Game of the World Tree-: THE GOD OF WAR AND THE ANCESTRAL DRAGON

【 THE GOD OF WAR AND THE ANCESTRAL DRAGON 】

In a vast and desolate world, the sky loomed above in a shade of silvery gray, forever cloaked in a gauze-like mist that dulled the sun and erased all warmth.

A bitter wind swept endlessly across the horizon, its every gust laced with a mournful wail, akin to echoes of a forgotten lament.

Below, the land unfurled like a dead ocean of sand, parched and unyielding. There were no signs of life here, nor any greenery…only the stark presence of countless weapons embedded into the ground.

Swords, sabers, spears, halberds, and broken blades…all sorts of weapons were pierced downward at crooked angles, their steel weathered by time.

Altogether, they formed a vast and boundless sea of weaponry.

Nearly every weapon that had ever been used by mortals or perhaps even across the entire universe could be found here.

Faintly, the sound of metal humming could be heard, which was caused by the countless swords inserted in the ground as sand and dust were swept up by the wind, as though a storm was on the verge of forming.

At moments like this, barefoot figures clad in coarse robes would appear across the arid expanse, resembling ascetic monks. They were scattered throughout the surroundings, varying in height and race.

Such races included the humans, who are the most numerous in Seigües compared to the cyclops, who are quite rare. However, even more numerous are the burly orcs with dark green skin, the lizardmen covered from head to toe in rough, glistening scales, and the towering trolls with lavender skin and a pair of huge tusks.

All of them were barefoot and gathered together despite their differences. Their expressions were solemn and devout as they knelt and prayed toward the heart of the Desert, where a snow-covered mountain range stood. At the peak of the highest snowy mountain, a majestic temple rose straight into the sky, piercing the clouds.

Occasionally, lightning flashed above the temple, accompanied by rolling thunder. A divine and imposing aura filled the air, tinged with vastness and a faint sense of destruction.

This was the Divine Kingdom of Eschaton ¹ which was considered one of the nine great divine kingdoms within the Heavenly Realm.

Its total area even far exceeds that of Seigües, the world that serves as the center of the universe, the origin of laws, and the realm in which the gods cultivate their believers.

Inside the mountain’s temple, within its grand and ancient hall, two mythical beings sat across from each other at a stone table, quietly playing a game of chess with black and white pieces.

Each piece were exquisitely crafted depicting lifelike replicas of armored warriors, mounted knights, staff-wielding clerics, and crown-wearing lords…

“Lord Lódour, what do you think? This board game that’s been growing popular amongst the mortals over the past year isn’t so bad, right? I think it’s a delightful way to pass the time, especially for beings like us…”

A young girl dressed in luxurious celestial robes beamed as she spoke from one side of the table. She appeared no older than eleven or twelve, resembling a young human girl in appearance, with a petite frame and a childlike face, yet her figure was surprisingly well-developed. Upon closer inspection, one could see that her skin was smooth and almost translucent, with scales that faintly shimmered beneath the surface and seemed to luminate whenever light grazed them at certain angles.

Her golden hair flowed like molten sunlight down her back, and her deep, penetrating red eyes held a constant swirl of rainbow-colored light.

Her celestial robe shimmered in dazzling gold, appearing as if it were forged from pure light rather than metal, and was encrusted with resplendent gems of many hues that pulsed gently.

Nonetheless, despite its ornate appearance, the robe did not seem gaudy at all. On the contrary, it radiated an air of nobility and grandeur—especially so when worn by the girl, as if it had been crafted solely for her.

After she spoke, the other mythical being across the table remained silent.

He was a giant clad in silver armor and a crimson cloak, with an appearance that vaguely resembled an orc—pointed ears, a bald head, and slightly protruding fangs. However, his skin tone was closer to that of a human, and his features were more refined, bearing a rugged handsomeness that was unusual for orcs.

His towering frame glowed faintly with silvery-gray divine light. Though his eyes shared the same azure blue as those of the orcs, they smoldered with a faint, restrained fury.

A powerful, oppressive aura surrounded him, vast and destructive, as though reality itself strained beneath the weight of his presence. Yet the girl he was playing against appeared entirely unbothered, her expression calm and composed, as if the crushing pressure meant nothing to her.

“Oh, right,” the girl said, her tone relaxed, “this game apparently comes from the Elven Forest. It’s said to be linked to that second-generation Goddess of Life. I heard her elven followers introduced it to the humans, and one of my younger kin stumbled upon it while traveling there, fell in love with it, and ended up giving me a set too.”

Her voice was soft and sluggish, as though she had just woken up from a long nap.

At the mention of “Goddess of Life,” a subtle shift immediately appeared in the silver-armored giant’s expression. He narrowed his eyes slightly and fixed his gaze on the girl before speaking in a deep voice:

“Lady Urinos, I have little interest in these mortal amusements. If you are seeking a playmate, please go elsewhere.”

