CHAPTER 270: CHAPTER 270 - A NEW START WITH A NEW DAWN?

The midnight air was thick — suffocating — as if the forest itself held its breath.

Moonlight spilled faintly through the ash-filled sky, glinting off steel, blood, and the two halves of what once was the cultist leader. His body lay motionless on the ground, the earth drinking his blood in silence.

Luca stood over him, his black saber dripping crimson. His breath came slow and uneven, a faint cough escaping his lips — followed by a spatter of blood. Even so, his posture remained upright, his gaze steady and unreadable.

Around him, the world was frozen.

Quite literally.

The cultists were locked mid-motion — laughter twisted on their faces, eyes wide with confusion and terror that would never finish forming. Even the falling ash hung motionless in the air.

Only one thing still moved — a small, sparrow-sized bird of shifting light and shadow. It circled him with a faint, rippling hum, the air bending faintly with each flap of its wings.

The Kunpeng.

"You idiot," it said, its voice carrying a faint echo that warped through the still air, equal parts exasperation and worry. "You were already half-dead from the last fight. Why did you have to do this now?"

Luca’s lips curved faintly, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

"That dark elf didn’t deserve what they did to her," he said quietly, his voice calm yet heavy. "And this was the only chance I’d get."

He lifted his gaze toward the frozen scene around him — elves, dark elves, and cultists all suspended in the moment before chaos.

"At first," he continued, his tone growing sharper, "I thought he was just trying to pit the elves against each other. He was out of options now that the ritual was stopped."

He turned slightly, the faint moonlight catching the red streak of blood at the corner of his lips.

"But then I realized... he was stalling for time." His voice darkened, almost to a whisper. "And after what he did to that girl..."

A quiet, bitter chuckle escaped him.

"Well, someone once told me I shouldn’t think too much."

The Kunpeng’s wings slowed, its glow dimming as it sighed softly, almost like an old friend’s weary breath.

Luca finally turned — and faced the others.

The frozen barrier of time around him trembled faintly as he looked upon them: the elves, his team, Aurelia, Sylthara, Elowen, all standing stunned in disbelief.

None of them had even seen him move. One moment, the cultist was laughing. The next — silence, blood, death.

Their eyes met his — awe, fear, relief, and confusion mingling all at once.

Luca exhaled slowly, his tone calm but strained.

"Kunpeng can’t hold time still for long."

And like a spell breaking, the world moved again.

The air roared back to life — wind rushing through the forest, ash swirling violently, and screams tearing through the night.

The elves, jolted from paralysis, clenched their weapons tighter and lunged forward.

"Now!" someone shouted.

Blades flashed. Spears pierced.

The cultists — realizing too late what had happened — could do nothing but stare in horror before the storm swallowed them whole.

The clearing erupted into chaos once more, except this time, it was the cultists’ blood painting the ground.

Luca stood still amid the carnage, his vision dimming for a moment — the edges of his sight flickering. Then, a familiar presence appeared beside him.

Aurelia.

She moved through the battlefield with calm precision, her armor glinting faintly beneath the pale moonlight. Her eyes — usually fierce and proud — softened when they fell upon him.

She stepped close, her hand reaching out to steady him.

"I thought you’d be the first one to attack them," Luca said with a faint smirk, though his voice was weak, rough with fatigue.

Aurelia frowned, her expression tightening as she reached up and wiped the blood from his lips with her sleeve.

"As reckless as always," she murmured, her tone half-scolding, half-trembling.

Luca chuckled softly, his breath catching midway as he coughed again. "You’re not wrong."

As the battle raged behind them — steel clashing, screams echoing — Aurelia slipped under his arm, supporting his weight as she guided him toward the edge of the clearing.

They stopped near the base of a charred tree, away from the chaos.

Luca’s gaze drifted to the battlefield.

The elves and dark elves fought side by side — their fury united, their movements in sync. Flames flickered across the forest floor, painting everything in shades of red and gold.

For the first time in centuries, two divided races fought not against each other — but together.

Luca’s eyes narrowed, reflecting the firelight as he whispered under his breath, "Let’s hope this unity doesn’t fade when the night ends."

Aurelia didn’t respond. She just stayed beside him, her hand still gripping his arm — as if she knew he’d collapse the moment she let go.

The moon watched silently above, cold and distant, as the forest burned and the tide of blood continued to rise.

It was no longer a battle — it was an execution.

Senior Elowen stood atop a twisted root, her emerald hair whipping in the wind. Every arrow she released glimmered faintly with light mana, streaking through the darkness like shooting stars. Each shot found its mark — clean, precise, merciless. Her eyes were calm, but her jaw was tight, as though every life she took left a scar she refused to show.

Further ahead, Kyle carved through the chaos with his blue spear. His movements were fluid — the perfect balance between grace and brutality. Blue lightning flared each time his spear struck, piercing armor and flesh alike. He didn’t speak, didn’t shout — only moved with the silent rhythm of someone who had long accepted what battle demanded.

Not far from him, Lilliane fought like a storm given form.

Her hands glowed in shifting hues — crimson, azure, emerald — fire, water, and wind intertwining in perfect harmony. The air around her crackled, every spell bursting with overwhelming force. The cultists who charged her never reached her; their bodies were torn apart by the storm before they could even scream.

On the opposite flank, Selena’s magic danced cold and furious.

Lightning flashed in her left hand, ice bloomed in her right. She moved with terrifying precision, each gesture followed by a soundless explosion of frost and thunder that shattered the ground. Her eyes glowed faintly — emotionless, focused, almost mechanical — and yet the fury in her mana betrayed her rage.

