Chapter 742

Chapter 742

Let’s Show Them. (2)

Boom! Boom! Boooom!

Each deafening blast split the forest apart.

The ten Elf Elders were spirit-wielders who had reached the level of Transcendents. The high-ranking spirits they summoned clashed with the priests tainted by darkness.

Before the clash began, the Elders had been confident of victory. Even if the Salvation Church’s priests were Transcendents, they had the numbers on their side.

But as the battle dragged on, the Elders’ expressions grew increasingly grim.

‘Impossible! The Salvation Church’s strength is at this level?’

‘When did they grow this powerful?’

‘At this rate, we’ll be defeated!’

Despite having twice the numbers, the Elders were gradually being pushed back. If their numbers had been equal, they would have lost even faster.

The Elders grew desperate.

‘We’re at a disadvantage.’

‘The longer it drags on, the greater the damage.’

‘We need to eliminate them quickly…….’

The orc horde and the black mages were rampaging. The elves fighting against them were also slowly being pushed back.

Only if the Transcendent Elders joined could the tide of battle be turned. But they were being overwhelmed by the priests of the Salvation Church and had no strength to spare.

The Elders drew forth even more power. Knowing how strong their enemies were, they had no room to hold back.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each collision shook the earth, and the towering trees cracked as if screaming.

Two Elders teamed up against a single priest. Even as the Elders poured their power into the fight without holding back, the priest held firm, unwavering.

One Elder, suddenly struck by a realization, broke out in a cold sweat. He was the one who had met Ghislain.

‘That human… fought these five alone?’

He had thought Ghislain was fairly strong, judging by how he escaped. But now, facing the priests directly, he realized he had been mistaken.

To face such foes alone it wasn’t that Ghislain was “fairly” strong. Rather, Ereneth had been the one who truly saw his strength for what it was.

‘We made a mistake. We threw away a heaven-sent opportunity. We shouldn’t have left him there.’

They had dismissed him as just an intruder with bad intentions and left him to live or die on his own.

But even if some elves had been harmed by the ambush, they should have brought him back with them.

Had Ghislain been here holding off the priests, the damage to the elves would be far less than what it was now, with all the Elders being tied down.

The more the Elders were pushed back, the more the priests of the Salvation Church grew emboldened.

Standing at the forefront and pressing the Elders, Munaref wore a cruel smile.

“That human bastard was exceptionally strong. Our prediction wasn’t wrong.”

They had expected a hard fight, thinking all of humanity had grown stronger, but the power of the Elf Elders remained within expectations.
Munaref felt relieved. At this level, they could trample the forest and accomplish one of the long-held wishes of the Salvation Church.

“Khhuhuhu… You will now pay the price for living in comfort for centuries.”

They had lived trapped in the Demonic Abyss, enduring endless torment. Only the sense of duty to fulfill the will of their god had kept them going.

But what of the elves?

They had basked in nature’s blessings, living beautiful and peaceful days without a care.

They had never known hunger, never been robbed, never even felt true pain.

The bountiful forest had always provided everything they needed. Everything in this world had been on their side.

Now, it was time for them to pay the price.

The wrath of those who had swallowed an eternity of suffering would now tear their tranquil forest apart.

“You cannot imagine how long we have waited for this day.”

An even fiercer energy burst from Munaref’s eyes. Without pause, he pressed his attacks on the Elders.

There was no need to hold back. All they had to do was keep the Elders occupied.

The rest would be swept away on their own.

Boom! Boom! Boooom!

The other priests, just like Munaref, unleashed their power without restraint. The Elf Elders could barely hold their ground.

Kuwaaaaa!

Kraaaaah!

At the roar of Grakkash, the Great Chieftain of the Red Fang Tribe, all the orcs answered in unison.

As a race of warriors, the orcs charged the elves with reckless abandon.

Countless orcs were struck down by elf arrows and the attacks of spirits, but the orcs never stopped.

“Fire! Keep firing!”

The elves fired arrows imbued with light without rest toward the oncoming orcs. Spirits surged forth in multiple places, breaking apart the orc formations.

But the orc assault was relentless, like an unending wave.

Crash! Boom!

An orc, mounted atop a brutter, rammed into a tree, shattering its thick trunk into splinters. Several elves stationed on the tree were flung off along with it.

Each elf who hit the ground was immediately swarmed by multiple orcs, who hacked away with their axes without mercy.

Believing in their numerical advantage, the orcs charged like madmen. Even fighting alongside spirits, the elves struggled to fend off the orcs’ ferocious attacks.

Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!

Elves fell one after another, blood splattering across the battlefield. The earth turned red with blood, and the spirits of the forest wept in sorrow.

Yet the elves did not retreat. As guardians of the forest, they were determined to fulfill their duty.

Not that the orcs had it easy either. Their mindless charges caused them to suffer even heavier losses than the elves.

Thooooom!

Every time an Ent swung its massive arm, orcs were flattened in droves. The gigantic branches became clubs, and roots wrapped around orcs like chains.

