Chapter 711: What Scheme Are You Plotting?
With most of the pressure gone, Jeremy started glaring at Leon and cursing him out: "Damn outsider, it's all your fault we've ended up like this. If it weren't for you suddenly showing up, we wouldn't have suffered such losses. Did you bring us here on purpose, using these monsters to kill us off? I bet you've been plotting this all along!"
Jeremy’s eyes were bloodshot, his grip on reality slipping. Now, every mistake was pinned on Leon. To Jeremy, it all reeked of Leon’s plotting.
Casting spells with one hand, Leon shot Jeremy a cold, mocking glance. "Idiot, you can leave right now if you want! For all you know, Oracis might've already left that spot—you can crawl back to him!"
Elsa quickly tried to smooth things over: "Jeremy, that's enough. I've already explained—if we want to leave Nightfall Gorge, the only way is through that teleportation array. But no one knows what's really going on here. Besides, on the other side, Oracis is even worse than what we're facing now. There's no way to fight back there! At least here, we still have a chance to escape..."
Jeremy, humiliated and furious, glared at Leon and rudely waved Elsa off. "Elsa, stay out of this. That guy is definitely scheming—he's targeting us, the Dark Elf Clan. Don't let him fool you! Look at the journey so far, we've lost ten people, but he hasn't lost a single one. Even that old man, just a Magus, hasn't been seriously hurt. This outsider is up to something!"
As he spoke, the magical runes on Jeremy's skin lit up. A roaring blast of fire shot toward Leon, thundering like a cannon. At this distance, it almost instantly reached Leon.
Elsa gasped, just as an icy shield appeared in front of Leon.
Boom—
The icy shield and the blast of fire canceled each other out. Leon froze for a moment, then lightly waved his Dragonstaff. A faint tremor rippled beneath Jeremy's feet.
The next moment, several thick, spiked Hellthorn Vines burst from the ground and instantly wrapped tightly around Jeremy. He was hoisted into the air, his skin crawling against the dark red tendrils, which carved terrifying wounds into his flesh. Blood gushed from the cuts, only to be instantly drained away by the Hellthorn Vines.
The Hellthorn Vine is an upgraded version of the Bloodthorn Spell, far more powerful and on a completely different level. Not only does it drain blood, it also absorbs magical energy, growing stronger with every bit it consumes—an insatiable hunger with no limit.
Dangling in midair, Jeremy shrieked in agony as dozens of wounds appeared all over his body. He'd fought for so long without suffering injuries this severe—especially now, feeling both his blood and magic being drained away. Jeremy roared in furious pain.
"Damn outsider, how dare you attack me! You're dead, absolutely dead! Listen, my father is the Grand Elder of the Dark Elf Clan—if you dare treat me like this, no matter what scheme you have, you're doomed. You'll be killed in the most miserable way!"
Jeremy's shouting made Leon's face turn cold. The Hellthorn Vines began to contract, driving their spikes deeper into Jeremy's body and frantically draining his blood and magic.
"Ah... Bastard, let me go! You damn outsider... Ah—"
Jeremy screamed in agony, and Elsa was startled, quickly trying to explain to Leon.
"Lord Merlin, please don't take Jeremy's words to heart. His father is the Grand Elder of the Dark Elf Clan, with absolute support in the Elder Council and immense power in the clan. He's fiercely protective—every mess Jeremy's made since childhood has been smoothed over by the Grand Elder. If you kill him, the whole Dark Elf Clan will hunt you down. Even their top experts will come after you..."
Seeing Jeremy scream in pain, Elsa grew anxious—he couldn't die here. But even after explaining, Leon's expression stayed icy cold, with no sign of stopping.
As his life slipped away bit by bit, Jeremy's furious and defiant expression turned to terror.
His body started to twitch uncontrollably, vision blurring, and his mind began to fade. The weakness from mana loss gnawed at him, making his craving for magic overwhelming in that moment.
The mental torment twisted Jeremy's face with mounting terror and pain.
Impossible... How could this outsider dare to kill me? Ordinary Dark Elves dying is one thing, but how could he even think about it? He knows my father is the Grand Elder of the Elder Council—he's even more powerful than the clan chief! How is he not afraid at all?
