Parallel Vol. 4 [LEGACY EDITION]

Chapter 16.3: World Tree

Kashi looked at Kira. He did not know what had caused the great change in her attitude, but he was thankful for it. In this world, there was certainly no one who knew and understood him as well as she did. Likewise, there was no one in this world he could trust as much as Kira. Although there was certainly a bonus from living so long in each other's heads, Kashi was certain that even without their connection, he would still be confident in putting his life in Kira's paws. Kashi smiled and said as he patted Kira's head. "Just don't resist and everything will be fine."

"Don't resist? What will I be resisTIII—" Terror engulfed Kira's mind as an overbearing force seized control of all the mana in her body. Kira instantly understood why the Hydra eggs reacted the way they did. No living being would take kindly to having some unknown force take control of their body, let alone one that sucked out something as vital as mana. Despite Kashi's explanation, it still took everything she had to not struggle against this tyrannical force.

Kashi keenly felt Kira's panic. His brows locked together in worry. Had he made the wrong decision? Were things really as the information in his head suggested? The daeben suddenly began to doubt himself. He did not want to risk Kira's life on a gamble. He had initially been completely sure, but Kira's panic and fear opened his eyes to the possibility of being wrong. What if he was wrong and something happened to Kira? Kashi could not imagine a world without Kira.

Kira had been with Kashi for so long, he had begun to take her presence for granted. Even when they were leagues apart, a part of Kira was always in his head. This ensured that no matter what, Kashi never truly felt alone. One of the major reasons he was so confident when Froy captured him was precisely because of this connection to Kira. It was funny really. Because he had to leave the game from time to time, Kira did have moments where Kashi was not in her head. The opposite, however, was not true. Ever since Fladnag established the connection between them, Kira had always been in Kashi's head, an ever-present presence that assured him he was not alone in this world.

"Hey, Kira—"

As if sensing the daeben's hesitation, a bright light suddenly descended from the 'sun', enclosing Kira within. Kashi's eyes were forced shut as a massive gale burst out from Kira's position. The initial blast flung Kashi several meters back. He managed to land on his feet, but it took all he had to remain upright as the wind picked up.

Kashi activated [Dragon's Eyes]. Thin layers of mana-films protected his eyes which had transformed to dragon slits. Under the protection of the mana-films, Kashi opened his eyes and searched for Kira.

Kashi did not exactly find Kira. Instead, to his surprise, he saw the light cocoon containing Kira hovering under Yggdrasil. Horrid tempestuous wind gushed out of the cocoon into the flames above.

The flames roared with renewed life. They burned even brighter and angrier, buoyed by the sudden influx of high-quality wind element injected into them. The raging flames instantly sought vengeance against the tyrannical flood. They directly engulfed and suppressed the flood, swallowing it up at an alarming rate.

Within moments, the combined forces of Kira, the dragon and Yggdrasil effectively suppressed the eggs' auras. The eggs recognized their loss and stopped their futile struggle. They reluctantly allowed themselves to be enveloped by the world's power, which manifested itself in the form of a bright light. The eggs were then transported beneath Yggdrasil's branches.

Kashi let out a sigh of relief as he saw the situation stabilize. However, things did not remain calm for long.

With the four elemental lifeforms docile and compliant, the dimension could finally begin forming for real. The dimension once again sucked out the auras from all the lifeforms. This time, there was no resistance from any of them. The released auras converged in the clouds above, where they mixed into a complex amalgamation of mana that took the form of a tornado in the sky.