Chương 83: Interlude 7:”The Focal Planet, Eranel”

[Location: The Forest of Needles] A blond young man walked through a place called the Forest of Needles. Around him grew countless things that looked like coniferous trees at first glance, both in color and shape. In reality, they were all crystals of a certain metal. That metal was called Laspis. This place, where Laspis covered even the ground completely, was entirely unsuitable for normal creatures to survive.

It was truly a forest of death, where nothing existed except metal-eating creatures capable of digesting it. Laspis is a terrifying metal. It was something that the technology of the humans living in this world could not process at all—no, it was something that should not be processed. This is because this metal possesses the property of gradually eroding anyone or anything that touches it directly. There is a story. A boy who went to this forest knowing nothing brought back a fragment of Laspis.

The next day, his house had turned into a lump of Laspis, along with its inhabitants. When it comes to this, there is no choice but to let those metal-eating creatures eat everything before the damage spreads to the whole town. In fact, because they feed on Laspis, the forest has managed not to spread beyond a certain range. Naturally, the inhabitants of this world would never bother to approach such a forest full of terrifying metal. But precisely because it was a place no one approached.

It became the perfect hideout for a traveler from another world living quietly. The walking young man's name is Lenks Stanfield. Yu's friend, and a FabL possessing the special ability [Rebellion]. A promise to reunite someday, exchanged with Yu who was still young nine years ago. To fulfill that, he continued to move from star to star. And now, he is looking for a certain FabL said to live in this forest. Even reaching this star was a struggle. Using a spaceship is the standard way, but that wasn't enough.

Taking advantage of the nature of FabLs that forcibly transfer worlds upon death, he sometimes crossed worlds by daring to commit suicide. Thus, he has already passed through ten worlds, but according to Ena of [Horoscope], this route was the fastest. Planet Eranel. A star with considerably high magic tolerance and overflowing with Magic Element. For magic users, it is said to be an ideal world. He heard that Yu is currently living in a town called Sacris on that star.

For him, there are mainly two ways to reach there. One is to go to a star with a civilization possessing interstellar travel means by some method, and reach Eranel directly by that means. The other is to use his own ability [Rebellion]. The former method is honest, but when Ena divined the required time, it was rejected because it would take too long this time. If it's the latter method, he might make it just in time. That was her assessment.

"Making it in time" here refers to the time limit until the destruction of Planet Eranel. Ena's [Horoscope] predicted that the world might be destroyed within twenty hours from now. Her divination doesn't reveal everything accurately. However, she can divine everything with a certain degree of certainty. And the troublesome part was that her accuracy never missed. Therefore, Lenks was quite anxious inside. Naturally, he tried to have her divine the cause of the destruction as well.

However, just as she tried to divine it, she shook her head regretfully. She couldn't investigate because Will was applying [Interference]. Lenks steeled himself, thinking he had no choice but to go directly and confirm. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Now. When using [Rebellion], he actually cannot go to Eranel alone. This is because he himself has no experience of going to Eranel. He needed a FabL collaborator who had experience going there.

It is said that a person who could be that collaborator is in this place. As long as there is a collaborator, the method was simple. The absolute logic governing the fate of FabLs, the Star Pulse. Following its pulsation, each FabL is swept from world to world. He can use [World Retrograde Transfer], which goes against this flow, only once for each world that FabL has visited. Using this, he intended to board Planet Eranel directly with his collaborator. Eventually, Lenks finally succeeded in finding him.

That person was a large man with short black hair and muscular build. His appearance looks about late twenties to early thirties, but since he is a FabL, he has actually lived for a much longer time. He had already sensed Lenks' arrival with his Qi and was waiting. Both of them smiled at the nostalgic reunion after who knows how long. [Location: A Different World - The Great Temple of Arfelum] A little back in time.

Will was threatening the most famous priestess in that world, making her project the state of Eranel on a crystal ball. The priestess was trembling with fear, having lost her sanity. She had become almost like a doll that only listens to what she is told. He watched Edel rising, and while stifling a bored yawn, he grinned.

"Oh. Has it started?" Behind him, the Hero Ralt held the Holy Sword Rivest with both hands and was closing in on him fiercely. Without paying any attention to it, he muttered to himself nonchalantly.

"Yu. Let's see how well you can do."

