The War Began 5

"Elder Leynar, is that all you can do? How can you protect the elf race with such half-hearted abilities?" Zayn retorted after delivering a powerful kick to the Elder's body, who was now struggling to stand amidst the large cracks.

He looked towards the visitors, most of whom were now inside the kingdom. He just needed to hold off the figure in front of him a bit longer to ensure they were all safe from the battle area. He then observed the fight between Glok and the others against the large Construct ahead. Some elders had already stepped in to help, while the rest faced the Copperhaven knights.

"Are you underestimating me!?"

Elder Leynar was thrown back again despite using both hands to block Zayn's blow. He had already heard stories about the Copperhaven sword, the figure who had brought down the dwarf race. Now, he understood why they could be defeated despite having incredible machines. The knight before him was as strong as the leader of the heroes. Perhaps even stronger.

"But why have I never heard anything about him?" Elder Leynar thought.

"Focus on the fight!" Zayn stomped his foot, creating a large crack that extended towards the elder, forming a big hole there. But the elder had already jumped to avoid it, enduring Zayn's relentless attacks, seemingly irritated because he was thinking about something else instead of their fight.

Elder Leynar grabbed his wrist, sighing while shaking his head. "I admit you're strong, but unfortunately..." He twisted Zayn's arm to the side, making him scream and then slammed his palm into Zayn's chest, sending him flying several meters back.

Zayn quickly regained his balance, trying to stay upright on both feet and then stretched his body. A haughty smile was evident on his handsome face. "Finally. I can't fight seriously if you don't either, and that would be a waste of time, wouldn't it?" His black eyes lit up with a bright white glow, startling Elder Leynar as he felt a massive mana pressure emanate from Zayn's body.

Every step he took radiated incredible mana that should only be possessed by monsters at the 'Golden Core' level. Elder Leynar knew that if he didn't defeat him today, Zayn would become their greatest threat.

He took a deep breath and as he exhaled, the area was instantly swept by a strong wind. Dark clouds began to gather above, accompanied by the rumble of thunder and flashes of lightning. The battle ahead paused once again, observing the sky that had turned into a raging storm. The elders looked towards Elder Leynar and grinned widely.

"Copperhaven is truly finished now," said Elder Fern.

Lightning gathered directly above him, forming a single large, bright bolt that struck down with such force, the sound was like the sky shattering. The noise was so loud it could be heard throughout the entire kingdom, catching the attention of Ailord, who was speaking with the Commander. He looked over, noticing a massive lightning bolt striking down behind the kingdom, with the system warning him to stay away due to the immense energy levels.

Ailord hoped it was the power of one of the elders and not the Copperhaven knights.

Zayn watched as Elder Leynar's body was enveloped by lightning, forcing him to squint. Once the lightning dissipated, Elder Leynar's body was seen emitting bright blue sparks, with eyes completely transformed into glowing blue light, accompanied by the same electric sparks.

If possible, he did not want to use this power because, besides Elven's Heart, it was the hidden strength of the elves to face extraordinary forces. Unfortunately, the figure in front of him was one of those forces, leaving him no choice.

"I admit, your appearance now is much more frightening, but..." With a single stomp, Zayn appeared in front of him with his fist clenched tightly. But instead of touching his face, the fist simply passed through him, as if striking a mere shadow.

Suddenly, he was thrown forward, feeling a powerful blow to his back. Zayn crashed down, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and standing up. Both his hands were covered in a dark, black aura. Without saying much more, Zayn slammed his right hand into the ground, and the black aura spread rapidly before exploding in front of Elder Leynar.

But of course, such an attack was useless against him, so Zayn continued to slam the ground with his left hand towards where Elder Leynar would appear next. He kept doing this, each explosion startling those fighting ahead, wondering how a human could possess such terrifying power.

Elder Leynar kept dodging with his high speed, leaving behind shadowy images that made Zayn increasingly frustrated because his attacks did not harm the Elder at all. Not only did they not injure him, they didn't even touch him.

