Chapter 223: Iorveth’s Despair

Lann stopped the flow of chaotic energy, causing the emerald light surrounding him to disappear. Then, with all eyes on him, he turned to Iorveth and the gnome who was healing his wounds.

"That person is me, Lann Lannister. And I saved you."

Lann looked at the horrified Iorveth and said: "And I came here this time to continue saving you, so that you don't lead your people into a dead end."

Unfortunately, no one listened to what Lann said.

The Scoia'tael camp was filled with confusion. Especially the elves and halflings who had fought Lann at the castle, who now saw him as a mortal threat.

"Human!!!"

"How did this human appear here? Is he a sorcerer? Why is he wearing armor?"

"How did he find our camp?"

It was as if a war trumpet had sounded in the Scoia'tael camp. The warriors who had just retreated from the battlefield once again assumed a fighting stance, ready to fight to the death. Even the gnomes, who were not very skilled in battle, took out small weapons and glared at Lann fiercely.

Iorveth began to think quickly and soon found the blind spot.

"Human! You let us live in Hagge Castle so you could track us with magic and then completely annihilate us, right?"

Iorveth was extremely angry. The humiliation of being manipulated and his unwavering belief in fighting humans drove him to attack Lann, even though he knew he could not defeat him.

The situation was getting out of hand, but this did not take Lann by surprise.

Putting himself in his place, if he had been the one who narrowly escaped and then encountered his enemy again, he would have also reacted by attacking.

"Well, I'll just have to give them a good beating first, and then we can talk about the details."

Lann didn't even draw his sword, and when he saw the right moment, he kicked Iorveth's body.

The kick hit Iorveth's chest, and Iorveth almost suffocated for a moment. Several elves hurriedly caught their captain, and then they fell to the ground together due to the huge impact.

Lann grabbed the gnome that was healing Iorveth and threw him aside to prevent him from getting hurt.

Then, seeing the members of the Scoia'tael surrounding him, he smiled reassuringly.

With just his sword, he could take them all down. And now, he didn't even have to hide his magic to gain the favor of the northern army.

It was a good time to experiment with new skills.

Facing the oncoming swords and flying stones, Lann did not dodge. He clenched his left fist in front of his chest, and the next second, a circle of golden circular shields that looked like the thick earth enveloped Lann.

The golden shield shone brightly, and countless attacks fell on it, causing waves. But those waves caused by the attacks were smoothed out in an instant, as if they had never appeared.

[Quen Sign - Active Shield]

Although he was the attacked party, Lann only felt that strength gradually surged up in his body, and he felt refreshed.

He opened his system and saw that his life bar, which had decreased due to minor injuries the night before, had fully recovered, while his mana was steadily decreasing.

Lann quickly assessed the frequency and intensity of the Scoia'tael's attacks and concluded that this ability was far superior to the sorcerers' magical defenses.

Once he finished experimenting, Lann deactivated the ability.

But the Active Shield didn't disappear immediately. In the blink of an eye, it expanded to twice its original size, releasing a shockwave that knocked back all of the enemies surrounding Lann.

The Scoia'tael were thrown to the ground, and the encirclement disappeared instantly.

This was the Active Shield's special ability when deactivated, somewhat similar to the Explosive Shield. The only difference was that the Active Shield could be detonated voluntarily, while the Explosive Shield could only be broken passively.

The only flaw is that the explosion distance is not far enough.

The halflings who were further away from Lann were not affected, and continued firing stones with their slings as if nothing had happened.

It's time to use something with a greater reach.

Lann smiled and thought out loud: "Is this the time I should say some epic line? Something like: Feel the pain, know the pain, and accept the pain, Scoia'tael!"

He laughed at his own comment and added: "Though realistically, that phrase sounds more appropriate for them to say when attacking humans, doesn't it?"

As Lann commented to himself, his hands didn't stop.

With a forceful slam of his left hand onto the ground, a massive, invisible shockwave of telekinetic energy spread out from him, encompassing a 360-degree radius around him.

"Shinra Tensei!"

[Aard Sweep]!

With a boom, a shockwave far more powerful than the previous shield deactivation erupted throughout the camp.

It was as if a furious gale had swept through the camp, tearing away a layer of the soil. Members of the Scoia'tael rolled uncontrollably on the ground, and the halflings and gnomes, due to their light weight, were almost sent flying.

When they finally managed to open their eyes, they dazedly realized that the camp's tents had completely disappeared.

"Human!"

Lann's kick was not particularly strong, but he executed it with such precision that he threw Io Iorveth far away, causing the elves who were supporting him to also stay quite far away.

