Chapter 772: Rather Die Than Surrender
Anderson controlled the Arcane Wheel, unleashing a barrage of spells, but none could land a hit on the Third Elder. A faint mist enveloped the Third Elder, making his body appear almost translucent—he would vanish in an instant, only to reappear nearby, dodging with terrifying speed.
"Damn it, Shadow Blink! This bastard has mastered Shadow Blink to the level of a limit spell—and he can keep casting it!"
Anderson cursed, forced to widen the area of his spellcasting. But as he did so, the spells lost their ferocious momentum—their power dropped a whole tier, and at this level, they couldn't break through the Third Elder's shield.
Leon was driven back by the snarling Third Elder, teaming up with Anderson, but both were being suppressed. Once you brush against the secrets of the rules, you become something no ordinary mortal can compare to.
Retreating while casting spells to block and counterattack, Leon finally got a visceral sense of what a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage was. Just touching the edge of the rules brought such a massive change—so how powerful must those at the Heavenly Rank be?
Back in the apocalypse, those godlike mages had long since perished. Forget Heavenly Rank—there wasn't a single Title Archmage left. Any description of those mighty mages could only be found in that desolate library.
But rules—those things are far beyond anything a book can describe.
This was the first time seeing a Ninth-Rank Title Archmage in action—and the pressure was overwhelming. It was nothing like fighting that Level 39 Destruction Guard; that thing didn’t even know what rules were…
Leon was forced back, and the Third Elder began to howl madly.
"Damn outsider! I've known for a long time that you are the one foretold in the tribe's prophecy. I've investigated you thoroughly—your abilities, your strength far above your rank, your soul-bound artifact—I've discovered everything!
Since you refuse to stop the Dread Dragon Warlord, I know you must mean harm to our tribe. You want our clan to perish. There’s no way your intentions are good.
So, I'll capture you and hand you over to the Ashen Orcs. Those magma-brained fools care more about prophecy than anything else. As long as I give you to them, they'll surely spare our Dark Elf Clan!
The Third Elder’s crazed howl stunned all the Dark Elves. The prophecy of the Dark Elf Clan had been passed down for countless years. Although Dark Elves weren’t as obsessed with prophecy as the Ashen Orcs, it didn’t mean they didn’t care.
Until now, only a handful of high-ranking members knew Leon might be the prophesied one. The news hadn’t spread—now, with the Third Elder declaring it so bluntly, every Dark Elf was shaken to the core.
The Third Elder glanced at the stunned faces of the Dark Elves, and even saw the Ashen Orcs in battle slow their attacks after hearing the news. His heart settled instantly.
In the distance, the Dread Dragon Warlord’s eyelids twitched and his brows furrowed. After a moment, he soared off his Kodo beast and flew toward the front lines.
"The one from the prophecy? Could this be connected to our tribe’s prophecy too?"
Brewster, that fool, has a grudge against this human. He must’ve investigated thoroughly. What he says is likely true—this person really might be the one from the Dark Elf Clan’s prophecy…
The other Dark Elves fighting were also shocked. Thinking back on recent events, they realized only the prophesied one could have accomplished such feats.
In just a short time, Leon had retrieved the soul-bound artifact that the Dark Elves had spent a century searching for without a trace. He even restored the Life Sigil Crystal and could control its fate, affecting the strength of the entire Dark Elf Clan.
He was clearly just a ninth-level Magus, yet managed to fight at the level of an eighth-tier Archmage, even holding his own against a ninth-tier Archmage for so long.
All these feats—could anyone but the one from the tribal legend have managed them?
Then more Dark Elves remembered—it was Princess Elsa herself who had brought this human into the tribe…
Within seconds, every Dark Elf believed the revelation.
At this, the Third Elder finally let out a vicious, triumphant shout.
"Hurry, everyone, seize him! As long as we hand him to the Ashen Orcs, we can save our Dark Elf Clan. He’s just a human, a shameful outsider—even if he’s the one from the legend, it means nothing now. Our tribe is on the brink of destruction; we must use him to buy our survival!
