Primordial Soul's Rebirth

Barbara, Guardian of the Black Tortoise Empire, the black tortoise herself, sat coiled around the divine nexus of the world tree's root system, deep in meditation.

Her true form—an ancient tortoise with glistening obsidian scales and moss-draped horns—was so large it fused seamlessly with the surrounding landscape.

She seemed like a heap of land below the world tree, as she was huge, at least 100 meters in height.

She was the center of the empire, the one who took care of it.

Barbara's body was the core of the barrier around Melanochelys, unmoving.

If she moved, the barrier would shatter, exposing the empire she protected from the outside world.

Her consciousness, however, danced far from her rooted body, cast into the threads of the empire-wide barrier that pulsed like a living organism.

She used to watch her empire like this, finding entertainment in watching the creatures in the empire.

But today, her focus was centered on someone else—someone she didn't know much about.

It was Alex.

She, who had full control over things inside the barrier, could perceive how strong Alex was.

She was strong enough to stop any fight from happening within Melanochelys. She had that much control.

But today, when Alex was attacking Vaelith and she tried to interfere, she found out that she couldn't stop it.

That element of destruction that broke Vaelith into pieces wasn't something she could control.

When she realized that, she knew she wouldn't fare well against Alex even if a fight broke out.

She was aware of how, in cases like this, the best one could do was try to avoid any further conflicts, which she was trying right now as she stared at Alex not with suspicion or hatred but with careful, reverent caution.

"It's best to keep them away from the fools," Barbara murmured, her voice a whisper in the wind, and with a twitch of will, she summoned the illusion.

To Alex and his companions, Melanochelys appeared oddly empty.

Although the city stretched grandly before them, streets were devoid of life, fountains trickled in eerie silence, and not a soul wandered the glimmering avenues.

It wasn't out of ill intention, but because she didn't want more people to die.

She knew her children, her citizens, better than anyone else.

She knew how the leaders of the empire she guarded, the elves, had turned into a bunch of hypocritical, deranged fools.

They had become the spitting image of the very humans they had kicked out of this place because of their nature.

Barbara hadn't said anything when that happened because she knew the humans needed to be removed. But now, as she looked at her own empire, she saw a mere husk of what it used to be.

It was still as beautiful as it used to be, but the rulers who used to be fair and just were now a bunch of hypocrites.

Yes, not all of them were in the wrong; some were still what they used to be, and that was why she was still silent, hoping everything would return to normal.

However, right now, she knew that letting those fools see Alex and his women wouldn't be a good idea, especially when they seemed human.

So, she had put them under an illusion, but did they like it?

Alice tilted her head at the scene. "Weird. Where is everyone?"

Ann's eyes also narrowed. "It's too quiet, which doesn't seem natural."

Seraphyra stuck closer to Alex, one hand holding the hem of her robe, finding it strange, like others.

Only Alex remained relaxed, his eyes drifting across the sky like he was reading a poem in invisible ink.

He paused.

"Sigh..."

Emberlyn immediately stiffened beside him, sensing the change in his demeanor. "W-What is it?"

Barbara, unlike Shirozan, was closer to her, so she didn't want anything to happen to her, making her anxious whenever something happened.

Alex, on the other hand, tapped his temple and gave her a wry look. "Your old friend is trying to help—I can tell."

His words were appreciative, but his expression wasn't, so Emberlyn waited for him to complete. "She placed an illusion over the city to guide us directly to her without incident. I suppose it's... considerate, as we are bound to catch the attention of people who won't like us, but this is unnecessary."

Alice, Ann, and Seraphyra, hearing Alex's words, understood why they couldn't see anyone or anything in the cities—it was because of an illusion.

Emberlyn, however, panicked. "Please don't take it to your heart. She did it out of good in her—"

But before she could complete her words, the illusion cracked like glass struck by a tuning fork.

A ripple tore through the air, and the illusion dissolved with elegance, like fog swept away by morning light.

The capital revealed itself in full majesty.

