Chapter 145: Stalemate

  All the watching elves gasped in unison, seeing Ethan shot down from midair by that arrow. Only Luya reacted, turning to shout at the patrolwoman: "You made a mistake."

  "Mistake? What mistake?" Kaelin froze, staring blankly in confusion.

  "Damn it. Who the hell are you shooting at, you stupid bitch?" Hilton jumped up. If not for the surrounding elves, he would have immediately rushed over and strangled that female elf on the spot.

  Ethan on the ground moved, but only managed to lift his body slightly before collapsing again. The force of that arrow was comparable to Sylka's battle-aura-infused greatsword. If he hadn't instinctively blocked it with his blade, it would have shattered his head like an egg under a heavy blow. The impact transmitted through the blade struck his head, making him feel dizzy and disoriented, only able to hear Sylka's maniacal laughter and the sound of the greatsword cutting through the air growing closer.

  Old Bill frantically waved his staff, pointing at Sylka and shouting forcefully, but Sylka didn't react at all. Instead, Old Bill himself trembled and collapsed to the ground. In terms of spirit and will, the difference between them was clearly immense.

  Seeing this, Hilton and Jessica rushed forward, but the viscous air made it impossible for them to catch up in time.

  "Vine Cocoon." At that moment, Luya waved the Leaves of the World Tree, pointing toward Ethan from afar.

  The black magic domain around Ethan suddenly dissipated, revealing a patch of green ground. Vines and thorns rapidly emerged from the earth, entwining around him. In an instant, he was wrapped into a large vine ball.

  Sylka froze for a moment, but his greatsword didn't stop, striking the vine cocoon fiercely with a loud squishing sound.

  Vines flew everywhere. The greatsword only sank a few inches, severing and shattering dozens of vines before being bounced back.

  Even granite of the same volume would have been utterly shattered by this strike. But the vines weren't hard—they were exceptionally tough and quite elastic, completely absorbing the force that could split mountains and rocks. Unfortunately, the greatsword lacked a truly sharp edge, relying almost entirely on its massive weight, making it nearly a blunt weapon—completely ineffective against something so tough and elastic.

  Sylka roared, raising his greatsword again, concentrating all his battle aura on it, aiming at the indentation he had created. He intended to chop the vine ball and the person inside into a muddy mixture of flesh and vines.

  Unfortunately, while he was stunned and raising his sword again, the vines underground continued growing and entwining at a frenzied pace, like incredibly agile snakes. In the blink of an eye, not only did the indentation heal, but the vine ball grew even larger. Sylka's strike again sent vines flying, creating another large depression in the ball, but it healed instantly.

  "Don't go over, he's fine." Luya shouted at Hilton and Jessica, who had already rushed forward. This elven protective spell was absolutely the best defensive magic when stationary—though rigid, its effect was astonishing. As long as the person inside wasn't directly hit by a major spell, they would be completely unharmed.

  Hilton and Jessica immediately retreated. Hilton, both surprised and delighted, nodded at Luya and said loudly, "This elven sister is truly impressive. You're so beautiful." But Luya ignored him.

  "Burn this thing for me." Sylka turned and roared frantically at Axsis.

  "I'm already struggling to maintain this." Axsis lay on the ground weakly, holding the magic scroll. Several thieves nearby were helping bandage his wounds.

  Luya, pointing the Leaves of the World Tree at the giant vine ball from afar, walked forward. As she approached the black magic domain, the black magic fluctuations receded like a tide. She looked at Sylka, her face filled with anger and hatred, and said loudly, "Stop struggling. Surrender, evil invaders."

  Sylka stared wide-eyed as the black domain slowly dissipated under the girl's approach. He roared at Axsis, "Damn your mother, what's happening?"

  "That... that... thing is..." Axsis didn't look at Sylka but stared wide-eyed at the elven girl approaching. "What she's holding is... is... what we're looking for..."

  Within a dozen or so meters of Luya—or rather, the Leaves of the World Tree—all black magic fluctuations were dissipating. The grass that had withered and died in the black domain was gradually reviving and standing up again. Over a dozen unicorns automatically gathered around Luya, slowly walking toward the thieves.

  Dozens of elven mages had gathered nearby, now all chanting elven incantations. Several The Withered Wood Wardens approached Luya's side, and many colorful insects emerged from the ground, their bodies continuously swelling. Within ten-plus meters of Luya, the area was suddenly filled with various guardians. Seeing the elven girl and her guards approaching, the thieves' faces showed terror. Without even fighting, merely approaching meant being torn to pieces.

