Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint - Ch. 304
｢Nevida, that crazy bitch! She should be off scattering seeds somewhere, so why is she here?! It’s not even time for her appearance yet!｣
Contrary to the scream she let out in her mind, the Regressor puffed up her chest and brazenly replied.
“I thought there might be a druid among the Human Regime, but you’re far more impressive than I expected. I’ve only ever heard of one druid with horns without even transforming. That’s you, right?”
The Regressor was feigning ignorance, pretending this was their first time meeting each other.
She spoke as if trying to test the absolute being in front of her.
Surprisingly, her bluff was impressive
Even though her identity was revealed, Nevida didn’t seem to mind.
She was more interested in the Regressor’s identity.
“You destroyed the Abyss and took hold of the Divine’s relic, burning all the seeds and roots I had planted in the Military State… I thought you were a wench when I first heard the news.”
“What? A wench?”
“But it seems you are not. I apologize for my mistake, thinking you were a mere wench, even for a moment.”
｢Ah, right. This crazy woman used to call the Saintess a wench. She kept calling me that out of nowhere and tried to interfere every time I was about to claim the relic of the Divine… If not for my mask…｣
The Regressor barely resisted the urge to touch her face. Using the fear rising from deep within, she pushed herself to be even bolder.
“An apology won’t make me forgive you! You villain!”
“But for there to be two… no, more than two Divines… curious. Even the dirtiest wench couldn’t monopolize such power…”
“You talk too much!”
｢That’s right, isn’t it curious? Isn’t it strange? Isn’t it surprising? Then you should be careful, right? Because you never know what sharp thorns I might have!｣
Her bravado was as strong as mine, or perhaps even more so.
While I read the thoughts of others and subtly manipulated them without causing offense, the Regressor would stake her life in the most dangerous situations and confront her enemies head-on, driven by pure defiance.
It wasn’t recklessness or foolishness.
It was the survival strategy of someone whose only way forward lay through the obstacles in front of them, after countless deaths.
The Regressor braced herself as if she were about to launch forward, boldly displaying Chun-aeng and Jizan.
“Draw your weapon. I will not fight you barehanded!”
｢Look here! It’s Chun-aeng and Jizan! Maybe Chun-aeng alone wouldn’t be enough, but what about this? It’s Jizan! With Jizan, you can’t just ignore me, right? You have to be careful, don’t you? You can’t just pull out your damn branches recklessly, can you?｣
…Yet, her thoughts sounded like the weak bluff of a helpless fool.
Still, even if it was bluffing, the cards she played were threatening enough.
Chun-aeng crackled in response to her emotions.
Jizan was silent, but its weight was steadily increasing.
With two Divines in her grasp, the Regressor certainly looked like an absolute force of this era.
…But her opponent was…
“No matter how sharp a bird’s eye may be, if its gaze is shallow, one should not believe everything it chirps about while perched on your shoulder. Though the song is beautiful, it is as light as its feathers.”
Nevida hummed a melody in rhythm.
It was the song of the druid.
The sound of nature that had existed since ancient times.
Just hearing it caused the body to relax.
But the Regressor tensed up even more, gripping Chun-aeng and Jizan tightly.
｢Damn it! She’s coming! Stay sharp, Shei! If you miss… you’ll die!｣
Nevida stretched out her left hand.
Somehow, a small branch had sprouted from the ground, positioned perfectly for her to grasp.
She broke off the branch, holding it like a staff, and walked toward the Regressor.
One step, two steps.
Despite recognizing the presence of two Divines, she showed no signs of fear as she approached.
｢Now!｣
At that moment, the Regressor swung both swords down.
The attack began almost simultaneously with her movement.
Two streaks of light, one dark and one bright, slashed toward Nevida’s face.
One cut through the air, the other crushed the earth.
Facing these two overwhelming forces, Nevida calmly raised the branch she had picked up at an angle.
Chun-aeng struck the upper part of the branch.
Even before it made contact, leaves were being torn apart.
Jizan aimed for the lower part, but the branch had neither the thickness nor the weight to withstand it.
It was like trying to stop a storm and an earthquake with a mere straw—an utterly foolish attempt.
But then…
“Little World Tree. Bloom.”
A forest of trees, untouchable by any storm, with roots deep enough to hold the very earth together.
What seemed like an ordinary branch, one that could easily have been picked up from a mountainside, suddenly sprouted roots and branches.
Vines full of tiny roots gripped Jizan, and budding leaves embraced Chun-aeng.
There wasn’t even a sound of impact.
The newly sprouted leaves wrapped around the space, and the roots extended deep into the ground. As a result, Chun-aeng and Jizan found themselves in a temporary deadlock with that single branch.
