Chapter 541: [Event] [Elven Utopian War] [80] Retribution

As soon as I left Freyja behind, I stepped out of the palace, crossing its grand courtyard with swift strides with mother in my arms. Alvara followed close behind but silent.

Dealing with Freyja had been surprisingly easier than I had anticipated. She was utterly consumed by the single-minded obsession of reclaiming her body, and despite my betrayal, she hadn’t turned against me. Perhaps, in the end, she saw me as her last, fragile thread of hope.

After all, I was a royal of the Olphean House. If anyone had a realistic chance of getting close to her original body, it was me. There were others, of course, but would they willingly return it to her? I doubted it. Compared to the uncertainty of strangers, I was the safest bet she had. At the very least, we knew each other well enough by now. And there was no one else better suited for the task.

[<Edward, do you want to talk about what happened?>]

I sighed inwardly. ’Talk about what?’

[<With… Kleines Falkrona.>]

’Not really.’

[<You can try to hide it all you want, but I can feel your sorrow, Edward.>]

Sorrow, huh…

Perhaps, if I had never met Amael, Kleines’ words would have devastated me completely. And truthfully, they had still left a deep fracture within me. I had felt something inside me crack at his words. But somehow, I had managed to keep my emotions in check.

But now, it was over.

Whatever I once had with Christina, my mother, or even Alea—it could never be the same again. I had foolishly convinced myself, ever since arriving at Sancta Vedelia, that I had found something resembling a family. That illusion had already been shaken by Amael. But Kleines’ words… they shattered it completely.

They were just words—simple, fleeting things. And yet, they had inflicted an irreparable wound.

[<I am fine, Cleenah. Just… disappointed. A little. Or maybe a lot.>]

But even that word—disappointed—felt like a shallow attempt to describe the emptiness clawing at my insides.

’You and Jarvis kept pestering me about Elona, Simon, and the others… telling me they were still my family. But why, Cleenah? So I wouldn’t feel alone? So I wouldn’t feel abandoned?’

I let out a bitter, humorless laugh.

’Was I that pathetic? Did you think I needed to believe I had a family just to keep myself from snapping out of nowhere?’

[<Edward… I never wanted this.>]

’I know… but I would have rather never hoped at all… than felt the fleeting joy of having a family, only to have it ripped away again by the words of the man who was supposed to be my father.’

Nyr had been right all along.

If only I had thought reasonably from the beginning, I could have spared myself a great deal of pain. But hindsight was useless now. My thoughts were still a tangled mess, but I didn’t have the luxury to sort them out—not with Kleines still lurking nearby.

Even now, I wasn’t sure what held him back. He clearly wanted to take me away, but something stopped him. Maybe he still didn’t know how to return Amael to his body. Or maybe he couldn’t act because of Cleenah and Nemes at my side. Perhaps it was both.

Either way, I couldn’t afford to dwell on it.

I was worried about the five I had left behind, but Alvara staying in Elyen Kiora was out of the question. It was too dangerous.

As we moved through the bloodied streets, my eyes landed on a mana-powered car parked nearby. I wasted no time, gently laying my mother in the back seat before turning to Alvara.

"Here." I tossed her my phone, which she caught it. "Call James Raven. He has Bryelle, and he should already be on the boat I arranged. Join him and leave immediately. Don’t wait for me."

I would find another way out—for myself and the others.

Alvara hesitated, her lips parting as if to question where I was going or maybe about something else, but she must have sensed I wouldn’t answer. Without another word, she climbed into the vehicle and drove off.

At least I had managed to get Alea out of here. That was something.

With a quiet sigh, I slipped Bryelle’s pendant back around my neck and set off, my eyes scanning for any means of transportation. A short walk led me to an abandoned car, and without hesitation, I got in and started driving toward the shore.

The closer I got, the more uneasy I became.

Then I saw them.

Bodies.

They were scattered everywhere—Ruvelions and Teraquins knights alike.

I stepped out of the car, my boots crunching against blood-soaked dirt as I moved ahead.

The Ruvelion Knights seemed to have won… but at what cost?

"C—Commander!"

A voice called out, hoarse yet relieved.

I turned to see a wounded knight staggering toward me, his armor dented and smeared with dried blood. Bandages covered his head and arms, but fresh blood still seeped through the fabric.

"What happened?" I asked.

