Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert Chapter 590

Chapter 590

“Did you really make a lighthouse?”

“You said it would be nice to have a lighthouse.”

“Even so.”

With a stunned expression, Tesserina gazed at the lighthouse Zeon had built.

Residual heat still hung in the air, making the nearby sand hiss and pop.

The imposing black lighthouse towered over the golden desert sands, drawing the eye immediately.

A structure like this would undoubtedly act as a vital landmark across the barren wastes. Yet regret clouded Tesserina’s features as she stared at it.

It was simply too conspicuous.

Monsters would never overlook such an intrusive tower.

However sturdy it might be, a determined assault from the beasts would reduce it to rubble in no time.

“It won’t last long.”

“I suppose not.”

“And you still made it? Even knowing it’ll be destroyed soon?”

“So what?”

“What do you mean, ‘so what’?”

“If it gets destroyed, I’ll just make another one. No problem.”

“……”

Zeon’s reply left Tesserina completely at a loss for words.

Back on Earth, he alone could utter such words.

It remained utterly beyond anyone else’s capability.

Gazing at the lighthouse he’d constructed, Zeon spoke,

“I don’t know when the war against the monsters will end, but it’s ridiculous not to make something just because you’re afraid it’ll be destroyed. If the monsters tear it down, I’ll just make it again. Then, like you said, people will gather here using the lighthouse as a landmark. As humans gather, their strength to resist the monsters will grow. And as we gradually secure human territory like that, someday we’ll be able to drive out all the monsters.”

Despite Zeon’s overwhelming might, wiping out every monster in the desert by himself was impossible. The beasts’ breeding rate was nightmarishly fast, and no amount of slaughter could thin their ranks.

In the end, just one path forward existed.

All humans needed to unite and claim land quicker than the monsters could multiply.

Gathering the scattered survivors across the desert was straightforward.

Erect landmarks in key spots to direct them toward the magic stone mines, Neo Seoul, or the Steel Fortress.

Once they arrived at the Steel Fortress or magic stone mines, connections to Neo Seoul opened up. Neo Seoul would gain precious human assets, while newcomers received top-tier magitech gear as aid.

Thus, human forces would expand as monster domains contracted.

With portals enabling instant travel between areas, the goal lay within reach.

Installing a portal in the World Tree village would spark a transport upheaval. Naturally, the village wouldn’t open fully, but the ability to teleport at will offered a massive edge.

After contemplating his lighthouse briefly, Zeon declared,

“Let’s get going.”

“Okay!”

“Yes!”

Tesserina and Levin trailed behind Zeon.

Two hours after departing the lighthouse site, Tesserina glanced back. Even from that distance, the dark tower remained visible on the horizon.

‘I hope that lighthouse still stands when we return.’

Though she knew it was a futile hope, Tesserina wished for it earnestly.

---

“Uaaaah!”

Del Roa’s agonized cry reverberated across El Harun.

The World Tree, now merged with Del Roa, presented a heartbreaking sight.

All its twigs had been severed, thick limbs snapped and dangling. Leaves had vanished long ago, while the enormous trunk bore deep gashes.

These wounds stemmed entirely from the brutal clash with Dantal.

This fight had inflicted mortal harm on the World Tree.

Fusion with Del Roa kept it clinging to life, but collapse could come any second.

Del Roa had lost decisively to Dantal.

Even the hidden Sword of Kobaltán, known to no one else, had fallen into Dantal’s hands.

The defeat’s consequences were devastating.

Half of El Harun lay in ruins, with innumerable lives extinguished in the chaos.

Without Krudu and the others intervening at the last moment, Del Roa would have perished too.

The true crisis was the World Tree.

Already on the brink, it now faced certain doom.

Its remaining time was short.

Worse still, Pankrena Volcano had burst forth, unleashing a lava flood toward them.

No power remained to redirect the molten tide, nor did the World Tree possess strength to endure it.

El Harun’s annihilation loomed inescapably.

“Uaaaah! Dantal!”

Del Roa raged against Dantal, the one accelerating El Harun’s fall. Yet he realized curses hurled here would never touch his foe.

Just then, Krudu, chief of the giants, drew near Del Roa.

“Lord Del Roa! You must leave El Harun now.”

“You’re telling me to abandon El Harun?”

“The World Tree has lost its power and can no longer block the lava flowing from Pankrena Volcano. We must depart immediately to seek a new home.”

“A new settlement? No such place exists…”

Skepticism filled Del Roa’s response to Krudu’s declaration.

Neo Seoul stood as the sole location capable of housing every survivor from El Harun in one go. Yet Del Roa understood perfectly that their present power couldn’t challenge Neo Seoul at all.

Had Neo Seoul been simple to seize, it would have fallen to them ages ago.

The technological might and strength of Neo Seoul surpassed El Harun by leaps and bounds.

Any head-on clash promised total annihilation.

Sensing Del Roa’s doubts, Krudu declared,

“Not Neo Seoul.”

“Then where?”

“We seize the spot Riala fled to alongside the humans.”

Del Roa’s brow furrowed at Krudu’s suggestion.