"Haaah!" The Hero's strongest sword technique, [Glazezash], exploded. It is filled with magic power and spirit even more fulfilling than when he defeated the Demon King who once plunged the world into chaotic terror. A supreme technique of Magic-Qi Fusion. In this world, he was the only one, the Hero, who could use it. Its power would easily be several times that of Yu using [Senkraze] with full power at this point. But, when the Hero's sword unmistakably caught Will's neck— Not even a scratch was made on him.

Instead, it was the sword that couldn't withstand it. The Holy Sword supposed to be made of the legendary metal bestowed by God— Lemillion. Its tip chipped tattered. Only then did Will turn to the Hero for the first time.

"You've been noisy for a while now. Be a little quieter." Glared at, the Hero shrunk back. Freezing jet-black eyes that made him think he would be killed right now. Yet, his curt attitude and words were terribly divorced from the surging killing intent. The Hero felt a fear alien to any enemy he had confronted so far. What is this guy? The Demon King is no comparison. To think such an outrageous monster existed in this world. Every moment, the feeling of wanting to run away from that place wells up.

Still, Ralt is a Hero. He never faltered. He was not allowed to falter. He shouted as if to inspire himself from fear.

"You! Fight seriously!" And he continued to attack unilaterally, but it was meaningless. Not even a scratch could be made on him, who didn't move a finger and didn't try to dodge at all. Will shrugged his shoulders, exasperated.

"Fight, huh. A fight cannot be established unless the levels are close to some extent. Am I wrong?" Ralt couldn't say anything back. He had pride as a Hero, as a world-class powerhouse. But now, both were about to be shattered miserably. By just one irregular who looked bored in front of him.

"Give her back. Give her back..." He could no longer do anything but beg. Just like the other many powerless humans existing in this world. Before the absolute strong, there is no difference.

"Give back the Priestess of Floating Clouds! Give back Elicia!" The Hero and the Priestess were fiancés. That's why his desire to get her back was desperate. Cruelly, the gap wasn't something that could be managed by mere feelings. And the destroyer was whimsical.

"Ah. Her? If you want her that much, I'll give her back. I'm done with her anyway." Will floated the priestess and threw her vigorously towards the Hero. The Hero hurriedly put down his sword and tried to catch her. But at that moment. For some reason, his hand started moving on its own against his will— With the Holy Sword in that hand, he pierced her chest himself. The priestess died in the Hero's arms. The Hero screamed.

"Uoooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhh!" While watching that spectacle with utter boredom. Will felt slightly better thinking about what he set up in Eranel. He has no more business in this place. Now he just has to do one last job for this annoying world. Normally he would crush the whole thing. But there are countless other worlds to destroy, literally as many as stars. He thought it might be okay to let this world off lightly since he was in a good mood.

"I'm in a good mood right now. So, I think I'll give this world a wonderful gift."

"What do you intend to do!" Having lost his beloved, trembling with sadness. To the pitiful him trying to continue playing the Hero, Will answered happily.

"There are two continents in this world. It seems humans and demons live mainly on each, right?"

"So what!"

"Kuku. As a Hero, didn't you often say? That it would be good if there were no humans or demons, and the world became one."

"What are you thinking!?" To him trembling with a bad premonition, Will nodded.

"I agree. Let's make it one." Will, floating a fearless smile, wielded the power of [Interference]. If it's a small star like this world, it was sufficiently possible. [Plate Motion] Immediately after, the ground began to shake violently. It was as if the entire star was trembling.

"You! What on earth did you do!" The Hero who can only scream with sorrow, filled with anger. To such him, Will said it casually as if it were nothing.

"Nothing much. I just tweaked the flow of the Mantle a little."

"What is a Mantle!"

"Soon the world will become one. Literally." The Hero, who couldn't understand the meaning of what was said, understood only the magnitude of the matter from the unceasing earth tremors. At the same time, he was appalled. That the opponent in front of him is on a level that can even cause natural disasters. At the overwhelming difference in rank.

"Well. I don't think it will become a situation where I have to move, but... I guess I'll go to the neighboring world just in case." Immediately after that line, Will suddenly disappeared from the spot. The Hero left alone could only kneel in despair on the star that continued to shake without stopping. In the world without Will. Great earthquakes and great eruptions began to occur one after another in every place. It was truly a spectacle like the end of the world, in the correct sense.