Chapter 19: Coming To The End (Part 2)

"You're here spreading nonsense," Master Aiden said, his entire body beginning to tremble as electric sparks danced around him. He could feel several blood vessels in his head on the verge of bursting. "Everyone, don't listen to her. This woman must have been bought off by the elves."

"Should we just wait here?" the female mage's voice rang out. "Those so-called witnesses of yours are on their way, riding on air elementals. Our flying steeds are just a bit faster, but they will catch up. When they arrive, everyone will know who's really spreading nonsense."

The female mage's voice was not only loud, but both her persuasive power and commanding presence had completely overwhelmed Master Aiden.

Master Aiden clenched his fist, resisting the urge to unleash a chain of lightning from his palm, filled with his fury. He knew that attacking now would be futile. Otherwise, even at the risk of drawing the full suspicion of the other mages, he would have turned this woman into a pile of ash.

A massive explosion and burst of flames came from below. The summoned elemental giants could no longer withstand the onslaught of the Deadwood Guards. They were all defeated, leaving only scattered magical explosions trying to slow the progress of the guardians. But this method would not hold for long.

"Everyone else stay put. Air mages, come with me to rescue them," the female mage, named Edwina, shouted. She glanced at Master Aiden. "If you dare attack me, that will be an admission of guilt. Everyone, don't hold back with him."

The winged steed, surrounded by a massive blue water barrier, flapped its wings and flew down toward the chaos below. A few air mages exchanged glances with Master Aiden, hesitating briefly before following. Even if they didn't want to believe that Master Aiden was the cause of all this, they had no choice but to go and rescue their comrades.

"Quick, send someone to rescue Elder Ruya. She seems to have fallen in that direction, hurry!" On the Ancient War Tree, a few elven elders were frantic, moving around restlessly. The Ancient War Tree had been severely damaged and paralyzed, making it impossible to pinpoint the exact location of the World Tree leaf. Elder Ruya's fall had been quite far off, and judging her position by sight was difficult.

The problem was that the battle surrounding the mages not far from the Ancient War Tree was still fierce. The explosive sounds of their elemental magic were deafening, creating a chaotic mess, and the elders' voices were completely drowned out.

Seeing Edwina leave, Master Aiden's face twitched in anger, his bloodshot eyes glaring at the female mage's retreating back as if he wanted to pierce her with his gaze. But this time, he didn't seem overly enraged. Instead, he turned and rushed off in a different direction, not toward the trapped mages below, but toward another location.

The other mages were surprised by his sudden departure, but none of them moved. In such a vague situation, following him didn't seem like it would stop him nor solve anything.

Even though Edwina had just interrupted him, Master Aiden's focus had remained on the two people below. He had clearly seen where the one who caught the elf was positioned.

He was furious, frustrated, and wished nothing more than to tear the flesh off that woman's body piece by piece. He had wanted to do this for a long time, and now the urge was even stronger. But no matter how angry he was, he still had the sense to think rationally. He knew the situation had turned against him, and he understood what had to be done.

First and foremost, he knew his position was precarious. He hadn't expected this damned woman to appear at this critical moment. Edwina held considerable influence within the Tooth Tower, and this was a plan full of holes from the beginning. The mages were already skeptical, and now with her intervening, they were all left unsure of whom to trust.

Although the battle with the elves had already gone on for quite a while, with both sides suffering considerable casualties, it hadn't yet reached the point of a fight to the death. These mages were not bloodthirsty warriors who reveled in battle. After Edwina rescued the trapped mages on the ground, it was unlikely that she would continue fighting. Moreover, if what she said was true and the witnesses from the Tooth Tower had already been sent here, then everything he had worked for within the Tower was finished.

However, fortunately, these matters were secondary. The most important thing was the World Tree Leaf. That was the fundamental reason behind this operation. Once he obtained the leaf, he could disregard everything else. And now, Edwina going to rescue the trapped mages presented an opportunity—perhaps even his last opportunity. He didn't hesitate for a moment, immediately charging towards the two figures running below.

Asa was running with Ruya towards the Ancient War Tree when two thunderclap bombs suddenly exploded in front of them, creating a massive shockwave that briefly blocked their path. They then saw Master Aiden slowly descending from the air, his body crackling with electricity. His white mage robes fluttered as they were surrounded by the air elements, but his bloodshot eyes and ferocious expression made him seem like a starved wild beast.

