Just a few hours ago, it had been nothing but an empty wasteland, but at a certain point, Kalpira witnessed the barren earth suddenly flourish with lush greenery. Despite this, his expression remained unchanged.
Standing atop a large stone pillar, he pressed forward without hesitation, crushing and smashing anything that blocked his path. He paid no mind to the hostile gazes that felt like they were piercing his skin, nor did he bother to look around.
“Stop!” An elf that stood in his way didn’t even have time to speak before being flattened beneath the stone pillar, leaving behind a long streak of bl**d. Though Kalpira generally preferred to avoid unnecessary killings, elves—or more precisely, those infected by the World Tree—were exceptions.
After all, they didn’t belong to this planet in the first place. What had once clung to a rock drifting across the cold void of space, merged with plant life, and then parasitized the planet indiscriminately, was the World Tree.
To Gaia, born of this star, and her most trusted agent, these intruders were little different from illegal squatters. The only reason they hadn’t been completely eradicated was because doing so would cause the planet itself to suffer significant damage due to how deeply rooted they had become.
As the number of elves blocking his path increased, Kalpira showed no signs of hesitation or doubt; instead, he accelerated, turning the verdant forest crimson with bl**d.
When a bear with a tree growing out of where its head should be lunged at him, Kalpira didn’t even glance at it before raising a cloud of dust. The moment the bear’s body touched the dust, it began to disintegrate into red mist.
“It’s about time you showed up.” That was what Kalpira thought as he believed that despite currently hiding his presence, someone like the Collective Mind couldn’t possibly fail to recognize who he was.
After having destroyed more flesh than wood, a woman finally emerged from among the tree roots covering the land.
Kalpira intended to plow through her as well, but all the surrounding trees threw themselves in front of her, forming a barrier to prevent him from reaching her until they shattered into splinters. Only then did the stone pillar halt just before the woman.
Though she never looked directly at Kalpira, she knew exactly who he was.
“…It’s been a while, Executor. What brings you here this time? Your superior’s conversation with you must’ve ended already, and you’ve never caused us any trouble.”
Her words rang true. While Kalpira disliked the World Tree, that alone wasn’t enough justification for him to trample over its followers.
“Kalpira. I hear there’s a girl named Alterra here. Does that ring any bells? If not, I’m happy to help jog your memory. It’d be best if you tell me everything.”
The incarnation of the World Tree recalled how her terminals had felt a strange sense of familiarity upon seeing Alterra. Could it be… the child of that executor? If so, the tyranny of the executor now made more sense. Dragons, after all, were beasts bound by oaths.
“…I saw her. And I swear on all my roots that she is not here. After meeting some of your kind who live here, they fought, but she left afterward.”
Upon confirming there was no falsehood in her words, Kalpira paused momentarily at the mention of “your kind,” then remembered a dragon assigned to this area.
“Your kind… could it be Eri? She was certainly entrusted with surveillance duties. Given the lack of contact so far… sigh. My advice to abandon emotions seems to have fallen on deaf ears. In that case, guide me to where Eri is. Or I’ll go myself.”
Though dozens of terminals meant little to her, dealing with an agent who could potentially k*ll hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands, was a risk she wasn’t willing to take. Thus, the incarnation of the World Tree obediently twisted her body and terminals to open a path toward Eri.
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
Had she refused, he would’ve likely tried to uproot her entirely, as he had done in the past. Unable to voice this thought, the World Tree’s incarnation melted back into the forest.
Thanks to her cooperation, Kalpira arrived unimpeded at the cave where Ereshkigal resided. Without hesitation, he leaped into the pit.
The thin veil forming the false Underworld couldn’t withstand Kalpira’s presence and tore apart instantly.
Landing with a thud, kicking up dust, Kalpira found the massive remains of a skeletal snake and Ereshkigal staring blankly into space with unfocused eyes.
Ereshkigal turned her head instinctively at the sound, locking eyes with Kalpira, who stared intently at her. She understood fully what his gaze implied.
“…If you’re here to purge me, do it quickly, Executor. Your mockery isn’t becoming of you.”
“Rest assured. I haven’t come to take your life today. A girl named Alterra came looking for you. I’ve come to hear her story.”
At the mention of this, Ereshkigal erupted into uncontrollable laughter.
“Haha! Who would’ve thought the great Executor would make such a mistake…! Oh dear. So she can use Breath too, your child…!”
Upon hearing the word “Breath,” Kalpira’s expression hardened.
—
The soldiers of Landekrihen were jubilant. There were no invaders worth mentioning, and their main task lately had been driving away wild beasts near the town outside the city walls. This was the perfect opportunity to test their newly issued equipment.
“What is this thing supposed to be? I can’t figure it out just from reading the manual…”
“Tsk. Were you sleeping when the instructor explained it?”
“I was on leave writing my thesis when they suddenly swapped out the standard gear, and I returned just days before being deployed into combat. How am I supposed to know anything?”
The soldier with long hair sighed and said, “Well, since I won’t get another chance to show you, pay attention. When transporting, keep the barrel folded like this. Don’t walk around with it ready to fire, or you might accidentally sh**t yourself—or someone else—in the leg.”
The shorter-haired soldier, startled by this warning, quickly adjusted the rifle on his back after taking it out. He wiped sweat off his brow upon realizing it didn’t have any bullets loaded.
“What are you so surprised about? They wouldn’t give it to you loaded, would they? Even though safety isn’t always prioritized, they wouldn’t be that careless. Now, pay attention. To reload, turn this lever to the side, then fold the barrel. You can’t force it, so always move the lever first. Otherwise, it’ll break.”
Following the demonstration, the other soldier bent the barrel, loaded ammunition into both sides, and closed it again. He recalled the explanation: the device used concentrated magical energy stored in magic stones to propel projectiles, capable of easily shattering mediocre armor. Watching the demonstration firing convinced him of its power.
“You know how to fire it, right? Did you hear about the safety mechanism?”
“Yeah, I got that much. Just press this button, then pull the trigger… bang.”
The long-haired soldier chuckled derisively at the imitation before unfolding and swinging his rifle’s barrel.
“Don’t go testing it by shooting. We’ve got outsiders lurking near the border, claiming to hunt demons. Show them what we’re capable of when they dare to approach.”
“S-sh**t?!”
This guy may be smart in academics, but he’s clueless about this stuff. The long-haired soldier thought as much. Then, noticing movement in the bushes, he immediately drew his weapon.
“…Hold. Did you see that?”
“Yeah.”
The short-haired soldier also raised his weapon, tense at the possibility of encountering real action on his first deployment. His hands trembled.
They exchanged signals with subtle glances and surrounded the bushes, preparing to respond if anything emerged. Simultaneously, they pushed aside the foliage with their g*n barrels.
In their sights appeared a girl with purple hair and blue eyes, and a woman with white hair, black pupils, small horns, and blue eyes. The girl looked impassively at the guns aimed at her, while the woman appeared terrified, trembling violently. Noticing b*llet wounds on the woman’s legs, they both thought the same thing:
Isn’t this the girl the demons have been desperately searching for?
However, the frightened demon lacked any form of identification. Even if they secured the girl to hand over to the Demon King soon, what should they do with this demon?
There was no way to verify her identity. Yet killing her here seemed inappropriate, considering her apparent connection to the doll the Demon King had earnestly requested they retrieve.
Apparently, whoever discovered her first had shot without asking questions, but they decided to offer a bit more leniency.
“We should… bring them in for now?”
“Yeah. Demon, hand over the doll. Resist, and we will sh**t.”
Elize surrendered the doll without resistance and allowed herself to be tied up with the ropes they provided.
