"A sacrifice!"
Jenkins declared, and at that mont, the living statue stood up.
"Don't even think about it!"
The voice was completely devoid of emotion, yet it still resonated through the space.
"You won't succeed either!"
A white slash of sword energy shot toward the living statue. It didn't dodge, allowing the attack to carve a massive tear across the surface of its tal body.
"You fell for it! You attacked first!"
The statue cried out, and the flow of the black fluid around it suddenly accelerated.
"You've broken the rules, so now you must..."
On the table, the green light finally reached its peak intensity. As all the symbolic cards vanished, specks of erald light shot toward the black sky.
Because the living statue had declared the card ga wasn't over, the sacrifice of the cards was recognized as a complete ritual. That power reached beyond the world, and then, a celestial light descended, and three phantoms appeared at the card table.
They weren't physical bodies entering the Mysterious Realm, but rather projections that had arrived here. They were very familiar: the old elf, Sigrid Capet, and Professor Burns.
After appearing, the three didn't greet Jenkins. Instead, they raised their hands in unison and looked up at the sky. In an instant, under the pitch-black sky revealed by the rising ceiling, nine layers of different divine ritual arrays took shape and interlocked. Elven leaf runes, strange divine runes of the Overlord, and modern universal basic runes were woven together, piercing the sky of the Mysterious Realm like a golden tower.
The golden and green light instantly illuminated the land of the Card Kingdom. The black fluid and the monsters within it were forced to retreat behind the living statue, clearing a large area behind Jenkins.
The emblem of the [Uncrowned King], which had not yet faded, also rose into the sky, integrating with the complex, three-dinsional ritual array of nine runes. This was the full power of the [Uncrowned King]—an ability Jenkins still didn't fully comprehend—and it finally exhausted its power within the Mysterious Realm.
And as a reward, amidst the golden radiance, ten golden points of light arranged themselves in a vertical line within the ritual array. They glowed brightly and rged, and then a physical being was summoned forth by the extravagantly designed array.
The Young Flower Seller fell from the sky, clutching her little skirt, and Jenkins scrambled to catch her in his arms. The last ti they t, Jenkins had used his own power to purify her nature, transforming her from a Cursed Item into an Extraordinary one.
Her dress was no longer tattered, and her face was clean without a single smudge. Even her little basket looked brand new. She looked at Jenkins happily, then jumped out of his arms to stand with the three phantoms at the table.
"Sir, I'm here to help you!"
the Young Flower Seller announced excitedly.
"But you alone might not be enough..."
She might be powerful, but she was far from strong enough to face a Beast of Calamity.
"Don't worry, sir. Everyone has co to help you."
"That's right, Jenkins. They've all co."
The old elf gazed at the sky, looking up at the golden divine ritual array high above.
"After so many years of trying to open this door, I've finally succeeded."
Ever since arriving in the material world, the old elf had tried countless tis to return to his holand. But no matter what he did, he had never been able to open the gate that would take him back to the Evergreen Forest. This ti, however, he succeeded. Just as he said, he was bound to succeed this ti, because it wasn't for himself.
Even though he didn't consider himself a sentintal person, tears welled up in the old elf's eyes. A breeze had begun to blow, and for the first ti in a long while, he could sll the scent of his holand again.
"Jenkins, we received a revelation from the great one. We've been preparing for a long ti to co and help you."
Professor Burns said with a smile.
"After witnessing today's scene, I think I might have to start specializing in ancient elven culture."
"Who exactly has co to help ?"
Jenkins was still confused, thinking the Lord of the Prosperous Forest was coming in person.
"No, it's not Them."
Sigrid smiled gently at Jenkins. The lady, who also possessed the bloodline of the World Tree's priestesses and was his distant cousin, had guessed his thoughts.
"It's them."
"Who are they?"
"The people protected by the World Tree. Those who revere the World Tree from the bottom of their hearts. The ancient races that withdrew from the material world long ago. Jenkins, this is the most ancient of armies. Don't worry. You are a king, and your army has co."
The green aura of life and the golden power of the divine arts completely cleared the area behind Jenkins. With the little flower seller as the core of the ritual, the three phantoms called out to the sky in unison.
Golden light rained down like droplets, and the green aura of life surged, nearly bursting through the confines of the Mysterious Realm.
The golden and green lights fell together onto the cleared land behind Jenkins. Humanoid shapes began to form, and one by one, figures gradually materialized behind him.
Young elves with longbows on their backs bowed slightly, paying homage to the young royal descendant; an elven master sergeant in mithril chainmail, gripping a slender sword, lowered his head in respect; an elven sage holding a wooden staff, with a beard that nearly reached his knees, offered the highest reverence to the young World Tree; arcanists clad in long robes voiced their tribute from beneath their hoods; and then there were the knights mounted on pure white unicorns, the young elven ladies' faces flushing slightly, and though they maintained formation, they couldn't help but whisper among themselves about the young half-elf before them.
In the distance, a silver light accompanied by roars brought forth the dragons and other fantastic beasts that lived alongside the elves. The Overlord did not appear, but the army from the Prosperous Forest had arrived.
Figure after figure arrived from a distant world. At the end of the material world's eighteenth epoch, the ancient races had crossed space to help the young man favored by the Overlord and the World Tree.
This was the ancient army, a power that had not been seen since the exotic races left the material world. It wasn't just elves; the various peoples who lived in the Prosperous Forest and believed in nature all appeared within the gradually clarifying, massive army.
The Overlord did not manifest, but the light of divine arts shone upon them, protecting them from the corrosive pus of human-shaped evil. The ancient World Tree did not extend its branches into this fragile world, but the power of life and nature connected each of them through their faith, shielding them from the gaze of death's ssengers.
Across the table, the living statue had been swallowed by the black pus that surged behind it like a monstrous tidal wave. The Beast of Calamity was about to erge. The churning black fluid was temporarily held back by the boundary of the card table, but the legion of monsters gestating within it was already poised to charge.
On one side, a tide of black pus; on the other, a vast army bathed in holy light.
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