Chapter 771: Frostgate
The Second Elder was shocked, completely unprepared for the Dread Dragon Warlord's hidden technique. Endless frost suddenly appeared around the Second Elder, instantly forming a massive icy serpent that enveloped him. In less than a second, all that remained in midair was a giant orb of ice, its surface shimmering with frost.
Arcs of abyssal flames swept in from all directions, streaking across the sky. Each dark red blaze exploded against the surface of the ice orb, scattering shards of frost and fire in a chaotic rain all around...
After just a few seconds, the Second Elder regretted his actions, struggling to maintain his spell and pouring even more mana into it.
Outside, hundreds of dark red flames trailed thick plumes of smoke, relentlessly battering the Second Elder's icy orb like a torrential downpour.
In less than ten seconds, cracks spiderwebbed across the ice orb, and then it exploded with a thunderous roar. Instantly, the frenzied dark red flames surged toward the Second Elder's body.
A shield of magic held in front, but the Second Elder's body was bombarded dozens of times per second, sending him plummeting toward the ground. If not for that magical shield, he would have been blasted to death on the spot...
The Second Elder crashed to the ground, coughing up blood, his body covered in charred marks. Within dozens of meters, every plant had been reduced to ashes by the raining fire...
Collapsed on the ground, the Second Elder's face was filled with despair. The morale of the surrounding dark elves sank even lower; some cast spells in a frenzy, but most wore hopeless expressions, making their final, desperate stand...
High above, the Dread Dragon Warlord suddenly burst into raucous laughter.
"I've changed my mind. You want to die, but I won't kill you—not yet. I'll make you watch as your people die, one by one. And I'll make you witness the destruction of your Life Sigil Crystal!"
The Dread Dragon Warlord drifted to the rear of the battlefield, landing once more atop his Kodo Beast.
"Despair. Struggle for your last breath. This feeling is exquisite—watching your hope shatter, piece by piece. The process is absolutely intoxicating.
Ashen Orc warriors, let these arrogant fools taste what true despair and terror really mean!"
The Dread Dragon Warlord sat at the rear, laughing maniacally as he waved his hand.
In an instant, the Ashen Orcs went completely berserk, charging madly into the depths of the Life Sigil Sanctuary. Even the orc slaves risked everything for a chance at glory—if they survived this victory, at least half would be freed from slavery.
Though the Dread Dragon Warlord no longer fought personally, the dark elves were still forced to retreat. The survivors were little more than broken remnants, their morale utterly crushed—their defeat was inevitable...
The gravely wounded Second Elder had been rescued, but seeing the situation, he struggled to his feet, determined to keep fighting. The Third Elder stood nearby, watching the distant Dread Dragon Warlord—too afraid to make a move himself.
Both were Title Archmages of the ninth rank, but the gap between them was immense. If the Second Elder could be defeated so easily, the Third Elder knew he'd fare no better.
Leaning against a tree, the Second Elder spoke to the Third Elder with great difficulty.
"Third Elder, the dark elves... are facing the greatest crisis in history. Go ask Leon for help. With Leon's support, we might stand a chance..."
The Third Elder's expression darkened, but then he seemed to remember something and nodded to the Second Elder.
Right, he'd almost forgotten about that damned outsider. Leon had been watching from the sidelines all along, never once intervening. His power wasn't lacking—he'd even managed to hold his own against me for a while. If he joined the fight, his strength would certainly draw the Dread Dragon Warlord's attention...
As long as he distracted the Dread Dragon Warlord, everything would fall into place. His rank might not be high, but his arsenal of strange tricks was impressive—he could probably hold out for a while against the Warlord.
If he could hold off the Dread Dragon Warlord, I could strike myself and drive back the Ashen Orc army. I'd be the hero of the tribe, and that damned outsider would probably be killed by the Warlord anyway.
If the Dread Dragon Warlord's forces suffered heavy losses, he wouldn't keep fighting to the bitter end. Otherwise, the other two Ashen Orc Warlords would seize the chance to eliminate him...
Thinking of this, the Third Elder couldn't help but smile.
Beside him, the Second Elder spoke with difficulty, "Third Elder, these are extraordinary times—think of the greater good..."
The Third Elder nodded vigorously, his voice resolute: "Don't worry. I'll make sure Leon helps us..."
