Whoosh...!
As soon as Seong Jihan landed on the planet, the ground instantly burst into flames.
[Evolution process initiated]
System messages appeared around him, and water droplets began forming in the air, but,
'That's not enough.'
Seong Jihan decided that if he was going to do this, he might as well become a proper arsonist.
Red Authority
Total Annihilation
Hiss...
Red eyes began appearing one by one over Seong Jihan's flame-engulfed body.
Just as red light flashed from them,
Total Annihilation started pouring out in all directions.
Then,
Boom...!
The summoned water for firefighting and the planet's entire defense system were instantly annihilated.
[You certainly use power more efficiently than I do.]
"Your method is too wasteful."
Step. Step.
Seong Jihan replied to the Red Administrator like that as he approached the distant World Tree.
A World Tree similar in size to the one on Namsan.
The life force contained within it seemed about the same too.
'Is Namsan S-rank too? That works out well.' VịSit no(v)3lb/!n(.)c𝒐m for new 𝒏ov𝒆l𝒔
This would make good practice before destroying Namsan's World Tree.
As Seong Jihan took steps, flames blazed in all directions.
The lush forest was instantly turning into a fiery hell.
However,
'The World Tree's own power is not to be underestimated.'
Even as the defense system collapsed due to Total Annihilation,
The World Tree was withstanding the red's power with just its inherent life force.
It must be this level to receive such a high rank.
'Let's focus the firepower.'
The red eyes that had appeared all over his body began disappearing one by one,
As that power started concentrating in one place.
Then,
Dozens of layers of barriers activated in front of the World Tree.
[Energy reaction, 'Highest Constellation' or above]
[Alert level raised to 'Special']
[Council of Elders emergency summon]
[Alliance Defense Corps emergency summon]
Numerous system messages appeared above.
At the same time, green portals began appearing one by one near the World Tree.
The Council of Elders and Defense Corps were already being summoned?
'As expected of an S-rank World Tree, the defense posture is clearly different.'
It hadn't even been a minute since landing,
But the other side's response was incredibly quick.
Still, it seemed the Defense Corps and Council of Elders couldn't arrive immediately.
The portals were open, but reinforcements hadn't arrived yet.
"They're late."
Seong Jihan leisurely crossed his arms as he watched.
In front of him,
A massive red eye had formed and was about to shoot out red light.
Total Annihilation with power concentrated in one place.
And intense energy was swirling within it.
[Aren't you going to fire? This much should destroy the World Tree in one go.]
"We have to wait for the reinforcements."
Since it has come to this, he should assess the strength of the Council of Elders and Alliance Defense Corps too.
About 5 minutes passed as Seong Jihan waited like that.
Zing...!
Elves appeared all at once from the open portals.
"An energy reaction called 'Red'..."
"Could it be the Red Administrator?"
"Don't jump to conclusions yet. It could be his remnants."
"Look at that. How could that be remnants?"
One Ancient Elf and dozens of fully armed High Elves appeared from one portal.
With about a hundred portals summoned in front of the World Tree, thousands of elves were summoned all at once.
The World Tree that had been clearly visible until just now was now obscured by them.
'If needed, they could even block with their bodies.'
Thinking that, Seong Jihan spoke in the voice he had modulated to match the Red Administrator's.
"Are you all prepared?"
Then,
Zing...!
Green barriers instantly activated.
This was several levels above the system that had been defending the planet earlier.
Additionally,
"Yggdrasil, bestow your protection upon us."
As the 100 High Elves shouted in unison,
Flash...!
A rainbow-colored World Tree pattern appeared over the barrier.
The shield became even thicker, and
[Have you awakened, Red Administrator?]
Yggdrasil's voice was heard from there.
* * *
[So it seems the Blue Administrator was ultimately defeated by you.]
"..."
The Green Administrator spoke as if she had anticipated this situation.
Seong Jihan didn't bother to correct her misunderstanding.
[But if you won in that situation, you should have obtained power rivaling a Permanent Administrator...]
Zing...
Rainbow light flashed from the barrier,
Brushing past Seong Jihan's body.
[Your power doesn't seem to be at that level. Did you fail to complete Hell, in fact?]
The Green Administrator revealed her will through the barrier and instantly assessed the opponent's strength.
She was certainly not an easy opponent.
'If I say the wrong thing here, my identity could be exposed.'
