NOVEL NEXT Chapter 201
The Crown Prince Wants to Retire
The being that even Kariel, who had seen the gods, stared at blankly.
A huge tree that supported the ancient
The giant tree that grew where the remnants of the past had once made Asgard possessed a powerful force felt just by looking at it.
[You have confirmed the reward for the wager.]
[Reward: Resurrection of the World Tree]
– The ancient World Tree (Yggdrasil) that the god Baldur had planted has been resurrected due to divine power.
As the World Tree grows, the worlds of the ancient
“Is it going to grow even more from here?”
Kariel muttered blankly as he gazed at the World Tree.
And he was assured.
If humanity could protect this tree, the development of their world would accelerate even further.
He felt that, just like in the
“……Let’s go.”
The confirmation was over, and now it was time to discuss measures.
From now on, all the force of
Just as he was about to return to the
[There is a message left by the ancient god for the representative at the World Tree. Would you like to check it?]
Kariel, who stopped walking at the mention of Baldur’s words, gazed blankly at the World Tree.
“……Your Majesty?”
“I’ll be back shortly from over there.”
“Your Majesty, that area has not yet secured
At the concerned words of Duke Devir, Kariel assured him it was fine and flew into the air.
As he approached the giant tree, which was so immense it made even the Giant Mountain Range look small, familiar beings appeared.
“Everyone’s been here?”
Kariel looked at his summoned beings in front of the World Tree with an incredulous expression.
He felt a tinge of disappointment seeing the summoned beings before the World Tree instead of at the gate to welcome him.
Seeing Kariel’s expression, Surth opened his mouth to correct the misunderstanding.
– Don’t get the wrong idea. We came here as representatives of our worlds.
“Representatives?”
Surth nodded in response to Kariel’s question.
Representative of the giant’s world, Surth.
Representative of the divine beast world, Skoll.
Representatives of the Second Spirit Realm and the Phantom Realm, Agni.
Agent of Hell, Garum.
Kariel wore a baffled expression at the situation where all of his summoned beings had become representatives of their respective worlds.
But it didn’t end there.
countless existences gathering around the World Tree, each having come as representatives of their worlds.
Among the fragments of the world that had collapsed after Ragnarok, various races had chosen their own places to settle down.
Beings that had previously hidden in various regions of the continent had left this place, now a human world, to create their own.
Of course, those world fragments are all quite small.
Yet for the races that had been hiding, that alone was a source of happiness.
Even though it had only been about two months since the World Tree emerged, the world was undergoing transformation.
But the next part was even more surprising.
“Have they also come?”
Including Quetzalcoatl and others who had made a contract with Baldur to create the barrier, all the principal figures showed up.
Massive creatures floating in the sky thanks to the power of the World Tree.
But they were not all.
Soon, an even more astonishing figure emerged.
– I’m the latest one to arrive.
The representative of the Demon Realm, invited by the World Tree.
“Looks like you haven’t died.”
At Kariel’s words, the Demon King chuckled lightly as he looked down at his own body.
The overwhelming power was gone, replaced by a wounded form with scars here and there.
Having barely survived due to loyal demons while battling fatal injuries, the Demon King acted personally to cleanse the opposing factions in place of the weakened loyalist faction.
Because he forced himself to move with his injured body, the consequence was bound to be horrific.
The power that once reached the level of a god had become considerably weaker compared to the past.
But the experience he possessed did not disappear.
Thanks to quickly recovering his power, he was able to rise once again as the absolute ruler of the Demon Realm.
– The gap has widened.
The Demon King wore a bitter smile as he saw Kariel after a long time.
While he had been recovering his former self, Kariel had grown even stronger.
Now, Kariel’s power was nearly on par with that of his prime.
If Kariel continued to grow like this, the Demon King would never be able to catch up.
And the Demon King, known for his keen intuition, instinctively felt that his thought was not wrong.
– A strong opponent….
In his weak days, aiming for the
Thus, vowing that one day he would bridge this gap and become the strongest again, the Demon King released a fierce aura, prompting Kariel to look at him with a cold face.
At that moment, the powerful force of the World Tree suppressed the Demon King’s strength.
“What the….”
Kariel was taken aback as he sensed his own power naturally reacting to the strength of the World Tree.
Suddenly, light began to emanate from his forehead, and flames surged up. Soaring towards the sky and touching the branches of the World Tree without being burned in a strange phenomenon, the green light of the World Tree flew towards Kariel.
[The World Tree recognizes you as the guardian of the world.]
[The World Tree wishes to express gratitude to you, who birthed it.]
As soon as the voice ended, the green light that had seeped into him focused on his forehead, and patterns began to change.
The pattern created by Baldur overlapped with the pattern of the World Tree, transforming into a beautiful pattern emitting a strange light.
