Chapter 768: For Glory
The Third Elder was so carried away by his triumph that he completely forgot the Life Sigil Crystal was the Dark Elves' greatest foundation—not only the source of their power, but of their very lives.
To say such things to an outsider, to even let an outsider approach the Life Sigil Crystal...
The Dread Dragon Warlord's face suddenly twisted with a thick, sinister energy, his wicked grin deepening as he looked at the Third Elder.
"Brewster, where is he?"
Completely off guard, the Third Elder pointed toward the miniature world of the Life Sigil Crystal.
What had once been a tiny entrance to the sanctuary was now a vast expanse stretching thousands of meters. From the moment he entered, the Dread Dragon Warlord had wondered why that direction had changed so drastically. Now, he finally understood...
Suddenly, the look in the Dread Dragon Warlord's eyes toward the Third Elder became one of sly amusement.
Brewster, that fool, had become completely intoxicated by his own success. He actually dared to reveal such an important secret to me. I'd always wondered why he wanted to borrow my magic relic—turns out, it was all for the Life Sigil Crystal...
He must've been after the restoration ability of my magic relic, hoping to use it to locate the relic spirit's position. Now, erasing a mark has become effortless, and they can even restore their Life Sigil Crystal...
I've always known just how vital the Life Sigil Crystal is to the Dark Elves. After all these years, no one in the tribe knew its true location—yet now, I've finally found it.
If I keep working with him, the hostility between the Ashen Orcs and the Dark Elves will only persist, maybe even deepen. Why should I keep such an enemy around?
As long as I destroy the Dark Elves' foundation—the Life Sigil Crystal—and wipe out their entire race, my achievement will be undeniable. Even the Chieftain will have to hand over his position. The greatest feat in Ashen Orc history will be mine!
With that thought, the Dread Dragon Warlord made up his mind—the cooperation with the Third Elder ends here.
"All the bravest Ashen Orc warriors—use your blood and strength, no matter the cost. Destroy their Life Sigil Crystal!"
At the Dread Dragon Warlord's command, the Third Elder froze, shock written across his face. Destroying the Life Sigil Crystal would mean destroying the entire Dark Elf race!
"Dread Dragon Warlord, you must be mistaken. I meant for you to help restore the Life Sigil Crystal."
The Dread Dragon Warlord burst out laughing: "Brewster, you really are naïve. If I wipe out you Dark Elves, not only do I rid myself of a future enemy, but I secure control of our tribe. Even the Elder Council and Chieftain wouldn't be able to refuse me!"
The Third Elder stared in disbelief. "Dread Dragon Warlord, we had an agreement! How could you do this?"
The Dread Dragon Warlord sneered with disdain. "A fool like you thinks you can negotiate with me?"
"Destroy their Life Sigil Crystal!"
At the Dread Dragon Warlord's roar, the Ashen Orc army immediately advanced toward the Life Sigil Sanctuary. In the skies, wyverns swooped in first.
The Third Elder, stunned and desperate, shouted in panic, "Quick! Stop them! We absolutely cannot let them inside!"
It wasn't just the Third Elder—even his supporters were shocked. No one expected the Dread Dragon Warlord to betray the agreement and turn to annihilate the Dark Elves at such a moment!
The Dark Elves who had been guarding the rebels immediately abandoned them and joined the fray.
Those who had opposed the Third Elder now turned to fight against the Ashen Orcs.
The Second Elder and his followers also emerged from the protection of the War Ancient Oak.
The Second Elder glared at the Third Elder. "Brewster, look at what you've done!"
With those words, the Second Elder sprang into action, casting Flight and rushing to the edge of the Life Sigil Sanctuary, intercepting the wyverns at once.
The Second Elder's followers joined the defensive ranks. In that moment, no matter which Dark Elf, no matter their previous stance, they all had only one identity and one goal—to save themselves.
A chorus of whistles rang out as massive gryphons, six or seven meters long, soared from the enclave. One after another, Dark Elves mounted their gryphons and rose into the air, clashing with the Orc Wind Riders above.