His tone was distant and indifferent.

The girl named Urinos merely yawned and stood up. Stretching on tiptoe, she patted the giant’s shoulder and smiled:

“Don’t be so serious, Lord Lódour. You’ve become less and less fun ever since you ascended to a Greater Divine. While indeed, we are gods above all… but we’re still beings with emotions, aren’t we?”

“Moreover, you risk contaminating your own faith if your emotions become too attuned to the divinity of war and destruction, you know?”

Hearing this, the silver-armored giant, Lódour, replied coolly:

“Lady Urinos, as a member of the Ancient Gods, you’d best not concern yourself with the affairs of us New Gods. I have important matters to attend to. Please leave.”

“Aww, don’t be so cold! I’ve only recently awakened after a long time, and this is the first time I’ve visited the Heavenly Realm in ages—I really ought to enjoy myself a little.”

Urinos giggled as she popped a radiant gem from her robe and into her mouth as she began to chew upon it.

This time, Lódour’s patience finally wore thin.

He shook his head and said, “Lady Urinos, my subordinate deity is currently engaged in a holy war against another mythical being as we speak. If you seek amusement, I suggest you look for a god from the human faction with a more fitting divinity.”

“A subordinate deity of yours?”

Urinos raised an eyebrow, then said meaningfully,

“Are you perhaps referring to Uller, the God of Winter and Hunt? Or perhaps the matters regarding this subordinate of yours are just an excuse, and it’s actually the Divine Kingdom of the World Tree that just revealed itself the real focus of your attention?”

Lódour frowned but gave no reply.

Yet Urinos smoothly shifted the topic:

“In fact, ideally regarding this, one of my juniors just sent me some rather interesting images. Lord Lódour, you should know very well what it means for a righteous god to collude with evil deities… right?”

Lódour’s frown deepened slightly.

He was about to speak when his expression suddenly changed, and he looked sharply in a certain direction.

In particular, Uller’s divine kingdom, which was located at the edge and tasked with guarding Eschaton, had suddenly begun to collapse.

At the same time, Lódour felt the divine contract linking him to Uller dissolve completely within his soul.

Instantly, his expression turned grave.

“So… he actually fell.”

Faintly, a complicated sigh came from the side.

It was Urinos.

Lódour’s expression turned cold:

“Lady Urinos, is this the outcome you sought by stalling me here? Since when did the dragon race stand alongside the Goddess of Death and the Goddess of Life?”

“Don’t be so quick to accuse my intentions, Lódour. I have no special ties to Hela,” Urinos said with a light laugh. “And I had my reasons for delaying you. Why don’t you first take a look at the images my junior sent to me?”

As he spoke, Urinos summoned a sphere of divine light and tossed it over.

Lódour snorted coldly but still reached out to catch it. After examining the contents of the light sphere, his expression shifted slightly.

“Luria… and Alyssa?”

“As expected, you recognize them,” Urinos said, still smiling. “Aren’t those two, the evil gods that you and Lord Etriōu are personally hunting?”

Hearing this, Lódour’s expression turned even darker.

Moments later, he felt another disturbance in his soul as the divine imprint he had left upon the artifact, the Crown of Nature, was suddenly being corroded by an external force and beginning to dissipate.

In an instant, Lódour stood up from his seat.

His expression turned darker, and divine power began to surge around him as he prepared to forcibly fight against the external force to prevent it from fully erasing his imprint.

However, just as he was about to act, a crisp, childish voice once again interrupted him.

“Hey, hey, Lódour! You haven’t finished our match yet. Are you already planning to intervene? Even Hela herself hasn’t stepped in—would it really be proper for you to act now? Besides, in holy wars, only the victor earns merit. Or could it be that Uller’s dealings with those evil gods involve you as well?”

Lódour’s face hardened at the subtle insinuation. He shot a furious glare at Urinos, who responded with a faint, amused smile.

With a cold laugh, Lódour said, “Lady Urinos, is that a threat? Or do you believe I wouldn’t dare destroy this incarnation of yours?”

“Tsk, no need for such violence. I’m simply stating the facts,” Urinos replied nonchalantly.

Lódour narrowed his eyes dangerously. His aura grew increasingly terrifying, and above Eschaton, the very heavens began to churn as vast currents of divine power surged and gathered, crackling ominously above the two mythical beings like an approaching storm.

Yet the little dragon girl continued to smile brightly, her expression as carefree as ever. At the same time, a terrible draconic pressure erupted from her small frame, ancient and overwhelming, standing toe-to-toe against Lódour’s divine might as if daring him to actually proceed with his threat.

The entire Eschaton trembled from the clash of their auras.

However in the end… no battle broke out.

Just as the standoff reached a boiling point, it was Urinos who withdrew her power first.

Whilst puffing her cheeks in a childish pout, she muttered,

“Bah, how boring! I’m not playing with you anymore. I’m leaving.”

