Chapter 243: Madness, Adoration, and Truth (5)

When Rosalyn said that each should take care of an enemy, the first to react was the Dark Elf Tasha.

"My turn has come."

"Ha!"

Elf Peterson looked at Tasha with contempt.

"How dare you, a Dark Elf, try to challenge me..."

Then, he frowned and asked.

"Who are you?"

"Peterson."

But it wasn't the enemy who cut off his words, it was his ally.

The red-haired woman, Lingling. She said with a mischievous tone.

"Why does that matter?"

"Eh?"

Lingling looked at Peterson with a puzzled face and grinned widely.

"Anyway, that's something you can hear after finishing. The important thing now is not to chat."

Brrr!

The air around her trembled.

"Fight!"

As if it were a very simple response, she asked the enemies.

"Right?"

"Yes."

Rosalyn responded to those words. Furthermore, she looked at the elf and said to her allies.

"I'll take care of this person."

A smile formed on Rosalyn's lips.

Swish~

The energy surrounding Lingling was mana.

"Despite being an elf, she's a mage. Interesting."

An Elven Mage.

Rosalyn wanted to fight Lingling.

And Witira, who was silent, spoke up.

"Can you handle it alone?"

Witira realized by seeing the three Elves in front of her.

The strongest was Lingling.

It would be difficult for Rosalyn to handle her.

"If I can."

Rosalyn calmly responded. Even though Witira was still worried, she stayed quiet after hearing Rosalyn's response.

"I know."

Witira had no intention of stopping Rosalyn, who already knew everything and was willing to face Lingling alone. On the contrary, she respected her for it. Therefore,

"You and I will have to fight together."

In a 3 vs. 3 situation, Witira was the first one to take action.

Chrrrr...

In her hands, a giant water whip appeared.

'Witira-nim. They say the three elves are at Dragon level.'

Witiira, recalling the information through Rosalyn, made a decision.

'In any case--'

I will strike first.

"Hmm."

A brief sigh escaped from Elf Yanni's lips at the sudden attack.

But the huge whip was already crashing down on her.

Bang!

Not only where Yanni was, but also where Peterson and Lingling were, snow and earth were thrown into the air.

"Chrrr-!"

Witira retracted the whip immediately.

The place where the whip had passed was torn and sunken, like a tree struck by lightning.

But Witira's gaze wasn't there.

"Are you someone from the Whale Tribe?"

Plop.

Dodging the attack, Yanni descended to the ground. Her hand touched the exposed ground after the whip cleared the earth.

"You also look like a Humpback Whale."

"It's the first time someone guessed my identity so accurately."

When Witira laughed like she was having a great time, Yanni stayed calm and unfazed.

"With so much snow around, it will also be beneficial for you."

"Haha. You know that too?"

Witira, who smiled with a relaxed expression, soon tightened the hand holding the whip.

She felt it.

'It's coming.'

From beneath the ground.

Rumble-!

The earth shook.

And Yanni separated from the ground.

No, she rose with the earth in her hand.

In her hand, the earth had piled up in the shape of a sword.

"Wow."

And Witira's smile disappeared.

Thump!

In the moment the ground shook, Witira jumped into the air.

Baang!

The earth split open. To be precise, a huge worm appeared and opened its mouth wide.

Witira avoided the worm and landed on the snow.

Kwaaaah!

However, the worm moved directly toward Witira. And Yanni's body also moved.

Tak, tak, tak!

She climbed onto the worm and leaped without hesitation over it. Her blonde hair fluttered in the wind. Yanni's gaze was focused solely on Witira.

"Against a Humpback Whale, negligence is forbidden."

With these words, Yanni's sword, rising from top to bottom, struck the worm's head.

Kwaaah!

Water and earth exploded, mixing together.

Chrrrr...

Swooshhhh...

The water whip grabbed the earth sword, and the earth sword pulled to break the whip. The gazes of Witira and Yanni met. But that brief visual confrontation ended quickly.