The orc wyverns were powerful, capable of casting acid spells and boasting incredible endurance—they could fly for three days without landing. The Wind Riders weren't warlocks, but mighty orc warriors whose bloodlines favored the abyssal demons' strength and physique over magical prowess.
With this combination, their venom-tipped spears were just as deadly as those wielded by demon warlocks—maybe even faster!
The Dark Elves' gryphons weren't as strong or as enduring as the wyverns, but they had one distinct advantage: agility. In midair, they could maneuver in countless ways, and when paired with the Dark Elves' spellcasting, they were sometimes even deadlier than the Wind Riders.
But breeding gryphons was difficult, so they were rarely seen except on reconnaissance missions. Now, with no other choice, only the fastest gryphons could be sent to intercept the enemy.
Gryphons darted through the sky, nimbly dodging the venom-tipped spears hurled by the Wind Riders. The Dark Elves atop them unleashed spellmark magic in rapid succession.
Fire, storm, frost—spells tangled in the sky. Soon, a less agile wyvern was struck and plummeted to the ground...
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One wyvern suddenly accelerated, spreading its wings wide, but three gryphons circled above it. In an instant, four or five fireblast spells, trailing long flames, slammed into the wyvern's wings, blasting the Ashen Orc rider off its back.
The wyvern shrieked as dozens of wind blades and ice shards tore its wings apart, sending it crashing to the ground.
At that moment, a gryphon deftly circled behind a wyvern. The Dark Elf atop the gryphon unleashed his Limit Spell—a roaring pillar of flame, like the wrath of a fire god, blasted into the wyvern's back.
But the Ashen Orc jerked the reins, sending the wyvern soaring vertically. In an instant, it looped around behind the gryphon.
The Ashen Orc atop the wyvern hurled a venom-tipped spear, its shadow flashing as it pierced the Dark Elf's back—and the gryphon beneath him.
From the moment they barely held back the assault, the gryphon riders' nightmare began. Their strength was suddenly diminished, a deadly weakness settling in, making it impossible to fight at full power. As their magic drained, the weakness only grew worse.
Though they managed to hold off the Orc Wind Riders, casualties mounted—gryphons and Dark Elves alike plummeted from the sky.
Then, when demon warlocks appeared atop the wyverns, the tide of battle turned completely...
The gryphon riders were steadily forced back toward the Life Sigil Sanctuary...
Meanwhile, things were dire on the ground. Countless orc thralls, wielding crude shields and axes, roared Ashen Orc slogans as they charged the Dark Elf defenses.
"For glory! Orc blood will never stop burning!"
Orc thralls fell in droves, but these lowest-ranking orcs—sometimes even fed to Kodo Beasts—achieved the greatest results. The weakest Dark Elves, crippled by severe exhaustion, couldn't muster even a third of their usual strength and were sometimes overwhelmed by dozens of orc thralls.
From the very start, the two sides were never on the same level...
The Dark Elves had just suffered internal strife, and with the upheaval of the Life Sigil Crystal, their strength plummeted. Then, this sudden assault left them completely unprepared.
Meanwhile, the Ashen Orc Warhost was at full strength, ready for battle at any moment. From the start, the Dark Elf ranks were forced to retreat under relentless pressure.
By the time the mage corps had assembled, they were already being driven back toward the Life Sigil Sanctuary...
Wolf Raiders swung their scimitars, charging again and again, leaving the Dark Elves scrambling and forcing them to burn through their magic, desperately ramping up their spell output.
Waves of spells crashed over the Wolf Raiders, but they cut through the magic, barely managing to keep the savage cavalry from breaking into the mage corps.
Everyone knew what would happen if the Wolf Raiders broke through to the mage corps. These Ashen Orcs, focused solely on strength, could wipe out a quarter of the Dark Elf mages in a single charge.
Demon warlocks stood behind the orc thralls, summoning fire, black ice, and meteors to rain down on the Dark Elf mage corps...
Evil water elementals, Reapers, Abyssal demons and other abyssal creatures were summoned, each launching relentless assaults.
They threw themselves against the Dark Elves' magical defenses, sacrificing their lives to push ever closer.