CHAPTER 268: FULL MOBILIZATION

Beneath the forest floor, the living root network writhed and tunneled forward in silence, disturbing the earth so subtly that no tremor could betray their passage. Sif, anxious to deliver the message, had failed to notice them. But Wang Yu and Avia, ever vigilant, quickly sensed that something was amiss.

"...these vines that Holo devised to relay information have been completely corrupted. Those deranged, frenzied woodlings and the like came from these very roots. I can sense it clearly now: beneath every inch of this forest we see lies a dense snarl of living roots."

Avia surveyed their surroundings with Perfect Fractal. The intricate net of red-veined tendrils twisting beneath the ground painted a grim picture. The Forest of Origin was in chaos. If they were to head toward Liaheim openly, it would undoubtedly provoke assault from both crazed woodlings and the roots themselves.

Worse still, if the elves hadn't detected such a massive aberration, it could only mean that too many of them were already under the devil's influence.

"We don't even know where that devil is hiding. Damn it—it hasn't even revealed itself, but it's already got way too many elves under its control," Wang Yu muttered, brows furrowed.

As he spoke, he used the Chariot to unpack the alchemical kit Moira had given them before they set out. He selected a few vials of complementary reagents—powders and fluids—and began to combine them.

The amalgam dispersed into minuscule droplets under the guidance of the Chariot, forming a luminous ring that hovered around him—a shimmer of iridescent mist refracting sunlight into a haze of ever-shifting colors.

"First, we need to warn the elves of Liaheim. They're one of the five major races, and a third of their people dwell here—they will not cower before such a threat.

"That monstrous creature may be powerful, but whether it rivals the God of Terror or a divine corpse... well, that remains to be seen."

As Wang Yu spoke, the Chariot's power directed the colored mist to seep into the forest floor, trickling through cracks and burrows. Gently, almost lovingly, it settled upon the writhing root network below.

He had combined Mandragora's Eternal Sleep and Hydra's Fang—two potent toxins, lethal and mutually compatible. The hybrid poison coursed through the roots.

His opponents weren't sentient foes; they wouldn't flee at the sight of a poison cloud. Secrecy was unnecessary.

A pungent odor began to spread. The iridescent mist around Wang Yu shimmered ominously, a warning that would have chilled any intelligent creature to the bone. But the roots had no eyes.

Even the smallest dose of this blend could kill a knight-in-training; a touch more would paralyze a full knight. For these semi-sentient roots, the poison was devastating.

The ground began to roil. Poisoned roots convulsed violently, their death throes mirroring those of a strangled beast.

Massive tendrils erupted from the soil, twitching and curling grotesquely—until, mere seconds later, all motion ceased entirely. Silence fell. They were dead.

"Move! These roots only extend to the outer edges of the Forest of Origin. If they spread any deeper, we'll be in real trouble. Go alert your elders—now!"

At Wang Yu's command, the trio sped through the now-cleared forest and headed straight for Liaheim.

A series of urgent knocks rattled the door to Moira's treehouse. Irritated, the old elf opened it—but upon seeing Wang Yu and Avia, her irritation shifted instantly to surprise and concern.

"You're back already? Didn't you go to the Sorensen Mountains?"

The journey there and back, not to mention the investigation, should have taken at least six weeks. They had barely just left!

"Madam Moira, we'll explain later. We have terrible news. We need you to inform the elven elders immediately using your connections," Avia began. Her grave tone stopped Moira from interrupting with questions.

With concise urgency, she relayed all that had occurred: the druids' magnificent working in the Sorensen Mountains; Holo's sacrifice; and the World-Eater nurtured over countless years by the Tree of Life's steady outpouring of life force.

"I'll notify the elders immediately. You've done well—Liaheim owes you both a great debt," said Moira, her face pale.

The story, though astonishing, was too internally consistent, too deeply corroborated, to be a lie. A devil's influence, a World-Eater... The threat was real.

Without hesitation, she retrieved a token Holo had left her years ago and stepped out of her treehouse.

"Don't worry. With the full might of the elves, Liaheim will not fall easily. Once our preparations are complete, that creature will be met with force.

"As long as the Tree of Life stands, the elven race remains a power none may underestimate. Its deep foundations will not crumble, no matter how fearsome the enemy."

Per Moira's request, Wang Yu and Avia accompanied her to deliver the warning to the elven elders in person.

