A Village Appeared on My Desktop

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Chapter 179 – Borderline (9)

[In the moment of slaughter and despair where everything was lost, the great god sent down a strong and beautiful messenger to save the fools.]

The origin of this angel, appearing with light from the sky, was initially a being that only existed as part of the post-ending setting in a fantasy game. In other words, it was a creation steeped in the imagination of game designers from the 21st-century Earth.

Thanks to this, if one were to actually see it before their very eyes, it could become a shocking, beautiful, and mystical spectacle, worthy of being recorded as a great myth in the future.

At the very least, those who witnessed this with their own eyes would be captivated, regardless of their race.

‘First, we must fight.’

Riena, the one directly involved, didn’t actually understand how this situation had come to be, but her actions were swift. There were vile enemies in front of her, and many innocent lives were still left to be sacrificed by them.

She had to save them. That was the will and intention of the being she believed in.

“D-Demonic poison is being purified!”

“Look, they can’t even approach us!”

Riena, who had fully cleared a game, had long exceeded the level deemed extraordinary for an ordinary person.

Of course, her power wasn’t limitless, but just creating an opening, even for a moment, was enough.

The moment she spread her wings and descended to the ground, the poison of the enemies that had been taking down elves one by one was instantly purified, and with a swing of her sword, she unleashed a deadly strike that simultaneously swept away the bugs charging at her.

‘They’re falling.’

Riena faintly smiled as she witnessed the powers she had obtained in the game manifesting in reality as well.

Light was fatal to the bugs, just as it was to the hellish demons, who were poisons to divine energy. As a result, the bugs, which had recklessly rushed forward, suddenly stopped their charge and hesitated or even retreated.

The sheer force alone that halted those countless monsters was completely the result of Riena’s solitary efforts.

“Y-You weren’t human!?”

“Elder?”

Riena, having descended to the ground to block the bugs, encountered a familiar face. Elder Seria, bandaged and injured, was fleeing alongside other elves, her eyes widened at the sight of Riena enveloped in white wings.

“There’s no time to explain. We must evacuate at once.”

“But where are we supposed to go? The World Tree we need to protect is destroyed, and the city has fallen. We are now…”

“Lead the survivors east to the fortress. We can hold there.”

Though Riena had suddenly moved to this place, she quickly gathered her wits and guided the elves. It was an instinctive realization that this was the duty bestowed upon her.

The elves, having lost all hope and merely fleeing reflexively, would completely collapse if they continued on this path. To prevent that, they needed a new hope.

“You mean we have hope?”

“That being will become our hope.”

It was an opportunity to assimilate the lost elves into their ranks. Knowing this, Riena naturally pointed to the sky.

The reason the Arin Tribe could resist the bugs with their steadfast spirit, unlike others, was due to the powerful faith they held in their hearts.

As if to validate Riena’s words, a machine gun that had completed its cooldown suddenly appeared from the sky and began firing its bullets at the bugs on the ground.

“I never expected it to come out here.”

After having been game over, the one who had been anxiously waiting for Riena’s emergence from the game could instantly pick out the screen where Riena appeared among many due to his focus on the elves.

So he thought himself fortunate, shooting at the bugs with his now-timed machine gun, while casting glances at Riena.

Even though he had already provided much assistance during the process of the World Tree’s collapse and the city’s fall, this incident was crucial for solidifying the elves as complete allies.

The moment Riena descended from the sky, he could see the elves rapidly turning into allies.

‘I can counterattack.’

He didn’t want to drag this out too long. While the elves were somewhat fatigued from the prolonged battle, the residents charging into the elves’ land were recovering their strength and had a healthy state without any threats.

No matter how expansive the bugs were, that alone was not absolute. With the bugs also needing supplementation, he intended to maximize their advantage.

“Quickly, hurry!”

As if understanding his intentions, Balun swiftly divided the troops and assigned missions.

Among them, the vanguard comprising a small number of elves, including Eve, was tasked with charging toward the city to rescue as many evacuees as possible.

“Over there! Refugees are being pursued!”

“I see it too.”

Eve clenched her teeth as she spotted her kin being attacked from a distance. The distance was too far to rush over and save them. By the time she reached them, they would all be killed.

“What is that?!”

Rakhum, leading the troops alongside Eve, widened his eyes as she suddenly halted her horse and conjured something out of thin air.

It was a hefty sniper rifle with a long barrel. It had a large scope that allowed her to snipe enemies from great distances in a single shot.

“No way! They’re falling!”

Each shot she fired while aiming with her gun produced an amazing sound, and with each shot, the bugs attacking the elves far away burst open, scattering body fluids.

She was showcasing the skills she had demonstrated when shooting down the erratically moving enemy drones in the game.