[I'll recommend a response befitting me.]
'Alright. What should I say?'
[I recommend saying... "Huhu..."]
'...Are you serious?'
[Yes. You should match the tone of voice exactly too.]
So he should laugh like a villain, huh.
Seong Jihan inwardly sighed and followed the Red Administrator's coaching.
"Huhu..."
[That laughter that doesn't reveal your true intentions, it's still the same. Red Administrator.]
Perhaps because they had clashed for so long,
Yggdrasil interpreted everything just from that laugh.
She was convinced the other party was indeed the Red Administrator just from hearing "Huhu".
'This is fine so far.'
As Seong Jihan thought that,
[You should attack now. Since Yggdrasil has revealed herself, all of the World Tree Alliance's main forces could gather.]
'Right. It's dangerous to keep talking too.'
[But... can you break through?]
The Red Administrator said that, looking at the barrier with the World Tree pattern.
The opponent's defense was so thick,
It seemed difficult to break with just Total Annihilation.
However,
'Why, it's plenty.'
Seong Jihan casually extended his hand and
'Think about your line when I break this.'
He fired Total Annihilation.
Flash...!
Red light engulfed the front,
And the barrier with the World Tree pattern began burning from the surface.
However,
Zing...
The shield brilliantly shining with rainbow light,
Was easily blocking Total Annihilation.
[We've already collected and analyzed data related to 'Total Annihilation'. Red Administrator. This barrier was made to counter your authority. You won't even scratch it with that level of attack.]
Having blocked Total Annihilation and clearly determined that the Red Administrator wasn't at the 'Permanent Administrator' level, Yggdrasil,
[Today, we might be able to capture you instead.]
Went further and tried to capture him.
Flash. Flash.
Portals rapidly formed around Seong Jihan.
This time, not for defense.
The World Tree Alliance's main forces were being summoned to attack.
[This won't do. Blue Administrator, let's retreat. My power alone isn't enough.]
Seeing this situation, the Red Administrator spoke urgently, but,
'You really are terrible at combat.'
Seong Jihan leisurely twisted the hand extended with Total Annihilation.
Then,
Whoosh...!
The barrier crumbled as flames spread instantly.
'This is plenty with just your power.'
The red light began seeping inside the shield in an instant.
[No. How...]
'You need to control it, not just pour out power mindlessly.'
[Is that... something that can be done just like that?]
As the Red Administrator failed to understand the current situation, seeing Seong Jihan handle Total Annihilation much better than himself,
[...This is impossible. You shouldn't be able to use power this precisely?]
Yggdrasil's voice came from the crumbling barrier, cracking.
'Next line.'
['Is this all you've got?']
Following the Red Administrator's coaching, Seong Jihan recited the line.
Light flashed from the collapsed barrier.
[...To be this arrogant. Just wait.]
With those final words, the World Tree pattern completely disappeared.
The barrier shattered completely.
"Ah... the protection..."
"We can't face this head-on... scatter!"
"Everyone go near the World Tree, just don't let the flames spread! As long as it doesn't burn completely!"
The elf forces behind tried to flee towards the World Tree.
And,
Whoosh...!
As the World Tree touched by Total Annihilation burst into flames,
"Throw your bodies!"
"...Yes!"
Following the Ancient Elf's order, the High Elves all threw themselves to extinguish the fire.
'...The World Tree is their top priority. Even above the Alliance's elite forces.'
These guys were really persistent.
He should clean them up this time.
As Seong Jihan fired Total Annihilation and approached to stab Blue and Red into the S-rank World Tree,
Flash! Flash!
Countless portals opened around the World Tree,
And elf forces began pouring out.
'...Is this what Yggdrasil meant by wait?'
Ten times more elves than those who were trying to protect the S-rank World Tree.
[The World Tree Alliance... truly the scum of the universe.]
The Red Administrator assessed, seeing the opponent pushing with human wave tactics.
Though it was only at the level of tens of thousands for now,
[We will certainly capture you today.]
Flash! Flash!
As countless portals opened all around again,
Even more elf forces were about to pour in.
'This won't do.'
If left alone, this really would be endless.
[Let's retreat now. This much is a successful debut. It should be enough to entice the White Administrator as bait.]
The Red Administrator said it was time to flee, looking at the green portals completely covering the sky.
Those numbers were certainly burdensome.
If they lingered here longer, Yggdrasil herself might come.
