"Retreat!" Elandor shouted as soldiers streamed out of the great hall. The moment he heard the news of Elenthor being attacked, he had rushed against the tide toward the royal hall.
His heart sank when he saw Khamûl emerging. His eyes locked onto the blood-stained sword in Khamûl's hand, and a wave of despair surged within him.
A bitter cry tore from his throat as he scrambled to organize the Star Elves' retreat.
Clutching the dragon flute tightly, he raised his sword and pointed it at Khamûl, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Retreat! Leave this place!" Elandor commanded, his voice echoing through the chaos as orcs, goblins, and trolls surged from all directions.
He realized that the war was lost, and it was time to bring his people back. Whatever happened to Elenthor, the Star Elves had to carry on.
Swallowing his pride, Elandor chose to stay behind and cover their retreat. He didn't even dare to lead a charge into the royal hall to confirm Elenthor's fate.
It wasn't cowardice—it was the sheer terror of the black knight engulfed in hellish flames that extinguished any desire for resistance.
As a mere Tier-4 ranger, without his Star Dragon, he wouldn't last two rounds against Khamûl.
"Get out of here! Quickly!" Elandor shouted, grabbing the unicorn Elenthor had left at the entrance. His voice cracked with grief.
...
"Any news of the king?" Though Elandor had led the elves away from Dol Guldur, he sent a legion of rangers to search the area for Elenthor.
He knew the king's mastery of spatial magic made him notoriously difficult to kill.
"None, sir. But the orcs aren't far behind us! That black champion is leading them out of Dol Guldur!" reported a scouting ranger.
"Damn it! We didn't anticipate a Ringwraith holding this fortress! I should've known!" Elandor raged, tugging at his ornate hair in frustration.
"Sir, forgive my boldness," another elf interjected. "His Highness's fate is uncertain, but we still have a duty to lead our people forward. We need to bring the survivors home!"
Elandor glanced at the disheartened elven soldiers around him. Not long ago, they had been a spirited army.
Now, they were hunched over, their gazes downcast, their eyes clouded with despair.
"Move! I'll cover the rear!" Elandor raised his head, determination flaring in his eyes, and blew the dragon flute.
In Singrey, a slumbering Skai stirred at the familiar melody and call.
With a thunderous roar, the Star Dragon ripped through the dimensional pathway created by the flute, appearing at Elandor's side.
"Boom!" The dragon's massive form crushed the surrounding trees as it landed.
"A dragon knight?" For the first time, a flicker of genuine interest crossed Khamûl's expressionless face.
His previous demeanor of toying with his prey shifted. The arrival of the Star Dragon and Elandor mounting it began to erode his scornful attitude.
"Where is my king?" Elandor couldn't hold back his question.
"The king? That pathetic fool who couldn't withstand a single blow from me?" Khamûl sneered, his laughter sharp and grating.
"You bastard!" Elandor roared, drawing his bow. As if weightless, he pulled it into a full moon shape.
His battle energy merged seamlessly with the Star Dragon's power. A brilliant ice-blue arrow, shimmering with starlight, materialized on the bowstring.
With a release, the arrow shot forward, tearing through the air with a resounding boom, crossing the space between them instantly.
"Boom!"
The arrow struck Khamûl's black knight's shield, unleashing a dazzling burst of starlight. Yet, the shield stood immovable, like a mountain, protecting Khamûl without yielding an inch.
"Is this all you're capable of? Hahaha! Still, you're better than that useless elven king. At least you can fight back a little! Hahaha!"
Khamûl mocked, his voice dripping with derision. Behind him, countless orcs surged forward.
"Dragon slaying ballista!" Elandor's keen eyesight immediately spotted the heavy ballista carried by trolls among the orcs.
He cursed silently. The orcs had brought it along for the pursuit, and now it had found its purpose.
"Go!" Seeing that his soldiers had managed to disengage from the orcs, Elandor didn't hesitate. He tugged at the dragon's reins and fled.
Facing a six-dimensional black champion and a dragon-slaying ballista was a death sentence.
"Curse these orcs for staying on our heels!" Elandor raged in frustration. Khamûl's presence rendered him powerless to slaughter the fragile orcs with impunity.
The Ringwraith's mere existence was enough to paralyze even a dragon knight like him.
Star Dragons had no single-target forbidden spells, and their area-of-effect spells couldn't kill Khamûl.
Using one would leave both Elandor and Skai weakened, and failing to kill Khamûl would spell disaster for the Star Elves. Elandor couldn't risk the extinction of his people.
"Retreat! Ignore the orcs!" Elandor ordered grimly.
Even if Singrey's location was exposed, ensuring the survival of his people took precedence. Besides, the Star Elves weren't alone—there were allies near Erebor ready to move south.
"Send messengers to the Woodland Realm, Zaltarion Kingdom, Aquavia, Erebor, and the Riverlands for reinforcements!"
Elandor found a few remaining elven warriors still mounted on moon deer.
"By the stars! Goddess, protect us! Everything depends on you now!"
As the moon deer vanished into the forest, Elandor whispered a prayer to the Star Goddess, gritted his teeth, and returned to the rear to face Khamûl.
...
"When will we get there?" Rynar wiped the sweat from his brow, sighing as he gazed at the indistinguishable expanse of forest around him.
"Almost there, Your Highness," Omsk calculated silently before replying.
"Then let's push through and finish this!" Rynar, having endured two days of relentless riding through the dense forest, had clearly lost his patience.
The constant swarms of insects in spring only made things worse.
"Your Highness, you mustn't!" Omsk stopped him immediately, cold sweat forming on his brow.
"Have you forgotten Elenthor's tale? He was ambushed by a Ringwraith!
From the elves' account, we know of one Wraith—but who knows how many are truly there? We must tread carefully and wait for reinforcements in Singrey!"
Omsk explained hurriedly. If multiple Ringwraiths were present, Rynar wouldn't stand a chance against a Tier-6 foe.
The thought alone chilled Omsk to the core. If he were alone, he might've fought through the orcs without hesitation. But with Rynar in tow, the stakes were too high.
"Your Highness, Elenthor is already missing. I don't want you to disappear too!" Omsk sighed.
"..." Rynar fell silent.
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