Chapter 1046 — Book 2: Chapter 244: Lunacy, Worship. And the Way (6)
13 min read ·
Boom, boom!
Endless sounds of strong impact filled this snowy plain that would usually only have the vicious sound of the wind.
Boom!
Boom!
‘Aigoo.’
Cale was invisible but he subconsciously flinched his shoulders whenever he heard that noise.
There was another person whose shoulders were flinching like Cale's.
It was Archie.
“What is it?”
Sword master Hannah. Archie's pupils were shaking so much that Hannah, who found it difficult to be around Archie because of her past attacks on the Whale tribe and had not been able to say anything to him until now, had asked with concern.
Boom!
Archie subconsciously answered Hannah's question after hearing one more rumbling in the distance.
“She's fucking pissed.”
“What?”
“…When I was young…”
Archie’s forehead was full of cold sweat.
“Uhh, you know that our village is on top of an iceberg, right? There-”
Archie would usually not say anything to Hannah, but he subconsciously spoke informally.
“Anyway, even that Whale tribe had a trashy bastard. When Witira-nim was young, that bastard caused a ruckus toward the Penguin tribe.”
The Penguins lived with the Whales and helped them with many tasks.
“When Witira-nim saw that-”
Boom!
The ground shook again, and…
“Haaaaaaaa.”
Archie subconsciously sighed before wiping the cold sweat off his forehead.
He then continued to speak.
“Anyway, Witira-nim went to capture that trashy bastard.”
"And?”
“While that trashy bastard ran away, he decided to turn into his Whale form and jump into the ocean.”
“And?”
“Witira-nim captured that Whale bastard. And then-”
Seeing that made Archie make up his mind to never try to provoke Witira.
“And then, Witira-nim held up that whole whale and slammed it to the ground…”
Boom!
“That, that sound just now! When she slammed him! When she grabbed him by the tail and swung him left and right before slamming him into the ground! This is the same sound as that time!”
Boom, boom!
"She’s fucking pissed right now. Witira-nim is so angry her eyes have rolled over! The only reason she stopped was because Paseton-nim, who was very young at the time, cried saying, noona, let’s stop. Unless something like that happens again, she will not stop! Paseton-nim is older now, no, Witira-nim will probably still stop if Paseton-nim came crying and dangled on her arms! Aw shit, Paseton-nim is in Roan! How can we get him here? How?”
“…Why are you asking me?”
“No, this is really bad!”
Archie jumped up and shouted toward Hannah.
“This is just the beginning, the beginning!”
Flap.
Archie picked up the door flap.
“Fuck!”
He then swore.
Hannah was looking at Archie in disbelief. Archie didn’t care and continued to talk with a crazed look on his face.
“The snow keeps coming down! The snow is actually getting stronger! ‘Fuck! There is going to be no worries about the water running out here!”
“Ho.”
Hannah gasped and then asked in a tone of disbelief.
“Isn’t that good for the Whales?”
Wasn’t it good for there to be a lot of snow?
Archie answered with a frustrated look on his face.
“Exactly! The problem is that it is too good! If there is this much snow piled up?!”
He clenched his hair as he shouted.
“It’s enough for her to go berserk!”
He ran out the door.
“Damn it! Everything is going to get destroyed! I need to stop her!”
Hannah watched Archie’s back as if he was a crazy bastard.
However, Archie was completely serious.
There was a thought that went through his mind on a normal basis.
‘In the ocean, the Whales are the Dragons.’
He always thought that the reason Dragons were said to be the strongest race was based on their prowess on land.
Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and Dragons all lived on land. He believed it was a hierarchy determined based on their own standards.
However, there lived just as many different species and just as numerous the creatures in the ocean.
The ones to protect the ocean that they all lived in were the Whales.
That was why although Dragons ruled the sky and the land, the Whales ruled the ocean.
This thought did not change despite Archie meeting numerous Dragons and strong individuals.
The Whales did not have magic or aura, but…
He believed they just did not have the chance to show Cale and the others the true greatness of the Whales. There had never been a proper battlefield for them to do that.
Archie fully believed that.
That was why he quickly ran toward the direction of the loud explosions.
‘She’s using her body to fight?!’
Why had Witira gotten so angry?
Archie’s face looked extremely urgent, incomparable to the look on his face when he was watching Rasheel and Kendall fight.
“Human, Archie is heading toward the battlefield! What is going on?”
“…I think I know.”
Cale could not answer Raon’s bright question and simply looked toward a spot.
At that spot…
Boom!
“Grrr, grrrrr-”
There was a large worm getting slammed left and right.
The worm couldn't even groan properly anymore. The dirt that made up its body, the dirt that had looked as strong as boulders, was cracking like a land in famine. There were even areas that had large divots as if a large storm had passed through.
“Oh no!”
Yanni charged toward Witira with the sword in order to rescue the worm, but…
Swiiiing-!
The worm's large body brushed past right in front of her.
Witira swung the worm to block Yanni whenever she tried to get close.
