Chapter 56: The Trail of Ash

Queen of the Liri Tribe, Erilia.

Wherever she stayed, the forest’s vitality overflowed.

It was because of the authority she possessed.

Flash!

The moment her hand touched them, the vines that had wrapped the area like a fence began to grow larger and thicker, pushing far beyond their natural limits.

This was her power.

<Dawn of Life>.

A power that unlocked the latent potential of plants, drove evolution beyond limits, maximized vitality, and allowed life to resonate.

“Mm.”

Having just used <Dawn of Life> on a single vine, she staggered, clutching her head.

“Your Majesty!”

“Are you all right?”

The Liri who followed her rushed forward in alarm and supported her.

“I’m fine.”

She struggled to straighten herself.

The faces of the Liri holding her were filled with worry.

“Your Majesty, please do not push yourself so hard.”

“At this rate, something truly terrible will happen.”

Erilia answered their concern with a gentle smile.

That smile looked painfully fragile.

‘I know. But….’

Kaaaah….

Screeeech….

Ferocious shrieks echoed from beyond the fence.

They were the cries of gigantic mantises that had surrounded the Liri Queen’s residence and sacred sanctuary.

If she did not reinforce the outer walls whenever she found a moment, the defenses here would soon collapse.

“Everyone has suffered so much because of me.”

“N-no!”

“Please don’t say that!”

“We have never once thought this situation was your fault, Your Majesty.”

As she looked at the Liri telling her everything was fine, a mix of emotions welled up in Erilia’s chest.

Gratitude, guilt, pity.

At the same time, their devotion toward her made her heart burn warmly.

“Let’s endure until the very end, doing our absolute best.”

“Yes.”

“Of course.”

“We will live or die with you, Your Majesty.”

Feeling deep gratitude once more for their loyalty, Erilia turned her head toward the outer perimeter where the savage cries echoed.

‘The people outside… what has become of them?’

Focused only on avoiding the beasts coming after her, she had been unable to look after the other Liri people.

She had not seen it with her own eyes, but it was almost certainly one of two outcomes.

Dead, or enslaved.

After all, the reason they were so relentlessly hunting her and the Liri was because of her authority of <Dawn of Life> and the power to create the <Essence of the Forest>.

‘I’m sorry. Everyone. Truly.’

As she thought of the people who would be suffering outside,

a single clear tear fell from her eyes.

Bzzzzing!

The barrier opened, revealing a Liri village.

“Ah….”

“O, our savior….”

Countless Liri bowed deeply toward Arkeron in gratitude.

『Keron. Is the Queen of the Liri not here?』

“Y-you’ve come looking for the Queen…?”

A young man who seemed to be the village’s representative asked cautiously, his face pale with fear.

He looked worried that Arkeron might be a pursuer after their Queen.

『I am searching for her to secure her safety at the request of Lucien and Raylin.』

“Ah! Raylin!”

Raylin.

The representative of the second Liri tribe Arkeron had saved.

The young man clearly knew who Raylin was.

“She… sent support.”

At the mention of Raylin’s name, his face brightened.

“My name is Lucario. The Queen is not here, but I know where she is.”

At the words of the Liri youth named Lucario, Arkeron’s eyes flashed.

『Keron. Where is that place?』

“From here, to the southeast….”

As Lucario continued his explanation,

Arkeron missed not a single detail, forming coordinates and inputting them into his mind.

『Keron. I will definitely rescue your Queen. And if you wish to relocate to Elatrium, say so now.』

“Elatrium… where is that?”

When Arkeron explained what Elatrium was, Lucario’s eyes widened dramatically.

“S-so such a place really exists?”

『It does.』

“Then the Queen… she will come there as well, won’t she?”

『I will make sure of it.』

“I-in that case, please take us as well.”

At those words, Arkeron summoned the shadow wolves.

This group of Liri was quite large.

More than one hundred fifty individuals.

Because of that, the shadow wolves began moving with them packed tightly on their backs.

『Keron. If you encounter any aberrant life-forms during transit, do not even think of fighting them. Run immediately.』

He was thinking of the gigantic wolf spiders they had encountered earlier.

“Awooooo—!”

“Awooo!”

The shadow wolves let out long howls as if to say there was no need to worry.

Their essence was shadow.

No one could grasp a shadow.

Their pride lay in evasive maneuvering.

In that regard, they possessed overwhelming ability that no one could match.

『Keron. I’m counting on you.』

With those words, the shadow wolves began to move.

Flash!

They ran like ghosts.

Seeing them, it seemed unlikely that even if the giant wolf spiders noticed them, they would be able to give chase.

Unless it was a powerhouse on the level of Karamax, it would be difficult for anyone to catch their trail.

『Keron. I am moving to the Queen’s location.』

With that, Arkeron immediately set off.

Kuuuuu—!

Flames burst from the thrusters on Arkeron’s back.

Shwaaaaaash—!

