Chapter 317

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 317

Over a hundred years had passed since she had joined Serian.

Naturally, there were almost no secrets between the two elves.

But there was one exception—

The Punishers.

Unlike Serian, Eli did not know their faces or names.

The Punishers had gone to extreme lengths to keep their identities hidden.

Even Eli—second-in-command of the North District—had never seen their true forms.

The only person who knew their real identities was Serian herself.

That fact alone filled Eli with a deep sense of inferiority.

She was second-in-command of the North District, and yet she had no authority over its most powerful force.

It had been humiliating.

Once, she had even demanded that Serian provide her with their personal information.

As the district’s second-in-command, she needed to be able to command them in case of an emergency—

Or so she had argued.

But Serian refused.

“They will never reveal themselves or obey anyone—unless they acknowledge that person themselves.”

Though Serian had worded it carefully to avoid hurting her pride—

To Eli, her words were nothing but an insult.

What she heard was simple:

The Punishers did not recognize her because she was not their queen.

Perhaps that was when it all began.

When Eli first set her sights on becoming the Queen of the North District.

Her lips curled into a bitter smile.

“So even the Punishers have been deployed? You really plan to settle this once and for all, Serian?”

Her burning rage turned toward the elf wielding Nylia’s Bow.

At the same moment, the masked elf looked up at her as well.

His face was hidden, but she could tell—

He was smiling.

“How dare you!”

Ping!

The masked elf fired an arrow straight at her.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion erupted just inches from her face.

But she was unharmed.

A transparent web had spread out before her, forming a net-like shield.

It was one of her abilities—

Spiderweb Barrier.

A skill that conjured an invisible silver thread, woven into a web to block attacks.

The silver thread absorbed mana, dispersing most forms of impact—

Making it nearly impervious to ordinary attacks.

Yet—

Her Spiderweb Barrier had vanished without a trace.

The sheer destructive power behind the arrow had erased it completely.

Had she taken that hit head-on, even she wouldn’t have survived.

“…Oh? Still standing?”

The masked elf clicked his tongue.

His voice was loud enough for her to hear.

He’s mocking me…?

Eli trembled with fury.

“How dare you? You think a mere Punisher can look down on me?”

Her eyes turned bloodshot with rage.

“Take them down. Now.”

At that moment, Borin led the Blue Leaf Special Forces in an all-out assault on Eli’s residence.

With the barrier destroyed by Nylia’s Bow, they had nothing stopping them.

Under normal circumstances, the Blue Leaf Special Forces wouldn’t dare to storm her stronghold so brazenly.

But this was different.

The Punisher’s buff had vastly increased their strength—

Making them several times more powerful than usual.

‘This is insane!’

‘Why does my body feel so light?! ‘

Even the Blue Leaf Special Forces were shocked.

They had received plenty of buffs before—

But never one that amplified their abilities this much, this fast.

The Punisher who had cast the buff had warned them beforehand.

“This buff is extremely potent, but the backlash is severe.”

Once the buff ended, their bodies would collapse—

Leaving them bedridden for at least ten days.

Because unlike traditional buffs, this one didn’t grant them power—

It forced their latent potential to the surface, wringing them dry.

Right now, the Blue Leaf Special Forces were burning through ten days' worth of energy in a single battle.

Borin clenched her fists.

‘We have to finish this before the buff ends.’

Fortunately, Eli’s forces weren’t overwhelming in number.

Their individual abilities were formidable, but against the buffed Blue Leaf Special Forces, they were outmatched.

“Gaaah!”

“Urgh!”

One by one, Eli’s guards fell.

Borin’s eyes darted across the battlefield.

‘We need to subdue Eli quickly and end this before it spirals out of control.’

This wasn’t just a fight against Eli—

It was a race against time.

If this battle dragged on, the North District would descend into chaos.

“Find Eli.”

“Yes!”

At Borin’s command, the Blue Leaf Special Forces split up and spread through the building.

Then—

The Punishers approached Borin.

“She’s not here.”

“…What?”

“I don’t sense her presence anywhere.”

The masked Punisher glanced downward.

Borin immediately understood what he meant.

“There’s a hidden chamber underground.”

“Bingo.”

The masked Punisher aimed his bow at the floor—

And fired.

BOOM!

The ground caved in, revealing a staircase leading downward.

The hooded Punisher spoke.

“There’s something dangerous down there. Stay alert.”

“Yeah… I can feel it. She’s prepared something nasty.”

“What the hell was Eli thinking, going this far?”

“Strong desires can blind even elves.”

“Tch.”

Conversing in hushed voices, the Punishers descended the staircase.

Borin and the Blue Leaf Special Forces cautiously followed.

As they moved, Borin’s gaze lingered on the backs of the Punishers, filled with awe.

The masked Punisher wielded Nylia’s Bow effortlessly—

A weapon she herself could barely even draw.

The gap in strength between them was immense.

‘Who the hell are these people…?’

Even Borin had never seen or heard of them before.

And yet—

They had arrived the moment she had called.

It was proof that they lived somewhere within the North District.

Borin prided herself on knowing every major figure in the area—

But she had never encountered anyone like them.