His breathing was ragged as he struggled to stand straighter. "I—It was the Teraquins! They betrayed us… ambushed our camp in the dead of night… We were completely caught off guard—overwhelmed…"

His voice faltered, and I followed his gaze.

My stomach twisted as I walked closer.

Vesryn and Rania lay on makeshift beds, medics working desperately to treat their wounds. Vesryn had taken the worst of it—stab wounds marred his body in several places, his breathing weak. Rania had a deep gash across her stomach, her face pale from blood loss.

"T—Those cowards," the knight continued, his fists trembling. "They attacked in groups… threatened to kill civilians… even took hostages…"

"U–Ugh…"

A faint groan broke through the stillness as Rania’s eyes fluttered open. For a moment, they were unfocused, dazed—then they landed on me. Tears welled up instantly, spilling over her cheeks.

"I—I’m sorry… Commander…" She choked out. "They… they attacked us… and we couldn’t stop them… They even slaughtered civilians…"

I swallowed the anger rising in my throat and reached out, gently patting her trembling hand. "It’s fine… You did well."

I said but I needed to ask something else.

"Rania… the people I asked you to keep an eye on—what happened to them?"

She parted her lips, but hesitation flickered across her face. Her gaze wavered, then dropped entirely.

"I—I’m sorry…" She whispered.

Something inside me twisted.

No.

No, it can’t be—

Before anyone could stop me, I turned and bolted, sprinting at full speed toward the building where they had been kept.

The entrance was littered with corpses. Ruvelions, Teraquins—lifeless bodies piled atop one another, their armor stained crimson. But I barely registered them. My focus was solely on the door ahead, the door that should have remained sealed—

But it was open.

Wide open.

Dark red smeared across the wood, streaks of blood like claw marks tearing through it.

"Commander…"

A voice called out hesitantly. I barely noticed the Ruvelion Knight standing there. Four captured Teraquin soldiers knelt before him, bound, their eyes burning with hatred.

"We… caught them," the knight continued, his voice strained. But then he hesitated, his expression contorting as his gaze flickered toward the room. He quickly looked away.

I stepped past him in silence.

The stench hit me first.

Then my eyes found the carnage.

Martin lay sprawled in a pool of his own blood, a sword buried deep in his stomach. His face was twisted in pain, frozen in his final moments.

Beyond him, Leire’s body rested. Her clothes had been torn, just like Rean’s—both of them entirely exposed, their skin marred with bruises and deep wounds. Their lifeless forms lay crumpled, stripped of dignity, of humanity.

"Ah…"

A soft gasp echoed.

My head snapped toward the sound.

Drana.

She was alive. Barely.

Her fragile body trembled, curled in on itself. Her state was no different from the others—violated, broken. Blood caked her skin, staining the ground beneath her. One of her eyes was too swollen to open, but the remaining red one—struggled to find me.

Recognition flickered.

Tears spilled down her cheeks.

"L—Lord… Amael…"

Her voice cracked, filled with something I couldn’t name.

Relief, despair, I didn’t know.

I dropped to my knees beside her, hands shaking as I removed my coat and draped it over her shivering form.

She whimpered as I pressed down on the wound in her stomach, but I already knew.

It was useless.

Her skin was cold—too cold.

I grasped her hand, my fingers tightening around hers.

I wanted to say something.

Anything.

But my throat was dry, my chest hollow.

"R–Ron… he tried to help, but they… ah…" Her voice cracked as she bit her lip, trying to hold back the sobs. Her trembling gaze drifted toward the dimly lit corner where Ron lay, his forehead fractured, his chest motionless. No sign of breath. No sign of life.

"I… am so–so sorry… Lord… Amael…" She whimpered between ragged breaths.

"It’s okay," I said, gently lifting her into my arms and holding her close.

She let out a pained groan, but as the warmth of my embrace wrapped around her, her trembling fingers weakly clutched the fabric of my clothes. "It… hurts so much…" She sobbed, her entire body shivering against mine. "I–I begged them to stop… but they didn’t… I was scared, and they— they killed Martin… ah…"

"..."

Her grip on me tightened, her nails digging weakly into my back as she gasped in pain. "I–I don’t… I don’t want to die…" She broke down completely, her sobs muffled against my shoulder.

"I’m sorry…"

Her breathing grew uneven. Her hands slipped from my clothes. And then—she went limp.

