CHAPTER 267: BOUNDARY.

The feeling that the two items had given him was surreal. Everything felt so enhanced that he somewhat missed his previous state of mind and body.

His photographic memory had evolved to level 2, making his memory even better than before.

The combination of enhancements had created a feedback loop where each ability reinforced the others, producing advancement that exceeded the sum of their individual effects.

Still, Noah did not consume them again. As for the reason, it was because he wanted to sell more of them, not just because he wanted to gain more golden coins, but because of the progress bar of the auto maker, the progress towards a level 3 shop and unlocking more powerful items.

Sure, using one or two of these enhancement items occasionally was beneficial, but overuse would certainly become counterproductive. He already possessed an idle room that advanced one of his higher-level skills daily, and his natural practice yielded additional progress. The combination provided sustainable development without the need to use his shop items to accelerate his already terrifying speed.

After their enhancement effects expired, Noah ceased his training session. Opening his eyes, he discovered Lola remained deep in her meditative state, still integrating the fire-based abilities she had awakened.

He couldn’t help but observe her flawless features.

The elegant curve of her lips, the graceful line of her revealed neck, and the serene beauty of her concentrated expression. The rose petal candy had enhanced what was already extraordinary, making her even more captivating than before.

Their relationship had grown increasingly complex over time. Her actions suggested genuine affection that extended beyond playful flirtation, but she had maintained a certain ambiguity in her approach since their first meeting. To assume she had developed romantic feelings from their initial encounter would be presumptuous, yet denying their evolving connection would be equally foolish.

Noah turned to check on Leo, who continued sleeping peacefully, his enhanced growth requiring extended rest to get accustomed to his new power.

Suddenly, two overwhelming auras manifested with such intensity that Noah sensed them immediately—not due to his high perception, but because they weren’t attempting to conceal their presence whatsoever.

Lola’s eyes snapped open as she sprang to her feet with alarm, clearly having sensed the same auras as Noah. Whether the auras had disrupted her concentration or she was always attentive remained unknown. "They’re here... the leaders of both elven factions."

Noah nodded at her words instantly, having guessed that, and moved to the window for visual confirmation.

Through the reinforced glass, he witnessed a scene of desperate pursuit. Queen Seraphina was racing toward his territorial boundaries with obvious intent to claim sanctuary, while Lord Regent Darian followed behind, a maniacal expression contorting his features as he prepared to strike before she could reach safety.

The dark elf leader bore some bruises and injuries from their prolonged battle, but Queen Seraphina appeared far worse—one arm hung loosely at her side, blood matted her golden hair, and her face showed the strain of someone pushed beyond their limits.

The light elves immediately recognised their queen’s desperate strategy. In fact, everyone at the scene did. Queen Seraphina was attempting to reach Noah’s neutral zone, where attacking her would risk triggering conflict with the mysterious shopkeeper and his powerful succubus companion.

"Hurry! Protect the queen! Let her reach safety!" the light elves shouted as they abandoned their current battles to form a protective corridor toward the neutral boundary.

The dark elves realised the tactical situation and responded with vicious glee at their apparent victory.

"You’re not going anywhere!" one shouted before launching a devastating attack at a light elf master’s unprotected back.

The targeted practitioner crashed to the ground with critical injuries, his body smoking from the enhanced magical assault that had exploited his moment of distraction.

Similar scenes erupted across the battlefield as light elves attempted to disengage and provide escort for their wounded queen. Some succeeded in breaking away from combat, but many found themselves trapped by dark elf opponents who pressed their advantages ruthlessly.

"You thought you could turn your back on me?" another dark elf taunted while binding a light elf with shadow magic. "Your queen will die before she reaches that human’s protection! Darkness has finally overcome light! All hail the king!"

The desperate running battle intensified as both factions recognised this moment as potentially decisive for their entire conflict. If Queen Seraphina reached Noah’s sanctuary, she might survive to fight another day. If Lord Regent Darian caught her before the boundary, the light elf leadership would be eliminated permanently.

Enhanced magical attacks lit up the battlefield as the pursuit reached its climax, with both rulers operating at power levels that exceeded anything their followers could match. The luxury smoothie’s effects had transformed the king into a force that made the queen of the light elves run for her life. Whether he had awakened a dormant skill or improved one of his existing ones remained unknown for the time being.