With a casual wave, she swept up the chessboard on the stone table and turned to depart. Yet before her incarnation fully dissipated, Urinos turned back with a bright smirk and said to Lódour,

“Lord Lódour, allow me to leave you with two pieces of advice.”

“First, never underestimate any being.”

“And second, every cause will bear its own consequences.”

Then, while being accompanied by the clear, tinkling sound of laughter, Urinos’ figure gradually faded away from view.

Lódour frowned deeply.

At this point, he could already feel that his connection to the Crown of Nature had been completely severed.

Urinos’s departure couldn’t have been timed more perfectly.

With a cold snort, Lódour overturned the stone table before him in a burst of fury as divine power surged around him like an erupting volcano.

But soon, he regained his composure. Moments later, his majestic and thunderous voice echoed across Eschaton:

“Athos, come to the temple.”

Right as the command was spoken, light converged, and a burly warrior donning battle armor materialized within the temple.

He was an Einherjar ² with the strength of a demigod.

But he was no ordinary Einherjar for he was also an envoy.

He bowed slightly to Lódour, then dropped to one knee in reverence and solemnity, awaiting his command.

“All praise to my Lord—the Great God of War and Destruction!”

“You are the embodiment of war, the master of ruination, the symbol of might!”

“My Great Lord, what is your command? This lowly servant of yours awaits for your orders!”

Lódour looked at Athos and said,

“I have several important tasks for you.”

“Descend to the lower realm. Go to Seigües and investigate the current state of the World Tree’s divine kingdom. Then, proceed to the Elven Forest. Carry the Parthenon’s decree and request an audience with the Goddess of Life…”

“She has delayed her responsibilities long enough. All true gods must formally register within the Pantheon.”

Lódour’s expression hardened, his eyes gleaming with arrogance as he continued:

“Also deliver my divine edict. Demand the return of the Crown of Nature and instruct her to relinquish the divinity of Winter and Hunt.”

His voice lowered, but grew colder still.

“And one more thing—Uller has fallen. Travel to the Desert of Death, rally the remaining orc tribes and spread my faith there.”

→⟐←

Realm of Seigües – Desert of Death

With the fall of Uller, the God of Winter and Hunt, the orc race was left without protection, and their morale crumbled as a result.

Their defeat cascaded like a landslide, while the players, in contrast, were more motivated than ever—it was the perfect moment to strike down the fallen and claim their rewards.

After all, there was nothing more satisfying than a one-sided victory—especially with the most fertile region of the Desert of Death, Sandstorm City, was right in front of them, ripe for the taking!

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Despite it being known as the strongest fortress in the Desert, Sandstorm City only held out for less than a day before being completely overrun by the players. But they didn’t stop there.

Like a flood, they surged deeper into the heart of the desert, sweeping away everything in their path…

A true god had fallen.

The orcs were in total disarray.

News of the elven army crushing resistance across the Desert of Death spread rapidly—through the underground, the regions surrounding the desert, and even into various human kingdoms…

In no time, the Desert of Death and the Elven Forest had become the second most talked-about topic on the entire continent, second only to the appearance of the World Tree’s divine kingdom.

As a result, the elves and the orcs quickly became hot topics of discussion among all major powers.

One by one, numerous forces turned their attention to both the Desert of Death and the Elven Forest.

And amid all this, the players received a new global server announcement:

“What? The devs are opening up another round of public beta sign-ups? Two hundred thousand spots are available? Damn… I need to get my friends and family on that fast!”

“Two hundred thousand? Pssh, big deal. The game’s barely reached that numbers since it’s launch—what’s so ‘great’ about it?”

“Come on, don’t be like that. Elven Kingdom is crazy good game. The devs probably kept the registration count low to keep the servers from melting. And those maps? They’re massive—almost scary how detailed they are.”

“Yeah well, fair enough. I mean, it’s supposed to be some next-level, real-world sim kind of game, right? I guess limiting it does make some sense.”

As players buzzed with excitement and netizens shared in the growing hype, Elven Kingdom finally ushered in its latest major update.

¹ 末日 – Literally, it means “Doomsday” or “Apocalypse,” but I really don’t want to use such cringy term, so I used the word “Eschaton” instead, which basically means the same thing but can also sound more fitting for a name of a place.

² In previous chapters, I used the term ‘Petitioner‘ based on the raw translation (祈并者), which literally means that. However, since this novel draws heavily on Norse mythology, I thought using ‘Einherjar‘ would be more fitting.

Einherjar – a term from Norse mythology that refers to the chosen warriors who die in battle and are selected by the Valkyries to serve in Valhalla, the hall of the slain, ruled by the god Odin.

Petitioner – In the context of Dungeons & Dragons, petitioners are the souls of the deceased who have arrived in the Outer Planes after death, and are often transformed into a specific kind of being based on their alignment, deeds in life, or their connection to a particular deity or realm.

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