Chapter 87: The Elf Loved By Spirits

Edris charged forwards. The Greater Demon lifted his hand and thick dark energy formed above his palm. It almost bent the air around him. Edris knew well that he wouldn’t be able to kill him.

He charged at him regardless.

The tip of his blade nearly pierced the Greater Demon’s heart but the monster effortlessly moved to the side and delivered a powerful blow to Edris’s ribs. The Edris was sent flying through several trees.

"Edris!"

Vaeron’s expression changed as he watched the Edris being tossed through the woods.

The Greater Demon turned his attention towards Vaeron.

"You should be focusing on yourself."

Vaeron tightened his grip on his sword.

"Lightning Enhancement."

Lightning wrapped around Vaeron’s blade as he ran forwards, delivering a powerful blow towards the Greater Demon’s side.

The Greater Demon caught it with his arm, and a loud crack sounded between the two warriors. Vaeron’s eyes widened in shock.

His blade was strong enough to cleave through most lower-tiered monsters but it barely left a mark on the Greater Demon.

Nira appeared next to him.

"Wind Step."

The wind wrapped around her legs, giving her speed, and she slid behind the Greater Demon, bringing her dagger across his side.

The Greater Demon twisted away from the attack but Nira’s blade only grazed him. Nira quickly pulled away.

"He’s too fast."

Vaeron nodded.

"Then we stop fighting him alone."

Several dark elf mages heard his order. One of them raised their hands.

"Earth Bind!"

The earth around the Greater Demon’s legs cracked open before thick roots and hardened earth surrounded his legs, binding him in place.

Another mage nodded.

"Frost Lance!"

Several spears of ice formed before shooting towards the Greater Demon. The Greater Demon broke the earth bindings with ease but the ice lances forced him to raise a barrier, causing the projectiles to shatter against it. Three archers loosed their arrows at the same time. The arrows burned with condensed mana as they flew over the battlefield. The Greater Demon’s barrier took two of them before the last one punched through, grazing his cheek.

The demon quickly moved his head to the side as the arrow flew past his cheek. A thin line of blood trickled down the side of his face. The demon wiped the blood from his cheek, staring at the red liquid in his fingers before he smiled.

"You actually managed to wound me."

The dark elves didn’t celebrate. Vaeron knew better. They had only managed to draw a single bead of blood from the Greater Demon. The demon lifted his hand.

"Dark Spear."

A black spear of dark energy formed above his head before flying towards the defenders’ formation.

"Barrier!"

Three mages immediately worked together, summoning a translucent violet wall in front of their formation. The dark spear slammed into the wall, causing it to tremble. The mages gritted their teeth as they fed more mana into the barrier.

"Hold it!"

The spear continued to press against the barrier before another mage joined them.

"Mana Reinforcement!"

The barrier grew stronger before the dark spear broke apart. The mages staggered back as the spear’s force pushed them. One of them fell to one knee. Vaeron surveyed the battlefield. The defenders had taken heavy losses. The monsters kept coming.

Sylvara was running between the fallen, weaving healing spells to keep them alive.

Her hands glowed with violet light as she mended wounds, repaired broken bones, and stabilized several soldiers who had been knocked unconscious.

"Greater Heal."

The light spread across the wounded soldier’s body as the bleeding stopped. Sylvara immediately moved onto the next one.

"Purification."

The dark substance covering the soldier’s wound evaporated as he gasped and opened his eyes.

"Lady Sylvara..."

"Stay behind the barrier."

She turned away from him before he could say anything else. Her breathing had become heavier. Even for an elf, her mana wasn’t limitless. Kaelith was standing nearby.

"Mother, you’re using too much mana."

"I know."

"Then stop."

Sylvara looked at her son.

"If I stop, they die."

Kaelith clenched his fists. He understood that. That was why she continued. He turned towards the battlefield and raised his sword.

"Fire Enhancement."

Fire wrapped around the blade as a monster charged towards him. Kaelith stepped forward and slashed across the monster’s chest, sending it staggering back.

"Fire Burst!"

A burst of flame exploded from his blade, sending the creature flying back. Two more charged but Kaelith stepped back and released a "Flame Wall", holding them back with the searing heat. Kaelith exhaled. He was learning quickly but the battlefield had become far too difficult to control. Nira moved through the battlefield, her dagger in her hand. She used the Wind Step to appear next to several monsters before stabbing them in the weak spot.

Whenever they tried to surround her, she released a "Wind Blade", cutting through the air and forcing them back. She could hear the battlefield around her. The screaming of the soldiers. The roars of the monsters. The explosions of spells. The shouts of Vaeron. But beneath it, she heard something else.

A whisper.

Nira paused for a moment. She turned her head towards the forest. She saw nothing.

Then she heard it again. A rustling. Not from the leaves but somewhere in the air.

"Nira!"

She turned around.

A monster was already standing next to her.

