Chapter 138

Chapter 138
## Chapter 138

### The Sovereign of Death’s Insurgency (2)

Not every elite gathered within the grand council chamber, whether dignitaries or personal protectors, chose to throw themselves into the fray.

To give an instance, the Sovereign of the Imperium felt compelled to charge forward to uphold his realm’s honor, yet the Grand Magus accompanying him chose to remain behind, using the defense of the Imperial Heir as a convenient justification.

Among those standing on the sidelines, merely monitoring the unfolding chaos rather than stepping onto the battlefield…

“Agh— ought I to step in as well? If their vanguard crumbles, this entire place is doomed regardless. But then again, Master Rapori specifically instructed me to…”

Cecily Granwood, the recently awakened High Elf hailing from the Woodland Realm, was numbered among those hesitation-bound spectators.

Her capabilities had been skyrocketing ever since she ascended to the status of a High Elf, and she had even recently elevated her aquatic elemental to its ultimate tier. However, her distinct lack of real combat practice left her unable to wield this immense power with true proficiency.

Acutely aware of her shortcomings, Rapori had stationed her at the defensive ward, charging her with the safety of the remaining Elves before advancing to the front lines entirely on his own.

Rumble!

Fwip—

The peak-tier elementals summoned by Rapori numbered exactly three.

Blinding arcs of golden electricity struck directly against the manifestation of the shadow entity, while a howling tempest successfully bottlenecked the Liches who were desperately trying to reinforce the primary engagement.

[Ugh— You audacious wretch—! I shall submerge your soul in absolute terror—!]

The Dread Phantom Pagos radiated a dense, suffocating wave of pure panic from his entire form, fueled by the abyssal energy of the Sovereign of Death, yet the miasma proved entirely ineffective against the absolute fortification of the Earth Elemental and dissolved into nothingness.

‘Master Rapori truly is magnificent.’

Elementals, existing as manifestations of unblemished purity, were inherently susceptible to defilement, meaning an extraordinary level of vigilance was mandatory whenever one went toe-to-toe with such high-tier manifestations of malice.

They represented the absolute worst possible tactical matchup, as mere proximity to such foulness could instantly taint them.

To make matters worse, the Sovereign of Death himself, the absolute zenith of necromancy, was dominating this very warzone!

While this presented little issue for a seasoned veteran of elemental manipulation like Rapori, it was an entirely different crisis for someone like her, who possessed immense raw power through her high-tier spirits but lacked the expertise to guide them safely.

‘If I attempted to intervene, I would most likely just get in Master Rapori’s way… That must be why he relegated me to the rear.’

Beside her, Shapiron, her own flesh and blood, was similarly tracking his movements with an expression fraught with anxiety.

‘Father…’

Naturally, the thought of participating hadn’t even crossed the young girl’s mind, considering her mastery extended only to mid-tier elementals. Yet, what child could remain indifferent while watching their parent wage war in such a lethal environment?

She was left with no choice but to offer silent prayers for his unscathed return.

However, even as the rest of the group watched on with bated breath, utterly paralyzed by their own helplessness,

One individual among them was methodically organizing an action with absolute composure.

“Wait, Harris? What exactly are you preparing? Don’t tell me you intend to join that meat grinder?”

“What? What is Harris up to over there?”

Harris was currently taking a strand of metallic silver thread from his vestment, carefully winding it onto his longbow, Themis, and testing its tension.

He didn’t so much as blink at the bewildered looks sent in his direction, offering a reply in his characteristic, mild-mannered cadence.

“Oh, it’s nothing significant. I was just…”

Twang—

A profound, vibrating resonance rippled outward from the gently plucked bowstring.

Evidencing its status as an unparalleled work of craftsmanship, the weapon produced a sound that was fundamentally distinct from ordinary gear.

“…pondering the idea of releasing an arrow.”

“…Beg pardon?”

Harris offered a faint grin in response to their utterly baffled expressions and leisurely strode past the perimeter of the protective ward.

His countenance remained entirely unruffled, bearing the demeanor of a man embarking on a casual afternoon stroll.

—

Clang—!

A blade wrapped in a vibrant sapphire radiance recoiled violently after colliding with a massive greatsword brimming with malevolent energy.

The warrior who had delivered the blow scrambled desperately to correct his stance and regain his footing, but…

The oversized weapon, completely defying its massive bulk, darted forward with terrifying agility, ruthlessly exploiting the gap in his defenses.

Swoosh!

The massive greatsword tore cleanly through the upper torso of the armored warrior.

His nearby comrades lunged forward in a frantic bid to intercept any subsequent strikes, but the window of salvation had already closed.

“Urgh!”

