When Makoto stepped out of the Fog Gate, followed by Tomoe and Mio, they arrived at the place that Makoto and Tomoe had cleared the day before.
"Ema, are your preparations over there complete?" Makoto asked through telepathy.
"Everything is ready, Waka-sama. All races have gathered and are prepared in case anything happens," Ema replied.
"In that case, I'll begin preparing here," Makoto said.
"Tomoe, Mio, I'm going to focus on planting the seed of the World Tree. If anything happens, I want you to protect me," Makoto said while looking at them.
"Leave it to us, Waka. We will protect you with our bodies and our lives," Tomoe said seriously.
"Yes, Waka-sama. Leave everything to us," Mio added in an earnest tone.
"Alright. I'll entrust my protection to you," Makoto said.
Then Makoto took out the seed of the World Tree. Using his consciousness, he channeled his will to plant the seed in that place. The World Tree seed in Makoto's hand floated up and fell about one meter in front of him. When it touched the ground, it sank as if into water, leaving no trace behind.
Makoto remained still, staring at the spot where the seed had entered the earth. Tomoe and Mio stood guard to his right and left, watching the surroundings and ready in case something happened.
Before long, Makoto felt a vibration—weak at first, but steadily growing stronger. The trees around them began to shake violently, and Tomoe and Mio, observing the area, grew uneasy because they didn't know what was about to occur.
Makoto ignored the tremors around him and stayed focused on sensing the soul bond connected to the World Tree seed, watching to see if something would grow where it had fallen. As the tremors intensified, a sprout suddenly emerged from the ground, wrapped in a soft green light. As Makoto focused on the soul bond with the seed, he felt the connection between them gradually growing stronger.
When Makoto saw the sprout emerging from the earth, he felt the soul bond break through a thin membrane between himself and the World Tree seed, allowing him to sense the joy of the seed as it grew into a sprout. Feeling that happiness, Makoto smiled warmly.
The sprout continued to grow slowly, accompanied by earthquakes that spread throughout the entire sub-dimension.
At the same time, before Makoto planted the World Tree seed, Ema—who was coordinating the races within the sub-dimension—received Makoto's telepathic message. After responding, Ema looked at the residents gathered in the city square.
"May I have your attention," Ema called out loudly to the assembled people. "I've just received word from Waka-sama that changes will occur in the sub-dimension," she said, looking at the crowd before her.
"Because Waka-sama doesn't know what kind of changes will happen, he has ordered everyone to gather in the city square to avoid chaos and confusion while the changes are underway," Ema continued, looking at everyone from the elderly to the children. "So I ask that you all remain calm. Does anyone have any questions?" she asked.
"Um, Ema-sama, if I may—where is Waka-sama right now?" asked a Highland Orc, raising his hand.
"Waka-sama is currently doing something important together with Tomoe-sama and Mio-sama regarding the changes that will occur in the sub-dimension," Ema explained as best she could.
Just as she finished speaking, Ema felt the ground begin to tremble slightly. Without hesitation, she shouted, "Everyone, prepare yourselves! If something happens, don't panic and stay in your positions!"
The earthquake, which had been weak at first, steadily grew stronger. One by one, the residents found it difficult to stand as the shaking intensified.
The first to be affected were the residential buildings—their walls began to crack, the fissures widening over time. Children grew frightened and cried while clinging to their parents. Meanwhile, the warriors stood ready with their weapons, prepared for anything.
The earthquake lasted for about ten to fifteen minutes before gradually subsiding.
"Is everyone alright?" Ema asked, looking around.
"We're fine, Ema-sama," the residents replied.
"Remain on alert for a while longer. If there are no aftershocks, then go and check the damage caused by the earthquake," Ema said seriously.
Back with Makoto—while watching the sprout grow slowly and feeling the joy emanating from the World Tree sprout, Tomoe and Mio, standing guard at his sides, felt their unease grow stronger as the earthquake intensified. They carefully monitored the area around Makoto, ready for anything, even though they could sense an overwhelming vitality emanating from the newly grown World Tree sprout.
