With something that large, I was sure the city’s strongest people would converge on that thing and beat it to a pulp. I was doubtful physical attacks could do anything to it, but if that really was the Black World Tree, then as a tree, it should be weak to fire.
Burn it! Burn it!
“If I’m right,” I said, “that thing is weak to fire. We need Hidden Curse. We need the Abyssal Inferno’s power.”
“Understood,” Franz replied with a grunt. “We’ll request their cooperation, so you should head there immediately! That academy is a pillar of the empire; losing it would be a major blow.”
With those alarming words, the Sounding Stone was cut off. He should’ve just called the old lady before contacting me. We were dealing with a magic academy and all. Wasn’t that place her old stomping grounds? I furrowed my brow at the Sounding Stone in my hand, which Sitri watched with confusion.
“Umm, Krai. Forgive me if I’m speaking out of turn here, but if what the Curse Compendium says is true, then that tree is capable of absorbing mana. Wouldn’t attacking with magic be a bad idea?”
“Ahhh. W-Well, I’m willing to admit it’s not entirely impossible to potentially think of it that way. I-I’m sure it’s fine.”
We had just looked at the book not too long ago, yet I had already forgotten what it said. No wonder I was always screwing up. But even if it could absorb mana and whatnot, it was a tree all the same. Shouldn’t that mean the old lady’s flames would be able to do something about it?
And if she can’t. Well. Uh. You’re a Level 8, please figure something out.
Lucia had very likely been wrapped up in this, and not only was she much stronger than I, last I checked, she had plenty of friends at the academy. Perhaps I could sit this one out.
People were fleeing in terror. The chaos had spread further than I had anticipated. A siren rang out as if the world were approaching its last days. I realized I had underestimated the size of the Black World Tree. Peacekeeping knights called out, guiding people to safety. I wished I could’ve been guided to safety.
“Wow, look how big it is!”
Even while trying not to be too harsh, I still thought Sitri’s IQ had dropped considerably when I saw her hopping up and down excitedly. Wasn’t she scared?
With Killiam by our side, the fleeing people kept a wide berth from us, creating a gap in the crowd.
“Hey,” I said to Sitri as we continued to walk, “I was just thinking, isn’t there something incredibly hard-boiled about walking in the opposite direction of a fleeing crowd?”
“There is!” she shrieked. “Krai, you’re incredible!”
I, too, wanted to shriek, and not out of glee or embarrassment. It had been a while since I wanted to vomit like this.
A knight with a large shield was unperturbed by Killiam and ran up to us. “You two! It’s dangerous here! Can’t you see that thing?! Get out of here!”
I’d love to get out of here.
“Worry not,” Sitri said, “we’re going to take care of that thing. Are you unaware of the Level 8 hunter, the Thousand Tricks?”
Man, I’d love to get out of here.
Taken aback by Sitri’s words, the kind knight left us. It seemed that though high-level hunters often got preferential treatment, when needed to, they were expected to put their lives on the line even more than the knights were.
Walking down that road I had walked with Lucia long ago, the school building came into view. It appeared the Zebrudia Academy of Magic was in unprecedented danger. They conducted things like risky magic examinations, and the academy grounds were expansive. The large building was designed like a castle, six of its spires hosting a professor’s office. They were now wrapped in large black vines.
The tree. It’s moving. Did trees always do that? What were the people who made this thinking?
The swiftly wriggling vines grabbed people and tossed them about like garbage. Dozens of Magi, probably academy students, were gathered around the castle and firing spells at it, but the tree didn’t stop.
Sitri looked intently at the tree, our walk having probably let her calm down a bit. “There were phantoms like that in Prism Garden.”
“Hmm. I don’t recall.”
Unfortunately, I was unconscious at the time!
Was there really anything we could do about this thing? Thankfully, the barriers were keeping the damage from spreading beyond the campus, but they wouldn’t last forever against something of this size.
Then the sky grew dark, and a tornado filled with chunks of ice formed at the center of the school grounds. It was a wide-area offensive spell.
“That must be Lucy’s Hailstorm.”
The tornado grew increasingly bigger before colliding with the Black World Tree. The sound of something hard grinding mingled with the roaring wind. The Magi on the ground hung on so as not to be blown away by the shock waves. Being hit by an advanced offensive spell had shorn off a part of the tree. But then it just got bigger.
“It’s growing?!”
The deep wounds closed back up, and the tree expanded. Even at this distance, I could see it swelling.
I guess it wasn’t always this big. What is that thing? Uhhh...
“Ahh, damn it, Lucia. You went and gave the plant water.”
Fire’s the key. Fire. Plants are weak to fire, it makes sense. But I get it, Lucia’s specialty is water.
The tree was wrapped around one of the towers. Even after hitting it so many times, the Magi dug in and prepared to attack again. The swath of vines tightened, and a cracking sound came from the tower. I guess the tree was determined to topple someone’s laboratory. Maybe there was something in there?
The next moment, immense balls of flame burst through the dark clouds above.
“Oh hell, why is this happening?” said a raspy voice.
A shiver ran down my spine. It was the pyromaniac lady. She was here to save us!
Shrouded in flames, the Abyssal Inferno appeared. Following behind her were a number of Magi, all bearing the logo of Hidden Curse. Looking closer, I noticed that Kris and her party were also there for some reason.
The members of the capital’s top Magi clan didn’t hesitate as they walked onto the campus, raised their staves in unison, and began casting. Flames, lights, and gusts all filled the leaden sky and struck at the Black World Tree. Needless to say, leading the effort was the old lady, laughing maniacally.
She’s a hundred times scarier than the tree. She’s the stuff of nightmares.
“HA HA HA HA! BURN! BURN! RETURN TO ASHES!”
Afraid that I might be turned to ash, I instinctively hid in the shadow of the building.
Balls of flame rained down like meteors. I failed to understand why that old lady had ever decided to learn such a dangerous spell. Even from a few hundred meters away, I could feel the burning wind. Still, there was something reassuring about knowing that if the tree turned my way, I would have the world’s scariest old lady on my side.
This should be enough to turn that obnoxious tree into—
“Krai, is the tree getting bigger?”
I silently rubbed my eyes. Just like Sitri had said, cloaked in raging flames of crimson, the Black World Tree wasn’t turning to ash, but instead getting bigger. Noticing something was wrong, the Abyssal Inferno smiled grandly.
“Look at that...”
The falling flames increased in intensity, but to no effect. Though I thought I might end up a pile of ashes. I could barely believe there was something in our world that the old lady’s magic couldn’t burn to the ground.
“Uhhh, maybe, uh,” I said, “this is photosynthesis?”
“Um. Photosynthesis,” Sitri replied. “I-I see?”
To grow well, a plant requires light, water, and a warm climate. But I shouldn’t have been surprised to see that a world tree didn’t go down easily. But if the Abyssal Inferno’s flames weren’t enough, then what was? The trunk had gotten so big that I was willing to bet it was taller than any other building in the imperial capital. It was here that I remembered hearing that the real World Tree was so big it reached the heavens.
Once again, Kris was shouting slanderous remarks.
“Auuugh! Human liar! Just like with the frigid dragons, you lied to us! Sir! This thing definitely isn’t weak to fire! Sir!”