Chapter 20: Coming To The End (Part 3)

"I'll give you some advice, elf girl, don't force me, especially not now," Master Aiden's eyelids twitched, and the two jade pieces in his hands seemed to twitch as well. The air around them thickened as if charged. "Even if that happens, it's fine. After the World Tree's Leaf breaks, it will reform in the Sun Wells in ten years or so. I can just use these two great spells to eliminate the elves. Or I could kill that boy, go to the capital, and kill the woman who once used the World Tree's Leaf. The World Tree's Leaf won't disappear. If I can't get it now, I'll just wait."

"I'm not threatening you, I'm giving you a choice," Master Aiden took a deep breath, suppressing the explosive rage within him. It seemed like even the words he spoke were infused with a heavy fire element. "Make your choice quickly, I'm running out of patience and time."

Ruya's expression shifted constantly. She could sense that the necromancer in front of her wasn't joking, but handing over the sacred relic of the elves was something she could never do.

It wasn't just about her personal surrender, but the surrender of the entire elf race. The belief that the elves had safeguarded for centuries was now entirely placed upon the World Tree's Leaf. Giving up this leaf, especially to a necromancer, would signify the complete destruction of the elves' faith.

Without faith, what purpose is there to existence? Ruya gritted her teeth, and her silver hair fluttered without wind. She stepped forward and shouted at Master Aiden in mid-air, "Don't even think about it…"

"Alright, I'll give you the World Tree's Leaf," Ruya suddenly felt her hand lighten, and the World Tree's Leaf had transferred to Asa's hands.

"Don't get excited, I know you're not joking. I don't want to die, and I don't want to see all the elves here blasted into pieces," Asa sighed, waving the World Tree's Leaf in his hand. "But how can you guarantee that once you have this, you won't use those two scrolls?"

"What are you doing? That's a sacred relic of our people!" Ruya leaped up, trying to grab the World Tree's Leaf from Asa's hand.

"Idiot, can't you see this old man is nearly insane? Do you want to die?" Asa pushed her away.

"What's so bad about dying?" Ruya charged at him again.

"I'm sorry, you're not afraid, but I am." Asa pressed a hand onto her, and dark magic waves immediately enveloped Ruya's body, freezing her in place. While necromantic magic's restraining effect on the body wasn't as strong as white magic's paralysis, it was easier to use and especially effective against weaker opponents.

"Boy, I warn you not to try any tricks," Master Aiden said, but his expression softened slightly.

Asa raised his hand, showing the World Tree's Leaf, and gave a wry smile. "Don't worry, I can see that you're at the end of the line. When people are pushed to their limit, they'll do anything."

Master Aiden's eyelids twitched again. He didn't know whether to be happy or angry. He barely managed to say, "But I remember you weren't exactly afraid of death."

Asa smiled and shook his head. "No one isn't afraid of death, except for those fools who don't know what death is, or the pitiful worms who never truly lived... You should see, I'm not one of those two types, am I? I'm still young, with plenty of time and enjoyment ahead of me... so I don't want to die."

"True, you are still young, and you're not one of those reckless fools who don't know their own limits. You have a bright future ahead of you…" Master Aiden glanced at Ruya, who was frozen in place, and his expression softened slightly. "This elf girl is quite beautiful. If I were a few decades younger, I wouldn't want her to die either."

"Right, right, right. You can understand, I suppose…" Asa seemed somewhat embarrassed, but his smile had a hint of something lecherous as he spoke. "How about this, let's make a fair trade. I'll put the World Tree's Leaf on the ground, and you place those two scrolls on the ground as well. Then we can walk in circles, and you can take the World Tree's Leaf while I take the scrolls. That way, we both get what we want and I ensure my own safety. What do you think?"

Master Aiden frowned slightly. Those jade pieces weren't just any trinkets to him. He, along with Nimbras and Aisri, had spent an immense amount of effort gathering the rare magical gems capable of sealing these powerful spells. They had even enlisted the help of other necromancers to make these forbidden spell scrolls. These magical gems were one-of-a-kind, powerful enough to start a war on the continent.

But the hesitation didn't last long. There was little time left to waste, and Aiden knew that Edwina could intervene at any moment. Plus, if he had the World Tree's Leaf, these two scrolls didn't matter as much.

