Chapter 449 The World Tree’s Inside Scoop

"......It’s over?"

Charkin stared blankly up at the sky, his voice hollow.

"What in the world was that? To think the World Tree possesses such power—it’s simply unbelievable."

"Unbelievable doesn’t even begin to cover it. There’s not a single mention of this in the records passed down through our dragon clan for generations."

"Hmm? Ignir?"

Charkin turned around, his eyes widening in surprise.

"You’re alive too?"

"......If you can’t speak without being rude, I can help you keep your mouth shut permanently."

"Cough, cough."

Charkin’s face flushed with embarrassment. He quickly changed the subject.

"Right! We should go check on the others. Who knows how they’re faring?"

"I was already on my way to do that. Unlike you, who’s just lazing around doing nothing useful."

With that, Ignir beat his wings and soared off toward the horizon.

"Wait! Give me a lift!"

Charkin shouted after him, waving his arms frantically.

But Ignir paid him no mind whatsoever.

Before long, Ignir spotted Hulim Heyerar.

Boom!

There was a heavy thud as the dragon landed beside her, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Hulim—are you alright?"

By now, Hulim had rested long enough to sit up, though her movements were still sluggish.

She shook her head weakly.

"I’m fine... but I can’t move properly for the time being. Can you take me back to Ilz?"

"Of course I can. Hulim—or should I address you as Lady Hulim now?"

"......Lady Hulim?"

Hulim froze for a second, then deadpanned.

"I’ve been meaning to ask."

"You’re a dragon—why do you care so much about formalities? Are you that afraid someone’s gonna skin you and turn your scales into crafting materials?"

"Don’t say something that terrifying with such a calm face!"

Ignir squawked in outrage, his voice echoing through the air.

"Alright, alright, I get it. I’ll stick to Hulim then."

Whoosh~!

A powerful gust of wind swept through the area as Ignir spread his wings wide. He lifted Hulim onto his back and took to the skies.

"Say...... You’re not actually gonna skin me for my scales, right?"

"Hmm?"

"Then let me rephrase—what if someone else tries to skin me for my scales?"

"I’ll beat them up for you."

"Really?! I’m holding you to that! You’re an S-Rank powerhouse—no backing out!"

"......"

Ilz City.

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Thud——!

Ignir’s massive form landed with a deafening crash in the city square, drawing the startled gazes of nearby onlookers.

"Irus!"

Before she even climbed down from Ignir’s back, Hulim spotted Irus descending gently from the sky, her figure floating gracefully on a cushion of wind.

Irus smiled warmly as she glided over, wrapped her arms around Hulim, and carried her lightly down to the ground.

"I’m going to check on the others."

Ignir rumbled, flapping his wings to hover a few feet above the pavement.

"Thank you for your hard work, Ignir." Irus nodded at him gratefully.

"It’s nothing."

Whoosh——!

The red dragon let out a mighty roar and shot back up into the sky, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

"Irus......"

Once Ignir was gone, Hulim couldn’t hold back the question burning in her mind any longer.

"What exactly happened back there?"

"Hmm......"

Irus paused, her eyes drifting toward the distant World Tree as she gathered her thoughts.

"That’s a long story. Your body’s still weak—let’s find somewhere to sit first."

The two of them quickly settled onto a nearby white stone bench, the afternoon sun casting warm golden streaks over the cobblestones.

"Now then... where should I begin......"

After a moment’s consideration, Irus turned to Hulim and spoke.

"First of all—how much do you know about the World Tree?"

Hulim thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I know a few things, but probably no more than the average person."

"Then I suppose you don’t know that the World Tree isn’t a native lifeform of Himril at all."

"Huh?!"

Hulim’s eyes went wide with shock, her mouth dropping open slightly.

"Is that true?"

"It’s true. Once, when it was no more than a seed, it drifted aimlessly through the void between worlds. It wasn’t until the moment Himril was born that its wandering came to an end—it descended upon this world, took root in the soil, and eventually bound its fate to Himril’s own."

"Does that sound like parasitism to you?"

Irus asked suddenly, a playful glint in her eyes.

"Umm......" Hulim frowned, clearly struggling to find the right words to answer that question.

"No need to overthink it. It is parasitism, technically speaking—but it’s the rare kind that’s mutually beneficial. A symbiosis."

"The world provides the World Tree with a place to live, and in return, the World Tree bestows its power upon the world and nurtures its growth."

"They’re like inseparable partners—growing together, sharing both joys and sorrows."

"And as fate-bound allies, the World Tree is physically incapable of doing anything that would harm this world. That’s why, despite being a god-tier entity, it usually appears so peaceful and defenseless."

"After all, from the world’s perspective, both the forces of good and evil are part of its existence. It can’t possibly take sides."

"That’s why the World Tree never retaliated against Gulos and his followers, no matter what they did to it. Their power originated from Himril itself, so the World Tree had no grounds to act against them—it could only endure silently."

"But if the threat comes from outside the world... that’s an entirely different story......"

Irus’s tone grew serious, her expression turning solemn.

"From the moment it first sprouted, the World Tree awakens an incredibly powerful innate ability—the very same one you witnessed earlier: Tree Realm Descent."

"Huh? The World Tree has an innate ability too?"

"It’s only natural that you didn’t know. I suspect only the gods and I are aware of this secret in all of Himril."

Hulim felt a surge of astonishment.

This was truly a well-guarded secret—one that could shake the very foundations of their understanding of the world.

"Don’t underestimate this ability."

Irus continued, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"This power is absolutely invincible!"

"Once activated, no matter how powerful the enemy may be, they will be eliminated in the blink of an eye. No hiding, no escaping—there is no defense against it."

Hulim sat there, stunned speechless.

Absolutely invincible......

Could such power truly exist in the world?

"Does that mean even the gods can’t escape it?"

"......"

Irus fell silent for a moment, then nodded slowly, her eyes filled with a profound gravity.

"That’s right. Not even the gods can withstand it."

"However—as I mentioned earlier—the conditions for activating this ability are extremely stringent. It can only be triggered when facing a crisis that threatens the very existence of the world from an external source. And here’s the thing: invaders from beyond the world know about this ability. They would never be foolish enough to give the World Tree a reason to unleash it."

"That’s why the Demon Lord’s army has never targeted the World Tree directly, even after centuries of war."

Hulim nodded slowly, the pieces of the puzzle finally clicking into place in her mind.

This must be why almost no one in the world knew about the World Tree’s true power—an ability that had never been used before would naturally fade into obscurity, lost to the annals of history.

"What surprises me even more is that Darius knew nothing about this."

Irus said, a hint of cold amusement tugging at her lips.

"Once he fully transformed into a demon, his identity changed—from a native of Himril to an invader from the outside world. He met all the criteria for the World Tree to activate its ability... yet he still dared to attack it."

"This proves that the demons only ever saw Gulos and his followers as convenient pawns. They never intended to truly accept them into their ranks. Otherwise, they would have warned him about this crucial fact."

"But fortunately, there was a rift between them."

"It was that very distrust that gave us the chance to turn the tide of the battle. If Darius—with his Celestial-rank demon power—had succeeded in his plan, it would have spelled certain doom for Himril, especially with no Hero to stand against him......"

After listening to Irus’s words, Hulim let out a soft sigh, her heart heavy with the weight of what could have been.

In the end, their victory in this battle owed a great deal to the distrust between the demons and Darius.

A lesson that must never be forgotten.