Reborn as a Useless Noble with my SSS-Class Innate Talent

Silvy let out a deep sigh of relief as she gazed at the still-standing world tree. Its leaves trembled faintly in the wind, golden light pulsing gently from its bark.

"It survived. It's a good thing the tree is still alive. If we take care of it now, we can make sure it heals. It can still protect our people."

She said, voice shaky but hopeful.

Kyle, however, didn't share her relief. His eyes remained on the towering trunk, sharp and unreadable.

"No. It didn't survive without a cost."

He said after a long pause.

Silvy turned to him, confused.

"But the tree's still standing…"

Kyle shook his head.

"It's standing, but it's hollow. It burned through its core to defend itself. I saw it during the clash—its power is gone. What's left is just a shell, trying to look strong. Any elf born under its protection from now on…"

He glanced at Silvy.

"They'll be unable to use mana. The connection has been severed."

Silvy's expression froze, her hopeful gaze dimming. She looked away for a long moment before slowly nodding.

"Maybe…maybe that's not a bad thing."

She whispered,.

Kyle raised a brow.

"You think the elves losing their mana is good?"

"No, but maybe it's necessary. We've depended on the tree too long, used its blessing like a crutch. Maybe… now we'll be forced to stand on our own. To grow stronger"

Silvy said quietly.

She managed a faint smile.

"And we have you, don't we?"

Kyle didn't reply. His focus sharpened as an eerie pulse vibrated through the ground.

A sudden rush of force slammed through the air. Kyle instinctively pushed Silvy behind him.

"Get back!"

He snapped.

The surge of mana burst from the elf tree like a geyser of divine fire. It shimmered with impossible radiance, thick and fast, and slammed into Kyle.

He grit his teeth, arms raised to intercept it, but the force was too much—he was blasted backward, skidding across the dirt.

"Kyle! What's going on!?"

Silvy screamed, running toward him.

He stood, breath ragged.

"Something's wrong. This isn't just the tree…"

He looked back at the pulsing trunk. The light pouring from within had turned unstable—wild, hungry.

"I thought you said it was hollow?"

Silvy asked, horrified.

"It was, but the divine mana—it's rushing in to fill the void. A tree like that doesn't stay empty. Something… something is trying to take root inside."

Kyle muttered,

Silvy's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You mean—?"

"Yes. The god that tried to descend through it before—it's not done. It's using the emptiness inside the tree to anchor itself. If we don't stop it, the divine mana will devour everything."

Kyle said grimly.

Silvy looked to the glowing tree, then back to Kyle.

"What do we do?"

Kyle narrowed his eyes.

"We stop the descent. No matter what it takes."

Silvy's face drained of color as Kyle's words sank in.

The world tree, hollow and weakened, was now being used as a vessel for a descending god's divine mana. She swayed slightly, clutching her stomach as nausea twisted inside her.

"I… what are we supposed to do now?"

She asked, her voice trembling.

Kyle didn't hesitate.

"You're going to run. Head back to the village and warn the chief. Tell him to evacuate the elves. Get them somewhere far, anywhere outside the tree's reach."

"But what about you?"

Silvy asked, horrified.

"I'll hold the corruption off. I've done it before. I can do it again."

He said simply.

Silvy bit her lip.

"Alone?"

Kyle nodded.

"There's no time to argue. This place is already warping again. If the god descends fully, there won't be anything left—not the village, not the forest, not even the soil."

Silvy looked like she wanted to protest, but she swallowed it down and nodded.

"I'll tell them."

She turned to flee—but before she could even take a step, monsters emerged from the swirling mana.

Their bodies were grotesque amalgamations of forest beasts twisted by divine corruption.

With grotesque limbs and hollow eyes, they hissed as they slithered and crawled from the base of the tree, surrounding them.

Silvy stepped back, panic flashing in her eyes.

"Don't stop!"

Kyle shouted, thrusting his arm forward. A wide blast of mana erupted from his palm, splitting the monsters and creating a narrow, winding path through their ranks. "Run! I'll hold them!"

"But—!"

"GO!"

Silvy hesitated for only a second more before gritting her teeth and darting down the glowing path Kyle had created.

Behind her, she could hear the screeches of the beasts, and the rumble of magic colliding as Kyle fought them back.

Her feet pounded against the earth, heart racing as guilt and fear clawed at her chest.

Please survive, Kyle. Please.

She didn't stop running until the village came into view, and the elf guards, startled by her sudden return, rushed forward.

"Silvy! What happened? Where's Kyle?"

One of them called.

"Where's the chief!?"

She barked, pushing past them.

The elder was already waiting for her outside his hut, his expression tense.

"Silvy. Did… did it fail?"

She shook her head, breathless.

"It's worse than we feared. The world tree is being consumed from within by divine mana. A god is trying to descend. Kyle stayed behind to stop it, but we don't have much time!"

The elder's face crumbled.

"No… it wasn't supposed to be like this. That tree was sacred. Protected."

Silvy clenched her fists.

"This is because of those fools who went to the tree. Their interference opened the way for the divine mana to take root. If we don't evacuate now, we'll all be caught in the fallout."

The elder bowed his head.

"Forgive me, Silvy. This was not your burden to bear. The arrogance of our kin… we let this happen."

He turned sharply to the gathered villagers.

"Everyone! Prepare to move! Leave the village—now! Take only what you must. We have no time to waste!"

As the elves scrambled to follow the elder's orders, Silvy turned to look back at the direction she came from.

A sharp pulse of mana rippled in the distance, followed by an unnatural roar that shook the leaves from the trees.

"Kyle…Please hang in there."

She whispered.

Silvy stood frozen for a moment, watching the vibrant canopy shudder in the distance, waves of red and gold divine mana distorting the skies above the world tree.

The roar echoed again, low and terrible, like the groaning of an ancient god awakening from a slumber it was never meant to break.

The chief placed a hand on her shoulder, his face grave.

"We must go. Now. The forest itself will not protect us if that thing awakens fully."

She nodded stiffly, heart hammering in her chest.

"Kyle stayed behind for us. We can't let his efforts be in vain."

"Once the others are safe. I'll return with you. If there's a chance to help him, I'll take it."

The elder said solemnly.

Silvy's eyes burned, but she blinked back the tears. Now wasn't the time for weakness.

"He said he'd hold it back. But I don't know how long he can last."

The villagers rushed to gather supplies, children crying, elders being supported by younger kin. Silvy moved to help, but her gaze never strayed far from the tainted sky.

Every heartbeat brought a fresh tremor through the earth. Time was running out.

And Kyle… he was still out there, fighting alone.