Then—

“Be careful. Something reeks of blood.”

The masked elf’s voice rang with warning.

Borin and her forces snapped to attention, gripping their weapons tightly.

Wuuuuuuuung!

A chilling sound echoed from the dark tunnel ahead.

The masked elf aimed his bow.

“Let’s start with a little greeting.”

Ping!

He fired an arrow straight into the darkness.

BOOM!

The explosion sent a blast of wind rushing back toward them—

But the eerie noise from the tunnel did not stop.

As if the attack had done nothing at all.

“This is bad.”

“Stay sharp.”

The Punishers exchanged grim looks.

Their instincts were screaming—

Something terrible lurked ahead.

Borin whispered,

“There’s no doubt… Gu are here.”

“The insect-type magic beasts?”

“Yes.”

“The Spider Queen must be insane to raise such abominations here.”

Shhhhhhh!

Before their conversation could continue, something came pouring out of the tunnel—

A grotesque swarm of creatures, seemingly fused from multiple insects.

It was Gu.

“Filth like you… should be burned to ash.”

The hooded Punisher spread his arms wide—

And unleashed a tidal wave of flames.

Fwoooosh!

The inferno roared forward, engulfing the monstrous swarm.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A series of detonations followed as the Gu exploded under the intense heat.

But there were far more than expected.

“…Looks like Nylia’s Bow won’t be of much use here.”

The masked elf slung his bow over his back.

Using more force would risk collapsing the underground chamber—

And getting buried alive was not an option.

Instead, he drew his sword.

Not a rapier, as elves traditionally wielded—

But a straight-bladed sword, favored by humans.

A weapon forged solely for killing.

WHIRL!

Spinning his blade like a cyclone, he charged.

SLASH! SLASH!

The Gu were torn apart in waves—

An awe-inspiring sight.

Behind him, the other Punisher continued to incinerate the remaining swarm with fire magic.

Borin and the Blue Leaf Special Forces could only watch in stunned silence.

‘What the fuck…?’

‘A single blade… cutting through all of that?’

Borin and the Blue Leaf Special Forces had already experienced the terror of Gu firsthand.

They knew better than anyone just how dangerous these creatures were.

Gu were not the kind of magic beasts that could be taken down so easily.

And yet, the Punishers had cut through them effortlessly.

That alone was proof of how terrifyingly powerful they were.

At that moment, the Punishers tilted their heads slightly.

“…Huh. They’re weaker than I expected.”

“Yeah. Seems like someone exaggerated their threat.”

They chuckled.

They had braced themselves for a brutal, bloody battle—

But at this rate, subduing Eli wouldn’t even be a challenge.

After slicing through the last of the Gu, they finally reached the underground chamber.

And there—

Eli stood waiting, staring at them in disbelief.

“You… already dealt with all of them?”

“It was nothing, Lady Eli.”

“Impossible. Do you have any idea how vicious Gu are?”

Eli refused to accept their words.

She knew better than anyone how terrifying those creatures were.

There was no way just two Punishers could have handled them so easily.

If things had gone as she expected, the moment they entered the tunnels—

They should have been ripped to shreds.

And yet—

Not only were the Punishers unharmed, but so were Borin and the Blue Leaf Special Forces.

“…Something’s wrong. Did that bitch lie to me?”

“I don’t know what kind of deception you’re talking about, Lady Eli.”

The masked elf’s voice remained polite—

But his words carried an undeniable weight.

“But you’ll have to come with us.”

Murderous intent erupted from Eli’s gaze.

“Hah! Don’t make me laugh. You think I need Gu to be strong? You think weaklings like you can take me down?”

“…Of course, you wouldn’t come quietly. If that’s how it’s going to be, then we’ll have to subdue you by force.”

“Hah! You? Subdue me? No matter how strong you think you are… I am Eli, the Spider Queen. And this is my territory.”

SHWAAAAH!

A countless number of silver threads shot out from her body, filling the underground chamber.

The space around them transformed—

Into a spider’s nest.

This was no longer just a battlefield.

It was her domain.

The true fight was only just beginning.

The Punishers lunged forward.

Borin followed close behind, gripping her weapon tightly.

‘…But where is Lord Zeon?’

* * *

A lone woman struggled up a sand dune, a massive wooden barrel strapped to her back.

She paused and turned to glance behind her.

The sprawling city of Neo Seoul loomed in the distance.

“…Hoho. I’ve got everything I came for. There’s no reason for me to stay here any longer.”

Her striking, blood-red hair shimmered under the desert sun.

She was Romina—Eli’s most trusted aide.

Murmuring to herself, she continued trudging forward.

“I finally obtained the strongest Gu… Now, all that’s left is to breed them. With these creatures, my clan will rise again.”

“So, you’re a descendant of the Five Venoms Clan.”

At that moment, a voice rang out—one she should not have heard.

Romina’s body stiffened. Her eyes widened as she whipped around.

A man stood before her.

“…How?”

The man was none other than Zeon—he gazed at her calmly and asked,

“I never expected an elf to be a descendant of the Five Venoms Clan. Are you a half-blood?”

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]