The ent leader was not the only one to fall to his knees. Theo was confused by the unexpected behavior as other ents started to fall in a similar fashion. He could feel the heavy vibration from the earth as the giant trees hit the forest floor. It was so loud that the crowded area quickly became quiet. The dryads, who had been threatening Theo with their mana, lost their fierce attitude and bowed politely in the same manner as how servants welcomed a king.

Theo, standing in the center of all this, looked around with an embarrassed expression and noticed something.

These guys… they aren’t bowing to me?

Theo followed their gaze and discovered Mitra looking around with a bewildered expression. He didn’t know why, but it seemed like the bud on her head was especially bright today. Theo realized the reason the moment he saw it.

Simultaneously, the similarly enlightened Alucard cried out in delight, “Indeed, it is due to the bud of the world tree...!”

It wasn’t a well-known fact to humans, but the bud of a world tree could no longer grow in this era. The density of mana was several times thinner than it had been during the Age of Mythology, and the purity of the Arv’s blood was now much lighter. Additionally, there were numerous elements which interfered with the growth of a world tree.

Even if all the remaining high elves on the continent joined forces, they no longer had the ability to grow another Yggdrasil. So, they had never considered the existence of another world tree. The forgotten Mother Earth, Mitra, was a type of vessel. This meant Mitra could grow a bud of the world tree, the ruler of all the trees on earth. So, it was natural that, as descendants of ancient trees, the dryads and ents couldn’t resist her presence. For them, Mitra was an existence they had to serve.

[Hoing? Hoeng?]

... Ironically, the involved party didn’t understand at all.

Theo quickly weighed the situation. Originally, the dryads and ents were incredibly inflexible, but the story was different now. It would be best if the situation could be solved without violence, and Theo had the means to make that possible.

Mitra.

[Ye?]

Mitra turned around.

Can you tell the ones lying down to go to the forest over there? If you say it, they will probably listen.

[I noe!]

She turned toward the trees and shouted in an adorable manner.

[Yew, up!]

The ents instantly rose to their feet. As the massive trees rose, the ground shook as a forest appeared out of nowhere. The ents responded in low voices as they waited for Mitra’s next instructions.

[As… you… command... ]

[... We… follow… king…]

[What… next…?]

Then Mitra pointed to the forest on the other side and shouted cutely.

[Fere, go!]

It was truly a sight that truly defied belief. The stubborn ents and dryads started to move without any hesitation. They passed the pile of stones they had been throwing and moved in the direction of the dense forest, leaving stupefied expressions on the faces of Theo’s party.

Theo was oddly proud of Mitra, who looked delighted, for solving their thorny problem.

***

After the two species retreated, the team was able to approach their true foe. The heat had become intense enough that if the party hadn’t protected their bodies with heat-resistant magic, their lungs would start smoking. Additionally, a haze of heat distorted the air, making it hard to see beyond dozens of meters.

A high elf greeted them joyfully as they drew closer.

“Wow, we finally meet!” Alisa’s golden hair blew in the wind as she grinned at them.

She found Theo and cried out, “Hello! I want to say good evening, but isn’t it too bright for that? Anyway, it is nice to see you! Are you the boy who has our Ellenoa twisted up? I did as you said. How about it, did I do well?”

Theo was a little startled. “... Yes, very well.”

It was a fairly difficult situation, but Alisa’s chatterbox nature remained undiminished. Theo started assessing the situation while half listening to her.

Is it around a hundred meters? It is much wider than I thought.

There was a hundred meter vacuum that the wind elemental ruler Sylphid had created. There was no combustion allowed inside, but it was in vain. It would only buy time before the inevitable transformation into Laevateinn’s third form. In this space, the fire couldn’t spread and only the trees touching Laevateinn’s body would burn.

Theo looked at her. “Alisa, how much longer can you maintain it?”

“Um… Ten minutes? Fifteen minutes? Any more than that would be hard.”

“I understand.”

