Building 1:
Elrond Leon walked into the first warehouse. His Holy Sword was drawn, glowing with a soft, ethereal light that cut through the gloom.
The ground floor was empty. Just crates and dust.
"None here," Elrond whispered. His senses expanded, searching for the heartbeat of his people.
He looked at the staircase on the far side. It was winding, narrow, and blocked by debris.
"Stairs are too slow."
He looked up at the ceiling.
BOOM.
He didn't jump. He simply punched the air with his sword pressure.
The ceiling above him exploded. Wood and stone rained down, creating a massive hole.
Elrond leaped. He soared through the dust, landing gracefully on the second floor.
"Next," he muttered, running forward. "I'm coming for you."
Building 2:
Alith Anar walked through the front doors of the second building. Her face was a mask of ice.
Ten A-Rank human knights stood guard in the lobby, swords drawn.
"Hey, lady!" the captain shouted, stepping forward. "Leave now! We have orders from the King! We don't want to hurt a pretty little—"
SLASH.
Alith didn't break stride. She didn't even look at him.
The captain's head slid off his neck.
THUD.
The other nine knights froze.
"Attack!" one screamed.
They charged.
Alith's eyes narrowed. Her Razor Wires danced in the air, invisible death traps.
SWISH. SWISH. SWISH.
She walked through them like a ghost.
Arms fell. Swords shattered. Heads rolled.
She wasn't just killing them; she was slicing the walls, the pillars, everything in her path. The building groaned as structural supports were severed.
Suddenly, a sound cut through the violence.
Sob... sob...
A child's cry.
Alith stopped. The cold killer vanished, replaced by a desperate savior.
She looked up. Through a crack in the ceiling she had just sliced, she saw a small hand reaching out.
Alith smiled. A rare, warm smile amidst the blood.
She sprinted, wall-running up to the next floor. She kicked down a heavy iron door.
Inside, huddled in a corner, was a little elf girl, shaking. Behind her were dozens of others, chained and starving.
"It's okay," Alith whispered, cutting the chains with a flicker of her blade. "I'm here."
Building 3:
Amreth Kasos stood in the center of the third warehouse.
Surrounding him were hundreds of knights. They filled the walkways, the floor, the stairs. It was an army.
"Get him!" the commander roared. "He is just one Elf!"
Amreth sighed. He spun his twin curved blades.
"Fire Blades."
FWOOSH.
Orange flames erupted along the steel. The heat distorted the air.
"Charge!"
The knights rushed him, a tidal wave of steel.
Amreth's golden eyes glowed.
"Light-Stitcher."
ZAP.
He vanished.
To the knights, it looked like he teleported. But he hadn't. He was just moving so fast that their brains couldn't process his existence.
SLASH. SLASH. SLASH. SLASH.
A trail of fire wove through the army.
Knights stopped running. They looked down. Their armor was glowing red.
Then, they fell apart. Bodies sliced in half, cauterized instantly by the intense heat.
Within ten seconds, the hundreds were dead. Only one knight remained—crawling backward on the floor, weeping.
"Please!" the knight begged. "Mercy! I... I have a family!"
Amreth walked over to him, his blades dripping liquid fire.
"Tell me," Amreth asked, his voice devoid of his usual humor. "Why do you kill Elves so much? Why are you obsessed with our female species?"
He pointed a burning blade at the knight's throat.
"Does it make you happy? To think your own kind is superior? To destroy what is beautiful just because you can't own it?"
"I... I never killed them!" the knight shouted, tears streaming down his face. "I'm sorry! We are just guards! We follow orders!"
Amreth looked at him with pity.
"Orders," Amreth whispered.
SLASH.
He cut the knight in half. The body burst into flames, turning to ash before it hit the ground.
"There is no one left in this building," Amreth thought, looking at the burning corpses. "Time to go."
Building 4:
"There!" Arwen shouted, pointing at a hidden wall.
Her Tenmogan eyes were fully active, veins pulsing around her temples. She could see through the stone.
"Third floor, hidden compartment! Twenty signatures!"
"Got it," a voice whispered from the darkness.
Kalman Solas.
He was a blur of shadow.
He moved through the corridors, slicing guards before they could even draw their weapons.
Shadow Art: Phantom Step.
He vanished second after second, appearing behind enemies, slitting throats, and disappearing again.
He reached the hidden wall.
CRASH.
He kicked it down. Inside, the elves looked up in terror.
"Move," Kalman ordered, cutting their shackles. "Go downstairs. Now."
Outside the Warehouses
Chaos reigned in the streets.
The A-Rank Elven Knights were fighting a desperate defense. Human mages launched fireballs from the rooftops.
BOOM! BOOM!
"Shields up!" an Elf commander shouted.
Blue mana barriers flared, blocking the fire.
"Get them in the carriages! Hurry!"
Rescued elves—men, women, children—were rushing into the reinforced carriages.
"I guess we are about to leave now, huh?" an A-Rank knight panted, wiping blood from his forehead.
From the smoke of the buildings, figures emerged.
Alith walked out, carrying the little girl.
Amreth walked out, his blades still smoking.
Elrond jumped from the roof, landing with a heavy impact.
"Status!" Elrond barked.
"Building 1 clear!"
"Building 2 clear!"
"Building 3 burned!"
Arwen and Kalman emerged last, shepherding the final group.
Elrond looked at the chaos. Then, he looked toward the Royal Palace in the distance. It stood tall and silent against the moon.
Markil... Elrond thought. Are you okay?
The Royal Palace - Corridors
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
Bodies hit the floor.
Markil walked down the golden hallway. He wasn't running. He wasn't even raising his hands.
A squad of elite Royal Guards charged him.
"DIE, INTRUDER!"
Markil looked at them.
His eyes flashed purple. Kareno.
Pressure.
The guards stopped. They clutched their chests. Their hearts, overwhelmed by the sheer killing intent focused directly into their nervous systems, simply... stopped.
THUD.
They fell dead, eyes wide with terror.
"Heart attack," Markil muttered, stepping over them. "Clean. Efficient."
He walked deeper into the palace. The opulence was sickening. Gold statues. Silk tapestries. All bought with blood money.
He scanned every door.
Kitchen. No.
Armory. No.
Guest room. No.
He turned a corner. It was located on the right side of the hallway, just before the Throne Room. A heavy iron door.
Markil stopped.
He activated his eyes. He saw the mana signature inside.
Rot. Madness. And a King.
Markil smiled.
"There it is."
(Chapter 34 Finished)