Game of the World Tree

The Chief Shaman, with a gentle touch, caressed the necklace and closed her eyes.

Then after a moment of silence, she slowly reopened her eyes with a hint of disappointment in her expression.

“It’s still not enough…”

She sighed softly before putting away the skull necklace, then continued sitting in place.

“Just a little more longer…”

“Chief Shaman!”

Seeing the Chief Shaman in such a state, the other shamans felt anxious but alas, there’s nothing they could do to convince her to escape.

They could only call on other Orc warriors to continue protecting the area, whilst barely maintaining the situation.

However it was obvious to anyone that the tide of the war had already completely tilted against their favor…

If the appearance of the elven cavalry had tilted the balance of the entire war, then the addition of the spider swarm along with its legendary arachnid queen had effectively sealed the fate of the Orc Army…

In hindsight, the power of legendary beings was truly strategic and could influence the outcome of the battle!

With their three Totem Guardians still currently trapped, the Orc had ultimately lost their ability to counter the spider swarm.

Not to mention, the Queen Spider even led her minions in a frenzy of pursuit against the Orcs. She also specifically targeted the powerful Orc individuals who had reached the Silver-rank and the few surviving Behemoths.

Meanwhile while this was all happening, the players cheered and followed behind the Spider Queen excitedly akin to a newbie riding off a busride.

There was nothing more satisfying than letting someone else charge ahead and do the heavy lifting while they instead easily reaped the EXP points from behind.

The players enthusiastically brandished their weapons, while assisting the Crypt Spiders in killing off the Orcs and taking the opportunity to farm EXP since the collapse of the Orc’s morale led to a significant drop in their fighting capabilities as well.

In the ensuing chaos within the enemy ranks robbed them of any chance for a counterattack.

Henceforth, the entire battlefield had somehow become a festival of slaughter for the players.

Within each seconds that passed by, an Orc was either killed while fleeing, or overwhelmed and beaten to death by the pursuing Crypt Spiders and players…

However over time, the players also noticed that the rate of experience they were gaining had began to gradually slow down as they accumulated more and more kills.

Fortunately, there were still plenty of Orcs to hunt down.

With the reduced experience gained from killing Orcs, they made up for it by killing alot more!

If they could take advantage and secure additional EXP by capitalizing on the Spider Queen’s pursuit of Silver-ranked Orcs and Behemoths then it would be a significant victory for them!

As a result, players became even more fanatical in their pursuit of the fleeing Orcs…

The army of 30,000 orcs collapsed and disintegrated at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the number of casualties had also increased exponentially.

Anyone with some common sense could see that the Orc army was on the brink of collapse in this battle…

And the outcome of a complete annihilation was almost impossible to reverse!

Meanwhile, the Chief Shaman of the Orcs held the blood-red necklace as she looked at the entire chaotic battlefield in silence…

Her thoughts remained a mystery even for her subordinates.

Seeing the unconcerned appearance of their Chief Shaman, the other shamans grew even more desperate.

“Please Chief! We need to leave quickly! Let us gather the remaining tribesmen and retreat as soon as possible…”

“Yes, we still have a chance to escape while the enemy still hasn’t completely surrounded us! Lets save our strength and we can still fight for another day!”

Her subordinates pleaded in despair.

Nonetheless the Chief Shaman remained unmoved, looking at her bedraggled subordinates with a calm expression.

“Fight for another day? At this point, do you still think we can win with our King’s army?”

After saying this, she then glanced at the fierce-looking and crazed elves on the battlefield with an inexplicable expression.

“From the moment the elf reinforcements appeared, the king’s army was doomed,” The Chief Shaman stated before adding, “these elves are as ferocious as the devil itself. Do you really think they will let any of us escape?”

The other shamans grew even paler after hearing this.

With a loss of thirty thousand of their finest warriors, the Orcs living within the Desert of Death would undoubtedly suffer a significant decline in their race’s overall strength for the years to come…

Not to mention that this war was of great importance to their patron deity.

