The Martial God who Regressed Back to Level 2 Novel

Chapter 314

[I can't believe it...!]

Hmm...

From Sung JiHan's left arm, a strong shadow energy burst out.

Ariel, who seemed like she could pop out of his arm at any moment.

"Just wait a bit."

Sung JiHan suppressed her for now and asked the Great Spirit.

"Is the Shadow Queen a subject of research at the Seat of Sanctum?"

"No. She is a sacrifice for the Void Processing task."

"Void processing..."

Sung JiHan furrowed his brow upon hearing the Great Spirit's words.

Void processing.

Upon hearing that phrase, the first thing that came to his mind was the smirking High Elf.

"Because my senior died, I became the Void Processing Manager."

"Senior..."

"You pretended to be so great, but you exploded in the Planet Development Map. That incompetent senior of yours."

He was the branch manager of the World Tree Elf's loan counter.

Referring to the High Elf who perished along with his brain as his senior, he replied to Sung JiHan's question about the mask.

"You call that mask the Void Processing Manager? It's broken."

"This is a trash can. If you make one more, that's it."

The High Elf referred to the Void Processing Manager as a trash can.

From that, it was possible to anticipate that the Void Processing task was not a good thing.

"I'll have to look into it first."

Sung JiHan said to the Great Spirit.

"Let's go to where the Shadow Queen is imprisoned."

"Understood."

Flash...!

After the disappearance of the Great Spirit, a huge portal appeared in its place.

Sung JiHan stepped into it.

There, finally, a place befitting the name "Underground Zone" was revealed.

"It's filled with the energy of the Void."

A dark and large underground area.

This place, where only purple light faintly emitted from the ground.

From the ground, partially melted like a swamp.

And within it, the scent of the Void filled the air.

Sung JiHan looked around.

Soon, in the middle of the Void swamp, he could see a being bound in chains.

"Your, Your Majesty...!"

The Seat Shadow Queen.

She looked almost identical to Ariel, to the point where one might think they were twins.

Except for one intact thing, her face.

The lower half of her face was not normal.

Her gray body burned in purple flames, repeating the process of regeneration.

When Ariel couldn't hold back any longer and tried to come out of Sung JiHan's arm.

"Commencing Void Processing 172nd time."

Automatically translated language echoed from the ceiling.

Then.

Twist. Twist.

The chains binding the Shadow Queen writhed like blood vessels.

Injecting the power of the Void into her body.

Then.

Whoosh...!

The purple flames, which seemed to weaken, regained their strength.

The Shadow Queen's body was melting away again.

"Lost your mind, huh?"

With her mouth agape, the Shadow Queen stared ahead with vacant eyes.

She only flinched momentarily in the intense flames, showing no further reaction.

"Your Majesty!"

Seeing this, Ariel finally sprang out from Sung JiHan's arm.

She ran towards the queen to save her, but...

Bang!

"Ugh...!"

As she leaped forward, a white shield that appeared out of thin air bounced her back.

And then...

Sss...

The white shield soon condensed into a single form.

"That... is it a welcome mask?"

A white welcome mask used by the High Elves.

It took on a translucent form and blocked the path in front of Sung JiHan.

Twist.

The corner of the mask's mouth began to move.

[No, customer. How did you get in here?]

"...Are you the branch manager?"

[Yes, I didn't expect to meet you in a place like this.]

The branch manager greeted Sung JiHan with a warm voice.

After briefly glancing at Ariel with the eyes of the giant mask, the manager continued speaking.

[We are currently in the process of disposing of waste, so please do not enter recklessly.]

"Waste... you mean the Void?"

[That's correct. Your senior neglected proper waste disposal. I'm catching up on the work. Collecting recyclables, handling the Void, and all that.]

Twist. Twist.

As the mask's words became more intimidating, the chains began to move again.

Whoosh!

The Shadow Queen's body quickly caught fire.

"The Shadow Queen... I thought she died at the hands of the gods. Did the history change when the previous High Elf died?"

Ameyngsin'gyeol, responsible for one of the pillars of the Soul Cultivation Technique.

It was very similar to the power possessed by the Shadow Queen.

Considering the ability to take away the opponent's power possessed by a wandering god.

It was possible to infer that the Shadow Queen died at the hands of a god in her previous life.

However, the previous High Elf died along with the Brain God.

And when the branch manager took over the position of the white mask, it seemed that history had changed.

Unlike the previous High Elves, the branch manager diligently carried out his duties.

Meanwhile...

Whoosh...!

The Shadow Queen's face was now engulfed in flames, not just her body.

Seeing this, the mask's mouth moved quickly.

"Oh no, oh no. Thanks to you, I got anxious and couldn't control my power. How did our collection box end up here?"

"The Shadow Queen... is the collection box?"

"Yes, it's an exceptional item related to the Shadow theme. We did have some special support, though."

"...Support?"

While bouncing off the mask, Ariel regained her composure.

"Our Shadow Elves, under the guidance of Your Majesty, achieved freedom...!"

"You insignificant shadow. That freedom was not achieved by you, but granted by us."

"Well..."

"If not, how could you resist the true power with a failed soul like yours?"

Unlike when talking to Sung JiHan, the branch manager looked down at Ariel with an authoritarian posture.