The blade, saturated with corrupt sorcery, sliced cleanly through his throat without a shred of pity, and the warrior perished on the spot before a single healing art could reach him.

“Sir Turkan!”

“Accursed fiend! You absolute abomination!”

Karam, standing firm against the wave of humanity rushing toward him in a frenzy of retribution, methodically scanned his immediate surroundings once more to identify the figures closest to him.

‘I have successfully dispatched Cayenne Turkan, the personal shield of the Imperial Heir. That leaves the next target as…’

Without a moment’s hesitation, he pivoted toward his next viable ‘executable target,’ seamlessly adjusting his path according to the live tactical updates mirroring directly from the mind of the Sovereign of Death.

He remained entirely ignorant of the specific parameters used to compile this execution roster, but the underlying logistics were of no consequence to him.

‘I function merely as the instrument of my Liege. My sole duty is compliance. His Majesty undoubtedly operates with an overarching grand design.’

Shatter—!

His heavy greatsword once more crunched through the reinforced plate armor of a paladin attempting to obstruct his advance.

Yet, this particular life was not designated for termination.

Karam locked weapons with an interloper who had rushed forward to drag the paladin out of harm’s way, casting his gaze across the broader battlefield while completely ignoring the wounded being dragged to the safety of the rear lines.

‘Still, these insects are more resilient than I anticipated. Just how many layers of consecrated wards have they layered upon themselves? Under ordinary circumstances, that blow would have split him in two.’

In truth, it wasn’t that he was pulling his punches or showing mercy to those excluded from the kill list; he simply refrained from delivering the definitive, lethal blow.

Though his full might was being suppressed by the pervasive ambient wards, the defensive augmentation granted to his adversaries was grander than anyone could have predicted.

‘The warding makes this somewhat tedious, but it remains entirely manageable… Ah, there he stands. Payton, the primary lieutenant to the reigning Sovereign of Mercenaries.’

He sprinted directly toward the warrior, who was currently doing nothing more than stalling for time against a Death Knight toward the flank, effortlessly batting away the desperate strikes of anyone trying to intercept him.

“Gah! Why am I being targeted?!”

Exactly as the Sovereign of Death had commanded.

To etch an indelible brand of pure terror into the minds of everyone gathered here.

And naturally, Karam was far from the only entity operating under these peculiar parameters.

—

As the conflict reached a fever pitch, manifestations of the undead were being obliterated across the field, even as the toll of mortal casualties began to mount steadily.

The undying legion was methodically harvesting souls, completely unhindered by the active consecration field.

Predictably, those losing their lives were the exact individuals who had been thoroughly vetted via the intelligence dossier Heinrich had secured prior to the engagement.

They represented the absolute dregs of society, an impressive feat even within a world heavily stratified by rigid societal castes.

‘The reigning Sovereign of Mercenaries, Kanbul—the architect behind the enterprise of trafficking common citizens into bondage through backroom deals with corrupt global dignitaries. The Orthodoxy of the Prime Deity was legally paralyzed from intervening directly due to a total lack of actionable evidence…’

Right at that juncture, Heinrich, flanked by a cohort of formidable master combatants, initiated another direct assault against Hans.

As he moved, he unleashed a barrage of dark, volatile beams across the immediate area, ostensibly to force his opposition onto the defensive.

Blast!

The nearby elites scrambled frantically to parry the sudden deluge of energy.

Yet, by ‘sheer happenstance,’ one particular lance of energy, saturated with an incredibly concentrated concentration of force, shredded through the personal barriers of the Sovereign of Mercenaries, Kanbul, and slammed squarely into his chest.

“Blegh!”

The man collapsed to the earth, coughing up a torrent of corrupted fluid, though the active consecration field prevented the strike from claiming his life immediately.

The Holy Maiden along with the assembled clerical staff rushed forward to administer restorative miracles…

Boom—

“Kh!”

In an instant, Heinrich was sent skittering backward across the dirt, and the healers were immediately forced to abandon their patient as the Sovereign of Death, momentarily freed from restraint, began an unbridled rampage.

By the time Heinrich re-entered the fray and managed to stabilize the frontline once more, Kanbul had already drawn his final breath, his torso impaled by a jagged spike of shadow that had erupted silently from the bedrock.

‘In truth, there are far more individuals present who richly deserve a date with the executioner.’

Harris, tracking the flow of the skirmish from his distant vantage point, subtly shifted his gaze toward the cowards sheltering within the safety of the primary ward.

His eyes lingered on Imperial Heir Simon, who was currently throwing a tantrum of pure rage over the demise of his personal protector, before Harris simply shook his head and clicked his tongue in mild disappointment.

