Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert Chapter 587

Chapter 587

Before the World Tree, Liala paused briefly to steady her breathing.

“Haah!”

A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she sought to lift just a bit of the burden crushing her chest. Still, tension lingered on her face.

This stemmed from events several months earlier.

She had arrived then to challenge Del Roa directly. Yet, before she could voice her words fully, council members had overpowered her and hauled her away. Today, however, none of the council lingered nearby.

The bulk of them were dispatched on the search for the World Tree.

Krugu, the giants' leader and the sole one left behind, now stood at Pankrena Volcano.

Pankrena Volcano's eruptions kept menacing El Harun.

Although no massive blast had erupted yet, its fury already ravaged the nearby lands fiercely.

For that reason, Krudu had taken the giants there.

Their colossal power allowed them to burrow deep into the earth, channeling the lava flows elsewhere.

They pulled off the impossible feat, but only thanks to aid from fellow races.

Thus, El Harun, normally teeming with all sorts of races, lay almost deserted now.

That allowed Liala to approach the World Tree's spot without hindrance.

With her pulse settling, Liala called out.

“Lady Del Roa!”

“Liala?”

Del Roa’s visage, concealed inside the World Tree, emerged into view.

“Yes, it’s me.”

“Why have you come here? Surely you didn’t come to argue again?”

“I want to clearly know what you are thinking.”

“How tiresome. I have no desire to speak with you, so leave at once.”

“I haven’t even stated my business yet, and you tell me to leave?”

“At a time when all races are waging a total effort with El Harun’s fate at stake, why are you the only one harboring complaints?”

“Am I not allowed to have complaints? I still haven’t received a proper answer.”

“What answer do you want?”

“I want to hear why you deceived and tried to kill Zeon, El Harun’s benefactor, and why you tried to eliminate me as well.”

“You’re not asking because you don’t know, are you?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.”

Liala replied resolutely, meeting Del Roa’s eyes without flinching.

Despite their long acquaintance, Liala had never pressed this hard before.

A pounding headache assailed Del Roa.

Frustration boiled within her.

She failed to grasp why Liala wouldn’t comprehend her careful considerations.

Del Roa wished Liala would back off right there, yet Liala stood firm.

Determination burned in her gaze, demanding an answer at any cost.

Finally, Del Roa offered the simplest reply.

“For the greater good.”

“You mean killing Zeon and me was for the greater good?”

“Yes! I believed that only if the two of you died could El Harun’s division be prevented. Look! Because you lived and agitated them, the humans are now wavering.”

“Then how long must the humans of El Harun continue to live in sacrifice?”

“Not just humans, every race lives while making sacrifices. Why? Because they know that without El Harun, they cannot exist.”

“How long do you intend to force such one-sided sacrifice?”

“The one making one-sided sacrifice is me. Do you still not understand? Look at me. I have become one with the World Tree to protect it. And you still say such things? You should respect me.”

Del Roa’s voice grew louder, causing the World Tree’s leaves to quiver in apparent terror.

Liala sensed the World Tree’s feelings.

‘It’s suffering. Its time has already ended, but because of Del Roa, it’s being forcibly sustained.’

This mirrored shoving a feeding tube into a comatose patient’s nose to prolong life artificially.

The World Tree of El Harun had outlived its natural span and yearned to dissolve back into the earth. Yet Del Roa’s fixation clung to its vitality, denying release.

“Huuh!”

Liala drew in a profound breath.

Her thoughts, knotted by Del Roa’s words, suddenly cleared.

Hesitation vanished; her choice needed no further postponement.

This exchange had illuminated the direction she had to follow.

Del Roa would remain unyielding forever.

Regardless of Liala’s pleas or counsel from others, her mindset stayed fixed.

The fading World Tree and El Harun defined her entire world.

Humans in El Harun held zero appeal for her.

She tolerated them solely for their utility, devoid of regard or fondness.

“I will leave El Harun with the humans.”

“Do you dare to betray us?”

“Even a couple that has lived together for a long time can separate if their hearts no longer align. Do not degrade that by calling it betrayal.”

“Leaving when El Harun is in crisis, that is betrayal.”

“You may call it whatever you like. My decision will not change.”

Liala clenched her lip tightly.

During her venture into Neo Seoul for the World Tree quest, a truth dawned on her.

Humans must dwell among their own kind.

Far too many alien races were jammed into one tight space, compelled to suffer perpetual wrongs.

She was convinced that bearing it all for the sake of everyone was the correct path.

She trusted that if the humans made just a slight compromise, happiness could come to all.

Yet that conviction was shattered, her faith in Del Roa breaking apart like fragile glass.

The moment had arrived to say goodbye.

“Thank you for everything.”

Liala lowered her head toward Del Roa and pivoted away.

Right then,

“No one…”

Woooong!

All of a sudden, Del Roa bellowed fiercely.

Shocked, Liala spun around, facing Del Roa who had fused with the World Tree, his eyes blazing with horrifying intensity.

“No one dares leave El Harun without my permission, Liala!”

“I am not your possession.”

“The moment you entered El Harun, you became mine.”

