Chapter 345: The Heart Is Near

The higher the group climbed, the quieter the World Tree became.

The enormous forests that had filled the previous section gradually thinned until only scattered trees remained along the ancient roads. The rivers of mana grew narrower, and the waterfalls that had once poured from the branches into the clouds below became little more than faint streams of golden light.

Even the enormous Beasts that had flown between the branches were disappearing, leaving behind an unsettling silence that followed Arthur’s group as they continued upward.

Arthur noticed the change when a familiar sound finally vanished.

He stopped walking and looked toward the empty sky. "Have you noticed that we haven’t seen a single Beast for a while?"

Kong glanced around, his expression becoming more serious as he realized Arthur was right. "Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen anything worth fighting since we left that Guardian behind."

Sun looked at him incredulously. "That’s what you noticed? The entire forest has gone quiet, and you’re disappointed that nothing is trying to beat you up?"

"I didn’t say I was disappointed," Kong replied. "I’m simply observing that the local population has declined."

Melo’s five tails swayed behind her as she examined the surrounding branches. "The Beasts aren’t disappearing randomly. Their dreams are moving farther away from this place, as if they’re avoiding something."

Athy looked toward the distant forest, where the last few trees stood beneath a sky filled with golden mist. "Can they sense what’s waiting ahead of us?"

"Probably," Melo answered. "Animals are often better at recognizing danger than people who insist on walking directly toward it."

Several eyes turned toward Arthur.

Arthur looked offended. "Why is everyone looking at me?"

"Because it sounds like something you’d do," Mithra replied with a smile, adjusting Dawn Sovereign against her shoulder.

Vedas nodded. "She’s right."

Arthur sighed. "I see how it is. I save the world, and nobody respects my judgment anymore."

"You haven’t saved this world yet," Athena reminded him, though the slight smile on her face betrayed her attempt at seriousness. "Let’s finish the job before you start asking for recognition."

Arthur laughed and continued walking, but his expression gradually became more focused as the road ahead changed. The ancient stones beneath their feet had become smoother, and the markings carved into them were more elaborate than anything they had seen below. Golden lines ran along the edges, connecting to the enormous roots that surrounded the road, while the branches themselves curved inward toward a single distant point.

Luna slowed beside him.

"These markings are different," she said, crouching to examine a section of the road. "The symbols below described the World Tree’s relationship with the land, but these seem to be directing everything toward one place."

"The heart," Arthur said.

Luna nodded. "I think so. Whoever built this road wanted people to reach it."

Athena studied the carvings with her usual concentration. "Or they wanted people to understand where they were going before they arrived. Look at the repeated symbols along the edges. They appear to represent the circulation of mana, but the lines become denser as they approach the upper section."

Sun leaned over her shoulder. "So the road is basically telling us that we’re getting close?"

"That is one interpretation."

"Good. I prefer roads that explain themselves."

Mithra laughed as they continued, but her amusement faded when the road opened onto a vast expanse of bare golden wood. There were no forests here, no rivers, and no ancient buildings.

Enormous branches stretched toward the center from every direction, converging around a structure so large that Arthur couldn’t immediately comprehend its shape.

It resembled a mountain made from intertwined roots.

The roots formed towering walls, enormous arches, and spiraling pathways that disappeared into the structure’s depths. Golden light pulsed beneath their surfaces, but black veins had spread across much of the wood, with purple Miasma leaking through cracks that ran like wounds across the living structure.

Arthur felt the pressure before he understood what he was sensing.

Something enormous was waiting inside.

His heartbeat quickened as he looked toward the center, where the converging roots formed a massive entrance surrounded by layers of ancient growth. The presence beyond it was unlike anything he had encountered before. It wasn’t merely power, nor was it the oppressive feeling of a powerful Beast approaching.

It felt like standing before something that had existed long before anyone living had been born.

"The heart," Eden whispered.

Her golden rings rotated slowly around her body, and her new wings trembled as she studied the enormous structure. "I can feel it. There’s so much time gathered in one place that I can barely distinguish the different moments."

Arthur glanced at her. "Is that dangerous?"

"Not exactly. It’s just overwhelming." Eden looked toward the entrance, her expression becoming more serious. "The Tree has been preserving this place for thousands of years. There are memories here that I can’t even begin to understand."

Vedas stepped closer to Arthur, his purple armor reflecting the golden light. "Then we shouldn’t waste time standing outside. If Ronin reaches the heart before we do anything, we’ll have an even bigger problem."

Arthur nodded, but before he could answer, the entire structure shuddered.

A deep pulse traveled through the roots.

The black veins brightened.

And someone emerged from the entrance.

For a moment, Arthur didn’t recognize him.