Forcing a breach through that meticulously anchored fortification would demand an excessive expenditure of resources, and even if successful, the collateral body count would spiral entirely out of control.

‘It matters not. I shall content myself with purging the garbage currently exposed on the active battlefield for the time being.’

The immediate priorities were those whose overinflated arrogance prevented them from retreating, forcing them to participate in the conflict with profound awkwardness—precisely like the recently deceased merchant of flesh.

Granted, even with these precautions, a few of the sharper minds present would likely sense that something was fundamentally amiss, but…

‘What weight does that carry? What could they possibly hope to accomplish about it?’

Who in their right mind would ever conceive of a reality where the Sovereign of Death and the prophesied Savior were operating in perfect synchronization, utilizing a curated assassination ledger to systematically eliminate specific targets?

‘No, such a theory borders on the impossible, given that the historical record firmly attributes all prior continental catastrophes exclusively to the malice of the Sovereign of Death.’

The tally of casualties across the map was beyond calculation, so who would ever suspect a targeted purge amidst such widespread devastation?

At worst, they would surmise some esoteric military objective was at play and rack their brains for answers, only to ultimately chalk the pattern up to grim happenstance.

‘Nevertheless, allowing the sequence to appear overly calculated risks breaking immersion, so it would be wise to bring this performance to a swift resolution.’

He had already mapped out a highly satisfactory concluding act; all that remained was to execute his choreography on the grand stage.

“…Harris! I am ordering you to step back inside! This environment is entirely beyond our depth…!”

“He speaks the truth, Harris! We are well aware of your talents, but this skirmish is no place for a common mid-tier elementalist to…!”

Panicked admonitions drifted into his ears from both flanks.

A few well-meaning comrades had actually forsaken the safety of the ward to follow him out, driven by genuine anxiety for his well-being.

He offered them a reassuring smile, sincerely appreciative of their loyalty, and provided a casual dismissal.

“Rest easy, I have the situation entirely mapped out. Provided Lady Cecily can insulate us from the kinetic shockwaves, I shall manage the rest of the equation.”

“…Absolutely not, we have no guarantee against a sudden flank attack, how can you remain so completely unbothered?! What is your actual strategy here?!”

Naturally, the opposing forces wouldn’t dream of targeting him, despite his completely exposed posture in the open field.

He had personally mandated that restriction.

“Phew—”

Harris allowed a long, measured breath to escape his lips as he raised his longbow, aligning the weapon directly with the heart of the conflict.

Slowly, he began the process of manifesting a conceptual arrow, drawing inspiration from the definitive shot he had unleashed prior to departing from the Enamel Continent.

The local atmospheric mana was fluctuating wildly as corrupt sorcery and consecrated energy violently rejected one another, yet…

The Great World Tree existed as the foundational filters of this reality, and its essence, however minute, was woven directly into the trait “Child of the World Tree.”

Hummmm—

The volatile ambient mana was abruptly dragged toward him, compressing violently into the shape of a translucent projectile.

Simultaneously, the various elementals with whom he had forged pacts manifested in a synchronized circle around his position.

Crackle! Fwip—!

Whir! Hummmm—

His cherished elementals immediately began weaving their respective elemental properties directly into the condensing arrow.

He couldn’t risk letting them inhabit the projectile entirely due to the extreme risk of ambient corruption, leaving this external empowerment as his only viable methodology.

‘Granted, maintaining the narrative that these are merely mid-tier elementals stretches plausibility a bit. I’ll need to adjust the narrative framework down the line to account for this…’

Right at that exact instant,

Harris froze mid-motion.

An unfamiliar, yet profoundly intimately welcoming sensation washed over him.

It cascaded from the soles of his feet to the absolute crown of his head in a fraction of a second.

‘Oh?’

He felt an invisible, long-standing bottleneck within his spiritual vessel suddenly shatter into pieces.

A realization immediately materialized within his consciousness.

《The subject has successfully satisfied the hidden parameters and triggered advancement. The unique capability “Child of the World Tree” has transcended into “Chosen of the World Tree.”》

‘…So this is the sensation of ascension.’

Harris…

Had unexpectedly fulfilled the exact ‘parameters’ required to transition into a true High Elf.

‘Hold on, what actions did I even perform to trigger this?… Naturally, I intended to force the evolution in the near future anyway. Did the world just grant me an advance on my entry fee?’

He briefly closed his eyelids, thoroughly analyzing the subtly redefined parameters of his perception.

The transformation wasn’t a jarring, violent overhaul since he hadn’t formally undergone the full awakening ritual of a High Elf yet, but the ceiling of his operational capacity had unquestionably shattered outward.

Regardless, this development perfectly resolved his minor issue with narrative plausibility.

“Ah? Harris…? You, don’t tell me you just…!”

