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“AAAH!”

With a howl, I relentlessly swing my weapons. A dagger and a greatsword. Sometimes shifting into the form of a massive sword, I slash down any enemy in sight.

But that was not all. If necessary, I would use anything within reach as a weapon.

The collapsed bones of fallen ally undead, an enemy’s discarded shield, quickly cast magic, and even the barely breathing foes.

The army of madness was similar to the monsters of the labyrinth, but with a slight difference — most had completely lost their senses, their physical abilities skyrocketed beyond that.

Perhaps the monsters of the labyrinth were those who had resisted madness but ultimately failed. Or maybe, in this age, the God of Madness was still alive, hence the same reason.

Normally, by now, I should have been exhausted and collapsed.

But my stamina is replenished by the ground beneath my feet, and divine power flows constantly from the Goddess of Love.

I could still fight more.

“Rise! Though you may have fallen, rise again! Even death has merely brushed past you — what are you afraid of?”

-KUOOOOR!

With this, I resurrect yet another undead, countless times over.

The undead clash with the new monsters, breaking apart, and amidst that, I raise the slain monsters again to fight the next enemy.

This place was indeed hell on earth. Especially given that I was still being pushed back.

By now, my body was drenched in bright red blood, and the ground was soaked to the point that it was muddy.

I had taken down more monsters than I could count.

Simply wild beasts that had gone berserk, dim-witted green-skinned goblins easily swept up in madness, and lower giants like cyclopes.

Additionally, there were also warriors who embraced madness, and powerful beings of various races who resisted but ultimately succumbed.

I severed their lives one by one — stabbing, slashing, burning, and crushing.

And yet, now they come rushing back, in numbers far surpassing those I took down.

“I really wish I’d pulled a Meteor.”

Maybe I should have borrowed to draw that Meteor pick? The goddess surely had her thoughts, but did I miss out?

Feeling my long-wanted desire for Meteor rising again, I keep moving.

I snatch a thrown axe from the hands of a barbaric warrior stained in crimson, then I stab the snout of a desert shark poking out of the ground.

*Thwack!*

The axe digs in, splitting the skull wide open. It wasn’t dead; I confirmed its vital wound with a flick of my fingers and swung a long sword-sized blade.

The sword, nourished by divine power, cleaves the harpy dropping from the sky in two.

*Thud!*

The split corpse crashes into the ground with a loud noise, and warm blood and slimy innards fall from above.

“Ugh!”

Of all times, I spit out a chunk that had entered my mouth, activating my invisibility.

Had I overused the Haste Boots and the Invisibility Cloak? Both had long since gone out of commission.

I solely relied on silent steps and the muffler of the God of Thieves for stealth.

It was such a chaotic situation that it was quite effective given the circumstances.

I escaped the encirclement and moved behind a dwarven warrior clad in iron armor.

From the narrow gap in his deep helmet, I stabbed a dagger-sized weapon into his nape.

*Thunk!*

Piercing deeply, I sever the artery, and the dwarf falls, blood spewing through the cracks in his armor.

In that commotion, other monsters notice my position and charge at me once more.

I don’t know its name, but a winged serpent resembling something from the Beastcraft lineage. Its maw gapes wide, spewing a thick venom.

The surrounding monsters dissolve under the extreme poison.

“It’s not going to work!”

Of course, the unicorn dagger first purifies, but the divine blood flowing through the poison burns it.

The essence of divinity comes from its immortality.

Though a byproduct left behind by gods who had already died, it still bore the remnants of immortality.

Unless one were to sever my throat and pierce my heart, a poison that did not even reach the brink of transcendence dared not invade this flesh.

Though I lacked talent, the magic I learned from Benny on the side … no, using Mana Manipulation, I pull the winged serpent toward me and grip it tightly.

“I’m fine, but you’re not!”

With that, I aim at the surrounding monsters.

*Swoosh!*

The outgoing venom strikes down monster after monster. But no matter how impressive the serpent, the poison wasn’t infinite, and the monsters had lost their senses — yet somehow, their instincts had sharpened.

An elongated spear flies through the weakened poison.

“Ugh!”

I managed to block it using the serpent in my hand, but fighting like this was getting tiring.

I could replenish my stamina and divine power, but mental strength was finite, and I had to carefully conserve. It was just about time to pull that out.