Like a beam of light, Arkeron cut through the forest.

In an instant, he reached the coordinates Lucario had given him.

『Keron. Multiple enemies detected.』

In the next moment, countless presences were captured by the detection net.

Their numbers exceeded the thousands, an overwhelming scale.

Arkeron instinctively knew that the Queen of the Liri was there.

Kwoooooah!

His thrusters roared with intense flames as he accelerated even further.

A short while earlier.

“…!”

Belgram, watching the outer wall of the Liri sanctuary collapse, frowned deeply.

‘Zalares?’

She called the name of her mate in her mind.

But no answer came.

Belgram was a dark mantis. Her mate, Zalares, was a male mantis.

The two had formed a binding pact, and Belgram had accepted Zalares’s governing essence into her body.

Through this, she shared a deep connection that allowed her to sense whether he was alive or dead.

But now, that connection was only cold and silent.

‘….’

Belgram narrowed her eyes slightly.

There were very few beings here capable of threatening Zalares.

But if there was one—

the magic golem that had supposedly struck Lord Karamax unexpectedly was the only possibility.

‘…He was taken down by that thing.’

Zalares had not listened to her.

She had clearly told him not to act recklessly and to report back to her if he found the magic golem.

Then why?

Why had he disobeyed that order?

Many thoughts flashed through her mind.

It was probably ambition.

Zalares had always harbored a small inferiority complex about being ranked below her.

That inferiority must have led to this reckless action.

‘…Tch. Foolish.’

Her first thought was how pathetic he was.

Though they had formed a pact and she had accepted his essence, it had only been a duty to leave behind offspring.

There had never been any genuine affection.

‘…Even so.’

Even if it was only in name, Zalares was her mate.

The resolve to personally exact revenge for her mate ignited her heart.

Ghostly flames flared in Belgram’s eyes.

‘I will wait here.’

If Zalares had encountered the magic golem, then that golem would likely come here before long.

“Everyone, halt.”

“Chrrt?”

“Chrrrt.”

At her command, the giant mantises that had been smashing the outer wall of the Liri sanctuary stopped and turned, confusion on their faces.

“What is the matter?”

Two division commanders who had been focused on breaking the wall approached Belgram.

They were Rekar, Commander of the First Division, and Kalomir, Commander of the Third Division of the Mantis Legion.

“He will be coming soon. Prepare to receive him.”

Belgram issued the order in a colder, calmer voice than ever before.

Crunch.

The sweet aroma of shine muscat grapes spread through my mouth.

“Wow, that really looks like where the Liri Queen would be.”

I muttered as I looked at the sanctuary, densely wrapped like a fortress in thick vines.

At a glance, the atmosphere was anything but ordinary.

My sharp intuition was strongly whispering to me that the Queen of the Liri was there.

“Mm, mm. Yes. Indeed. It does seem like a place befitting the Liri Queen.”

Azkai replied while slowly chewing on a frozen fruit.

“Right? You think so too?”

“Mm, mm. Yes. Mm. Places like that are… mm, mm. Sorry. I’ll speak after I finish eating.”

“It’s fine. Enjoy.”

That Azkai.

After trying one frozen fruit, it seemed to suit his taste.

He and Dania were constantly grabbing more and eating without pause.

Azkai looked more focused on eating than on Arkeron searching for the Liri Queen.

‘He’s at that age, I guess.’

Maybe because of his youthful appearance.

Watching him enthusiastically eat, he looked oddly endearing to me.

“Mm, mm. Huh?”

Beside us, Bellerin, who had been eating handfuls of shine muscat grapes, suddenly cried out in surprise.

At her exclamation, everyone turned their gaze to the scouting screen.

“…!”

And like her, everyone could only stare in shock.

『Keron. Large-scale enemy detected.』

As if they had been waiting for Arkeron, a massive wave of giant mantises revealed themselves before him.

Their number far exceeded the hundreds and seemed to reach into the thousands.

Among them, the most striking were three mantis warriors standing at the very front.

Their oppressive presence made it immediately clear that they were commanders leading the swarm.

Belgram
Deputy Commander of the Mantis Legion
Lv 335

Rekar
Commander of the First Division, Mantis Legion
Lv 279

Kalomir
Commander of the Third Division, Mantis Legion
Lv 260

‘This is insane.’

I screamed internally.

Every one of them was a formidable enemy boasting tremendous levels.

A deputy commander and division commanders.

There were two on the level of Zalares we had fought earlier, and although they were lower level than Karamax, there was even a deputy commander exceeding level three hundred.

“Isn’t this really dangerous?”

I asked anxiously.

But Bellerin beside me replied in an unexpectedly calm tone.

“It’ll be fine! Arkeron can now operate Combat Stance Level five!”

Just what kind of thing was Combat Stance Level five, for both Arkeron and Bellerin to be this confident?

Honestly, even if it powered up one or two stages beyond Combat Stance Level four, it did not feel like it would be enough to overturn that overwhelming difference in force.

