Disclaimer: I do not own Taimanin series.
Five Days Break - 20
Somewhere in the world there was a dark room.
A sealed space with no windows for views, no doors for entries and only a large table was put there for the unspoken purposes shared among certain individuals, who each had their own reason to make an identity a secret.
Shadow figures appeared as holograms, forming a circle around the table. The masks they were wearing had the same shape without any distinction.
They were part of the same group. However, none of the members could tell who was the other shadow standing right next to them.
They didn't call themselves a secret society. However, they saw the importance in working behind the scene. They would like to stay inside the curtain that covered their faces from the world.
They shook hands for the same goal. However, they could keep to themselves the private agendas preferably undisclosed.
Their eyes see only to their own interest. Their ears listen to anything that would spark a benefit. Their ideals are their own to act. Their will not stand in each other way if their objectives are aligned.
They were holding a meeting. Their number would change from time to time. The exact amount of members participating had been decided not to be an important matter for discussion.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it's been a while."
"Well! This is quite a big gathering. Lots of faces here compared to the previous meeting."
"What happened? What could be such an earth-shattering news that requires us to hold an emergency meeting?"
"The Great Ashen Tree has been destroyed."
Immediately, the whole room fell into silence.
"Cause?"
One voice picked up the conversation.
"The Hell Knight Ingrid of Nomad used her power to burn it down with the help of the Taimanin Task Force. We can no longer confirm the truth about the Ashen Flower."
"Is there any way to salvage what's left of the Tree?"
"So far, there is none. Everything is gone, including the branches, roots and its avatar."
"I see. The monster who was a pseudo-immortal was gone. Very interesting. Because of that thing, we could never get close to harvest the Flowers."
"How long has it been since we lost contact with the Mole? Thirty years ago? We sent the best infiltrator to the hidden town to gather intel about the Ashen Tree and nothing else has ever been reported."
"So now what? We lost one reason to attain immortal? Oh wait, that's not it! We lost a reason to entertain the idea that the Ashen Flower actually existed and can make us immortal!"
"It does exists!"
An angry voice roared.
"Relax, old man. Thirty years, it's already been thirty years! That much time wasting and nothing has been done, nothing heard from you! I don't have the resources for my patience like you! With that said, I'm happy we can finally drop this Ashen Tree nonsense for good."
"How dare you! I spoke the truth!"
"And yet now we have nothing to show for it. If the Great Ashen Tree can make us immortal like you said, I want the fact proven RIGHT NOW so I don't have to play the waiting game for another ten years!"
"Very well. If that is the only way, then so be it."
The old man's hologram brightened. He took off the mask on his face and allowed his identity to be revealed to everyone.
"Oh. Oh, I see it now. I see why you were so adamant in wanting that Tree."
"Oh my! That would explain the silence on your part all these years."
"Is this truly okay with you?" The leading voice of the meeting asked in concern. "Fuuma Elder."
The oldest person in the room nodded his head. Half of his face was ashen in color, tree veins trailed along the roughed skin. The other half of his face appeared rotted with inner tissues exposed in various place and the blood veins continued bumping.
It was like watching someone met Death and survived with a piece of his soul intact.
"I bet my life on this miracle, I have nothing left to lose."
Clap Clap Clap!
"Elder! Hooh Wow! Bravo! You cracked my doubt!" The voice that demeaned the Elder laughed. "That rumor about you being six feet under turns out to be true after all!"
"Yes." The Fuuma Elder said. "I had died of old age. Ninety-three years of life was my limitation. As of now, I am able to prolong the essence of my flesh, my blood and my soul. But not yet, I am not yet a full-pledge immortal. I could have proven the fact to any of you sooner if not for that good-for-nothing Danjou brat to ruin my plan because of his self-righteous rebellion."
"We understand."
"What is the alternative to this? The Great Ashen Tree is gone. Is there any plan you would like to propose?"
"Gosha's Research Lab apparently stored the samples of the Ashen Tree's puppets, the wooded creatures. Can we do something about that?"
"Those things are useless." The Elder explained. "They will eventually decay. They don't possess the essence of the original."
"Okay? So what now? Are you willing to sleep on the surgery table for a couple of days so we can figure things out? I'm familiar with a few doctors who won the Golden Hand title. Trust me, you won't feel funny when you wake up."
"Well, rude lad. I have something different in mind."