“Mother Earth and the Sky God… Hehe. This is excessive. Far beyond what one human should wield.”
Seeds scattered behind Nevida’s feet, sprouting as they echoed through the space.
Trees that had grown up to the Regressor’s waist within moments amplified the sound of her voice.
Her presence which had previously felt faint now filled the entire area.
With her two swords held back by a single tree, the Regressor gritted her teeth.
“Damn it!”
To swing again, she first had to step back.
The Regressor pulled Jizan away.
The inertia of the sword tore through the roots and created distance.
She intended to retreat but then felt a sharp pain on the top of her foot.
“Ugh!”
At the moment Jizan pulled free, Nevida’s foot had stomped down on the Regressor’s, pinning it in place.
Vines quickly knotted her foot.
As Nevida leaned close, smirking, she whispered.
“You said you won’t want to fight barehanded? Ridiculous. Since when did battle need to be fair?”
“Grr!”
｢It won’t come loose…! The vines…!｣
At this close range, the nature of the battle had completely changed.
Nevida’s fist shot toward the Regressor’s face.
Before the Regressor could react, the Qi in her body moved on instinct.
Heavenly Counter Domain.
The strongest defensive technique the Regressor had developed after countless deaths showed its worth.
Nevida’s lightning-fast punch barely missed, coming within a hair’s breadth.
At the same time, the Regressor swung Jizan to counterattack…
But it was futile.
Thud.
Nevida’s left foot stepped onto Jizan’s handle, preventing it from being swung.
With the Regressor’s attempt thwarted, Nevida spread her other hand wide, and it began to change into something unnatural.
Long ago, humans envied beasts.
In the early days when tools and technology were primitive, humans admired and sought to replicate the claws and fangs of animals, attempting to harness even a fraction of their power.
Druids followed that ancient faith, becoming shamans who worshiped animals and wielded their strength.
Among them, the Primordial Druid Nevida possessed the most powerful of all the beasts’ abilities.
Bestia, White Crane.
Nevida’s hand began to change.
The human hand with five fingers and blunt nails transformed into the talons of a bird, with four spread toes.
The claws of a raptor, strong enough to crush rocks, suddenly extended.
｢Too Fast…! Chun-aeng!｣
Slash.
Blood splattered.
The blow, which transcended human structure, was too fast to completely evade, even with the Heavenly Counter Domain.
Instead, using the compressed space of Chun-aeng, the Regressor barely managed to push herself out of the way, preventing her entire shoulder from being torn off.
Still, the large claws tore into her flesh, ripping a handful of it.
Nevida seemed slightly impressed by the Regressor’s response.
“Impressive. This is not something borrowed from a future you haven’t experienced… but a skill built through countless experiences. And yet, you claim no ties to the Sanctum?”
“T-Tch…! Stop acting so full of yourself!”
Instead of answering, the Regressor struck the ground with Jizan.
“Terra Firma Arts, Ground Shift!”
Rumble.
Jizan burrowed into the concrete floor, tearing it up.
The Regressor gripped the embedded Jizan and yanked it fiercely.
Even now, tree roots spread beneath Nevida’s feet.
The roots of the small World Tree, which had slowly been expanding their territory underground, were now judged by Jizan, the earth’s original master.
The roots caught in Jizan’s grip were all pulled out at once.
The carefully extended vines snapped one by one, and the very ground shifted as if caught in a net.
The ground, once covered in concrete, was now little more than dirt.
Broken vines lay scattered across the earth, and trees tilted at an angle, seemed ready to stretch their branches straight again.
What was once the concrete the Military State had transformed into a land overgrown with earth and trees.
What an astonishing sight.
The terrain had completely changed just by these two fighting.
I had to roll around on the ground to survive.
Nevida stopped for a moment even though she could have pressed the attack.
The Regressor took the opportunity to catch her breath, but instead of clutching her injured shoulder, she made a point of exposing it more as if to show that such a wound wasn’t even worth considering.
“Planting seeds? That was an amusing trick, but what will you do now? As long as Jizan is here, this land won’t bend to your will!”
｢Huff, huff. Thank goodness Jizan is here. If left unchecked, she’d turn everything into a forest…! With such an environment in her favor, her Green Magic flowing through the trees would be impossible to counter…!｣
If the fight continued, Nevida would win for sure.
Both the Regressor and Nevida knew this.
However, Nevida seemed to hesitate, perhaps because of the Regressor’s bluff… or maybe due to the skill she had displayed during the fight.
｢…Let’s see. There’s much to gain if I win. But if this drags on, I’ll surely lose something. So, what should I…?｣
Her thoughts were fast.
But compared to that, her decision-making was agonizingly slow.
It was like she had fast legs but kept going back and forth in place.
