The Elf Traitor

“Crack!”

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, that hand crushed the still-pulsating heart into pieces.

“This... how is this possible...”

The Elder who witnessed this murmured, his voice growing weaker and weaker until his body slowly collapsed.

Standing behind him was Ming Ye, the Captain of the Third Ranger Squad and a fellow member of the Council of Elders.

Even at the Saint Rank, the destruction of the heart was an absolutely fatal injury without special life-saving measures.

Ming Ye’s sudden strike was as swift and decisive as a bolt of lightning, without a hint of hesitation or doubt.

The Saint Rank Elder, who had been completely defenseless against someone behind him, met his end in shock and despair. His flame of life was abruptly extinguished in that instant, leaving behind only a lifeless corpse.

This sudden turn of events plunged the entire Council Chambers into a deathly silence once more, with only the clear sound of blood dripping onto the floor.

Everyone stared with wide eyes, looking at the blood-soaked Ming Ye in utter disbelief.

“Fall back! Everyone, fall back immediately!” another Saint Rank powerhouse shouted upon seeing the situation. At the same time, he quickly released a powerful energy shield, attempting to protect the surrounding elves.

However, the mysterious figure would not let him have his way. The black-grey mist on its body suddenly spread out like a living thing, ruthlessly swallowing the entire Council Chambers into a deep darkness.

The mist contained a chilling, intense corrosive power and a deathly aura. They were like a pack of hungry beasts, frantically searching for living beings to prey upon.

Those elves who failed to retreat into the shield in time became the most helpless victims in this darkness.

Accompanied by a series of hair-raising sounds, the beautiful bodies of those elves underwent a horrific transformation.

Shocking pustules quickly erupted on the skin touched by the mist. These pustules then began to swell and burst rapidly, releasing a nauseating stench.

Immediately afterward, their bodies began to rot at a speed visible to the naked eye. Muscles, bones, and even internal organs became fragile and broken under this terrifying corrosive power, eventually turning into piles of heart-wrenching putrid flesh.

“What on earth is this power!? Princess, watch out!”

As the one constantly monitoring the battle, Ryan sensed something was wrong the moment Ming Ye made his abrupt move.

Almost simultaneously, he used his mana to construct a sturdy domain of condensed ice, like a crystal-clear ice-and-snow cage, tightly shielding Lian and Starlight within.

The mist possessing the terrifying corrosive power immediately let out a horrifying hiss upon touching Ryan’s domain, and the white ice crystals were being corroded at an extremely rapid pace.

“Oh~ I almost forgot about you. How lucky. That old man You didn’t come this time, otherwise our plan wouldn’t have progressed so smoothly.”

A cold smile curled on Ming Ye’s lips as he tossed the cold, lifeless body at his feet like trash.

He slowly turned around, seemingly completely unaffected by the mist. He looked at Ryan inside the barrier with cold, sharp eyes, his tone filled with mockery.

“But since you have stepped into the center of this storm, I can only say that fate is a cruel mistress. Poor little Princess, I’m afraid our connection must end here.”

Ming Ye’s words suddenly became indifferent. Before his voice even faded, his figure transformed into a blurred afterimage, instantly vanishing from everyone's sight.

In the next second, he appeared before Ryan like a ghost. With his hands as sharp as eagle claws and accompanied by the sound of breaking air, he thrust straight toward the sturdy barrier of condensed ice.

“Crack!”

With a crisp sound of shattering, Ryan’s meticulously placed ice domain collapsed instantly under Ming Ye’s fierce strike. Shards of ice crystals flew in all directions, kicking up a white storm within the Council Chambers.

Ryan’s expression became exceptionally solemn at this moment. He naturally knew that his current state was not at its peak. Facing a powerhouse of the same rank like Ming Ye, who was known for speed and destructive power, he, as a mage, had almost no advantage in close combat.

It was in this critical moment that Ryan immediately displayed the combat experience he had accumulated over a thousand years.

He skillfully utilized the moment the barrier collapsed, transforming the shattered ice crystals into a series of sharp ice blades, which swept toward Ming Ye like a pouring galaxy.

Faced with such a sudden offensive, even with Ming Ye’s speed, it was impossible to dodge them all.

But to everyone's shock, Ming Ye appeared remarkably composed in the face of Ryan’s fierce attack. He didn't even make a move to dodge, simply standing still and allowing the ice blades to fly toward him.

Just as Starlight and the others thought Ryan was about to succeed, a deathly aura—completely different from the fresh and natural aura of the elves—suddenly surged from Ming Ye’s body, enveloping him in a grey shield.

When the ice blades touched this grey shield, they actually melted rapidly like spring snow meeting the sun, turning into wisps of light water vapor and dissipating into the air.

In the brief moment Ryan was stunned by that eerie deathly aura, Ming Ye’s figure approached again like a phantom, delivering a heavy kick to his chest that sent him flying like a kite with a broken string.

If Ryan hadn't instinctively condensed a thin layer of ice on his body as a defense, this single strike might have been enough to take his life.

Even so, the immense power still left Ryan heavily injured. His body traced an arc through the air before being caught, just in time, by Starlight behind him.

As he spat out a mouthful of blood, Ryan’s aura instantly withered. His face was as pale as paper, clearly suffering from a severe injury.

“Uncle Ryan! Are you okay!? How can that guy be so strong!?”

Lian’s voice carried unmistakable anxiety and fear. She rushed forward recklessly, her eyes locked onto Ryan in Starlight’s arms. Tears welled in her eyes, looking as though they would burst through at any moment.

“I’m fine... Lian, you are the Princess now. You can't just shed tears like that! Cough...” Ryan coughed up a mouthful of blood and spoke with difficulty.

“Heh, quite the touching scene. Unfortunately, this is the end. You will all soon be swallowed by the great power of death... Hmm? This is...”

Ming Ye’s words were full of mockery. However, his voice soon came to an abrupt halt because his attention was drawn to the power suddenly appearing on Starlight and Moen.

Against the mist surging toward them, Starlight’s body was surrounded by a brilliant glow of mana. He was converting the surrounding dark element mana at an astonishing speed. Under his control, the originally corrosive power lost its edge and became docile and harmless.

Meanwhile, the natural aura released from Moen’s hands flowed like a clear spring, neutralizing the remaining deathly aura one by one and resolving their lingering concerns.

For a moment, the four of them seemed to be in a small world surrounded by a protective shield, where the external power of death could no longer disturb them in the slightest.

Not far away, the mysterious figure who was confronting the group of Elders protected by shields also couldn't help but shift its attention over after sensing the strange power displayed by Starlight and Moen.

Its voice pierced through the layers of black mist, carrying a hint of surprise and curiosity.

“Oh? How unexpected. To think someone could so easily dismantle my Dark Cloud... and a human, at that?”

Since inheriting the elemental mark from Taros, Starlight’s mastery over dark elements had been progressing by leaps and bounds, improving rapidly every day.

For him, decomposing the black mist that once made people tremble with fear was now a mere trifle.

Coupled with Moen’s assistance, the terrifying Dark Cloud that seemed insurmountable to others actually wouldn't cause them much harm.

However, for the two of them, the real challenge did not come from these unconsciously churning mists, but from the two powerful enemies standing before them: Ming Ye and the mysterious figure of unfathomable strength.

Even though he had several experiences fighting against the Saint Rank, Starlight still felt no certainty regarding the current situation.