The figure had once been a man, but roots now covered most of his body, winding around his limbs and torso before disappearing beneath torn clothing. Thick branches extended from his back like the remnants of a broken crown, while purple-black Miasma pulsed through the gaps in his armor. His skin had grown pale, and dark veins spread across his neck and face, converging around the artificial core embedded in his chest.

The core was cracked.

Several fractures ran across its surface, allowing purple light to leak through. Every pulse of energy seemed to cause the cracks to widen before the surrounding Miasma attempted to seal them again.

Yet the aura surrounding him was enormous.

Arthur felt it press against his body, forcing his instincts to recognize the difference between their current strength and the power standing before them. Ronin had reached a level of power that rivaled the Gold Rank, but there was something deeply wrong with the energy surrounding him. It surged unevenly, growing stronger whenever the World Tree pulsed and weakening whenever the roots beneath his feet recoiled.

Ronin looked at Arthur.

"You finally made it."

His voice was still recognizable, although it carried a strange resonance now, as if another voice were speaking beneath his own.

Arthur stared at him for several seconds before answering. "You look terrible."

Sun turned toward him. "That’s what you came up with?"

"What? He does."

Kong examined Ronin’s enormous frame and the roots covering his body. "I’ll admit, he looks stronger than before. But I’m not sure I’d trade my body for his."

"Nobody asked you to," Melo replied. Her expression remained guarded as she watched the purple veins moving beneath Ronin’s skin. "He’s becoming less human with every passing moment."

Athena’s gaze shifted toward the cracked core. "That object is deteriorating. He’s forcing more power through it than it was designed to contain."

Ronin glanced at her, seemingly amused by her observation. "You understand more than I expected."

Athena raised Heavenpiercer. "I understand that you’re damaging the very thing you’re trying to control."

For the first time, Ronin’s expression hardened.

"The World Tree has spent thousands of years hiding its power behind restrictions. The ancient civilization had the opportunity to control it, yet they chose to weaken themselves and build barriers instead. They called their fear wisdom, and the world has suffered because of their cowardice."

Luna stepped forward, her eyes fixed on the enormous entrance behind him. "Those barriers kept the corruption from destroying the Tree. The five Mirrors were built to stabilize its connection to the Secret Realm, not to imprison it."

"And what did that accomplish?" Ronin asked. "They died, their civilization disappeared, and the Tree remained trapped within the same limitations they imposed upon it."

"They were trying to save it," Athy replied, her voice firm despite the pressure of Ronin’s aura. "You keep talking about how weak they were, but they were willing to sacrifice themselves to protect something greater than themselves."

Ronin looked at her without answering.

Mithra stepped beside Arthur, her fingers resting against Dawn Sovereign’s hilt. "You keep calling everyone weak because they refused to do what you’re doing. Have you ever considered that choosing not to take something for yourself can require more strength than taking it?"

A faint smile appeared on Ronin’s face.

"An admirable sentiment."

His gaze moved across the group, lingering on Arthur before returning to the entrance.

"But sentiment won’t stop me."

Arthur watched the roots surrounding Ronin’s body.

He could feel the World Tree’s resistance through the vibrations beneath his feet. The roots were tightening around Ronin, and every few seconds, the purple Miasma recoiled as though something inside the Tree were attempting to push it out. Ronin was powerful, but he wasn’t in complete control. He was forcing himself toward the heart while the Tree fought to prevent him from reaching it.

Arthur finally understood why the corruption had become so unstable.

Ronin wasn’t simply drawing power from the World Tree.

He was trying to force his existence into the center of something that did not want him there.

Arthur looked at Vedas, then at Eden, whose golden rings had begun rotating faster. Star bounced nervously against Arthur’s shoulder, while Luna watched the entrance with the same determination she had shown throughout their investigation. Around them, Mithra, Sun, Athena, Athy, Kong, and Melo prepared themselves for the confrontation ahead.

They had finally reached the place where everything had begun to converge.

But defeating Ronin wasn’t enough.

If they destroyed the heart, the entire Secret Realm could collapse. If they allowed Ronin to remain connected to it, he would continue forcing its power through his unstable core until either he gained control or the World Tree was destroyed by the struggle.

They needed to separate him from the heart without killing the Tree.

Arthur tightened his grip on Dusk.

"You’re not going to become the king of this world," he said. "And we’re not going to destroy the World Tree just to stop you."

Ronin turned back toward him.

For several seconds, the two stared at one another.

Then Ronin raised his hand.

The enormous roots surrounding the entrance began to move, and purple Miasma spread across the ground as the pressure of his aura intensified. Behind him, the entrance to the heart opened wider, revealing a vast chamber filled with golden light and a darkness that seemed to swallow everything around it.

Ronin smiled.

"Then come."

Arthur stepped forward as Vedas moved beside him, the rest of the group preparing to follow.

The World Tree trembled beneath their feet.

And the final confrontation began.