Chapter 427: World Tree's Prophecy

The party members stared anxiously at the white light flowing out from Iris.

[Savior.]

Soon after, Iris's consciousness faded and Elune took its place. Elune slowly turned to Kang-Woo, her expression filled with trust and expectation.

"How is the World tree?" Kang-Woo asked cautiously.

The World Tree was the only way for them to find the Demon God's heart. Their plan would be irreparable if the Word Tree were not revived.

[It has yet to regain its full strength, but it is getting better,] Elune answered with a faint smile.

The party members expressed relief.

"In that case..."

[Yes.] Elune nodded. [I can locate the Demon God's heart.]

"Phew," Cha Yeon-Joo sighed in relief.

"What a relief," Layla remarked as she looked at Kang-Woo.

Kang-Woo asked in a low tone, "Where is the Demon God's heart?"

[Please give me a moment.]

Elune closed her eyes and brought her hands together. Bright green light particles floated around her; an inexplicably warm and comfortable energy filled the room.

[O great Titan Yggdrasil,] Elune prayed, her voice echoing. The green light filling the room shone even more brightly as she prayed. [Light up the path of the Savior.]

Whoooom—!

The light particles around Elune swirled aggressively. Kang-Woo squinted due to the blinding light. Just then...

[Ah.] Elune's eyes widened and she trembled in pallor. [A-Aaaahh.]

'What with her all of a sudden?' Kang-Woo frowned as he stared at the pale-faced Elune. 'Is it because of me again?'

Elune looked exactly like when she had foreseen Kang-Woo and Kim Si-Hun's futures. Kang-Woo frowned, thinking that it was because of him again.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

[P-prophecy...]

"Prophecy?"

[I have received... a new prophecy,] Elune stammered as she looked up blankly at thin air.

"What prophecy?" Kang-Woo asked.

Silence fell. The light disappeared from Elune's eyes like a machine that lost power. She then began to speak, [The black sun will burn the sky, and the Triad will meet its end on the day that the Demonic Sea floods.]

Kang-Woo sighed as if he had expected it after hearing Elune's prophecy.

'It's fucking me again.'

He had no idea what the black sun was, but he was sure that the flooding of the Demonic Sea was referring to himself. He bit his lip as if he was tired of it now.

'What the fuck? I don't give a flying fuck about ending worlds. Just leave me the fuck alone. Why is everyone trying so hard to kill me?'

Kang-Woo grabbed the back of his head but the rage-induced headache only lasted for a moment. He took a deep breath and calmed down.

'I doubt it's a baseless prophecy.'

If that was the case, Elune would not be so panicked. There were likely differences in terms of specific details, but it would most likely occur in the future.

'What is gonna happen?'

Kang-Woo had no clue. The prophecy was so vague that he did not even know the general time frame of the foretold event. He lacked far too much information to guess what the prophecy was warning them about.

"What the hell does that even mean?" Yeon-Joo asked as she tilted her head in confusion.

[I am not sure either.] Elune shook her head with a hardened expression. [But... I am sure that the Triad will be in grave danger soon.]

Deathly silence fell.

Si-Hun lowered his head with a darkened expression and said, "Even after all that we've done... Nothing has changed?"

They had killed one of the Four Heavenly Kings and revived the World Tree, but the future did not change at all.

"We already expected this, didn't we?" Kang-Woo laughed brightly to uplift the somber mood.

He could not tell exactly what the prophecy was trying to say, but he did not need to worry as long as the prophecy was directed at him.

'Why the hell would I end the world?'

There were so many things that he had not been able to do yet. He would be crazy to end the world when he was trying to enjoy his life after suffering in Hell for ten millennia.

'Moreover...'

This was not the time to focus on a pointless prophecy.

"Where is the Demon God's heart located?" he asked.

[Oh, I-I apologize. I forgot the most important part,] Elune continued with a reddened face, [The Demon God's heart is...]

She closed her eyes and light particles poured out from her again. She slowly opened her eyes and looked in a certain direction.

[May I borrow a map?]

"Yes."

Kang-Woo took out a map as if having expected this situation. Elune pointed at a certain area on the map.

"Huh? This place..." Yeon-Joo's eyes widened after seeing the area that Elune pointed at on the map.

Kang-Woo barely managed to hold in his curses as he stared at where Elune pointed.

"Where we first arrived in Aernor..." Yeon-Joo feigned laughter.

Elune was pointing at the Nightmare Forest, the forbidden region where Kang-Woo and his party members ended up when they crossed from Earth to Aernor.

"So we've been pointless going around the world this entire time?" Yeon-Joo remarked as if having a hard time suppressing her frustration.

Kang-Woo sighed deeply. Their objective had been right under their noses this entire time. It felt as if he had been hit hard on the back of his head.

"Well, we weren't able to find it in the first place," Kang-Woo remarked.

Kang-Woo did not slack off on searching just because that had been where they had first landed; rather, he had searched every nook and cranny of the Nightmare Forest, more thoroughly than anywhere else, with the Authority of the Beholder. If he had not been able to detect the Demon God's heart despite that, it meant that...

