Chapter 24: Underground City (Arc :The Centennial Battle of Newlaphaine and Lanxter)

Crusadia team rode away from the Sandx kingdom, they headed in the direction that would reach the Newlaphaine kingdom. Little did they know there was a creature in the sand following them. In front of the steppe fields and magnificent mountains of the elven kingdom, Eva said:

"We're almost there, let's go."

Julia told Elastor:

"Hey, you're going home soon."

Elastor replied:

"Yeah, I'm a bit nervous when I get there."

Julia said:

"Don't worry, going back to your hometown is fine."

Suddenly the sand on their feet shook, Zed said:

"There's something under the sand."

Suddenly monsters jumped up from the sand and surrounded them. They were monsters whose bodies were made of black tree roots that entwined together to create their bodies. Thorns grow abundantly on the back, chest, arms and legs. Their head was like a dog, the body was like a gorilla with sharp claws, the legs of a wolf, and their tail was a ball of spikes. The monsters surrounded the Crusadia team but they didn't attack them. Team Crusadia dismounted and summoned their weapons. Zed said:

"Where did they come from?"

Elastor replied:

"Not the monsters of the Sandx kingdom, but the Lanxter kingdom."

Zed said:

"Damn it, Lanxter Kingdom?"

Suddenly the Dark Elves flew up on their bat wings, Zed said:

"Damn it, Dark Elf. Are they here to arrest us?"

Eva said:

"I don't know, but they certainly don't mean well. Let's defeat them."

Dark Elf soldiers rushed to attack them. Zed and Elastor said together:

"The Knight!/The Star!"

The Knight and The Star were summoned and they roared. Elastor said:

"The Star, merge with my sword."

The Star merged with the Volt greatsword to create the Star greatsword. Elastor fired lightning from his greatsword at the monsters. Suddenly a Dark Elf rushed forward and shouted:

"Don't try to do that."

He blocked the lightning and sliced ​​it in half. The smoke drifted away and revealed a Dark Elf warrior different from normal soldiers with amethyst armor. Elastor said:

"My thunder, who are you?"

The Dark Elf warrior replied:

"The Prince of Lanxter, Grim Yus. And I am here to arrest you."

Prince Grim Yus was the prince of the Lanxter kingdom his hair was black and in a ponytail, he had gray and pale skin, his eyes were purple and glowed in the dark. In Grim's hand is the Nightmare Sword Hollow (It was a cutlass sword with a straight blade and serrations on the blade, the blade was black and engraved with the ancient characters of the Dark Elf, the hilt had no guard and had a chain attached to his hand). Elastor said:

"Prince? So you are the son of Halazar Yus."

Grim replied:

"That's right. Hmm, an Elf who lives outside the Newlaphaine kingdom? That's a bit rare."

Elastor rushed forward and swung his sword at Grim, who said:

"I haven't finished talking yet."

Grim swung his sword back and parried Elastor's blow. Elastor continued to slash wildly at Grim, he repeatedly backed down to dodge the slashes. While Elastor was fighting Grim, Zed, Eva and Julia were also fighting Dark Elf monsters and soldiers. Zed swung his sword and launched a sand tornado at the Dark Elves. The Dark Elves quickly dodged and charged at Zed with their spears. The Knight launched a beam of darkness from its mouth and destroyed several soldiers. A monster lunged at The Knight but the wolf whipped its tail in the face and destroyed its head. The monster lay down, but after a while the roots on its body grew back and created a new head. Zed said:

"What is this thing?"

Eva replied:

"Let me try."

Eva created a big arrow of light and fired it at the monster that had just recovered. The arrow destroyed most of the monster's chest and left hand but it was slowly recovering. Eva said:

"It's still recovering."

Another monster lunged at Eva's back, but Zed swung his sword in time and sliced ​​it in half. Zed said:

"Then all of its body must be destroyed. The Knight, merge into my sword."

The Knight merged with the Returner sword to create the Devil Wolf sword. Zed dashed forward swinging his sword and unleashing a dark slash at a monster. The dark slash destroyed a monster and actually destroyed it. Zed said:

"Great."

