Chapter 110: Their! Arrival! (2)

"What time is it?" Serena asked an elven warrior who had been standing with her as they waited for the foretold moment.

"Five minutes remain."

"I see."

The revival of the World Tree was at stake. Serena had contacted the other High Elves, and after a thorough discussion, she had summoned all the elven forces affiliated with the Continental Alliance to the fortress she was tasked with defending—the Northern Fortress.

Now, over a thousand elves had gathered in the fortress located in the most northeastern corner of the continent.

The elven warrior, serving as the commander of the fortress's defenses, pondered, "Was it really wise not to seek help from the humans?"

"At first, I considered asking for their support," Serena admitted.

"But something made you change your mind?"

"I was persuaded otherwise."

Given that the World Tree was a blessed tree with the power to purify mana from the Demon Realm, it would have been reasonable to request support from the humans to ensure its revival. However, the first person Serena had approached for help, the Prime Minister of the Aians Empire, had advised against it.

"The Prime Minister of the Aians Empire warned me that there are traitors hiding within the allied forces. Because of that, he advised against requesting any support," Serena explained.

"Traitors..." the elven warrior murmured thoughtfully.

"The Prime Minister assured me that the traitors are unlikely to hold high-ranking positions within the alliance. Still, even if their numbers are few, some have yet to be identified. If any of them notice unusual movements, such as the elves seeking human support, it could alert the Black Wizards and provoke them into action," Serena said with a sigh.

"Ah, I see..." The elven warrior nodded.

Previous traitors had been caught disguising themselves as soldiers and merchants. These defectors, who had pledged their loyalty to the Black Kingdom responsible for summoning demons onto the continent for their own selfish ends, had already spread chaos across the land.

"If the Black Kingdom senses anything unusual about the elves seeking help from the humans, they will surely send even more monsters to attack the fortresses guarded by the elves. No... chances are they won't stop there. After all, it's the

elves

asking the humans for help," came a woman's voice from behind them.

Serena and the elven warrior turned around. Another High Elf, wearing a light gray robe and carrying a long wooden staff, was walking toward them.

As she approached, the High Elf seemed to remember something and reported, "Ah, Lady Serena, I've reinforced the eastern gate and walls as you requested."

Serena smiled. "My than—"

Her words were cut off by a sudden burst of light. The elves immediately tensed as the explosion triggered a sharp surge in the surrounding mana. Aside from the warriors stationed on the walls to defend against the monsters, all the elves quickly rushed toward the disturbance.

As the burst of mana faded with another pop of light, Serena, who had instinctively closed her eyes, opened them and stared at the figure now standing before her.

"A door...?"

It looked more like an opening into a subspace.

Yet because the oracle had foretold that humans from another dimension would arrive to revive the World Tree, Serena's first thought was of a door.

With the sound of synchronized footsteps, a group of humans clad in white suits of armor marched out from the door.

"Ah..." Serena gasped.

"They look just like the Heroes from the old stories," a young elf murmured.

The other elves nodded in agreement.

Serena knew that the young elf was talking about the sort of Heroes often found in human fairy tales, the ones who defeated Demon Kings and brought peace to the continent.

Following the group in white, another set of Heroes appeared, clad in red. Then came groups dressed in blue, gold, and silver. It was a dazzling procession of vibrant colors, right up until the very end.

"Huh?" The elves all tilted their heads in confusion. "Pink?"

The elves' expressions were still filled with confusion as another group of Heroes followed the pink-clad Hero through the door. Unlike the previous Heroes, who had shared coordinated color schemes, this new group wore mismatched armor of all types and colors.

As the elves continued to stare wide-eyed at the unfolding scene, the pink Hero led his group to step to one side. The earlier group, dressed in matching colors, mirrored the movement, naturally creating a path between them.

"A Saint?" the young elf who had first spoken of Heroes murmured again.

A very cute girl in a pure white dress emerged from the door. She looked around casually before spotting Serena and moving to stand before her.

"Hello," the girl said, bowing her head.

"Ah, yes. Hello," Serena replied awkwardly.

The girl opened her mouth as if to speak but then hesitated. "Umm..."

She had forgotten what she was supposed to say.

As Kim Ji-Hee stood there, tilting her head in confusion, a shrunken Aylphirane poked her head out from a pocket in Kim Ji-Hee's dress and called, "Lady Ji-Hee?"

"Ah!" Kim Ji-Hee exclaimed.

Aylphirane's voice had jogged her memory.