The firepower was sufficient, and the range was incomparable to magic, leaving everyone in shock.

The rescued elves were also dumbfounded, not knowing what exactly was taking down the bugs that had been attacking them.

“Run quickly!”

Rakhum was the first to regain his bearings, urging everyone onward.

Thanks to the support of the gun-wielding elves, they successfully rescued the fleeing elves without any further clashes or sacrifices.

‘It’s the worst situation, but it’s not too late yet.’

Eve, who had been continuously monitoring the enemies, finally lowered her weapon when all enemies fell and bit her lip as she looked at her rescued kin.

Though the World Tree, which could be considered their root, had crumbled, there were still survivors. This meant that there was still an opportunity to rebuild their homeland and fulfill their duties.

While it would be impossible with their own strength alone, Eve had already received much help.

If they could continue receiving that help, driving away the bugs would not be impossible.

“T-Take this… to a safe place. Quick…”

“What exactly is this?”

“It’s the Seed of the World Tree!”

There was indeed a flicker of hope.

While bleeding profusely, a priest desperately clinging to something rushed to show what they had protected to the approaching Arin Tribe.

This small box contained a slim thread of possibility miraculously rescued in the moment everything was collapsing.

*

“Is that enormous tree really that important?”

“…The World Tree is not just a tree.”

When Eve first met and spoke with Balun, the chief of the Arin Tribe, she had to answer many of his innocent questions. It was understandable, as nearly all of them, including Balun, knew very little about the elves who had been cut off from the world long ago.

The World Tree was one of those topics.

“The World Tree is the harmonizer of all things. Of course, after the ‘Severance,’ that harmony has been limited to our land, but it is still a being that is essential for maintaining our ground by circulating the land’s energy and purifying the air using its roots that stretch everywhere.”

“Fascinating. So it’s a spirit that can control the entire natural environment.”

Balun mumbled, truly in awe of the so-called divine tree. The power of the World Tree was indeed tremendous and had a significant impact on the elves.

“Wait, so isn’t the World Tree the subject of the severance that separates the Land of the Elves from this world?”

“Exactly.”

“Then if the World Tree were to choose or if it faced a threat, wouldn’t that severance be broken?”

It was then that Koon, who had been quietly listening, suddenly posed a sharp question. Eve nodded, momentarily taken aback by that question.

The World Tree was the core of the Severance. If the World Tree lost its power, the barrier that had hidden the Land of the Elves from the world thus far would disappear.

It would mean that the place that had existed somewhere on the continent would suddenly appear.

“Is that… a problem?”

“The bugs could spread. Do you have any idea where the Land of the Elves was located before the Severance?”

Balun, with a serious expression, mentioned the possibility of the bugs spreading as he noticed Eve’s embarrassment. Soon, a map held by the Kingdom’s forces through Rihar was delivered to them.

It was a roughly drawn map depicting the continent with markings.

“Um…”

Eve held her head in her hands while looking at the map. Although her appearance belied her age, she was older than anyone else here, but the Severance happened hundreds of years ago, even before she was born.

She could only answer by rummaging through records or memories she had heard.

“A-A roundabout depiction might be found in an old text I read as a child… but I’m not sure.”

As she sifted through her memories, she pointed her finger at a spot on the map. The people around her stirred upon seeing where she indicated.

“That’s too far!”

The place she pointed to was nowhere near the northeast where they had settled.

It was to the southwest of the continent, situated in the massive power known as the Empire.

“At that time, the Severance was still in effect, so I just passed over it. I had plenty to worry about anyway. But now, the situation is different. The World Tree has collapsed, causing the Severance to break, and the Land of the Elves is about to reveal itself to the world after hundreds of years. I cannot predict what kind of ramifications this will bring.”

“How long would it take to grow the World Tree and establish the Severance again?”

Recalling past conversations, Koon asked Luna. The flustered Luna rapidly racked her brain with a quiver in her eyes.

“At least it would take over 200 years to grow it to a sapling level…”

“It’s practically impossible.”

Upon hearing the response, Balun sighed. Though they had narrowly evacuated the Seed of the World Tree, it would take an incredibly long time for it to grow back.

“Is there a problem? The Black Monsters are targeting the Holy Site. They’re only thinking about conquering this fortress to get to the Holy Site, not caring about anything else.”

“That’s something nobody knows. Just recently, the Parasite Monster controlled Luke to attempt a joint attack.”

Balun thought carefully. The bugs, as they had fled to the Land of the Elves after being driven from their original place, inadvertently moved to the opposite side of the continent when the Severance was broken.

There was no telling what kind of deeds they might commit, as they would stop at nothing to expand their territory.

“We need to hurry. We must uproot them before they can cause any more mischief.”

Feeling an instinctive sense of unease, Balun hastened the attack.