Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert Chapter 594

Chapter 594

Without a doubt, permission to travel from the Primordial Forest into the World Tree village was bestowed solely upon Go Du-won, Floa, and Har.

This measure safeguarded the hidden secrets of the World Tree village.

On the flip side, only Latricia and Briel held the authority to journey from the World Tree village back to the Primordial Forest.

They alone enjoyed unrestricted passage between the two forests; the portal remained off-limits to everyone else.

One day, in due time, the portal would open wide to all, allowing countless people to move freely between the forests at will.

Perched atop a massive root of the World Tree, Zeon murmured to himself,

“Everything urgent has been resolved.”

Though not yet fully accessible, with the portal linked to crucial spots, Zeon and Levin could traverse back and forth at any moment they desired.

For the locations Zeon deemed vital, the barriers of distance and space had vanished entirely.

That benefit alone proved monumental.

Despite the portal's conspicuous position right before the World Tree, the High Elves in the World Tree village barely spared it a glance.

Not even one displayed jealousy upon hearing that solely Latricia and Briel could venture to the Primordial Forest.

This stemmed not from disdain toward the Primordial Forest, but from their fulfillment in merely maintaining the World Tree village.

The High Elves' daily lives remained remarkably straightforward.

Upon morning awakening, they connected with spirits, then dove into their tasks so deeply that hours flew by unnoticed.

Certain High Elves nurtured trees, others tended crops. In fostering the forest and frolicking with spirits, sunset arrived before they realized.

Yet nightfall did not signal the end of their day.

Afterward, they gathered with kin and companions to recount the day's happenings, strengthening their ties.

Their lives formed an endless cycle of harmony.

Despite repeating the same routines daily, conversation topics never dried up.

For the High Elves, monotonous days felt as thrilling as grand adventures.

Thus, while curious about the portal to the Primordial Forest, they felt no profound regret over lacking access.

They trusted that eventually, when the moment arrived, they too would wield it.

Zeon quite appreciated the High Elves' laid-back demeanor.

Admittedly, not every High Elf shared this temperament.

“Zeon! Zeon!”

Briel, dashing toward him with frantic calls, stood as a prime example.

Having dwelled extensively in the human realm, Briel possessed far greater impatience than her fellow High Elves.

Desires demanded immediate satisfaction, curiosities required swift resolution.

Such was her drive at present.

The instant the portal activated, Briel plunged into dissecting its mechanics. Yet unraveling a pre-existing portal proved challenging. Hence, she rushed to Zeon.

“Zeon! You said you had one teleport gem left, right?”

“Yeah!”

“Can you give it to me?”

“To analyze it?”

“Yeah! If I figure out the principle, we can make the same thing, right? Then we could travel freely to even more places. Wouldn’t that be great?”

“It would.”

“So give it to me. I’ll study it carefully so it doesn’t break.”

Briel’s face brimmed with thrill.

The teleport gem had sparked her unyielding curiosity.

Smiling, Zeon passed the final teleport gem to Briel.

“Here it is.”

“Thanks! I’ll use it well.”

“Alright.”

“Hehe!”

Briel let out a gleeful laugh and dashed off to her dwelling.

Just then, Levin drew near Zeon, shaking his head.

“Man… is she really that happy?”

“I suppose so.”

“She’s such a weirdo.”

“That’s part of Briel’s charm.”

“I’ll give you that.”

“You should get some rest too.”

“Yeah! I’m pretty tired as it is.”

While Zeon shuttled between the Primordial Forest, Levin had exhausted himself entertaining the World Tree village's children.

Levin’s ghost-transformation skill made him a hit among the kids.

Spotting his power, they begged for encores, and kind-hearted Levin obliged until the children wore themselves out.

Consequently, his mana drained fully, leaving him nearly collapsed.

“The kids here have incredible stamina. They just don’t get tired.”

“They’re growing under the blessing of the World Tree.”

“That makes sense.”

Levin nodded, gazing upward at the World Tree.

As though soothing him, the World Tree whispered through its rustling leaves. Swiftly, the energy sapped by the children restored itself.

“It’s basically a cheat item. Ah—would it be rude to call it an item? Anyway, it’s an incredible existence.”

“Yeah. It really is. They say once it’s fully grown, it can support an entire world.”

“When will it fully grow?”

“Who knows? They say when it’s fully grown, it’s large enough to cover the whole world. It’ll probably take a long time.”

“I wish it would grow as soon as possible. Then Earth would recover to some extent.”

“I hope so too.”

Levin's words earned Zeon's full agreement.

Should Earth return to its former glory, the vast desert would recede, diminishing Zeon's powers in turn. Despite this, he genuinely desired such a restoration.

Right then, Tesserina drew near to the pair.

“What are you talking about?”

“Just this and that. Where have you been?”

“Over there!”

Tesserina gestured skyward in response to Zeon's inquiry.

“Arisedon?”

“It seemed like he might be lonely. Thanks to that, we learned a lot about each other.”

“Well done.”

“Yeah!”

A radiant smile lit up Tesserina's face.