Avia also had some magical recordings she wanted to furnish as proof—the account might appear too fantastical otherwise. As they traveled, Moira mused over the state of the elves.

Her views echoed Wang Yu's own: the elves were strong and would not collapse in the face of the World-Eater.

Unlike Wang Yu, she had an accurate understanding of the elves' true strength. Above the Tree of Life's canopy dwelled legendary beings, and those who transcended even that limit. Including the war-trees—ancient guardians of battle with legendary strength—there were over a dozen legends in Liaheim.

Moreover, the elven capital was a living circuit of magical energy centered on the Tree of Life itself. It comprised a vast array of "living" formations known collectively as the maze-locks.

When fully active, they could detect invaders and unleash devastating spells in any part of the city at a moment's notice.

The three made their way swiftly to a platform at the base of the Tree of Life, where flocks of giant avian beasts—mounts bred and tamed by the elves—were stationed.

Guarding the area were elven warriors clad in silver armor, each a grand knight. Without their approval, no one could climb the Tree.

A single warning would be followed by a second. A third would bring annihilation.

"I, Moira Mysowyn, request an audience with the elders of Liaheim. I bear urgent news."

She presented her token. One of the guards recognized her and confirmed the artifact's authenticity. Moments later, she and her companions were soaring upward atop a giant eagle, bound for the Tree of Life's canopy.

As the three of them alighted, the giant eagle folded its wings and began to roost in anticipation of their subsequent descent.

The wind howled. Moira sighed as she looked around. "No matter how many times I come here, the vitality of this place never fails to overwhelm me."

Though Gewen's token gave her permission to visit at any time, she had seldom done so since the incident years ago. This time, however, the matter was far too urgent.

"Mm."

Wang Yu and Avia nodded. The air here was saturated with life force. Anyone who frequented such an environment would surely have boosted vitality, longevity, and resilience.

It was little wonder that the elves, born of this sacred tree, were the most gifted among the five great races.

They passed through an entrance flanked by ancient war-trees and elite guards, emerging into the place where the elven elders resided—the Eden Plain.

In a small wooden cabin, one of the elders was already waiting for them. His silver-flecked hair hinted at over a millennium of life.

Wang Yu discreetly used the Chariot's power to probe the elder's strength: he was an advanced grand knight, at the very least. The subtle magical aura around him also confirmed that he was a formidable spellcaster.

It was no wonder he didn't have any bodyguards around.

After all, at the pinnacle of power, assassination was no longer a concern. Destroying Liaheim might well be easier than killing such a being.

The elven elders were among the strongest of all elves. In the life-rich environment of the canopy of the Tree of Life, the power they could bring to bear was unimaginable.

"Moira Mysowyn," the elder began, voice calm and almost conversational, "what brings you here with two humans?"

"Grave tidings. Allow my two students to explain."

Moira stepped aside, her tone solemn, and gestured to Wang Yu and Avia.

"Speak," the elder said.

Seeing the grave expression on Moira's face, the elder grew solemn as well. He turned his gaze toward Wang Yu and Avia, who were seated together.

He was aware of Moira's circumstances. She had not set foot upon the Tree of Life in many years—her sudden arrival today could only herald something of great import.

With a wave of her hand, the girl summoned a surge of magical power. Images began to take shape—scenes from their journey through the Sorensen Mountains. These visions, captured automatically by her Perfect Fractal lens, could be recalled and replayed at will.

They showed the grotesque "mushroom folk" parasitized by fungi, the forest floor smothered in mycelial blankets, the colossal mushroom that was supposedly an ancestral spirit, the dark elven druid Holo melded with writhing vines in a cave, the monstrous leviathan beneath the earth known as the World-Eater—and the twisted fate that befell both Holo and Sif.

As the young woman presented each image, the elder's expression gradually shifted from serene indifference to dark, heavy solemnity.

"That's the situation," Avia concluded. "Liaheim must prepare itself. That immense creature is on the verge of waking—and when it does, its target will be this land brimming with life force."

Her report finished, she looked earnestly to the elven elder across from her.

"I believe you," the elder said gravely. "What you've told me is logically consistent with everything I know. I thank you deeply for this warning. Liaheim shall be placed on full alert immediately."

Leaders could not afford to dither. Among the long-lived elders of the elven race, hesitation might as well be a foreign notion.

