webnovel Chapter 636
Chapter 636
Chapter 636
“What do you mean spirits? Where in the world did they come from?”
Jin Geum-ho muttered with an expression of disbelief.
Jin Geum-ho was skilled at hiding his emotions, but right now he simply could not do so.
What was happening before his eyes had far exceeded all expectations.
Even his Heavenly Eye had failed to foresee that something like this would happen.
“So they came from a place my Heavenly Eye cannot reach.”
The Heavenly Eye was not omnipotent.
Naturally, there were times when it could fail to see the flow.
But the fact that he had failed to perceive the appearance of such an important variable—something capable of becoming a turning point for the world itself—was hard to believe.
For that to be possible, something even more powerful than his Heavenly Eye would have had to be protecting the spirits.
At that moment, one of the elves inside the Steel Fortress muttered,
“Did they perhaps receive the blessing of the World Tree? To think that so many spirits were born.”
It was a careless remark, but it gave Jin Geum-ho a great realization.
‘Right! If it’s the World Tree, then it’s possible. If I think of the Primordial Forest being so lush because of the World Tree’s influence, it makes sense.’
Most of the people living in Neo Seoul knew nothing about the World Tree.
Except for the other races living in the North District, they had neither interest in it nor had they ever even imagined such a thing could exist.
But Jin Geum-ho was different.
Through the portal, he had already confirmed the existence of the Primordial Forest.
That was why he understood better than anyone that the World Tree could truly exist.
‘Besides, those elves definitely have a different aura.’
Jin Geum-ho’s gaze fixed on Latrisha, who stood beside Brielle.
An untouchably noble atmosphere flowed from Latrisha, the High Elf.
Because of that, even the elves inside the Steel Fortress could not easily approach her.
“She’s a High Elf, right?”
“To think that so many High Elves survived.”
Elves among elves.
Or the elves who lead the elves.
That was what High Elves were called.
In Kurayan, the status of High Elves had been absolute.
Though their numbers were far fewer than ordinary elves, the movements of all elves could change depending on the decisions they made.
“There are Dark Elves there too.”
“To see High Elves and Dark Elves together… I can’t believe it.”
Unlike High Elves, Dark Elves had been heavily ostracized.
Not simply because of their skin color, but because even their nature itself was dark.
That was why in Kurayan, High Elves and Dark Elves had almost never coexisted together.
Which was why the elves in the Steel Fortress were so shocked upon seeing High Elves and Dark Elves together.
Moreover, both groups of elves were controlling spirits.
To the elves, the entire sight naturally looked miraculous.
“So the World Tree domain where the High Elves live must have been the final location where Zeon installed a portal.”
Having grasped the situation, Jin Geum-ho nodded.
Soon after, he called Seo Tae-ran over and gave an order.
“Tae-ran! Do not let anyone approach them.”
“Understood.”
“A new era has arrived. We must protect them at all costs.”
“Please do not worry.”
Seo Tae-ran moved immediately.
She called Seong Ho-yeon and Elder Go over and had them protect the elves controlling the spirits.
Overwhelmed by the pressure radiating from the two, neither the humans nor the elves dared approach the High Elves.
Latrisha expressed her thanks to Jin Geum-ho and Seo Tae-ran with a nod. But only that much.
That was the extent of the attention she could spare for the outside world.
Right now, she needed to focus on the spirits.
Latrisha, Floa, and the others concentrated all their senses on the condition of the spirits they had contracted with.
The spirits contracted to them were approaching Del Roa together with Gaia and Lili.
Kwakwakwa!
The closer they got to Del Roa, the stronger the destructive energy became.
The destructive force tried to push the spirits away and tear them apart.
The weaker spirits were driven backward.
—Ppiiiiii!
Gaia spoke to those spirits.
Hide behind him.
Many spirits gathered around Gaia.
They hid behind him, climbed onto his back, and concealed themselves beneath his belly.
Carrying so many spirits with him, Gaia steadily advanced forward.
No matter how enormous Gaia was, breaking through this destructive energy was still overwhelming.
At a distance of one hundred meters from Del Roa, his body could no longer move at all.
A hundred meters was barely even the length of Gaia’s body. Under normal circumstances, it was a distance he could cover with a single flick of his fin.
Yet even with such a short distance remaining, his body would not move.
At that moment—
Lili and Yuri suddenly began sending power into Gaia. Seeing this, the other spirits also lent their strength to him.
In a way, it looked as though Gaia had become one body with the other spirits.
Thus united, Gaia and the spirits finally cut through the destructive energy and reached Del Roa.
Del Roa had long since lost consciousness.
Instead, the remnants of the Spirit Kings controlling his body were releasing power wildly.
—Ppiiiiii!
Gaia told the remnants of the Spirit Kings to calm down. But the remnants paid no attention and instead released even fiercer destructive energy.
Kwakwakwa!
—Ppii!
Gaia let out a painful groan.
Countless deep wounds had been carved into Gaia’s head and body.
Only because it was Gaia had he managed to endure it; an ordinary spirit would already have been annihilated.
The spirits also endured the destructive energy by becoming one with Gaia.
Lili, standing atop Gaia’s head, spoke.
—We have to approach their consciousness.
—Let’s all gather our strength.