“Do you even know her destination?”

“Tails have already been placed on their trail.”

Not every human trailed Riala out of true loyalty.

After years of coexistence, certain humans shared bonds with the giants. Leveraging those connections made locating the new haven straightforward.

Krudu pressed on,

“Surviving beastmen and giants sent to hunt the World Tree brought back word of a huge fortress teeming with humans. That’s likely where the humans and elves headed.”

“Such a colossal fortress truly stands?”

“Indeed! That’s precisely why we must claim it.”

Fierce light burned in Krudu’s gaze.

Previously, he’d never entertain such a bold move.

Clashing directly with humans offered zero benefits. Yet now El Harun teetered on ruin’s edge, demanding fresh territory for its inhabitants.

Should this persist, the fragile alliance of races would shatter apart.

The doom awaiting those dispersed in the desert was all too clear.

Uniting the fracturing races required a solid new base.

“…Hmm!”

“No time for endless debate. See that? The lava wave approaches!”

Toward the oncoming lava’s path, Krudu gestured.

Though he battled fiercely to redirect it, the giants’ might proved insufficient in the end.

A basin-shaped canyon cradled El Harun.

Should lava breach the gateway, fleeing would turn impossible.

Hard, Del Roa gnawed his lip.

“We forsake El Harun and claim the humans’ fortress.”

“A sage choice, Lord Del Roa!”

“Krudu, gather every soul left in El Harun and evacuate at once.”

“What of you, Lord Del Roa?”

“I’ll depart separately.”

“As you command. I’ll lead all races out first.”

Krudu’s faith in Del Roa held unwavering amid the chaos.

He offered a bow to Del Roa before dashing to the assembled races.

Now solitary, fury blazed in Del Roa’s scanning eyes.

Fwoosh!

Volcanic ash and embers from Pankrena Volcano ignited the forest, meticulously grown under the World Tree’s safeguard, into a roaring blaze.

Tree agony surged sharply into Del Roa, fused as one with the World Tree.

“Urgh!”

Agony overwhelming, Del Roa clamped his lip.

Rage twisted over his features.

Pankrena Volcano tormented him with this torment, Dantal dragged them to this crisis, and selfish humans with elves escaped—fury boiled at them all.

Wrath this intense hadn’t stirred in ages.

“None of you will escape my grasp.”

Rage fueled his resolve.

Crack!

From the World Tree, Del Roa’s face and form started detaching, inching apart gradually.

The World Tree’s wail pierced the air.

Desperation seemed to plead against abandonment.

Del Roa ignored the anguished calls.

Until this moment, unity with the World Tree defined his existence.

Its cries shredded his heart like rent fabric.

Gladly he’d embrace its doom fully, yet protectors demanded his survival.

For them, endure he must.

‘I’m sorry.’

In his mind, Del Roa offered deep remorse to the World Tree while cutting the bond.

Rip!

Fusion with the World Tree hurt, yet parting wounded deeper.

Flesh tearing asunder, blood tears streamed from Del Roa.

‘I’m sorry. Truly sorry. Damn this worthless self.’

Still murmuring apologies, he wrenched his body fully loose.

Forced severance exacted a savage toll.

Raw torment scourged his frame as if skin stripped bare.

“Uaaaah!”

A fresh howl from Del Roa reverberated across El Harun.

Right then—

Boom!

Distant Pankrena Volcano thundered in another colossal blast.

This blast heralded the World Tree’s utter demise.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Unleashing pent-up fury, Pankrena Volcano exploded wildly.

Ash and boulders rained down, a mushroom cloud soaring skyward.

Lightning storms howled, ground quaking like apocalypse unleashed.

El Harun’s last day had dawned.

Struggling mightily, Del Roa advanced one laborious step at a time.

After merging with the World Tree for so long, the sensation of walking felt strange to him. Yet he persisted, pushing onward without pause.

All the various races had assembled at the gateway to El Harun.

Despair dominated their expressions.

Tears flowed from some, as others roared at the heavens, releasing their fury.

Having to forsake the territory they'd inhabited for more than a century overwhelmed them with hopelessness and anguish.

Del Roa stared at them, gnawing his lip until blood trickled out.

“We will not collapse like this. We will find a new place and settle there, so follow me.”

“Yes, Lord Del Roa!”

“We will follow you even to the ends of hell!”

In the face of this crisis, their faith in Del Roa stayed utterly firm.

They held a steadfast conviction that he would secure a new home and guide them there.

“Move out!”

Upon Del Roa’s order, the diverse races set off.

The instant the throng fled the blazing El Harun, a colossal lava surge came crashing in.

Rumble!

The molten wave devoured El Harun completely.

All the structures they'd meticulously erected over a hundred years dissolved entirely.

“Sob…”

“To think El Harun would disappear like this…”

“Please… let this be a dream…”

The assorted races observed El Harun's destruction with utter incredulity on their faces.

In no time, the immense canyon that had housed El Harun turned into a sea of lava.

Del Roa murmured.

“Now all that remains for us is plunder. I will take everything.”