Noah watched with growing tension as the chase approached his territorial limits, understanding that whatever occurred in the next few moments would determine whether his careful neutrality could survive the conclusion of this conflict.

Lola turned toward Noah with urgent concern. "What are you going to do with them? Are you going to defend her?"

Noah looked at Lola for a moment before nodding with grim determination. "I have to defend her. I’ve made my territorial rules clear—if I back down now, they’ll think I’m a pushover. Not only will they try to attack us directly, but they’ll boycott our store and prevent the light elves from making future purchases, assuming any survive this massacre."

He paused, watching as Lord Regent Darian eliminated grandmasters who attempted to interfere with his pursuit of the queen.

"But territorial defence is the most I’ll do. I’ll protect her once she crosses the boundary, but I won’t save her people or even consider leaving the shop’s protection. He’s far too powerful for direct confrontation."

Noah’s assessment was coldly practical as he observed the dark elf leader’s devastating efficiency against opponents who could level the human capital of Esta.

"He’s probably at peak grandmaster rank, or he’s already entered the next tier, right?" Noah asked with growing concern about the power differential they were facing.

Lola nodded with serious acknowledgement. "He’s definitely one or the other. The ease with which he’s dispatching those grandmasters suggests he’s at that level of power."

Her assessment gave more weight to Noah’s, as someone who had recently held grandmaster rank herself and understood the vast gulf between normal practitioners and whatever Lord Regent Darian had become through his recent consumption.

Queen Seraphina stumbled forward desperately, her enhanced speed from the multiple items she had consumed the only thing keeping her ahead of certain death. Behind her, the screams of her most loyal subjects filled the air as they sacrificed themselves to buy her precious seconds.

"Your Majesty! Run!" shouted an Archmage before Lord Regent Darian’s shadow magic tore through his defences like paper.

"Foolish insects!" Darian snarled, his voice carrying boundless rage as he cut down another grandmaster with casual brutality. "You think your pathetic lives can save her? I’ll kill every last one of you!"

A light elf master attempted to flank the dark lord, only to be obliterated by a blast of pure darkness. "Your queen doesn’t care about your life! She only cares about her own, stop being foolish and wake up!"

"Protect Her Majesty!" Elena cried out, throwing herself between Darian and another fleeing grandmaster. Her abilities from Noah’s items allowed her to briefly match his speed, but not his overwhelming power.

"Elena, no!" Seraphina gasped, seeing her most trusted advisor about to be slaughtered.

Darian’s laughter was pure madness as he sent a ball of darkness towards Elena. Seeing that Elena was protecting him, the fleeing grandmaster stopped and threw his strongest attack at the orb in an attempt to stop it.

The attack didn’t stop the orb, but it slowed it down, allowing Elena to form a shield around herself to minimise the damage. Luckily, the shield was indeed able to reduce the damage, but its remaining power still threw Elena like a ragdoll.

The boundary line appeared ahead—mere meters from safety. Seraphina’s legs trembled as blood loss weakened her body. She had lost and regenerated tens of litres of blood, and it was starting to take a toll on her, even as someone at her level of power.

"Almost there, Your Majesty!" a surviving master shouted before Darian’s shadow spear pierced his chest.

"Die! Die! DIE!" Darian roared, his gains from the luxury smoothie and other items making him a force of pure destruction. "You all deserve to die, you are nothing but invasive insects that destroy our holy land!"

Three more master-level light elves threw themselves at the dark lord in a final desperate gambit. "Go, your majesty! Reach the boundary!"

"Worthless vermin! Nothing will stop me from beheading that queen of yours," Darian’s power erupted outward, vaporising all three simultaneously.

Seraphina stumbled on the final steps toward Noah’s territorial protection, her body fatigued from blood loss and exhaustion. The neutral zone’s line beckoned like salvation itself.

But Darian was already raising his hand for the killing blow, shadow magic coalescing into a spear of pure death that he aimed at her heart.

"You’re mine!" he shrieked with triumphant fury as he threw the spear.

Queen Seraphina’s body shook from the powerful aura she felt building up behind her back, but she didn’t dare look back or waste any time.