626 – Conclusion, and Then

The explosion engulfs my field of vision.
In truth, I should be flying away to distance myself and reduce the damage by even a little.
But, all I can do is stare in shock.

The moment the explosion would wrap around treant, it is instead pushed back.
Flames emanating from him form a wall that holds the [Big Bang] back.

That’s… [Fairy Hex].

【Characteristic Skill [Fairy Hex]】
【Whenever a direct magic attack is received, fairies living inside the tree will return the same kind of magic.】
【Irrespective of the user’s magical strength, the returned magic will be the same power as the received magic.】
【The magic produced by this skill has high directionality, and only targets the attacker.】

The [Big Bang] reflected by [Fairy Hex] has high directionality.
Unlike the omnidirectional [Big Bang], it’s only firing back at the origin matter.
As a result, the flames produced by treant only expand towards the many-coloured origin matter, blocking the [Big Bang] from reaching us.

The two [Big Bangs] collide.
A thunderous roar fills the air.
White light engulfs the treant, the origin matter, and then the world.

Inside the light, I see fine cracks running through the treant’s body.

『Treant…』

The white light fades.
Time begins to move again, and I see a charred-black fragment of wood fall and disintegrate into soot.
As though propelled by a massive impact, the origin matter slams into the ground.
A large crater forms, and several of the nearby trees topple over.

The directionality made the [Big Bang] an even more vicious skill.
The origin matter shouldn’t have taken any direct damage, but the force of it slammed the it into the ground.

The origin matter trembles weakly.

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
[Dorothy]
Species: Origin Matter
Condition: God of Madness
Lv: 140/140 (MAX)
HP: 1387/5524
MP: 8/6535
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

As expected, it’s finally out of MP.

But…there’s no sign of treant.
I couldn’t have lost sight of him.

His body is too big to miss.
If he was blasted away, he would be even more visible than the origin matter.
But, there’s no sign of him anywhere.

『Treant… Hey, treant?』

I desperately call out.
But, my mind is instead filled with strangely calm realisation.
He received the heat of [Big Bang] and was burnt to nothing. 

Following my partner, I have now lost a second precious companion.
As the realisation sets in, despair slowly spreads within me.

『It’s…it’s because I was too reckless… I knew we didn’t have a countermeasure for [Big Bang], and yet…』

“……Dragon-god-sama…” I hear Aro speaking.
“Treant-san said he was leaving the rest to us…”

Aro seems also to be struggling, but she squeezes the words out.
I nod.
In front of me, the origin has risen off the ground and is unsteadily floating away.

Without any MP, it can’t attack any longer.
I fly over to it and carve into it with several [Dimension Claws].

Light emits from its surface, and then its shape collapses.
The lines on its surface distort chaotically, and it limply falls to the ground, melting into liquid.

【77420 experience points have been acquired.】
【Due to the title skill [Walking Egg: Lv -], an additional 77420 experience points have been acquired.】
【The level of [Oneiros] has risen from 128 to 139.】

It’s by far the most experience I’ve ever received.
But, right now, I don’t feel the slightest bit happy.
I managed to defeat the fearsome origin matter, but rather than a sense of accomplishment, all I feel is the hopelessness of loss.

…No, it’s no time to be weak.
Killing the origin matter was a means, not an end.
My purpose in fighting it was to hopefully free some still-sane divine skill holders trapped in its [Dark Frozen Prison].

【Characteristic Skill [Dark Frozen Prison]】
【Draws the enemy into a swirl of black light and seals it.】
【The target is forsaken from the passage of time.】
【As time itself does not move within the black light, it is of course impossible for the target to even attempt to escape.】

But… There’s no guarantee that whatever emerges will be an ally.
I can’t afford to grieve now.
I need to ascertain what has come out.

A shape rises from the liquid surface of the origin matter’s remains.
I suck in a breath and look at the emerging monster.

This must be a divine kill holder from the [Dark Frozen Prison]…!

『M-master-dono… Wh-what happened…?』

The figure that has emerged is treant.
He’s crushed to pieces and charred black, but there’s no doubt it’s him.
His characteristic long nose and round eye cavities still remain.

『T-treant!?』

I hurriedly lift him out and rub my cheek against him.

『You’re alive… You’re really alive…! You actually survived! I thought for sure…!』

『Master-dono…! I appreciate your feelings, but I’m close to death! P-please heal me…!』

『S-sorry!』

It seems my scales were shaving him down further.
I hurriedly cast [High Rest] and [Ligne].
His body grows back before my eyes.

Apparently, just as the colliding [Big Bangs] were tearing his body apart, he was taken into the [Dark Frozen Prison].
Some momentum from the [Black Hole] must have still remained.
It’s no wonder I couldn’t see him.

But this can only be called a miracle.
If he was thrown down to the ground instead, there was no way he would have survived.