And then there was Vincent.

The silver-haired knight moved through the battlefield like a phantom of vengeance. His sword gleamed crimson in the firelight, the runes along its blade pulsing with light each time he swung. Wherever he went, bodies fell — clean, swift, unrelenting. He fought not for glory or rage, but with a soldier’s cold resolve.

The air trembled under the weight of so many powers colliding.

Yet, amidst the roaring battle, one figure remained apart — the Elf Queen.

Her golden aura shimmered softly, her eyes following the dark elves scattered across the battlefield. She didn’t raise a weapon; instead, she moved with ethereal grace, appearing wherever danger loomed.

When a dark elf stumbled — she was there, her hand brushing their shoulder, restoring mana and strength. When one was cornered — she stepped between them and death, her golden barrier flaring bright.

Her every movement carried purpose, not wrath.

She was no longer fighting an enemy — she was protecting her people, all of them.

For the first time, she truly saw them — the dark elves — not as the cursed remnants of a sin long buried, but as the lifeblood of the Mother Tree itself.

Her heart clenched.

For centuries, she had viewed them with wary distance.

But now... she understood.

Each of them was a fragment of the Tree’s pulse — and if they fell, so too would its heart.

Not far from her, Sylthara moved like a shadow reborn.

Her silver hair flowed with wind, her golden eyes gleaming through the darkness. She weaved through the cultists with a dagger in each hand — graceful, silent, deadly.

One cut.

A throat slit open.

Another.

A body collapsed without a sound.

Her expression was unreadable — somewhere between calm and fury, her movements fueled by something deeper than vengeance.

The death of the dark elf girl — the truth about her mother — it had hollowed her, but it had also given her clarity.

Each strike she dealt was not for hatred — but for those who couldn’t fight anymore.

Not far from her, Sylthara moved like a shadow reborn.

Her silver hair was streaked with blood, her golden eyes gleaming through the darkness. She weaved through the cultists with a dagger in each hand — graceful, silent, deadly.

One cut.

A throat slit open.

Another.

A body collapsed without a sound.

Her expression was unreadable — somewhere between calm and fury, her movements fueled by something deeper than vengeance.

The death of the dark elf girl — the truth about her mother — it had hollowed her, but it had also given her clarity.

Each strike she dealt was not for hatred — but for those who couldn’t fight anymore.

Luca’s eyes followed her without meaning to. Something in that movement — the quiet sorrow beneath her fury — drew him in.

"She’s beautiful, isn’t she?" a soft voice said beside him.

"Yeah," he breathed before realizing who had spoken.

He turned — and Aurelia stood there.

Her lips curved into a smile that wasn’t one. Her amethyst eyes glimmered faintly in the half-light, too calm, too composed.

For a moment, Luca felt a chill worse than blood loss.

Aurelia stood, brushing dust off her skirt, and said evenly, "Then let me show you how a battle is fought."

Her spear ignited in red mana, and before Luca could say anything, she was already in motion — a blur of light and fury.

Each swing of her weapon carved through the remaining cultists, crimson trails painting the air. She spun, thrust, cut — elegant and terrifying. The ground trembled under her strikes, her eyes glowing like embers caught in wind.

Luca couldn’t help but chuckle weakly. "She’s... cute when she’s angry," he muttered, though his body refused to move, exhaustion anchoring him down.

His gaze shifted back to the field. The once-living now lay scattered — broken, silent.

Among the cries of battle, he heard sobbing.

Some of the light elves had dropped their weapons, clutching the bodies of fallen elves — who had once been their kin.

Others, dark elves drenched in tears, screamed as they struck down the last cultists — voices cracking with grief.

"Because of you... she’s gone!"

"Because of you, my brother... my home—!"

Each word twisted through the air like a blade of its own.

And Luca, standing amidst it all, could only think—

War is cruel.

When the first light of dawn spilled over the treetops, it was almost blinding.

The cries faded.

No cultist remained.

Only silence — and the slow, heavy breaths of those who survived.

Luca forced himself to stand, leaning on his saber as he limped forward. The golden light fell upon everyone, and for a heartbeat, it almost looked peaceful.

Ash drifted in the wind like snow.

The Elf Queen stepped forward, her presence commanding yet soft, the glow of morning reflecting in her silver hair.

She raised her hand slightly, and the elves — both light and dark — turned their eyes to her.

"Everyone," she began, her voice calm yet trembling at the edges, "this battle is over."

Her gaze fell on Luca.

"Sir Luca Von Valentine. You have my deepest gratitude — for protecting the Mother Tree, and for fighting even when your body could not."

Luca bowed his head slightly, saying nothing.

Her eyes swept over his companions — Elowen, Kyle, Lilliane, Selena, Vincent — all standing bloodied yet unbroken. "And to your allies — the Arcadia heroes — the forest owes you its life."

Finally, her attention turned.

To Sylthara.

For a long moment, neither spoke. The silence between them was heavy — centuries of division condensed into a single heartbeat.

Then the Queen — ruler of all elves — bowed her head.

"I apologize... for everything that has happened until now," she said softly, voice trembling but clear. "For what was taken from you. For what we failed to see."

The elves murmured in disbelief, watching their queen bow to the daughter of shadows.

The Queen lifted her gaze, eyes shimmering with tears.

"Will you... be willing to forgive — and live with us again?"

The words hung in the air, fragile as dawn light breaking through mist.

And in that stillness, the forest seemed to hold its breath.