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*****
"Yes."
The King of Nason nodded.
"If you break off a golden branch, you can kill me and become the next King of Nason!"
"No need for such trouble. I have a simpler way."
George chuckled, then pressed his hand against the Divine Tree. His vast spiritual power surged forth, forcefully pouring into the tree as he began invading its core.
Breaking the golden branch, killing the former King, and becoming the new King—that was the Divine Tree's original way of choosing a ruler.
Such a process ensured that the chosen King would wholeheartedly inherit the will of all past rulers.
But George had no intention of inheriting the will of the Kings of Nason. Naturally, he had no reason to follow that procedure.
With his strength, he could directly invade the Divine Tree's core with his mind, overwhelming the will of the former Kings, and making them submit to him.
This way, he wouldn't be a King under the Divine Tree—he would be a King above it, the true master of both the Divine Tree and the divine kingdom, not their servant.
He would understand all of the tree's secrets without being bound by its limitations.
In fact, the moment he had arrived on Nason Island and sensed the tree's power, he could have teleported here instantly, taken control of the Divine Tree, and by extension, the entire island.
But he was no bandit, and plundering by force was not his way.
No matter how backward or weak this island seemed, it was still their land, their country.
If the people themselves had no objections, then what right did outsiders have to stand on some moral high ground and invade?
They might claim to be "spreading the fire of civilization," but in truth, it was nothing more than blatant robbery.
But now, the situation was different—their own King had invited him to help, had asked him to become the new King, and had even said that if he could resist the will of the past Kings, he could freely deal with both the Divine Tree and the divine kingdom.
So why should he refuse? When offered freely, why not take it?
"What are you doing?!"
As George's overwhelming power poured in, the wills of the past Kings within the Divine Tree instantly resisted.
Though the Divine Tree's thousand years of accumulated willpower could not match George's strength, it was still formidable.
The clash of powers caused the entire kingdom, and even the whole island, to tremble. The King of Nason's eyes widened in disbelief.
She had never expected things to unfold in this way.
This man was single-handedly confronting the will of a thousand years of Kings—and he was gradually gaining the upper hand. It was simply unimaginable.
"Your Majesty!"
At that moment, nine of the Nason Guards, sensing the disturbance within the Divine Tree, teleported from across the island to the palace.
Seeing George forcibly subduing the Divine Tree, their faces darkened. At once, they launched their attacks:
"Stop!"
As the Nason Guards, protecting the King and the Divine Tree was their duty.
To them, it looked as though George was destroying the Divine Tree. Naturally, they had to strike to defend it.
The King of Nason didn't stop them, for even she was uncertain now.
She had indeed hoped George would become King, but according to the proper method—breaking a golden branch and killing her. Not by such a direct and brutal conquest of the Divine Tree.
Though she had said he could handle it however he wished, she had never expected he could actually do this.
"Light Magic – Judgment!"
Among the nine Guards, the angel Alfonso was the fastest to act, unleashing the light magic passed down in his family.
One after another, radiant magic circles lit up behind him. Pillars of light as thick as tree trunks shot toward George, intent on purifying him instantly.
"Law of the Thunder God – Lightning Strike!"
Almost as quick was Anthony, a divine-blooded scion of Olympus with the lineage of the Thunder God, born with the ability to unleash devastating lightning.
"Light Magic – Light Burst!"
Facing their attacks, George split off a fragment of his mind even as he continued suppressing the wills within the Divine Tree.
First, he instant-cast the same light magic, unleashing a pillar of light as thick as a water tank that shattered Alfonso's beams and slammed him away.
Then his body erupted with lightning. With one surge, he dispelled Anthony's thunder and followed up with Extermination Lightning, a god-slaying magic of thunder. A single stroke of black lightning stunned Anthony into silence.
It mattered little if he was a Thunder God's descendant—even if the Thunder God himself appeared, he wouldn't withstand George's lightning designed to destroy divinity.
"Human Transmutation!"
Even as two were defeated, the third Guard attacked from below.
It was Marcelo, wielder of alchemy, manipulating precious metals to bind George.
But with a mere flicker of George's thought, the metals instantly reversed, coiling around Marcelo and tying him up tightly.
"Kill!"
"I'll devour you!"
"Smash you to pieces!"
With three ranged fighters neutralized, three melee Guards rushed George head-on.
One drew his blade in a fierce downward slash, the terrifying blade aura threatening to cut George into pieces.
Another swelled with multicolored energy, his body rapidly expanding as though possessed by a god, before lunging to bite George's head.
The last Guard's body lit up with runic symbols, his physique strengthening rapidly. Empowered by the runes, he unleashed a fist that could shake heaven and earth.
These three, too, were among the Nason Guards.
The first was Satoru Mochizuki, descendant of the Japanese Mochizuki sword saint clan, who had refused conscription for an invasion war, fled to Nason Island, and later joined the Guards.
The second was Bestia, the previous leader of Paradise, a god-host warrior bonded with the Vengeful God of the Dead Lake. After being defeated by Daodiao, he had joined the Guards.
The third was Gunnr Otterlind, a native Valkyrie, inheritor of Nason's rune powers. The runes enhanced her strength and defense and could even heal her wounds.
Yet George showed no concern.
Such attacks would be the peak of power in the outside world—the level of sect masters.
But to him, they were child's play.
"Time Stop!"
With a wave of his hand, time froze around the three, locking them in place.
George casually flicked each one on the forehead, then released the spell.
The moment time resumed, the three were sent flying backward.
"He's far too strong!"
The King of Nason's pupils shrank sharply.
Elijah had said George was powerful. She had thought him only about as strong as Daodiao—perhaps slightly stronger. But never had she imagined this.
With sheer strength, he suppressed the Divine Tree's millennium of will, while simultaneously fending off six Guards with ease.
Each Nason Guard was considered a top-class master in the outside world.
"Heaven's Kingdom!"
As six were defeated, the seventh Guard stepped forward.
This Guard was the eldest and strongest among them—Erica Joaquin.
Her power was a domain-level divine art: Heaven's Kingdom, which could drag an opponent's consciousness into an endless paradise.
There, time flowed infinitely.
What was but a second in reality could become decades, centuries, even thousands or tens of thousands of years in that domain.
(End of Chapter)