Kwaaah!

The earthworm covered the place where Witira was.

Another whip appeared in Witira's hand.

Kwaah!

Water and earth flew again in the air, forming a dust cloud.

When the dust settled a bit.

Thud.

Thump.

Witira and Yanni landed each in a different place.

Witira looked at the whips in her hands and threw them to the ground.

"I shouldn't underestimate you, right?"

Her gaze went directly to her.

Kuuuuuu...

Suddenly, the worm returned to Yanni's side and positioned itself behind her. Its appearance, with half of its body out of the ground, was like that of a knight escort.

Yanni gently stroked the worm's body.

Witira, looking at Yanni, opened her mouth.

"Is it a first-class Earth Elemental?"

"Yes."

Yanni answered sincerely.

The atmosphere between the two was calm, as if they hadn't had a confrontation a moment ago.

But Witira shook her head.

"It's strange."

The tip of her whip pointed at the worm.

"Its energy is impure to be an Elemental."

The worm was clearly made of earth and contained elemental energy within. But something was different.

"It doesn't seem to be a pure Earth Elemental. Right?"

Haah.

A brief sigh escaped from Yanni's lips.

She still had an indifferent expression, but she shook her head with slight amazement.

"It really is someone you shouldn't let your guard down against."

Pat, pat~

Yanni stroked the worm. As if responding, the worm rubbed its large head against Yanni. While Witira observed this, an idea crossed her mind.

'It's of a higher level.'

She had never seen an Elemental King, but it seemed to have the power between an Elemental King and a first-class Elemental.

At that moment, Witira voiced her thoughts aloud.

"It seems like you're forcing a first-class Elemental to become an Elemental King, right?"

And Witira caught it.

Forced...

When she spoke, Yanni's expression shifted.

Krrrr...

And then, a strange groaning sound erupted from the worm's mouth. Eyeless, but it seemed angry, and its head turned toward Witira.

"Did I get it wrong?"

Witira spoke calmly and confidently. In response, Yanni tightened her grip on the sword, looking unfazed.

Kwung...

It was at that moment...

Deep in the earth, when Witira halted at an extremely faint vibration.

Kwaaaaah!

The earth rose. To be precise, the back of the worm rose from where Witira was.

"Ugh!"

Witira, who hastily avoided the attack, momentarily lost her balance.

'How long is this worm really?'

She had no idea. The worm's body was considerably long, and by quickly emerging from the depths of the earth, Witira couldn't detect it in time.

"!"

And in that space, Yanni's sword, rising by stepping on the worm's head, headed toward Witira.

'Hmm.'

A brief sigh seemed to want to escape from Witira's mouth.

Swoosh~

A breeze lifted Witira. Swiftly, she countered the wind and spun gracefully in midair, completing a full rotation.

Swish~

The sword passed by, and Witira wielded her whip.

Kwaaaah!

A roar echoed as the worm emitted a scream. The end of the raised tail of the worm broke, and the broken earth fell to the ground as the worm retracted its tail. Taking advantage of that moment, Witira descended a bit further away from Yanni and the worm.

Yanni looked at Witira and opened her mouth.

"…the power of a Whale is truly amazing."

And then, she was surprised.

"Hahaha."

Witira was smiling.

She ran her hand through her hair and sighed.

"Wow."

And then, she said with a tone of surprise.

"I was distracted."

Even though she said not to let her guard down, she was distracted.

That's why she couldn't resist that attack.

Witira picked up the whip.

And then, looking at Yanni with an indifferent expression, she said in an emotionless tone.

"Thank you."

Someone responded to that.

"You're welcome."

It was Tasha, the Dark Elf.

She was the one who sent the Wind to Witira a moment ago.

Whiiing~

The wind was blowing violently around the Dark Elf Tasha. In her hand, she held a gigantic spear that exceeded her height. Tasha passed by Witira as she spoke.

"The energy of the World Tree flows in the Elementals."

Witira's eyes widened upon hearing that.