Suddenly, Elder Leynar appeared behind him. Zayn had no time to react and was once again hurled forward by a powerful kick, creating several large shockwaves. The ground shattered, forming a deep and long trench that extended to where Zayn now lay after crashing through a line of trees. Thick dust billowed with sparks of electricity still visible on the surface of the trench.

"Zayn!" shouted Veronica, glaring sharply at Elder Leynar. She wanted to attack him, but was stopped by Teena, who delivered a strong kick to her head.

"Don't expect to go help your lover," she said with a wide smile, retaliation for Veronica's earlier interference when she wanted to help Glok.

Veronica growled in anger and charged forward. Three pink energy swords formed, spreading like the claws of a fierce animal, which Teena easily dodged while counterattacking. Three magic circles appeared above, firing fireballs like a meteor shower that exploded, shattered by new energy swords.

Just as she was about to smirk, the three magic circles began firing fireballs again, showing no sign of stopping and forcing Veronica to run, dodging explosion after explosion around her.

"It turns out you're nothing without your Constructs, yet I hoped you would be much better than this," challenged Teena, who had created three more magic circles, pressing the knight who could only continue to run and dodge like a mouse in a cage. She wouldn't be able to escape the confinement she had created, one of the abilities she had discovered while studying at the academy to restrict the opponent's movement.

Teena was someone who had reached the fourth level in the academy competitions and was known as the 'Magic Queen', a title for those who had mastered every element to a high level. Someone who ranked just below the members of the heroes, the 'Mage Empress.'

Veronica clicked her tongue in frustration, not expecting her to be much stronger than she was back at the academy. If only they had known that Glok and his companions would be here, they could have prepared something. Moreover, why did the leaders change the plan without informing them?

"Those damn old folks!"

A pink aura emanated from the knight's body, startling Teena, who immediately increased the power of each magic circle because her opponent's mana level had skyrocketed, especially after Veronica stared at her with a pair of glowing pink eyes, as if she had become someone else.

No longer avoiding each fireball, she instead charged forward, disregarding the fireballs directed at her. The explosions did not slow her down at all; in fact, she only sped up until she successfully grabbed the goblin's neck.

Teena didn't expect her to penetrate through her defensive magic circles, leaving them shattered. She retaliated by gripping both arms in front of her, trying to pull them away from her neck. However, somehow, the knight became several times stronger than before, while oxygen continued to deplete until her lungs felt like they were burning, her vision starting to blur.

"How about that, hmm? Are we living up to your expectations?" Veronica strengthened her grip, watching the goblin struggle to breathe. Tears began to form there, making her grin widely, eagerly anticipating the goblin's face when it finally met its end.

However, Teena smiled triumphantly.

Veronica's grip weakened, and she immediately leaped to the side. But pain shot through her left side, where there was a long, sharp ice block piercing through. She gritted her teeth, trying to endure the pain while channeling healing magic into the wound.

"Living up to it? You're still far from what I hoped for," Teena replied, holding her now red neck. She hoped it wouldn't leave a mark, or Glok would lose control once he saw it.

Not far ahead, Glok again pushed the Construct's hand backward and quickly used his sword to support his body. The crease on his forehead deepened, feeling mana depleting rapidly from his body every time he attacked or defended against the Construct. If this continued, they would still lose despite their efforts.

He looked around, wanting to ask for help, but they were all busy with their own fights.

"Damn it, how do I destroy this damn Construct?"

In less than three seconds, the Construct was suddenly thrown backward by something. The fight instantly stopped, everyone looking towards the thick smoke ahead, slowly dissipating, revealing another, larger Construct. But, instead of being a reinforcement, it was a projectile that had successfully destroyed both Constructs. Mana spread out from within, indicating that the Mana Stones of both Constructs had been shattered.

'It seems like my hope has been fulfilled' Glok thought, laughing nervously, unsure of what could have done this. His eyes widened suddenly, realizing something, and at the same time, something landed not far behind.