Retreating now was the rational option.
However,
'Still, since they've gathered like this, we should hit them once before leaving.'
Hiss...
Seong Jihan drew out Blue and Red.
Perhaps because he was acting as the Red Administrator,
Blue and Red looked just like a sword of fire from the outside, with no trace of the Blue stat's energy.
After drawing the sword, he sent a mental message to the Red Administrator.
'I'll use up all the Red stat for now.'
[What? What are you trying to do? If you use up all of Red, I can't give advice.]
'Advice? It's fine.'
Honestly, this guy wasn't helpful in combat anyway.
Seong Jihan replied like that and,
Began using Red in earnest.
[500 'Red' stat is consumed.]
Zing...!
Total Annihilation spread out in all directions.
It engulfed not only the World Tree,
But all the summoned elf forces as well.
[Your resistance is fierce. But the Alliance's forces are infinite. Unlike you.]
As the elves were all annihilated,
Flash. Flash...!
Even more portals appeared to match.
Yggdrasil was trying to capture the Red Administrator this time, even if it meant sacrificing more troops.
But,
"Infinite, you say..."
Stab!
The sword held by the "Red Administrator" stabbed into the World Tree.
"The same goes for me."
As the World Tree disappeared entirely and the opponent instantly regained strength,
[No...]
The Green Administrator was at a loss for words.
The Red Administrator.
Once on equal footing with the Green Administrator, but now fallen to an incomparable degree, having lost both his forces and administrator position.
However, the reason Yggdrasil remained cautious towards him was,
Because she had seen 'Hell', an infinite energy source.
If he completed this, he could surpass her and become a Permanent Administrator first.
'But he didn't seem that strong just earlier, so I thought Hell wasn't actually completed...'
So even when the Red Administrator poured out all his power at the end, she thought it was a final struggle.
His attack was undoubtedly powerful, engulfing heaven and earth in flames,
And instantly annihilating the elf forces led by the elders, but,
'That attack wasn't the problem. We just needed to input more.'
The planet turned into a fiery hell.
If forces entered here, they'd all burn to ashes the moment they came in,
But Yggdrasil didn't care about elf sacrifices.
She just needed to summon all of the World Tree Alliance's forces and push them in,
Until the opponent ran out of power.
Then, ultimately, victory would be hers.
That's what she thought until just now.
But.
Whoosh...!
When the Red Administrator stabbed his sword into the World Tree,
He instantly recovered the power he had just poured out.
No, even more than that.
[You... have you completed Hell?]
Instead of answering that question, the opponent moved his sword.
Then, the green portals all burst into flames at once.
The elf forces coming through burned and disappeared as soon as they emerged.
Sizzle!
Ultimately, most of the summoned portals were consumed by fire and vanished.
Except for one.
The massive green portal in the center of the sky.
Zing...
A World Tree pattern rose from the giant green portal.
[...This sword. It's unlike you.]
To use a sword that could annihilate countless summoned portals across the sky.
The Red one shouldn't have had such force.
As Yggdrasil harbored such doubts,
[Blue Administrator. Come to your senses.]
From inside that fiery pit,
The Red Administrator was warning Seong Jihan.
He had said he couldn't give advice if all the Red stat was used,
But after Seong Jihan absorbed the World Tree, he was still able to remain.
That was because,
[Red stat increases by 900.]
The S-rank World Tree showed a far superior increase compared to others.
This surpassed the 700 red that Seong Jihan had inwardly considered the limit.
As his ability grew excessively like that,
Seong Jihan was experiencing the side effects firsthand.
'So this is what it feels like to be drunk on power... This must be the sensation the Red Administrator talked about before.'
He recalled when he entered to seal HeavenNet.
-In here, every time the Red stat rises, you assimilate with HeavenNet. The feeling of unifying with the server is more intense than any pleasure. But... you seem fine.
That came up when he raised Red by 150 in HeavenNet.
Back then, Seong Jihan controlled it well through Blue.
But this time, as his ability jumped by 900 at once,
He felt an intense exhilaration unlike any before.
'Should I just undo the seal?'
Even slightly opening Blue-Red raised it by 900.
How much would it rise if fully opened?
If he kept using World Trees as fuel and continued accumulating this power,
It felt like there'd be no fearsome existence in BattleNet.
As this sensation intoxicated Seong Jihan,
The Red Administrator conveyed his will more clearly than before.