They had supported each other, bending their bodies and lowering their heads, managing to resist the gale.

Lann clicked his tongue, knowing it was time to end the fight.

His eyes burst out with emerald light again, and the heavy chaotic energy almost spurted out of his eye sockets.

The world slowed down again in his eyes.

Memorizing the positions of several people in his mind, Lann took a deep breath.

The next second, his body disappeared from the spot.

One flash.

Lann appeared behind the elf to Iorveth's left, and with a precise blow to the back of his neck, knocked him out.

Second flash.

He appeared next to the elf on Iorveth's right and delivered a strong kick to his chest, sending him flying.

Third flash.

Hanging in the air, he executed a downward kick on the back of another elf, crushing him to the ground.

And so, on the fourth, fifth, and sixth flash, each time a golden flash shone, an elf was knocked out.

Finally, in the final flash, Lann appeared right in front of Iorveth, less than a step away. His cold lion eyes locked onto the piercing amber pupils of his opponent.

For the members of the Scoia'tael still on the ground, all they saw was the fearsome human knight disappearing and, instantly, a golden light dancing among the elves, who were knocked out one after another in a matter of seconds.

"I've said it before, I saved you once and I'll save you again." Lann said, standing among the writhing Scoia'tael members on the ground. "Will you be able to hear me now?"

Iorveth took a step back.

The man in front of him had just defeated all of his companions with terrifying ease. Although he did not want to show weakness, it was impossible to control the fear that rose within him.

If the display of physical and sword abilities on the Hagge Castle can still be barely understood by ordinary people. Then the [Teleport], [Flash] and Signs abilities that Lann had just demonstrated have already exceeded the category of enemies that can be killed in Iorveth's cognition.

Iorveth shouted decisively: "Human! There is nothing more to talk about between us. We will never forget the blood shed!"

"Heh. Let me introduce myself again, I am Lann Lannister of Cintra. Member of the royal family." Lann said with a cold expression.

Iorveth glared at him. The grudge between races could not be resolved with words, he did not want to hear any more from Lann.

Iorveth's eyes were still burning with anger, but in the next moment his expression changed. "You... Are the Lion of Cintra, descendant of Lara Dorren aep Shiadhal... descendant of an Aen Saevherne."

Before becoming the Scoia'tael with his hatred for humans, Iorveth also had a good background. Even though the elves on the continent have fallen into decline, many deep-rooted things are still stubbornly insisted on by the elves - such as education.

And Iorveth was not a young elf. His age allowed him to know several secrets. For example, that Lara Dorren aep Shiadhal had been the last bearer of Aen Hen Ichaer.

His voice filled with contempt, Iorveth said: "You are a descendant of Lara Dorren, which means that... there is elven blood running through your veins. But that means nothing. As much as we hate to admit it, most people on the continent today have some elven blood in them."

As she spoke these words, a bitter irony flashed across her face. Elves and humans had very different standards of beauty, and many elves viewed humans as mere inferior creatures. Yet despite this disgust, many half-bloods had been born among them, often as a result of war, slavery, and other horrors.

Of course, not all miscegenation was violent. Take for example the source of Lann's Elder Blood, Lara Dorren. She fell in love with a human and ran away with him. However, many elves believe that it was not a love affair, but rather a human intrigue.

Iorveth, full of hatred towards humans, clearly belonged to that group of elves who believed in the conspiracy theory.

With that thought in mind, Iorveth prepared to continue speaking, determined to show his determination not to bend either physically or mentally to Lann, even if he were captured. But suddenly, a flash illuminated his mind, robbing him of all reason.

"Elder Blood..."

He then recalled a series of scenes:

Lann, standing atop Hagge Castle, facing twelve warriors alone and displaying superhuman physical strength; the powerful magical signs he had just cast, far beyond what a normal witcher could achieve; and the strange ability to suddenly appear next to him, moving like a shadow through the crowd.

Iorveth could accept the defeat of the Scoia'tael. He could even bear the thought of being bested by a mysterious warrior. He could accept death. But what he could not bear was the thought that now filled his mind.

"The Elder Blood... has awakened in the human body."

He collapsed to the ground, with an expression of despair, as if the sky had fallen on him.

"It can't be. Humans are only carriers of the Elder Blood, mere thieves. The savior Ithlinne speaks of was supposed to appear when the Aen Elle or the Aen Seidhe recovered the Elder Blood from among the elves... It can't be a human! It's impossible!"

Not only Iorveth, but other elves who knew the details were equally baffled, unable to believe what they were seeing.

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