Chapter 95

At the end of the ruined wasteland (2)

In that brief moment while waiting for Craig's next move, countless possibilities flashed through his mind, and without fail, they all led to a clear point of victory.

Even as he desperately stirred the dark magic in all directions, he greatly increased his mana in an attempt to find a clue for a counterattack.

The gap in that fleeting moment when he took a risk for a comeback.

Rumble!!

Gripping and lifting the mane of mana he had sent downward.

The moment his will was infused into the intangible mana, six streaks of azure lightning shot up, instantly trapping and tightening around Craig.

A unique spell created by mixing manipulation-type mana with lightning magic.

[Six Gates]

Crackle!!!!

“Guh....!!”

As he swung the electric cords to strangle and cut off Craig's air supply, Craig's movements, which had been struggling, quickly subsided.

Only then did Renock exhale a small breath with a pale complexion.

It seemed intense, but it was a victory that was overwhelming.

Despite exchanging over a dozen spells in that split second, the fact that Craig had not landed a single effective hit proved the gap.

In a way, it was inevitable.

No matter how experienced a black mage Craig was, Renock's talent and combat experience had begun to transcend the value of time.

It wasn't just about countering the attacks of the opponent in front of him.

It was a combat style aimed at grasping what he wanted at a more fundamental level. Renock's ability to control magic had already surpassed a certain level and reached the realm of art.

Especially when facing another mage, he could hardly imagine himself losing.

As a mage, his perfected talent had already taken him beyond the realm of merely a high-powered artillery.

Even more so because Craig was an excellent necromancer, Renock had prepared a countermeasure, but since Craig didn't use necromancy, the outcome was already decided.

The two mages met each other's gaze amidst the devastated landscape.

Is this enough?

While contacting the operation team, Renock said to Craig.

“I have a question.”

The reason for using a powerful unique spell and pushing for victory at a fast pace was not for any other reason.

Craig must not be killed right now.

There were many pieces of information that needed to come from his mouth.

He could start by asking about the slush fund in Rayson, but... that wasn't the purpose of Renock's arrival here.

More important than Balkan's safety, there was something else he valued.

Taking out the artifact ring he received from Raul, Renock held it in front of the groaning Craig.

Rumble...!

By infusing the ring with the appropriate wavelength of mana through a transformation, a massive tree shape rose above the ring.

Holding this shape in front of Craig, who had the same tattoo under his eye, Renock asked.

“The symbol of this tree. The tattoo under your eye. I heard it's related to a mage family. Tell me everything you know.”

“This is...”

Craig, who had slightly widened his eyes at the ring, tightly closed his mouth.

After staring at it for a long time, he finally let out an unnatural laugh.

“Hahaha...!! I never thought you would bring this ring. Did you get it from that old man Raul? Well, that old man probably didn't know the true meaning of this symbol.”

“...”

Even as six strands of lightning seared his skin, Craig's face turned eerily calm the moment he saw the symbol.

An impossible reaction for a human.

Only then did Renock realize the emotion he saw beyond Craig's eyes.

It wasn't a belief that could sacrifice even one's life for a goal.

It was closer to a madness that saw nothing but what it desired.

“I thought I could only offer death to the ignorant, but this changes things.”

“What?”

While asking, Craig looked up at the wasteland with a dazed gaze and continued.

“After the lighthouse keeper of Philen fell into eternal sleep, the 'observation' ended. His successor is preparing diligently to take over, but the boundary between the outer sea and the land has already blurred, and the apocalypses that the ascended feared are drawing near.”

“A lighthouse keeper?”

Wasn't that another name for the ascended known as the 'Heavenly Seer'?

While Renock hesitated at the sudden mention of the name, Craig continued.

“Because of this, borrowing the power of the approaching apocalypse is no longer difficult. Diviners who predict the fate of the heavens and ritualists who conduct sacrificial rites are already aware of this and are warning of the danger around them.”

Craig looked at the tree shape floating above the ring with a rapturous expression.

His gaze seemed to have lost all reason.

Only then did Renock realize why Craig had charged at him so recklessly and without any protection.

