The appearance of Phantos startled the elven assassins.

‘How? We even set up a barrier so no one around could see us.’

That was why, despite the fierce battle exchanged with Ludger, there had been no reaction from the surroundings.

Yet that beastkin had effortlessly broken through such a barrier.

What was even more surprising was the incredible speed that didn’t match his massive frame.

The female elf commander ground her teeth.

‘Just by moving, all of us were pushed back.’

How could that bulky body move like that?

Was the fat merely a disguise, and inside, his body packed entirely with muscle?

The elves’ guess was, surprisingly, correct.

But knowing that did not change their fate.

“How long are you going to just stand there like that?”

The gigantic beastkin with long white hair disheveled like a wild mane—Phantos—taunted the elves.

“Did you lose your nerve? As expected, you pointy-ears are such cowards you’re not even worth hunting.”

“......!”

The elves flared with anger at his words.

How dare this stinking beast insult noble elves?

And these weren’t just any elves—they were from the Shadewardens, the most fanatical family among elves.

No one was more steeped in elven supremacism than them.

Phantos’ provocation worked far better than expected.

“Hmph.”

Even as he faced the fighting spirit surging from the elves, Phantos couldn’t hide the disappointment in his eyes.

Still not enough.

It was an act of pure arrogance—he didn’t even bother to tense up despite having his enemies before him.

But Ludger did not rebuke Phantos.

He had earned the right to act this way.

“Die!”

One of the elf swordsmen charged first toward Phantos.

Holding an elven sword in each hand, he called upon the spirit of wind behind him to boost his speed.

A faint aura shimmered along the tip of his blades—something only a seasoned swordsman could wield.

It was proof of his firm resolve to kill his opponent.

The distance between them closed in an instant, and the elf’s sword was about to graze Phantos’ skin when—

Puh-uck!

The elf’s head was cleanly blown off.

His headless body toppled to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

“Huh?”

The other elves, watching from a short distance away, let out stunned sounds.

What they should have been witnessing was Phantos being shredded by twin blades.

Indeed, until the very moment the sword almost touched him, Phantos hadn’t even moved from his spot.

Yet the result was the exact opposite.

In that fleeting moment, Phantos’ fist had crushed the elf swordsman’s head first.

“Wh-what is this...”

“......”

The elven swordsmen and archers faltered in shock.

Only one female elf stood silent, beads of cold sweat forming on her brow.

Phantos’ gaze landed on her.

Ignoring the elf who flinched under his stare, Phantos muttered,

“One?”

Almost twenty of them had barged in, and yet only one had seen his movement.

Phantos could not hide his disappointment.

“I rushed here thinking there was a real fight.”

Phantos turned an annoyed look toward Ludger.

If he was only going to face such pathetic opponents, why call him at all?

“There was no one else but you.”

“Wasn’t Alex available?”

“That guy doesn’t /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ fight properly if there’s a pretty woman around.”

“Ah...”

Indeed, elves were an exceptionally beautiful race.

Half of the attackers here were female.

Elves were a matriarchal society where women held greater authority.

Naturally, sending Alex against such opponents was not a good choice.

“Besides, you haven’t been moving your body much lately. I wanted to check if you’d gotten rusty.”

At Ludger’s words, the white ears atop Phantos’ head twitched.

“Do you think your instincts have dulled?”

“...My instincts have always been the same. No, they’ve become sharper than ever.”

Phantos clenched his massive fist, bones cracking audibly.

“Killing a few flies isn’t much of a test, but fine—I’ll show you.”

“That’s the kind of answer I like.”

“Next time, though, bring me some prey that’s actually worth the hunt.”

“I’ll try.”

The elves, who had been dazed watching the two converse so casually, finally snapped back to their senses.

“You’re having a casual chat in front of us?”

“Do you even know who we are?!”

The younger elves, still unable to grasp the reality of the situation, lashed out emotionally.