*Rumble—*

Simply deciding to do it sent tremors deep within my soul, and a crown of thorns rested atop my head.

“O Mother of all Elves! Even if it takes a thousand years to fulfill your grandest plans, I assure you, I shall retrieve your most cherished daughter!”

The crown of thorns slowly began to grow, forming armor that enshrouded my entire body.

As the capacity expanded several times beyond the previous size, I felt a sort of omnipotence.

At the edge of my senses, I felt something.

It was simply enormous and magnificent.

The World Tree. Had she sensed me from afar and heard my voice? She directed her interest here.

Yet, it was not in human language, but in the tongue of plants. A signal transmitted through sunlight, wind, and streams flowed through the thorny vine.

I understood it was something ticklish, but its meaning was entirely lost on me.

Among elves, certain High Elves could communicate with the World Tree, and I felt firsthand why they were treated like royalty.

This is why most elves could not understand the World Tree’s words…

-Seriously?

No, why can I hear this?

Though a bit of noise mixed in, for some reason, the message of the World Tree reached me.

In a moment of confusion where I was slow to react, I calmed down and could finally understand the situation thanks to the presence vibrating within my bosom.

Originally, this goddess statue was a divine artifact for communicating with the gods. The Goddess of Love, the owner, had fallen behind in her powers over time, yet another deity might have accessed it.

Acknowledging the goddess statue, I nodded vigorously.

“I have already paid the price.”

-…It is true.

A mix of surprise and admiration. And then, anticipation follows.

-There shall be a recompense for your devotion. The sharpest thorn shall be with you.

As those words echoed, the powers of Basilieus began to stir, and something began to transform from within.

A mere enhancement of power could be solved by pouring divine power into it. But fundamental growth, as is the common theory, was thought impossible; the power of a deceased god could not be inherited.

Yet, in this era, the gods still lived and breathed, step by step, elevating my powers.

What the World Tree did for Basilieus was not dissimilar to the aid of the preceding gods. Except for that degree of difference.

*Vroom!*

The vines thickened and hardened a little more, their thorns sharper, imbued with venom.

It appeared the plant had evolved from one that merely rejected its surroundings to one meant for total erasure of its environment.

Unfortunately, this was a wasteland, so there were no plants to control around, but… the amount of thorns I could wield increased dramatically.

Beyond wrapping around my body, the thorn vines extend behind me like shadows.

With each one feeling almost at my fingertips, I could now move them as I please; all that remains is how to best utilize them.

Thus, I envision the movement most suited for Basilieus in this moment.

I conjure up the image of Shadow’s no-holds-barred combat — throwing off all restraints Benny would impose.

The vines become tentacles, and the thorns teeth, as I vividly replay the memories in my mind.

“Go…!”

Countless extending vines wrap around the enemies, shattering them, stabbing them dead, and at times, I hit straight on to deliver shocks.

With the form reflecting Shadow, the thorn vines flail wildly like living creatures.

It was a moment that turned the tide of battle that had barely been held together.

Riding on this momentum, I also begin to charge in earnest.

My already taxed body, filled to the brim, is forcibly made tougher by Basilieus.

And perhaps because multiple powers flow and mix within this small frame, the synergy isn’t the greatest, yet Mana and Aura and the divine power of the Goddess of Love begin to interconnect.

After all, don’t all three converge into a miracle? The only difference is whose miracle it is.

Massive divine power converted into aura bursts forth like crimson flames over my thorn armor.

*Fwhoosh.*

This time, what I envision is Lydia, wielding a multitude of weapons as if they were extensions of herself.

Having watched her countless times, I now replicate that exact appearance.

“Tsuaaa!”

The flames of aura engulf the battlefield. Masterfully swinging various weapons as they come to hand, and occasionally sacrificing the undead to block the gaps that appear.

With a swing that’s so powerful, it splits the ground, a legion of monsters that filled my field of view gets cleaved in half.

Now I have pushed back the masses, surpassing merely reversing the tide of battle.

In the most critical moment. Though neither Lydia nor Benny is by my side, I carry their essence within me.

I may be fighting alone, yet I am not embarking on a lonely battle.

Or so I thought.

…Until the sky suddenly darkened, and a dragon emerged from beyond the battlefield.

“Oh dear Goddess of Love.”

 

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