Chapter 266: Twisted Ten Thousand Chariots

For the time being, the various intelligent races possess far too little understanding of the unique existence known as devils; consequently, many of their inherent properties remain shrouded in mystery.

The conventional wisdom regarding devils is that they are masters of human hearts, weavers of contracts, and opportunists who exploit the most subtle flaws and schemes to satisfy their desires through the greed of others.

Looking back at major historical upheavals—such as a kingdom suddenly descending into civil war or a loyal minister turning into a regicide overnight—one can often discern the faint, lingering shadow of a devil.

But... are we truly certain that those cataclysms devoid of such shadows were not also orchestrated by them?

Is it possible that devils guide the entirety of events, hiding within the shadows cast by the light, watching with a smirk as things spiral toward ruin and "amusement," mocking the incompetence of those who fail to perceive them?

Every devil is a singular entity. Wang Yu knew of the devil "One" residing within the soul of Shire Reid, and the devil "Seven," which he had beaten to death within the mental space created by the "Key."

Each possesses a unique power: "One" could glimpse the future, "Seven" wielded the hellfire that enslaved souls, and the power of the obscure devil known as "Five" is "Distortion."

Unlike the Void’s direct warping of physical reality, the power of "Five" goes a step further; not only can it borrow the power of the Void to distort matter, but it can also directly warp the cognition of those under its influence.

Perhaps in a moment unnoticed,

the perceptions and even the memories of those affected by "Five" have become entirely disconnected from their true selves.

The schemes of devils are always thus: plans that appear riddled with holes become unstoppable under the influence of their bizarre, incomprehensible abilities.

Just as with the Gate of Hell incident in Alastair, everything fell into place with such precision; despite the many flaws, the power of foresight simply erased those problems as if they had never existed.

And that dark prophecy "One" cast upon Alastair—

Had it not been for that chaotic fellow Wang Yu, who inexplicably shattered the Key and kicked the old monster Yale into the Void,

and had the prophecy truly allowed the target to obtain the secret treasure left behind by Roland, then perhaps that dark future would have been the true end of Alastair.

At this moment, the events unfolding in the Elven capital of Lyahaim, the Dwarven fortress of Ironforge, and the Forest of Origins are likewise the machinations of devils...

...

Outside the Dwarven fortress of Ironforge, in the camp where the elves who accompanied Gwen and Zig are stationed.

"Swish!"

An arrow shimmering with green light pierced the air, flying with lethal speed to bury itself deep into the chest of a crow passing overhead.

"Caw!"

The crow’s body was mercilessly transfixed by the shaft; it let out a harsh, discordant shriek before plummeting, its fragile life extinguished in an instant.

"A Magic Eye alchemy pendant, a voice-recording ring—who would be so extravagant, only to use a common crow with no stealth capabilities to steal information? What is the point? Isn't this just handing over these alchemical tools for free?"

The elven ranger who fired the arrow walked over to the fallen bird to inspect the items on its body. Without a doubt, these were excellent tools for espionage.

But paired with a crow devoid of any concealment abilities, it became meaningless; it was spotted immediately and shot down.

"The ones scouting us at a time like this must be those dwarves. A bunch of irritable, boorish short-stacks with no brains."

The elven ranger frowned, forming a conjecture about the origin of the bird.

Leaving the items untouched, the ranger grabbed the crow, tossed it out of the encampment, and walked back while muttering to himself.

"I hope this crow's corpse serves as a warning to those bearded dwarves."

"Thud!"

The "crow's" body landed on the grass outside the low wall. The black tint that had been forcibly cast over the elven ranger's eyes faded from the bird, revealing its true plumage—white. This was no crow; it was a peregrine falcon, a small magical beast used as an animal messenger.

And the two alchemical tools the ranger had seen were, in reality, a metal cylinder containing a letter and a resonance box for relaying messages...

The letter sent by Wang Yu and Avia to Zig and Gwen, detailing their suspicions regarding the link between the corruption in the Sorenson Mountains and the Tree of Life, had finally arrived at its destination today.

But the fate of this information, along with the messenger that carried it, was to fall into a corner known to no one...

...

The Forest of Origins, outskirts, near the side of the Sorenson Mountains.

"Click, click, click, click."

Several elven rangers used the secret language of nature to seek the aid of the forest's tree spirits, digging into the earth to observe the root network beneath.

"There is no issue. The roots of the Tree of Life have not extended this far. The idea that the Tree of Life has been siphoning life force toward the Sorenson Mountains all these years was impossible to begin with."

One of the elves glanced at the root network below and shook his head, offering his assessment of the investigation.

To him, the entire matter was absurd and unworthy of scrutiny. The facts proved it: the roots of the Tree of Life did not head toward the Sorenson Mountains at all.

The root network connected to the Tree of Life spread wantonly, but upon reaching the edge of the Forest of Origins, it ceased its outward expansion, instead bending downward to return into the forest.

It had always been this way; the roots of the Tree of Life did not grow haphazardly. Aside from the branch extending toward the Dwarven kingdom, no roots had ever exceeded the boundaries of the Forest of Origins.

"Yes, I think much the same. Let us report this to the Elder quickly. We still have many of those fake 'animated' roots to deal with later; there is no time to waste on such baseless speculation."

