I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 704 Public Execution
"Follow me!"

Rescue the target, Kane.

Incidentally, after 'helping' the students take down several leaders, the group fought their way out of Tristram, only to be blocked by a demonized forest.

As vibrant life drew near, the withered ancient trees miraculously came back to life, struggling to pull their thick roots out of the soil, waving countless large branches, transforming into decaying, fallen tree-men, and marching heavily to block their path.

Meanwhile, vines on the ground began to grow continuously, weaving through the soil like pythons: they were all once companions of the 'Enifus faction' druids.

However, during the previous disaster, the local druids were also attacked and their whereabouts are unknown, so these plants naturally decayed.

Countless mutated poisonous insects surged forward relentlessly, and swarms of 'hairy rats' charged through the gaps between the tree people and vines, like a gray carpet: except that this moving 'carpet' was covered with sharp spikes, enough to pierce a person's heart with a thousand arrows!

There were also various large mutated spiders, soul wolves missing limbs, ferocious bears—and several staggering figures in the background wearing bark coats and wolf helmets.

Clearly, none of the inhabitants of this 'Black Forest' have escaped the demons' slaughter, corruption, and depravity: they have surrounded the city.

However, as a great writer once said, there were originally no roads in the world, but as more people walked on them, they became roads.

and so--

crackling and popping

The paladin 'Haruka' strode forward as the arrowhead, lightning emanating from his body.

Waves of lightning, like mercury spilling onto the ground, spread out in all directions, enveloping the surging monsters before them:
The smallest of the demonized poisonous insects was utterly powerless, instantly reduced to ashes in mid-air. Even the largest, the fallen treant, was struck by lightning, its bark bursting open, emitting screams of pain and relief.
Before his halo of lightning, countless monsters, like snowflakes under the scorching sun, exploded and shattered into pieces.

As soon as the lightning subsided, another pale blue halo spread out from beneath its feet in the next second.

A pale blue light spread out, but it was not harmful.

But where those dead monsters lay, twisted and ugly souls emerged.

Soothing and purifying under the pale blue, water-like aura of spiritual energy, they all returned to normal, becoming treants, animals, and magical beasts. These souls revealed serene expressions as they gradually disappeared in the light. Meanwhile, streams of pure life force and spiritual energy flowed back as the light spread, surging towards everyone.

"Hey?"

"My spiritual power is recovering!"

As the pale blue light swept over them, a gasp of surprise rang out from the group following the paladin 'Haruka'.

“This is the ‘Redemption Aura’,”

Given his reputation as a 'wise man,' the man named Kane certainly didn't earn it for nothing.

"Activating this halo can soothe and redeem the souls of the dead."

"In return, you also gain the life and magic it left behind."

Ah, this—

To the astonishment of the extraordinary students from various countries, the halo beneath the feet of the paladin at the very front of the group once again transformed into blazing white, holy lightning!

Thunder spread out, killing enemies from a hundred paces away; a blue halo appeared, silently redeeming souls.

The white and blue halos alternate, switching back and forth between killing monsters and healing.

No need to wield a sword, no need to fight; the silver-haired, golden-armored paladin strode forward, and monsters and vines collapsed, withered, and burned with his footsteps—as if the chariot of the god of spring were speeding by, leaving behind a trail of radiant light and thawing everything in its wake!
"Quick, follow up."

"Don't fall behind—"

These words were merely a habitual reminder, without mentioning that everyone present was an extraordinary being;
The life force and spiritual energy constantly fed back from the 'halo of redemption' filled them with power.

This has even led many students to wonder if, if this situation continues for a while longer, they might level up on the spot and break through to the next level.

Even if there are any large monsters, there is the druid 'Yura' floating above the team, who can throw a spell from afar and blast them to ashes: besides being more like a violent mage, she is also very reassuring.

Thus, the group ran straight ahead through the infamous 'Black Forest' for several hours before their eyes were suddenly opened.

"Out?"

"It doesn't seem dangerous at all."

This is too easy; it's so easy that these students feel it's "nothing special."

“Young man, with two ‘legendary heroes’ escorting you, there is naturally no danger to speak of.”

Kane, who held the title of 'wise man', shook his head with a wry smile. Legendary powerhouses are top-tier beings everywhere: for example, the king of this country, Leoric, was secretly corrupted by the demon god, but he only went mad and was not possessed by the demon god.

Later, Prince Aidan returned to his country and, in the fierce battle, also rose to the legendary level, defeating the demon that had possessed his younger brother.

After consulting with Kane, he decided to emulate the ancient mage 'Tar Rasha' and insert the 'Soul Stone' that imprisoned the demon god into his forehead, using his own will to suppress the demon god.

However, it was clear that the eldest prince underestimated the power of the demon god and overestimated his own strength: he quickly lost control, summoned a large number of demons that destroyed Tristram, and then disappeared without a trace.

"It's all my fault,"

As they moved forward, the 'wise man' in the center of the group felt remorse and blamed himself.

