“Guh...” Dentaria spat blood as he plummeted from the sky, his heart pierced by Ereneth's arrow. The black energy that had once engulfed him desperately surged toward his heart, attempting to mend the fatal wound. But no matter how desperately it tried, the shattered heart could not be restored. Even as the black energy tried to substitute itself for the organ, it was thwarted by the natural energy imbued in Ereneth's arrow. “This... This power...” The force emanating from Ereneth’s attack was not divine, yet it embodied the natural laws of the world, directly counteracting the corrupted energy Dentaria wielded. “That elf...” As his consciousness began to fade, Dentaria finally remembered who his opponent was. “The Guardian of the World Tree...” There were only a handful of elves who could wield such power, and only one who could draw such an immense bow. The Guardian of the World Tree had been an enduring adversary of the Salvation Church for centuries. Had Dentaria recognized her sooner, he would never have dared to confront her head-on. “How could she...” There was a reason why Dentaria and the Salvation Church had underestimated her presence. They believed she was forever bound to the World Tree due to the curse inflicted by their king. For countless years, Ereneth had fought against the Salvation Church by sending her subordinates, never leaving the vicinity of the World Tree herself. The church had long ceased to worry about her direct intervention. But here she was, standing with the Northern Army. “I need to warn them...” If the church had known of her reappearance, they would have revised their strategy entirely—perhaps even deployed Gatros, the current leader of the Salvation Church. But now, it was too late. With a sickening thud, Dentaria’s body hit the ground, shattering on impact. The black energy that had once shielded him scattered into the wind, its strength unable to preserve his life any longer. “Dentaria!” “You dare—!” The remaining two priests shouted in fury. Dentaria had been their comrade, someone who had shared their vision for a new world. His death filled them with rage—but also fear. The power that elf had shown was overwhelming. She had dodged countless attacks and still found the opportunity to unleash her devastating strike. And that bow... “C-Could it be...” “The Guardian of the World Tree?” As senior members of the Salvation Church, the priests quickly pieced together her identity. “Hah...” Ereneth exhaled deeply and rose to her feet. The black energy that had momentarily surrounded her began to dissipate. Though she had fired the arrow that killed Dentaria, she had not escaped unscathed. The combined attacks from the other priests had struck her directly, forcing her backward. Even as a Guardian of the Continent’s Seven Powers, a half-baked superhuman's raw strength could still leave its mark. But the injuries were far from debilitating. “So this is the so-called strength of your so-called superhumans. It’s... decent.” Fwoosh! Ereneth once again pulled back her bow, the green energy coalescing into another glowing arrow. The two remaining priests hesitated. “What do we do?” “According to the texts, we shouldn’t be able to defeat her.” “But our attacks worked earlier, didn’t they?” “Should we fight? Could the two of us take her down?” Their moment of indecision sealed their fate. Thwack! “Urgh!” Another priest collapsed, his heart pierced by Ereneth’s arrow. The speed of the attack was beyond their ability to dodge or block. “I-I can’t heal...” Clutching at his chest, the second priest fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Despite their reliance on black energy to sustain their lives, the power of Ereneth’s arrows overwhelmed even this defensive measure. The energy that should have been healing them was being completely neutralized. “How did this happen...” The remaining priest could only watch as his ally’s lifeless body crumpled to the ground. Thud! The body hit the earth with a heavy sound, and the last priest finally turned to flee, sheer terror in his eyes. In the distance, Count Mathes of the Delfine forces shouted desperately. “Attack! Save the priest—!” But someone else acted faster. “Fire!” Boom! At Claude’s command, hundreds of boulders flew from the Northern Army’s ballistae, hurtling toward the Delfine forces. Claude had anticipated this exact moment, preparing his forces to unleash their assault at the opportune time. Crash! Boom! Thud! “Argh!” The boulders rained down mercilessly, shattering the Delfine Army’s formations before they could properly respond. Boom! Boom! Boom! The Galvanium ballistae, developed in Fenris, were not only highly mobile but also