[Don't get drunk on power; quickly, use up Red. Do you intend to deviate from 'Seong Jihan' and unify with me?]
'I don't understand... Wouldn't that be good for you?'
[It's still too soon.]
Still, he said.
For the Red Administrator, this incident could be an opportunity, too.
But the picture he was drawing seemed to be looking further ahead.
'...Still, for now, our goals align.'
Right.
He couldn't merge with that Red guy, entranced by Hell's power.
Seong Jihan came to his senses and surveyed the sky.
Hiss...
Amidst all the vanished portals, Yggdrasil's pattern floated alone majestically.
Except for the color, it looked similar to the World Tree pattern that appeared on Earth's moon.
'Did Yggdrasil try to descend directly, then hesitate?'
It seemed she became wary after seeing him recover power with Blue and Red.
Seong Jihan decided to use the remaining Red towards that and come out.
However,
'I won't be able to inflict damage by pouring out Red like before.'
Even when he consumed 500 Red stat and set the whole world ablaze,
And after absorbing the World Tree, when he swung his sword intoxicated,
Yggdrasil's portal that hadn't taken any damage at all.
To damage that, a more precise attack was needed.
Whoosh...
The Phoenix Flag rose above Seong Jihan's head.
Infinite Annihilation God
Heavenly Dragon Thunder Fire,
Crimson Thunder cannon
The flames spread across the planet and began gathering inside the spear.
The Phoenix Flag didn't just release power recklessly but gathered it into one.
Though the spear contained the flames of heaven and earth,
Crackle...
It just flashed red electricity a few times, without growing any larger.
Compared to the flames that had spread across the sky and earth,
It looked truly insignificant.
However,
[To gather that immense power into a single point... Have you absorbed Blue's martial arts, too?]
Yggdrasil knew this was more threatening.
And also that the original Red Administrator could never do this.
The doubt she had when seeing the sword earlier,
Now, it had become a certainty.
And,
Whoosh!
As the Phoenix Flag containing crimson thunder stabbed into the portal with Yggdrasil's pattern,
Crackle...!
The green portal was instantly filled with red lightning.
Then, the portal that hadn't budged to any attack,
Began collapsing all at once.
[...This is troublesome.]
The brilliant rainbow colors faded, and Yggdrasil's pattern crumbled into pieces.
From within, her voice echoed, cracking.
[You shouldn't be good at combat, too.]
With those final words,
Crackle...!
The portal vanished, engulfed in crimson thunder.
As Seong Jihan reached his hand towards it,
The Phoenix Flag returned to him.
[300 Red stat is consumed.]
So this was how much ability was consumed using Crimson Thunder Cannon.
'I thought more would be used, but rather the consumption decreased as the Red value rose sharply.'
When the red value jumped up, he should had been more careful when pouring out power.
Seong Jihan felt his senses come back under control as he looked at the Red stat set to 600.
[So this is how to use power...]
The Red Administrator muttered, seemingly impressed by how the Phoenix Flag collapsed Yggdrasil's portal.
'This guy, is he sticking around just to see how martial arts are used?'
Didn't he reject the golden opportunity to take over the body earlier?
Thinking that, Seong Jihan asked him a question.
"By the way, how did you become a BattleNet administrator when you're not even good at combat?"
[Hah. The standard of me not being good at combat only applies to administrators. Lower constellations are easy.]
"But you were beaten by Dongbang Sak."
[...That's because that guy possessed administrator-level martial prowess.]
Well, that's true.
Dongbang Sak should be considered an exception.
Thinking that, Seong Jihan looked around.
The planet that had been lush with greenery,
Was now wholly transformed into black ashes.
This resulted even with Seong Jihan gathering the flames with the Phoenix Flag.
If left alone, wouldn't fire have eventually covered the entire planet?
'Well, I've become an arsonist on a planetary scale.'
Seong Jihan smiled bitterly as he prepared to return.
He came to dangle bait for the White Administrator but encountered Yggdrasil too.
It was quite a mess.
[It would be best to only absorb up to A-rank for a while.]
"Right. I should be careful until I can control Blue and Red more precisely."
[Then I'll be going back...]
As the Red Administrator said that and sank into Hell,
Seong Jihan soon returned as well.
* * *
The next day.
On the official member board of the BattleNet community,
A notice was posted.