I don't want to die... This damn outsider must have no clue how powerful my father really is.
It's over...
I really don't want to die... My magic, my magic—I need mana...
Elsa was desperate now, watching Jeremy convulse so violently his eyes rolled back. She’d pleaded with Leon endlessly, but nothing worked. Finally, in a moment of panic, she blurted out:
"Lord Merlin, if you spare Jeremy, you'll gain the friendship of the Dark Elf Clan. Everything that's happened before will be wiped clean—the Dark Elf Clan will treat you as their best friend."
When Elsa said this, Leon's face remained icy, but the Hellthorn Vines that had been squeezing tighter around Jeremy loosened just a bit. The dozens of blood-draining spikes stopped.
Jeremy's face was twisted with fear. With blood and magic pouring out of him, his complexion turned ashen, his life slipping away fast—no one could stay calm in a situation like this.
Elsa was shocked by Leon's ruthlessness—his cold expression made it clear he didn't care about making enemies of the Dark Elf Clan. He was merciless; any hint of a threat only made him more unyielding.
But with no other options, Elsa had to offer the Dark Elf Clan's friendship. Leon suddenly stopped, which left Elsa stunned.
All these years, almost no one has ever pushed the Dark Elves this far.
Elsa breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced at Leon, lost in thought, then at Jeremy, still dangling in midair and barely conscious. Elsa even felt that Curio was less dangerous than this human mage.
With the Hellthorn Vines no longer draining his blood and magic, Jeremy's consciousness slowly returned. As long as he had mana, a Dark Elf could recover quickly—even after losing so much blood and magic.
Within seconds, Jeremy's eyes regained their spark. His face was still sickly pale, but his spirit came back fast.
Slowly, his blood-drained skin returned to its natural pale shade, and his mana began to recover. He was still hanging in the air, with dozens of spikes pressing against his skin—any movement and they'd pierce him again.
But without the Hellthorn Vine's violent draining, Jeremy's color gradually returned to normal.
Looking down at Leon, who seemed lost in thought, Jeremy couldn't help but curl his lips in a mocking smile.
Damn outsider, in the end you’re just scared of my father. The moment you realized you’d be up against the entire Dark Elf Clan, you lost your nerve.
Stupid human mage, no matter how strong you are, it doesn’t matter. If you’d only killed a few ordinary Dark Elves, maybe the clan would let it slide. But you were reckless enough to target me?
In ages past, even pureblood elves and dragons wouldn’t dare casually kill an important member of the Dark Elf Clan. The death of any noble, pureblooded Dark Elf always brought fierce retaliation.
Now that you know who I am, you didn’t dare make a move, did you?
Hmph, foolish human mage. I’ve always known your kind—too stubborn to admit fear, even when you’re shaking in your boots. You just couldn’t stand losing face after I threatened you.
Elsa too—so meddlesome. She didn’t need to persuade you, this human wouldn’t dare kill me anyway. He’d never risk the consequences. And now, she’s promised you all these benefits, so of course you took the deal. Truly a bunch of greedy creatures.
Jeremy’s color slowly returned to normal, his lost strength gradually coming back. His mind grew clearer. Though still hanging in midair, the Hellthorn Vines no longer attacked him.
Jeremy thought he’d seen right through Leon. The human mage was looking for a way out, but couldn’t swallow his pride enough to just let Jeremy go. All that earlier posturing now seemed pointless.
Having figured it out, Jeremy looked at Leon and sneered.
"Stupid human, hurry up and let me down!"
Leon, who seemed lost in thought, suddenly looked up, a bit surprised at Jeremy. Not just Leon—everyone else stared at Jeremy in disbelief.
Jeremy sneered, head held high, eyes full of disdain—displaying all the arrogance of a Dark Elf.
"What did you say?"
Leon looked at Jeremy, his tone flat and unreadable.
Jeremy sneered, his eyes cold and glinting.
"Hmph, people say human mages are wise, but all I see is a fool. Tell me, human—why go to all this trouble to bring us here? Are you trying to get us all killed? You clearly want us dead, but won’t do it yourself. You must have some grand scheme against the Dark Elf Clan!"