Cecily, maintaining her position right beside him, appeared to have deciphered the invisible shift and whirled toward him with eyes wide with shock.

Possessing the heritage of a High Elf herself, she was uniquely attuned to the precise instant his spiritual lineage qualified for ascension. Conversely, Shapiron, who lacked the sensory refinement to identify the core change, was equally stunned by the visual feedback.

The confusion was entirely warranted, given that a blatant physical transmutation was unfolding right before their eyes.

“Harris! Your elemental companion is suddenly…?”

Crackle—!

The exact instant he secured the lineage of a High Elf and integrated the “Chosen of the World Tree” trait, his naturally occurring vital energy and elemental resonance ballooned exponentially, instantly cascading into his “Elemental Summoning” matrix.

The absolute first entity to absorb this sudden surge was…

“Watt.”

Zap!

The Lightning Elemental, Watt.

His original partner had finally broken past the limitations of the mid-tier classification, officially ascending into an advanced-tier entity.

While his remaining elemental companions hadn’t undergone an instantaneous evolution, their raw output and structural stability had surged dramatically.

“…This indicates that the Great World Tree itself has chosen to validate your path, Harris. Proceed without reservation. I shall guarantee your absolute safety until your strike is ready.”

Cecily offered a firm, resolute nod, her gaze locking onto the distant threat.

Shapiron, swept up in the sudden surge of gravity, adopted a defensive posture as well, her expression hardening as she scanned for incoming threats.

‘Well… it presents no tactical disadvantage.’

Harris offered a faint shrug and immediately locked his concentration back onto his task, picking up right where he had left off with his preparations.

An even more concentrated torrent of vital energy, far beyond what his body could have safely sustained moments prior, surged into his grasp via Themis—which was carved from a branch of the World Tree itself—and his auxiliary catalyst bracelet.

The projectile was compressing into a point of absolute density, thoroughly saturated with the raw essence of his elementals.

Slowly, he aligned the tip of the arrow, which was now hovering on the precipice of absolute completion, directly toward his designated focal point.

Rumble—!

A catastrophic shockwave rippled across the chamber as the Sovereign of Death and the prophesied Savior clashed once more in a display of absolute violence.

The kinetic backwash tore through the surrounding architecture and swept toward Harris’s position, yet…

Swoosh—

The peak-tier Water Elemental under Cecily’s command neutralized the oncoming force without a single drop of sweat, ensuring their pocket of space remained entirely undisturbed.

‘Just a fraction longer…’

A blinding corona of energy erupted from Heinrich, the Savior, as the blade of pure radiance gripped in his hands ballooned to several times its original dimensions.

“Haa—!”

A colossal, crescent-shaped arc of consecrated sword-force cleaved outward from the swinging holy blade.

The pristine edge of light tore through the oppressive wall of shadows barring his path, carving a direct, unblemished avenue straight toward the Sovereign of Death.

“Savior!”

Heinrich accelerated through the newly minted corridor like a localized typhoon, his strike timed to perfection alongside the sudden arrival of support magic from the Holy Maiden and the Cardinal.

Boom!

The abyssal sorcery of the Sovereign of Death slammed directly into the consecrated light of the Savior.

Yet another massive detonation followed.

Blades and raw mana intercepted one another; miracles of light and curses of shadow waged a war of attrition.

And deep within that localized maelstrom, their cognitive processes accelerated to the absolute limit, reducing the passage of time to a crawl.

Hans, Heinrich, and Harris were the sole individuals operating within this frozen instant.

There existed no requirement for verbal cues or visual signals.

They simply shifted in perfect harmony, operating as a singular, cohesive mechanism.

Hans subtly shifted his posture a fraction of a degree right in the thick of the brutal exchange.

Heinrich’s blade seamlessly recalibrated its trajectory mid-swing to accommodate the shift, while Hans countered by deploying a specific layer of shadow manipulation.

As though collaborating on a piece of master-tier artistry, the duo exchanged calculated impacts, weaving a singular, deliberate outcome.

And at long last,

The moment the Savior’s desperate, all-out strike crashed into the defensive barrier of the Sovereign of Death—shattering a visible, jagged fissure into its surface,

And right as the overflowing reserves of abyssal mana scrambled to mend the damage in a fraction of a millisecond,

The arrow was loosed.

The soundless lance of light traveled along a flawless, linear path,

Slipped effortlessly past the cascading shards of stray mana generated by the explosive backwash,

And threaded itself directly through the fissure—a gap no wider than a fingertip, which had not yet managed to seal itself—.

Thud—

Boom—!

The projectile struck the mathematically ‘impossible’ vulnerability—an opening that by all accounts should never have existed.