A picture popped up in the middle of the table.
It was a petal of the Ashen Flower stored in a jar.
"I have this. What is left of the petals I was fortunate to lay my hands upon. The Mole, my right-handed man, actually managed to stole an Ashen Flower preserved by the avatar. A pity he didn't make it back, he was useful."
"Oh, I like where this is going."
"If it's not too much, I would like to ask for all of your supports to fund me resources in order to study the wonderful ability of this Flower. This beautiful existence."
Some showed their approvals. Some wanted to consider more before they makes the decision.
"I expect nothing less from your cooperation."
One by one, the shadow figures in holograms left the meeting.
The vast room returned to its default state.
It embraced the darkness.
The hot air of the dessert was like a cool wind to her.
On her own, she came all the way to one of the most dangerous places known to men.
Hovering above the sea of sand, at the deadliest region none would dare setting their foots in, she squinted her eyes to find a specific landmark that seemed to be lost among the dunes. There was a sand storm approaching in the distance, and she had no interest in seeking a safe place to avoid the harsh environment. She safety was not something she needed to be worried about as nothing has ever dared to challenge her might and doesn't turn into a pile of dust.
She had slipped a grunt to express the mildly annoyance that spoiled her mood ever since she begrudgingly accepted a tiny errand from that demon-who-worked-as-an-informant-and-was-certainly-not-a-friend jerk. That demon was a huge jerk for making her leave the comfort of the mansion in Kotrara Island.
Why was someone as powerful as her would be willing to run an errand from someone else? She has her own reason.
Truthfully, the errand wasn't entirely complicated. She was just annoyed not being informed properly that the place to go was somewhere in the middle of a giant dessert. Sands were getting into the dresses and stuck in her beautifully long red hair before they burns away.
What a hassle! Someone is so going to get a third degree burn when she gets back!
"Hm?"
The sand was moving, on its own and not being pushed by the strong winds. From a single spot, it spread out, becoming bigger in waves. Dried hands, heads then torsos rose to the surface. They looked humanoid to some aspects, they resembled creatures without skins covering the skeletal structure of their bodies.
"Like rotten wood logs drifting along the river." She muttered harshly.
The wooded creatures didn't surprise her at all. On the contrary, the encounter made her bored.
"Under the sand, it seems."
She realized what she should do to continue the errand. A snap of the finger and an explosion raged in the air, blowing everything in front of her. She would like to call that as a clean up.
The heat melted the creatures and the sands. What had been hidden beneath the dunes revealed to her.
She smirked in delight. The sight was quite eye-opening.
At first glance, one could mistake the place for a mass burial ground without a gravestone.
The wooded creatures she had burned to a crisp just now were not the first to rise from the sand. There were many more, lots of them were buried in the dunes. Their bodies were too dry to handle the intense heat of the dessert and ended up crumbling apart before they can even do anything.
What kind of pathetic creatures existing in a place that did them no good like this?
Her arm stretched, casting a large fireball and let it fall. The ground melted away as the conjured heat ball dug deeper below the sand. She followed the melting tunnel, still hovering without letting anything touch her on the way down. Sands and crumbled bodies started pouring into the passage. She set up a wall of flame above her head so everything could fall into it and burn to nothing.
The fireball in front of her continued to scorch its way through another tectonic plate. She let out a yawn and played with her hair in waiting.
The burning smell began to change as the fireball hit a thick layer. From melting glass to heavy charcoal-like scent, the drastic shift in odor notified the woman in a red dress that she had come to the right place.
It finally went through. She casually floated by the entrance that led to a vast hollowed space underground.
"What do we have here?"
Arms folded under her bosom, she titled her head with a hint of interest at the finding.
Limestone walls and buildings that withstood the cruelness of time. Wobbling wooded corpses that wandered the dust filled streets. An ancient city lost to the world and stayed dead in the dark. Shining mushrooms spread across the giant branches and roots that desperately tried to reach the sunlight. The illuminated lights made the place looked dreamy and nightmarish at the same time.
The wooded creatures reacted to her presence, faceless heads all turned to the brightest source of light hovering above the city.
"I'm pleased that you all notice me. Would you kindly kneel?"
The woman said it out of fun, she had zero expectation about the mindless puppets to listen what she wanted.
