World Tree Odokato Se Kokoririon

* * *

<<<Hahaha, hahah!! Hahahahahaha!!>>>

Let's rewind time a little.

The place where the Forest Spirit King Kokoririon moved to after teleporting from before Emi's eyes was... his own chamber, inside the hollow of the giant tree.

Although Kokoririon has a human-like form, he is a spirit, so in that room, there are no pieces of furniture necessary for humans, such as beds or chests of drawers... what first catches the eye is the giant crystal placed against the wall.

Inside it, Kokoririon's beloved child, Mishtille, who has fallen ill and has not yet awakened, is sealed for treatment.

This crystal is not just an ordinary ore, but a divine artifact that Kokoririon was once granted by the Spirit God Pirisuyu.

<<<Ha, hahah!! Haa, haa...!!>>>

However, Kokoririon, without even looking at the crystal that sealed his beloved child, moved to the center of the room while breathing heavily.

There... was a single young tree that had grown to about the height of an adult's waist.

No... since it extends from the floor of the hollow, it should be called a branch... in any case, Kokoririon grasped it tightly with his left hand.

Then, in response to that action... a shining, amber-colored sap seeped out from all over the room, and in the blink of an eye, covered the floor.

And on it, a map of the Spirit Forest, and fine letters and numbers... the total amount at the observation points of the Great Flow of Magical Power of the Earth, the amount of that magical power flowing into the forest, the transpiration speed of magical power displayed for each area of the Spirit Forest, the wind direction and wind speed, and so on, were displayed.

In other words, this young tree and the surface of the sap... are, so to speak, a keyboard and a display... that is, a console.

In fact, this large tree that Kokoririon uses as his dwelling is itself a divine artifact that Kokoririon was granted by Pirisuyu to manage the Great Flow of Magical Power of the Earth.

<<<Nuun...!>>>

Kokoririon groaned once, while grasping the trunk of the young tree.

Then, a change occurred in the numerical values displayed on the sap display.

First, the amount of magical power flowing into the Spirit Forest was set to the maximum value.

And the transpiration speed in each area was set to the minimum value.

In other words, the current state is that it is sucking up as much magical power as possible from the earth and accumulating it.

The place where the magical power is being stored... is this giant tree, a divine artifact.

This divine artifact, granted by a god, is, as expected, a celestial item, and even though it has already stored several tens of times more magical power than Kokoririon himself, it still has plenty of capacity left.

"An inappropriate operation may have been executed. Please check the status immediately."

And here.

Along with a high-pitched sound, such a message was displayed on the display.

This giant tree is a tool for sucking up an appropriate amount of magical power from the Great Flow of Magical Power of the Earth and releasing it into the air.

To excessively absorb and store magical power... that is clearly an operation outside its intended purpose, so it needs to be corrected.

"An inappropriate operation may have been executed. Please check the status immediately."

"An inappropriate operation may have been executed. Please check the status immediately."

"An inappropriate operation may have been executed. Please check the status immediately."

Picon, picon, picon!

The message continued to appear persistently, filling up the sap display, but Kokoririon completely ignored it.

The giant tree seems to be continuing to grow larger in accordance with the amount of magical power stored, and vibrations are being transmitted even inside the hollow, but that too is ignored.

He extends a vine from his right fingertip... and continues to tap only 'No' out of the 'Yes' and 'No' displayed under the message with the vine.

And he smiled smugly at the numerical value of the continuously stored magical power... and with a cracking sound, he began to extend plant roots from the cross-section of his chest, and entangle them with the young tree that operates the giant tree!

"Detected unauthorized interference with the system. Please check the status immediately."

Viiiiin, viiiiin, viiiiin!!

Then, along with a dangerous warning sound, the color of the sap display changed to bright red!

And on top of that, a message like the one above is displayed!

<<<Shut up!! I am a Spirit King!!>>>

Kokoririon shouted once, and when he tapped 'No' under the message with the vine... he made a part of his consciousness rapidly invade the system of the divine artifact, through his roots that had entangled and fused with the young tree!

And he forcibly stopped the warning sound, and also stopped the activation of the intruder interception system.

Furthermore... he began to gradually lignify his remaining body... the part from his chest to his head.

What is Kokoririon's purpose?

What kind of act is this 'forbidden technique' that he is now performing?

It is... to become one with the giant tree, a divine artifact!

To take in the power of the vast Great Flow of Magical Power of the Earth into one's body, wield it, and crush the evil lower creature!

That is Kokoririon's purpose... and his head was now full of that thought.

"Detected unauthorized interference with the system. Please check the status immediately."

"Detected unauthorized interference with the system. Please check the status immediately."

"Detected unauthorized interference with the system. Please check the status immediately."

Although the warning sound had disappeared, the annoying message was still continuing to appear.

Of course.

"Never, ever use the divine artifact for a purpose other than its intended one."

Kokoririon is now, precisely... breaking the taboo that was solemnly conveyed to him by the Spirit God Pirisuyu at the very moment he was appointed Forest Spirit King.

However, Kokoririon, his eyes blinded by anger and his thoughts narrowed, did not stop!

He moved only the vine from his completely lignified and solidified right fingertip, and continued to repeatedly press 'No'!

"Detected unauthorized interference with the system. Please check the status immediately."

"No."

"Detected unauthorized interference with the system. Please check the status immediately."

"No."

"Detected unauthorized interference with the system. Please check the status immediately."

"No."

How many times had he repeated that exchange?

At the end of the countless rejections, Kokoririon.

