The More Beautiful a Thing Is, the More Terrifying What Lies Beneath Its Surface
After the monster vanished from the depths of the hunting grounds, in the real world, at so open space in Anzelona, a colossal tree, several hundred—nearly a thousand—ters tall, appeared out of thin air. Its trunk was entirely green, and its branches spread out into nearly a hundred different cities across Anzelona.
Above the branches, there were erald green petals—no one had ever seen such flowers before.
"......"
Everyone in Anzelona lifted their heads to gaze at the tree's branches and the green petals upon them.
A gentle breeze passed by, and green petals drifted down from the branches.
☆☆☆
"Damn it!"
Lina swung her blade downward—it was already the umpteenth flower spirit she had cut down, she'd lost count.
Crystalline Suti lay scattered all around, but she wasn't in the mood to pick any of them up.
That monster had disappeared; she most likely was no longer in the hunting grounds.
But the hunting grounds were sealed by the gods—how could she have broken through at will?!
Was there so loophole she'd exploited?
"That thing shifted itself using a thod we don't know. Probably, it slipped through a loophole in the Goddess of Order's rules."
"The seals of the hunting ground only apply to monsters and living beings in the hunting grounds. Maybe the Goddess of Order didn't categorize 'Spring' as a living being."
"Anzelona is in danger now."
Anlus said.
"We can't worry about that now—let's break out!"
Lina gripped her blade tightly, unleashing a surge of magic.
Hundreds of flower spirits around them were all slain by this strike.
But it was clear that she had consud a considerable amount of stamina as well.
"Let's just get out first!"
Lina called out.
"Boom!"
Just as they walked out from the depths, the ground shook once more.
That gigantic tree monster was approaching.
That 'big guy' just had to show up at this mont...
But this ti, Lina and the others had no option to retreat.
They had to defeat it here; they needed to hurry back.
"Boom!"
However, the 'big guy' only managed to take a few steps before crashing heavily to the ground right in front of them.
"Hello!"
Ephelia stood on its massive body, waving to everyone.
They saw a huge charred burn mark on the back of the tree monster.
Behind Ephelia, a dozen more such big fellows had all collapsed to the ground.
By herself, she had nearly exterminated those monsters.
"You all look so anxious, my dear friends."
"I searched for ages and couldn't find you, so I just tore this whole area apart,"
Ephelia said.
"Miss Ephelia! Do you rember the way back? There may be a monster that escaped the hunting grounds!"
Lina said anxiously, as if she had foreseen that nothing would happen to Ephelia.
"Ah, I told you I'm not a 'miss' anymore. The way back? I've more or less figured out the routes here. Follow ,"
Ephelia said.
Everyone followed behind Ephelia, running as fast as they could in one direction.
Along the way, they encountered many more monsters.
Ephelia pulled out dozens of flaming throwing knives from her spatial space and hurled them in all directions.
The entire Dreaming Forest resounded with thunderous explosions; a great number of monsters were cleared.
Fighting their way through, they finally reached the edge of the hunting grounds.
Without hesitation, Lina led everyone and activated the return Prism.
☆☆☆
They erged from the Dreaming Forest and imdiately stepped onto a teleportation array, returning to the city streets.
Mo Ying looked around the street—what did she see?
Blood.
It flowed along the street, scarlet and stinking.
The blood of countless corpses.
Above them, a giant tree reached into the clouds, its branches releasing green petals.
They were stunning, erald petals, srizing all who beheld them.
But the mont your gaze was caught, you would slice open your own belly and die right there on the street.
Perhaps thanks to the Prism she wore, Mo Ying was still unaffected.
Yet, she saw soone swallow a dagger, spit blood, and die on the spot.
These people seed utterly out of control, preoccupied only with sacrificing their lives to the tree.
The fallen bodies gradually ford a mountain of corpses, their blood flowing in rivers toward the tree's base.
The green petals drifting from the sky gradually turned red, as though stained by blood.
Gradually, the petals falling from the sky were no longer green, but red: more beautiful than any flower, exuding an intoxicating fragrance, inviting obsession.
Countless Hunters, knights, even soldiers of the military launched attacks on the tree.
But it was all in vain; none of them could approach its trunk—they all killed themselves on the ground, becoming one of the countless red petals falling from the sky.
A torrent of falling petals—a surreal spectacle.
The blood-red petals—so srizingly beautiful.
Mo Ying collapsed to the ground, unable to move.
Terror overwheld her reason; she couldn't react in any way.
At so point, Lina and the others had already departed—she was alone.
"Beep."
A sound ca from Mo Ying's bracelet.
She took a closer look—both of her bracelets' readouts had fallen to zero.
They had just been fully charged, and now were abruptly at zero.
Mo Ying saw those blood-red petals; her eyes lost all light.
She slowly raised her weapon and pressed it to her neck.
Don't.
Please, don't!
Even as her heart struggled and scread, it was all to no avail.
Her body simply would not obey.
Was she... really going to die here like this?
At the brink of Mo Ying's despair, she thought of her contract with Anlus.
At a ti like this, only Anlus's power could... there was no other way.
"Bang!"