If they had truly failed, then they couldn’t even imagine the wrath their Divine Father would inevitably inflict upon them!

The lower-ranked Shamans felt inexplicable dread simply by imagining these things.

While her subordinates were busy panicking, the Chief Shaman then suddenly stated something bizarre.

“A war of faith is ultimately a game between the true gods. We are nothing but pawns in the hands of our Divine Father. In fact, sometimes… certain sacrifices are necessary.”

The Chief Shaman then displayed an intense and reverent expression, as she lifted the blood-red necklace from her chest upwards.

“S-Sacrifice?”

Her subordinates were taken aback.

The Chief Shaman didn’t explain anything but simply closed her eyes gently, as if she were sensing something.

This bizarre moment lasted for a few seconds before she reopened her eyes once more and her lips twisted into a devious smirk.

“Now, it’s finally… sufficient.”

She slowly whispered with a hint of joy in her words.

Having said that, her expression then suddenly turned unhinged as she drew a dagger from her bosom, and directly cut her wrist in front of the horrified eyes of her subordinates before smearing her blood onto the skull necklace.

“Praise be the Cold Winter! Praise be the Hunt! Praise be the Great Father’s Divine Majesty!”

The Chief Shaman shouted fervently while raising the blood-stained necklace in her hand.

Then, amidst the terrified gaze of her subordinates, the Chief Shaman’s face suddenly began to age rapidly!

However, she paid no heed to it and instead, simply looked upwards to the skies with a crazed, fanatical expression.

“Victory in the end shall belong to our Great Divine Father!”

After witnessing their chief’s weird behavior, one of the senior shamans directed his gaze onto the thing in her hands.

His face then completely lost all its color, as the elderly Orc couldn’t help but utter in utmost horror,

“Wh-W-Withering Heart! I-It’s the Withering Heart Artifact!”

Following that outburst, his expression contorted into one of absolute terror, and he swiftly turned around to flee as if death itself was chasing after him.

“Withering Heart?”

The other shamans were momentarily taken aback after hearing what the elderly shaman had uttered.

However, soon their expressions also changed to one of absolute fear, and similar to the elderly shaman, they too quickly turned around to flee as well.

Seeing her fleeing subordinates, the Chief Shaman, who by now had aged rapidly into a frail and elderly woman, paid no heed to their cowardly behavior.

“…Everything is for our Divine Father!”

She shouted hoarsely, and the necklace in her hand suddenly emitted a deep red light!

The deep red light then continued to spread outwards, instantly catching up to the fleeing shamans, and their bodies also began to age and decay rapidly…

“Ah… No…P-Please…”

One shaman cried out in fear, but soon all that was left is silence…

The deep red light didn’t stop there but continued to expand as all the Orcs who came into contact with it also started losing their life force before rapidly aging to death.

For a moment, frightened screams rang out one after another, with the Chief Shaman at the center of it all.

And as the crimson light extended further across the vicinity, a sudden sinister and ominous aura engulfed the battlefield.

The Chief Shaman, who had only one breath left at that moment, appeared pleased with the outcome of her actions.

She then released the necklace, as it floated slowly into the skies.

The Chief Shaman opened her arms wide, with her aged face filled with intense fervor.

With all her strength, she struggled and shouted in a trembling voice—

“Come! Withering Heart! Devour me and seal the enemies of our Divine Father!”

After uttering these words, she finally closed her eyes with a content expression.

With the Chief Shaman’s call, a faint primal roar then emanated from the skull necklace.

Whilst releasing a terrifying and sinister aura, a crimson energy emanated from the necklace which instantly devoured the elderly Chief Shaman…

Then after fully consuming the Chief Shaman, this sinister energy transformed into a massive crimson beam of light that directly shot upwards into the sky!

At that moment, everyone on the battlefield was instantly drawn to the sudden appearance of this strange beam of light.

The players who were chasing the fleeing Orcs suddenly halted in place to looked at it in surprise.

“Hey guys, check out that beam!”