The Third Elder walked over to where Leon was standing nearby.
"Leon, as long as you help the dark elves hold back the Dread Dragon Warlord, I'll let bygones be bygones. Your crimes, your violations of clan law—I'll erase them all. Whatever happened with Jairus, we'll call it a private matter. When this is over, I won't use the tribe's power against you. If you survive my challenge, even the Jairus affair will be forgotten!"
The Third Elder put on a magnanimous air, acting as if he could pardon Leon's supposed crimes for the good of the tribe.
Leon couldn't help but laugh—what a joke. The supposed violation of dark elf law was just a convenient excuse, and now the Third Elder was openly threatening to settle scores later. Truly shameless.
Seeing Leon remain silent, the Third Elder hesitated for a long moment before gritting his teeth and speaking again.
"Fine. As long as you help us hold back the Dread Dragon Warlord, afterward you only need to withstand three of my spells. All past grudges will be wiped clean!"
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Leon sneered. "Heh..."
Does he really think everyone else is an idiot? The Dread Dragon Warlord is ridiculously strong, and right now his morale is sky-high. Among ninth-rank Title Archmages, he'd count as a powerhouse. Trying to stop him is basically suicide.
And if I somehow survive, he's planning to finish me off afterward?
Seeing Leon unmoved, the Third Elder finally glared and spat out a threat.
"Let me tell you, if disaster befalls the dark elves today, don't ever think you'll get our help. Not in this lifetime. Hmph! You think I don't know you want to use our tribe's most valuable path—the one leading to the summit of the Tree of Wisdom!
No one but the dark elves has another route to that place. If we're wiped out, you'll be doomed too! You think the Dread Dragon Warlord will spare you? You'll die right along with us!"
Leon glanced at the Third Elder and said coolly, "It's already too late. With your current strength, there's no way you can hold out. The only option is for you to sacrifice yourself to empower the Life Sigil Crystal. That might buy you some time."
As a Dark Elf Elder, you should know how to cast the Elven Dirge. At your level, you could unleash its power and hold them back. Sacrificing yourself to save the tribe—quite the bargain, isn't it?"
The Third Elder flew into a rage. Of course he knew the Elven Dirge—it was the Dark Elves' last desperate trump card. Sacrifice the strongest among them to invoke nature's power and save the tribe. But the price was utter annihilation—even the soul would be lost.
It was far worse than simple death. As long as the Life Sigil Crystal remained intact, even the dead could have their souls preserved. The stronger the Dark Elf, the greater the chance of survival.
At his level, even if he died, his soul would surely be preserved. As long as the Dark Elves weren't wiped out, there was always hope for rebirth.
"Leon, you never intended to help us! You just want to watch the Dark Elves be wiped out!"
With that, the Third Elder suddenly attacked. Above Leon's head, a dark void appeared, as if space itself was being devoured. The void descended, aiming to engulf Leon.
Leon sneered and instantly appeared a dozen meters away. Where the void fell, every plant it touched vanished without a trace, as if swallowed whole.
Anderson floated beside Leon, cursing through gritted teeth, "I told you, there's nothing good about dark elves! You insisted on coming back—let them all die! Using Dark Devour, such an evil spell, he's trying to trap your soul in darkness. Vile!"
The Third Elder, grinning maliciously, kept casting spells at Leon. His elemental magic was gone—now, it was all dark spells. Leon could tell at a glance: the Third Elder was even more adept with dark magic than with elemental spells!
Shafts of darkness rained down like arrows. Leon raised the Doombringer Staff, casting spell after spell to defend himself, but his elemental magic couldn't match the Third Elder's dark spells.
Upon contact, the dark arrows pierced straight through flame and frost alike.
Leon kept retreating as the Third Elder chased him, grinning fiercely.
Suddenly, the Gate of Eskrym appeared before Leon—a towering frost gate, six or seven meters high, instantly blocking dozens of dark arrows. But then, the Third Elder unleashed Dark Touch.
A massive tentacle, thick as a man's waist and over ten meters long, lashed out like a black octopus arm, striking the Gate of Eskrym with crushing force. Instantly, half the gate was corroded away, the remaining ice bubbling with black froth. In a second or two, the gate was completely eaten through and vanished...