Chapter 58: Slaughter

Immediately he finished speaking, his figure blurred as he arrived before a stunned fire elf in a flash.

Unable to react to Zaos' incredible speed, the fire elf was stabbed in the chest in his dazed state.

The searing pain jolted his senses, causing him to release a piercing scream that awoke his dazed companions around him.

They watched in horror as the helpless fire elf coughed up blood before dropping lifeless to the ground.

"Die you monster!" The overwhelming pressure from Zaos' strength and the fear of death made a wind elf in the crowd explode into madness. The crazed female elf drew her bow and released the nocked arrow in its bowstring.

The arrow cut through the air with fierce momentum and incredible speeds, yet to Zaos it moved at an unremarkable pace.

[Too slow…] He thought as he casually sidestepped, evading the arrow propelled by a wind elemental weave.

The arrow whizzed past him, lounging itself into a nearby tree in the vicinity.

Zaos gave a casual smile to the crazed wind elf who at that point had prepared another arrow.

He walked slowly toward her, unfazed by the bow she pointed toward him.

Seeing him approach, the madness in her eyes turned to panic as she screamed to her companions beside her.

"What are you waiting for!? Kill him, or we all die!!" Her words triggered the crowd around her, forcing them out of their horrified states.

Some decided to flee, some readied their weapons with immense dread in their eyes, while others broke down on the spot, pleading for their lives.

[ I might not be able to dodge all of them,] Zaos thought as he erected a shield around himself and continued on his path toward the crazed wind elf.

Zoas' nonchalant attitude caused the elves with their weapons drawn to panic, but the will to live ultimately overcame their dread, causing them to release their attacks. The peculiar thing was that the nature of the attacks were all ranged, none of them dared to engage Zaos in close combat.

The projectiles streaked through the air, all aimed at Zaos, yet the target in question remained unbothered and continued on his way.

Although the elves surrounding Zaos were skeptical about the potency of their attacks, they still held onto hope as they watched the attacks collide with Zaos' body.

*Boom!* *Boom!*

One by one, the attacks, ranging from projectiles strengthened by elemental weaves and pure elemental weaves connected with the slightly smiling Zaos.

The negation barrier around Zaos promptly activated, rendering all the attacks meaningless.

Watching the attacks dissipate around him, Zaos' grin widened. He dashed forward, appearing before the fear-stricken wind elf, and plunged his dagger into her heart.

She coughed up blood, staring at Zaos with a resolved expression as she utilized the last bit of her energy to release a violent surge of wind blades at Zaos.

Yet, as if the attack didn't exist, Zaos pulled out his dagger from her chest and plunged into the side of her head, killing her instantly.

He gazed around at the trembling elves and said in a voice that drove them to the depths of despair.

"Although this is fun and all, we have to wrap this up…" His smile, still dancing about his lips.

The elves hurriedly dropped to their knees, expressing their surrender.

"Lord scourge, it was Ash Raven and Venom Panther's plan to ambush you! We were forced into participating!"

"That's right! We blackmailed into submission!"

"Forgive us, Lord Scourge!"

The shameless pleas resounded through the battlefield as the elves begged for mercy using their fallen comrades as scapegoats.

Zaos' smile slowly faded as he listened to their cries, a look of disgust surfaced in its place as he uttered a single word.

"Trash…" With that, he vanished from his spot and proceeded to eliminate all the elves.

He spared no one, including the individual who had fled earlier. After the massacre, Zaos stood bathed in blood on the battlefield littered with corpses.

He had a wide smile on his face as he contemplated with his gaze fixed on the dark sky.

[My months' worth of training paid off! With this level of power, I don't have to fear anyone in the high elf rank or below!

[Yet… I can't openly display this power because of my identity.] Zaos' smile slowly faded as he continued his contemplation.

[If the Qildor clan finds out about my abilities, I would be forced to reveal my secrets… I can't stay in the clan anymore! These restrictions will become problematic during these war times.] Zaos swept his gaze over the corpse-filled battlefield.

With his current strength, taking on a small platoon of warriors wasn't a problem. Yet, he couldn't display these abilities as they deviated from the ones wielded by dark elves.

If he was a loner, there wouldn't be much of a problem as he could easily change his form to avoid being targeted for his eccentric abilities. Unfortunately, he was a member of a large force with multiple individuals more powerful than him.

[I will remain in the mercenary city for a month at most to extract as many benefits as I can from the Qildor clan. Once that's done, I will leave the clan…] Zaos resolved himself.

He cast a fleeting glance at the mansion a few meters from him and thought.

[It should have some valuables… I'll have someone come retrieve them later,] He then made his way out of the valley and towards his residence.

Once he returned, Zaos ordered a guard to summon the division leaders while he cleaned up.

A few minutes later, he sat on the large cushioned chair reserved for the master of the mansion as he addressed the standing subordinates before him.

"I have eliminated Venom Panther alongside some other traitors who wished to ambush me…" Zaos spoke slowly, letting each word settle in the hearts of the two high elves in front of him.

Darfin and Goren were stunned by this information. They hadn't been informed of Zaos' earlier outing so the sudden ambush surprised them.

"Leader, what happened?" Darfin asked cautiously.

Zaos smiled and gave a summary of events that unfolded at Venom Panther's mansion.

When Zaos finished his recount, Darfin and Goren had a look of dread on their faces. They gazed at Zaos as if looking at a savage beast in elven form.

Zaos paid no heed to their facial expressions and instead continued speaking.

"With that said, the hindrance to our advancement has been taken care of. I need you both to speed up the process, you can do that much, right?" He asked, a playful smile gracing his lips.

"Y-yes, boss!" The division leaders responded in unison. The fear was still apparent in their eyes.

"Good. Also, have some people head over to Venom Panther's mansion to retrieve the valuables there and maybe take care of the corpses. The directions are on this letter," Zaos handed the letter to Goren.

"Understood, boss," The stoic fire elf replied hurriedly as he retrieved the letter.

Having concluded his purpose for summoning them, Zaos dismissed the elven duo and returned to his study.