I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

There are three doomsday prophecies passed down through generations of the royal family, which are only revealed to the victor in a specific manner during the change of the throne:

The world will be overturned by chaotic forces.

The World Tree will reshape the world during this catastrophe.

Only those who gain power through the trials of the newly formed World Tree can save this world.

He had defeated and even killed his own blood relatives and ascended the throne as he wished, only to be told that his kingdom could be destroyed at any moment.

However, the blood of the first fairy, the only thing that might grant him immortality, could also lead to his utter destruction at any moment.

Isn't it ironic?

Therefore, most kings of the kingdom choose to enjoy life to the fullest after ascending to the throne. After all, they have many powerful second-generation fairies under their control and are not afraid of others rebelling.

Let's trust in the wisdom of future generations.

The old king was an exception; his only trusted descendant had disappeared twenty years ago, and his return now was somewhat too late.

Inside the World Tree, in another gray-white space.

Ian rolled several times upon landing, then quickly scanned his surroundings after regaining his balance: there was nothing there, no fairies, only him.

He remained silent for a moment, then slowly stood up and dusted off his robes.

"...Alright then."

He gripped the hilt of his sword and walked along the path ahead, which was slowly solidifying.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a fairy's corpse suddenly appeared under their feet, followed by a second, a third, a tenth... They lay scattered across the ground, their blood still congealed and their demonic energy still surging wildly in the air.

It looked as if it had just been swept away by something, clean and swift, leaving no survivors.

An ominous premonition made Ian quicken his pace, and after passing through a narrow passage made of broken giant bones and shattered scales, he saw the figure from behind.

Evan stood in the center of the open space, his back to him. His usually impeccably dressed dark gray robe was now mostly soaked in the goblin's blood, with dark red liquid dripping from the cuffs.

He was looking down, using a pair of silver tweezers to pick something out of the remains of a huge fairy. His movements were focused and composed, as if the mountains of corpses and seas of blood around him were nothing more than specimens waiting to be processed on a laboratory table.

"...Evan."

Evan didn't even look up, continuing what he was doing, speaking casually as if he were meeting an old friend.

"You've arrived, Ian. You're a little slower than I expected. Were you delayed by those little guys along the way? Or is the flow of time different inside and outside the World Tree?"

Ian's gaze swept over the corpses around him: nearly twenty second-generation fairies of varying sizes lay haphazardly on the open ground around Evan, all of them completely dead.

It's highly likely that he was killed by Evan using a forbidden spell during their fight.

"Why are you doing this? You weren't like this before. What happened? Or have you been bewitched by something?"

Although Evan, whom Ian knew, was somewhat eccentric and liked to experiment on various monsters, he always adhered to his principles and would not treat human life as worthless.

That's why Ian trusted him and cooperated with him.

Evan listened quietly, then smiled:

"Bewitched? No. I just suddenly realized that the pursuit of knowledge itself does not need boundaries."

I used to confine myself, setting too many restrictions: "I can't touch this," "I shouldn't research that," "It might cause irreversible consequences."

He spread his hands and said sincerely, "I just want to know the answer, is that too much to ask?"

"You've killed hundreds of people, and you might kill even more because of it."

"I'm sorry, but this is the necessary price to pay."

Ian's sword was already drawn.

The sword was covered in a layer of silvery-gray battle aura. He stepped forward, the blade pointing directly at Evan's chest, and his voice was squeezed out through clenched teeth: "You're insane."

"No, I just woke up too late."

Without further hesitation, Ian silently chanted the forbidden incantation and decisively swung his sword. The longsword left streaks of silver-white afterimages as it cleaved down towards Evan with resolute force.

The moment the sword fell, Evan snapped his fingers.

A deep darkness surged from the void, and the longsword, imbued with a great deal of Ian's magic power, seemed to pierce into a viscous black mist, its speed suddenly slowing down.

The darkness spread from Evan's shadow, climbing up the ground to Ian's ankles, knees, and waist, tightening like a living thing and completely locking him in place.

The silver-gray light on the longsword quickly dimmed and eventually disappeared.

Ian's arms froze in mid-air. He tried to struggle, but the dark magic was like a living shackle, binding his limbs tightly and immobilizing him completely.

Evan's voice came from the darkness, "This is probably the authority of the first fairy. What I currently hold is the authority of 'Darkness'."

Corrosion, invisibility, devouring, gravity manipulation, shadow materialization, mind control... and more are still under development.

He walked up to Ian, adjusted his glasses, tilted his head, and looked at his old friend who was frozen in mid-air:

"I speculate that the first fairy had at least seven kinds of authority, but unfortunately, this one alone is driving me a little crazy."

As if confirming the truth of his words, the shadow beneath Evan's feet moved on its own, pushing up the round-framed glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"If I were to consume another one, I would probably go completely insane, but until then, I still have enough sanity to do what needs to be done."

Ian glared at him, gritting his teeth, and said, "You'll regret this!"

"Perhaps, but before that, let me test the effects of shadow personification and mind control on you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the shadow beneath Evan's feet spread out, engulfing the entire area.

……

"Quack, finally finished!"

Lilith plopped down on the ground, her long silver hair stuck to her forehead, and the hem of her robe was covered with fragments of magic energy rising from the transparent ground.

The Emperor's Banner beside her was trembling slightly, absorbing the last few wisps of demonic remnants.

Ji Tian stood to the side with his hands behind his back, surveying the gray-white space that was gradually falling silent.

After being defeated, the small fairies turned into specks of light and disappeared into the air, leaving not even a single amber magic crystal behind.

"Master Ji, what about the great opportunity you were talking about? It can't be these little guys who are too lazy to even drop magic crystals, can it?"

Ji Tian's brow twitched slightly, and he asked in return:

"Take a close look and see if you've gained any soul power... cough cough, an increase in spiritual power, or any other insights or the like."

"You were talking about soul power, weren't you?"

You misheard me.

Lilith pursed her lips and carefully sensed the changes within herself.

A moment later she opened her eyes and honestly shook her head: "No."

Ji Tian revealed a rare expression of speechlessness:

"This World Tree is a bit too unruly. According to the normal procedure, shouldn't there be some feedback after defeating a monster? There's no experience bar, no reward settlement, or at least no indication. They can't even bear to drop the Amber Core."

Lilith blinked, looking at Ji Tian with some uncertainty:

"So...we fought for nothing?"

Ji Tian stepped forward, reached out and pulled her up from the ground, pointing to the illusory gate that was vaguely unfolding in front of him:

"It wasn't a complete waste of time; after all, it was a requirement for clearing the level, and we also collected quite a few souls."