Just as Mo Ying prepared to act, soone knocked the weapon from her hand.
It was a girl with short pink hair and pink eyes, dressed in crimson robes.
Shen Yiwei?
Mo Ying suddenly recalled, wasn't she a fellow schoolmate?
That face—identical to Shen Yiwei.
Then, Mo Ying noticed a silver cross engraved on the girl's clothing.
An Orderkeeper.
"Confirm Calamity Level."
After saving Mo Ying, she spoke to the Orderkeepers behind her.
"It's been determined that ordinary life in Yggdonia can't cope."
"Reporting the disaster level to Bishop Cornier, requesting action authorization."
"Bishop Cornier has classified this calamity as 'Nightmare'. Permission granted for intervention."
"Bishop Aisla, bishop Cornier requests you resolve this swiftly. The order of Anzelona is of critical importance—it is the world's greatest nation."
"I understand."
The one who saved Mo Ying was nad Aisla, yet she looked so much like Shen Yiwei.
And Mo Ying sensed the sa magic power on her.
She too was a Light-Dark Symbiote—Mo Ying was sure.
But after that, aisla didn't spare Mo Ying another glance, leading the Orderkeepers toward the colossal tree.
A dazzling bright daylight flashed on the horizon.
In about ten minutes, the massive tree beca ashes, drifting away on the wind.
A calamity was thus ended.
This was what an Orderkeeper was—the ssenger of the gods...
"Count the dead."
Did Aisla resolve the calamity so quickly? She stood by the ashes of the burned tree; Lina was at her side.
"According to the death recorders, this Nightmare-level calamity lasted precisely seventeen minutes and fifty-six seconds, and the death toll is 724,561."
Lina nearly lost her balance at the number.
"No need to bla yourself. This was beyond your capability,"
Aisla said with little emotion.
"To prevent plague or spread of infection, please dispose of the corpses promptly."
"Report to Bishop Cornier; the issue is resolved and the death toll can be transmitted as is."
"Preliminary assessnt, this was a calamity caused by the Dreaming Forest. Report to Cornier, and see if she wants to re-rank the Dreaming Forest's danger level."
"With everything perfectly resolved, let's return."
The Orderkeepers departed—fast and efficient as always.
Once the giant tree was gone, the strange springti in the city gradually faded.
Mo Ying lifted her head—the rain of petals was no longer falling.
"Don't cling to , my beloved. When the winter of decay passes, I shall beco the spring breeze gently caressing your cheek."
"Boncotte, my beloved, will you take where spring exists, to see the most beautiful flowers?"
"When I open my eyes, what I see is no longer endless cold, but your smile lting it away."
Mo Ying seed to hear voices—one speaking to another.
"Seven hundred twenty thousand dead..."
Mo Ying couldn't believe the number, but as she gazed at the mountain of corpses beside her, she had no choice but to accept it.
"Ugh."
Mo Ying retched—after that extre fear, only now could she take in the horror of those corpses.
"It's because of ..."
Mo Ying thought of a possibility.
That monster, after devouring Boncotte, had transford into its horrific form.
It was her—she had saved Boncotte at the ti.
If only she hadn't reached out to save him; if Boncotte had fallen to his death there, would these people... could they have...
"Just like forging contracts with fae in the Fairyland, everything you do in the hunting grounds affects much, but this matter isn't your fault," ca the tiny voice of her contract fairy, iyas, appearing at her side.
"Snap."
She snapped her fingers and brought Mo Ying back to the Dreaming Forest.
"Look ahead, Mo Ying."
iyas said.
"Up ahead?"
Mo Ying raised her head.
In the grass ahead, soone erged.
It was Boncotte.
"All the hunting grounds—except Fairyland and Doll Abyss—are under the effects of ti. Ti here is chaotic and disordered."
"I've let you enter the Dreaming Forest a second ti; you'll find that ti has reversed itself—Boncotte is alive."
"Hello, excuse , are you...?"
Boncotte approached after seeing Mo Ying; he appeared unable to see iyas.
He didn't recognize Mo Ying at all.
"The hunting grounds can 'reset'. No matter how many monsters are slain, after a while, they all revive."
"You're right—the monster has revived too."
"Boncotte has found his wife many tis, but every ti he finds her, a 'reset' takes place."
"He's been devoured by his wife countless tis, but it's never caused sothing like today."
"This was just a mutation in the hunting ground, unrelated to your actions."
"But... perhaps if you hadn't saved him, things really would've turned out differently."
"Who knows..."
iyas smiled ambiguously.
"Actually, I've been searching for my wife all this ti."
When Mo Ying said nothing, boncotte started speaking himself.
"I hope you can join ..."
As he spoke, Mo Ying pushed him aside.
Mo Ying fixed Boncotte with a haunted, terrified look.
If I hadn't saved this man back then—
Wouldn't all those people... have lived...?
(End of Volu One. This volu was rely an introduction to so of the characters and the worldbuilding. The main story begins next volu, and the protagonist will appear.)
(Treat these first 45 chapters as a 'zero' volu—the story proper starts with the next one.)
Volu Two: An Abandoned Girl, with Ti's Silhouette
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