Chapter 593 - Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

The reason behind my sudden change in demeanor, and what I might be planning, remained an enigma even to Nevida. However, Nevida didn't waste her time stopping her desires over uncontrollable matters. With her power, I swiftly reached the top of the Tree of Origins. The Tree of Origins had grown slightly since the last time I saw it. By rough estimation, it seemed to have grown nearly 20 meters. It appears the World Tree has entered a growth phase. "In two thousand years, the human species has also changed. To bridge the gap between the humans from before the first year and those of the current age, Nevida has nurtured the Tree of Origins. The human king residing up there must be almost the same as me." With clouds clinging to the summit of the World Tree, I climbed, using the fruit of humanity as stepping stones. Despite my slight tremor, having come this far, there was no turning back. I focused straight ahead and continued forward. "Inside the echo, I sense other thoughts. Nevida must have infused energy into it. I can sense a half-awake consciousness. And deeper than that... I catch a glimpse of incredibly old memories." Every step I took on the fruit-laden branches made them bend slightly. Is this what it feels like to step on people? Regardless, it’s not pleasing. Stairs must be firm. You cannot ascend properly on soft stairs, trembling with fear that they might collapse at any moment, as you take your next step. "The essence is the human king. But due to Nevida’s determination, two human kings exist across time. Yet a king of beasts is a conceptual entity, and only one entity can exist for each concept." At last, reaching the large flower bud, I took a deep breath while gazing into the slightly opened interior below. Inside there lies the human king. Unlike before, now I can feel an overwhelming presence that asserts its existence. Is it right to proceed? Could this be a reckless endeavor? "One of the two will disappear. A worthy stage has been set." Nevertheless, having come this far, there was no choice. After a brief deep breath, I dove into the flower bud. The fully ripened bud slightly parted as if to welcome me. My body descended into the flower bud. Simultaneously, my consciousness descended into the distant past. *** Nevida was a warrior of the king. She had survived countless ages that had rendered history itself a blur, yet never once forgot she was a warrior of the king. Thus, the current-era human king was also deserving of her respect. Nevida lowered her head as she saw the human king off, entering the flower bud. It was all a gesture of ‘respect.’ There was only one king she wholeheartedly served. Flutter. A parrot flew in. Nevida slowly turned her head like a withered old tree. "Hexia." "Nevida, squawk. I have something to say." "I know what it is. It must be about the Druids." "Squawk. Yes, those bastards might seem to have fled, but they'll never let it go. They'll interfere somehow." The archwitch’s parrot continued flapping its wings as it spoke. "We must prepare in advance. They won't just stand by and watch as humans are born from this fruit. Ha, how amusing. Claiming rights over something they never contributed to!" The parrot, still excited, flew restlessly in mid-air. Nevida, watching the dizzying circles it flew, suddenly spoke. "What about you?" "Squawk. Me? What about me?" "Hexia, you created the flesh fruit. But you were also the one who wanted to burn that flesh fruit. You never opposed the idea that humans would be born from the flesh fruit, no?" For a moment, the parrot's wings froze in mid-air. Falling slightly, it regained its mind and flew back up. "I created the flesh fruit! I'm different from those bastards. I had the right!" Though its voice was fierce, it lacked the former fervor. Nevida felt it but chose not to point it out. She didn't wish to dampen the spirits of one of her few allies and virtually her only student, who followed her teachings completely. “…If not for them, it could have been fine! Anyway, the beast inside the flesh fruit can’t move. It’s practically a corpse. What’s wrong with using something as a corpse if it’s practically dead?! Why talk about a beast’s value and dignity?! That was merely a trigger. Those bastards had always intended to burn all the flesh fruit from the beginning!” The once passionate parrot’s voice gradually turned into a mumble. “If only it weren't humans being born…If they hadn't constantly singled me out and called me wrong... just maybe, I could have pretended ignorance and found happiness.” "You are right, Hexia." Nevida had lived before the first year. An era of savagery where common sense and order were not set, laws and morals were mere jokes. The only guiding principle throughout the ages was the logic of power. The truth of the fittest was absolute. “Taboos, morals, laws, order. They are the framework laid by a cunning temptress who ousted a sovereign with wicked schemes.” And Nevida still lived in that era of savagery. From her perspective, this era was also a massive product of violence. Witnessing firsthand how the initial saint transformed the world with transcendent power, Nevida, standing one step apart from the world, understood that even what claims to be civilization is born out of savagery. “The reason you are regarded as a problem is simply because they chose to see you that way. They tried to judge you through power.” Both the ability to impose laws, the desire for morality, and the demand for norms and order exist because they are the strong. "Refashion the world with your strength. Do what you intend to do. You have that power. There is no need to hesitate." Nevida turned her head to gaze beyond the forest. Her eyes transformed into that of a hawk. Suddenly, the jungle came alive. Trees that filled her view moved aside for her. Even without the wind, the trees, perceiving the will of the deity, bowed low, afraid to obstruct Nevida's gaze. Through this single, unhindered view, Nevida spotted Nenyaf, who had been observing from a distance, and muttered. "They will come to judge you and me." *** Upon being detected, Nenyaf immediately