Chapter 587 - Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

Even with the power of immortality, fighting against a martial artist who has touched the essence is not something I'd prefer. Fortunately, the opponent is significantly stronger than us. It's only when there's a certain balance that a fight becomes plausible. Even Blanca cannot fully commit to the battle. "Shei has already lost her masculinity. She even had her arm torn off once. Just saying." It was as I was steadying myself and moving toward Blanca. In an instant, the distance between me and Blanca closed. A black glove shrouded my face. A hand, not too large, gripped my face tightly and pressed down with tremendous force. The pressure felt like it would snap my neck. "Ugh!" I didn't resist. I couldn't win anyway. Instead, I let myself fall while grabbing and pulling Blanca's arm. As the balance of power shifted momentarily, my body spun half a turn in midair. Rather than my head shattering, I fell onto my back. As soon as I hit the ground, I uncurled my body instantly. Shaking off Blanca's arm, I rolled backward and escaped. Blanca adjusted her glove and spoke. "Impressive." "Not at all." "Next time, I won't hold back." "A subtle hint that you weren't using your full power. It might be true, but it could seem a bit unsightly." "Oops. Sorry about that. I'll catch you without making it unsightly now." Blanca kicked off the ground. A black shadow flickered and leapt toward the branches of the World Tree. However. "You're a bit slow, aren't you?" Her movements across the branches of the tree were slower than usual. The tree holds the energy of both a demon and the World Tree itself. It’s saturated with the essence. On this land, or rather, on these branches, it's difficult to use Gon Qi Gong. A mere human's martial arts cannot easily penetrate the essence-filled core of the Origin Tree. Why would a martial artist learn Gon Qi Gong otherwise? Why would they waste their precious energy into the ground? If they don't anchor their legs in the ground using Gon Qi Gong like stakes, they'll slip due to their own tremendous strength and speed. So, one who has reached the essence like Blanca can't move as swiftly on these branches as I can. Unlike them, who can't properly use Gon Qi Gong, I can perform a similar technique due to my demonic nature. "Catch me if you can!" I dashed toward the edge of a branch. My appearance, as if I was about to jump, startled Blanca. "Where are you going? You'll fall if you go there!" "Don’t worry. A monkey might fall, but I won’t!" I ran along the near-cliff-like edge, where the branch curved downward precariously. It seemed like I'd slip any moment, but I moved as if it were level ground without falling. "Qi Gong? That can’t be…." Even Blanca, with her mastery, couldn't properly execute Gon Qi Gong here. Like a dog chasing chickens, Blanca realized the secret by looking at the green grass left in my footsteps. "You made small plants grow to hold your steps? Quite the skill." "It's nothing." "Oh, I'm genuinely impressed. Growing plants at your every step is a feat even Qi Gong practitioners find challenging. Qi Gong controls only one's own body, but you're using both it and magic together. Quite an extreme skill you've honed." Even though she's an enemy, I feel a sense of pride. Until now, no one's truly acknowledged the impressive skills I've shown. As I fled with a sense of pride, I heard Blanca's jeering voice. “-However, outstanding skills need to be extremely delicate. That’s their downside." Blanca lifted her leg skyward. The fabric of her suit stretched as her leg extended straight. Like the hour and minute hands striking six on a clock, her legs stretched to the furthest distance her body could allow. Sensing an ominous premonition, I turned to look back. "W-wait! No way!" "Bark." The moment her legs formed an astonishing straight line, Blanca fiercely stomped down with her lifted leg. If seismic waves could be seen, it would look like this scene. The massive shockwave originating from Blanca spread along the branches of the World Tree. The branch, which was as solid as the ground itself, undulated up and down vigorously. Small branches detached, and husks of grain scattered down. "Aaaargh!" "The tree is shaking!" The shock created by a martial artist who has reached the essence was immense. Even those accustomed to life atop the tree almost fell from the impact. And I, who was traversing the edge, was even more affected. The shaking branch knocked my feet away. I needed to land where I had grown the grass, but this subtle disturbance obstructed me. "This isn’t fair!" "Oops. You're more unfair." Screaming, I reached out my hand. Instead of having already missed my step, I grabbed onto the Origin Tree with my hand. A portion of the