Let's Fell the World Tree

* * *

JYUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!!!

<<<AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!?>>>

In the completely ravaged sanctuary of the spirits, the cutting sound of the 【Black Great Chainsaw】 felling the World Tree and Kokoririon's scream echoed!

Kokoririon is now a tree.

He doesn't feel much pain.

However, gradually, gradually... he could see the cut being made on his trunk deepening, and he could sense it with his magical power.

Because of that, the xylem and phloem ceased to function, and the speed at which he absorbed magical power from the earth visibly dropped.

The magical power supply needed to maintain his giant body was being lost.

His vast reserves of magical power were steadily decreasing.

What would happen when this reached zero?

Ruin!!

<<<STOOOP!!!>>>

Kokoririon, whipping his "poison"-afflicted and unwell body, forcibly created a branch spear and fired it at Emi, aiming to crush her from above!

However...!

"Rah!"

It was a completely powerless blow.

Emi, sensing its presence, glanced at the approaching branch spear, then easily caught it with a new 【Black Tentacle】 extended from her shoulder and broke it with brute force.

Furthermore, Emi carried the fragment of the broken branch to her mouth with the 【Black Tentacle】, and with her superhuman jaw strength, she crunched it—bakibaki—and swallowed it!

"...Smells like a sewer and tastes terrible!!!"

That was Emi's review by the way.

He attacked, and yet!

She commented on the taste!!

<<<YOU BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITCH!!!>>>

Kokoririon flew into a rage and screamed in anger!

However, even if he tried to swing his roots like a whip, they were rotted to shreds, and he couldn't move his branches properly.

He had also used up almost all the nuts earlier!

There was nothing he could do!!

<<<Hey, hey, hey!! Stop, you inferior creature!! Cease your felling activities immediately!!>>>

While this was happening, a third of Kokoririon's trunk had already been cut.

Kokoririon desperately rattled off at Emi!

<<<I am a god!! The World Tree!! I will spin myths and support the earth!! A revered existence!!>>>

However, Emi didn't react.

While operating the 【Black Great Chainsaw】 at super-high speed, she was solely focused on felling Kokoririon.

The magical power for that... was actually being supplied by sucking it from Kokoririon through the 【Black Tentacle】 she had stabbed into him.

Therefore, this 【Black Great Chainsaw】... would not stop due to lack of energy until Kokoririon fell!

<<<Please!! Stop, please stop!! This is too much, this is horrible!!>>>

Kokoririon's words finally began to be mixed with whimpers.

However, Emi didn't stop.

Currently, about half of the trunk had been cut.

Producing a large amount of sawdust, the World Tree was gradually losing its stability.

He was somehow reinforcing it with magical power so it wouldn't fall, but... nasty creaking sounds began to come from Kokoririon's trunk.

<<<Please, please!! Help me!! It's my loss, I admit it!! I will become your subordinate, so please help meeeee!!>>>

At the stage where two-thirds of the trunk was finally cut, Kokoririon's whimpers turned into a plea for his life.

Then, what happened?

Emi, who had not reacted at all no matter what was said until then... suddenly stopped the operation of the 【Black Great Chainsaw】.

The countless ominous, rotating blades dissolved into a number of gruesome tentacles and were sucked into Emi's body...

<<<Will you... listen to me!?>>>

At that moment, a wicked idea flashed in Kokoririon's mind.

A surprise attack!

He would pretend to be a subordinate, and when she let her guard down... he would crush her!

An inferior creature, a human, and he, a god, would bow to them?

Impossible!

Utterly ridiculous!

However, without showing any such thoughts, Kokoririon put on an expression of deep emotion!

Emi stared intently at Kokoririon's face...

"Huh? Did you say something?"

And she asked back.

<<<YOU WEREN'T LISTENING!?>>>

Receiving a reply so far outside his expectations, Kokoririon's eyes rolled back in their sockets as he screamed, but this was rather a natural reaction.

Because.

"The chainsaw was too loud..."

Yes, even though it was done using 【Telepathy】.

Kokoririon's desperate plea for his life...

Was drowned out by the sound of his own felling, and hadn't reached Emi!

"Well, anyway... the finishing touch."

Now, here, Emi wiped the sweat from her brow, muttered that, and hopped away, distancing herself from Kokoririon for a moment.