'Either it's hidden so thoroughly that not even an Authority can detect it, or...'

The Demon God's heart could have been moved to that location after they had left.

"In any case, now that we've found where it is, there's no need to dilly-dally."

Kang-Woo stood up. Their ultimate objective for coming to Aernor was finally in view; there was no reason or need to hesitate.

"Yes, hyung-nim."

"We're ready to depart at any time."

Si-Hun and Layla also stood up. Kang-Woo nodded.

[May the light be with you, savior.] Elune brought her hands together and bowed. [Cough!]

She then coughed up blood all of a sudden.

"L-Lady Elune?!" Layla quickly ran up to her in surprise.

Elune smiled faintly as if saying not to worry. [I'm... alright. Cough!]

Unlike what she was saying, the green light was flowing out from her body and dissipating in the air.

'She's...' Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes. 'Being restricted.'

Those born with Deific Essence were restricted as per the Law of Titans when they used their power in the physical world. Based on Elune's condition, she seemed to have risked the annihilation of her Deific Essence to find the Demon God's heart.

[Please... Please save... this world.]

The light flowing out of her grew fainter. Elune reached her hand toward Kang-Woo, which he grabbed and smiled.

"I swear it in my Deific Essence of Splendor. I will save this world from demise... no matter what."

[Ah...]

Elune's eyes shook. She lowered her head as tears flowed down her cheeks. The green light completely disappeared soon after.

"Sir... Kang-Woo."

Iris, who had regained her consciousness, staggered toward Kang-Woo.

"Get some rest," Kang-Woo remarked.

"You'll come back... right?"

Kang-Woo did not answer and lightly patted her head. Iris passed out.

"Hup." He lifted her and laid her on the bed. He then turned to his party members. "Right then, let's go."

***

"It feels like a while since we've been here," Kang-Woo remarked as he looked around after arriving in the Nightmare Forest.

It had not even been half a year since they came to Aernor, but it felt like it had been far longer than that.

"A lot has happened since then, after all," Si-Hun responded as he nodded.

"Well, then." Kang-Woo floated into the air using an Authority to commence the investigation. "... Hm?"

Just then, he felt something strange. He frowned and looked around the Nightmare Forest.

"What is wrong, my king?" Balrog asked.

"Something's off."

"What do you mean?"

"You know, you and Si-Hun pretty much destroyed half the forest back then."

"Ah." Balrog coughed, having recalled his embarrassing actions. "I remember, but... what about it?"

"There are no traces of it."

Kang-Woo came back down and placed his hand on the ground. He searched the area using the Authority of the Beholder, but he could not sense any traces of the forest being destroyed.

"That is strange indeed. There is no way traces of that idiot's rampage would disappear in just a few months," Lilith remarked as she walked over.

"Could it be because of those Maokai? You know, those moving tree monsters," Yeon-Joo asked.

Kang-Woo shook his head. "No. Even if that's the case, seeing no traces of the destruction whatsoever is abnormal."

The moment they arrived at the Nightmare Forest, Kang-Woo felt a sense of incongruence that he had not felt when the party had arrived on Aernor for the first time. The entire area felt hot and stuffy like the summer air after rain.

'It feels like... we've arrived in another world.'

"Umm... Kang-Woo," Han Seol-Ah called.

"Yeah?"

"Come take a look at this."

She extended her hand toward Kang-Woo, showing him what was in her hands. Kang-Woo's face hardened.

"This is..."

"You mentioned it before, didn't you? That there was sand like this where you came from... in Hell."

Seol-Ah had red sand, dirt containing demonic energy that could not sustain any life whatsoever, in her hands. Such dirt could only be found in the Nine Hells.

"Where did you find this?" Kang-Woo asked.

"Over there... in that tree." Seol-Ah pointed at a tree with its bark stripped off.

Kang-Woo walked up to the tree and touched it.

Pour.

"What the..."

The entire tree turned into red sand and collapsed.

'Wait, could this be...'

Kang-Woo's expression hardened as the worst-case scenario popped up in his head. Kang-Woo lightly swung his arm at the trees around him and shot light particles about the size of a fingertip. And then...

"Fuck..."

The trees burst as soon as the light particle struck them and scattered on the ground as red sand.

"The hell? Why did the trees become sand all of a sudden?" Yeon-Joo tilted her head in confusion.

Kang-Woo bit his lip and answered, "They didn't become sand."

"Then what?" Yeon-Joo asked.

Kang-Woo bent down, stuck his hand into the ground, and dug out about a fistful of dirt.

"This entire forest... has been corroded by the Nine Hells."

Under the dirt was sand as red as blood.

***

A being was blown away past the trees in a desolate forest where no life could be felt.

Boom!

He was smashed into the ground, creating a massive dust cloud made up of red sand.

"Kurgh, cough!"

The being that pathetically tumbled across the ground grunted in pain as he clenched the ground.

Step, step.

A boy with blank eyes walked toward the being.

"What's wrong, Lucifer?" The boy with blank eyes exuded chilling bloodlust as the corners of his mouth split open. "I thought you'd give me a warm welcome."

The boy giggled as he looked down at the collapsed Lucifer.