She then destroyed the rest of the worm with a nonchalant look on her face.
Her face and her actions both felt completely stoic without any emotions.
“Will you continue to do that, ma’am?”
She heard Yanni’s calm voice at that moment.
Witira didn't even glance at her.
She simply continued what she was doing.
“You leave me no choice.”
As soon as Yanni said that…
Crack.
An odd noise came out of the worm’s body.
Witira’s eyes clouded over for a moment before quickly returning to normal.
It was at that moment.
“You will regret your actions, ma’am.”
Anger could be subtly felt in Yanni’s voice.
Elves grew up in their villages formed around branches given by the World Tree or even within the embrace of the World Tree itself.
However, the twenty four Elves who made up the Inquisitors had betrayed the World Tree.
As a result of aligning with the Dragons, these Elves were able to gain a portion of the foundation of this world that the Dragons got through the World Tree.
They wanted to use this foundation as the basis to overcome the limits of the Elves.
They all had their respective reasons for betraying the World Tree, so the way they used the foundation was different.
“This body as an Elf had a limit.”
Yanni longed for the Dragons.
She looked at the Dragons as if they were the great heroes in fairy tales.
She wanted to be like them.
However, her body was that of an Elf. She was not a Dragon.
Crack.
As another cracking sound came from deep within the worm’s body…
“However, Elves have their precious closest friends.”
She was talking about the Elementals.
Yanni had shared her portion of the foundation of this world with her Elemental.
My precious closest friend.
My Elemental, my one and only friend.
Yanni had thought to herself.
‘If I as an Elf and my Elemental both get stronger, wouldn’t our combined powers be at the level of a Dragon?
Couldn't we reach that height that the Dragons have reached?’
Yanni wanted to turn that thought into reality and make her Elemental stronger.
“You will need to pay the price for hurting my closest friend, ma’am.”
Yanni said that and then moved her fingers.
Snap!
As soon as Yanni snapped…
It was only for an instant.
Riiiiiip-
They heard the sound of something ripping.
Witira’s eyes opened wide.
She urgently let go of the worm and moved back.
She then looked toward Yanni.
Witira asked with a stoic look on her face.
“You called the worm your closest friend. How could you do this?”
A smile formed on Yanni’s face.
"Shouldn’t my closest friend be willing to do anything and everything for me?”
Unlike the World Tree which refused to do anything for her…
Her Elemental did whatever she asked.
That was why they were friends.
Yanni was certain that her answer would not have reached Witira’s ears.
Because the moment she said that…
Baaaaaang–
The worm’s body exploded with a loud bang.
The broken pieces of dirt turned into sharp needles like the spikes of a hedgehog and burst out in all directions.
Bang! Baaaaang! Baaaaang—
The needles stabbed into the ground causing more explosions.
“Ugh!”
“Ah, Miss Yanni! Take it easy, will you?”
Tasha and Peterson had to run to the side to dodge. However, Peterson could not hold back his laughter.
‘I guess she is planning on fighting properly!’
Inquisitor 9, Yanni.
The number next to the Inquisitors symbolized their strength.
Whether it was their physical strength, intellect, or ability…
The Inquisitors determined the strong regardless of which method was used. Only the results mattered. Among the Inquisitors, Yanni was ninth.
‘That also means she is the ninth craziest.’
Yanni looked as if she cherished her Elemental, but Yanni being fully ready for battle was different from other Elves.
‘She’s going to eat her Elemental soon.’
To be more accurate, she would place the Elemental on top of her body.
Yanni had turned her highest-grade earth Elemental into something that was not as strong as an Elemental King but one that was stronger than whatever was on the rest of the standard.
In return, she made it lose its intellect.
That was why the Elemental turned into this monster-like appearance that was neither worm nor really anything and fought so stupidly.
‘My closest friend has no need to think. Only I need to think.’
He recalled something Yanni once said.
‘Crazy bitch.’
It didn't matter if this worm exploded.
“Keke.”
Peterson laughed out loud.
“You must have figured it out as well.”
He saw the anxious look on Tasha's face.
Tasha was subconsciously looking toward Witira and the exploding worm.
“My goodness, it's true body-!”
Peterson nodded his head.
“Yes. The worm is not the Elemental's true body. It is only a shell.”
Elementals were not always visible.
The Elves could see them, but they were just an aura with an attribute that most people could not see.
Of course, those auras had personalities and their own minds, living in this world like the Elves and humans.
That was why they could be considered living creatures.
Baaaaaang–!
Tasha could not say anything.
She could feel a large aura within the exploding worm and the dirt needles shooting out.
She could not see it very well but she could clearly feel it.
It was a different unknown aura that was different from the aura of earth.
The two of them were oddly intertwined.
It was to the point that it was difficult to tell them apart.
However, she could clearly tell that two different auras were mixed together.
The combination of those weird auras was Yanni’s closest friend, the changed Earth Elemental.
“…That’s not an Elemental.”
Tasha scowled.