With a blank expression, Master Aiden landed on the ground and tossed the two jade pieces onto the earth. Asa pushed Ruya aside and threw the World Tree's Leaf onto the ground as well. The two of them began to move slowly, each taking an opposite arc.

This was a very old and effective method of exchanging items. By moving in opposite arcs, the distance between them remained the same while gradually closing in on the items to be exchanged. If either party made any sudden moves, the other would have enough time and space to grab the item nearest to them.

Through the recent battle, both of them had learned that their combat speeds were roughly equal, and neither could easily overpower the other. So the best option now was to simply exchange the items without any tricks—moving slowly, cautiously, and steadily.

Slowly, they reached the halfway point along their designated arcs, both equidistant from the items they were about to exchange. When the two items were aligned in a straight line, forming a perfect square with the two of them, both made their move simultaneously.

Asa suddenly looked up, his expression surprised as if he had seen something astonishing behind Master Aiden.

Master Aiden, on the other hand, suddenly raised both hands and reached out to grab the two items from the ground.

"Trying to pull tricks on me, kid?" Master Aiden sneered with a wicked grin as he noticed Asa's expression. With a swift motion, he grabbed the World Tree's Leaf and the two jade pieces as they flew toward his hands.

Master Aiden did not believe that the young man in front of him would sincerely go through with the exchange. The key was, after hearing about the method of exchange, he had never even considered actually exchanging.

This was the perfect distance to make a move. The items were equidistant from both parties, and as long as the method was effective, there was indeed a chance for both sides to get what they wanted and retreat safely. Aiden knew this, and he was certain that his opponent also understood it.

He knew the young man would certainly try some tricks, but whatever trick it was, how could it be more effective than the move of a grandmaster in air magic? After all, Aiden was a master in air-based magic, one who could be described as a grandmaster.

Being able to use his air manipulation technique to quickly and efficiently pull the items from the ground, Aiden thought he had already been cautious enough. At the same time, he was rapidly ascending, like a firework shot into the sky. He knew the young man's speed, and he knew there was no way he could make it in time.

Sure enough, after a surprised expression crossed the young man's face, he immediately drew his knife and rushed forward, charging toward Aiden. Although Aiden had to admit that the young man's speed was fast, it was clear that he would never reach him in time.

Using his grandmaster-level air manipulation technique to pull two stationary, not particularly heavy objects from the ground into his hands was far more reliable and quicker than grabbing them manually. The World Tree's leaf and the two jade pieces were swiftly yanked into Aiden's grasp by the gusts of air.

Finally, as he held the green leaf, Aiden felt the overwhelming vitality and magical power emanating from it. His heart couldn't even be described as satisfied or joyful—these were too ordinary words to convey the intensity of his emotions. He felt as if he might go mad from the sheer excitement.

At that moment, the young man, now charging at him, thrust his knife into Aiden's arm. As the knife was withdrawn, a brilliant blood-red light leapt from the blade. Aiden sensed the subtle aura of necromantic magic and what seemed to be the distinct scent of vampiric energy. This strike was a full-force, life-costing attack, using a portion of the young man's essence, energy, and spirit. The power of this attack was so great that Aiden felt even the monstrous war mantis from earlier would not have withstood it.

However, no matter how powerful an attack, it only mattered if it could land. It seemed the young man had hoped that Aiden, distracted by his gaze, would fall for this trick and allow the killing blow to land. Unfortunately, such a trick was too old and predictable. Aiden's focus would not be swayed by such an obvious feint, and with this distance, there was nothing that could prevent him from achieving his goal.

Once he reached high in the sky, Aiden was confident that, even if every powerful person on the continent gathered together, he could easily escape unscathed. He could almost hear his blood boiling with excitement at the nearing success, making him feel at least twenty years younger.

But at that moment, Aiden suddenly felt his rapidly rising body come to a sudden halt. Before he could be surprised, he felt a cold sensation on his face, and then he saw his left eye looking directly at his right eye.

Everyone knew that a person's left eye couldn't possibly see their own right eye, but Aiden himself had just seen it. Before he could figure out what was happening, he saw Asa leaping into the air, raising his knife for a downward strike.