  "Stop." Sylka glared at Luya and roared. He placed his greatsword on an elven mage's head.

  Luya's steps hesitated slightly. Sylka's hand moved, and the mage under his greatsword screamed as his head turned into pulp. The surrounding elves all gasped again. Sylka then placed his sword on another elf's head.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  "What do you think you're doing? I tell you, we elves will not be threatened by scum like you." Luya glared, gritting her teeth as she looked at Sylka. Unfortunately, no matter how fierce an expression she tried to make, it couldn't match Sylka's smile.

  "I never threaten people. I only tell them the consequences of not listening to me." Sylka looked at Luya. "We can make a deal. You can save most of the elves here."

  Luya sneered, "Do you think you can still escape?"

  "Of course we can. Don't doubt my words; you're not qualified." Sylka smiled slightly, his scarlet tongue flicking toward Luya as if trying to lick her from afar. His hand slowly pressed down, the screams of the elf under his sword growing louder, until they suddenly stopped with a cracking sound as the skull shattered.

  "Now I ask you again, will you make a deal or not?" Sylka smiled faintly, his expression now calm. The greatsword, covered in blood and flesh, was placed on another elf's head. There were many elven captives here—over a hundred, enough for him to perform slowly.

  Luya's expression twisted and trembled. She choked out, "What deal do you want?"

  Sylka nodded in satisfaction. His negotiation tactic was to let others witness how crazy, formidable, and true to his word he was. Once he destroyed the opponent mentally, the rest was just leading them around. Even the many thieves who lived with their heads on the line were led by him, let alone these idiotic elves.

  "If we can't escape, we guarantee we can kill all the captured elves here before we're killed ourselves. But we can also release most of the elves here, taking only a dozen or so. However, you must exchange something with us." Sylka pointed at Luya, then at the vine-wrapped ball. "Give us that thing in your hand, and that person."

  "Absolutely not. This is our sacred relic..." Luya hadn't finished before being interrupted by the scream of the elf under Sylka's sword.

  Sylka's experience in such matters was truly masterful. Like an artist with his work, he subtly controlled the force and position, making his captives emit the longest, most heart-wrenching screams possible before dying miserably. Watching all the elves' expressions distort amid their kin's screams, Sylka believed he had achieved his desired effect.

  "Beautiful elven girl. Let me say this first—this price is already the bottom line I can accept. I'll tell you frankly, we came here just for this thing." Sylka's gaze felt like an extended tentacle, stickily and wetly roaming over Luya's face and body. He chuckled. "I originally planned to take you too. Presenting you to those kings, I believe I could get a general's position." He glanced at Axsis. "Alright, my friend isn't in good spirits, so our time is limited."

  "Starting now, until this girl agrees, we'll kill one every ten minutes. Let's begin moving." Sylka ignored Luya, turning to wave at the thieves. His command was loud enough for the elves to hear clearly. "Remember, if these people make any move, immediately kill the elves you're holding."

  The thieves agreed. Several immediately came over, lifted Axsis, and started walking outward. Other thieves also grabbed their bound elven captives and followed. As Axsis moved, the black magic domain also shifted outward. The elves outside all gave way.

  Sylka didn't even need to turn back. He was confident. In terms of methods, the difference between these elves and him was like that between Behemoth and a rabbit. He knew he had won. Even if this elven girl refused, and he didn't get that strange leaf, he still had nearly a hundred elves.

  Although the dead old man's designated task was to obtain that strange leaf, Sylka suddenly felt it wasn't absolutely necessary. The conditions promised by that Necromancer were indeed tempting, but ever since discovering the situation here wasn't as he imagined, he'd had a strange feeling. He couldn't quite articulate what kind of feeling, but something felt off.

  Perhaps getting these elves wasn't bad either. For the first time in his life, Sylka had such a greedy thought. He almost opened his mouth to say he didn't want that thing.

  As Luya's attention wavered, the vine ball enclosing Ethan began to wither in the black domain. The withered vine ball moved, then burst open. Ethan emerged, blade in hand. As the thieves carried Axsis away, the black domain and the elves' encirclement also moved outward. He was now inside the elves' encirclement. Hilton and the others hurried over and gathered around him.

  "Boss, are you alright?" Hilton asked, both surprised and delighted.

  Ethan managed a weak smile, nodding his still-dizzy head. "I'm fine. Thank you."

  Though he couldn't see inside the vine ball, he could still hear and knew what was happening around him. He was somewhat surprised by Hilton and the others' anxious reactions. Without him in this elven forest, their situation would indeed be problematic, but that they were worried for him felt both unexpected and touching. Especially since Hilton was straightforward and not good at pretense—his expression couldn't be faked.

