After the sensation of teleportation washed over him, Arnold found himself in a land of pure gold grass, each blade shimmering in the soft light. The wind whispered through the field, sending gentle ripples across the golden expanse, as if the very earth was alive and breathing. He paused, scanning his surroundings. This was not the battlefield where he had faced Guinevere—the devastation of their clash, the deep crater that had scarred the land, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a thick white fog drifted in, obscuring his vision and wrapping the landscape in an eerie, dreamlike haze.
Determined to find his bearings, Arnold continued walking through the golden field. The fog swirled around him, thick and almost tangible, making it hard to see more than a few feet ahead. Yet, as he pressed forward, the fog began to thin, revealing a massive tree in the distance. Its bark gleamed like molten gold, and its leaves shimmered, casting a soft, ethereal glow over the landscape.
Beneath the tree, a hall-like building emerged from the fog, its pure white pillars towering majestically under the golden canopy. Transparent gold curtains were connected to these pillars, their materials so dashing, giving one the impression that this place was once the conference hall for gods and demigods.
It became clearer the closer he got that the gargantuan tree in his line of sight was not any ordinary tree—it was most definitely the rumored divine tree.
How did he end up here where it was even though his destination was the same place he fought Guinevere?
--~~
A faint female voice entered his ears. It sounded as if she was singing.
--~~
Another female voice joined the first one. Two more. Three more. The closer Arnold got, the louder he heard it—a choir of angels, their voices rising in a hauntingly beautiful hymn that seemed to vibrate through the air, filling him with a strange mix of awe and unease.
That unease came from the fact that only bosses have dedicated music in the game.
As Arnold approached the building, his eyes were drawn to the figure beneath the tree. A tall woman, pale and fragile, was suspended among the golden vines that entwined her body. The vines gathered in a gaping hole in her chest, pulsating as if alive, either feeding her life force or draining it to sustain itself.
Her helm was nowhere to be seen so he could see her face which was serene, almost peaceful, as if she were in a deep, unbreakable slumber. The sight was both mesmerizing and terrifying, a haunting reminder of the power and mystery that surrounded this powerful woman.
Something very familiar to him was near the bark of the tree—the same portal that Lyra had activated earlier.
'What's going on?'
The fact that the portal was right there meant that this was his intended destination, yet he couldn't recall this tree being there.
Arnold hesitated, standing just outside the hall's golden pillars, the angelic choir reaching a crescendo. The moment he walked past the angel statues standing outside the roofless hall, he felt a wave of killing intent when the woman, connected to the tree, opened her eyes.
The vines keeping her in place slowly started moving and gently lowering her to the ground.
"You are… still alive…" he could hear her gentle voice across this vast hall, "Magnificent." Her delicate feet touched the cold marble floor.
A figure suddenly appeared beside her—a woman draped in white robes carrying the same sword that Guinevere used earlier. Unlike the first time he saw the sword, it had a full blade now, but not made from iron but divine energy and spirits.
One would think it's an angel handing the sword over but this particular woman had transparent wings that were shaped like tree leaves and she had long droopy ears so this was actually a fairy. Another fairy appeared on the left side, carrying a purple dress—the same one Guinevere wore before.
A fairy also appeared next to Arnold. He wasn't on guard against her since she wasn't displaying any killing intent and his eyes were drawn to something in her hands, something she held out to him.
"...How considerate."
It was his magic bag. He didn't know why they would give it back or why they even picked it up. Surely Guinevere had the suspicion that something inside this bag could kill her?
Well, it doesn't matter anymore.
Not waiting for a thanks, the fairy moved her wings and flew up to the tree, her plump behind catching Arnold's eyes. Besides that...
'Now that I look at the tree… There are quite a lot of fairies staring down at me.'
They were sitting on the branches of the golden tree, their beautiful voices still flowing throughout the surroundings. Contrary to their gentle voices, the expressions on their faces were similar to someone looking at trash when they made eye contact with Arnold.
He glanced back at Guinevere who was now fully clothed.
'Status, show me Guinevere's status in its entirety along with the golden tree behind her.'
Whether this tree was present and played a significant role in the game later on or not, he had to know its name first.
Calculating values… Compiling numbers… Listing…
A ding resounded before both status screens appeared.