No sooner had Avia finished speaking than the elder gave the command to the elven sentinels standing ready beyond the wooden lodge. Liaheim began to enter a state of full defense and readiness at once.

He knew well that this would be a tremendous disruption to the people of Liaheim, but far worse was the cost of being unprepared when the World-Eater rose.

There was no question in his mind that, even if that nightmarish creature were but a false alarm, the alternative would be far worse.

"Once more, allow me to thank you for what you have done for Liaheim," the elder said with deep sincerity. "When things have settled, we will present you with a fitting gift for our gratitude. But before that, I wish to confirm something. I suspect that even I may have been touched by the corruption of the devil you spoke of."

He stood and offered Avia and Wang Yu a formal human bow, then made his request.

"Of course," Wang Yu replied without hesitation. Avia nodded beside him.

"First, those false roots," the elder said. "You've collected a few samples, haven't you? I wish to see for myself whether what I perceive matches the truth, or whether, as you've said, things have been subtly altered."

"This was one of the earliest forms we encountered. What do you see?"

Wang Yu had indeed collected a sample: one of the twisted living roots conjured by Holo, meant for communication but since corrupted. Channeling the Chariot's power, he lifted the writhing root into the air for the elder's inspection.

"...What I see is a vine sprouting small limbs."

The elder's tone was leaden. The moment he realized his vision did not match the description he'd been given, he understood that he too had been affected by the devil's distortion.

"Allow me to show you its true form. Once you see it, the distortion should unravel."

Avia shaped a Perfect Fractal over the elder's eyes, allowing him to witness the root's true appearance.

"...I see it now. I didn't expect that even I would have been influenced. These so-called devils... just what are they? What do they seek? And how have they managed to slip past our senses and manipulate us so easily?"

The elder nodded, his voice heavy. Through the fractal lens, he beheld the root's authentic state: grayish-yellow, laced with filaments resembling a neural network. As the illusion fell away, his mind slowly corrected itself—but the realization brought more questions than answers. How deep did this devil's influence go?

"I must reflect," he murmured. "How have I changed from before? If I can figure that out, I may uncover where my thoughts have been warped."

Closing his eyes, the elder began to sift through his memories as he compared his current self to who he had been a century prior. He examined his temperament, judgment, and worldview.

"...The dwarves."

A flicker of insight flashed through his mind. The elder mouthed the word slowly. He had found a discrepancy—his view of something had shifted.

The dwarves were longtime allies of the elves.

Though boisterous and brash, and though they often poked fun at elves with crude jests—"pointy-eared nancies," for one—they had always held genuine respect for their elven counterparts.

With their calm and patient nature, the elves had never taken offense to the dwarves' gruffness. The bond between the two races had long endured.

And yet, somehow, his view had changed. He had begun to think of dwarves as stubborn, foolish, short, and ugly.

An unwelcome distaste had crept into his thoughts. It was subtle and nearly imperceptible, and all the more insidious for it. It had begun to shape his judgments without him ever realizing.

"In recent years, our exchanges with the dwarves—in materials, craft, or knowledge—have steadily dwindled. The alchemical tools are of dwarven make, but they're all relics from generations past. Is this, too, the result of our corrupted perception?"

Now that he recognized what had been distorted, that veneer broke. He probed his memories and realized that the change had begun decades ago. For elves, whose lives spanned centuries, that stretch of time was but a moment—far too easy to overlook.

But the consequences of that subtle shift had already crept into every corner of Liaheim's dealings with the dwarven kingdom.

"And for what purpose?" the elder wondered aloud. "Whether we scorn or revere the dwarves, the forces set in motion during the corruption's birth would have remained unchanged..."

He could understand why a devil would twist their perception of the animated roots. But what purpose did distorting their view of the dwarves serve? The World-Eater would have risen regardless.

"...Gewen. He has always held great disdain for the dwarves. He believes them to be the root cause of the Tree of Life's anomalies. And he's the one who led the delegation to the dwarven kingdom..."

The elder frowned. Previously, under the veil of distortion, the elders had supported Gewen's hypothesis that the dwarves were to blame without giving it much scrutiny. But now, their doubts loomed large.

A ploy to lure them away? But Gewen lacked the power to sway all of elvenkind. Was he all that special?

The elder shook his head. Now wasn't the time for such questions. Under his swift command, Liaheim had already entered a full defensive lockdown, its citizens and guardians swiftly bracing for whatever might come.