"If I hadn't consulted ancient texts and proposed this method, Prince Aidan wouldn't have been in this situation."

However, at that time, faced with the indestructible Demon God Soul Stone that constantly summoned demons and bewitched people, they had no choice but to take a risky gamble.

“Mr. Kane, this is not your fault.”

Amir, who was in the group, comforted him.

“Before we came, we killed ‘Blood Crow’: before she died, she warned us to be careful of Adria.”

? !
"Could it be... that's how it is?"

Since the man named Kane is known as the 'wise man,' he is certainly not a fool.

A thought flashed through his mind and he guessed the truth: the witch Adria, who had entered the palace first but failed and was captured, had already sided with the demon god at that time!

No wonder the eldest prince couldn't resist the demon god's corruption so quickly, no wonder the Blood Crow fell into depravity for no reason; it turns out that the witch Adria had already tampered with the magic potions they usually drank.

The monks who helped back then probably couldn't escape their fate either.

"It's her? Why her?"

Even for the wise, being betrayed by 'comrades' is never a good thing.

“Let’s go back to ‘Rogue Encampment’ first,” Tokugawa Shizuka interjected from the rushing group.

"Sister Akara, the leader there, should be able to answer your questions."

These 'students' have only a superficial understanding of the world, so how could they possibly know about the grudges and feuds between them?
Moreover, the students are only here to 'demonstrate their strength' and 'attempt to break through';
Saving the world and such, there's a 'protagonist' in this world.

"Akara? Fine—"

Kane nodded. If it was this person, he should be able to provide him with a lot of useful information.

"Ok?"

Switching to 'Vibration Aura' and speeding ahead, the silver-haired, golden-armored paladin at the very front of the group suddenly let out a soft exclamation.

"What's wrong, old Knight Haruka?"

The druid 'Yura' floated over and asked in a low voice.

"nothing,"

"Something unexpected happened 'over there'."

?

Tilting his head, Yura under the deer helmet looked quite puzzled.

What happened in the main world that made the teacher use the word 'unexpected' to describe it?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

It was indeed an accident.
This is definitely earth-shattering news!
"Teach, are you sure you want to do this?"

On the outskirts of the Bering Sea, the wreckage of several ships is slowly sinking into the sea, emitting black smoke; the huge bite marks prove that they had previously suffered an extraordinary attack.

However, neither of the two experts present paid attention to the wreckage, nor to the low-level superhumans and ordinary people who fled in a sorry state.

"Hahaha~~"

"Old friend, is there even a need to say it?"

Marshall Teach, arms outstretched, arrogantly faces the 'King of News'.

"Announce it to the world—I will publicly execute Ah Long in three days!"

Indeed, beneath Teach's feet was a sprawling expanse of black mud. And trapped within that mud was a 'sea kingdom'—none other than Arlong.

It was obvious that Aaron had come to attack Teach's fleet, only to be captured by Teach who was lying in ambush.

"asshole!!"

His hands and feet were wrapped in black mud, and the strong stickiness made it impossible for Ah Long to break free.

"No need for all that trouble, just kill him if you dare! Waaaaah!"

The black mud surged up and blocked Ah Long's mouth.

"I won't kill you,"

Teach slowly turned his head and looked at Aaron, who was struggling angrily in the black mud.

"At least not now—hey, don't you want to see how many 'people' from the Sea Kingdom are willing to come and rescue you?"

? !
These words made Ah Long's pupils shrink, and he even forgot to struggle.

Could it be——

"Teach, you bastard, is your target...?"

Across the sea, KYG, whose entire body was covered in black and green 'high-tech knight armor', also spoke in disbelief.

Lord Otakemaru? !

The Sea Kingdom has always been united; everyone knows that.

Whether it was Haiming's attack on Yokosuka or Ootakemaru's solo battle against the Nine-Tailed Demon.

If Teach really announces that Aaron will be 'executed' in three days, then the Sea Kingdom will certainly not stand idly by.

When the time comes, they will surely come out in full force!

"Hahaha, how about that? KYG—isn't that big enough news?"

Even though he was covered by a mask, his shock was evident in his tone; this made Teach laugh heartily, teasing him like an old friend:

"See? I notified you right away, isn't that great?"

finished,

The 'Sea Emperor's' smile vanished.

“If you don’t want it to be reported, I have many other ways to get it to the attention of countless people.”

"or--"

Teach, tall and imposing, raised his hand, black mud dripping from his arm.

"You can also try to rescue Ah Long from my grasp right now."

"So, KYG, do you want to give it a try?"

As the sea breeze swept across the ocean, and faced with the prepared and ready Teach, KYG's final choice was:
"I will report the news that Ah Long will be executed in three days."

After speaking, the 'News King,' clad in distinct black and green armor, lowered his body and assumed a charging stance.

"At the same time, I also want to give it a try—"

A figure suddenly appeared behind Teach!
They tried to rescue Ah Long.

Regardless, he is still a dog of the Sea Kingdom: a man's word must be followed.

(End of this chapter)