I stared at her fragile form for a long moment before gently brushing aside the strands of hair sticking to her tear-streaked face. Slowly, I lowered her down, laying her carefully on the cold ground.

Standing up, I cast my gaze across the room—Ron, Martin, Rean, and Leire.

Then I turned away.

"Make sure they receive proper funerals. Find their families," I said one of the knights. My voice was calm—too calm.

The knight flinched under my gaze, swallowed hard, and rushed out to carry out my order.

Then, I turned toward the four elves responsible.

They knelt before me, their hands bound, their faces pale. The one who stood out the most—the Teraquin Elf—was the same vile creature I had encountered before, the same one who had harassed both the vampire and elf back in Vanadias. And now, he had done that to them again, this time with three others at his side.

"Out," I said.

The remaining Ruvelions knights hesitated for only a second before they scurried out of the building, leaving only me and the four filth before me.

The Teraquin Elf glared at me. "W–What are you going to do?" His voice trembled despite his effort to sound fearless.

I could feel it. His fear.

His facade cracked further when I removed my pendant.

"…!"

The moment my face was revealed, all four elves gasped in horror.

"Y–You!" The Teraquin Elf’s eyes widened. "R–Release us!" He blurted out in desperation. "I… I will speak to Lord Toran! He will reward you—"

-CRACKLE!

His words never reached their end.

A burst of purple flames engulfed the elf beside him.

"ARGHHHHHHHHAAAAA!!!"

The agonizing scream tore through the room, echoing beyond the walls. His body convulsed violently, his flesh peeling and charring under the unnatural fire. The remaining three scrambled back in horror, their faces twisted in disbelief.

I watched.

And I waited.

The screams didn’t last long.

The moment his upper body collapsed into ashes, silence fell once more.

Until yelps rang through the room as the remaining three elves scrambled to their feet, sheer terror distorting their faces. They lurched toward the exits in desperation.

But mirrors materialized across every doorway, sealing every possible escape route. The reflections of their panicked faces stared back at them.

I swept my gaze over them.

"Who’s next."

One of them—collapsed at my feet, gripping my legs with shaking hands. Discover more stories at NovelBin.Côm

"P–Please! I’ll do anything! Just let me live!"

"Ring of Vysindra."

At my command, a large purple burning ring appeared surrounding him. Heat surged through the air, distorting the space around him.

The ring contracted soon contracted and—

"GYAAAAAAAGHH—!"

His shrieks tore through the silence as his flesh bubbled, his skin peeling and curling inwards. Within three seconds, his body crumbled into a mound of ash, scattering at my feet like dust caught in the wind.

"Hiii!"

Another bolted toward the very room where he and the others had violated the girls. But before he could take more than a few steps—

-THUD!

A mirror appeared before him.

Then another.

Left. Right. Behind. Above.

He was trapped within a prism of his own reflection, his terrified eyes darting confusion blended with fear.

I raised my right hand, mana pulsating through my veins, and clenched my fist.

-SPURT!

The mirrors collapsed inwardly in an instant.

A fleshy crunch echoed as his body was flattened, bones snapping, organs bursting. The mirrors vanished just as quickly as they had appeared, leaving behind nothing but a disgusting heap of blood and crushed flesh.

I didn’t bother sparing him a second glance.

There was only one left.

-THUD

He fell back, his legs giving out beneath him as he crawled away.

"W–Wait…! I–I’ll give you anything! Anything you want!"

I took a slow step forward.

"I just want you to turn to ashes."

"N–No—!!"

I drew my sword.

With a swift thrust, I buried the blade deep into his filthy region.

"AGGHH!!"

An inhuman scream ripped from his throat as his body convulsed violently. His hands trembled, reaching instinctively toward the wound, but there was no stopping the pain. His face contorted in pure agony, eyes bulging, mouth gaping open and closed as if gasping for air.

I twisted the blade.

Blood gushed from the wound as I drove the sword deeper, impaling him through his stomach, tearing through flesh and organs. His body twitched uncontrollably, his mind barely able to process the sheer magnitude of suffering.

I lifted him high, letting him dangle from the blade.

For a moment, I simply watched as his body writhed, as his mind failed to grasp the depths of his pain.

Then, I curled my lips into a cold smirk.

"Burn."

-CRACKLE!

A rush of purple flames surged from within, consuming his body from the inside out.

-BOOOOM!