[At the request of the World Tree Alliance, we are taking down the 'World Tree Alliance Territory Update' post.]
Since the creation of the official member community,
This World Tree Alliance territory notice had always been pinned at the top.
As this useful post that prevented other players from recklessly entering dangerous areas was taken down,
Players became curious.
-??
-Why are they suddenly taking it down?
-Wasn't the Alliance just tolerating it?
-Yeah, I heard they left it up to keep random people from causing trouble by entering.
-So now that it's down, we can cause trouble?
-Try it if you want to die lol
As discussions about the Alliance directly requesting the notice removal were ongoing,
-I heard this is related to a terrorist attack?
-Someone posted images of a burned Alliance planet, one of the 'Roots of the World Tree' planets that was attacked.
-Huh? But you can't observe that area, it's blocked.
-The jamming system collapsed, so you can see it now.
-Whoa, it's true, you can see it now. OMG.
News spread on the board that one of the World Tree Alliance's planets had fallen.
And it was one of the founding planets that had been with the Alliance from the beginning.
Known as one of the 'Roots of the World Tree', news of its terrorist attack set the previously quiet board on fire.
-I'm a mercenary who was driven out after the Alliance took my planet... This is so satisfying lolol.
-Be careful; you might get identified.
-Nah, it's fine, there are tons of constellations like that lol
-Which noble soul is fighting against the Alliance's tyranny? I wish I could support them if BattleTube was on...
-Rumors say the Red Administrator has been resurrected? The completely burned traces match the authority of fire.
-What? Really?
-That guy really keeps coming back to life lol
With the traces of the burned planet,
The Red Administrator was most frequently named as the suspect for this attack.
While the board's opinion was that it was good the World Tree Alliance was getting hit
The prevailing view was that it would ultimately be suppressed.
After all, the World Tree Alliance held the largest share of power in the current BattleNet,
While the Red Administrator was just an individual without forces, who had recently escaped being sealed on Earth.
-But I don't understand... What's the point of fighting the World Tree Alliance? There are plenty of easier targets.
-For real, it doesn't seem like Red; Red isn't that stupid.
-If it's the Red Administrator, maybe he came up with a way to fight the Alliance.
-Anyway, it's nice to have a huge topic drop on the quiet board lol
As the previously quiet official member board was buzzing with activity,
At the core of the World Tree Alliance,
An emergency meeting of the highest level was being held in the Council of Elders.
At the head seat of the meeting room,
An elf with completely green hair,
Yggdrasil sat with her legs crossed.
Crackle...
She gazed with interest at her left hand, where red electricity was rising.
"It's still remaining."
The final blow dealt by the Red Administrator.
Not only did it shatter the portal, but it even affected part of Yggdrasil's body as she was trying to manifest.
Even after a day, the crimson thunder still flashed on her body.
Of course, if Yggdrasil really tried to extinguish it, she could,
'But then I couldn't analyze it.'
The traces left by the opponent.
She needed to figure it out for certain.
"After analyzing the video data of the Blue Administrator, Seong Jihan."
"The spear form shown by the Red Administrator at the end matches the Blue spear, Phoenix Flag."
"The sword strike that cut the portal is also related to the basic techniques used by the Blue Administrator or the former Martial God."
"I see..."
The Red Administrator.
Did he devour Seong Jihan and obtain his martial arts too?
'If Hell is activated on top of that, he's invincible.'
Possessing an infinite energy source,
And being able to use it effectively as the Red Administrator.
There was no answer even if they tried to overwhelm him with their forces.
Instead, he would keep growing stronger while using World Trees as nourishment.
But,
'Why isn't he doing that?'
If all those conditions were activated,
He should have done it as soon as he was freed.
Why did he only blow up one S-rank this time and disappear?
As Yggdrasil was pondering the opponent's actions,
Crackle...
The red electricity began eating away at her hand again.
The crimson thunder that wouldn't easily disappear.
Seeing that, Yggdrasil thought.
'This is also a trace of the red... I should test what we've prepared.'
She opened her mouth.
"How much is Earth's Blue Sword prepared?"
"Still... 25 percent is the maximum, I've heard."
"Is that so? We have a long way to go."
She replied like that and raised her left hand.
"Let's experiment to extinguish this crimson thunder with the Blue Sword."
"Then..."
Snap.
As she detached her hand at the wrist,
She smiled.
"Send this to Earth."
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