Lucan was beaming when he heard they needed as many bombs as possible to destroy the elven base. He was especially thrilled when he learned the elves had extra-strong defenses. Thalion had to endure listening to him ramble endlessly about which bombs he would choose, it felt like an eternity. Thankfully, Lucan eventually filled Thalion in on all the progress he had made with the runes, especially the Blood Explosion Rune, on which he had made great strides.

Thalion then returned to sword testing and experimented with a few runes for his armor. To truly finish the armor, he would need to integrate the superior materials from the system shop. This gave him the freedom to experiment now and then complete both sword and armor in one go, without further complications.

It took a day before Kaldrek and Maike messaged him: they were ready, and Thalion’s army was currently surrounding the elven base, which was employing the classic turtle strategy. All the other powerful fighters were already standing by. Jack, in particular, was excited to see Lucan’s bombs in action. Lucan had devised numerous new designs, and everyone was curious how he would deploy them. Normally, Thalion would have been against nuking the entire elven base, but since the base would repair itself, there simply was no good argument against it.

Thalion left his armor and sword behind and walked to the portal that would take him to the skyship leading the army around the elven base. His armor and blade were currently placed in a runic circle to amplify the materials with mana. They had done this previously to enhance the materials, which would be necessary when Thalion added the superior materials from the system shop. So far, everything looked promising, and he didn’t anticipate major trouble in the upcoming fight. He also had several ideas on how to bring the bombs in with the Crimson Eidolon, but first, Althirion would get a chance at diplomacy.

Thalion stepped through the portal and appeared aboard his skyship, which was packed with fighters armed to the teeth. Before him lay a beautiful clearing, dominated by a golden base. The elves clearly hadn’t held back any credits in acquiring this extravagant base. Golden runes adorned the walls, and a golden dome enveloped the entire structure. The dome crackled with energy and looked far more powerful than the shield of Thalion’s base. Multiple catapults and ballistae topped the walls and looming towers. All in all, it was an impressive fortification.

In the center, a golden palace rose high into the sky, flanked by three towers. The towers and walls teemed with elven archers, ready for the approaching skyships. Thalion’s skyship hovered a little over a hundred meters from the massive main gate, forty meters above the ground. Smaller skyships flanked them, while below, fighters arranged themselves to empower mages and archers should the elves dare to attack.

“Took you long enough, Thalion. Now that you’re here, can we start blowing up this base?” Lucan asked, eyes gleaming.

“What? No! You promised I would get a chance at diplomacy!” Althirion shouted, slightly enraged.

“Yeah, go try your diplomacy, but don’t take too long. I have too many things to do and too little time,” Thalion waved him off as Althirion jumped overboard, hurrying toward the main gate.

“So, with the elf gone, how do you want to bring the bombs close to the walls without the elves destroying them? I already have a few ideas,” Thalion asked Lucan, smiling widely. Not for a second did he believe Althirions diplomacy would succeed.

“Ah, that’s the Thalion I like,” Lucan laughed and began explaining. He intended to fire some bombs with catapults from the skyships or place them in barrels for the heavy warriors to throw at the base. He still hadn’t designed a way for the bombs or torpedoes to travel fast. The heavy warriors would, of course, be protected by barriers, but to Thalion it all sounded a bit sketchy. The elves had sharp eyes and were extraordinary archers. Even if the heavy warriors were briefly safe behind barriers, the barrels could be detonated the moment they left, leaving the warriors exposed.

“Okay, that sounds like a good start. I have a few more ideas that might work even better, but give me a moment, I want to see how diplomacy is going,” Thalion said. He walked to the bow of the ship, sat down, closed his eyes, and activated a skill he hadn’t used since upgrading his bloodline.

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The Crimson Eidolon emerged from his chest, its aura washing over the ship. Vines wrapped around Thalion’s body, holding him in a seated position as the Crimson Eidolon opened its eyes, burning like embers in the dim light of the low-hanging sun. Crimson flames licked the Eidolon’s skin, radiating an almost uncontrollable power.

Speaking of control, Thalion struggled a bit, but it was far better than with his other skills. It was similar to his movement abilities: he could control where a movement ended once he began it. He was confident he wouldn’t crash into the shield instead of stopping beside the broad elf currently shouting at the elves stationed on the gate.

“Let’s start slow,” Thalion thought, trying to make the Crimson Eidolon float just an inch forward. Instead, it shot forward, leaving the skyship in mere seconds.

“Well… maybe a bit more forceful than I first thought,” Thalion muttered internally as he propelled the Eidolon in a wide arc toward the front gate. He managed to stop it a few seconds later beside Althirion, which he considered a great success.

The elves were engaged in a heated argument about the future of the base, and they clearly didn’t hold Althirion in high regard.

“You’ve betrayed the entire elven race! You are no longer one of us. Our defenses are unmatched, and we will have no trouble waiting until we are sent to the new world. Then this human will pay for what he has done,” one female elf shouted. Thalion recognized her from the meeting before the attack on the catacomb, not the one with the bloodline, of course.

“I only did what I thought was right, what I deemed best for the elves in this tutorial. Don’t be foolish, this will be a bloodbath,” Althirion replied, now enraged as well.

“Yes, a bloodbath for you, not for us!” the elf atop the gate shot back, and the others laughed with their usual arrogance.

In Thalion’s opinion, those elves were all completely insane. He considered intervening, but before he could act, the female elf in charge addressed him directly.

“You dare come here before our gates, human? This will be your downfall. Show him what we do with humans!” she sneered. The hate in her voice was unmistakable.

She motioned to someone on the other side of the wall, and in the next moment, over twenty human heads flew over it toward him. The heads didn’t look cleanly severed. They had been ripped off, eyes stabbed out, and some still had metal needles embedded. Thalion quickly had the Crimson Eidolon fly backward to avoid being struck. It took him a moment to comprehend the horror before him as the heads landed on the ground.

“Looks like diplomacy has failed,” Thalion said emotionlessly, ending the skill and returning consciousness to his body. He didn’t care what the elves’ response would be. As it stood, they had just earned a special place in line for his Fear Pillar, if they survived.

“Everyone listen up! The elves have already killed a good number of humans in the most painful way possible. Make sure the blockade holds firm, I don’t want a single one escaping!” Thalion shouted to the crew, mostly gathered at the railing to witness the scene. They had all seen the gruesome display, and Kaldrek and Maike gave orders to prepare for combat.

“Great! So we can finally test my creations. What ideas do you have for delivering the bombs?” Lucan asked, grinning widely.

“I can just grab a bomb with the skill you just saw and fly straight at the barrier. I won’t take any backlash if the skill is destroyed,” Thalion explained. He had been considering this for some time. He couldn’t control the Crimson Eidolon well enough for battle, but why not use it to deliver the bombs? Now it was even faster than before his bloodline skill upgrade.

“Interesting. How much weight can you carry? I have some big ones I didn’t plan on using before because they’re too heavy, and the explosion might be dangerous if they go off too early,” Lucan said, grinning from ear to ear.

“Weight shouldn’t be an issue. My skill isn’t the only method I had in mind. We could also pack some bombs into scouting vessels and have them drive into the elven base. Those scout vessels aren’t expensive, so it should be worth it,” Thalion said, now grinning as well.

“I could also drop them from above in my squid form,” Jack chimed in, adding to the madness.

It definitely looked like the elves wouldn’t be in a good position at all.