She raised her dagger but the monster’s claws caught her weapon, forcing her to stumble back. She quickly recovered and drove her dagger into the creature’s throat, killing it. Nira looked back at the forest. The feeling hadn’t gone away. Something was watching her. Something that had been watching her for a long time. She always felt strange sensations whenever she wandered through deep forests.

Animals rarely hurt her but birds always seemed to gather around her. Plants sometimes reacted to her presence. Nira never understood it. Her parents just told her that she had an unusually strong affinity with nature.

But this was different.

The feeling seemed closer. Almost like hundreds of voices were waiting for her to listen.

"Nira!"

Vaeron’s voice drew her attention away from the forest. She turned towards him.

The demon had pushed through another defensive formation and Vaeron was bleeding from his shoulder. Edris had returned from the forest, his armor cracked and blood smeared across his face.

"You’re still alive." The Greater Demon said.

Edris raised his sword. "I told you." He moved to Vaeron’s side. "I will protect my people." The demon laughed. The two of them charged at the Greater Demon. Nira was right behind them. For several moments, the three dark elves bought the formation enough time to prepare a new defense.

Vaeron fought from the front while Edris cut from the side. Nira used the Wind Step to appear at the demon’s back whenever an opening opened up. Their attacks complemented each other. Their magic reinforced each other. But the power gap was far too great. The demon caught Vaeron’s sword.

He tossed the man aside before Edris slashed at him but the Greater Demon caught his blade and drove him to the ground. Nira appeared behind him.

"Wind Blade!"

The compressed air slashed across his back, forcing him to turn around. Nira barely avoided the Greater Demon’s grasp. His fingers had almost wrapped around her neck. Nira landed several meters away but the demon looked around.

"Enough."

Dark energy was forming above his head.

Vaeron pushed himself up onto his knees, he looked at the forming menacing energy.

"What is that?"

The Greater Demon lifted both his hands.

"Nightfall."

The sky above the estate had gone dark and a giant ball of black energy floated above the battlefield. Sylvara’s eyes widened.

"Everyone!"

She raised her hands.

"Absolute Barrier!"

A massive barrier of violet energy hovered over the estate. Several mages quickly joined her.

"Mana Link!"

Their mana flowed into Sylvara’s barrier, reinforcing it. More elves joined in until Kaelith was rushing towards his mother.

"Mother!"

"Stay behind me!"

The ball of dark energy fell but the moment it made contact, the world exploded. A giant wave of energy crashed into the barrier, fracturing it before Sylvara screamed in pain as the barrier was shattered. The mages who had been reinforcing the barrier were thrown backwards, sending Kaelith flying while Vaeron crashed onto the ground.

Edris disappeared into the wave of darkness while Nira was sent flying across the battlefield. The walls of the estate were destroyed. Trees were uprooted and the ground split open but for several seconds, there was only silence. Nira slowly opened her eyes.

Her body refused to move. Pain shot through her limbs. She tried to lift her arm but it barely responded. Around her, the battlefield was unrecognizable. Soldiers were unconscious. Broken weapons littered the ground. The violet barrier was gone.

Vaeron was knocked out several meters away while Edris was near the ruined wall. Kaelith was lying unconscious next to Sylvara.

Nira tried to call out.

"Mother..."

Her voice barely came out. No one responded. The Greater Demon walked through the smoke. He surveyed the fallen elves.

"That was disappointing."

Nira’s fingers curled against the ground.

She tried to get up but her legs gave out and she collapsed. The demon noticed her.

"You’re still conscious."

Nira forced herself to her feet but she knew she couldn’t fight him. She didn’t want to just lay there while everyone else died. The whisper grew louder. Nira closed her eyes and the battlefield vanished.

She saw the forest, the rivers, the trees underneath the moonlight. She felt the wind moving between the leaves. She felt the earth beneath her feet. She heard voices. Thousands. They had always been there. They had watched her grow. They had followed her. They had protected her. She just never knew how to hear them. Nira opened her eyes. "Are you there?" The wind stopped.

Then it moved.

The leaves of the ruined forest trembled. Small lights appeared between the trees.

Green lights.

Blue lights.

Golden lights.

They drifted towards her. The Greater Demon stopped walking. His expression changed.

"What?"

The spirits gathered around Nira. One touched her hand while another rested on her shoulder. A third perched on top of her dagger. Nira’s body grew warm. Her wounds were healing. Her mana was returning. The wind wrapped around her legs while the roots pushed through the earth. Flowers bloomed across the battlefield despite its destruction. The spirits continued to gather around Nira and the Greater Demon watched them.

"No."

Nira slowly rose to her feet. Her hair floated in the air. Her eyes glowed with a strange light. The dagger in her hand transformed as thousands of strands of spiritual energy wrapped around it. The wind circled her body and the leaves and glowing particles surrounded her like a living storm. The spirits weren’t just watching her.

They were blessing her. Nira looked at them.

For the first time, she understood. A faint smile appeared on her face.

"Oh..."

She looked at the countless spirits surrounding her.

The Greater Demon smiled. "So you are an Elf loved by spirits." The spirits answered and the entire battlefield erupted with light.