Chapter 354: It’s Burning!!

Noah stared at Damien in disbelief.

"What is?"

Damien swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he uttered the words that made Noah’s heart skip a beat.

"The World Tree..."

He turned his gaze back toward the balcony, his expression filled with horror.

"THE WORLD TREE IS BURNING!"

The moment those words registered, the last traces of sleep vanished from Noah’s face. "What the fuck?!"

He sprang out of bed and dashed toward Damien.

The sight that greeted him left him momentarily speechless.

In the distance, the uppermost section of the World Tree was engulfed in flames. The fire spread across its enormous branches, illuminating the night sky with a terrifying orange glow. Even from this distance, Noah could see flames devouring parts of the sacred tree.

It was unbelievable sight, just this morning they went to see the same world tree which looked majestic, strong and divine. Like a mountain that couldn’t be destroy. But now the same tree was burning, as much as Noah knew about world tree, fire couldn’t burn it.

That was just impossible, the tree was immune to it.

But now it was burning. While below, the entire city had descended into chaos.

People flooded the streets, some desperately fleeing their homes while others stood frozen in terror, staring at the burning World Tree. Cries of fear and anguish echoed throughout Lunathiel as the peaceful elven capital descended into utter pandemonium.

Elven soldiers were already rushing through the streets, evacuating civilians and directing them toward safer areas. Yet their efforts did little to ease the panic spreading through the city.

Noah swallowed hard. ’Th-this is bad. Much worse than I could have imagined.’

He could hear hurried footsteps and frantic voices echoing through the hotel corridors. Other students had clearly awakened as well, and judging by the commotion, they were just as confused about what was happening.

"Is the city under attack?" Noah muttered.

Damien shook his head, his eyes still fixed on the burning tree. "I don’t know. I woke up because of all the noise outside. When I looked out, I saw the World Tree burning."

Noah nodded thoughtfully before glancing at the clock on the wall.

It was well past midnight.

’Instructor Morgana must have already sent an emergency notification to our phones. She’ll probably gather everyone and explain the situation.’

As if confirming his thoughts, Damien spoke up. "She has already contacted us. Instructor Morgana told everyone to gather behind the hotel."

Noah let out a quiet sigh and turned toward his friend. he thought for a while and spoke. "Hey, Damien. Go and see if you can find Ken."

Damien frowned. "Shouldn’t we go to Instructor Morgana and stay with the other students? Ken might already be there. And why do you want—"

"Just do what I say." Noah cut him off, his voice turning serious.

"We don’t have time to stand here chatting. Check whether Ken is with the others. If he isn’t, look for him."

Damien fell silent.

He studied Noah’s expression for a moment, seemingly trying to figure out what his friend was thinking. However, he didn’t press the matter. Whatever the reason, he decided to trust Noah’s judgment.

"Okay..." He nodded before asking, "What about you?"

"I’ll meet you soon. I want to check out what’s happening around the hotel and get a better idea of the situation." Noah paused before adding, "Call me if Ken isn’t with the others. I’ll also search for him."

Damien nodded. "All right. Take care of yourself."

He turned to leave, but Noah stopped him once more. "Damien, don’t wander too far from the hotel looking for Ken. If he isn’t with the other students or Instructor Morgana, don’t go running off somewhere dangerous to find him. Understood?"

"Yeah, yeah. The same goes for you, idiot. Stay safe."

With that, Damien hurried out of the room.

Noah watched him leave before letting out a long sigh. ’What a troublesome night...’

He quickly put on his boots and approached the balcony.

The moment he stepped outside, the distant flames illuminated his face. The sight of the burning World Tree was even more disturbing from the open balcony, its massive silhouette towering over the city like a wounded giant.

Noah narrowed his eyes. ’All right... I’m way too curious to sit around and wait.’

He extended his hand, allowing mana to flow from his core and gather in the air before him.

A tremendous amount of ice began to materialize.

Frost spread through the air as a massive greatsword took shape. Its blade was exceptionally wide and thick, far larger than an ordinary sword, with a broad, flat surface capable of supporting a person.

Once the weapon had fully formed, Noah stepped onto its icy blade.

The soles of his boots froze almost instantly, ice spreading around them and securing his feet firmly to the sword’s surface.

The greatsword trembled before slowly rising into the air.

Noah shifted his weight, testing his balance for a moment. Satisfied, he directed a small stream of mana into the weapon. He was practicing this thing for a while and now he was better at this.

The sword floated higher, carrying him above the balcony railing.

Below, the streets remained in turmoil. Elven soldiers were working desperately to evacuate the citizens, while frightened residents hurried toward designated shelters. Some stared up at the burning World Tree in disbelief, unable to comprehend how such a disaster could have befallen their sacred kingdom.

Noah’s expression grew serious as he looked toward the distant flames.

’Let’s see what’s really going on.’

With a thought, he controlled the enormous ice sword, guiding it forward through the night sky.

The blade accelerated, carrying him away from the hotel and toward the burning World Tree.

Behind him, Lunathiel continued to descend into chaos where the tree they considered as their protector and Deity was burning in front of their eyes.

And Noah Eldritch was about to discover just how disastrous this night would become.