Those who witnessed the scene of receiving the blessing of the World Tree, something received by only a handful in the
Just as the World Tree directly acknowledged Kariel as the center of the world, a part of the giant tree opened up, enveloping Kariel inside.
Only Kariel was allowed in by the World Tree.
– Nice to meet you.
“Is this the World Tree?”
Kariel asked, looking up at the voice that tickled his ears.
And then the verdant World Tree moved silently.
“……What’s the reason you called me here?”
– To convey your gratitude and the words left by the God of Light.
At that moment, a small fairy appeared, glowing with green light.
The World Tree, manifested as a small fairy, approached Kariel and bowed slightly.
– Thank you for waking me up.
“I simply won the wager left by Baldur.”
– Still, it doesn’t change the fact that you are my benefactor.
After Baldur’s demise, the seed of the World Tree, which had been slowly losing its power.
The reason the World Tree could resurrect was due to the divine power sent by the God of Earth.
Though unintentional, it was clear that Kariel was the benefactor of the World Tree.
Thus, the World Tree buzzed around Kariel, desperately trying to repay its gratitude.
Kariel felt burdened by this and said a bit brusquely.
“Before that, tell me the words left by Baldur.”
At Kariel’s words, the green fairy approached him with a disappointed expression and placed a small hand on his forehead.
– By the time you hear this, I suppose I’ve vanished. That means my plan has succeeded?
Appearing in a translucent form as a small boy, Baldur said.
– If this message is conveyed, it means I’ve defeated the God of Earth once more? Hahaha! I knew you were the one I chose!
As Baldur bragged while laughing, he looked at Kariel and said.
– By now, all the various side effects from my disappearance must be manifesting in the world. And hearing this message means you’ve rejected all the arrangements I made.
Kariel’s expression hardened at Baldur’s words.
– I want to give you a bit of help as you wish to watch over the world, but honestly, I’m out of power now, so I can’t give you much.
Baldur spoke with a bitter expression, as if recalling the long years spent alone watching over the world while running out of divine power.
– Still, I leave this for you in hopes that it might be of some help. Please… I hope you will protect the world that I loved until the end.
As soon as those words ended, Baldur’s translucent form completely vanished, and a bluish light began to seep into Kariel’s forehead.
In that moment, Kariel’s eyes widened.
“Is this… the power?”
Baldur, the God of Light and the God of Beginnings.
The source of his power, often referred to as the God of Beginnings, began to seep into Kariel, altering the inner flames of strength he held.
Though he had forged a path, he struggled to know where to go next, but now his goal was beginning to take shape as Light and New Beginnings.
However, Baldur’s power didn’t control Kariel’s powers.
“Does this mean I have to choose?”
Baldur’s intent was to let Kariel choose his own path without imposing limits on him, merely showing him that such goals existed before fading into flames.
“I will protect it.”
The god who loved the world, supporting everything.
Respecting his will, Kariel vowed to protect this world.
At that moment, the green light symbolizing the World Tree spread outwards, heralding the birth of a new guardian of the world.
But Kariel stopped that World Tree.
“I will not become a deity.”
– Is that so?
The World Tree wore a disappointed expression.
“A world where anyone can challenge the gods. That is the world I dream of.”
– A war will erupt.
When many rise to the rank of gods, they may covet the position of the God of Gods.
“I’ll just have to bear it. But wouldn’t they also want to protect this world?”
When Kariel asked, the World Tree looked at the many beings around them.
“Fighting from the inside is meaningless. Our goal is to create a dimension that no one can dare to invade.”
Creating a strong world where no one would even think of invading.
The World Tree smiled brightly in response to Kariel’s ambitions and nodded along. At the same time, it thought to itself.
The spark of revolution and the one to lead the world’s reformation.
The second God of Light.
If Baldur heralded a new beginning, then Kariel was a reformer turning the existing world upside down, leading to a higher level.
The God of Light, illuminating in front of everyone.
But since he had refused to become the God of Gods himself, it was time for him to keep that to himself.
– I hope to one day call you the God of Light…
As Kariel had exited the World Tree’s form, the World Tree quietly whispered.
Thus, all the arrangements left by Baldur came to an end, and finally, the worlds that had been broken began to reconnect through the power of the World Tree.
*
After the resurrection of the World Tree, the world began yet another period of tumult.
The half-connected Spirit Realm fully rejoined, giving birth to numerous spirit masters. As countless worlds intertwined, centered around the World Tree, the world steadily became more robust.
Even the Demon Realm officially reconciled between Kariel and the Demon King, facilitating exchanges.
Thus, as the world grew stronger, invasions from
– Come under me. Then I will give you infinite glory…
“Spouting nonsense since morning.”
Kariel, with an annoyed expression, completely snuffed out the life of the dying dragon.
While killing the envoy sent from the dragon’s world, he added yet another enemy.
For the past few years, countless dimensional