Episode 290: Elfheim (2)
A blazing inferno swept through Bantadi’s men.
Bantadi’s unit, mostly composed of dark knights, boasted a strong resistance to dark magic. Yet, even the mightiest dark knight couldn’t withstand an unexpected assault. The dark sorcerers attacking them were skilled enough to be close aides to the great evil.
“Argh! Someone, put out the fire!”
“My arm… my arm! Aaaah!”
More than half of the soldiers were reduced to ashes, and the rest lay unconscious, severely burned.
“You… you bastards…!”
Bantadi trembled with rage, his entire body shaking. He had been blindsided by those he thought were allies. His head felt hot, and his blood boiled.
“What have you done to my men?” he roared, his voice echoing with fury.
The dark sorcerers paused their attack, turning their gaze to Bantadi.
“What have we done? We are here to execute you on the orders of a noble and beautiful master.”
“What? Noble? Beautiful?” Bantadi was momentarily taken aback, his anger giving way to confusion at the bizarre description.
“Are you talking about Lord Dorgo?” he asked. In Elfheim, all the villains of Pandemonium served Dorgo, so Bantadi’s guess was reasonable.
“Silence, you fool!”
“How dare you mistake our master for such a wretched creature!”
“Do we need to burn your tongue to make you understand?”
The dark sorcerers reacted as if they had been gravely insulted, their anger palpable. Bantadi was bewildered by their fury.
“Have you traitorous bastards lost your minds? This isn’t the time for you to be angry!”
“Shut your mouth!”
“Damn it, I don’t know what’s going on, but…”
Bantadi gripped his spear tightly. Dark energy gathered at the spear’s tip, forming an aura blade.
“First, I’ll make you pay for attacking my men!”
The traitors immediately unleashed their dark magic, a massive explosion engulfing Bantadi.
“Is that all you’ve got?”
But such an explosion couldn’t stop Bantadi. He charged through the blast, swinging his spear at the dark sorcerers. In one swift motion, five heads flew, the air thick with the scent of blood.
“With such pitiful skills, you dare strike me from behind? I’ll kill every last one of you here!”
As Bantadi reveled in the scent of blood, a new voice interrupted.
“That won’t do.”
A young man appeared, and the dark sorcerers immediately bowed.
“Lord Damian! Why have you come to such a dangerous place instead of resting?”
“Because you can’t handle him with your skills.”
“Oh, Lord Damian, to think you care for us… We shall engrave this honor upon our souls!”
The dark sorcerers looked enraptured, while Damian regarded them with disgust.
“Your devotion is overwhelming. It’s sickening.”
“To think we, mere insects, have disturbed Lord Damian’s peace! We shall repay with our lives!”
“No, don’t. If you’re going to die, take down at least one enemy with you.”
“Understood!”
Listening to their exchange, Bantadi felt his mind spinning. He turned to the young man.
“Are you the one who turned them into this?”
“And if I am?”
Bantadi summoned more dark energy, his body brimming with power.
“If I kill you, will they return to normal?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Then I’ll find out myself!”
Bantadi lunged at the young man, his spear tracing a dark arc aimed at the man’s face. Just before it struck, the young man slapped the spear aside with his palm, snapping it with a sharp sound.
“What…?”
He broke the aura-imbued spear… with his bare hand? And so easily?
As Bantadi stood stunned, the young man closed the distance.
“You…!”
Bantadi tried to strike with the spear shaft, but the young man was faster, jabbing his fingers into several points on Bantadi’s body.
“Ugh! Gah!”
Each touch felt like being pierced by iron spikes, yet there were no visible wounds. Bantadi laughed derisively.
“A technique that can’t kill? What a useless skill!”
He attempted to counterattack, but suddenly, his dark energy ceased to flow. His strength drained away, and he collapsed to the ground. No matter how hard he concentrated, the dark energy wouldn’t move. His limbs refused to obey.