Boss: Hero's Consort - Guinevere The Valiant
Race: Valkyrie
Level: 100
HP: 150,000
Strength: 42 750
Divine Power: 1 022 700
Defense: 32 000
Magic Defense: 30 000
Agility: 90 000
Skill(s) – Unavailable due to system's lacking features
Tree: Gardtree
Race: Divine Tree (?)
"So, the name of this so-called divine tree was Gardtree, huh."
The same tree that's mentioned in the Dark Scroll. However, it wasn't referred to as a divine tree as it was in the status—more like a spirit tree that had no divine properties and couldn't maintain its own ecosystem. Since it was the second oldest tree in the entire nine realms, it was often speculated that once the World Tree dies, it will give its divine power to the Gardtree which will replace it. This was just a rumor and never actually happened according to Liam's memories. But there was a significant gap in his knowledge about 25% of the game's story leading up to the final arcs so something must've happened that involved this tree.
-I believe the tree feasts on the lifeforce of those it gives its blessings to.
He recalled what the skeleton merchant told him. Remembering that, he recalled that there's a hole in Guinevere's chest, which was nowhere in sight now so she probably covered it up with some kind of strange magic. The tree's vines gathered there and pulsated some kind of golden energy earlier.
Could this be a symbiotic relationship? Or is the tree just a parasite that latches onto any living thing with lifeforce in exchange for power?
Arnold stared at the tree's status again:
Divine Tree.
Something is wrong here. The question mark confirms it, meaning even the system is confused about this thing's origins. There's no way things changed so drastically after the game became reality that an ordinary spirit tree could evolve into a divine entity that was above a god.
Owing to its name, the Gardtree is supposed to be a beacon for spirits, fairies, elves, druids, and all type of other forest creatures to gather. Normally, Spirit Trees do not have the power to bestow blessings. They could heal those with illnesses once the ill consume their fruits or lick their sap but other than that they have no extraordinary power.
'Could this thing be hiding its true status? That has to be impossible…' Arnold looked at the topmost part of the tree, noticing that it looked eerily familiar. Its branches twisted like tendrils and had transparent golden leaves that reflected its natural bright light.
Arnold tried tilting his head to get an upside-down look at the tree in an attempt to see if he could recognize it like that.
"—How did you survive that blast?" Guinevere asked as she put on her helmet and gauntlet.
"I didn't." His attention now drawn away from the tree, he answered her.
"…So, you will keep coming back unless I destroy you completely. But first, I need to know what brought you back. I saw your body being destroyed so reanimation magic cannot be the answer."
Arnold just stared at her silently, not giving her an answer she might be hoping for.
"It matters not. I will kill you as many times as it takes." The second she finished her sentence, Arnold appeared in front of her ready to strike her down.
Her mouth hung open, as if in disbelief as his sudden increase of speed but she met his sword head-on.
How was this possible?
Well, he used a skill.
[Speed of Sound].
Arnold smirked before kicking her so hard that she flew into a nearby pillar. She was too close to avoid that blow so it connected perfectly.
"…You've managed to gain control of that chaotic energy in such a short amount of time." Guinevere said without a hint of surprise in her voice as she lifted the collapsed pillar and threw it aside like it was nothing.
'Hmm, I had expected the fairies to interfere.' He glanced at the docile fairies who were looking at him with cold eyes before looking at the portal, 'Maybe they'll try to stop me if I go to the portal?'
He couldn't form another thought before Guinevere appeared in front of him, her heavy punch aiming for his stomach. Arnold grabbed her fist using both hands to mitigate the damage and jumped back slightly. The pressure pulsated through his body but there was no pain. Well, the energy of that punch was sent through his body so the marble floor under him cracked.
"…" Guinevere stared at her fist silently, "If you caught this attack in our first battle then your body would've been blown to pieces. Mother was right about this power. Aether is truly terrifying."
That's right, the Aether in his body didn't give him a sudden boost in defense. In fact, he was focusing more on enhancing his strength and speed so defense was his last priority. Aether aided in keeping Guinevere's blow contained and sent the energy through its channels that are now in his aura channels. It was basically like debris of rocks being sent down many water pipes.
Of course, this won't work with every attack. There's a limit to how much the energy can contain, especially from a demigod who was probably stronger than Gederick. Having guessed this on her own, Guinevere might use more brutal attacks.
As if she realized hand-to-hand combat would be troublesome, Guinevere gripped her sword with both hands, its tip facing the sky.