"Remember when you rebelled? It was a series of coincidences that led to success. The same goes for when we were building our power. How did Sung JiHan manage to infiltrate only planets with so many shadows and navigate through the BattleNet League without any interference from the World Tree Elves? Was it all just luck?"

"...So you're saying that you planned all of this?"

"Yes. The Shadow Elf's empowerment was just one project conducted by the Holy See Research Institute. Everything was done to turn the Shadow Elves into the Holy See and to determine the limit of Void assimilation."

He chuckled.

The half-mask smiled.

"The results were quite satisfying. The Shadow Elves will now seize freedom and give birth to the Holy See countless times. And once they grow to a certain extent, they will become trash like this."

"...That can't be true. I can't believe it."

"Is that so? The Shadow Queen seemed to have vaguely realized it."

He sneered.

The mask became transparent, revealing the face of the restored Shadow Queen.

An appearance identical to Ariel's.

"Now that our power has stabilized, you have placed 'clones' of yourself all around. So that you can switch at any time."

"..."

"Or have you already switched? You might be the Queen's main body. You seem to possess quite a strong power."

"...My power is strong because my master is strong. I am nothing more than a clone of the Queen."

"Is that so? Then you are perfect for the new recycling bin. Just a worthless shadow. We will make you into the Holy See, so come over here."

"Ha... Do you expect me to meet such a fate as the Queen?"

"Didn't you enjoy the glory until now? Only the end will be miserable."

Ariel's expression hardened as she looked at Sung JiHan.

"Master, let's get out of here. We can't stay here any longer."

"And leave the Queen in that state?"

"The Queen... is already finished. We can't die along with her."

She rushed forward first, perhaps sensing something in the words of the branch manager.

One.

"Hehe, sir. Why did I bother to explain all this about shadows?"

The branch manager's mask returned to a respectful position as he smiled.

"I quickly investigated how you came to this place. You possess the power of the World Tree and the Great Spirits mistook you for the manager."

"But?"

"To possess the power of the World Tree completely, I am pleased. I thought you might eventually have it, but to already possess 'eternity'... You have obtained the qualification to become one of us."

"One of us... You mean the High Elves?"

"High Elves... That's just an external term used by outsiders. More precisely, we are the 'Clan of Yggdrasil'."

Sneer.

The appearance of the mask gradually changed.

"I am Yggdrasil. Please show your brilliant appearance and welcome the new clan."

Flash!

A dazzling cluster of light.

Soon, in the place where the mask was, a figure appeared.

"...A radiant tree."

A tree of light that appeared like a hologram.

It changed color to a brilliant light and showed a magnificent figure.

"That... is Yggdrasil..."

Ariel, who was about to run away, lost her breath when she saw it.

She sat down in her place.

"...Ah."

From the mouth of the Shadow Queen, who had been staring blankly ahead with vacant eyes.

For the first time, a voice came out.

It was just a form.

But even just its appearance, the radiant tree of Yggdrasil emitted an indescribable aura of life.

"Is that the pinnacle of the World Tree Alliance, Yggdrasil? It's on a different dimension."

While Sung JiHan was dumbfoundedly trying to make a judgment,

"Now, please help us with our work."

As the form of Yggdrasil disappeared, the branch manager's mask revealed its face again.

And then.

Ugh...

A familiar-looking mask appeared out of thin air.

It started flying towards Sung JiHan's face.

[Before you put on the mask, take care of the trash disposal, junior.]

Thud.

Sung JiHan grabbed the flying mask with his hand and tilted his head.

"Why am I your junior?"

* * *

[.......]

In response to Sung JiHan's answer, the mask that had been silent for a moment spoke up.

"You... earlier. Didn't you receive Yggdrasil?"

It asked with a trembling voice.

"Oh, the tree that was shining brightly?"

"Yes! Even after seeing it, didn't you have any thoughts?"

"Well, I thought it looked pretty with its sparkling appearance. It was full of vitality."

"Pretty...?"

"Yes."

"How dare you give such an evaluation to Yggdrasil..."

"Isn't it a compliment to say something is pretty?"

Sung JiHan sincerely spoke like that and played with the mask in a curious manner.

Seeing that, the branch manager, who understood the situation, was astonished.

"This is unacceptable! How can someone with eternity... not worship Yggdrasil? Don't you have the World Tree within you?"

"If I have it, does that mean I have to obey Yggdrasil?"

"Of course!"

"But I don't feel that way at all."

While Sung JiHan was talking like that.

Thud. Thud.

He tapped the branch manager's mask.

"But hey, aren't you weaker?"

"...Just by briefly loading the appearance of Yggdrasil, I have already exerted myself enough. I thought that as my junior, you would help me with my work... Unexpected things have happened."

"Hmm."

Thud. Thud.

Hearing those words, Sung JiHan tapped the mask blocking his way more forcefully.

Was the consumption of power that great just by displaying the form of Yggdrasil a while ago?

Even with a simple tap, the mask gradually lost its luster.

Then the branch manager urgently spoke up.

"Wait! Don't be reckless. If you break it, the Void will flow back to the laboratory!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, surely you don't intend to break it? I warn you. Stop here. That hand! Stop tapping it!"

The voice of the increasingly agitated mask.

In proportion to that.

"But hey, why do I want to do what you guys tell me not to?"