The End

After reading these words, the floating text dissolved into specks of light and vanished.

The already quiet space became even more silent. Xia De blinked with dot-like eyes, feeling as if a crow had just flown overhead, leaving a trail of black dots in its wake.

He lowered his head and silently picked up Starfall. With his expression obscured, he gripped the hilt and spoke mechanically, word by word.

“Lo... so... is... the... strongest... most... handsome... and... most... awesome... dwarf.”

Next, a familiar scene entered his view. Not far away, several men in black were pinned to the ground by his shadow spikes. Their pupils had turned white; they had clearly been dead for quite some time.

“I didn't expect Hilia to be so ruthless too. I thought all elves would be like the ones in the works from my previous life—kind-hearted Mary Sues who wouldn't even kill their enemies.”

Sighing at how different reality was from anime, he slung Starfall onto his back.

Then, his body sank slightly as his feet dug into the ground.

The sword, over two meters long, exuded an overwhelming pressure. Its black blade seemed to radiate an ominous aura. From a distance, it looked as though he was carrying a coffin lid on his back.

“Starfall is indeed quite heavy. It must weigh close to ten thousand jin.”

After a brief moment of awe, he began to look around.

Right away, he noticed that the leader's head was twisted and dangling limply against his chest. He had clearly died from a broken neck.

He then realized that neither Hilia nor the village chief was anywhere to be seen.

Perception Domain, expand!

“Mhm, the village chief has returned to his residence, but he's radiating waves of fear. The other villagers have locked their doors, and some have even hidden in their cellars.

But Hilia isn't anywhere within the village. It seems something unexpected happened after I left.

Let's expand the range of my Perception Domain to search for her.”

With just a glance, Xia De deduced that something had gone wrong after his departure. He channeled more mana to expand the range of his Perception Domain even further.

One hundred meters, one thousand meters, five thousand meters, nine thousand meters!

“Found her!”

He snapped his eyes open. A light-blue magic circle erupted with light beneath his feet, its dazzling glow startling the birds flying overhead.

In the next second, a blood-soaked figure lying on the ground came into view. Her emerald-like eyes were shut, and her pale golden hair was heavily stained with blood.

Her slender thighs were tense, and upon closer inspection, dense cracks were splitting her skin.

Countless deep lacerations covered her body, and the blood pooling from her wounds stained the ground crimson.

“Did her body collapse because it couldn't handle moving at such high speeds?!

Who would've thought such a beautiful girl could be so ruthless to herself.”

Xia De stared at the dying Hilia, knowing at a single glance how she had ended up in this familiar state.

Because he, too, had trained himself like this before.

Once, when he used this technique while carrying a bandit, the poor fellow had instantly turned into tomato paste in midair. Thus, he knew exactly what kind of damage this move could inflict on ordinary people.

Let alone an elf, whose physical body was naturally fragile.

Healing Magic—Rebirth

Extending his hand toward the unconscious Hilia, a green magic circle materialized beneath her. A powerful wave of life force surged from the circle, pouring directly into her body.

Then, a miracle occurred. Hilia's flesh squirmed as if it possessed a mind of its own, and her wounds gradually knit back together.

The overflowing life force caused grass and flowers to sprout rapidly around her, surrounding her in a lush green bed.

If one were to ignore the bloodstains, she looked exactly like a sleeping beauty.

Xia De then turned his head to look at the pile of severed limbs and flesh nearby. Judging by the tattered scraps of fabric, this person belonged to the same group as the ones devoured by his shadow spikes.

However, he silently critiqued the scene in his mind.

Using his black flames to incinerate the remains completely, Xia De crouched down. Slipping one arm under Hilia's knees and the other around her waist, he gently lifted her bridal-style.

Looking at the blood from Hilia that had rubbed off onto his clothes, Xia De shook his head and laughed helplessly.

“Senior, oh senior, you owe me another set of clothes.”

A flash of white light erupted, and both of them vanished from the forest, leaving behind only a few leaves falling from the trees after being disturbed by the birds.

After teleporting back to the room the village chief had prepared for them, Xia De noticed her deep exhaustion. Thus, even though her injuries were fully healed, he did not wake her.

He gently laid Hilia onto the bed and cast several defensive spells around the room to prevent anyone from approaching.

Then, with another teleportation, he appeared beside the old village chief, who was muttering to himself with an expression of grim resolve.

“Lop, you must survive. You are the future of our village, my treasure!

Lady Hinaya has already lured one of the enemies away. I must take this opportunity to see if anyone in the village hasn't hidden themselves at home yet.

Although I don't know if there are other enemies, this is my duty as the village chief.

But, my little Lop, you must hide well. You are my most precious treasure! ...”

Tears welled up in Lop's eyes as he listened to his grandfather's constant warnings. Then, he spotted Xia De, who had suddenly materialized behind his grandfather.

Trembling, he pointed a finger at him, trying to say something, but his intense emotions choked the words in his throat.

Noticing his grandson's gesture, the old village chief turned his gaze in the direction he was pointing.

There stood Xia De, looking as if he wanted to interrupt but felt a bit awkward doing so.

Sliding forward, the old village chief threw his frail body to his knees in front of Xia De. With tears streaming down his face, he tried to grab Xia De's legs and cried out:

“Lord Xia De! I beg you, please save Lady Hinaya! After you disappeared, another accomplice of those people showed up. To protect the village from being caught in the crossfire, Lady Hinaya lured him away all by herself!”

Xia De sidestepped slightly to avoid the village chief's tears, then grabbed the old man's arms and pulled him up from the ground.

“Rest assured, I've already brought her back. And stop kneeling. I'm really not used to people kneeling to me.

I mainly came over this time to tell you about the details of this mission and your future plans.”

The village chief looked at Xia De in confusion. Leaving out a few crucial details, Xia De began to explain the sequence of events.

Xia De: Haha, it's finally my turn to tell someone else a story.

...

“Hilia. Hilia.”

A warm sensation enveloped her consciousness, reminding Hilia of her mother's embrace when she was a child.

Back then, her parents would actually spend time with her, and she had always been full of smiles.

Yet at some point, they had gradually grown distant. She had become quieter and quieter, eventually running away from home.

On her delicate face, her eyelids fluttered slightly. Hilia slowly opened her eyes, and her emerald gaze gradually focused.

“I feel... like I had a very long dream,”

she murmured.

Suddenly, her gaze sharpened. She leaped up from the bed and retrieved her bow and arrows from her magic storage bag.

Holding the bow in her left hand and nocking an arrow with her right, her face was cold as she warily scanned her surroundings.

Then, she saw a handsome youth standing by the bed, smiling as he greeted her.

“Good morning. Or rather, good evening!”