trembling branch transformed into vines. I quickly coiled and grabbed the vines, hanging on. Although hastily made, the vines, infused with the essence of the World Tree, were sturdy and durable enough. I was safe. As I dangled from the vines, breathing a sigh of relief, Blanca approached slowly in my view. Standing upside down with her feet against the branch. "What? How?" "Bark. I got inspiration." Blanca slightly raised her leg to show it. Claws protruded from inside the shoe and were anchored into the branch. "That's something a leopard would do!" "If you know how, I can do it too." "Damn, that's why geniuses!" "It makes me feel insignificant. Compared to your tricks, using claws is a child's play." Blanca walked over as if the world were flipped upside down, like a bat. Hanging from the vine, I could only watch as she reached the vine. "Goodbye, bark. The person who almost became my owner." "Nooo! Stop!" Ignoring my scream, Blanca crushed the vine with one hand. The vine snapped and plummeted to the distant ground…. "Eh?" But I didn't fall. The vine Blanca cut was different from the one I was hanging on. Blanca hadn't made a mistake. Blanca genuinely intended to make me fall and cut the vine she saw. However, it turned out to be a different vine. What deviated was Blanca's senses. A sparkling butterfly fluttered in front of Blanca's eyes. "...A butterfly?" Feeling uneasy, Blanca bristled and extended her sensory awareness. Only then did she perceive the heavy floral scent lingering at her nose. She noticed the branches stretching horizontally, vertically, and diagonally were unnaturally severed. She also realized the sound reaching her ears had subtly changed. Her senses were twisted. With her beastly instincts, Blanca swung her fist at the gap within the sensory void. A ripping, curtain-tearing sound echoed, and a witch in a hat appeared as if conjured from a mirage. "I believe I advised against drawing attention, didn’t I?" In truth, no one materialized there. No one was actually present. However, the scent crafted from burned petals, the subtle smoke, and sounds imperceptible to human ears manifested the illusion of a woman. It's rare for a spell to disturb the senses of a martial artist who has grasped essence. This was the work of Walpurgis, the Night Witch. By scattering catalysts imbued with magical energy into sight, hearing, and smell, she crafted illusions—the power of a witch of ecstasy and fantasy. Recognizing the nature of this illusion, Blanca commented. "So, the Night Witch herself has appeared. Could this man be that significant?" "This has nothing to do with him, Blanca. We assisted you, yet you ultimately failed to conquer Ende. You should be brooding over your failure, waiting for what's next. Why then, are you attacking him?" "Perhaps... because someone's bound to come and explain why I shouldn’t kill them?" She implied she attacked because it was too bothersome to ask? It's aggressive, but efficient. "It's not about who you kill, but about your authority. Do you know how much meat and fruit were consumed to sustain the Wolf King and his pack? We even assigned people to aid you. Yet, you failed spectacularly, losing even the Wolf King." "The ones who stopped us at Ende were these two. Without them, the path to the empire would've opened." "That's no excuse for your failure. Had you succeeded, you could have summoned him faster." The biting, cold remark froze Blanca in place. YW9peUx5cktZYXhyU2hzY1VsMkQ0WFY2TS9md1VwTG5aUjJDYjNOWXlwYys1Q3Q2QmRMRUJ4RkFVdjBiY2NjVQ The vision of Walpurgis suddenly dissipated, transforming into a swarm of bats that came swirling around me. The buzzing sound of thousands of insects filled the air. Within the peculiar noise emitted by the bats, my body gradually lifted off the ground. "You're not to leave without notice. If you plan another excursion, please appoint me or another witch as your guide." "I brought someone along on the way here." "Thanks to that, I made it just in time. However, in the future, please consider bringing me along." Walpurgis's bats protested briefly, but nevertheless began to lift my body. Traveling by bat swarm wasn't pleasant. The bats' claws pinched at my body, and the constant jolting made it feel as if every cell was moving independently. As I ascended past Blanca, her ears perked up, and she glanced my way. Despite being reprimanded by Walpurgis, she seemed unexpectedly pleased. "So you're the King of Humans Maximilien mentioned?" Have I been found out? Well, hiding is pointless now. The word has already spread. "What do you think? Have you changed your mind?" Blanca retracted her claws and smoothed down her fur. Even while hanging upside down, she placed a hand over her chest, pulled one leg back, and bowed politely. "Until next time, master."