Zed rushed forward and used his dark blade to destroy the monsters. The Dark Elf soldiers fought Julia. Julia opened the air holes in the Mega gauntlet and punched the enemy hard. She continued to punch flying punches through the air at the flying people and killed several people. Eva shot arrows at the monsters, arrows of light burning their roots and destroying them. Elastor had launched lightning at Grim, but he held his sword horizontally to block the lightning. Grim smiled monstrously and said:

"The Predator!"

The Predator was summoned, it was a hyena and Grim's Smoke Elemental. The Predator released smoke from the fur and blinded Elastor. Elastor stopped his lightning and got caught in a large cloud of smoke, he said:

"Grim! where are you?"

Elastor felt someone moving behind him so he immediately swung his greatsword behind him. But no one was there. Grim said in a ghostly voice in the smoke:

"Hmm, why did you attack me when we first met? We don't know each other yet?"

Elastor replied:

"Because I hate your father, he killed my parents from a young age. I will kill you and then I will kill him!"

Elastor seemed to have lost his cool, intelligent, and serious demeanor in the frequent combat and that was self-angry and vindictive. Elastor fired lightning around in the smoke but couldn't hit Grim, he seemed to blend into the smoke. Grim suddenly appeared out of nowhere and slashed at Elastor's back and then flew back into the smoke. Elastor slashed wildly at everything but Grim kept appearing and slashing at Elastor all of a sudden. Elastor could not resist and was seriously injured. Grim appeared and slashed at Elastor's chest, he spat out blood and lay down. Volt greatsword and The Star disappeared. Grim smiled and said:

"Too weak. You still have a long way to go if you want to confront me."

The smoke faded away and Grim pulled Elastor's feet closer to everyone. Julia saw that Elastor was defeated, she said:

"Elastor!"

Zed was being held back by many Dark Elves, he said:

"What? Is that bastard defeated?"

Eva pointed an arrow at Grim, but he raised Elastor's body to shield him. Eva said:

"Damn it, let go of Elastor."

Grim replied:

"Then draw your weapons first, and then I will spare him."

Zed, Eva and Julia immediately drew their weapons, Eva said:

"We did what you said, now let go of Elastor."

Grim replied:

"Okay. My mission to capture you is done. Chain them up."

Grim looked at Julia with sinister eyes as if he intended to target her. Team Crusadia was chained and brought back to the Lanxter kingdom on the backs of monsters. While moving, Eva said to Grim:

"How do you know our position? King Halazar ordered you?"

Grim replied:

"No, but by someone more powerful."

Eva wondered:

"Who is that person?"

They went to Lanxter kingdom, the kingdom of the Dark Elves. And the place they needed to go through first was the Forest of Nightmares, it was a dark forest with tall thorny trees. These thorny trees harbored darkness and evil within, nourished by the negativity of the Highland Continent and never stopped expanding. They entered the Forest of Nightmares and entered Lanxter kingdom. Eva and Julia looked at the forest and were very scared and worried, Eva said:

"I feel so heavy and breathless being in this forest. It's stressful and haunting."

Julia had the feeling she saw souls suffering from eternal pain in the Forest of Nightmares, they looked like living but dead souls, losing their freedom. Zed kicked Elastor in the back, causing him pain and waking him up. Elastor said:

"What's going on? Oh it hurts."

Zed replied:

"It's me you idiot. You're too reckless to face an enemy you don't even know yet."

Elastor said:

"I don't know anything about him but I know I have to confront him. He's the Dark Elf prince, son of the person I've always hated."

Zed replied:

"I see, I know Halazar killed your parents but it's not yet time. You're not strong enough to face Grim, how can you confront Halazar."

Elastor said:

"Now or never."