'She finally took a proper stance.' Arnold brandished Luxtivin. Unlike its dark blade from before, it now shone with the same silver as liquid mercury and was surrounded in a white light.
The two wasted no time as they charged at each other.
Even though his power was amplified a hundredth fold, Guinevere's strikes were still powerful, making his hands go numb for brief intervals when their swords connect.
Sharp, metallic sounds resounded throughout the hall. The sound was so fierce and quick that an outsider might mistake it for a whole unit of knights engaging in combat.
Arnold's [Speed of Sound] skill was still active but Guinevere was able to keep up despite this.
'If I'm going to immobilize her, I'll need to crush her acupuncture points just like Sebas demonstrated during our training sessions!'
He recalled the feeling of the blood draining out of his arm when Sebas struck
He didn't consider this option before because he was way too slow and weak but with Aether on his side, he might be able to pull it off.
'I need to do this quickly. This power is unpredictable.'
He couldn't feel the kickback just yet but this wasn't an excuse to be complacent.
First, her two arms. Easier said than done—he couldn't find an opportunity to use a fatal strike. Plus, one of his arms was occupied and the momentum of their clash won't allow him to get a strike in.
Warrior sense activated at that moment, allowing him to see a projection of what the energy inside Guinevere's body looks like. There was a very bright golden glow at the center of her core.
That must be her divine energy. Thinking back to her status, he recalled that her divine power measured over one million, close to a pure angel's divine power stat at level 1 (as seen with Ceru's status).
What's the reason for not using her power at the very start to beat Arnold quickly? There's no way her power won't recover, right? Maybe she felt it wasn't necessary for a mortal?
Is this really just arrogance…? Or is she worried about the destruction she'll cause?
Whichever one it was, Arnold wanted to end this quickly without giving her a chance to power up.
He activated another one of his skills.
A ghostly-white fist appeared out of Arnold's back, its skin riddled with all sorts of great runes and its nails completely black.
[Finger God Hand – First]—a powerful skill that allows martial artists to increase their stats temporarily every second by 1%. A status screen appeared in front of him when he activated this skill, notifying that "due to the presence of an unknown power, this skill's effects have been boosted greatly".
1% > 2,5%
This martial skill is basically just a buff at the first stage. You only gain more skills and moves from the second stage onwards.
"…." Guinevere cautiously raised her sword.
However, the moment she tried to correct her stance, a gigantic manifested hand made from pure Aether shot at her with tremendous speed. The fist connected, sending her flying into the pillars, crashing through the walls and finally crashing into the ground after rolling for a while.
The thought of "This is my chance to escape" didn't cross Arnold's mind at that moment. He simply followed after her.
The moment he left the hall, a sword appeared right in front of his eye. With a smirk, he parried Guinevere's strike. Her blows had a lot of power behind it even with his Aether-enhanced body and the buff skill activated.
The two of them clashed in mid-air while falling down like leaves in autumn falling off a tree. Sharp metallic clangs resounded, loud enough to make the average human go deaf.
Neither of them could get a direct strike in but the powerful gust of wings being produced by their clash ripped through their skin—no, only Arnold's skin. Guinevere didn't have a scratch on her even though the sharp blades of wind were visibly tearing her dress apart. Even her hair was fine.
A ding went off inside Arnold's head.
Due to excessive use of [Speed of Sound], your mastery of the skill has increased to 10%.
You are now able to travel at 10% the speed of sound.
'Perfect timing.'
Arnold increased the power given to him by [Speed of Sound] and attacked Guinevere with even more speed. The moment the two of them landed on the ground, he stomped the ground, causing it to rumble and break apart. Guinevere didn't lose her footing but rather levitated upwards, giving Arnold the opportunity for an opening.
He appeared in front of her in a millisecond, aiming for one of her arms with his free hand.
However—
"Ugh!?" She caught his arm when his finger was mere inches away from her acupuncture point. The strength she put into her grip was so powerful that Arnold couldn't pull himself out.
"Tch!" he threw Luxtivin aside and attempted to use [Flame Gauntlets].
The entire area was surrounded in boiling temperatures the moment a blue flame appeared around his right forearm.
The intensity of the flame surprised even him but this wasn't the time to lose his focus. He wasted no time to shoot out his attack.
In that second that he released his attack, he could see Guinevere's calm face before she was completely engulfed by the power of a hundred thousand TNT.