“This… this can’t be… What have you done to me…?”
The young man suddenly grabbed Bantadi’s head.
“Let’s hope this works.”
A symbol on the young man’s hand glowed, and an unknown force surged into Bantadi’s mind.
“Aaaaargh!”
The pain was as if his brain was being torn apart, and Bantadi screamed.
Damian released Bantadi’s head. Bantadi stared at him, mouth agape, his expression vacant.
“Did it work?”
Damian waved a hand in front of Bantadi’s face, and Bantadi responded.
“Oh…”
“Oh?”
“Ohhh…”
“Ohhh?”
“Ohhhh… my master…!”
Tears streamed down Bantadi’s face as he prostrated himself on the ground.
“To finally behold the beauty of my master! I’ve wasted my life until now! Punish this foolish sinner!”
“It worked this time.”
“Success! Yes, meeting my master is the success of my life! This joy! This ecstasy! I can’t express it!”
Bantadi showered Damian with praise, who looked down at him with a grimace.
“Ah, this isn’t the time.”
Leaving Bantadi, Damian approached the elves. The elves, who had been fighting Bantadi, were frozen in shock at the sudden turn of events.
“I’d like to have a word. Who’s in charge here?”
Damian needed someone to explain the situation in Elfheim. He had to get detailed information from the elves before him.
“Can’t you hear me?”
Even after Damian repeated his question, the elves remained silent.
“What’s going on?”
“They must be so awed by Lord Damian’s presence that they’ve forgotten how to speak! Such insolent creatures!” Bantadi shouted. Damian glared at him.
“Stop spouting nonsense and keep quiet.”
“Lord Damian has given me an order! It’s an honor for my family!”
“This is driving me crazy.”
As Damian pressed his thumb to his forehead, an elf finally spoke.
“Human, why did you save us?”
The speaker was a female elf with a strong build and dark hair. A spirit resembling an eagle perched on her shoulder, exuding a powerful presence, indicating she was a skilled spirit summoner.
“Are you their leader?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I’m Damian Haxen. I need information about Elfheim. I ask for your cooperation.”
“Why should we provide you with information?”
“I’m not your enemy. In fact, you could say I’m an ally. I came here to help you.”
“I don’t believe you.”
The elf’s voice was firm, laced with hostility. Anyone familiar with elven history would understand her reaction.
In the past, there was a brief period of exchange between elves and humans. To humans, elves were not only beautiful but also mysterious. This led to frequent incidents of humans capturing elves to sell as slaves. Eventually, the elves severed all ties with humans and retreated to Elfheim.
“I understand how you feel about humans. But I saved you. Surely that counts for something.”
“Saved us…? You killed your own kind to claim us for yourself?”
“That’s a ridiculous misunderstanding.”
The elf pointed to the dark sorcerers Damian had brought.
“Aren’t those dark sorcerers?”
“Ahem.”
Damian had no retort to that.
“To me, this just looks like a human civil war.”
The elf’s tone was resolute.
“If you truly are an ally, then let us go.”
Damian sensed that no matter what he said, the elf wouldn’t listen.
“This is a troublesome situation.”
Damian had come to this island to kill Dorgo.
To take down Dorgo, the first step was gathering information. Without it, finding his whereabouts would be impossible.
“Should I seek out another elf? No, that won’t help. They’ll all be the same.”
Judging by the attitude of the elf woman, it was clear that other elves would also be hostile towards Damian simply because he was human.
“If that’s how you all feel, then I have no choice.”
“Thank you for understanding our situat—”
“I’ll have to capture you all.”
With a wave of Damian’s hand, Banta and the dark wizards surrounded the elves.
The elf woman, visibly flustered, protested to Damian.
“Human! What is the meaning of this? Didn’t you say we were allies?”
“We are. But right now, getting information is more urgent for me.”
Pointing at the elves, Damian issued his command.
“Subdue them all. I don’t care if they get hurt, but don’t kill them.”