Craig was a practical black mage, and an expert in necromancy.

So, what did it mean that he didn't use necromancy during the battle with Renock?

He didn't refrain from using necromancy.

He had already been using it.

The ritual had started long ago.

“The tree you're holding is the symbol of the 'Tree of Extinction' Acrortinia, which devoured a civilization and reached the sky...!!! And the god descending here is a fragment of that great apocalypse!!!”

Boom!!!!

In the area of the wasteland where darkness had settled.

In that alien space, as if the fabric of space-time had shattered, the illusion of a massive tree appeared.

It seemed to have been there all along, an alien yet natural presence.

With roots that writhed like they were stained with blood, it bent its branches as if looking down.

The overwhelming presence of the illusion alone was enough to gauge its power.

Only then did Renock realize.

The 'artificial domain' Craig spoke of was a stage created solely to summon this fragment of the apocalypse.

Rumble!!

The overwhelming presence and pressure of a force that was only a trace and not a physical entity filled the air, constricting Renock's breath.

Snap.

And then, the silence.

The magic circle spun wildly, absorbing the tree illusion.

It then planted the immense presence it had absorbed into the space below Craig's feet.

Crackle!!!!

The alien reddish-brown mana surged through the blood-soaked air of the wasteland.

At the same time, a sprout that had grown through the solid wasteland floor rapidly swelled and transformed into a sapling.

[Aaaaah!!!!]

It didn't stop, as if pouring out all the mana it had absorbed.

Creak!!!

An indescribable, bizarre noise. If the sound of a tree growing were played back a thousand times faster, it might sound like this.

Crack!!

The sight of a sapling growing through a solid iron plate was bizarre in itself.

The scene of leaves forming on the branches indirectly showed how powerful the sapling he had summoned was.

“Fragment of the apocalypse, you said?”

Renock muttered.

“You were only planning to activate the necromancy from the start.”

“...”

There was no answer. Only the bitter smile of a man confident in his success.

Renock stopped paying attention to Craig and carefully observed the endlessly growing sapling.

‘Tree of Extinction... What a grand name.’

While he couldn't understand everything Craig said, he understood the intent behind it.

The lighthouse keeper of Philen, the Heavenly Seer Madrea Falcius, was a sentinel who observed the monsters of the outer sea and guarded against their crossing into this world.

With her death, the boundary has blurred, allowing others to more easily contact the monsters called 'apocalypses.'

It's not surprising.

Considering that this world is the background of the WORLD 3.0 he once enjoyed, it makes even more sense.

Whether this is the real world or not, if it's a world where players can enter—

Isn't it reasonable that there would be an adversary?

Even if that adversary is a monstrous giant tree rather than a human.

Perhaps everything was predetermined from the start.

The death of the Heavenly Seer. The inspection by the city government. The resistance of the black mages. Craig's appearance.

The existence of true monsters crossing the outer sea.

Was he unknowingly flowing along a predetermined future?

Where is the fate of this world heading?

[The first is chance, the second is inevitability, the third is destiny.]

The only words he remembered from the day he launched WORLD 3.0—how far were they binding him?

With a heavy heart, he cast his gaze far away.

But now is not the time to dwell on such musings.

‘Mana...’

Like a withered tree root absorbing water, Craig's corpse, now transformed into a sapling, greedily began to absorb the surrounding mana.

Not only was it absorbing the unowned power floating around, but it was also disrupting the foundation of Renock's shield magic and stealing its mana.

“...”

Even without the reddish-brown roots directly touching him, the sapling was trying to invade Renock's core mana.

Frustration welled up, and his concentration sharply increased.

Renock's ability to control mana, which had transcended the limits of talent, was not weak enough to be swayed by such interference.

Regaining control of his mana in an instant, Renock took a step forward and waved his hand.

A powerful mana absorption that could even interfere with Renock's mana control.

The immense suction force shattered the walls of the wasteland and collapsed the rugged ceiling of the quarry.

Boom!!

The ceiling of the wasteland completely collapsed, and something tumbled out from inside.

“If the floor collapses...!!”

“Bang!!”

Chen, Hina, and the other freelancers, including