Chapter 30: The War (Part 2)

"Everyone, be careful." As Esis pulled out a scroll, several elf mages, sensing the magical fluctuations, shouted loudly. Although they didn't know what kind of scroll it was, the immense and strange magical energy radiating from it was no less powerful than the previous Hellfire spell. "Quick, shoot down that mage!"

The shout immediately drew the attention of everyone, and the hundreds of elf archers around quickly aimed at Esis. The thieves assigned to protect him tightened their grips on their large shields, huddling close together and hiding behind them, not daring to show even a hair. Six large shields quickly formed an impenetrable circular wall, surrounding Esis securely.

Unfortunately, no arrows hit the shields. The elves never shot at shields. These shields, designed to protect against cavalry and archers, were indeed large—close to the size of a door—but unlike a solid rectangle, they were shaped with a pointed triangular tip at the bottom to allow for insertion into the ground to fend off cavalry charges. This shape prevented them from being locked together.

Suddenly, six thieves let out ear-piercing screams. Though they hadn't been injured anywhere else, their feet were riddled with arrows. These six thieves instantly collapsed, shrieking in agony. It wasn't a lack of willpower that caused their fall, but because their legs had lost all ability to stand. The muscles and tendons in their feet had been severed by the arrows. Whenever an elf archer could aim, they aimed for the places where tendons and muscles connected.

Esis collapsed with them, arrows lodged in his legs as well. Fortunately, the other thieves in front of him had absorbed some of the arrows, preventing him from being completely crippled.

As Esis fell, the scroll in his hand was still opened.

The scroll began to glow, and a surge of magical energy poured out from it, flooding the surrounding air. Then, with a loud pop, the scroll disintegrated into a shower of fragments. Everyone could feel a wave of energy brush across their bodies and faces. Many thieves and elves crouched, holding their heads in anticipation of a huge explosion or some other terrifying effect from the scroll.

But nothing happened. There was no explosion, no light, no sound—nothing. The only effect of the scroll seemed to be the brief pause in the battle caused by the surprise of it all.

The elf archers froze for a moment, but then immediately resumed firing. Within an instant, dozens of arrows were released, but these arrows, which should have pierced the air with deadly speed, now seemed like flimsy paper, floating weakly through the air and falling to the ground after flying only a short distance.

The elves were stunned, and some tried to shoot again, but the arrows still flew slowly and fell just as quickly. The elves frantically checked their bows and arrows, but everything seemed in perfect condition—bows tight as ever, arrows intact—but none of their arrows could fly far.

The small wasp-like yellow hornets that had been swarming and causing havoc in the air began falling to the ground as well. Their wings were still flapping, but they couldn't maintain their speed or lift their bodies. In an instant, apart from the few unicorns charging into the thief ranks and the poisonous insects summoned by the elf mages, almost everything else that had been harming the thieves was no longer a threat.

"Magic... art," Esis muttered as he lay on the ground, his legs still impaled by a dozen arrows, sweat pouring down his face, his features contorted in pain. Despite the pain, he couldn't help but groan, though his voice sounded strange, as if muffled by cotton in his throat.

This was a unique spell, one that did not belong to the air magic system. Its vast range was unparalleled by any other magic, and its effect was singular. It didn't cause any damage, nor did it affect people or objects—it only affected the air.

Esis didn't know exactly how it affected the air, or why the air exhibited such properties. He only knew from the scroll's description and the feel of the magical fluctuations that the air around him became denser and oddly viscous. The faster something moved in this air, the greater the resistance and drag it experienced. In other words, any ranged attack within the area of effect of this magic would become completely ineffective.

Hilika, however, wasn't as relaxed or enthralled as Esis. Ever since obtaining these scrolls, his plans had been continuously changing, but all of them revolved around these scrolls. Initially, he had planned to use the scrolls to ambush the elves with the eight recruits he had gathered, but changes in the situation had forced him to rethink. The arrogance of the man had been intolerable, so he decided to have those recruits hold off the elves while he snuck in from another direction, using the scroll to wipe out the gathered elves. However, for some reason, the elves hadn't been distracted by the battle in the other direction. His planned ambush had turned into a direct confrontation.

The combat ability and quick reactions of the elves had completely made him abandon the idea of fully occupying Turaleone. The key now was that he had no choice but to use the scroll here.

The scroll was his trump card, the foundation of his plan to conquer Turaleone. Even if the attack wasn't going well, it was his means of escape. But using it so early and so quickly meant that his actions were reaching their conclusion. There was no longer any point in looking for the item his employer had entrusted him to find, and he had to abandon his original plan of killing that man to take advantage of the situation.

The elves were not panicking. By this time, there were already twenty to thirty elf mages surrounding the thieves. The elf mages were focused on chanting their spells. The grass on the ground grew wildly, quickly transforming into thorny vines that wrapped around a thief, strangling him to death.

Poisonous insects emerged from the grass and trees in even greater numbers and sizes. As the number of elf mages chanting spells increased, these creatures became more frenzied, surging towards the thieves like they were feasting on long-lost delicacies, emitting sharp, excited squeals.