“You’ve completely lost your mind.”

Liala shook her head and began to stride forward.

She was utterly done with it now.

The final thread of attachment snapped completely.

At last, she sensed she could depart El Harun free of any regrets.

Yet her next step was impossible.

“Keugh!”

A crushing pressure slammed down on her without warning.

Del Roa’s authority had activated.

United with the World Tree, Del Roa’s control stretched to every branch's reach.

In this realm, her might rivaled that of a deity.

Even as she poured vast energy into holding back Pankrena Volcano's total explosion, eliminating Liala posed no challenge.

“Gghk!”

Liala’s complexion drained to a ghostly white.

She fought desperately against Del Roa’s authority, but resistance proved futile.

In that instant.

“Lady Del Roa! You must not do this.”

A figure positioned herself in front of Liala and unleashed a spell.

A shimmering magic circle materialized ahead, alleviating the crushing force. This allowed Liala to draw breath once more, however faintly.

“Haah! Haah!”

Panting heavily, Liala gazed at the woman shielding her.

Though viewing only her rear, recognition dawned instantly.

It was Hera, leader of the elves.

In her dire hour, Hera had come to her rescue.

Del Roa roared in rage.

“You dare interfere with my decree?”

“I’m sorry, but I could no longer stand by.”

“Are you betraying your own kind?”

“This is not betrayal. I am correcting what is wrong.”

“Do you think the same as Liala? Do you think I am wrong?”

“I only believe what I see.”

Despair gripped Hera’s heart as she regarded Del Roa.

More than anyone, she had trusted and followed Del Roa.

As fellow elves, that bond had deepened her unwavering faith.

But such loyalty had been utterly crushed.

She had revealed how Repo and his group had drawn Behemoth to devastate Neo Seoul.

Still, Del Roa refused to punish the beastkin or giant dwarves.

Prioritizing El Harun's defense at Pankrena Volcano above all.

This had left Hera profoundly disillusioned.

And now, seeing Del Roa attempt to slay Liala filled her with pure revulsion.

“How did you become like this?”

“You also think I am wrong?”

“The Del Roa of the past was not like this. You were someone fairer than anyone, which is why everyone trusted and followed you.”

“I have not changed. I still carry great responsibility and a sense of duty. It is you who have changed.”

“Please let Liala and the humans go. Their hearts have already left.”

“That cannot be done. If the humans leave, El Harun will suffer greatly.”

“Lady Del Roa!”

Hera gazed at her with profound sorrow.

Such an expression only fueled Del Roa’s wrath further.

“If you will not obey me, I will take your life as well.”

Kuuuu!

The pressure surged stronger, shattering Hera’s protective spell.

“Aaah!”

“Ugh!”

Hera and Liala screamed together.

Though mighty Awakeners both, they stood no chance against Del Roa’s authority empowered by the World Tree.

Agony overwhelmed them, leaving the pair writhing and shrieking on the ground.

With manic eyes fixed upon them, Del Roa declared.

“No one leaves this place without my permission. Do you know what sacrifices I have made for you? And you dare try to leave as you please? Even in death, you will not escape me. I will not let you go.”

“Hhk!”

“Ugh! Damn it…”

Their visages paled to ashen hues.

They poured every shred of power into defiance, yet Del Roa, harnessing the World Tree’s might, proved insurmountable.

Just as their endurance faltered.

Kuuuuung!

The earth beneath El Harun trembled ferociously, like a massive quake.

“What?”

Alarmed, Del Roa scanned the skies.

He suspected another Pankrena Volcano outburst, but it remained still.

“Then what?”

Precisely then, as if in reply, an intruder breached the World Tree’s domain.

Without invitation, a presence violated Del Roa’s sacred ground.

A man astride a gigantic black steed.

The white-haired elf, rivaling the horse in bulk, was none other than Dantal.

Del Roa identified him immediately.

“Dantal?”

“It’s been a while, Del Roa!”

“Why have you come to El Harun?”

Wariness etched Del Roa’s features as he glowered.

Within El Harun, Dantal alone evaded Del Roa’s authority, boasting strength to match his own.

Absent Dantal in El Harun’s formative era, its survival would have been impossible.

Myriad demonic beasts menacing the haven had perished under Dantal’s blade.

Thanks to his safeguarding, Del Roa managed to concentrate entirely on cultivating the World Tree without disturbance.

Dantal's role in laying El Harun’s groundwork proved utterly indispensable.

However, after stability was achieved, he departed without a trace of reluctance.

in pursuit of greater power.

Thus, Dantal vanished from El Harun, slipping into the shadows of forgotten tales.

Del Roa fixed his gaze upon him and inquired,

“Why have you returned?”

“I need the Sword of Kovaltan.”

“What?”

Del Roa’s eyes bulged wide with astonishment.

El Harun’s supreme armament, the Sword of Kovaltan, embodied the divine might of the high god Kovaltan.

This God Slaying Weapon was renowned for its power to slice through even a god’s essence.

Dantal drew near to Del Roa, his aura surging fiercely.

“I need the Sword of Kovaltan, so surrender it, Del Roa.”