Their commander should have stopped them, but she couldn’t.

‘My voice... won’t come out.’

Moments ago, she had witnessed Phantos’ movement with her own eyes, and all her will to fight had vanished.

That bulky beastkin might look ridiculous, but he was a monster beyond comprehension.

Even facing Ludger Cherish was already a difficult battle. With such a monster added to the fray, they had no chance.

As commander, she should have ordered a retreat immediately.

But her body wouldn’t obey.

Frozen like prey before a predator, her limbs refused to move.

‘Something’s wrong! Could it be... that beastkin?’

As the most skilled among those present, she quickly realized that Phantos had done something to her.

‘He’s focusing his aura on me alone without letting the others notice!’

It was terrifying.

Could one being truly direct such overwhelming killing intent at a single individual alone?

No matter how hard she clenched her teeth, her trembling hands wouldn’t stop, and her darting eyes couldn’t find a focus.

Phantos maintained the pressure on her as he slowly advanced.

“He’s coming!”

The elven warriors, still not fully understanding their opponent’s strength, readied themselves.

But their efforts were meaningless resistance.

The moment Phantos took a step, his distant figure suddenly appeared right before them.

“Huh?”

With that sound, an elven swordsman’s neck was snapped.

Before he could even register his own death, other elves began to collapse one by one.

In the blink of an eye, Phantos had passed through them all.

The elves fell almost simultaneously, as if struck down in perfect unison.

The only elf left alive was the commander, pinned under Phantos’ killing intent.

“Finally cleaned up.”

Phantos brushed his hands off lightly.

As he withdrew the aura he had been releasing, the surviving elf coughed violently, gasping for breath.

“Khak! Haaah...”

Her body, consumed by fear, had even forgotten how to breathe.

The elven commander looked up at Phantos with a pale, trembling face.

“H-how... how can a beastkin have such strength...? That’s something only a High Chieftain could do...”

Phantos didn’t answer.

He merely stepped aside, clearing the path.

Seeing the man walking toward them, the elf commander’s eyes widened in shock.

Ludger, cloaked in shadow, stood out even in the dark night.

Shaaa.

With each step, the shadows draped around his body scattered like sparks.

The barrier dissolved, and the moonlight shining in the night sky illuminated Ludger’s back.

His face was obscured by the backlight, but those blue eyes gleamed like ghostly fire.

It had been a mistake.

They should never have provoked this man.

They should have stayed back, watched from afar, and reported to their main force. But arrogance had blinded them.

Regret was useless now.

Her subordinates were already dead, and before these two monsters, escape was impossible.

“Good. Now we can finally have a calm conversation.”

Thuk.

Ludger tapped the ground with the end of his staff, and the earth rose abruptly, forming a seat.

He sat down on it, crossing one leg over the other.

“Now then, what’s the reason for this sudden ambush? No matter how I think about it, I haven’t done anything to warrant a grudge from the elves.”

Ludger had little to no interaction with other races.

The only possible issue he could think of was what Bellaruna had warned him about before—something related to hacking the World Tree.

‘But they didn’t come after Bellaruna. They targeted me directly. There’s something else.’

Yet, despite his question, the elf kept her lips tightly shut.

Well, Ludger hadn’t expected her to answer easily anyway.

He turned to Phantos.

“Bring her here.”

“......”

Phantos shot him a look that said, ‘Me?’ but at Ludger’s firm gaze, he reluctantly left his spot.

The elf commander, watching Phantos vanish, wondered who exactly Ludger had summoned.

She found out soon enough.

“Eeeek!”

Phantos returned almost immediately, something tucked under his arm.

Thud.

Bellaruna fell to the ground, rubbing her sore backside.

“W-what’s going on?! You just barged in out of nowhere and dragged me all the way here!”

“Bellaruna. I need your help.”

“Eh?”

“I need this elf to talk.”

At Ludger’s words, Bellaruna finally noticed the elf commander and widened her eyes.