Drawing herself up, Kim Ji-Hee began, "At Lady Aylphirane's request—"

Before she could finish, all the elves present, starting with High Elf Serena, dropped to one knee and shouted.

"High Elf Serena greets the Priestess of the World Tree, Lady Aylphirane!"

"Greetings to Lady Aylphirane!"

"

Hmph.

I wasn't finished yet," Kim Ji-Hee complained with a pout.

***

Kim Ki-Rok, the bright pink Hero who always managed to draw attention no matter where he went or who he was with, looked around the conference room where the representatives from the various guilds had gathered.

All the elves who had entered the room alongside them were still staring at Kim Ji-Hee and the miniature High Elf, Aylphirane, perched on her shoulder.

The faster they revived the World Tree, the better. But just as Kim Ki-Rok was about to call the meeting to order, Jang Baek-San approached him.

"Guildmaster Kim Ki-Rok," he called out.

"Yes, Hero Jang Baek-San," Kim Ki-Rok replied with a serious expression.

Letting out a deep sigh, the 40-year-old Hero glared at Kim Ki-Rok, gritting his teeth.

Really, it was all because of this bastard...

Shaking off his resentment, Jang Baek-San muttered grumpily, "Miss Ayl's reputation is truly amazing."

"That's true," Kim Ki-Rok agreed. "It seems she must have held an incredible social status when she was alive."

"In that case, was it really necessary for us to dress up like this just to meet the elves?" Jang Baek-San asked through gritted teeth.

"Yes," Kim Ki-Rok insisted.

"And why is that?"

"Because I didn't know back then just how incredible Miss Ayl's status had been. After all, when she introduced herself to us, she only said she was the High Elf Aylphirane."

Clicking his tongue in frustration, Jang Baek-San reluctantly nodded and returned to his seat.

"Now then! Everyone!" Kim Ki-Rok called out, drawing everyone's attention with a loud clap of his hands.

The elves paused their conversation with Aylphirane and turned their heads to look at him. A large group of handsome men and beautiful women suddenly focused their gazes on Kim Ki-Rok, but he remained completely unfazed.

I might look young, but I've lived just as long as any elf,

Kim Ki-Rok thought.

He may have died early during his first Attempt, but he had repeated the same ten-year period seventy-six more times after that.

"It's nice to meet you all. My name is Kim Ki-Rok, and I had the good fortune to meet Lady Ayl—no, that's not important right now. To put it simply, my friends and I have arrived in the Yuashiel Dimension at Lady Aylphirane's request, in order to revive the World Tree."

"Ah! My apologies. I am Serena, a High Elf from the Blue Wind Village, once located in the southwest of this continent. It is an honor to meet you, Sir... no, Hero Kim Ki-Rok," Serena said, bowing politely.

Bingo,

Kim Ki-Rok thought with a smile.

The elves had truly recognized him and the other humans from Earth who had arrived in the Yuashiel Dimension through the Gate as Heroes.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Serena," Kim Ki-Rok said, bowing in return.

"My apologies for the lateness of our greeting," Serena apologized again.

Kim Ki-Rok shook his head. "It's understandable. After all, why wouldn't you be excited to reunite with Lady Aylphirane, the Priestess of the World Tree, whom you thought you would never see again?"

Although it's only her deceased spirit...

Kim Ki-Rok managed to hold back from saying.

He continued, "However, the longer we delay, the more likely it is that the Black Kingdom, their monstrous allies, and the demons will sense something and launch an assault on this location."

Serena nodded gravely in agreement.

The Black Wizards were still lurking in their Black Kingdom in the northwest of the continent, directing the monsters against the Continental Alliance. Because of that distance and the situation, there was little chance they had noticed the summoning of the Heroes or the plan to revive the World Tree.

The demons, however, were another matter. Even from afar, they would be able to sense the World Tree's purifying power against the mana of the Demon Realm. As soon as they noticed anything unusual, those demons would surely alert the Black Wizards.

"But first, before we begin the meeting, there's something I need to ask," Kim Ki-Rok said.

"Please, feel free," Serena replied. "What has caught your curiosity?"

"Is there a chance the demons will participate in the battle themselves?" Kim Ki-Rok asked, his expression darkening.

The demons were the greatest threat they might face on this quest. Kim Ki-Rok needed to know: besides sending Black Wizards and monsters to stop the revival of the World Tree, would any demons personally step into the battle?

This was a crucial factor to consider in their defense planning.

"Yes, there is a strong possibility the demons will appear," Serena admitted after a moment.

