examined it, he clenched his fist tightly. The arrow, which was expected to shatter, was absorbed into the body of the Floor Guardian.
And from his body, a new sharp thorn sprouted.
Though his entire body was covered in thorns, the most striking were those on his head.
Looking at the thorns, which were indistinguishable whether they were horns or a crown, I muttered without realizing.
“The King of Thorns….”
-…….
Did it perhaps like my expression? The flas replacing his eyes flared up fiercely for a mont.
The King of Thorns slowly extends its index finger to point at . In those burning eyes, there lies an endless hatred and rage.
Soone once said. That the eyes are the windows to the soul.
Though we had not exchanged a single word, I could tell what it was about to say.
‘Surpass and take the power.’
Is that so?
This is my revenge. My anger, my resentnt.
I forced myself to think of sothing out of place here, but the emotions I felt at that ti were not false.
My lifelong frustration wrapped in thorns, stood blocking my path.
“Alright. You want to fight one-on-one, right? What a coincidence. So do I.”
With a chuckle, I stepped forward. I don’t particularly enjoy these direct, one-on-one battles.
It’s also because such battles were completely opposite from the skills I possessed, which were optimized for ambush and stealth.
But now is not the ti to back down.
To gain power, it is necessary to inflict a certain level of damage on the Floor Guardian to secure contribution points…
But more importantly, the fact that the King of Thorns was born from my prayers is the most crucial reason.
It is a creation born to embody my trials and emotions. Therefore, I should at least confront him head-on.
…There’s also the slight calculation that soone else will help if it’s too dangerous.
“Let’s give it a try.”
My voice was a bit better than before, but still rougher than usual as I spoke and picked my dagger.
Before I knew it, the blade, now washed of blood and restored to its pristine whiteness, sparkled in the sunlight.
I tilted the blade slightly to reflect the light towards him.
Flash!
Although it had burning eyes, I guess its sensory organs are probably no different from a human’s, since the King of Thorns flinches montarily from the dazzle.
It then stomps on the naless wildflowers at its feet.
“Haste!”
By activating all the magical tools for even a short ti, the mana I had left is scant, with nearly half of it being sucked into the Boots.
And as if a price for the mana, a sensation of exhilaration fills my body from the feet upwards.
The flow of the world slows down. No, it’s my body and thoughts that are accelerating.
Paang!
The King of Thorns rapidly closes in. Due to the dazzle, he reacts half a beat late and swings his arm widely.
In an instant, thorns grow and his arm swells significantly. It’s too late to stop, and any attempt to bend or shift direction would still result in a direct hit.
That would turn into a thoroughly perforated ss of flesh.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
I forcefully tensed my thighs and leaped high.
Crack!
Perhaps due to the montum of my run, my view spun around. Seizing the mont, I threw a lasso pulled from the Subspace Ring.
Having done so several tis while capturing Iron Wolves, the lasso caught precisely around the neck of the King of Thorns.
Though humanoid, it wasn’t exactly human, so strangling him outright was impractical… but it was enough to get him in the air where concepts of up, down, left, and right vanished.
“Haah!”
My flying body halts, and I adjust my posture. Then, I pull towards the back of the creature’s head.
Careful not to get pricked by the thorns, yet close enough for my weapon to reach, I swing my dagger.
Slash!
I sliced off nearly half of the largest and most beautiful thorn on its head.
Flustered, it twists its body into a bizarre angle. Suddenly, his massive arm that was clearly facing forward was now swinging backwards.
“Kkeut!”
I managed to jump back in ti, landing on the ground, but…inevitably, the tip of my nose got slightly nicked by a thorn.
Still, I briefly congratulate myself on a successful dodge.
“Uh..uh…?”
Suddenly, my vision wavers.
Could it be that the thorn was poisoned? To think that even a slight scratch has such an effect. It was when I was just about to calmly pull out an antidote potion from my subspace.
Hwaaak!
The unicorn dagger, as if having a fit, spews out a burst of white light, and my shaky vision instantly returns to normal.
The bleeding at the tip of my nose was half-healed as a bonus.
“Oh.”
That reminds , the unicorn dagger is said to possess healing and purifying powers.
At this point, I briefly flicked through the abacus in my mind.
Of course, in terms of strength or stamina, I’m far more fragile compared to the King of Thorns. But I am faster. With Haste, I might even overwhelm him montarily.
Moreover, the poison contained in the dense thorns that hinder close combat can be treated with the unicorn dagger.
If, at the crucial mont, I squeeze out the remaining magical power to activate the Invisibility Cloak once more…
“Uh?”
Could it be, this might actually be feasible to attempt alone?
The Goddess of Love had it all figured out after all!
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