“Dang, the aura it’s giving off is kinda spooky… and look, all the nearby Orcs on that beam got dissolved!”

“Huh, I thought the questline was already done? Could it be that another Boss is appearing?”

Players discussed the strange occurrence one after another.

Ji Gang, who had just climbed down the castle wall, also felt uncomfortable upon seeing the strange crimson pillar of light in the battlefield.

“Ugh… I just got this gross feeling just now, and… I feel my heart beating so fast all of a sudden…”

He shivered and covered his chest.

“Pfft… are you stupid? That’s just instinctual palpitations. Your body is just scared, and it’s just shaking automatically! It’s just that the Goddess’s blessings is still active, which controls our negative emotions mentally.”

Demacia said with a pale face while shivering his legs but still mocking triumphantly.

“Oh so our body can still get scared on its own?”

Ji Gang asked with a slightly surprised expression.

“Yeah, that’s what happens when you’re up against high-ranking beings… It’s just how our bodies reacts. You’d be scared out of your wits by now if it weren’t for the Goddess’s blessing. I dunno why but it seems like that’s how the game’s been designed…”

Demacia replied.

With that, he had a slightly serious expression and looked in the direction of the pillar of light on the battlefield.

“By the way, have the Orcs…summoned something big again?”

And as if on cue, Demacia’s question was quickly answered.

The crimson beam of light shot into the sky, with no end in sight…

However, atop the castle wall, just above the cage of vines created by Eve’s divine power, a comparable crimson beam of light descended from the heavens, which engulfed the entire cage directly.

Subsequently, in the midst of players’ astonished, solemn, and curious stares, the once robust vine cage shattered instantaneously!

This was promptly followed by the three Totem Guardians and the Godwarden, Zero, reappearing in front of everyone.

The three Totem Guardians who were originally unconscious suddenly woke up. Their expressions were still frozen in the moment they were knocked out, and when they regained consciousness, they couldn’t help but exclaim:

“My Lord! I-It’s true…”

However, just before they could finish speaking, they suddenly saw crimson light around them.

Sensing that familiar and terrifying aura, their expressions changed drastically.

“Withering Heart!”

As envoys of Uller, they were not unfamiliar with this divine artifact that was capable of sealing a true god’s divine power.

So, when they saw the light and sensed its sinister and chaotic aura, they immediately knew what was happening.

The Withering Heart has been activated!

This incomplete divine artifact could only seal true gods.

However, it meant direct annihilation when used against lesser beings!

Without hesitation, they turned around and fled, struggling to escape beyond the range of the crimson beam of light.

But even so, since they had already been enveloped by that crimson light at that moment, the body of the three Orc Totems still showed varying degrees of aging…

The Withering Heart could devour the lifeforce of even legendary beings like them!

The three Totem Guardians narrowly managed to successfully escaped, but Zero, apparently did not.

The exact moment when the crimson beam of light touched her, a skull-shaped chain immediately descended from the skies!

These chains were the transformed form of the divine artifact, Withering Heart.

The chain exuded malevolent and chaotic aura, as it directly pierced into Zero’s body, before vanishing as if nothing had happened…

However, just as the crimson light gradually dispersed, and its sinister aura slowly faded away—

The Godwarden Zero plummeted from the heavens, as her body came crashing down into the earth with astonishing speed.

She suddenly appeared to had been weakened, and the divine radiance around her body also began to dwindle, as a skull-shaped mark appeared upon her forehead…

“Fuck!”

“Well Shit!”

On the battlefield, the expressions of the players who witnessed this scene immediately changed to ones of confusion and worry.

It seemed like the Godwarden, Zero, was injured!

What’s more… the three legendary Orc bosses had also escaped from their confinement!

For a moment, the players who were chasing the fleeing Orcs hesitated and stopped their pursuit.

Meanwhile, the Orcs who were being pursued by the players also saw this scene and involuntarily stopped in their tracks as well.

However, unlike the elves’ uncertain expressions, they were overjoyed instead.

The Totem Guardians had finally escaped!