Towering crystalline structures grown in harmony with immense trees loomed around them. They weren't artificially built but natural, making them more enchanting.

Bridges of ivy and living vines arched across sunlit streets, where streams of glowing water danced freely.

Birds with jewel-toned wings swooped lazily across the sky, accompanied by fluttering spirits of wind and light.

The roads came alive with movement.

Dryads in flowing leaf garments strolled beside cloaked troll mages whose eyes shimmered with stars.

Golems of mossy stone lumbered gently past playful children, their every step leaving behind small blossoms.

Elemental spirits—tiny beings of fire, earth, air, and water—danced among stalls where fruit glowed and enchanted fabrics shimmered.

The air was rich with mana and life.

Alice blinked. "Okay, that's more like it."

Ann allowed a rare smile to bloom. "This city... It's a miracle of coexistence."

Seraphyra's eyes sparkled like a child discovering snow for the first time. "So pretty! It's nothing like the empire cities I've seen before."

Even Alex paused.

He'd seen many kingdoms, from the ash-choked fortresses of fallen lords to the golden spires of arrogant kings.

But this place felt different. It wasn't just peaceful. It was wise.

"This," he muttered, "is a place that doesn't need a throne. It just breathes."

Emberlyn's smile returned, relief loosening her shoulders. "She worked hard to protect this place. It's her life."

She looked around, finding the familiar peace she had felt whenever she had come here before.

They continued their walk, this time with lighter steps.

The people, unaware that the Demon Lord walked among them, kept their distance instinctively, not by fear, but perhaps by a quiet warning from the barrier itself.

The path ahead began to gently slope upward, toward the city's heart, where the world tree's roots tangled with the central nexus.

The pulse of ancient power grew stronger.

Alex glanced at Emberlyn. "How long has it been since you saw her?"

"Too long," she whispered, her voice soft and emotional. "Barbara was more than a friend. She was a guide, a big sister figure for me. I owe her more than I can say."

Alex gave a small nod. "Then let's not keep her waiting."

After seeing and hearing so much about her, he even wanted to meet her.

It was simply out of curiosity, but he wanted to see her original body at least.

After all, she was said to be the biggest among the four mythical beasts.

'Hm, it's too peaceful...' Alex thought, but as he did...

[Alex... why a red flag?]

Sophia's voice echoed in his head, making him shrug.

'I don't think anything will happen with Barbara watching, but I wanted to see if that was true—'

"Who let these vermin in?!"

Cutting his voice short, a furious yell was heard, making all their heads turn to the source, expressions varying.

Even the barrier seemed to tremble.

'Aha!' Alex exclaimed as he saw an elf who looked pretty high-ranked walking toward them with a furious expression. 'Even the guardian of the empire couldn't stop the challenge a protagonist has to face, huh?'

[Tell me... You just wanted to beat someone up, didn't you?] Sophia asked with a sigh, making Alex grin.

'Truthfully, yes.'

The elf, on the other hand, seemed enraged as he kept stomping toward them. "These human bastards! How dare they step into our sacred land—?!"

But before he could complete his words or Alex could make a move, something surprising happened.

"—AKH!!"

The man was bound by tree vines and lifted in the air, strangled with so much strength that he couldn't even speak.

All he could do was groan in pain with drool leaking out of his lips.

Then, a woman appeared before them, stepping out of the roots of the world tree, wearing a veil on her face.

"Aw, man..." Alex groaned out loud, as if disappointed by the lack of action, earning him a side-eyed look from everyone present.

Even the veiled woman, who was an elf, stared at him, pausing in her spot.

'This is the demon lord?' She wondered, initially having a different impression of him.

But soon, she shook her head, recalling Barbara's command.

"Welcome, sir and madams. It would be my honor to lead you to the guardian."

.................................

AUTHOR NOTE: -

Alright, so we have three yeses. Let's see how many yeses we can get in total.

If it's more than 20 by the end of this week, I'll try to upload two chapters a day next week onward.

That's all for today. Ciao.