The high elves were assisted by the mana of the Great Forest, but that wasn’t infinite. Alisa had already been using Sylphid’s power for a few hours. Her leisurely attitude couldn’t conceal the sweat that beaded on her forehead and neck. If she relaxed for even a moment, she would lose consciousness and the vacuum would disappear.

As such, it was Theo’s party’s turn to step up. They had six magicians, a high elf, and a guardian to defeat the legendary catastrophe.

As the full weight of the burden fell on him, Theo forced himself to stand upright and cried out, “Then I will go over the plan one more time.”

In order to defeat Laevateinn, they needed precise tactics and perfect cooperation. If even one person was out of sync, someone would die.

Theo went through the plan. “Laevateinn can’t be destroyed by normal attacks, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be damaged at all. The attacks may not be lethal, but it will consume the energy that Laevateinn has stored. Therefore, our primary goal is to deplete its energy as much as possible.”

According to Gluttony, there was no way to completely destroy Laevateinn in this era. The archmages who could destroy the second form could only be found in history books. However, Gluttony had laughed slyly as it taught Theo a method to suppress Laevateinn instead.

It was similar to pouring water into a broken jar.

“We will first start with Sylvia.”

Sylvia, who was on the furthest end, nodded and grabbed her white staff firmly. Theo’s strategy was based on a continuous stream of spells at the target. It was useless to launch multiple attacks at the same time against an opponent who couldn’t be killed.

“Continue in the predetermined order, but cover each other if someone misses the timing. If possible, use powerful destructive force to bother that guy. The ranged attacks will be handled by the two elves, so don’t worry.”

The two elves nodded grimly. Alucard could summon the water elemental ruler, while Edwin’s arrow could decimate a thousand men. If possible, Theo wanted to save the water elemental ruler to play an active role against the third form, but it would be a mistake if they lost because they were too conservative in the attack.

The party of eight refined their formation thoroughly. Some practiced moving around the circle at a moderate pace, while another waited and checked their potions. Most of them were veterans, and even the less experienced Sylvia still had enough experience.

Soon, the moment they had been waiting for arrived.

“T-This...!”

Finally, Alisa reached her limit and released the wind elemental ruler, allowing a gigantic wave of heat to expand outward.

Huuuuuok...

A hot wind blew from the horizon, as flames charred the ground. An acrid smoke swirled as the heat declared all life anathema.

“—Remnants!” The angry Edwin cried out as he fired his bow.

Piing!

A storm of arrows darkened the horizon, bringing a whirlwind that tore at the smoke and revealed the epicenter of the disaster beyond it.

Kukukung...! 

The earth shook as the silvery missiles landed. Shock waves burst from the arrows, causing the party’s robes to flap. A senior monster would’ve been reduced to giblets. The evidence of Edwin’s destructive power was amazing. A master’s attack, shot with the intention of killing something, was really awe inspiring.

However, there was no meaning to it.

——————————!!

Flames swirled from beyond the horizon. The force, which had been bound by the vacuum until now, burned the air and melted the arrows away. It was unknown if Edwin’s attack provoked it, but Laevateinn stilled and turned toward the party.

“It's coming!” someone shrieked.

Theo roared reflexively, ignoring his aching head. He believed in Sylvia and the other magicians, but it was rare to ever encounter this type of oppression. Theo wasn’t overwhelmed by the pressure since he had absorbed Alfred’s experience and encountered Pride, but Laevateinn’s presence surpassed human imagination.

The fire giant darted toward them at a terrifying pace as it used explosions to propel itself.

Theo said sharply, “Sylvia!”

“Master of the cold, Ymir!”

The talent of the Blue Tower’s top genius allowed her to cast the prepared ice spell even when she was shocked. The vortex around Sylvia’s body cooled the heat around the fire giant and revealed its chilling teeth as a hundred meter tall monster. A cyclone of frost raged around the fire giant which even monsters used to the cold of the north couldn’t withstand.

Blizzard.

As a 5th Circle magician who neared the 6th Circle, Sylvia’s original spell struck the first blow in the battle against the legend ranked grimoire, Laevateinn.