VS Global Warming

The vast and boundless Ku-Lukal Mountains.

On the southern slopes, in a certain rocky alcove, a blood-soaked altar existed.

It was not just a metaphor; it was truly drenched in blood. Using rocks of a suitable size as an impromptu altar, they had drawn a magical circle with blood and piled the corpses of monsters on it.

This was the work of Everis.

She had come over the mountains, and not only did she inscribe magical sigils on the ground, but she also killed some of the monsters that Mialanze had subdued and offered them on the altar.

Now, similar altars existed all over the path Everis had traveled.

These were offerings to the Evil God.

More precisely, they were offerings yet to be made.

The area around the altar was as if poisoned, with the ground turning black, grass withering, and neither beasts nor insects approaching despite the presence of corpses.

This strange and abnormal altar was waiting for its purpose, just standing still.

＊ ＊ ＊

The sound of fibers and branches tearing, a continuous rumbling of the earth.

With each tremor, insects and birds flew away. In the midst of the jungle, a steel-colored storm advanced.

A massive ogre wielding a giant battle axe and a skilled, strong ghoul brandishing a sharpened blade were running at full speed, knocking down trees in their path.

They yelled loudly as they went.

"Ohhh! Ohhhhhhh! 98, 99, 100, um, 101, 102, 103... Who can count how many trees Ode knocked down!"

"Sushi! Geisha! Templa! Senpai! Sontaku! Yaocho! Hara! Kiri! SMAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!"

Skeletons in robes with staffs, called liches, chased after the two roaring creatures.

Skeletons in robes with staffs, called liches, chased after the two roaring creatures. They buffed the two with «Strength» and «Sharp Edge», occasionally casting the «Vitality Restoration» spell on Nvadgi.

Even ogres who disliked magic had no choice when it came to military orders.

"As expected of the great chief..."

"But he also has some magical power, right?"

"Even so..."

"However, what about the undead accompanying us?"

"He's a ghoul, but he's like a samurai."

"What are samurais?"

"Dunno…”

Slightly bewildered, ogres with axes in hand followed the two creatures.

The following logging ogre unit further expanded the path created by the two as merciless logging machines.

The violent wave of environmental destruction advanced without any obstacles, cutting through the jungle and heading north.

*

At the same time, on the north side of the Ku-Lukal Mountains, at the boundary with the jungle.

"Well, everything's prepared."

Everis swung her staff, and from its tip, a bluish-white light scattered, as if she had flicked a brush dipped in paint.

A super-sized spell composed of a total of forty-four magic circles was inscribed on the ground.

Circles and straight lines were intricately combined to form complex and intricate patterns on the surface, much like an electronic circuit board. Countless magical runes adorned it.

Despite the glaring sun, the surroundings were bathed in a mysterious bluish-white light emanating from the magic circle.

On top of the three central magic circles stood René, Everis, and Mialanze.

René held a crimson staff, shaped from blood and curses. Her body had lost its flesh, taking on the form of a lich.

"Princess-sama, Chief of Staff, the deforestation team is progressing at approximately ten percent above the planned speed. Including the portions, we had advanced until yesterday, we anticipate that the entrance to the jungle will be connected by midday."

"Oh, that's good to hear."

Alastair, standing nearby, conveyed the report through a call mark.

To the north from the point where the magic circles were laid out, there was a straight path cut through the trees. Beyond that, construction work was swiftly connecting the path to the outside of the jungle.

While it might not qualify as a proper road, as it was merely cutting down trees and clearing away vegetation, it would suffice for now.

"Well then, shall we give it our all as well?"

"Are you alright with the cue, Mialanze?"

"Y-Yes! I'll ensure a perfect incantation!"

Mialanze clenched the cue for her incantation tightly.

She was incredibly tense. She had been granted power as a vampire by René, but she lacked the training and combat experience.

Given the situation, failure was not an option.

This was a large-scale spell that strained even the magical veins in the surrounding area, not to mention the magic within René herself.

If the activation failed and magic was wasted, the schedule could be thrown into chaos, potentially putting them in dire straits.

"Well, you know, technically speaking, I'm in the lead, so you probably don't need to be that nervous."

"Let's begin soon, Everis. I think the longer we wait, the more nervous she'll become."

"You're right. Alright, follow my lead."

"Yes, of course!"

Everis began her incantation with confidence, followed by René and Mialanze.

The light beneath their feet flickered in tune with their voices, creating a pattern of brightness and darkness around them.

René felt an intense, gnawing emptiness, almost like hunger.

The spell was consuming her magical energy rapidly.

While René had the magical capacity equivalent to a medium-sized city's magic reservoir hotspot, this spell was on a scale too grand. It barely held together due to the numerous sacrifices made by Everis as they crossed the mountains, as well as the vast number of offerings from sacrificed magical creatures to the Evil God strategically placed throughout the mountains.

Eventually, the three synchronized their voices to complete the incantation.

“””≪Devil’s Passage≫!”””

As Everis swung her staff, the magic circles radiated with a brilliant intensity.

The center of the magic circles, where the three stood, gave birth to a mass of light. Like a fuse, it ignited, and a bluish-white light shot directly towards the mountain.

As the light raced forward, it exploded at regular intervals, creating bursts of bluish-white brilliance that soared into the sky, as if causing volcanic eruptions.

These points were previously marked by Everis when they crossed the mountain.

From the base of the mountain, where the magic circles were drawn, a line of points was arranged nearly equidistant from one another.

The light raced between these points, breaking through the earth as if growing roots and transmitting commands to the next activation point. Magic energy from the veins of the Ku-Lukal Mountains was being drawn into the spell.

The corpses of the magical creatures offered as sacrifices were shriveling away as the magic poured into the ritual circle. The magic that was never meant to exist in those places was bestowed upon the spell as a divine blessing from God.

The light continued to race, and the magic propagated.

It cleaved through the massive Ku-Lukal Mountains.

Then, when it reached the final activation point...

It made an explosive noise, best described as a detonation.

The mountain, it seemed, had been severed.

It was as though an enormous divine knife had been thrust into it. On either side, cliffs several thousand meters high enclosed a narrow path, just wide enough for one or two people to pass through.

The earth and rock that composed the gap shattered into tiny pieces and scattered like dust in the wind. So much sand filled the air that it took on color. After the dust settled, the narrow passage became visible.

This landform was called a "cut-through", and it was used to dig through mountains and cliffs vertically for passage. Of course, it usually wasn't on a scale to cut through an entire mountain range.

or the entire Ku-Lukal Mountain range, often referred to as the "Spine of the Earth", it was a relatively small change, but...

For the world, it was a massive transformation.

Access 10 Chapters ahead of the Novelupdates release on our Patreon. <3