Game of the World Tree

Ouros’s body crumbled with a deafening crash.

In that instant, Evé felt the Heart of Life in her embrace suddenly grow scorching hot.

A few seconds passed as she instinctively sensed a formal bond forming between herself and the demi-realm, solidifying her role as its rightful master.

She hadn’t deliberately left her mark on the realm per se; but rather, when Ouros’s obsession-fueled body finally collapsed, the demi-realm itself chose her as its new Sovereign.

At the precise moment this recognition occurred, Evé immediately felt a profound power, long buried within the Provenance of the demi-realm, suddenly erupt in an overwhelming surge.

It was an outpouring of pure divine energy, radiant and boundless, brimming with the very essence of life itself.

This blinding divine light radiated outward, while countless green particles danced in the air like fluttering elemental sprites, adorning the demi-realm in an ethereal and breathtaking display of beauty.

Such mystical energy descended upon the land, causing plants to sprout and grow at a remarkable speed.

Meanwhile, the demi-realm’s local inhabitants felt an inexplicable release, as though chains within their bodies had been broken, leaving them with an indescribable sense of lightness and relief.

The gentle waves of energy washed over every resident of Seigües who had been transformed into a monster, causing their monstrous features to rapidly fade away.

A few moments later, they reverted to their original forms, their eyes filled with vitality once more.

The residents, still in a daze, looked around at the devastated surroundings in confusion. The destruction around them seemed incomprehensible, and they struggled to make sense of the events that had unfolded.

Meanwhile, the players stared in astonishment as each of the cityfolk returned to normal and felt delighted to see the enemy boss easily defeated by the goddess’s attack…

They raised their weapons high and cheered:

“Haha! We won! We did it!”

“The goddess is incredible! Long live the goddess!”

“Our goddess is the best!”

Thousands of players shouted in unison, their voices echoing throughout the city.

At that precise moment, another faint wave of energy swept through the surroundings, emanating from deep within the demi-realm’s provenance, like some kind of mechanism that had been predesigned long ago.

This subtle energy passed over all living beings native to the the demi-realm, and at the same time, the city’s residents, guards, and believers of the Creator all simultaneously froze in place with their expressions showing a blank expression.

Their stupor lasted only a few seconds before they regained their senses once more.

In the next moment, these natives, bearing traces of elven blood, turned their gazes toward the players with a mix of awe and excitement:

“The Divine Clan! They surely must be the divine beings from the legends!”

“At last, the Divine Beings have descended!”

“It seems they were the ones who defeated the fallen god of that evil church! They’ve saved our world!”

A wave of adoration swept over their faces as each of the residents’ expressions glowed with a fervor that seemed to lift them from the ground itself.

It was unclear who started it, but soon, under the bewildered, proud, apprehensive, or excited gazes of the players, every city residents knelt before them in reverence. Ɍ

The players watched in awe as, one by one, the local cityfolk extended their hands with trembling reverence, their fingers tracing tree-like symbols over their chests in a gesture that spoke of deep devotion.

Their movements were clumsy, as if they were unfamiliar with the precise motions, but their sincerity was undeniable.

As they performed this ritual, chants of praise began to rise in unison, echoing throughout the city like a tidal wave of sound.

Naturally, the native residents’ gazes also turned towards Evé, who stood at the center of the scene, bathed in a radiant holy light that seemed to emanate from her very being.

In that instant, their gazes further deepened, whilst their hands clenched, and their hearts raced as waves of emotion surged through each of them.

“Th-That… That figure must surely be Her Majesty, the Goddess, the Mother of All Gods!”

“She is the true God of Creation! The one true deity, standing above all!”

“The Goddess has not forsaken us… She had decided to save us! She has finally descended upon our realm!”

“All hail the Great True God! All hail the Great Goddess of Nature and Life!”

A wave of fervent cries erupted from the inhabitants of this demi-realm, their voices rising in unison, filling the air with a palpable sense of awe and devotion.

At the same time, Evé sensed new stars emerging within the illusory skies of her divine kingdom, each one connecting to her network of faith.

These stars came from these new believers, which represent their religious devotion.

At that moment, these residents who once worshipped the ‘God of Creation’ collectively redirected their faith toward Evé, instantly becoming her believers.

However, despite gaining such a huge amount of new believers, Evé felt little joy or excitement within her heart.