'She gave the Elementals the essence of the World Tree!'

A strangely strong Elemental, difficult to detect even for Witira, and the reason behind its extraordinary movements. She now understood the reason.

It was then...

'!'

Witira stopped suddenly. She stared at her empty hands. A chill ran down her arms. Because something unexpected had happened.

"Ssss!"

Witira looked forward.

"...It really is at Dragon level."

The strength that the Dragon Half-Bloods of the Eradication Team had unleashed. An incomparable and gigantic force emanated from the three Elves. The energy of each one was truly comparable to that of a Dragon.

"..."

But there was something strange.

The forces of the three elves were similar. None of the Dragons emitted the same Dragon Fear. All were based on fear, but the feeling was different.

But at this moment, the three elves, although they had slight differences, seemed to grow from the same root, like branches growing from a single trunk.

"It's the energy of the World Tree."

Witiira arrived at the answer.

"You've guessed it correctly."

Yanni spoke casually as she observed Witira.

"We shouldn't let her live."

Tremble...

The earth trembled around her. Yanni manipulated Earth Elementals.

Witira, staring at her, murmured softly.

"The compatibility is not good."

Although everything around her was covered in snow, this place was basically solid ground.

It was earth.

For Witira of the Whale Tribe, Yanni was an enemy not to be underestimated.

"Sigh~"

A deep sigh escaped from Witira's lips. In her hand, there was still no whip. But her still hand moved soon.

Thud.

Her thick coat fell to the ground.

She, in a light shirt, unbuttoned the sleeves.

And she revealed arms full of small scars.

Now she couldn't afford to let her guard down.

"Let's go."

As soon as Yanni's words were spoken, the worm struck the ground.

No, it pierced through.

Kwaaaah...

Like a boat cutting through waves, the earth split following the movement of the worm.

And Yanni climbed onto the worm. As if she had become the captain steering the ship.

And her destination was Witira.

The speed was as fast as a ship under the wind.

"...."

Witira looked at the worm's charge for a moment before looking around.

Whistle~

Swoosh~

There was a place where the wind blew like blades. The wind turned into arrows was being shot.

Clang!

A large whip cut through that wind.

"Urgh!"

But the Dark Elf Tasha recoiled, groaning. Towards her, Elf Peterson shot another arrow.

Whoosh~

The wind arrows kept relentlessly aiming at Tasha. It seemed like he was playing with an already trapped prey. As if he were calculating when to kill her.

Thinking that was the correct answer, Peterson smiled as he aimed his bow.

Witira's attention shifted elsewhere.

"...."

Rosalyn was enveloped in red mana, but she couldn't keep her body upright.

Her legs trembled.

And Lingling, the Elf, looked at her with a smile. The energy emanating from her body was the strongest among the three Elves.

Rosalyn was probably facing a Dragon Fear directly right now.

Although thanks to Cale's aura covering this area she could use magic, unless Cale, inside the tent, came out and distanced Lingling's energy, Rosalyn would have to face that energy directly.

Rosalyn, Tasha.

Both had obtained areas where they could use their full strength. But they were struggling against energies equivalent to a Dragon.

That's why, really...

"How boring."

Those words were followed by Yanni's calm voice.

"So arrogant? So relaxed because you think those from the Whale Tribe are stronger than the Elves?"

Unconsciously, a gigantic worm arrived in front of Witira.

She was still empty-handed.

Kwaaa-

As if avenging the previous attack, the worm opened its giant mouth.

And Yanni, drawing her sword again, headed towards Witira.

The Elf's eyes were reflected in Witira's, who was from the Whale Tribe.

Witira, with arms hanging at her sides, was the first to receive the attack of the worm.

The worm's mouth covered exactly Witira's position.

Kwaaaah...!

A much louder roar echoed than before.

"Oh no!"

The Dark Elf Tasha stopped at the situation and tried to send the Wind once again.

"Grrr!"

However, she couldn't do it.

Swoosh...

Wind arrows surrounded her from all sides.