More than simply wanting Arkeron to win, I did not want to see him get hurt anymore, which was why I was so worried.

『Keron. Commencing combat.』

Kirrk.

Click.

Arkeron’s cannons locked directly onto the enemies.

He was still maintaining the previously activated Combat Stance Level four.

『Preparing bombardment.』

The red glow flowing from Arkeron’s eyes shifted into a violet hue.

Flash—!

Kwooooo—!!

Violet flames erupted explosively from the cannons.

Kwagagagagagaga—

Kwooooom!!

The straight-line violet laser beam raged forward with overwhelming intensity, as if it would erase everything in its path.

“…!”

“Insane…!”

The two division commanders clearly recognized the power contained in that beam.

They froze in place, faces pale with shock.

If it brushed past them as it was, they would be dealt with as easily as Zalares had been.

However.

Snap—!

Kwoooooom—!

The laser beam flying straight suddenly changed trajectory and was deflected into the sky.

Belgram.

The deputy commander herself had reached out and deflected the bombardment.

“So that is what killed him. At least it seems he went without pain.”

Belgram, who had been standing blankly, muttered words no one could understand.

Watching her, Arkeron was certain.

With Combat Stance Level four, he was no match for Belgram.

So without hesitation, he decided to activate Combat Stance Level five.

『Keron.』

『Combat Stance Level five activated.』

『Entering Transcendent Combat Mode.』

Kwooooooah!!

At that moment, Arkeron’s energy core fully awakened, surging with energy that felt ready to burst.

Brilliant white light and deep violet energy erupted explosively, making even the surrounding air tremble.

Arkeron’s body now radiated an oppressive force incomparable to before.

North, the Shining Canyon.

There, thousands of centipedes moved in perfect unison, scouring every corner of the canyon.

“Kiiiiiik!”

A sharp cry rang out among them, and the swarm came to a halt.

What they had discovered was a dazzlingly radiant barrier.

The moment she saw it, Karsera swiftly stepped forward.

“This is the place.”

Karsera’s eyes flashed sharply.

Beyond the shining barrier lay a dragon’s lair.

She was certain. What remained was to find the entrance to this barrier.

According to Ferincia, to find the entrance, one first had to locate the Gate of Life.

Normally, they would dismantle and analyze the barrier to trace the location of that gate.

But there was no time for that now.

Karsera made her decision.

“Analysis is a luxury. Now is the time to use our strengths.”

“Kiiiiiik!”

At her command, one centipede wriggled toward the barrier.

The barrier of light was filled with immense luminous energy across its surface.

Everywhere except for the single point known as the Gate of Life was a Gate of Death.

If one touched a Gate of Death carelessly—

Flash!

Szzzzzz—!

The centipede’s body instantly turned to ash and scattered beneath the barrier.

That was how powerful the light energy of the barrier was, merciless enough to annihilate everything with a single touch.

“Not here. Next.”

“Kiiiiiik!”

Another centipede crawled toward the barrier.

Flash!

Szzzzz—!

Without furrowing her brow even slightly, Karsera issued her cold command.

“Next.”

Flash!

Szzzzzz—!

“Next.”

The monotonous act repeated countless times.

The centipedes sacrificed themselves, throwing their bodies forward to find the Gate of Life.

In the process, the number of giant centipedes decreased at a staggering rate,

but in exchange, the positions of the Gates of Death on the barrier were rapidly identified one by one.

And finally, at the point when thousands of centipedes had been incinerated—

“Kiiiiiik!”

One centipede cried out and stopped before the barrier.

‘Found it. The Gate of Life.’

Karsera’s eyes gleamed.

However, finding the Gate of Life did not mean they could immediately enter beyond the barrier.

Beyond it lay paths tangled like an even more complex maze.

To follow those paths, it was impossible to imagine how many more sacrifices would be required.

Even so, Karsera did not hesitate.

They knew their strength: overwhelming numbers.

They would force a path open with sheer volume, accepting countless sacrifices to reach the barrier’s core.

“Move faster. The barrier must not close before we arrive.”

At Karsera’s command, the centipedes once again began moving in perfect unison.

“All of you, in order—”

Just as Karsera was about to issue further synchronized instructions to the remaining centipedes,

Hooooooo—.

A fierce wave of scorching heat began to swirl down from above.

Startled by the alien energy, she looked up.

And there, she saw it.

A solid yet elegant physique, a body like armor made of crystalline facets.

A being hovering proudly in the sky, radiating a mysterious and overwhelming presence as it reflected the light.

“Why are you… here…?”

The moment she recognized the being, Karsera let out a groan-like sigh.

That being was—

one of the highest-ranking entities under the Outer God sleeping here.

The Crystal Adjudicator, Kalishion.

Kalishion’s eyes looked down coldly.

From that gaze alone, his presence spread oppressively, like the very energy enveloping the barrier itself.