  Luya and most elves still stared fixedly at the departing thieves. Only about ten elves looked at the still-dizzy Ethan, their eyes showing considerable fear and disgust, and they instinctively shrank back. Undoubtedly, that bloody, sinister blade from earlier caused this reaction. Elves' senses for auras were far sharper than humans', and their understanding was purer.

  Among them, the patrolwoman Kaelin holding the black great bow showed particularly obvious disgust toward him. Ethan glared back fiercely, then cast another healing spell on himself.

  As the healing magic's light flashed, the patrolwoman's disgust instantly turned to utter astonishment. This was pure white magic, even containing a faint aura that felt familiar to her. She couldn't comprehend how someone who used such a bloody, evil weapon could employ white magic, especially with an aura resembling a sacred relic's life force. It was as unbelievable as a rotting zombie uttering sacred words.

  The astonishment on Hilton and the others' faces was no less than the elves'. Only now did they realize that this person who had inexplicably become their leader might be truly unfathomable.

  Having no time for the elves' astonishment, let alone to explain to these new subordinates, Ethan watched the situation anxiously.

  The elves would absolutely never hand over the Leaves of the World Tree. In truth, Ethan and Sedros had never imagined these thieves could obtain it from the elves—it was merely a pretext, a trap. But this stalemate wasn't a good phenomenon. Setting aside the fate of those hundred elves, the key was those who should appear but hadn't yet. Those people were the core of this plan, and also the most dangerous part.

  Although according to plan, the Necromancers who were to appear needed to sense the existence of the Leaves of the World Tree, having it displayed so openly—if those people seized it by some means—would truly mean not just failing to steal the chicken but losing the rice granary entirely.

  Ethan touched the small piece of Star Shard in his pocket—this was what he used to notify Sedros in emergencies. This special item required no magic power; once crushed, the identical piece with Sedros would react. Then he and Gru would arrive immediately. With the two of them, this situation would be easily resolved. Sylka was certainly not easy to deal with, but that was relative. Before Gru, there seemed to be no difficult person or situation.

  Looking at the elven corpses and the abducted elves, Ethan's fingers tightened, but ultimately he didn't crush it. If he alerted the snake, making those seemingly all-seeing Necromancers aware of these two's presence and causing them not to appear, the entire plan would be ruined.

  While hesitating, several elves escorted an elderly elven elder over.

  Ethan frowned. It was rather strange—with such chaos here, no other elven elders had appeared. Even the elder who had let Ethan and the others in was gone. Only Luya, the youngest elder, was holding things down alone. But he couldn't ask directly, as he knew the situation here from Sedros, and casual questions might reveal flaws.

  An elf said to the arriving elder, "Elder Lloyd, the current situation is that those invaders..."

  "I know." The elf called Lloyd nodded, then bowed slightly to Ethan and the others. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Sedros's friends. Please rest assured, we will never hand you over to these people."

  "Of course. We helped you." Hilton glared.

  Ethan frowned, gave Hilton a meaningful look, then nodded to the elven elder, saying, "No need for courtesy. Actually, it's because we didn't handle things well that this situation occurred."

  "Boss, you're too polite. Clearly, that bitch acted recklessly. Otherwise, you would have chopped that big guy into two pieces long ago. This is all her fault." Hilton pointed at Kaelin. Hearing this, the patrolwoman glared over here.

  "For Patrol Kaelin's recklessness, I am truly sorry. But now isn't the time for this." Elder Lloyd lowered his voice and asked Ethan, "May I ask, are these thieves all of their people? We also detected another dozen or so people approaching here, already near the barrier. All have very powerful auras. The other elders are preparing to manipulate the barrier to resist them with full force, but I doubt we can stop them."

  "A dozen people?" Ethan's expression instantly lost control.

  "Do you know who they are?" Elder Lloyd looked at Ethan and asked.

  "Not entirely clear, but they shouldn't be with these thieves." Ethan controlled his expression, but the storm inside him didn't subside. A dozen—could it be the entire Necromancer Guild has come out? If so...

  "Is that so..." Elder Lloyd's gaze swept over Ethan's face, nodded slightly, then turned to look at the retreating thieves. "It seems we must resolve this here quickly."

  "Yes. Resolve it quickly..." Ethan said absentmindedly, his hand reaching into his robe and crushing the small object. He had detected the strange vibrations traveling through the air from afar, but not the cold sweat on his own forehead.