Chapter 1001 End of Arc 12- SIDE
While the situation on the Tree of Life has been chaotic, Janus glances at his window after he gets home that day. After he triggered a way to make the Tree of Life appear for a small period of time, he didn't expect that the effects of his actions would also be causing effects in the real world like how the Alternate World has been under fuzz.
"Is this what Manato is warning me about back then?" Janus looks at the shimmering golden tree that is currently being investigated by many people and is one of the headlines on TV stations and is being livestreamed by people all around the world on how they can see the tree even if they are so far from it. Even for him, this is something that he didn't expect to see. It is a big scale that he wasn't even expecting to see at all.
He lies down on his bed as he reminisces the time when everyone was still there and they are playing the game to pass the time and also earn some money. Never would he thought that his decisions would affect both the friendships he treasured the most and the little sister he cares about the most would worsen instead of getting better.
He is still trying his best to repair his relationship with his younger sister after the incident. Of course, to no avail. She doesn't even want to talk to him and if they ever meet, she would act like she doesn't know him. It was painful for him that she started to shun him like that. Even though he decided to sacrifice everything just to save her.
"Perhaps betraying my friends and selling my soul to a corporation like the Nexus Company was never the real way and now...I am suffering the consequences of my actions."
As much as Janus wants to cry and start over again, he doesn't have much conviction to do so. Despite that, he felt like he needed to do this to ensure that he would be forgiven in the future. One thing is for certain. It will be a long time before he will be forgiven.
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Back in the Frozen Region...
While Queen Tori is celebrating with her soldiers the successful hunt, the Tree of Life that was present in the legends has appeared and is currently on the horizon. It was so big, that it towers even the tallest mountains in the frozen region. It was one of the things that she wasn't expecting to happen before but seeing it first hand just made her frown over on this, knowing that her sister will be currently in a war to reach this.
"Your Majesty, according to the officials from the Sandurk Arid Region where your sister's previously ruled, they require your assistance to reach the Tree of Life and contribute to the greatness of the..." the messenger who holds the message from the elders of the kingdom that once ruled by her sister, now ruled by the one who rebelled against her sister had his words cut off by Queen Tori herself.
"Shush. Tell those old fogeys that I don't give a damn about that damnable tree. If they want to access that tree and get the blessings it gives, then they should go and do it instead of asking me to bother. I am not generous enough to help someone who caused my sister to suffer a few setbacks due to their selfish desire to get the throne from my sister.
"But..." The messenger was about to give a reason but she stopped him again.
"No means no, alright? They should be grateful that I am in a good mood right now and that I am not invading their kingdom and breaking their rule. Don't force me to do something I don't want to do so if you think they are such a big deal, tell them to go and deal it themselves. Like I give a f*ck."
The messenger is flustered enough to speak that he immediately leaves without saying anything, as he carries the message that Queen Tori relayed.
"Your Majesty...are you sure about this? I heard about the legends of the Tree of Life and its wish-granting ability. Isn't this a good chance for us to take a chance to see if we can use this to improve our kingdom?" one of the soldiers asked.
"Heh, as much as that tree has a big relevance of power, I don't think I am going to use that. I don't even think we would be significant enough to go there. A big war will be happening there and staying here with these monsters would be a much more ideal environment than going to the tree itself. I am not forbidding anyone to go to that tree and try their luck but I am not responsible for what would happen and how disappointing it would be to not be chosen by that tree. We should just enjoy what we have rather than chase something that we wouldn't receive or even get our hands on," Queen Tori smiled as she emptied her mug of beer.
"I think you are right your Majesty. Need to refill?"
Queen Tori smiled. "Sure."
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Kazuki is totally livid after his father becomes obsessed with the new tree. He didn't even get the time to log back into the Alternate World as he had to deal with the businesses that were left by his father after he had gone to join a cult that is seemingly praying to the Tree of Life.
He has no choice but to assume the role of his father take the businesses seriously and ask for help from some of the people that his father worked with. Due to the problems that arose after his father left, he was left to fend off himself and he had to make up for it before the clients of their businesses lost their trust which would then result in their lost partnerships and their business going under.
Despite being a wasteful guy and thinking of money as nothing, he does know the value of money and having a business otherwise, he wouldn't be in this role now if he was ever good for nothing and doesn't know how to run a business.
"Just where the heck is my father at this current time when the company is so busy?!" Kazuki groaned as he signed one paper after another.
"I am sorry, Young Master, but your father won't be back anytime soon due to his obsession with that new gold tree that appeared lately," the butler said as he looked at the annoyed expression of the grumpy Kazuki, buried in his work.
"Gah, f*ck this! F*ck that tree! I don't care if it was some sort of magical thing or something. I don't care. Ha! This is giving me so much headache. Do your best to persuade him to return here. I don't mind taking over the business but f*ck this amount of stuff that he left me unattended. At the very least, he should have at least fixed things here before leaving it like this, damn."
The butler secretly smiled as he saw how hard at work the young master was. For him, seeing the effort this kid has made to salvage the company and stop it from going under was nothing short of a miracle. If not for his quick thinking, things might have been much worse than he could have expected.
"Guess he does have a knack of it."
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TANG! TANG! TANG!
The sound of the hammer continues to ring all over the place as the ancient blacksmith continues his work. It is now shaping well although it still didn't seem to be the final product he was hoping for.
As he put back the weapon into the forge, he noticed that the surroundings had turned grey. The plants nearby have also started to wilt and some have even turned to ashes. The wind that was blowing on that realm has disappeared and the feeling of life in that place has disappeared. The only thing left is the one where the Ygdrassil was currently standing and the place where he was currently forging the weapon.
He might have no idea what is happening, but he does have an inkling of what it is. He can only shake his head as he pops a cigarette into his mouth and ignites the tip with his magic.
"Things are getting heated up, huh? Didn't expect this event would come sooner than I expected. But I guess there are some circumstances that happen beyond anyone's predictions huh?"
He puff a mouthful of smoke and grab the weapon again from the forge before resuming his work and shaping the weapon into something he was planning in the beginning. It wasn't even finished just yet but he is willing to continue due to his role in this task.
"I see... Looks like his presence is here. I guess it is time to draw the final curtain."
He glances at his sides where on both sides of his hips are two holsters currently holding pistols with an intricate pattern that looks like it would come from the time when the pistols would come to life.
However, he didn't greet the new presence that arrived. Instead, he continues to hammer the weapon. After all, his task is not to welcome the new presence but to give him a trial.
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