CHAPTER 115
115. Ominous Blade**

The World Tree was relentless. Without a hint of hesitation or mercy, it devoured Silbaern’s forest, expanding its own territory.
It extended its roots even more greedily than the forest that had craved Akram’s fire. It was enough to be reminded of the black roots in Belen Village that had coveted the Knight of Erosion.
One thing was certain. The life force of the World Tree, also known as the Soulwood, was tougher than any living being he had ever seen.
'It's about time…'
Such an aggressive expansion was bound to meet with equally aggressive resistance.
The expansion had been smooth up to a point, but then it encountered fierce opposition. The number of Dragon Tooth Soldiers doubled, and the toughness of the forest was on another level.
'It's getting damper and darker as we go.'
The closer they got to her, the more moss-covered swamps they saw. The swamps clung stickily to the World Tree’s roots, preventing them from digging through her land any further.
Dozens of Dragon Tooth Soldiers would then swarm the swamp-caked roots, hacking at them repeatedly as if beating a tree.
It was Jinwoo's job to deal with the soldiers, and Kalesian's job to evaporate the clinging swamp.
"Hoo, it's quite tiring with just the two of us."
Once they had come this deep, the fire spirits could no longer operate.
They could barely stand against the Dragon Tooth Soldiers with the World Tree's protection, so they were of little use in a land where even the World Tree struggled.
Leaving them behind, it was ultimately just Jinwoo and Kalesian on the front lines.
A spirit on Akram’s level could have been effective even in this swamp, but he had to protect his own territory.
"Are you alright? A fight could break out at any moment. Will you be able to fight?"
"That's no problem. I anticipated a clash with her and have stored most of my mana."
Kalesian was literally using the bare minimum of his power to clear the swamp. He said he was tired because of the mental strain of controlling such a minuscule amount of power.
'Am I okay?'
Jinwoo was also meticulously checking his own condition.
This place was effectively the heart of enemy territory. Though they were expanding their own land, everything outside that area was hostile ground.
Since they didn't know when the enemy might appear…
KUUUUUUUUUNG!
Just then, an earthquake erupted.
"Kalesian!"
"I know!"
Jinwoo and Kalesian immediately retreated, hiding within the embrace of the World Tree. They had expanded this territory for moments like this, so they had to use it.
In that short time, the ground split, the swamp water shot upwards, and the clouds were torn apart.
A green dragon, scattering the sticky water of the swamp, soared from the lowest land to the highest sky.
The Forest Sea Dragon, Silbaern.
The World Tree was the first to react. The roots it had spread chased after Silbaern, one after another. But with a single flap of the green dragon’s wings, complex gusts of wind sliced all the roots to pieces.
"I've been waiting for you!"
Kalesian unleashed the magic he had prepared. The magic circles he had been tirelessly stacking formed a tower and were released. This was why he had been complaining of fatigue from the simple task of clearing the swamp.
—Futile!
But Silbaern hadn't taken to the skies without a plan. The scales all over her body glinted and shot out beams of light. Thousands of needle-like lights pierced Kalesian’s magic and magic circles, collapsing their structure.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
To dismantle a magic circle with a tiny flaw like a needle meant she had perfectly analyzed it. Even though Kalesian had been rushed in setting them up and each one was imperfect, it was a display of skill rarely seen.
'Dammit. I have no choice but to admit the gap in magical prowess.'
Kalesian’s face contorted. He was an adult dragon, but he was still a young one who hadn't even lived 3,000 years. His opponent, on the other hand, was an ancient dragon who had ascended to the Spirit Realm after over 8,000 years of training. A being who had spent an immeasurable amount of time in this world.
It was natural for there to be a gap between them. He acknowledged that, but it didn't mean he had lost his will to fight.
—Insolent things… Die!
Silbaern took a deep breath. Her chest swelled, and the air sucked in was enough to create a near-vacuum in the area.
But what was more terrifying was the mana that was being drawn in.
"It's a breath attack!"
Kalesian hastily gathered his own breath and fired, but it was useless. His breath, normally a powerful weapon, was nothing more than a small fireball before the current Silbaern.
"We have to dodge!"
"R-Right!"
Even if they dodged, their destination was clear. They couldn't jump into her territory, so the only place to flee was the World Tree’s domain. They had spread the territory for this very purpose, so there was no reason to hesitate.
Jinwoo grabbed Kalesian and delved deeper into the World Tree's territory.
Silbaern's gaze never left them. Worthless insects.
'Rondar, you bastard.'
You woke me up and provoked me for insects like these?
If fury had a color, it would be a deep, crimson red, darker than blood. Perhaps it was his imagination, but the green light of Silbaern's breath seemed to have a red current flowing through it like electricity.
And then, she fired. A beam of light to incinerate the two insects, along with the insolent tree roots.