Peterson mocked, "Is this the best you can do? Is this what your determination looks like?"

Tasha couldn't argue back. She didn't have time. Her eyes were fixed only on Witira.

Snow and earth.

Amidst the dust that covered them, the situation couldn't be clearly seen.

"Darn it!"

The Elves were stronger than Tasha expected! She started to wonder if she should ask Young Master Cale for help when Choi Han arrives. Tasha's thoughts became confused.

"No!"

A cry that sounded like the lament of Elf Yanni resonated.

Peterson and Tasha both stopped at the sound. The dust settled.

"!"

And then Tasha saw it.

"Incredible!"

Rough words unconsciously came out.

Kwaa, kwaa...

The groan of a worm was heard.

And, unlike a normal worm, it showed a mouth reminiscent of a predator.

That open mouth couldn't close at that moment.

Kwaa, kwaa...

Witira was holding that mouth. Her empty hands were holding the worm's mouth from top to bottom.

Kwaak, kwaa...

The worm's mouth trembled more and more.

But Witira didn't allow the worm to close its mouth. Her hands and arms showed veins and swollen muscles.

"Ah."

It was then that Tasha remembered.

"That's right, She's a Whale."

A creature that could be compared to a Dragon in terms of weight.

Magic? Water? Even without those things, Whales were strong only with their innate physical strength.

Among the whales, the strongest was the Whale King, followed by Witira.

And that strength didn't diminish on land.

Kwaaa...

The worm's body trembled more and more.

Witira's hands sank harder into the mouth. Her hands seemed to be squeezing the worm's head.

"How dare you...!"

The more the worm's pitiful groan was heard, the more anger filled Yanni's eyes. Her earth sword headed directly towards Witira.

Her action was quite calm.

Witira was holding the worm. That's why Yanni felt that now was the perfect time to attack her.

Paaass...

At the moment a golden glow permeated the earth sword.

The sword flew directly towards Witira's head.

Yanni's eyes met Witira's.

"Die."

When Yanni's murderous gaze was reflected in her eyes. Witira's eyes seemed indifferent. Instead, she carried out the best attack she could make towards Yanni.

"Incredible!"

Peterson, the Elf, involuntarily watched the scene and cursed.

He couldn't help it.

The worm moved.

Or more accurately, a sound came from it.

Witira held the worm's mouth and moved her hands.

At first, the worm's head followed her movements, but then its body shook.

And then, in the moment Witira swung her arms downward.

Kwaaaaa...

The worm's body swung towards Yanni.

As if she were using a common whip.

Witira was swinging the enormous worm.

Kuu...woong-!

The massive body of the worm crashed onto the ground, causing a great vibration.

Then, the involuntary observer opened his mouth unconsciously.

"Incredible! Definitely a Whale."

It was Cale.

"Human, uh, it's amazing...!"

Contrary to what Witira thought, Cale and Raon, who were outside the tent and had made themselves invisible, were watching everything closely while nervously swallowing. Cale, in particular, tried to calm his racing heartbeat as he thought about the situation.

"Definitely, there is a reason why Archie can't match Witira."

Suddenly, Cele remembered Witira, who was swinging her enormous tail in her original form when they first met.

Definitely...

"She is strong."

Whales are strong. And Witira is even stronger. Especially on the battlefield, she is extremely strong.

Swish...

The dust settled, and the first thing that caught Cale's attention was the image of Witira with raised arms.

Kwaang, kwaang!

Hitting the worm with her fists.

Witira was sitting on the body of the huge worm, covered in dust and looking disheveled, clinging to the worm trying to get rid of her.

Kwaang, kwaang!

She kept hitting and hitting.

Then,

Zhurr-eok!

She grabbed the body and ripped it into two pieces.

The worm's body and the earth crumbled.

"Wow..."

"Wow!"

A 7-year-old black dragon and a human dressed in thick clothing to protect themselves from the cold just stood there, staring at the scene with their mouths open.

* * *

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]