"There is still time. Stop, Kokoririon."

He reached such a message, which was different from the ones before.

Surprised by the suddenness of it, he gasped.

However.

With a *pashin* sound.

What Kokoririon's vine tapped was.

"No."

And, in the next moment... Kokoririon's consciousness was swallowed by darkness.

◇　◇　◇

Next, when Kokoririon's consciousness awakened.

He had lost his sight, smell, hearing... and various other senses that he had used since his human-like form.

However, he is a spirit.

The darkness he was now in was a world he was originally familiar with.

He immediately grasped the surrounding situation by manipulating magical power, and he...

<<<Hahaha... Haaahhahaha!!>>>

Laughed out loud!

Because Kokoririon's scheme had succeeded, and he had now achieved a complete unification with the giant tree, a divine artifact!

<<<Wonderful... a wonderful power...!!>>>

The power that filled his new body was too vast!

With this much power, he could surely do anything!

A tremendous sense of omnipotence!

He manipulates the magical power in his body and arranges various things.

Since it's inconvenient without the sight he had become familiar with for a while, he creates a new face using a lump.

This manipulation of his body's shape can also be done as easily as breathing.

What a power!

<<<What, I see, so that's what it was... the reason why Pirisuyu-sama... no, Pirisuyu forbade this, was for this reason!>>>

At this point.

Kokoririon had completely abandoned the reverence and faith he had held for the Spirit God Pirisuyu until then.

Because Kokoririon wanted to become a god.

And yet, Pirisuyu did not recognize that.

However, if he broke the taboo that Pirisuyu had forbidden, he easily obtained a tremendous power!

Pirisuyu, despite knowing that there was a way to obtain power so quickly, had forbidden it to Kokoririon!

In other words!

Pirisuyu did not want to make Kokoririon a god!

Why, you ask?

Kokoririon, who had obtained that much power, surpassed Pirisuyu in every sense!

Because he could become an existence that would... take her place!

He could become, or rather, he had now, in fact, become!

In other words, Pirisuyu was jealous of Kokoririon's talent, and was just a small fry who was forcibly holding him down from above!

That's why Kokoririon—

Even when he noticed that the connection... a path-like thing, with the Spirit God Pirisuyu had disappeared from his soul, he... thought nothing of it.

<<<I am no longer a Spirit King subservient to a Spirit God!! This! This vast! Power! Hahaha!! My power... no longer recognizes that!!>>>

No, far from thinking nothing of it, he was overjoyed and said so.

Because it was preferable to have no connection with the source of his troubles, who had a parent-like face but in reality was holding him down.

He is no longer under the control of a Spirit God.

In the first place, Kokoririon, who has become one with a divine artifact, is no longer even a spirit.

He has been reborn as a higher being, one step, no, two or three steps above!

<<<I am no longer a spirit, but it is no exaggeration to say that I am a god!!>>>

Yes, a god!

Kokoririon has finally become a god!

With his own ingenuity, he has outwitted his annoying predecessors and has risen to become one of the true rulers of this world!

<<<Once more, using the ancient and venerable words of the age of gods, I shall introduce myself!! I am, I am...!!>>>

For now, what he should think about is a name worthy of his current self.

Since he has become a god, even if it's a little old-fashioned, he will name himself using the words of the age of gods.

Kokoririon thought that was the right thing to do.

<<<I am the new god of trees, who supports the world and distributes its power!!>>

First, as a premise, he is a god of trees.

Since he has the body of a tree as his physical form, that would be natural.

Next, as for his name.

He will take in a concept that is not currently used in this world.

So, Kokoririon thought.

He has the education he continued to learn as a Spirit King.

A concept he found by searching that knowledge, a concept that makes him a unique existence.

That is, "World Tree".

In this world, there is nothing called a World Tree.

On the surface, that is how it is.

However, once, in the age of myths when the boundaries of the world were more vague than they are now, a seed of a World Tree that had flown from another world tried to sprout in this land.

It was an invasive alien species from another world, and because there was a great danger of it throwing this world's ecosystem into disarray, it was sealed on some island as a calamity.

In any case, because of that incident, there is no World Tree in this world, but the word World Tree remains.

Then that word... that concept!

I shall take it!

<<My name is... the World Tree Odokato Se Kokoririon!!>>>

...When he introduced himself so.

Kokoririon once again became aware that he was no longer a Spirit King... but had been reborn as a powerful and revered super-higher being.

Mishtille will surely be happy too.

Because she can become the consort of a god.

Thinking so, the cheeks he had made into a lump naturally relaxed.

Oh, Mishtille, Mishtille... my beloved child!

I, who have now escaped from the yoke of the Spirit God, will love you as I please!

From now on, we will always be together!

You can doze happily inside me forever!

I will allow you that!

Because you are this god's beloved child!

<<<...Now then>>>

After a pleasant self-intoxication, and a confirmation of his love, Kokoririon glared at what was before him.

There was a lower creature, clad in a dark black haze and armor.

Contrary to its ominous coloring, its appearance is actually beautiful, but its soul is too ugly, and emits an unbearable stench.

Such a repulsive evil that must be destroyed.

<<<As you can see, I have become a god. Since I have become a god, I must purify and exorcise the evil that pollutes the world.>>>

Kokoririon solemnly declared that, and extended his branches with a cracking sound.

And he twisted those branches and created a super-giant spear.

<<<Begone, quickly... from my world!!>>>

Kokoririon then launched the spear with all his might, aiming it at the comically small lower creature with its fists raised in a combat stance!