The severed arm seemed to have turned into multicolored stone, and the separation effect of God Hand could not be produced, indicating the arm had completely fused with the multicolored hue.
Blood, bones, muscles, even the cells… all had been assimilated by the multicolored light.
It was too overpowering.
Law looked at the two petrified severed arms on the ground.
If this was a type of poison, it could be considered insoluble. Fortunately, the rate of infiltration was still acceptable, not severe enough to make the situation worse.
"Can you handle it?"
Law shifted his gaze to Tonpa.
"I can," Tonpa replied through gritted teeth.
After all, he hadn't undergone endurance training and couldn't remain as expressionless as Law.
Even while forcing himself to endure, he still showed some reaction.
This was not a place to linger.
Having temporarily lost an arm, Law abandoned any thought of returning to the mountain's interior.
The group made their way down toward the base of the mountain.
As night fell, the team rested in a cave at the foot of the mountain.
Law leaned against the cave wall, conjuring a book and a quill pen on his lap. He took the quill pen and began recording the day's observations.
To date, he had already filled over a hundred pages with notes.
Finally, Law closed the book and then dismissed it.
The information contained within those hundred-plus pages would be priceless if brought back to the Six Continents.
"Almost there."
Law glanced at the partially regenerated stump of his arm, pondering how many more days it would take for the arm to fully regrow, and how many more days after that to reach the area where the World Tree was located.
Would there be many creatures living on that tree? If there were, what kind of ecosystem would they have created on it?
Exactly how many meters tall was the tree? Would it pierce through the atmosphere? Could humans stand firm at its very apex?
No amount of speculation could compare to seeing it with one's own eyes.
The view from the top of the World Tree, regardless of its immense height, must be breathtakingly beautiful.
If possible, he wanted to be the first human to climb to the top of the World Tree.
Time passed, and half a month went by.
Law and Tonpa's arms had regrown completely. During the recovery process, they had to apply a few more leaf fragments, ultimately leading to a full recovery.
Over these two weeks, the team climbed through the outer regions of the mountain range, entered the central area, and approached the active volcanic region where the World Tree stood.
Wood fears fire, but the World Tree did not. Instead, it used magma as nourishment and could only grow in mountainous regions. Wherever it took root was inevitably an active volcanic area.
Climbing the final towering peak that pierced through the clouds, an utterly shocking scene unfolded before everyone's eyes.
Whether it was due to the thinner air atop the peak or the oppressive force that seemed to freeze the air itself, their breathing became labored without them even realizing it.
Directly ahead, the World Tree stood silently, its roots exposed above numerous volcanoes like countless great rivers spreading a vast network across the active volcanic region.
Each root, comparable to a large river, plunged into the volcanoes.
One could only see dense volcanic smoke swirling chaotically and sense the hidden roar of the volcanoes, yet they felt a strange certainty that each of those active volcanoes had lost its ability to erupt.
What was truly shocking, however, was not the unimaginable World Tree itself, but the countless enormous creatures surrounding it.
Those flying in the sky blotted out the sun.
Those crouching on the mountain ranges were everywhere.
Their numbers were too many to count, their races and forms varied, but the only common points were wings and immense size.
Perhaps this was a gathering, which was why they had all congregated here.
Otherwise, based on their initial distant observations, they wouldn't have been able to see so many.
Every single creature, even the smallest among the groups, when compared to a human in terms of size, was the classic difference between an elephant and an ant.
In front of those bird-like, dragon-like creatures, Law's group were mere tiny black dots, unlikely to be noticed by them.
It was precisely these creatures of such colossal size that occupied the land and air around the World Tree, an absolute domination, exuding a heavy aura that forbade outsiders from entering.
"Ha, haha."
Tonpa's lips trembled as he let out a dry, forced laugh, desperately trying to recall everything they had witnessed along the way.
The sea creatures in the Dark Waters, the cruel battles in the skies, the gigantic Rock Island Crab, the various giant creatures on the rocky land.
None of those experiences could compare to the sight before them, which could even be described as a crowded monster's den.
With great difficulty, he turned his neck to look at Law and Biscuit.
Then, he noticed that both Law and Biscuit's faces showed unconcealable shock.
'This was really too exaggerated. Forget climbing the tree, there was absolutely, positively no way to get past this.'
As Tonpa thought this, he suddenly felt a sense of suffocation.
His eyes widened slightly, realizing he had been so frightened that he had forgotten to breathe.
'We'll turn around and leave now, right?'
'That's right, it can only be like this, right?'
'This place was simply not somewhere humans could set foot in.'
'So, I probably didn't need to say anything… Law would give up on his own.'
Tonpa fell into a deathly silence. Law and Biscuit just stared at the scene centered around the World Tree.
Even though they were standing atop an extremely high peak, they didn't feel at all like they were standing on the shoulders of giants.
Instead, they felt an overwhelming sense of insignificance striking directly at their souls.
Besides the various flying creatures, they also saw, up close, that enormous black hand.
It was like a primordial giant's arm… with just its open palm, it could easily grasp any creature near the World Tree.
"It's right before our eyes…"
Law clenched his fist, 'Half a day, or maybe a full day's journey, and we could reach the base of the World Tree. Perhaps in a few more months, we could experience the view from the top.'
'However, this was truly a forbidden zone for humans. How were we supposed to get through?'
He was unwilling to stop here, but life always had experiences of helplessness.
It was at times like these that one could truly understand how Linne felt when she was refused entry back then.
"Let's go back."
Law took out his phone, adjusted the angle, and took a few photos.
If these were posted online, people would just think they were fake, photoshopped images.
Biscuit could hardly conceal the shock in her heart.
Looking at Law's unwilling expression, she didn't say anything.
Just as she had expressed before coming here, knowing when to retreat was also an unavoidable term in an adventurer's dictionary.
"Go back where? The Six Continents? How are we supposed to get back?" Tonpa's spirits lifted as he looked at Law expectantly.
Law silently put away his phone, raised his head to look at the shadow-covered sky, and said, "Of course not."
This direction was a dead end. What about the other directions?
After all, there were still many places they hadn't been to.
...
In a forest area where all life had perished, resembling a forest ravaged by a great fire, the ground was covered in ashes.
The few remaining trees that were still standing looked as if they would turn to dust at the slightest touch.
A figure clad in a black robe arrived at the edge.
Under the shadow of the hood, a pair of keen, bright eyes were visible.
He silently observed the ashen forest, his gaze sharp like electricity, piercing into the distance, where he caught sight of a black tail flashing past amidst the ashes.
He stood there silently, watching, until several minutes later, he reached out and pressed on the algae growing on his black robe, squeezing out some clean water to moisten his chapped lips.
After replenishing some moisture, he took out a piece of unknown animal skin from within his robe. It was drawn with simple mountains, waters, and forests… seemingly a map.
Many places on the map were circled with red markings.
Holding the map in one hand, he used his other hand to take out a simple black pencil and began drawing something on a blank area.