Kim Ki-Rok narrowed his eyes. "I see. Will they come at the beginning of the battle, or near the end?"

Serena shook her head. "I'm afraid that's beyond our ability to predict. However, according to the discussions among the elves overseeing strategy and tactics, it's likely that once they judge that the Black Wizards and monsters alone cannot stop the revival, the demons will enter the battle personally."

"Understood," Kim Ki-Rok said with a nod.

Kim Ki-Rok was relieved to hear that the elves responsible for strategy and tactics were involved. It was good news for his plans. Even though they had brought strategists with them, having locals familiar with the terrain would allow them to plan and execute moves much more efficiently.

The fortress's walls were also a major advantage. They had expected to fight a guerrilla war in the forest, but the difficulty of the quest would be greatly reduced if they could instead wage a defensive battle from within a fortress that even had an inner keep.

"Then, we'll just have to give them the illusion that they can stop the revival of the World Tree with only the Black Wizards and monsters," Kim Ki-Rok said decisively.

"Ah... yes, that's right," Serena agreed, surprised that he had reached the logical conclusion so quickly.

"In that case, you probably plan to hold the walls for a time, then pretend to be pushed back and retreat. After fighting them in the streets, you'll finally fall back to the site where the World Tree will be revived. Am I right?"

"Ah... it is just as you said, Hero Kim Ki-Rok. Our plan is indeed to fight the enemy in three stages."

Just as Kim Ki-Rok had said, the elves didn't intend to pour all their energy into holding the walls. In order to deceive the demons observing the battle, they planned to resist the siege for a while, then retreat. After bogging the enemy down in the maze of streets inside the fortress, they would buy enough time for preparations to complete, then make their final stand at the site of the World Tree's revival.

"If the demons are stronger than we feared, we must prepare for the possibility that more might come than expected. After all, the World Tree is a blessed tree that can weaken and even purify the mana from the Demon Realm."

"That's true."

Serena had believed the elves were already prepared for the worst, but it seemed even that might not be enough. Rather than facing a small group of demons, as they had initially assumed, it was very possible a large force might come to prevent the World Tree's revival.

After a few moments of silence, Kim Ki-Rok prompted her, "Lady Serena?"

Startled from her thoughts, Serena quickly replied, "Ah, yes, Hero Kim Ki-Rok."

She realized she could not afford to take any of Kim Ki-Rok's words lightly. He might be the weakest of the Heroes present, but the depth of his insight was on an entirely different level.

She even wondered if this man was actually a Sage rather than a Hero.

"What is the total number of your troops?" Kim Ki-Rok asked.

"We have 1,300 soldiers in total."

Kim Ki-Rok nodded. "And how are they divided between warriors, wizards, and Elementalists?"

"We have five hundred Mage Warriors and eight hundred Elemental Warriors."

Hearing that all the elven soldiers were trained in these two hybrid professions, Kim Ki-Rok smiled in satisfaction. Both Mage Warriors and Elemental Warriors could play extremely versatile roles on the battlefield.

"According to the spirits assisting Saint Ji-Hee, including Lady Ayl, the elves have joined a Continental Alliance to fight back against the Black Kingdom. Will there be any reinforcements from the humans or other races?"

"I'm afraid not," Serena said with a shake of her head. "I tried to ask for support from the humans, but the Prime Minister of the Aians Empire warned me about traitors among them. So we decided against it."

Kim Ki-Rok raised a brow. "Nothing at all?"

"We have received weapons, magic scrolls, artifacts, and food supplies," she added.

"I see. What about the other non-human races?"

"The Beastmen have been mobilized as special forces, harassing the enemy's rear, so it would be difficult for them to arrive in time. As for the dwarves, they lost all their warriors in the first battles. Only craftsmen remain."

This meant the elves could not expect reinforcements from the nonhuman races either. And given the risk of betrayal, reinforcements from the human nations would also be difficult to secure.

"What about the theocracies?" he said after a moment's thought.

Serena blinked in surprise. "Ah?"

"The theocracies. Isn't there something like a Holy Kingdom Alliance or a Temple Alliance bound together by their faith in the gods?" Kim Ki-Rok asked, drawing on his knowledge of fantasy tropes.

"Ah! The Temple Alliance!" she exclaimed. "I will contact them right away and ask them for reinforcements."

The elves might not be able to trust the human nations, but the priests who drew upon divine power were a different matter. Their existence had simply fallen into Serena's blind spot.