– Tasha, Tasha!
She could hear her close friend, the Wind Elemental’s voice.
– It's completely consumed.
Yanni’s Earth Elemental was consumed by the foundation of this world.
To be more accurate, it lost its form because it was mixed with the strong aura of nature.
– …I can’t forgive her!
Tasha’s eyes filled with flaming rage along with her close friend's anger.
“Kekeke.”
Tasha’s eyes moved toward the laughing Peterson.
“Why? What’s making you so angry?”
Tasha opened her mouth toward Peterson, who was sneering at her.
Her body had multiple injuries from being cut by the wind arrows that were bleeding.
However, Tasha’s voice did not have pain or sorrow, just anger.
“Shouldn’t we be keeping the laws of nature?”
“Ha. We? Are you putting together a Dark Elf like yourself with me?”
Tasha calmly nodded her head despite Peterson's laughter.
“Yes, whether it is the Dark Elves or Elves… We all live within the laws of nature. You guys among the living and me, within the dead. We gather our powers that way and exist together within nature.”
More than the humans, Dwarves, and Beast people… The Elves and Dark Elves earned more things from nature.
That was why they had to be thankful to nature as they lived.
At least that was how Tasha lived her life. Although Dark Elves were treated badly compared to Elves and had to live close to death…
She was certain because she had an Elemental by her side.
We are a part of this world, we are a part of nature.
Tasha picked up the spear in her hand.
Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-
The long spear pierced through the wind.
The tip of her spear pointed right at Person.
“You’ve crossed the line.”
“Ha!”
Peterson sneered.
“Is this the time to be educating me? I think you should be more worried about you or your friends?”
“Pfft.”
Tasha sneered right back.
Peterson scowled and his mouth opened.
However, another voice could be heard before he could say anything.
“How-?!”
It was Yanni.
Peterson turned his head.
He looked toward the area where the worm had exploded.
Chhhhhhh-
They could hear water.
Snow melted to create drops of water and those drops of water gathered together to form a half circle.
There were numerous dirt needles stabbed into that half circle.
Chh chh.
Those dirt needles mixed with the water to turn into mud and plummeted to the ground.
Chhhhhhh-
The water that created the half circle pulled back its beautiful flowing water as it fell to the ground as well.
It then created a small puddle.
Witira was standing on top of the puddle.
Drip.
Her bleeding cheek had a dirt needle stabbed in it.
She pulled it out with a casual movement.
Blood dripped out but Witira nonchalantly lowered her head.
“No!”
They heard Yanni shouting.
“How did you-?!”
Chhhhhhhhh-
The sound of water vaporizing could be heard.
Witira moved her other hand.
Chhhh—-
Her hand was burning.
It seemed quite painful but Witira didn't even twitch an eyebrow as she held the large aura in her hand.
Squeeze.
Witira tightened her grip, and…
Chhhhhhhhh-
The aura flailed and made a dreadful noise.
Smile.
A smile appeared on Witira's face.
She looked at Yanni as she spoke.
“This is your Elemental, right?”
Her voice was jovial yet calm.
“This was so annoying.”
She wanted to take Yanni down but the large worm was annoying.
As well as the large aura hiding within the worm.
Witira had made up her mind as soon as she heard the cracking sound and felt the aura and the Elemental.
“So I decided to capture this first and then take you down.”
Chhhhh.
The puddle underneath Witira’s feet started to move.
The snow around her started moving as well.
The snow melted.
Chhhhhhh–!
It created a small path.
It was a path made of water.
Witira started walking at the beginning of the path.
The path was headed toward Yanni.
“I guess it's time to take you down now.”
Yanni’s face filled with astonishment while Witira smiled.
Shaaaaaaaaaaa-
The wind was blowing.
Witira nonchalantly commented.
She felt the existence that anybody living in the ocean had to know better than anything else.
"The wind.”
Yes, the wind.
Not just one but-
“The winds are gathering.”
Tasha was at the center of where the winds were gathering.
Tasha thought about what Peterson had said.
‘Is this the time to be educating me? I think you should be more worried about you or your friends?’
Tasha saw that Peterson had a stiff look on his face for the first time and opened her mouth.
“I don't think I need to worry about me or my friends.”
Tasha heard the voice of her Wind Elemental by her ear.
– I brought my friends!
– The guys that came to watch Cale-nim said they will fight with us!
– They said they can’t forgive her!
Shaaaaaaaaaaa-
The desolate Erghe Mountain Range…
There were no beautiful flowers or luscious forests here, but…
This was still a part of nature and, in some aspects, a purely natural environment.
That was why, alongside the snow…
Shaaaaaaaaaaa-
The wind existed.
Basically, there were more Wind Elementals existing in the Erghe Mountain Range than anywhere else.
Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-
A large gust of wind gathered by Tasha’s side.
No, although they were not contracted to her, her friends, the Wind Elementals, were with her.
Tasha was not fighting by herself.
—
Translator's Comments
Pooooower offffff friiiiiiiendship!
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