Makoto patiently waited as the World Tree sprout continued to grow. Eventually, it became a small shoot with three vibrant green leaves, brimming with vitality. At that moment, its growth stopped, and the earthquake subsided. Makoto let out a breath and felt his body relax as he sensed the aura radiating from the sprout, wrapped in a gentle green light.
Makoto then approached the World Tree shoot and gently touched its leaves, simultaneously trying to communicate through his consciousness. When his fingers touched the leaves, Makoto felt a sense of closeness with the shoot, which expressed its happiness by softly swaying its leaves.
At the same time, when Makoto stopped focusing on the shoot and looked around in surprise, he saw that the trees in the surrounding area had grown taller and stronger. He also felt that the vitality of the area was far higher than when he had first arrived.
The vitality aura emitted by the World Tree shoot caused the surrounding plants to grow more robust. As Makoto examined the vegetation around him, he noticed that Tomoe and Mio were watching him, looking more relaxed now that Makoto was observing the changes around them.
"Waka, has the World Tree seed finished growing?" Tomoe asked as she approached Makoto and examined the shoot, which emitted a soft green glow and an aura that made anyone nearby feel at ease.
"Yes. The World Tree seed has grown into a shoot," Makoto said while gently stroking its leaves.
"Waka-sama, do you sense any changes now that the seed has grown into a shoot?" Mio asked, looking at him.
Makoto fell silent for a moment and asked the shoot about the changes through his consciousness. Soon after, information flowed directly into his mind.
After receiving that information, Makoto realized that he could now sense most of what was happening throughout the sub-dimension—such as its overall size—without using Sakai's power to detect it, as well as individuals with strong auras like Tomoe and Mio. While he didn't sense anyone as powerful as Tomoe or Mio, there were presences strong enough to pose a threat to the city's residents.
When Makoto learned how vast the sub-dimension had become, he was left speechless.
What had once been only about thirty million square kilometers had expanded to three hundred million square kilometers—more than half of Earth's surface area. Although Makoto had sensed the growth as the World Tree seed became a shoot, he now understood what the sub-dimension had been lacking all this time: incomplete world laws that limited its growth.
Now that the World Tree seed had been planted in the sub-dimension and grown into a shoot, the sub-dimension had become a complete dimension. It had become the domain of the World Tree shoot and could be called a newly created world. Because Makoto shared a soul bond with the World Tree shoot, he could now truly call himself the ruler of a world.
Although the sub-dimension had originally been created through Makoto's contract with Tomoe, Makoto had not held the position of its ruler.
But now, indirectly aided by the shoot—and because of the soul bond between them—Makoto had gained the position of a world's sovereign.
Makoto also realized that not only had the dimensional walls become stronger, but the sub-dimension had also separated from the Goddess's world. If one were to use an analogy, the relationship between the sub-dimension and the Goddess's world had once been like a small bubble clinging to a larger one. Now, the two bubbles had separated. Although the new world Makoto ruled was smaller than the Goddess's world, it possessed a World Tree shoot with limitless potential.
At first, Makoto had worried that the Goddess would detect the changes in the sub-dimension. However, he learned that even before the transformation, the World Tree seed had shrouded the sub-dimension with an aura-camouflaging ability, making it undetectable to the Goddess. Makoto was overjoyed upon learning this. Even though he was confident he could win if he fought the Goddess, the mere thought of dealing with her made him uncomfortable.
Even though the sub-dimension had now become a complete world, Makoto could still use the Fog Gate to travel to the Goddess's world—perhaps because the distance between the two dimensions was still very close, or because of some other factor Makoto had yet to understand.
Now that the new world had been formed, Makoto no longer had trouble managing the climate and seasonal changes that used to fluctuate depending on the last gate he opened. With the dimension now complete, Makoto could move more freely without worrying about drastic climate changes.