“Sh-Shadewarden?”

She recognized the emblem stitched onto the elf commander’s green robe, her voice trembling.

The elf commander was just as shocked.

“Why is a fellow kin here...?”

“L-Leader! Why is she here?!”

Bellaruna turned to Ludger, clearly expecting an explanation.

Ludger only gave a casual shrug.

“I don’t know. They came after me on their own, trapped me in a barrier, and attacked first.”

“Th-that’s...”

“Rather, I should be asking you. Didn’t you say the pursuers wouldn’t arrive for quite some time? Yet they’re here sooner than expected.”

“I-I thought so too...”

Watching the exchange, the elf commander twisted her lips.

“So it was you. The arrogant intruder who snuck into the Sacred Beast was you! You traitor of our kin!”

“Hiik!”

Bellaruna darted behind Phantos, hiding quickly.

The elf commander glared at her as if she would rip her apart.

Ludger rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“Hm. So this isn’t about Bellaruna after all. There’s another reason you came after me.”

“......”

The elf commander clamped her mouth shut again, clearly refusing to reveal anything.

“A pursuer sent to eliminate an external problem won’t talk just because of a little physical pain. So let’s do this the proper way.”

Ludger gestured toward Bellaruna with his chin.

“Bellaruna.”

“Y-yes!”

“Make her talk.”

“M-me?”

“That’s why I called you.”

“You forcibly dragged me here!”

Even as she complained, Bellaruna’s eyes never left the elf commander.

There was a strange glimmer in her gaze, and a small smile began to creep across her lips.

“B-but... if it’s Leader’s order...”

“W-what are you planning to do?!”

Feeling unease creeping over her, the elf commander trembled. Ludger bound her with magic, making it impossible for her to move.

Bellaruna approached, pulling vials one by one from her pouch.

“Hehehe... D-don’t worry. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“W-what is that?!”

“It’s just something that makes you... honest. People call it a truth serum.”

“C-can you do that to your own kin?!”

It wasn’t something she had the right to say, given that she had come to kill, but in this situation, she grasped at anything she could.

Bellaruna paused for a moment at those words.

The elf commander felt a faint hope—maybe the bond of kinship would hold her back.

But that hope shattered instantly.

Bellaruna was smiling.

Her pupils were dilated, her grin stretched unnaturally, and she laughed with the giddy abandon of someone unhinged.

“Hehehehe... I-I’ve actually been curious, you know? Whether my potions would work on elves too.”

The sheer madness in her eyes crushed the commander’s will.

This crazy elf... didn’t even hesitate to use her own people as test subjects.

“Here you go. Drink up nicely.”

“Mmmph! Mmph!”

Bellaruna grabbed the elf’s cheeks with one hand, pried her mouth open, and poured the uncapped vial down her throat.

“Don’t spill it.”

She clamped her hands over the elf’s mouth, tilting her head back.

The elf commander tried desperately to resist, but it was meaningless.

The drug worked instantly.

Her eyes dulled, and her body went slack.

“It’s done. Now she’ll answer whatever you ask, as long as she knows it.”

At Bellaruna’s words, Ludger began questioning her.

“Name?”

“Galien Shadewarden.”

“Why are you here?”

“To eliminate the traitor who secretly infiltrated the Sacred Beast.”

“How did you move so quickly?”

“The Sacred Tree was being tended by the head of the Lifret family at the time. When he encountered the intruder, he was enraged and, using his authority as the family head, summoned us Shadewardens.”

“......”

Ludger shot Bellaruna a sharp look.

Bellaruna broke into a nervous sweat and avoided his gaze.

“...Then why attack me directly?”

Galien answered in a dazed voice.

“You carry... the aura of the Plante family.”

Plante?

Ludger immediately recalled what that meant.

The Plante family had once been one of the elder elven houses responsible for managing the World Tree.

But now... they were gone, completely annihilated.