Making her way deeper into the ancient city most sacred place, many drawings along the walls got her attention. She considered stopping for a moment to take in the story told by those paintings.
Once upon a time, the population of this place had served a deity. They heralded and worshipped it as the Tree of Life. Thanks to the Tree, the city had flourished. Sacrificial rituals were held to prolong prosperities. According to their belief, it was necessary.
For the longest time, the city had become an utopia. That was it, until a plague wiped out more than half of the population.
The deity remained silent to the calls for help.
Snicker!
The woman couldn't suppress the urge to laugh.
These people served a God, and yet they were completely abandoned when natural selection comes into play. This was such a hilarious dark comedy.
A grand ritual was performed. The remaining survived population all came together in order to let the Tree of Life hear their plead.
"The end." She muttered at the last drawing.
The story of this city came to a full stop after the ceremony.
She looked down at the pile of bones next to the painting. There was a ritual knife and a set of brushes laying around, the dried environment had preserved them well. The artist who drew the story on these walls had arrived at the same conclusion depicted in the very last thing they created.
It was fun to know an utopia being destroyed by its own blinded belief and hypocrisy. It reminded her of that time during the Old Kingdom.
This has been one of the many interested things about human. They often make themselves into such entertaining playthings when they lose sight of their own positions in the world and have to depend on a higher power to make the choice for them.
At the tallest building of the city where tree branches and roots broke past the long standing walls, the Tree of Life was residing there.
It was about time she put an end to this errand.
...
...
"You must be joking."
She arrived to the exact place where the downfall of the ancient city began.
She was utterly disappointed.
The Tree of Life, another Great Ashen Tree, was already wilted to the point it became difficult to tell if the thing still had any vigor left to live. It didn't respond to her presence. It stood still, either severely struggling or was gone for good.
That person told her she could expect a decent challenge by the end of this, and this was what she found out. Her flame was deadly to this thing, it wouldn't be a problem reducing the whole thing to ashes.
Could it be that person knew this beforehand and wanted the woman to clean up the rest?
"This is the power beyond comprehension?"
The woman wanted to facepalm so badly. She regretted her reason for going to that demon's place and fell for this nonsense.
Suddenly, the chamber shook. Walls cracked and the branches began moving as the horde of wooded creatures poured in from the entrance. She didn't look surprise and instead, showed a grin full of sharp teeth.
"Hoh, so you still have some left in you." Her dress and hair lit up in fire. She burned in the temporary joy that the Tree was finally trying to do something. "You'd been quiet until now. Could it be that you was so drowned in fear you cannot respond to my presence?"
She waited for its coming, an attack that would make her flinch.
But it won't happen.
The Great Ashen Tree's limbs collapsed to the floor, crushing the wooded creatures and broke apart.
The smile on her face gradually faded. What she had for the Tree now were nothing more than pure disdain and disappointment.
"Pathetic. After centuries, the world changed and you were forgotten along with a bunch of fools that served you. You, an otherworldly being who fed on hypocrisy and weakness, has grown so weak now that your body cannot even handle its own weight. You lured an entire population of lesser creatures into your bidding and was starved to death because there was nothing left for you to consume."
She pointed her hand at the Great Ashen Tree.
"An animal in disguise, tried to fiddle in a world it didn't belong and did nothing to control its instinct. You are among the lowest trashes I have ever crossed path."
A fire formed, enlarged and became a supernova.
"Since you can no longer hold yourself together, let me crush, burn and destroy you as a favor."
The massive burning ball released. It didn't explode upon touching the Tree, it simply burned, melted slowly to savor the final moment spent in agony of an ancient self-proclaimed deity.
Flick!
While she was watching, an invisible shockwave shot through the air and struck her. Her head rolled back on impact as the culprit deliberately targeted the mind.
"Fufu. I felt that. How sneaky, you tried to overtake my consciousness."
The woman giggled and shrugged it off. The attempt didn't work, her mind was too strong for the Tree.
"This was that invisible pathway ability, huh. Poor thing, seems like you are too shy to admit that you are hopeless against me."
The Tree let out a voice in her head, it was screaming. It wanted to know her name.
"Astaroth, Queen of the Inferno. Begone from my sight."
...
...
After filling up the ancient city with lava, Astaroth returned to the surface.
With the errand done, she lazily stretched her body. She would need a spa trip, a nice massaging service and a good hot spring bath after this.