Then, after a few stretches... she turned back to Kokoririon, readied her magical power... and began to prepare her attack.

<<<W-Wait!! Please, listen to me!!>>>

Kokoririon, once again, desperately spoke to Emi.

However, Emi remained expressionless even after hearing it.

Not a single feeling of pity was visible.

"...Spirits don't listen to what humans say."

Instead, she sighed softly.

"But I guess humans don't listen to what trees say, either."

Muttering something cynical like that—

Gunn!

She jumped, with enough force to create a crater at her feet!!

And with both feet... with all her might!

She kicked Kokoririon's trunk!

<<<UGYOBOOOOOOOOOOOH!?>>>

Mishi, mishimishimishi!!

Bakibakibaki, bakibakibaki!!

Zuu... DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!

And, finally.

The newborn World Tree Odokato Se Kokoririon.

Without particularly supporting the world or spinning myths.

Fell to the earth.

<<<Ah... ah...>>>

Actually, at this point, Kokoririon was still conscious.

However, the World Tree's body was abnormally huge, and required a vast amount of magical power to maintain.

With his trunk cut and his magical power supply severed, Kokoririon's body rapidly withered, and with cracking sounds, it began to shatter.

The crystal that he had carefully taken into his body was also thrown out onto the ground with a thud.

<<<I, finally... finally became a god... I had finally caught up to Weelow and Necondnerun...!>>>

Kokoririon, lying on the ground, whimpered again.

He could no longer fully control his magical power.

He couldn't even make his 【Telepathy】 reach the nearby Emi.

So this was a monologue, not meant for anyone to hear.

"Ah, it's falling apart."

On the other hand, Emi's voice reached Kokoririon.

She didn't think that Kokoririon, who was crumbling into pieces, was still conscious.

So this was also a monologue, not meant for anyone to hear.

...That's what Kokoririon thought.

"The taste is terrible. It can't be used as building material. What a useless tree."

(I... I am the World Tree...!?)

Hearing Emi's far too cruel evaluation of the World Tree, and dumbfounded by it.

Kokoririon let go of his consciousness.

◇　◇　◇

With the spirits gone, in the depths of the completely silent Spirit Forest.

In the center of the spirit's sanctuary, which had turned into a wasteland where the jewel-like trees and flowers had died.

"............"

Emi stood silently with her eyes closed in concentration.

Countless 【Black Tentacles】 sprouted from her entire body... and they were stabbed into the surrounding ground.

It was to recover her own magical power that she had scattered earlier... and while she was at it, to absorb some of the magical power originally contained in the land, to heal her body.

"...Fuuu."

A few dozen minutes later, Emi, having finished her replenishment, exhaled and opened her eyes.

<Shall we run now?>

Then Omake-sama, while calm but with a slightly tense tone, spoke to Emi.

<The Spirit Forest is the territory of the Spirit God Pirisuyu. That is a god of a considerably high rank... if we're targeted by her, it would be terrible.>

Hearing that, Emi looked at the utterly ravaged surroundings... sighed, and looked up at the sky.

She noticed that the countless shining stars had dwindled, and the sky was beginning to grow faintly bright.

<I have an idea of where to go. Let's head southwest.>

Where are we running to?

To Emi, who asked that, Omake-sama, based on the knowledge she had gained from the Isekai Reincarnation broadcasts, gave appropriate advice.

<There is a great demon realm called the "Plateau of Behemoths". It's a vast and, as the name suggests, dangerous land where many giant monsters live... but the outer parts aside, the center is rarely visited by people, and the eyes of the gods don't reach it easily.>

Yes, yes, the life in the great outdoors continues.

Emi nodded listlessly and reluctantly.

<There are lots of delicious meats living there.>

Alright, let's go quickly!!

Emi's entire body was filled with motivation, and she slapped her cheeks—pan pan!

And then!

TANN!!!

In the next moment, Emi's figure was no longer there.

She had begun to move, aiming for the Plateau of Behemoths.

Left behind was just the utterly ravaged former sanctuary.

And... rolling among the wood chips, a giant crystal.

On that crystal, *pishi, pishi.*

Small cracks were beginning to form.

Depending on your region of residence, felling the World Tree may greatly shake the foundations of the world.

Please refrain from doing so.

The epilogue starts from the next chapter.