If, at this moment, the Totem Guardians were to shout for the fleeing Orcs to reorganize and turn back to fight, then this war might have a chance to reverse once more.

However… it was clear that the three Totem Guardians were distracted by something else.

Specifically, their gaze was focused onto the elven girl with a skull shaped mark on her forehead instead!

“She’s… been sealed!”

Upon seeing the fallen elven Godwarden, the expressions of the three envoys displayed a look of surprise.

But seconds later, the Totem Guardians immediately grew excited, and their gazes were filled with fervor, excitement, and a subtle hint of awe and fear.

On one hand, they realized that this seemingly elven girl was actually the true target of their mission, so they were thrilled.

On the other hand, they had already recognized the true identity of the other party, thus evoking a natural reverence and fear for such a lofty and divine being…

And of course… there was also a trace of excitement.

In hindsight, they shouldn’t been surprised by this discovery.

The previous cage of vines made of divine power….

The skull mark applied by the Withering Heart…

And even the absence of aging despite being enveloped by the crimson light…

There was no longer any doubt within their minds about the real identity of this mysterious elven girl right in front of them.

A True God!

This girl, masquerading as mere elven Godwarden, is actually the newly ascended Elven Divine Deity!

And now… this true god had her divine powers sealed by the artifact, Withering Heart!

There were some mishaps, but in the end, everything was going according to what their Divine Fathers had planned…

And soon, the three of them were very likely going to slay a god!

They, a mere legendary beings would have a rare chance to kill a true god!

Oh, what a tremendous feat would that be!

Upon realizing this, the three Totem Guardians were suddenly overjoyed.

“Hahaha! Victory shall belong to His Highness, our Divine Father!”

Their expressions went absolutely fanatical, suppressing their inherent awe of the true god, as they rushed towards the incapacitated elven Godwarden!

Seeing the three Totem Guardians charging towards her, Zero didn’t waste a single second and turned around to escape.

Her immediate reaction to escape surprised the three Totem Guardians.

Nevertheless, what followed was a sense of relief.

She escaped!

A True God actually tried to escape against mere three legendary beings!

This meant that…she is afraid!

With a burst of momentum, the three Totem Guardians immediately chased after Zero just like a pack of wolves that smelled blood within the air…

Four of them, one ahead and three from behind, quickly ran off and disappeared from everyone’s view.

Meanwhile on the battlefield, the players who saw it all exchanged bewildered looks amongst each other…

Did they all just…ran away?

Even the Orcs, who had originally expected the Totem Guardians to dictate the battlefield, were equally left dumbfounded…

“Well uhh…what should we do now?” one player couldn’t help but ask.

After saying this, he then looked at the Orcs who had momentarily stopped but were still in a fleeing posture.

At the same time, the Orcs looked back again at the group of elves that was pursuing them moments ago…

Players: “…”

Orcs: “….”

Both sides fell into an awkward silence.

However, this silence only lasted for a few seconds.

The players’ hesitant expressions quickly turned into sneers and excitement:

“What should we do? Well duh, of course we’ll continue chasing these punks!”

“Yeah! One kill is worth alot of EXP, and it’s such a waste not to kill even more! Hell, even if the questline fails, we’ll still take the lives of these Orcs! Muwahaha!”

“After all…these Orcs are all our precious EXP points!”

The players laughed ferociously and continued to raise their weapons before resuming chasing the Orcs like a pack of hungry hyenas.

Seeing the elves wielding their weapons once again and charging at them, the Orcs’ expressions changed into panic.

Without hesitation, they turned and fled once more.

And thus the pursuit continues…

Meanwhile, on the other side.

The three legendary Totem Guardians who are chasing after Zero finally arrived in the depths of the Elven Forest.

They ran all the way without stopping, and somehow managed to surround the elven girl whose powers had drastically declined due to the skull mark on her forehead…

“Hehehe, you cannot escape now!”

— 249 —

【Victory Shall Belong His Highness, the Divine Father!】

— —contemporary romance

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