But first, Astaroth has to make sure the other person keep their deal.
Ring Ring Ring!
Speak of the devil.
She clicked her tongue at the sound and brought the magic stone she's been holding to the ears. How annoying. Why was this rock making noises like that comm device? Did that demon plan this?
"Furfur."
In respond, a yawn came from the other side.
[It's nice to see you call first, Astaroth!]
"Were you sleeping?"
Astaroth, Queen of the Inferno, felt the slight twitch on her face.
[Oh! Is it day time on your side?] Furfur giggled. [It's almost midnight here and I was about to sleep. It's been a long day for me.]
"I went to the other side of the continent to do your little errand. Do you have any idea how long it took for me? Should I come back and give you a burning squeeze on the cheek for having the audacity to complain about a long day to me?"
[Does that means my good friend Astaroth-chan found what I needed?]
Her blood boiled at the way Furfur addressed the name.
"The Ashen Tree is nothing like you said. I only saw a withering plant eager to be destroyed."
[Knowing you, I believe you erased that thing from existence.]
"Nothing remains." Astaroth stressed. "What's the matter? Did you expect me to pick a flower from that Tree and bring it back?"
[Not at all. This is great news! The world has had enough on its plate, everyone can rest easy for now.]
"Since when did you care so much about the human world?"
[I can ask you the same thing, Astaroth. As long as there's at least a single human worth your attention, everything will be just fine.]
"Do not assume that saving things is part of my interest."
[It's not within our nature to want to save something. You've always loved to crush, burn and destroy things you see for the joy. You only refrain from doing so when it comes to things you can't understand, unable to control and to toy around. I like that part of you dearly.]
"You know, I also really like you for saying stuff like that, Furfur. I'm not a schemer like you, I don't seek benefits from connections and I don't like to hide in the dark. I like to be out here in the sunlight and to do things I want to do the most. I respect those who dare paving their way to the top while acknowledge their weakest self."
[And you just sum up everything that makes you well-liked among us!] Furfur said excitedly. [It's no wonder you are on good terms with Sinmara and Queen Marjaana. You are very straightforward to your desires, Astaroth.]
This woman, ever the shrewd tongue.
[Now that you have completed what I asked of you, it's up to me to fulfill my part in our little deal.]
"Finally, just give me what I asked."
[Now, now. Don't be so hasty.]
Astaroth glared incredulously at the magic stone in her hand.
[Let's go over what you have asked of me one more time, shall we?]
At this point, she really wanted to throw away the stone.
[Please hold onto the stone properly and try not to drop it on your way back. These magic stones are expensive. I'm aware you're thinking this is a waste of your time but it's also part of my job as an informant, I need to be sure what I've gathered is helpful to my client.]
"...be quick about it."
[In the evening three days ago, you personally came to me for information. You are seeking the name of the strongest being who recently appeared into the world. But the thing is, you didn't happen to hear anything before that, no one has ever told you about this mysterious person. You just felt them, you noticed their presence because of a butterfly in your stomach.]
Astaroth rolled her eyes at the phrase.
[Astaroth, you are consciously aware of this person, their power and you want a name. You believe their strength is compelling to your standard and worthy a challenge...for you to kill your boredom.]
"You have most of them corrected."
[Oh my. Most and not all? Can you point out the minor mistake I made?]
"A butterfly in my stomach? Ridiculous. Did I somehow make you think I was falling in love or something?"
Furfur giggled to the magic stone.
[Yes. That is the exact impression I was getting from you that day.]
"..."
[Believe it or not, you were very excited. You wanted the information right away. I could even tell you spent some times at a beauty salon before you come to my place.]
Astaroth hummed softly. Fire sparked around her, scorching everything within the vicinity.
"Now, I wonder how did you know."
[Just an intuition, my friend. As women, we take good care of our look, mostly for our sake...and for reasons.]
Intuition, she said.
"The one gave you that information should better be watching their surrounding. They will get a heat stroke if they are not careful with their mouth." She pinched her temple. "Enough of this topic and give me a straight answer. Who are the person I'm looking for?"
After a moment of silence, Furfur replied.
[I don't know.]
Lava spilled over the dessert. The covered hole that led to the destroyed ancient city erupted like a raging volcano.
"Furfur. You better have a good explanation for wasting my time."
