NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 136: Sephiroth
For an ordinary person, hearing a dragon lament about its life might evoke mixed feelings… but there were no ordinary humans here.
Pat pat-
“Yong, cheer up.”
Little Perpe comforted him, while Virdel offered advice.
“Focus on mental cultivation.”
Just who in the world could advise a dragon to cultivate their mind? Who could comfort a dragon, telling it not to blame itself for being weak?
“Wahhh…”
But Yongyong could say nothing back. While the other two had maintained their composure until the end, preparing for any situation, Yongyong had long since collapsed.
“Yongyong, you’re heavy.”
“…”It was thanks to them that he barely avoided becoming lost in space-time. They had caught him as he was blown away like a leaf, unconscious from the battle’s aftermath.
“…Thanks.”
Yongyong felt ashamed of his recent competitive spirit toward the two.
Despite his feelings, the other two were not faring much better.
Virdel had come to a stark realization: there was always a bigger fish. The chasm between Karlstein and herself showed no signs of narrowing. In truth, she had abandoned the hope of even standing beside him. She would have settled for trailing in his wake, content to be of use.
The recent battle had served as a wake-up call. Oradge or Maxien, the two she had striven to match, had been using mere Avatars. She could only imagine that the power Karlstein displayed in the earlier battle was his true form.
Battle power—be it 3 million, 4 million, or 10 million—meant nothing in his presence.
“Haha.”
Virdel shook her head. She had thought her efforts substantial, but apparently, her recent growth had softened her resolve somewhat. Noticing the twinge of disappointment in her heart, she wondered: had her progress given rise to certain expectations?
Yet, she swiftly quashed this disappointment, steeling herself once more. Virdel would persevere, her gaze fixed on his back, all extraneous thoughts banished. At the very least, she would not be lonely for life.
On the other hand, Perpe was facing a problem of her own.
Hungry…
Though her dilemma was of a slightly different nature.
***A white temple, enveloped by the roots of a massive tree, stood partially destroyed. Built with white stone, it was no longer in its usual state. Countless corpses adorned the temple, and a river of silver blood flowed from them, indicating a fierce battle had taken place here.
Step- Step-
Footsteps echoed softly among the dead.
Step- Step-
A purple-eyed Kaiju, architect of this carnage, walked on nonchalantly.
[U-ugh… No… You cannot…]
An old man, sole survivor amidst the sea of death, reached out a hand in a futile attempt to halt the Kaiju’s advance.
Crunch-
A mere glance from the monster unleashed an irresistible force, tearing the old man to shreds.
Step- Step-
The starlight-maned Kaiju finally reached the deepest part of the temple’s underground.
Voom-
A crystal stone pulsing with blue waves sat upon the central altar, its light intensifying as if in welcome of the intruder.
Prohiden, Number 17 in the Galactic Empire’s registry, reached for the stone.
Crackle- Crunch-
The Kaiju wrenched the crystal free and crushed it in its fist.
Voom-
Prohiden unfurled its palm, revealing a small seed that formerly slept within the crystal.
Crunch-
Without hesitation, Prohiden planted the seed into its own heart.
Crack- Crack-
Prohiden’s form began to fracture and shed, as if undergoing rebirth. It was molting.
Voom-
Much time passed.
When the metamorphosis concluded, Prohiden stood transformed. Corded muscles, a protruding chest, and remnants of its former shell created a form more akin to human. Its purple eyes flashed as it reached out, fingers brushing against the air.
Voom-
The atmosphere rippled like water, creating a thin membrane. Prohiden, now wreathed in a faint silver glow, passed through the membrane and vanished without a trace.
Rumble-
The temple began to crumble.
***“Sephiroth?”
[Yes. The reinforcements have ceased.]
“Hmm. That’s problematic.”
They were discussing additional reinforcements from Sephiroth’s side.
[We’ve left them alone for now, but soon they’ll lose their stronghold to World’s Kaiju.]
“I hardly suppose they’ve run out of steam already.”
Until now, Karlstein had deliberately left World’s Sephiroth and Kaiju alone, using them effectively. He was even controlling their population, like farming treasure goblins.
“What about World’s Kaiju?”
[No significant change.]
“Hmm…”
Karlstein felt a tad frustrated not knowing the flow of the situation. The Galactic Empire had expanded its territory to the 2nd zone beyond the barrier. It was a near bloodless advance, but an expansion nonetheless.
They had firmly established this new territory by pushing back the strangely passive Kaiju. But lately, the Kaiju’s counterattacks had grown fierce. They rampaged aggressively as if unleashed. This was why Maxien and Camilla were at the front lines.
However, their resistance was not particularly threatening. It felt more like they were stalling for time.
“Hmm. I wonder if it’s related to that?”
The Kaiju activity would affect more than just the Galactic Empire.