Levin rested against a huge root of the World Tree jutting from the earth and remarked,

“The elves of Elharun would be shocked if they saw the World Tree here, wouldn’t they?”

“They would. It contains spiritual power far stronger than the World Tree that was in Elharun.”

Though the Elharun World Tree dwarfed this one in sheer size, its inner energy paled in comparison to the authentic version.

Still, it was impressive how that feeble force had contained the Pankrena Volcano's outburst.

Only through Del Roa's combined might could such a feat have been achieved.

Levin yearned to brag to Elharun's former inhabitants about this authentic World Tree. Yet he understood perfectly that revealing it was forbidden.

Suddenly, a thought struck Tesserina, prompting her question,

“Where’s Latricia?”

“She’s with Lady Floa.”

“That’s a historic moment.”

“What is?”

Confusion creased Levin's brow as he eyed Tesserina.

“High Elves and Dark Elves. Two beings standing at opposite ends, gathered in one place and talking. In Kurayan, it would have been unthinkable.”

“Were they really on such bad terms?”

“They were practically sworn enemies.”

“Wow.”

“It couldn’t be helped. They shared the same roots, but their dispositions, skin, and way of life were completely opposite. If Kurayan had remained intact, they’d probably still be fighting each other as enemies.”

“So it was only after the world was destroyed that they reconciled.”

“You could say that.”

Tesserina gave a nod.

“I’m glad their grievances were resolved, even if it happened that way.”

“Having experienced the fall of Kurayan and suffering endlessly here on Earth, they share that understanding. For the time being, they’ll deeply understand each other.”

“That’s good. Briel could also come visit Neo Seoul easily by passing through the Primordial Forest.”

“Yeah.”

At that instant—

Rustle!

The World Tree's leaves rustled violently in unison.

As though something had startled them.

Boom!

Suddenly, a deafening blast roared from the heavens, sending a shockwave crashing across the World Tree village.

The village's enormous protective barrier prevented serious harm, yet it jolted every soul within.

“What was that?”

“Is someone attacking?”

High Elves enjoying time with kin and comrades grabbed their arms and dashed outside.

Then, bursts of light erupted repeatedly overhead.

Boom! Boom!

Mighty shockwaves hammered the World Tree village's grand barrier soon afterward.

The shield endured without shattering, though it trembled perilously.

Tesserina declared,

“Arisedon is fighting.”

“What? Does that make sense? What kind of monster would dare attack Lord Arisedon?”

Levin gazed skyward, stunned.

Arisedon's savage edge had softened as World Tree guardian, but his presence remained utterly daunting.

This entity could swallow S-rank monsters whole in moments.

Scarcely imaginable that any foe would confront him.

Rumble! Boom!

Blasts echoed without cease, with shockwaves battering the mighty barrier.

Evidence that Arisedon's clash persisted fiercely.

Zeon announced,

“This doesn’t feel right. I’ll go take a look.”

“I’m coming too.”

Tesserina rose naturally to join him.

They shot skyward without delay.

“Tsk!”

Levin clicked his tongue as they disappeared aloft in a flash.

He longed to pursue, yet wisdom kept him grounded.

The tense aura signaled it was beyond his level. Avoiding any disruption, he remained put.

Meanwhile, Zeon and Tesserina pierced the barrier, ascending to lofty heights.

Surveying the area, a new gleam caught their eyes.

Flash!

A colossal beam plunged from above toward the earth.

A colossal detonation followed instantly.

Rumble!

Air roiled, clouds dispersed chaotically.

Zeon creased his forehead at the astonishing display.

Then, a gigantic form plummeted into sight.

Zeon quickly identified it as Arisedon.

Tesserina reacted first.

“Arisedon!”

She sped after the tumbling Arisedon.

Had she shifted into her dragon form, the outcome might have varied, yet her present power fell short of halting his plunge. Nonetheless, she managed to trail after him.

Arisedon plummeted toward the earth without resistance, eyes shut tight.

His state was completely wretched.

Shards of his shiny crimson scales lay broken in spots, revealing raw meat underneath, with blood gushing out heavily.

His fangs lay shattered, and his lengthy whiskers dangled in tatters.

The tiny protrusions budding from his skull stood snapped and charred too, rendering him utterly pathetic.

Tesserina unleashed a spell to rouse him, shaking his skull in hopes of snapping him awake. Yet no matter her attempts, Arisedon remained unconscious.

Finally, she abandoned efforts to revive him and focused on easing his drop via sorcery.

“Levitation!”

Tesserina directed the levitation incantation toward Arisedon, bypassing herself.

This charm could hoist ordinary objects with ease, yet Arisedon's massive bulk overwhelmed it.

In the utmost, it merely curbed his plunge a tad.

Boom!

Ultimately, Arisedon slammed into the terrain amid a deafening roar.

He sprawled limp and defenseless, excavating a sand pit vast as a pond. Witnessing this, Tesserina gnashed her lip fiercely.

“Damn it!”

She swiftly invoked restorative spells upon Arisedon while gazing skyward.

High overhead, Zeon perched atop the dunes.

Directly before him loomed a figure.

Undoubtedly, this was the culprit behind Arisedon's ruin.

“Just who is that…?”