[I can't provide you a name because there is nothing for me to give. The person you're looking for either appeared and snapped out of existence on the very same day or they simply guard their identity too well. I admit that even with my capability as a prestigious informant, this result has been such a letdown.]
"..."
[However, I do have a lead. First, I need you to consider a fact for me.]
"It seems we are playing the long game, huh. Fine, what is it?"
[This source of strength you felt fitted into every categories that make your own definition about what means to be the strongest. We should be clear about that to narrow down the list.
Currently, the strongest of both sides are Edwin Black of Nomad and Igawa Asagi of the Taimanins. I don't take you and Kaliya into account since this is merely a scale based on the Human World. We also don't talk about the unpredictable evolution that is Noah Brown, that child is in her own league.
You knew Edwin Black and detest him. You fought with Asagi and respect her. What you have been feeling is none of these two despite they are the strongest of their kinds. If it wasn't the overwhelming strength, if it wasn't the unbreakable will, what could it be? What was this power that clouds your mind?]
Astaroth didn't say anything yet as she allowed herself a moment to gather the thoughts.
She didn't know the thing/person that made her feel this way. Like an inflating balloon, it has to pop at some point. But it wasn't like that to Astaroth.
The curiosity to find it. The thirst for wanting to make it explode. The increasing joy of knowing something out there can satisfy her. It won't stop, it keeps adding, it constantly teases all her senses.
Astaroth wants it.
[Then perhaps, this power shares the same nature as yours?]
No. It was something much more. She remembered that feeling clearly when it came into existence.
It could burn hotter than the Sun. It could rage darker than the Hellfire.
"Abnormal. Ferocious. A primal sharpness that can swallow both light and darkness. I want to test that, be it a thing or a person. If I can feel it with my body, that means this power is alive."
[As expected, very well. Allow me to explain what I've discovered.]
Furfur began.
[I've been observing the flow of Dark Magic. Instead of an individual's energy pool, I chose to connect my spell to the World's energy. Some might say it is the core of the planet, some might say it is the essence of Mother Nature. Regardless, I received the answer. To my surprise, the World spoke of a disturbance, or to be more precisely, a very small change that shouldn't have occurred.]
A change?
[It doesn't impact the balance of the World, but it's certainly going to have an effect later in the future. The time it appeared is also on the very same day you visited me. Unfortunately, the energy flow couldn't trace it.]
Furfur sighed softly.
[I was worried my skills in Dark Magic has been rusted. As it turned out, the reading made no sense at all so I decided to consult an expert in Amidahara. I'm sure you know her.]
"Neu Eazlane."
[Lady Neu has been very helpful. Though, she didn't reveal much of what she knows about this mysterious presence.]
"Hm. The more I hear, the more intriguing this becomes. This is going to be quite the catch." Astaroth grinned.
[I couldn't agree more. If you try to look at it, you won't see it for what you have expected it to be - a few words she described this presence. It struck me as fascination, she didn't perceive what you felt as a source of power. The way she addressed it is different. That is the hint.]
Finally, she revealed.
[Lady Neu called it the Embodiment of One's Strongest Resolve.]
Astaroth was confused.
"So what exactly am I searching? Is that a thing or a person?"
[She also said it has always been in front of our eyes, some time very close and some time very far away. This could indicate some sort of ability, wielded by a person we have met.]
Eyes widened, she groaned. Oh for the Burning Plains sake!
[Yes. That's where the problem lies, we simply don't know who has that kind of power since you and I have crossed paths with many. But the good thing is you took notice of this mysterious presence just recent.]
Which means...
"Three days ago, somebody has awakened their true potential."
Based on the timing of the first Great Ashen Tree incident, the possibility was plausible.
If it was a demon, its existence alone would gather an unhealthy amount of attentions from the Dark World immediately. She would have heard of it, Furfur would have known the name.
But...
If it was a human...
"What a pleasant surprise." The joy was rushing through her body. "Dear me! A human with this much potential actually exists!"
[It looks like you have the answer you need.]
"Yes, Furfur. Yes! Indeed! I realize so much from this."
[Congratulation, would you like to share it with me?]
Humans are hard to figure out just by looking at the outside. Very few of them had earned Astaroth's attention throughout history.
The brave warriors. The brilliant magicians. The powerful sorcerers and the noble witches.
And...
And...
And...