incredibly efficient. Their rapid reload time allowed for a continuous onslaught that gave the Delfine forces no time to regroup. Wendy, standing beside Claude, frowned in concern. “Isn’t the chieftain in danger?” “She’ll be fine! She knows how to dodge a rock or two,” Claude replied with a dismissive wave. “...” “And the longer she’s out there, the more chaos she causes among their ranks! Don’t worry—she’s not the dying type!” “I mean, I don’t think she’ll die, but still...” Even highly skilled knights wouldn’t walk away unscathed from a direct hit by the ballistae. While the damage wasn’t always fatal, it could still sap a significant amount of mana, potentially crippling even a superhuman. Though not explicitly planned, Claude was betting on Ereneth’s ability to adapt and survive the bombardment. Or not. As the rain of boulders continued, Count Mathes barked orders in panic. “Charge! Get moving!” Though the attack had been anticipated, the sheer power of the ballistae caught the Delfine forces off guard, wreaking more havoc than expected. “We brought three superhumans just to prevent this, and now two are dead, and the last one is retreating?” “Come back! Turn around and attack the enemy!” Mathes shouted. But the last priest, too preoccupied with his own survival, kept running. Ereneth, undeterred, pursued him. Boom! She swatted aside an incoming boulder with a single hand, her sharp gaze briefly flicking toward the Northern Army’s position. “They didn’t mention they’d be firing these damn rocks.” Each deflection drained a significant amount of her energy, leaving her hands stinging with every strike. The relentless barrage was as much a nuisance to her as it was to the enemy. “That bastard...” For the first time since joining the Northern Army, Ereneth felt her composure wavering. She resolved to give Claude an earful later. For now, she had a fleeing priest to deal with. Leap! Ereneth chased the fleeing priest toward the enemy camp, drawing another arrow of light. Count Mathes of the Delfine forces spotted her and roared, “Kill her! Take down that elf first! Now!” Even if it meant sacrificing many of his own soldiers, eliminating the opposing superhuman was essential to maintaining any chance of victory. While it seemed like she was merely pursuing the fleeing priest, Mathes knew that letting her live would doom his army. Countless knights and soldiers charged toward Ereneth. Clang! Clang! Clang! The armor of the Northern Army’s Elf Guardian began to crack under the relentless assault of high-ranking Southern knights. Some of them appeared to be at least at the upper-echelon level, adding to the pressure. Ereneth had already expended considerable energy battling the priests. Especially her Elven Serenade—a weapon that demanded a monumental amount of power. No matter how powerful a superhuman she was, dealing with such an onslaught in the middle of enemy lines, while fatigued and surrounded, was no easy feat. To make things worse, that insufferable Claude was still raining massive boulders onto the battlefield. Boom! Boom! Boom! Bodies exploded, screams echoed, and swords slashed from every direction. Ereneth gritted her teeth and realized she could no longer afford to pursue the priest. She loosed her arrow. Whoosh! Far away, the fleeing priest sensed a tremendous wave of energy slicing through the air toward him. Having witnessed two of his comrades killed right before his eyes, he mustered all his remaining strength and twisted his body desperately. Thwack! “Arghhh!” The arrow struck his shoulder, obliterating his upper arm. His shriek filled the air, but he managed to avoid a fatal blow. Summoning all his strength, the priest fled the battlefield at a blistering pace, befitting someone with the power of a superhuman. “Click.” Ereneth clicked her tongue in annoyance and turned back. It was time to retreat. While the Delfine forces had initially advanced despite the rain of boulders, their formation had now crumbled as a portion of their troops peeled off to pursue her. It seemed Claude had anticipated even this, using the chaos to weaken the enemy's cohesion. Though beneficial for the Northern Army, the situation was far from convenient for Ereneth, who now found herself surrounded by dense ranks of knights and soldiers, their weapons glinting menacingly. She scowled and murmured a chant: “Endless winds that wander the earth, answer my call.” Whoosh! A colossal vortex of wind materialized, coalescing into the form of a towering gray figure. It was Silairon, a high-level spirit of wind cloaked in swirling gales. As Silairon circled around Ereneth, a powerful storm surged outward. Boom! “Aaagh!” The knights and