Ooooooooh…

Boom! Booom! Boom!

The orcs let out savage cries as dozens swarmed a single Ent, hacking away with their axes. But they couldn’t easily pierce the Ent’s hardened outer shell.

The towering Ents were shields of the forest by their very presence alone. With a single swing of an Ent’s arm, dozens of orcs were crushed.

Kraaaaah!

“Aaaaaargh!”

The battlefield had now turned to madness. The elves, like the orcs, bled and screamed as they plunged deeper into the frenzied melee.

The noble guardians of the forest were now slashing and tearing at their enemies like beasts.

Among them, one elf stood out with unparalleled combat prowess.

Fwoooosh!

The Fire Spirit summoned by Ereneth whirled through the orcs like a storm.

Wherever the flames burst, scarlet fire licked across the earth. The fire that devoured everything dyed the battlefield in crimson.

Her eyes also blazed with fury. At the same time, tears streamed endlessly down her face.

‘So, this is war.’

Facing the horrors of war for the first time, Ereneth realized how childish her desire to distinguish herself in battle had been.

And she now understood why the elves never fought for anything but to protect themselves.

Boom! Boom! Booom!

“Aaaargh!”

Her kin were being torn apart, blown to pieces, and dying all around her.

Hell wasn’t some other place. This was hell. A world without war would have been better.

But reality didn’t bend to her will. She hated herself for not being strong enough to end this war.

Fire Spirits continued to be summoned around Ereneth without pause.

Her breath came in gasps, but she didn’t stop.

Rather, she drew more energy from within the flames and hurled herself into battle even more fiercely.

“Flames that burn eternally! Devour those who have defiled this forest!”

At her gesture, the spirit transformed into a massive blaze and surged toward the orcs.

Kwooooom!

Dozens of orcs were instantly turned to ash. Ereneth spared no energy.

She couldn’t control her power properly. She simply surrendered to her rage and poured out all the energy she had.

The flow of her energy grew wild and unstable, and the flames made of spirits became increasingly immense.

Even the spirits responded to her emotions, growing uncontrollable.

And when those emotions and her power reached their limit—

“Aaaaaargh!”

With a scream and tears of blood, Ereneth summoned a high-ranking Fire Spirit.

Fwoooosh!

What appeared in midair was a massive lizard wreathed in flames. Following Ereneth’s will, it opened its jaws toward the orcs.

Kwooooom!

A storm of intense flame erupted toward the orcs. Hundreds of orcs were instantly engulfed and reduced to ashes.

Ereneth crushed the orcs more fiercely and mercilessly than anyone else.

She unleashed her power without hesitation, as if she didn’t care whether she died here or not.

At that moment, Ereneth was neither an elf nor a spirit-wielder.

She was simply the embodiment of fire, consumed by wrath.

Kwooooom!

The ground split, and heat surged skyward, staining the heavens red. The area around Ereneth had become nothing short of hell. Nothing remained.

Watching this, Ilaniel wore a sorrowful expression.

‘Ereneth……’

She could clearly feel all that Ereneth was losing. Her harmony with nature had collapsed, and her soul was being devoured by fire-like rage.

Elves were originally beings of harmony with nature. Emotions were meant to be governed with serenity, and power should be restrained.

Communion with spirits was a sacred ritual formed within such harmony.

But Ereneth had shattered that harmony herself. She had transcended her limits by surrendering to rage, but her mind would break down all the faster in return.

‘It’s not your fault.’

Ilaniel did not blame her.

Not just Ereneth every elf present here was undergoing the same change.

How many could stay calm and composed after seeing their forest trampled and their friends fall bleeding?

Even for elves, it was a torment too cruel to endure.

Ilaniel turned her head and scanned the surroundings.

‘Are we truly falling like this?’

The Elders were locked down by the priests of the Salvation Church, and the orcs kept pouring in.

Had that been the only problem, they might have managed a balanced fight. But the real issue lay elsewhere.

Sssssss……

The scent of death wafted up like smoke, and the stench of rot spread across the blighted land.

Sinister black mages hid behind the orcs, spewing curses without pause and corrupting the forest.

The life of the forest was withering away. The cursed energy spread, devouring elves and orcs alike without discrimination.

Elves struck by dark magic began to collapse one by one. With no one to block the black magic, the damage only grew.

“Khehehe… What pure air this is.”

The black mages were delighted. It felt like this place existed solely for them.

So much death! With every breath, the mana of death filled their lungs to the core.

They fed on that power and slowly drenched the entire forest in death.

And finally—

Scccrrraaa…

From the land of death, corpses that had stopped moving began to twitch.

Orc corpses rose. Elf corpses rose. They began to walk slowly toward the elves still fighting.

Though their combat ability was weak, that didn’t matter.

“Ahhh…”

The elves wept.

What they saw was a friend who had once hunted by their side.

What they saw was a friend who had once sung with them.

Those very friends were now… reaching out with cursed, undead hands.

When an elf dies, their soul is meant to return to the embrace of the World Tree. But those who became undead were trapped in an eternal cycle of curses.