The thieves, terrified of being bitten by these obviously lethal insects, fought desperately to avoid contact. But this left them overwhelmed. One thief was bitten on the foot by a massive centipede with alternating green and blue hues. He let out a piercing scream—not from pain, but from sheer terror. His leg immediately lost all sensation, swelling grotesquely to the size of his waist.

A quick-thinking companion swung a large blade, severing the infected limb in one swift motion. Blood sprayed everywhere—not just red, but mixed with the same green and blue hues as the centipede.

The vibrant, colorful blood splashed onto the helper's hands. His scream was even more gut-wrenching than the first. Boils erupted on his skin as if his hand had been plunged into boiling water.

The elf mages continued their chants. Under their magic, a dozen trees came to life, preparing to transform into giant withered treants. Meanwhile, more unicorns joined the fray. These horned beasts were even more fearsome than lions or tigers, requiring at least ten thieves to subdue one. The slight reprieve the thieves had gained from the first scroll's effects vanished in an instant.

But at that moment, Esis, still lying on the ground, took out a second scroll under Hilika's signal.

If the first scroll had shocked the elf mages, the sight of the second one struck fear into their hearts. The immense magical aura radiating decay, darkness, and destruction instinctively repelled them. Two elf mages shouted urgently, "Fall back for now!"

However, the thickened air from the first scroll slowed everyone's movements. Before they could retreat more than a few steps, Esis had already unfurled the second scroll.

The scroll in Esis' hands seemed to transform into a peculiar Klein bottle or a magical fountain, continuously releasing waves of black magic that spilled forth. These dark waves quickly spread across the ground, coating an area nearly a hundred meters in radius in a layer of blackness.

The once-frenzied poisonous insects that had been swarming the thieves fell limp upon contact with the black waves, dropping to the ground and shrinking to their original forms before disintegrating into ash. Even the newly-formed deadwood guards began to wither and decay. Elves caught within the blackened zone collapsed in agony, writhing weakly as they tried to crawl out of the area.

The elf mages suffered the most. Only five or six of them could barely muster enough energy to cast protective green glows over themselves, but they staggered and stumbled. Most spat blood and fell to the ground, convulsing. The dark waves disrupted their innate magical properties, rendering their mana chaotic and useless.

Only the unicorns managed to endure, though they grew increasingly agitated as they stomped on the blackened ground, desperate to break free from the thieves' encirclement.

Under the black waves, the grass visibly withered, and all life in the area slowly drained away, succumbing to decay.

The thieves, though uncomfortable—feeling as if they had swallowed foul sewer water and with their heads stuffed with rotting meat—were in much better condition than the elves. The dark magic had limited effects on regular humans, and Hilika had prepared them in advance. Each thief wore a piece of decayed meat around their necks and had consumed a small chunk beforehand.

The one unaffected was Hilika himself. His body emitted a glowing red battle aura, making him completely immune to the dark magic's effects. He had known these two scrolls were tailored to deal with elves, but he hadn't expected them to be so effective, so immediate. The fallen elves were treasures in his eyes. He shouted to his men, "Round them up! Grab the pretty ones first!"

The thieves swarmed forward, pouncing on the incapacitated elves. Each thief carried ropes, tying up the captured elf women in seconds.

"Dark necromancy… These people were sent by servants of the darkness!" an elven elder standing at the edge of the blackened area trembled as he helplessly watched the scene unfold. More elves gathered outside the zone, but they could do nothing. The scroll that thickened the air prevented any effective long-range attacks or spells. The elder turned to another elf. "Quickly! Bring the sacred relic and Elder Lua!"

"Move faster! Two thieves per elf!" Hilika ordered, his gaze fixed on the ever-growing crowd of elves beyond the blackened zone. Though the situation unnerved him, he was confident that the scroll's magic gave them enough time to escape. With the dark zone as a barrier, the pursuing elves would struggle to catch up. Even if he had to sacrifice half his men, he could still flee with dozens of elf women in tow.

Hilika, wielding a bloodied greatsword, didn't bother capturing elves himself. Instead, he focused on eliminating any elf mages still capable of fighting. Approaching a barely-moving elf mage, he swung his sword down, killing the mage in a single blow.

The elves outside the zone cried out in unison. Many wept as they watched their kin being captured or slaughtered, powerless to intervene. This sight was a cruel torment to their pure hearts.

Hilika paid no attention to their cries. Turning back, he killed two more half-dead elf mages. These were threats he couldn't afford during their escape. He barked at Esis, "How long can this magic last?"

"Three hours at most, though the effects will weaken over time." Esis lay on the ground, clutching the glowing scroll. The black magic continued to emanate from it, though he looked utterly drained. "But I don't know how long I can maintain it…"

Relieved to hear they had three hours, Hilika nodded and reassured Esis. "Just hold on. As long as you keep the magic active, I won't abandon you. You'll get your payment."

As Hilika strode toward another struggling elf mage, his bloodied sword at the ready, a sudden, commanding shout rang out: "Stop!"

Despite the altered air distorting the voice, its murderous intent and authority were unmistakable—far beyond anything an elf could produce. Hilika looked up, stunned, his raised sword momentarily forgotten.

Figures continued to rush toward the scene, not just elves but also several humans. Hilika's eyes widened in disbelief as he recognized them, almost suspecting it was an elven illusion.