“What a waste…”
Karlstein felt it was a shame. A real shame. After all, the Sephiroth had grown like a horn of plenty, dedicating their blood and flesh to the Galactic Empire like a benevolent patron.
Although they gained far more spoils from the Kaiju, the quality found in the Sephiroth was incomparable. It was not for nothing that he had left their stronghold alone in a corner of World.
“First, we need to control the Kaiju population.”
[Not an issue.]
“As for the Sephiroth… I’ll have to see for myself.”
Their stronghold in World—or sacred area as they called it—could not be scouted even with electronic devices. It was obscured by a white, hazy dome-like barrier.
Until now, Karlstein had left it alone, not wanting to kill the goose that laid golden eggs.
“If they have no more reinforcements, I can only go find them myself.”
Karlstein’s lips curled upward.
Not coming anymore? Then it’s time for a visit.
***“Yongyong!”
[…What?]
“Higher!”
[…]
The massive dragon ascended despite grumbling at Perpe’s request.
Atop Yongyong’s head perched Perpe—arms spread wide in excitement—along with Virdel and Karlstein.
[We’ll arrive soon. But I really can’t see any of those Sephiroth guys.]
Perhaps due to the Galactic Empire’s Kaiju population control, the scenery below was uncharacteristically peaceful for World, which was typically a battlefield.
“Did we bash them too hard?”
The Galactic Empire’s forces in World grew stronger with time. Unlike the Kaiju, who simply multiplied, the Galactic Empire built and solidified its foundation, resulting in overwhelming productive capability.
The Kaiju stood no chance. And the Sephiroth, unable to match even in quantity, fared worse still.
“Don’t let your guard down. I’ll admit their tricks are often unpredictable.”
The Sephiroth had created teleporting Sky Ships to attack freely between front and rear lines. However, the Galactic Empire’s fortresses were not so easily breached by strategies relying solely on speed.
-You don’t know where they’ll pop up from?
-Then set up defenses in all fortresses.
They had no cards to play whatsoever.
[Letting our guard down… Who else but you would do that, big bro…]
Truthfully, only Karlstein could afford such luxury. The Rankers actually fighting on the battlefield had to risk their lives on the rare occasion of encountering a high-ranking Sephiroth.
Someone of Virdel’s caliber might be fine, but she was not the type to relax carelessly in the first place.
Karlstein’s worry was unnecessary.
“Ahem.”
Karlstein cleared his throat as he eyed the distant, colossal tree illusion shrouding the entire enemy stronghold.
In any case, they were in enemy territory. Karlstein narrowed his eyes, heightening his guard, but nothing caught his attention.
“A full withdrawal?”
The situation seemed far worse than when he had received the report and departed. Now it appeared no different from an abandoned dwelling.
“Yongyong, go faster.”
[Yessir!]
Blue flames erupted from Yongyong’s wing thrusters as he accelerated.
“Ahahaha!”
Perpe’s laughter stretched out, distorted by their speed.
As Yongyong breached the colossal tree illusion—
Whoosh-
Karlstein’s consciousness blacked out, as if being sucked somewhere.
***“…”
He found himself surrounded by pure darkness, reminiscent of a mental realm—the landscape of one’s inner mind.
Well, well. A trap?
Karlstein looked around, seeing nothing. Curiosity, rather than alarm, was his primary reaction.
Who was he, if not the one and only Karlstein?
Mental Prohibitions from the Xianxia universe proved futile against him, and he was unscathed by the Kaiju’s various mental pollutions.
Unless facing a Single Number, he was virtually invincible in the mental realm. Yet here he was, his mind dragged somewhere without consent.
Karlstein could not help feeling curious at this unprecedented situation. And his curiosity deepened with the appearance of another presence.
Following an incomprehensible echo, a blurry, illusory figure materialized in the empty space as if it had always been there.
But Karlstein was not surprised.
“Who are you?”
He surmised this place was akin to a mindscape; anything could happen here. The curious part was that he, of all people, had been summoned.
As Karlstein focused on the formless illusion, a transformation occurred.
Voom-
The shapeless entity distorted, assuming the form of a giant bird. Simultaneously, an enormous white tree materialized behind it.
“A tree?”
The colossal tree, composed of pure white light, was so immense that even Karlstein could not fathom its size. He would not be surprised if it were said to be larger than the sun.
“Hmm…”
The luminous giant tree, devoid of leaves, possessed a strange quality—it felt both distant and near.
There’s no sense of perspective.
Suddenly, the tree’s branches quivered slightly, as if welcoming him in this windless dimension.
No voice reached Karlstein’s ears, but it was not difficult to deduce who had summoned him.
“…Sephiroth?”
Yes. It was undoubtedly Sephiroth, the entity they revered and called mother.