Rebirth
Translator: Yang_Wenli
Elder Safran had no idea how these black robes-wearing inquisitors managed to infiltrate their elven race.
As the Blackwood Elves were a race of assassins that possessed the protection of the ‘stealth’ runes, any human disguise and stealth would be rendered useless before them.
But, those inquisitors managed to pull a wool over their eyes by using a different sort of disguise ability. In fact, there was a disciple Elder Safran was extremely proud of among those ‘defected’ elves.
Even though Elder Safran’s heart was filled with anger and pain, his duty to protect the World Tree caused him to summon forth a great amount of treants to ward against the black robed inquisitors.
In fact, Elder Safran even transformed himself into a giant bear to personally engage in battle against the inquisitors. He used his sharp claws and fangs to tear at any intruder that dared infringe upon this land.
But... the strength of the inquisitors far surpassed Elder Safran’s expectations.
Who knows how long they’ve planned for this raid. Several hundred black robed inquisitors had appeared all over the forest.
The magic they were using possessed enormous destructive prowess. They easily killed the Blackwood Elves stealthed in the shadows... The magic tentacles that extended from the surface were also preventing the movements of the treants.
The surprise raid caught the Blackwood Elves completely off guard. Their fellow elves suddenly turning into their enemies was also something they never anticipated. On top of all this, the surroundings were enveloped by gray mist.
The gray mist was so thick that Elder Safran cannot even determine the location of his fellow elves!
Suddenly... the ground started quaking. Elder Safran raised his head. He was standing near the World Tree.
The Brass Dragon’s frantic roar echoed through the entire battlefield. Multiple tentacles much larger than tree trunks ascended from the ground. They tightly twisted themselves around the World Tree’s trunk.
No... No!
Elder Safran could sense the life of the World Tree seeping out. He and the other elders around him immediately ordered for the treants to destroy the tentacles. But, their treants were also caught by the tentacles themselves and unable to approach the World Tree.
The entire forest weeped with grief. Life was being gradually engulfed by the black mist pervading the forest.
As Elder Safran looked on with despair, the World Tree’s emerald leaves started to gradually turn yellow... In the end, the leaves withered away and fell from the World Tree.
At this moment, Elder Safran’s eyes were wide open. He returned to his original appearance. He extended his hand and grabbed onto a wilted yellow leaf.
When the leaf landed on Elder Safran’s hand, it turned into dust and scattered away...
At this moment, the World Tree had lost its life. Despair spread through Elder Safran’s heart.
The lifeline of the Blackwood Elves originated in their World Tree. His powers were also granted by the World Tree. The wilting of the World Tree represented the extinction of their race.
The meaning behind the existence of the Blackwood Elves was to protect the World Tree. The wilting of the World Tree meant that they’ve lost their meaning of existence.
But, Elder Safran could still sense power within him. Because of that, he raised his head up again.
While it was true that the leaves on the World Tree had all withered to dust and scattered into the air...
Even though the carcass of the World Tree was already dead...
Its foundation has yet to wither away.
Elder Safran felt a faint tremble from the ground. He prepared himself for battle. But, what charged through the gray mist and appeared before him was his companion Ayte.
The brown bear Ayte rubbed his nose against Elder Safran’s palm. Elder Safran discovered Ayte’s body was covered in scars.
“Elder Safran!”
Sitting on top of Ayte, Gallolei called out to Elder Safran. It was only then that Elder Safran noticed the young human girl was emitting an astonishing amount of vitality.
Although that feeling flashed past in an instant, he was certain... it was the vitality of the World Tree!
The World Tree’s... seed...
Elder Safran recalled that he had once read such a legend in the elven epic. That is... the World Tree would never truly perish. When its life is about to reach its end, it will choose to lodge in the body of an eld to wait for the chance to germinate again.
Elder Safran has always doubted the authenticity of that legend. After all, the World Tree was already an ancient tree of astonishing height and has existed for over ten thousand years by the time he was born. That amount of time far surpassed the history of the Blackwood Elves.
But, the truth was before his very eyes. The Blackwood Elves’ World Tree did not wither away. It... had reborn itself into a seed and was lodging in the body of the human girl.
Elder Safran doesn’t understand why the World Tree would choose a human.
But, that was how it was. Right now, his duty was to protect the human girl!
As long as the human girl lives, their World Tree would have the chance to grow back into an ancient tree!
Regardless of whether it might take a thousand years or ten thousand years, Elder Safran was willing to wait for however long it might take... After all, that was the final hope for the existence of their Blackwood Elves!
“Ayte! Bring Gallolei away from here!”
Elder Safran made a decisive decision. Without the support of the World Tree, the entire Blackwood Forest was withering away. Those treants they summoned were also starting to lose their combative abilities.
Even though Elder Safran was very worried about his fellow elves, he chose to protect Gallolei and assist her in leaving this dangerous place as she’s the final hope of their race.
Ayte let out a low growl and immediately started running past the wilted World Tree. Elder Safran followed after Ayte to ensure Gallolei’s safety.
Sitting on Ayte, Gallolei was holding the ‘camera’ Joshua gave him.
“For the Holy Tree!”
Gallolei could faintly hear the same phrases being shouted by the Blackwood Elves around her.
They were bravely fighting to protect their home. But, those cruel inquisitors were thrusting their sharp blades into the bodies of the elves with no hesitation. Even so, the elves did not give up on resisting...
Gallolei tried her best to record all of this while she’s on the brown bear’s back. She photographed the warriors of the Blackwood Elves resisting and dying to protect their home as well as the cruelty displayed by those inquisitors.
Gallolei doesn’t know how long the people of this world have been deceived by the Holy Church. But, at this moment... she was witnessing the appearance of the Heresy Tribunal’s inquitors.
They were simply no ‘warriors that fought for justice and the banishment of darkness from this world.’ Instead, they were a bunch of cruel and merciless indiscriminate murderers.
Perhaps Gallolei would not be able to take photographs as clear as usual as she’s sitting on top of a brown bear’s back. But, any scene taken from this battlefield would serve as ironclad evidences that the Heresy Tribunal’s inquisitors were a bunch of homicidal murderers.