They reached the only black mountain in Lanxter kingdom and descended into a large cave there. Going down that pitch-black tunnel, they reached Lanxter city, the underground city of the Dark Elves. The ancestors of the Dark Elves were ordinary Elves but became greedy and cruel by dark magic. They worshiped dark magic and unknowingly created the Nightmare Tree and from it the Forest of Nightmares was created. Dark Elves had long lived underground to avoid the sun from damaging their skin. They built an underground city and built with amethyst here. The war between the Lanxter kingdom and the kingdom of Newlaphaine is still ongoing but in a state of peace. The houses were built on amethyst and were built with the roots of the thorny trees of the Forest of Nightmare. People here were very quiet and rarely talked to each other even as neighbors. They raised cattle underground and ate meat mainly. Lanxter castle was built with amethyst and the strongest roots creating a magnificent and nightmarish castle by dark magic and behind it there was a giant thorny tree with darkness on every branch. They walked in the middle of the amethyst road with a lot of people's gazes on Crusadia team. Grim brought Crusadia team down to the castle's dungeon. He put them in a cell, Zed and Eva in one and Elastor and Julia in one. Grim said:

"Just wait here. I'll tell my father and I'll bring you up to him."

Grim left, leaving the Dark Elves to watch over them. Elastor was bandaged by Julia, she said:

"You're strange today, you immediately fought the Dark Elf prince without a second thought."

Elastor replied:

"It's because I'm so egotistical. I thought I could fight him, but I didn't."

Julia said:

"No, it's not because you're so egotistical, it's more like you have a grudge against him."

Elastor lay down and replied:

"Don't worry, I'm going to bed."

Julia said:

"Hey, answer me."

Returning to Zed, he summoned the Returner sword and swung it into the bars. But his slash didn't hurt it. Zed said:

"Weird, why isn't it harmed?"

Zed slashed at the iron bar repeatedly but couldn't do anything. Suddenly Zed knelt down and vomited, Eva picked him up and said:

"Zed, what's wrong with you?"

Zed replied:

"It's a strange feeling, my dark power is slowly being drained. Rather, this whole cell is draining my power."

One soldier out there said:

"This cell is built from the roots of the thorny trees of the Forest of Nightmare, which will drain the prisoners's power to weaken them. You can't use your powers or do any harm to this cell."

Zed said angrily:

"Damn it, we can't just sit here. You know you can't convince the old king of Lanxter. Hey! Elastor, don't just sit there and try to think a plan."

Elastor replied:

"I'm sleeping, don't disturb."

Zed said:

"Dammit!"

Then he vomited again, Eva said:

"I told you not to try too hard."

Julia said to Elastor:

"Sometimes I really hate you."

Elastor replied:

"Ok. Be careful with Grim, he's got something on us. Since he was sent to capture us by Halazar that means Halazar is targeting Eva. We could be tortured or kill by him because we are only followers of Eva. So we must always be together, no one separated from each other."

Everyone nodded and the four soldiers guarding them thought to themselves:

"Have they forgotten our existence?"

Suddenly there was loud laughter in the cell next to Elastor and Julia's cell. Four of them thought to themselves:

"This laugh. It just might be."

Four of them said loudly:

"ALATA!"

Alata sat laughing next to Elastor and Julia's cell, he laughed like a madman. Elastor said:

"Alata, is that you?"

Alata replied:

"It's me. Hahaha, it's fun."

Elastor said:

"Why are you here? I brought you back to Gloria kingdom."

Alata replied:

"Yes, but you think tying me down means I can't get out. I had to follow you to kill you, but in the end I was brought here by the Dark Elves. They must think I'm your friend. "

Zed said:

"Oh great, the author's writing is so bad that he forced Alata to live on to do nothing and annoy us."

Alata replied:

"Meet my new friend, Skeletor."

Elastor said:

"Zed, tell me Skeletor is a madman because of Alata's madness."

Zed replied:

"Uhmm, no. Skeletor is a real skeleton."

Elastor said:

"Dammit."

Eva replied:

"Come on he's not doing anything. He's in his cell alone, it's good to have a friend."

Zed said:

"It's a skeleton."

Julia replied:

"Then let's stop bullying Alata, he's so nice that he didn't kill us in our sleep."