relocated. There wasn't a moment to hesitate. The opponent was an ancient druid, a being of monstrous power that extended to the ends of the sky. While Nenyaf was among the stronger of humans, she knew well the dread instilled by such immense power. "Master, you are still a monster..." She had once trained under Nevida. Having witnessed that power from close range, she knew where her weaknesses lay. Linked with the Tree of Origins, Nevida carried the immense presence of that being. Such an existence would not react sensitively to the movements of mere creatures. Doing so would make life exhausting. But as if to prove it wasn't that she couldn't do it, Nevida had detected Nenyaf with hawk-like precision. Nenyaf sprinted, parting the trees, to escape pursuit. But it was insufficient. A large serpent soon kept pace beside her. The vine snake, with bark-like scales, pursued Nenyaf, opening its great maw wide. A cursed beast born of Nevida's power, it burned its short life to tear Nenyaf apart. Nenyaf retrieved a seed and blew a small breath across it. At the same time, she spread the seeds as she squeezed between large boulders. Behind her, the vine snake roared and pursued. Its body wove through branches with startling agility. In that instant, Nenyaf unleashed the power contained within the seeds. Druidic Arcana, Vine Roots. Exploding vines wrapped around the vine snake, causing it to writhe in a painful scream. Its bark scales scraped against the sharp rocks, shattering and spilling sap-like blood. The vine snake appeared to find stopping more agonizing than colliding with the boulders. "Master, you are mistaken. Possessing power doesn't mean anything should be done. To wield power, one needs justification, and power that fails to gain universal sympathy is merely savage violence. It becomes the original sin that ensnares humanity." The vine snake was a beast created by Nevida, never meant to live long. It spent its brief life executing its appointed orders. What a sinful beast indeed. Nenyaf felt short-lived compassion for the Tree of Origins. Simultaneously, her conviction solidified. "The weak being ravaged by the strong... Even if that is reality, it must not be accepted as natural." Resolute, Nenyaf germinated the seed in her grasp. Despite the lack of soil and sufficient sunlight, the seed rooted in her faith, nourishing on resolve, and grew. It became a sapling with numerous leaves and sturdy roots. The leaves emitted their own light—a dazzling, sacred glow. Filled with faith, Nenyaf gained the right to wield it as power. The Blade Sharpened by Belief, the Holy Sword. Nenyaf belatedly realized she was a paladin. That unfamiliar strength felt as natural as if it had always been part of her. Approaching with the holy sword, she neared the vine snake. As she drew closer, it thrashed as if waiting. Its eyes filled with shallow malice and rage. "For reasons of creation or quick demise, for other excuses, sympathy for such pitiful lives must not become hypocrisy." The vine snake opened its jaws wide. Inside, it was covered in twigs and leaves. Nenyaf, with utmost mercy, plunged the holy sword beneath its jaw. Light flowed along the vine. The vine snake's eyes widened. Born with an expiration, having known neither the sweetness of water nor the warmth of sunlight, the beast reveled in the grace of light for the first time. Its expression softened gradually. The writhing body found peace. Confronting its end, the Tree of Origins finally nestled into the long-sought light, falling into slumber. The vine snake reverted to mere vine. Having gained the strength to slay the Tree of Origins, Nenyaf muttered to herself. "Is there no time to appear in person? Are you busy?" Nevida would have appeared to kill Nenyaf without hesitation, past connections meaningless to one like her. That Nevida hadn’t appeared meant there was a reason preventing it. "...The human king. Has my master truly found no rest until creating even her own dynasty?" The Tree of Origins rapidly expended its energy. For a World Tree, which monopolized an area for centuries, to use its energy so fast... What kind of being is this? As daunting as it was, Nenyaf found a glimmer of hope. The Tree of Origins expending energy and binding Nevida... This is the sole chance to sever this sin. *** "Right and wrong, savagery and civilization. Order and principle. What should and shouldn't be." I walked slowly in the darkness. The inside of the flower bud couldn’t be this vast, but no matter how far I walked, the wall didn't appear. Only after a seemingly endless walk did I realize. This is within a mental space. "What is it all? It's not even something edible. It's invisible. It doesn't even enlighten me. So how am I supposed to know?" Given this, the owner of this voice would be... I turned around to see a girl with unruly gray hair, wiggling her toes as if in a tantrum. "El says I'm too special to understand, that a king can't comprehend it. Since I'm not ordinary, I'll never realize it and will always live ignoring it. But what can I do? I call what's absent nonexistent." Infinitely free and endlessly unpretentious. Filled with a beast-like optimism. As if he had never once been conscious of the cruel fate he was dealt, the former human king, betrayed and left to die torn apart, spoke to me with innocent eyes. "So, how is it? The ordinary me? You understand, don't you?" Why are you acting so familiar? I don't even know what you are. "But you do understand now, don’t you? You're ordinary. You represent just one person standing before you instead of all humans. You can't encompass everyone, but you can read deeply into the heart of that one person." What? How did you figure that out? My mind-reading is almost like a side effect. The representative characteristic a human king should possess has twisted in an unusual direction. And you know all that? "Big sister knows. That was the promise." And the unexpected statements continued. Big sister? That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard lately. I don't even have a sister. With that, the girl puffed out her chest and declared confidently. "I was born first. I'm the big sister." ...I can't argue with that.