And this disgraceful outsider even tampered with our Life Sigil Crystal, controlling its fate and weakening us all. If not for that, how could we possibly be unable to resist the Dread Dragon Warlord’s army!
Quick, seize him together! Time is running out—we must capture him first if we want any chance to negotiate with the Dread Dragon Warlord!
The Third Elder’s face twisted with rage. Seeing Leon still uncaptured after all this time, he grew frantic, shouting and inciting the other Dark Elves to join the fight.
Sure enough, as the Third Elder incited them, many Dark Elves saw the Dread Dragon Warlord showing interest in Leon, already flying off his Kodo beast into the air. Instantly, many Dark Elves believed the Third Elder’s words.
At a moment like this, when the survival of the race was at stake, who would care about the life or death of an outsider? If sacrificing one could save the Dark Elves, there was nothing to consider.
At a moment like this, when the survival of the race was at stake, who would care about the life or death of an outsider? If sacrificing one could save the Dark Elves, there was nothing to consider.
In an instant, dozens of Dark Elves joined the assault on Leon.
After a long battle, only the strongest of the Dark Elf Clan could still fight in their weakened state. With just a few dozen more joining, Leon’s situation became dire.
A barrage of spells rained down. Leon had to summon a fire elemental avatar, turning a thousand meters around him into a sea of flames, constantly using Flame Blink to dodge powerful attacks.
Even Anderson could no longer maintain his spell barrage, forced to cast defensive magic just to hold out.
Leon’s face was cold as he unleashed attack spells in retaliation—countless Spears of the Fire God, Ice Lances, and Rending Blades kept the Dark Elves at bay, preventing them from tightening the encirclement.
But the Third Elder kept inciting the other Dark Elves.
"What are you all waiting for? Why are you still fighting the Ashen Orcs? Don’t you know we can’t possibly hold out? Only by capturing this damn outsider and handing him to the Ashen Orcs do we have any hope of survival!"
More and more Dark Elves grew restless, eager to join the fight.
At that moment, the gravely wounded Second Elder had recovered a little, struggling to his feet and shouting angrily.
"Stop! Do you want the Dark Elves to bear an indelible shame for all eternity?
Look at yourselves—at a time like this, the Third Elder is still obsessed with his personal grudges, acting selfishly. Who are you attacking? The greatest benefactor of our Dark Elf Clan! Have you all forgotten? If not for Leon reviving the Life Sigil Crystal, we’d only have decades left to live!
Do you remember the children born in the past century? Without the Life Sigil Crystal’s blessing, their talents and vitality were weak. How many children have died in these hundred years? Who among you remembers?
Look at what the Third Elder has done—he’s a traitor! A shameful betrayer! Do you still want to believe his words?
Do you want the proud Dark Elves to forever bear the mark of ingratitude?
And besides, if the Third Elder says Leon is the one from the legend, then you should trust that our clan will not perish. The Dark Elves will never disappear!
Though gravely injured, the Second Elder’s words rang out powerfully, instantly quelling the Dark Elves’ doubts. Even those attacking Leon stopped, silently withdrawing and rejoining the fight against the Ashen Orcs.
In the end, only the Third Elder remained, still relentlessly attacking Leon.
The Second Elder, supported by another Dark Elf, barely stood, glaring at the Third Elder and cursing him out.
"Brewster, you traitor! Are you only satisfied if the entire Dark Elf Clan is wiped out?"
The Third Elder’s face twisted into a vicious grin, his skin flushed, veins bulging on his forehead as he howled madly.
"I’m not wrong! I’m doing this for our Dark Elf Clan! Only by capturing this damn outsider and handing him over to the Dread Dragon Warlord can we make them retreat!"
The Second Elder’s face was ashen, yet he wore the innate pride of the Dark Elves—a pride that ran deep to the bone.
"We Dark Elves have always lived standing tall, never fearing death. We’ve never knelt just to survive, much less bowed to despicable invaders.
Nor have we ever betrayed our benefactor for survival. Even if only Leon’s life could buy us a slime-like existence, I’d rather die—die with the dignity of a Dark Elf!
I refuse to let the Dark Elves be branded as traitors, as dogs to the Ashen Orcs. I’d rather die!