"Glok! We have to do something! He's just going to drain our mana!" shouted Rako as he continued to fire explosion magic at Construct's face to obstruct its view while they distanced themselves and faced the Copperhaven knight.
However, before they could devise a plan, Helbert had already appeared beside them, swinging his sword, which was quickly blocked. But the knight managed to knock Glok backward with a wide grin, clearly enjoying their current situation.
"You want to stop us!? EVEN THE HEROES COULDN'T!!"
Mana quickly gathered on the blade held high, creating a large sword energy in a reddish color. The ground split in two because of it, moving so fast that Glok barely avoided it, causing a few strands of hair to be cut. It was clearly visible how the energy appeared right in front of his eyes, just a few centimeters away.
Helbert gathered mana once again upon seeing his attack missed, destroying a row of trees behind them with dust rising high accompanied by a strong tremor.
Zayn looked at him and shook his head. "I told him not to use too much energy." He merely observed the course of the battle, only stepping in when his subordinates began to struggle. After all, among them all, only Elder Leynar would make him cautious meanwhile he's still trying to protect those who were fleeing.
Glok dodged two more sword energy attacks. However, after fighting Construct for quite a while, fatigue began to set in, causing his body to respond slower, and the last attack managed to inflict a deep gash on his left shoulder. Now, he temporarily glared sharply at Helbert while gripping the sword handle tightly.
"Hah! Is that all you can do? Where is Glok, the son of the goblin leader, Grako? I don't see him in you at all. Were all those stories just rumors? It seems your father was just as pathetic—"
Before he could finish the sentence, a powerful blow struck his face, sending him flying backward, tumbling several times on the ground before finally crashing into a tree trunk, breaking it.
Zayn immediately looked over, surprised to find someone who had managed to push Helbert back like that. Though his ego was high, he also had the skills to match it.
"Ahh... That's it. That's what I wanted to see!"
Helbert took a step and crushed the ground. He appeared in front of Glok, delivering the same blow, hoping to return the pain. But Glok managed to block it, surprising him since even heroes might not take it head-on.
"I only intended to bring you down, but you're forcing me to send you to death."
The blow hit his stomach. Helbert's eyes widened, feeling every organ inside him being torn apart, and he was once again thrown to the same spot. This time, however, a row of trees was destroyed, accompanied by a thunderous sound that momentarily halted the battle. They looked at the pathetic figure of Helbert, then at Glok, who stood tall, resembling his father.
Elder Leynar smiled, saying, "You truly succeeded in raising an extraordinary child, Grako."
"Where are you looking, old man!?"
The Copperhaven knight launched an attack, swinging his sword at Elder Leynar, who easily dodged it as if it were a child's play and grasped the blade. "Oh, a fine sword. Who would have thought Copperhaven still had blacksmiths after betraying the dwarf race." He clenched the blade, shattering it into tiny fragments, and delivered a powerful kick to the knight's head.
The remaining companions watched as their comrade was flung far below at high speed, his body shattering upon impact with the ground. They gritted their teeth, struggling to fight the fear slowly creeping into their hearts, not expecting the elven elder to be stronger than anticipated. They had assumed that elves were an easy race to deal with since they rarely trained and only pursued magic.
"What is this? Copperhaven wants to bring down Veyrain with third-class knights?" He vanished from the knights' view, who looked around in search of him, and suddenly reappeared behind one of them.
They could only stand in silence, watching as their comrade once again fell at the hands of an elder, and in such a gruesome manner.
Elder Leynar's right hand pierced through the armor, grasping the still-beating heart before crushing it. He tossed the body towards another knight, who reflexively caught it. Elder Leynar gave him no chance to move, killing him in the same manner before throwing both bodies down. His right hand, previously covered in fine white clothing, was now smeared with fresh blood, instilling fear in the three remaining Copperhaven knights.
"Did you truly think elves are a forgiving race and unwilling to fight?" Elder Leynar stared sharply at them. His blue eyes glowed brightly, silhouetted by the sun behind him. "You're not wrong, but you believed for the wrong reasons."
He appeared before the knight on the right, pulling out his heart and glancing at the knight at the far end.
"We do not want to fight, not because we are afraid."
That knight swung his sword forward, which shattered upon touching Elder Leynar's body, extinguishing any hope of survival instantly. Blood spurted from his mouth as the same hand now wrenched out his heart.
"We do not want to fight because the elven race never grants forgiveness."
Finally, he appeared before the last remaining knight. Both hands trembled, visibly shaking the sword that was barely being held and about to fall from his grasp. Elder Leynar leaned in, staring directly into the pair of eyes filled with fear. "I-I..."
Not allowing him to finish his words, Elder Leynar pulled out his heart and crushed it. He watched as the knight's energy drained away, then the body fell to the ground, startling those below. Now, the eyes of every race were wide open, witnessing the elves, especially the always relaxed Elder Leynar, reveal a terrifying presence on the battlefield.
"I told you, they don't even need wooden golems to face Copperhaven," said the same Minotaur.
His friend watched how Elder Leynar dispatched enemies without hesitation, easily ripping out hearts and destroying them before their eyes. The elves, always calm in appearance, were revealed to have a fearsome side.
He clenched his hand and grabbed his axe. "Don't let the elves take all the credit! Let's show them the might of the Minotaur race!"
They cheered, grabbing their weapons and beginning to face the Copperhaven knights who were trying to stop the elders. Seeing this, enthusiastic smiles formed on their faces, grateful for the races that finally stepped in to help. Perhaps now, they could win the battle.
Zayn grasped the hilt of his sword, worried about her beloved, who immediately grabbed his arm. "Zayn."
"It's okay, I'll finish this quickly."
With one step, a strong wind was created, accompanied by a thunderous sound that caught Elder Leynar's attention. He grinned, realizing that his main opponent had finally moved. "It took you long enough to step in, Captain Zayn."
The knight responded with an equally arrogant grin. "It wouldn't be as fun if I ended it all right away, would it?" He swung his sword, creating a massive sword energy, far larger than Helbert's, which now seemed like a child's version.
Elder Leynar's eyes widened as he watched, not expecting someone as young as Zayn to possess such power. He stepped back, preparing a spell of equal strength, and a massive sword formed above his head. It was created from greenish mana with an aura pulsating like a heartbeat. Everyone who saw it could feel the overwhelming pressure and were thankful they were not Elder Leynar's opponent.
He swung his hand forward as if swinging a sword, moving the massive sword to clash with Zayn's black sword energy. A huge explosion ensued, sending both flying backward, quickly finding their footing in the air. Elder Leynar was even more shocked to see Captain Zayn walking in the air as if on solid ground, a feat only possible with perfect mana control.
"Why? Are you amazed to see me do this like the Captains of the heroes?" He shifted left, then right, gripping a sword enveloped in a dark aura. "Then you'll be even more surprised."
He appeared in front of Elder Leynar, and another massive explosion erupted.