With a gentle wave of her hand, Evé welcomed the faint ripple of energy, letting it brush against her divine essence.

In that moment, an overwhelming clarity washed over her.

She instantly comprehended the true nature of this pure life energy that had erupted from the demi-realm’s provenance, along with the deeper purpose of this subtle, almost imperceptible wave.

It was Ouros’s final contingency, a last-ditch measure embedded within the very core of the demi-realm itself.

This psychological suggestion had been carefully imprinted upon all sentient beings within this world, a subtle manipulation of their minds, guiding them toward a singular compulsion.

It seemed to be triggered once Ouros had completely disappeared and the Goddess had reawakened within the sacred vessel.

Its purpose was to attribute all the wrongdoings committed by the Church of Creation since its inception to Ouros alone and to reestablish the Mother of All Gods as the true creator of this demi-realm.

Ouros had been a devout believer, but despite his unwavering faith, he lacked the wisdom and skill to be an effective steward of this demi-realm.

During his thousand years of governance, his efforts to gather life force to revive their Patron Deity brought about countless disasters and chains of oppression.

In the early days, when the elves who initially followed him were still alive, the Church of Creation had functioned relatively well.

However, after Ouros’s obsession isolated him from the others, combined with the Abyss’s corruption and his own flaws, managing the church’s operations became a daunting task for him.

Eventually, the church became a sinister organization that tried to control everything through mind manipulation…

Over the past thousand years, although the local population had continued to increase, the number of devout believers who truly believed in the God of Creation had become fewer and fewer as the years went by.

In a sense, the Church of Creation from this point on had become a hollow shell of its former self, existing merely in name only.

In fact, even if Ouros had done nothing, the church would still have collapsed entirely after his obsession dissipated

Yet allowing such an outcome would mean that Ouros’s thousand years of effort would only achieve partial success.

According to his original plan, every residents of this demi-realm were meant to become believers of the Divine Matriarch.

After all, she would need worshippers to sustain her existence once she was fully reawakened.

Thus, Ouros devised this one final compulsion.

Within this design, Ouros would expose himself as the mastermind behind the church’s corruption and the root of all its wrongdoings.

He would carry the weight of all the sins, the wrongs committed by the Church of Creation, and the calamities that had befallen this realm due to his own relentless obsession and bear the mantle of evil.

Meanwhile, the returning elves and the reawakened Goddess would be hailed as the world’s saviors.

It was a story as old as time itself, one where evil inevitably fell, vanquished by the righteous power of the reawakened true god.

This was Ouros’s final script for this demi-realm.

It was the first—and last—gift he could offer to their Great Mother upon her return.

He wanted to dedicate everything to the Divine Matriarch, even if it meant burdening himself with all the blame and succumbing into eternal slumber.

This was his choice.

The decision he made being a guardian of life, and the eight Godwarden serving under the World Tree.

Through this one final compulsion that he devised, Evé came to understand the weight behind Ouros’s actions.

Her gaze grew heavy with complexity.

“This is an incredibly burdensome gift…”

Evé’s gaze wandered, her eyes shifting ever so slightly as she took in the surroundings around her.

The festive noise of the players’ celebration echoed in the air, blending with the jubilant cheers of the local residents.

Although the city had suffered significant destruction during the battle, the oppressive gloom that had once hung over it was now entirely gone.

The city itself seemed to pulse with renewed life and hope, wrapped in an atmosphere of newfound jubilation.

And it wasn’t just happening within the city of Seigües alone.

Now that Evé became the new master of this demi-realm, her perception now extended to the entire land and she could see everything happening within it, with perfect clarity.

At this very moment, every settlement across this demi-realm was reveling in celebration.

Through her divine sight, she ‘saw’ joyous towns, thrilled villagers, and heartfelt celebrations happening one after another.

She ‘saw’ Lilia in Divine Grace Town, praying tearfully along with her companions.

She also ‘saw’ Elder Roergue, facing the direction of Seigües City with a peaceful smile on his lips as his life quietly came to an end—a smile full of contentment and relief.

Currently, every living being within this demi-realm seemed to be rejoicing at the coming of the one True God.

It seemed like a perfect, happy ending.

…Yet, the original figure who had orchestrated it all was now forever gone.

— 458 —

【 ONE LASTGIFT FOR THE MATRIARCH 】

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