The Taimanins, some of them did well to deserve her respect. Compared to the rest of the humans, they would make the most sense to this butterfly in her stomach.
She tapped her chin fondly, thinking of a certain human who was probably the closest to her in terms of friendship in the Human World.
"Tekkain Kowaru should know something."
She can continue her search from there.
[Astaroth? Astaroth-chan?]
While Astaroth lost in thought, Furfur was calling her through the magic stone.
"Appreciate the info. I will hang up now."
Furfur's voice cut off as she put away the stone and left. Astaroth had got her deal, she didn't need to hear that bothersome voice anymore.
It all came together now.
The Embodiment of One's Strongest Resolve.
A Taimanin who has awakened their potential. A human who has found the strength in their weakest self to become the strongest. The opposite to what she had expected.
"Whoever you are, I will find you."
Temperature in the dessert rose without a stop. The desire to crush, burn and destroy soared brightly like the Sun.
"And when I do..."
The clouds dissipated as intense heatwaves emitted from her body.
"I will have you satisfy the thirst within me!"
Astaroth declared her intention to the sky. She was in such a great mood.
Furfur left the unresponsive magic stone on the bed stand and returned to the warmth of her cushions with a short sigh.
You are always so honest in what you want and it makes you predictable to a schemer, Astaroth.
She had known her friend to some extent.
Humans are fragile. Yet, they tend to struggle against every difficult matters they come across. That's why we demons consider them interesting, we are drawn to their nature. The Human World is entertaining to you like that.
Next to her, there was a document. She had been reading until the stone flared up. Furfur opened it again and continued where she left off.
But you get bored easily. You seek the strong in this world, very few humans answered to that wish. You want to see if they can have the strength to stand up against the cruelest desires of our own kinds. For hundreds of years, you become demotivated.
The document reported the incident of the Great Ashen Tree once inhabited a secluded forest. A centuries old secret deliberate hidden for a selfish purpose now unraveled to many. The event of the Great Ashen Tree had been resolved thanks to Hell Knight Ingrid with the support of the Taimanin Task Force.
However, another problem caused by it persisted.
The surge in earthquakes had alarmed the public of a possible natural disaster expanding its reach without a warning. Media outlets began the investigations into the cause. The government has issued a statement about an error involving the Earthquake Early Warning broadcast. It would take some times for the news to drop this topic for good when there's no progress in their search.
The Great Ashen Tree, a predator in disguise from another world. Perhaps, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to say the being was a slow-onset natural disaster to both humans and demons had nobody found out.
As Furfur read it, her hand sensually traced each line on the page and stopped by the picture of a certain young man.
It was Fuuma Kotaro.
It was mentioned that before the Taimanin Task Force's arrival, there were just him and Ingrid fighting against the otherworldly existence. According to Su Jinglei's updated report, the two were alone in different locations. They split based on his plan.
In the aftermath, only he came out gravely injured.
She found this approach strange.
On his own, Kotaro is weak. With the Task Force, he is formidable. Something about this really didn't add up. It wasn't like him to make such a risky decision. His tactical mind wouldn't allow him to face the worst kind of danger by himself.
For a while, she was making assumptions. Furfur had nothing concrete to prove she's right. But then, she would eventually arrive at the same thought as Astaroth.
The one who can surpass your expectation may actually be the opposite to what you think.
The weakest stand up against the strongest. Only time can tell when there will be such a moment.
"Surely you will be able to sleep in peace when that happens."
For now, Furfur was a couple steps ahead of Astaroth. She knew who to suspect and didn't have to follow the breadcrumbs.
Furfur looked at Kotaro's face in the picture.
At moments like this, she would lose track of his intentions. Even though she could read him like a book, she couldn't give into everything written on the pages.
Most of the people she associated with were easy to predict, she could read the thoughts out loud just by knowing their personalities.
It wasn't like that with him. When it comes to him, there were things she couldn't piece together as if some parts of the book were made by an unreliable narrator.
But that is what Furfur likes the most, she will never let go of the best read.
"You are truly a fun human being, Fuuma Kotaro-san." She smiled sweetly.
Hopefully, it won't be too long until the next time she receives another massage from him.
/
Author's Note: Surprised! You probably didn't expect Astaroth and Furfur to make an appearance, I hope you like it.
Anyway, the next chapter will conclude the Great Ashen Tree Arc.
Thank you for reading. Take Care!