The tears wouldn’t stop. Elves who had never endured such horrors were beginning to collapse mentally.

“Kihihihihit!”

The black mages burst into mocking laughter at the sight.

On a battlefield stained with blood and fire, even despair melted into death.

Ilaniel raised her hand. Along her arm, vines intertwined to form a massive bow.

Elven Serenade.

A decisive weapon that only the Great Chieftain of the Elves could wield had finally revealed itself.

There had been a reason why the strongest elf had not joined the battle until now.

Far off in the distance, a darkness was watching her.

That darkness paid no attention to anything else on the battlefield, it focused solely on her.

Because of that, she couldn’t move. If even a bit of her power faltered, that darkness would immediately descend upon this place.

They could both sense each other’s strength. That was why neither of them could act.

However—

‘I have no choice…….’

That darkness wouldn’t care if all her allies died. If it could take her down, then the war would be their victory.

But Ilaniel couldn’t accept that.

She couldn’t stand by and watch elves die. She couldn’t abandon those whose souls were now trapped and screaming.

That was why she slowly drew the invisible bowstring.

Fwaaaaa……

A radiant emerald light gathered on the bowstring. Soon, eight arrows of light began to take shape.

There were eight black mages. Each of them was powerful around the level of a 6th-circle mage.

‘I must pierce and kill them all in one shot.’

Ilaniel focused her mind and gathered immense energy. She knew the darkness was waiting for any opening, but to eliminate the black mages in one strike, she had no choice.

Just as she gathered her strength, she suddenly hesitated and looked up at the sky.

Until that moment, the black mages had been laughing joyfully.

“Khehehe… Die, more, more!”

“Must be elves, huh? Your souls are so pure. Absolutely delicious.”

“Be my minions forever and writhe in pain. Huhuhuhu……”

As the black mages continued spreading death, cultivating the land of decay—

A voice rang out from the sky, out of nowhere.

“You’re bastards worthy of divine punishment.”

“…?”

“Take it. Divine judgment.”

BOOM!

Suddenly, the blackened sky split apart, and a blinding flash of light struck the ground.

One of the black mages was hit directly and exploded before they could even scream.

“Wh-Wh-What the hell?!”

The remaining black mages hastily gathered all their mana to deploy shields. But countless bolts of lightning immediately rained down on the battlefield.

CRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKBOOM!

The lightning poured like a downpour.

At a glance, it seemed random but its movement was precise and deliberate.

Dozens, hundreds of bolts struck only the orcs.

Kraaaaagh!

BOOM! BAM! KRAK!

Explosions erupted across the battlefield.

One bolt shattered the earth.

Another incinerated an entire orc unit.

A third swept away undead, leaving no trace behind.

And then, the largest bolt of all fell upon the center of the battlefield.

KRAKOOOOM!

For a moment, silence blanketed the battlefield.

Even the orcs, who had been consumed by madness, stopped fighting and recoiled in shock at the sudden onslaught.

The priests of the Salvation Church, who had been battling the Elders, also flinched and retreated in surprise.

The surviving black mages were busy scrambling away.

All eyes turned toward the center of the battlefield.

A man emerged amidst the blue lightning Ghislain, smiling with a staff slung over his shoulder.

“Behold, my entrance.”

“……”

Everyone stared at Ghislain with dazed expressions. Even the battle-crazed orcs were no exception.

He had appeared so abruptly and unleashed such overwhelming force, it was no wonder they were stunned.

Unbothered by the reactions, Ghislain glanced around and took a deep breath.

“…Hah, what a complete mess this place is.”

A crooked smile lifted the corner of his mouth.

This place suited the dead far more than the living.

The air was thick with the aura of death. It was truly a land of death, created by black mages who had sacrificed the life of the forest to fuel it.

No proper living creature could survive here. Any normal being would have to constantly fight off the invading death energy.

But the black mages and undead could endlessly replenish their strength and continue fighting.

They had likely intended to corrupt the forest and turn it into a battlefield that favored them.

For the living, it was hell. But for the dead, it was a sanctuary and a stage.

“But there’s no rule that says only you get to use this land.”

Ghislain snapped his fingers.

Tap.

With a soft click, a black aura surged from beneath his feet like a storm.

FWOOOOOSH!

Black mist erupted, swallowing the ground, slowly gathering, and taking form.

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

Like the drums of hell, heavy footsteps echoed.

Waves of darkness flowed over their dense black armor.

Steel harder than iron. Darkness deeper than night.

Inside their helmets, red flames burned like the fires of hell.

Their black capes fluttered without wind, and the massive great-swords they held trembled with ancient grudges.

They stood in lines, perfectly aligned, not moving an inch, eyes locked forward.

As though awaiting a command.

Ghislain slowly raised his hand, then spoke in a cold voice.

“Let’s clean up the battlefield. Time to show them who truly commands death.”

As soon as those words fell—

KRAAAAAANG!

One hundred Death Knights raised their swords in unison atop the blackened land.

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