"So it's you, brat? Die!" Master Aiden froze for a moment as he looked at Asa. Suddenly, all the electric energy around him coalesced into a bright bolt of lightning that shot toward him.

Asa didn't dodge; instead, he threw his blade forward. The lightning struck the blade, and the blade's body crackled with electric energy, causing it to hover and jump in mid-air. At the same time, Asa extended his hand, and a green light shot toward Master Aiden.

Master Aiden quickly reached out, and the fast-moving green light stopped just in front of him, transforming into a ball of green flame. He raised his hand, and the flame shot into the sky.

Just a fraction slower than his own flame, Asa shot up from the ground like a crossbow bolt, charging toward Master Aiden. He wanted to exploit the moment when his opponent would have to block or dodge this attack. Instead of reaching for the blade still hovering in mid-air, he used his fist. Against a mage, no matter how powerful, no one could withstand a punch filled with fighting spirit.

But he still missed. His fist only grazed the edge of Master Aiden's robe.

Master Aiden swiftly darted to the side, moving like a slippery fish—no, perhaps it would be more accurate to say he was like a fly or a dragonfly, enlarged countless times. He narrowly avoided Asa's strike and charged straight toward Ruya.

Ruya had already raised the World Tree leaf in preparation. Seeing Master Aiden flash toward her, she immediately crouched down and struck the ground with the World Tree leaf. A patch of grass in front of her exploded upward with the force of an explosion, forming an instant wall of thick, entangled greenery. The once delicate and soft branches and leaves intertwined like steel, their sharp thorns bared and ready to strike.

Master Aiden's figure paused slightly. If he charged directly into it, it would be no different from hitting a wall of nails. But ultimately, it was still just grass. He reached out and summoned a wind blade, causing the grass wall to fall apart with a crack.

However, at that moment, Master Aiden had no choice but to slide to the side, dodging and ascending into the air. Asa, like a flash of lightning, returned for another strike. After missing again, he landed heavily, kicking up dust and leaving a sizable crater in the ground. The large tree he had used for leverage earlier also slowly cracked and fell. He pushed off the fallen tree with force, snapping it in two with one powerful kick.

The two of them glared at each other, neither making a move. Asa knew that he might not have the upper hand in a direct confrontation with this old man. And Master Aiden didn't make any rash moves either; his earlier evasion had drained all of his energy.

"Give me the World Tree Leaf," Master Aiden said, looking at Ruya, his words deliberate and slow.

Asa sneered, genuinely finding Master Aiden's words amusing. "Anyone who says such nonsense is a fool. Don't lower the prestige of the Dehya Valley. If you have the guts, come take it yourself."

Master Aiden ignored Asa and instead pulled two protective amulets from around his neck, tearing the chain and holding them in his hand. These were two pieces of jade carved into different shapes, mist-like in appearance. As soon as they touched Master Aiden's hands, they began emitting strong elemental fluctuations and slowly floated upward. The jade pieces rolled and swirled in the air, riding the release of air elements, resembling massive clouds in the sky being condensed and pulled down to his hands.

"Why do you people always like hanging such dangerous things around your necks? This is the only thing I admire about you," Asa sighed, shaking his head. He felt a headache coming on. The air magic fluctuations radiating from the two jade pieces were not just powerful—they were terrifying. He knew exactly what these were. The two necromancers killed by Grutt had similar protective charms, and one of them, Nimbras's, had turned four thousand heavily armored knights into a pile of meat. Now, Master Aiden was holding two of these.

"These two magical jades each seal one of two top-tier air spells. One is the Falling Stars spell I just used, and the other is Thunderstorm. You know the power of Falling Stars, but Thunderstorm's destructive power is not as strong. However, its range is much wider," Master Aiden said, his gaze fixed on Ruya. "Give me the World Tree Leaf. Otherwise, I can guarantee I will kill ninety-nine percent of the elves in this forest, including you."

Ruya's expression darkened. She could feel the energy emanating from the two jade pieces, but she still glared at Master Aiden with eyes that, no matter how fierce, lacked any real killing intent. "This is a sacred relic of the elves. Your threats are useless. Are you not worried that using this spell will destroy the World Tree Leaf as well? You can't intimidate me."