Devouring even sound, the beam of light shot forward.
The World Tree’s roots intertwined to form a solid dome to protect Jinwoo and Kalesian, but it was useless. The beam tore through the dome as if it were paper, blowing away the very territory they had painstakingly created wherever it touched.
Jinwoo and Kalesian had jumped back as far as they could, hiding their bodies in a pit in the ground. Shattered wood fragments and chunks of stone rained down over their heads like shrapnel from a grenade.
The wind was so strong it felt like it was trying to grab them by the scruff of their necks and forcibly drag them out of their hiding spot. Enduring the immense pressure, the two barely held on.
The scene that was finally revealed was devastating. The territory they had spent days expanding was annihilated in a single moment.
Fortunately, there was still some distance to Akram's territory and the main body of the World Tree, but it looked like nearly a third of it was gone.
By simple calculation, two more blasts like that would wipe out all their land.
And then.
KUGUGUGUGUGU—!
"Crazy! It's the second shot!" Kalesian screamed upon seeing Silbaern preparing her next breath.
The reason they had been steadily expanding the World Tree’s land was to use it in battle.
The enemy's land was prepared by the enemy, so they couldn't fight there. They had a slightly better chance of winning if they fought on their own ground.
But the land they had expanded for over a week was laid to waste in less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea.
The land that Jinwoo, Kalesian, and all the fire spirits had cultivated—the land they had expanded without backing down from endless Dragon Tooth Soldier attacks, swamps, moss, and damp roots—was flattened before Silbaern’s breath.
All their territory was easily blown away, leaving only Akram's fiery domain and the World Tree planted just in front of it.
"This wasn't part of the plan…"
"Akram."
Jinwoo spoke quietly to Akram, who had appeared at some point and was speaking in a daze.
"She's stronger than we thought."
"Haa…"
Akram couldn't say anything.
The original plan was to expand the World Tree's territory and then use that land to counterattack and defeat her, but she was too powerful to be dealt with by such a simple plan.
Instead of blaming Jinwoo and Kalesian, Akram thought of his own death.
"Is this the end…?"
There was no way for him, his territory, or his children who inherited his flame to survive.
Perhaps it had been a predetermined fate from the start. The moment they caught the eye of a dragon, a predator at the apex of all living things, the conclusion was already set.
—RONDAR!! Did you come to grate on my nerves for pathetic worms like these?!
Silbaern was venting her uncontrollable rage at the sky. The insects below were too insignificant to relieve her anger.
'...Rondar?'
Jinwoo reacted to the name. Unless it was someone with the same name, it had to be the Rondar he knew.
It seemed Rondar had appeared in the last few days and provoked her. He didn't know how he said it or what he said, but judging by her anger, he must have really gotten under her skin.
'What a pointless thing to do.'
She was already a tough opponent. Why provoke her?
However, Jinwoo shook his head and sighed.
'Her anger has nothing to do with her strength.'
A human might be able to exert power beyond their limits in a moment of anger. But not a dragon. Their body and mind were one, a balance that extended to their soul.
A momentary burst of emotion or mental energy wouldn't actually make them stronger. It would only change their mindset going into battle.

'This is bad.'
Looking at Silbaern roaring in the sky, Jinwoo broke out in a cold sweat.
Kalesian was the most powerful magic user among them, but even he felt a wall against Silbaern's magic. He didn't say it, but it was obvious from his expression and tone.
Her physical body was also incredibly strong, to the point where it was difficult to even cut her properly without the Nebula Sword.
Even with the Nebula Sword, if the path of the blade was even slightly off, it would be deflected. He couldn't even cut her scales unless he drew a perfect sword path.
Each of her scales had a hardness greater than the Red Cliffs.
'And above all else…'
The breath.
The spear of light, said to be a dragon's greatest weapon.
They had no way to counter it.
"So this is the power of an Ancient… an ancient dragon who has ascended to the Spirit Realm."
Kalesian's words spoke for all of them.
Even Kalesian, who usually responded to any hardship with a nonchalant joke, was now seriously contemplating how to overcome this crisis.
Meanwhile, Silbaern’s mana crackled, covering the surroundings.
Exposed to that mana, the swamp flooded, the damp forest grew, and moss spread. After clearing away the World Tree's territory with her breath, she was replanting her own.
Watching the swamp slowly closing in, Jinwoo tightened his grip on his sword. There was only one option left.
—This is the last one!
Silbaern was charging her third breath for the finishing blow. To think she still had so much power left after firing two shots.
Without even a moment for shock, they had to prepare. There was no running away now. It was one of two things: withstand it, or fail to withstand it and die.
"Dammit!"
Kalesian gritted his teeth and layered dozens of magic circles in front of the group. Would this be enough? He knew it wouldn't, of course, but he couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
"Kuh!"
Akram didn't remain still either. Maintaining his territory was meaningless now. If he didn't pour all his strength into this moment, there would be nothing left to protect.
The fiery territory began to fade as its power gathered in front of the group. The power of the World Tree imbued it, creating a slightly stronger barrier.
The breath was fired at the barrier they had poured everything into, and the whole world was engulfed in light.

In that world of light, Jinwoo stood ready with his sword in hand.
An ominous blade, from which a shadow-like aura dripped.
Two beings were the first to react to it. One was Silbaern, who was firing the breath, and the other was…
The World Tree, which was protecting them.