soldiers charging at Ereneth were thrown backward or toppled to the ground by the sudden gust. Razor-sharp winds sliced through flesh, leaving trails of blood in their wake. But Ereneth wasn’t finished. If she was going to expend this much energy, she decided to go all in. “Ever-burning flames, bring forth your inferno to this place.” Fwoosh! From thin air, flames gathered and shaped themselves into the form of a massive lizard. It was Selaim, a high-level spirit of fire. Selaim opened its blazing jaws and unleashed torrents of fire, incinerating everything in its path. It rampaged like a wild beast, setting the battlefield ablaze. “Aaaargh!” Delfine soldiers screamed as fire engulfed them, their charred bodies collapsing in heaps. The inferno spread rapidly, consuming everything in its wake. While skilled knights capable of manipulating mana managed to douse or block the flames, the ordinary soldiers were powerless against the fiery onslaught. “Fall back!” “Maintain distance!” The sudden eruption of chaos halted the Delfine forces’ charge before it could even begin. Count Mathes shouted desperately, “Mages! What are the mages doing? Stop this! Stop it now!” But the mages were already struggling to contain the overwhelming magical assaults from the Northern Army. “It’s impossible! We’re busy neutralizing the magic from Alfoi and others!” The Northern Army wasn’t relying solely on Vanessa. Over a hundred mages were present on the battlefield, unleashing devastating spells upon the Delfine forces. While the Delfine Army had its own formidable mages, including several at the sixth circle, they were barely managing to hold off the Northern Army’s attacks. Count Mathes clenched his fists in frustration. “Damn it... Damn it all!” His trusted superhumans were either dead or fleeing. The relentless hail of boulders continued to rain death upon his soldiers, and the crazed elf was systematically dismantling his forces. Even the cavalry units that managed to reach the Northern Army’s defensive line were too few and disorganized to break through. Meanwhile, the Northern Army maintained perfect formation, their shields raised and spears bristling in a near-impenetrable defense. “What now...” As Count Mathes floundered for a solution, the Northern Army calmly prepared their next move. Tenant approached Claude, sword in hand. “I’ll go now.” “Good. But don’t let on that you’re a superhuman. Just act like a high-level knight, got it?” “Understood.” Though the plan had deviated from the original strategy, Tenant understood Claude’s reasoning. There was no need to reveal their hand further when victory was already within reach. Kaor, twirling his sword lazily, added, “Hah, this is going even better than expected. Weren’t we just supposed to figure out how many superhumans they had and kill as many as we could? Did you plan for this too?” Though Kaor’s tone was light, his back was drenched in cold sweat. “What the hell is that elf? Is she even an elf? Or a dragon in disguise?” While he refused to admit his fear, Kaor’s shaken confidence betrayed him. Claude smirked arrogantly. “Well, she’s the Elven Chieftain, isn’t she? Of course, I expected her to pull off something like this. That’s why I told her to kill as many as she could.” “Bullshit! She’s a monster...” But even Claude’s back was soaked with cold sweat. He hadn’t expected Ereneth to be this powerful. She wasn’t just an elf—she was a force of nature, obliterating superhumans, summoning spirits, and tanking boulders as if they were pebbles. As the battlefield descended into further chaos, the Delfine soldiers grew increasingly disoriented. “Kill the elf! Focus on the elf!” Their commands grew more frantic, and their formations crumbled under the combined assault of Ereneth, the Northern Army’s magic, and the relentless rain of stones. Even the few who reached the Northern Army’s defensive lines found themselves cut down by Kaor and Tenant, unable to make any meaningful impact. Count Mathes trembled as the weight of defeat bore down on him. “It’s over...” Though he had brought an overwhelming force with three superhumans to crush the Northern Army, the unexpected variables had turned his plan into a catastrophe. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮 He clenched his teeth. “I won’t retreat. Not like this.” If he had to die, he would make sure that elf died with him. “Stop the charge! All forces, focus on killing the elf! Ignore everything else—just kill her!” Mathes bellowed his orders repeatedly, his voice breaking with desperation. Even if it cost him every soldier, he would not leave this battlefield without avenging the humiliation inflicted upon him by that damn elf.