His companion agreed. None of the elves who came to investigate took that possibility seriously.

Under the influence of the rangers' natural incantations, the tree spirits waved their branches, filling the soil back into the pits they had dug.

What the elves could not know was that,

beneath the surface, the root network they deemed normal was writhing like living tentacles, sweeping away the soil that had just been cast over them.

More and more of these tentacle-like "false roots"—the very things the elves intended to clear—were tearing through the earth, spreading from the ground outside the Forest of Origins.

...

The Sorenson Mountains, inside the cave where Holo resided.

"Mr. Holo, have you already transmitted the information to the elves of Lyahaim?"

Avia asked, her expression thoughtful.

"Indeed. I am well aware that with my own strength, I could never stop the existence that Lord Wang Yu calls the 'World Eater.' Even if I were to sacrifice my life, it would be meaningless."

"Therefore, I had to find those capable of stopping it, and the only ones I could reach were the elves of Lyahaim. I trust that, having received the message, they have made their preparations."

Holo explained. He was clear-headed; he did not make blind, meaningless sacrifices for the sake of self-martyrdom. He had long since sent the message to the elves, warning them of everything occurring here.

"But... the elves seem completely unaware of this matter. Mr. Holo, in your current state, how exactly did you transmit the message?"

The girl furrowed her brows, looking at Holo, whose lower body had merged with the vines and the cave wall.

"How can that be? I have been sending messages for months. I used the power of a druid to animate certain plants, guiding them along the path where the roots of the Tree of Life extend. Elves, possessing the ability of the natural secret language, should be able to read the information contained within these plants."

Holo said in disbelief,

unable to comprehend why the elves had not received his messages. He had been working toward this for so long.

"Mr. Holo... please, create one of these animated plants before us. I have some thoughts."

The girl's expression was grave; she had realized something and needed Holo to assist her in verifying it.

Holo said nothing, merely nodding. He extended his still-functional right hand toward the ground. As natural magic surged, a crack opened in the earth, and a vine emerged.

The state of the vine slowly shifted under Holo's power; tiny limbs sprouted from it, swaying to grant it the ability to move.

Then, the tip of the vine detached from the whole, becoming an individual entity. A creature resembling a cucumber with small feet appeared before Holo and Sif.

"It is just like this. They should have carried the information to Lyahaim. Did the Elven race not discover them?"

Holo asked, looking at Sif, the only native of Lyahaim among Wang Yu's trio.

"No, I have never seen such a thing in Liaheim."

Sif shook her head; she truly had never laid eyes on this creature, which looked rather quaint.

"..."

Wang Yu and Avia remained silent, staring at the grey-yellow entity Holo had conjured—a mass of spindly, tangled limbs resembling a neural network. Hearing Sif’s response to Holo, their expressions turned grave. Sif had seen this thing before; she had even been parasitized by it, the creature once lodged deep within her throat.

In other words, what they saw was fundamentally different from what Holo and Sif perceived. The object Holo had created was the very same false root that had incited the forest riots in the Primordial Woods, yet to Holo and Sif, it appeared as something else entirely.

"Mr. Holo, this is what we see. What is it that you are looking at..."

Avia gathered her mana, projecting an image of the entity as she and Wang Yu perceived it, displaying it before Holo and Sif.

"This... is this not that thing? How can this be!"

Sif covered her mouth in astonishment; how could she fail to recognize the very thing that had once parasitized her?

"This... this should not be what I created..."

Holo muttered to himself, his voice laced with bewilderment and an unspeakable dread. Could it be that everything he had done until now was utterly meaningless?

"Hum."

The girl pondered for a moment, then snapped her fingers. Perfect Fractal activated, manifesting two mana lenses over Sif and Holo’s eyes.

The lenses analyzed all things through pure mana, transmitting data directly to the users—raw, unvarnished data, devoid of falsehoods, revealing the absolute truth to Holo and Sif.

As their distorted perceptions collided with reality, the illusions shattered and reformed, and the two finally beheld the twisted, writhing thing upon the ground.

"Devils..."

Wang Yu gritted his teeth, cursing those wretched beings who toyed with reality for their own amusement. He knew of only one kind of entity capable of distorting another’s perception so stealthily.

"Lord Wang Yu, I beg you, help me! Help me convey this information to the Elves of Liaheim! If this is the case, they may be completely unprepared, and if so—damn it, damn it all..."

Holo clutched his head in agony, realizing that all his previous efforts seemed to have been in vain.

"Mr. Wang Yu, Miss Avia."

Sif turned her gaze toward them as well. Not particularly old among the Elves, she was now flustered, left with no choice but to follow Holo in pinning her hopes on the two who could see through the devils' distortions.

"Let’s go. Return to Liaheim as quickly as possible. Holo, I implore you to suppress the awakening of the World Eater for as long as you can."

Wang Yu did not hesitate; he made his decision instantly. They had to act now—the Elves had to be warned!

"Boom!"

Yet, just as the girl prepared to activate the Phase Gate to teleport the three of them away, the ground shuddered violently. The entire Sorensen mountain range let out a thunderous roar, and a strange ripple—saturated with vitality yet reeking of decay and withered life—swept over them.

If Holo’s perception had already been distorted, could his belief that he had another week to delay the inevitable truly be trusted...?