Alata said to Skeletor:

"Skeletor, say hello to everyone."

Alata opened and closed Skeletor's jaw and pretended to be Skeletor saying:

"Hello everyone, I'm Skeletor, Alata's best friend."

Alata replied:

"Oh I love you Skeletor. Hahaha."

Zed and Elastor said together:

"God dammit!"

And they sat there and talked to each other. Meanwhile the four soldiers guarding them thought to themselves:

"They literally forgot about our existence."

After a while, Grim returned and saw his four soldiers tired and headache from the five of them, he wondered:

"What happened here?"

Grim stood in front of Zed and Eva's cell and said:

"Time to go, my father wants to see you. Soldiers, take them away."

They opened the cage and chained Crusadia team and took them with Grim up to the castle's Throne Room. Alata silently took the key to a soldier's cell, he said:

"Let's go."

Grim brought Crusadia team up to the castle's Throne Room. Entering the Throne Room, King Halazar was sitting on the throne and dark power in his back transmitting to the Nightmare Tree. Halazar said:

"Princess Eva, welcome to my kingdom."

Eva replied:

"King Halazar, why did you bring us here?"

Halazar said:

"It's not my order, it's his."

Suddenly the door of the Throne Room opened again and it was Urizen and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse who entered. Eva turned around and saw Urizen, she worriedly said:

"U..Urizen? Why are you here?"

Urizen replied:

"Isn't it obvious, I'm here to arrest you. Thank you King Halazar for helping me capture them."

Halazar said:

"It's okay, our kingdoms have already become an alliance after all."

Eva replied:

"What? You've reached an agreement."

Urizen said:

"That's right Eva, King Halazar has already formed an alliance with me. Only the kingdom of Newlaphaine remains undecided."

Halazar replied:

"Then Urizen, they're yours."

Urizen bowed to Halazar and said:

"Soldiers, bring Eva to my room. And you guys can do whatever you want with the other three."

Zed replied:

"Damn it. The Knight!"

The Knight was summoned, it repelled the soldiers and broke Zed's chains. Zed stood up and summoned the Returner sword, he said:

"Don't try to confront me."

Halazar replied:

"Stand there."

Halazar launched darkness at Zed, he slowly absorbed his darkness but he stood up and said:

"You give me darkness? Wonderful."

Suddenly Zed fell to his knees and vomited, The Knight withdrew and Zed said:

"Damn it, my darkness runs out too fast."

Halazar replied:

"Never confront my dark magic. Even though you are a user of darkness like me, whose darkness is stronger will decide."

Zack said to Zed:

"Come on, I'll kill you soon."

Reaper grabbed Elastor by the neck and said:

"Alata, where is my son? You killed him, didn't you?"

Elastor replied:

"He returned to Gloria Kingdom."

Reaper summoned the Whisper scythe and raised it to cut off Elastor's head. But Exos immediately stopped the Reaper with Space halberd that placed it on Reaper's neck and looked him in the eyes. Reaper said:

"This is my private matter, not yours."

Exos was silent, his deep and mysterious gaze rendered Reaper speechless. He put down his weapon and said:

"Take him with me. And you too, you whore."

Reaper looked at Julia with eyes burning with hatred. But Grim took Julia's hand and said:

"Sorry, but she'll follow me."

Julia replied:

"What?"

Reaper said:

"You brat, you dare..."

Urizen replied:

"Stop it Reaper, you're ruining our image here. Prince Grim captured them from the Sandx kingdom so he should have a reward too."

Reaper got angry and left. Urizen said to Eva:

"Let's have a talk together."

Urizen took Eva, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse took Zed and Elastor, and Grim took Julia. Elastor and Julia looked at each other and said aloud together:

"Julia! Elastor!"

Halazar said ghostly:

"The nightmare is still long. Enjoy it."

Halazar looked at Elastor as if he knew something about him. Elastor was very hostile towards Halazar, he thought to himself:

"I'll wait until I have a chance and then I'll kill you."