Yuri and the spirits answered as they concentrated their power.
With their help, Gaia finally managed to press his head against the body of the rampaging Del Roa.
The moment their bodies connected, the consciousness of Gaia and the spirits was sucked into the remnants of the Spirit Kings.
—Ppi!
—Ah!
—How pitiful!
What the spirits saw was a completely destroyed world.
A ruined world devoid of even the slightest trace of life.
Instinctively, the spirits realized that the scene they were witnessing was the final 모습 of Kurayan.
It was a sight the humans and other races who had crossed over to Earth had never seen.
Because it was what happened after they had all left.
Humans and the other races had crossed into another world in search of survival, but the spirits could not do the same.
They belonged to the world called Kurayan and thus could not escape its laws.
The same was true for the Spirit Kings.
They were the very embodiment of the world called Kurayan, and thus they could not escape those laws even more so.
Even so, for the sake of the other world that humans and the races were crossing into, they tore off pieces of themselves and sealed them within Critus.
Hoping that those fragments of themselves would help them.
The problem was that they had never expected those remnants to go mad after colliding with Earth’s laws.
Already incomplete to begin with, the remnants of the Spirit Kings became even more corrupted as they were eroded by Del Roa’s desires.
What the spirits were seeing now was the final 모습 of Kurayan remaining within the Spirit Kings’ memories.
The sight of everything disappearing just before complete destruction.
It was a scene none of those who had crossed from Kurayan to Earth had witnessed.
Jjeojeojeok!
The earth split apart.
Not merely an earthquake—rather, the planet itself was tearing open.
The atmosphere scattered away, while trees and grass burned in flames.
Amid it all, the Spirit Kings screamed in despair.
They saw the gods dying.
And thus their world reached its end.
Through the memories of the Spirit Kings, the spirits experienced the destruction of Kurayan.
—N-no!
—I’m scared!
The horrifying sight filled the spirits with terror.
The same was true for Lili and Yuri.
No matter how special they were, they were still young spirits in the middle of growing.
The unimaginable final 모습 of Kurayan filled them with immense fear.
—Ppiiiiii!
At that moment, Gaia’s cry awakened the spirits from their daze.
—Right! This is an illusion.
—Okay! I’ll get ahold of myself.
Lili and Yuri opened their eyes wide and flew toward the Spirit Kings facing annihilation.
The Fire Spirit King was furious at Kurayan’s destruction, while the Water Spirit King accepted annihilation as fate.
The Earth Spirit King grieved, and the Wind Spirit King stared blankly at his own body scattering away.
—Please don’t cry.
Lili and Yuri comforted them.
They knew these beings were not real.
That they were merely ancient memories engraved like brands into the remnants.
Though they had already perished and no longer existed, the two could not simply watch them grieve.
At that moment—
Something happened that they had never expected.
—Who are you children?
—I’ve never seen children like you before.
—How can spirits still remain?
—Aside from us, all should have been annihilated.
The Spirit Kings had recognized Lili, Yuri, and the others.
The two spirits were startled.
—This place shouldn’t be real.
—Right! It’s a space within the remnants’ memories.
—Then how can they perceive us?
—I don’t know!
Lili and Yuri were smarter and more logical than ordinary spirits. But even they could not understand the current situation.
At that moment, the Water Spirit King, whose entire body was made of water, approached them.
Yuri, being a water spirit herself, flinched.
—Could you hold out your hand for a moment?
—Like this?
As Yuri cautiously extended her hand, the Water Spirit King took it.
Suddenly, the Water Spirit King smiled.
—So you are spirits born on Earth. And a hundred years later at that….
—How do you know that?
—You would not understand. From your perspective, we have already been annihilated. Do not try to understand. Simply accept it.
—It’s difficult.
—Child who inherited my attribute. Precious child born after enduring an age of hardship.
The Water Spirit King’s voice trembled.
Yuri was overwhelmed by his presence and could not say a word.
—Thanks to you, my heart has become lighter.
—Why?
—Water is the cradle of life. Because you became that cradle, other spirits will continue to be born. Please cherish yourself.
—Yes!
As Yuri answered cautiously, the Water Spirit King gently embraced her.
The feeling was so comforting that Yuri closed her eyes.
The Wind Spirit King also approached Lili.
Since they shared the same attribute, he naturally took interest in her first.
Like the Water Spirit King, the Wind Spirit King tightly embraced Lili.
Then he whispered something into her ear.
Lili nodded as she listened carefully to his words.
The Earth Spirit King took interest in Gaia.
—Your name is Gaia?
—Ppi!
—It suits you well.
—Ppiii!
—What a relief. To think that a child like you was born on Earth as well.
—Ppi!
The Earth Spirit King and Gaia conversed warmly, like grandparent and grandchild.
The Fire Spirit King took interest in the first fire spirit born after Lili and Yuri.
Thus the Spirit Kings spoke with the spirits corresponding to their own attributes. But that time was very brief.
Suddenly, the Water Spirit King pushed the spirits away and spoke.
—Now it is time to awaken from the dream, our children!
—Please restore Earth to its complete state.
—Do not… repeat our mistakes.
—Please deliver our words to him.
The moment the final voices of the Spirit Kings echoed in the spirits’ ears, the world turned pure white.
Kurayan had perished.