Not because she was stupid, but because there were too many variables to consider.
Maybe this is my chance.
I shouted.
“Good job, Mr. Shei! Keep stalling! If this drags out, you might win!”
“What do you mean ‘stall’? I’m ending this right here, right now!”
｢You idiot! Dragging it out means losing! Bluffing her into retreating is the best option! Don’t just talk—do something to help!｣
Talking is helping. It could create an unexpected opening.
I raised my voice, just like the Regressor, pretending to be confident.
“There are people here to help, right? Ria! Provide some cover!”
“Hmph. I don’t need help! Not from the likes of you!”
｢The Gunmaster? I thought she was down earlier. Did she regain consciousness? Then call for her! We need all hands on deck against that ancient thing!｣
No, she hasn’t recovered. Her Qi is drained, and she probably can’t even lift a finger.
But it doesn’t matter.
Mentioning her made Nevida consider the possibility of a sniper or support.
An ancient druid like her wouldn’t fear such things, but…
What Nevida was really worried about was Maximilien’s death.
｢Hmmm… If he had already died, it would be a different matter, but as long as he lives, he must be saved. His efforts in finding the King must be rewarded. Even if the King’s body is now bound, the true return of the King will only happen when all the people cry out for him.｣
Nevida finally made her decision.
Sliding back smoothly, she adjusted her robes, bowed, and spoke.
“This humble servant is Nevida. I shall now take my leave. Until we meet again, my King.”
“You think I’ll let you run away?! Sky Blade Art, Dragon Slayer!”
｢Not in a hurry, are you? I’ll use a little more force and put up a show, but hurry up and get lost!｣
Chun-aeng extended, its blade lengthened by the wind.
Of course, the casual swing of Sky Blade Art was easily blocked by the branches and leaves from the small World Tree.
The Regressor didn’t seem too disappointed, though.
She knew what to expect.
“To commemorate our brief yet fortuitous encounter, allow me to show you a small trick.”
However, Nevida’s next move might have been a disappointment to her.
She grabbed one of her antlers with her hand and twisted it.
Despite their sturdy appearance, her antlers snapped off easily, as if that was their purpose all along.
While they had seemed like horns on her head, in her hand, they looked like a small, half-grown sapling.
“O the Ancestor Tree that birthed and nurtured all things. Of the countless branches that have survived, I call upon the root of the one that remains.”
Nevida dropped the sapling onto the ground.
Tock.
As soon as it touched the concrete, the sapling… disappeared into the earth.
The Regressor twitched, ready to spring into action.
｢No, don’t react! If I acknowledge that I know what it is, she’ll wonder how I knew! But why… why is she using that here?｣
…She’s probably doing it for me.
To show me the Divine.
“Understand this, beast. The roots from which you came.”
When Nevida’s chant ended—
All of the Chimera Beans sacks stored in the Military State’s Command began to rustle.
If a quartermaster had been nearby, they would have cocked their head in confusion.
The Chimera Beans, infamous for being so tasteless even rats wouldn’t eat them, were packed with enough nutrients to sustain both families and armies.
In the Military State, food was treated with as much care as weapons, and Chimera Beans harvested from all over were piled high in the Command.
All of that nutrition erupted at once.
What we call nutrients is actually green fuel.
Humans carry it in their bodies, burning it slowly like a walking furnace.
While we dress it up as the noble act of eating and living, in essence, it’s no different from other animals, crawling insects, or even creatures so small we can’t see them.
No matter whose stomach it’s in, it’s the same kindling burning with the same fire.
The only difference is scale.
Know your roots.
Tree of Genesis.
The Unique Magic of Nevida.
The Tree of Genesis that holds the roots of life and birth.
To some, this was called the Tree of Corruption… the Unique Magic of a certain druid.
Though it had reached the status of the Divine and a name was given to the entity, she was still alive and it was not something that all humans could use.
As the great Genesis only listened to Nevida, she herself hadn’t reached the Divine, only her Unique Magic did.
Cries echoed, and green explosions erupted everywhere.
The force that consumed all things capable of providing nourishment created new roots to spread outwards.
It was like watching the birth of an earth dragon that consumed everything in its path.
With just one move, Nevida had created a near-catastrophic situation.
She brushed off her hands and picked up Maximilien.
Once she had made her decision, she had no regrets.
Nevida strode into the large knot in the tree.
Before the knot closed, she turned to me and gave me a small bow.
“Farewell, my beloved King.”
The Regressor, still giving it her all, swung Chun-aeng above her head, shouting at the top of her lungs, almost beside herself with fury.
“Don’t run away!”
｢Just go away already!｣
Thankfully, Nevida heeded the Regressor’s inner thoughts.
After the tree closed, Nevida disappeared deep into the earth.