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And now this elf was accusing him of having ties to the Salvation Order? Was she insane?

Ghislain twisted his lips into a sharp smile. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

“The energy you wield... it resembles that of the Salvation Order.”

Ghislain’s expression hardened at her words.

He had encountered Ereneth in his previous life. While she had always been somewhat wary of him, she had never been this openly hostile.

The only difference between then and now was one thing: Dark.

His memories of the battle where he killed Raviel came rushing back.

‘That bastard was shocked when he saw my power back then.’

Raviel had been momentarily stunned, giving Ghislain the perfect opportunity to decapitate him. Before his death, the priest had tried to say something, but his words had been cut short.

“I think there’s been some misunderstanding…” Ghislain began.

But before he could finish, Ereneth’s intent became clear. The ground beneath her erupted with vines, which coiled tightly around her body.

The vines solidified, transforming into armor that clung perfectly to her form, sleek and flexible, yet as durable as steel. It wasn’t the crude armor of human knights but something that highlighted her elegance and lethal grace. Her face became obscured by a helmet made of bark, and antler-like horns emerged from the crown of her head.

A brilliant green light flared from her eyes, spilling out from every crevice in the armor.

From the safety of the rear, where Wendy had carried him to avoid the escalating conflict, Claude muttered, “That’s incredible. I want one of those.”

Wendy barely suppressed the urge to hurl Claude to the ground.

In stark contrast to Claude’s admiration, Ghislain’s expression grew colder and more detached.

‘She brought out that armor…’

This wasn’t just any armor. Ereneth only donned it when she was prepared to fight seriously. It was clear she had completely misunderstood and now viewed him as a priest of the Salvation Order.

‘I can’t beat her as I am now…’

Ereneth was unlike the other members of the Continent’s Seven Strongest.

While others, like Ghislain, had climbed to their rank through countless battles against Rifts, Ereneth’s strength had been overwhelming from the moment she appeared. Some said she was under a seal, unable to use her full power. Others claimed she was an elf who had lived for over a thousand years.

Whatever the truth, Ereneth’s power was undeniable.

Ghislain let out a wild laugh, his crimson eyes glinting with both anticipation and determination.

‘The second strongest of the continent.’

The title belonged to Ereneth, marking her as the second most powerful being in the land.

In his past life, Ghislain had wanted to fight her, but the opportunity had never arisen. She had left the alliance before he could challenge her, and realistically, he knew he hadn’t been ready then.

‘This is perfect. Opportunities like this don’t come often.’

While he wasn’t at his peak strength yet, he now had something he didn’t in his previous life: Dark, the mysterious power amplifying his abilities.

There was no point in trying to explain himself when the opponent had already resolved to fight. And Ghislain wasn’t one to back down or beg for mercy.

“A fight…” he said, his voice dropping low.

A burst of crimson mana erupted from him, crackling like flames around his body. His eyes glowed even brighter as the ominous aura enveloped him.

“…is the best way to clear things up, don’t you think?”

Ereneth hesitated for the briefest moment as she took in his transformed state.

“That form… what are you?”

“Let’s see just how strong you really are.”

Boom!

Ghislain vanished, leaving behind a trail of dark energy as he reappeared in front of Ereneth, his aura blade slashing down toward her.

Ereneth, already anticipating the attack, sidestepped and countered with a swift strike of green energy from her hand.

Crash!

The impact sent Ghislain skidding backward, his boots carving deep grooves into the ground.

The onlookers were stunned. Never before had they seen Ghislain pushed back in a one-on-one battle.

Snarling, Ghislain propelled himself forward again, his blade cleaving through the air. Ereneth dodged effortlessly and retaliated with another swing of her arm, her green energy cutting through the air like a whip.

Boom!

The clash was violent and relentless, sending shockwaves rippling through the camp. Soldiers and knights scrambled to retreat from the chaos, unable to withstand the sheer force of the duel.

‘As expected of her…’ Ghislain thought, narrowly dodging another strike. Her strength wasn’t just in her raw power—her technique was impeccable. Every move she made was precise and purposeful.

Was this what his enemies had felt in his previous life? The sensation of standing before an insurmountable wall?

But Ghislain wasn’t the same as he had been then. He wasn’t just fighting with raw strength—his experience, insights, and even his newly amplified power pushed him to new heights.

Crash!

Ereneth, for her part, was also taken aback.

“What is this…?”

Initially, she had judged him to be stronger than most superhumans but still within the realm of what she could handle. Yet, as the battle progressed, she realized that his movements carried a depth of understanding that went far beyond his current power level.

‘He’s not just following the flow of combat—he’s breaking it, forcing it to bend to his will. This power is destructive and entirely practical!’

It didn’t make sense. To wield such movements, he should have been far stronger physically. Instead, it seemed his body was struggling to keep up with the insights he had already mastered.

Boom!

Distracted by her thoughts, Ereneth narrowly avoided a fatal strike aimed at her vitals. His attacks were ruthless, each one calculated to kill.

But she wasn’t someone who could be taken down easily. She had fought in wars that dwarfed anything her opponent could imagine.

“You’re like a wild beast,” she muttered, twisting away from another attack and countering with a blow that sent Ghislain stumbling backward.@@novelbin@@

‘She’s not like other elves.’ Ghislain gritted his teeth as he steadied himself. Her strength wasn’t just brute force—it was skill refined to near perfection.

The spectators couldn’t believe their eyes. The seemingly invincible Ghislain was being matched, even overpowered, by an elf—a race most considered subservient.

If this continued, he might actually lose.

Boom!

The two clashed again, only to leap back, creating distance. Before they could reengage, a loud voice cut through the chaos.

“Stop this at once!”

Vanessa, unable to bear the escalating fight any longer, intervened, her hands glowing with magic. She unleashed a bolt of lightning from the sky, aiming it directly at Ereneth.

Boom!

The lightning struck Ereneth head-on, forcing her to bend her knees slightly. But that was all. She stood firm, her armor absorbing the brunt of the spell.

Vanessa’s eyes narrowed as she bit her lip.

‘That armor… it’s absorbing energy.’

As tensions reached their peak, Ereneth lowered her hands and straightened her posture. Her eyes swept over the encircled elves who had accompanied her, and finally, her gaze fixed on Ghislain.

Her voice was as cold as ice.

“For the greater good, sacrifices must be made. You will tell me everything you know. Don’t even think of running.”

Ereneth’s demeanor was anything but what one might expect from a peace-loving elf. Her resolve to pursue her beliefs, no matter the sacrifices involved, bordered on obsession.

No, it wasn’t just resolve—it was an almost pathological fixation.

Those observing her couldn’t help but revise their opinions about elves.

“So much for elegant and noble elves—guess they only exist in fairy tales.”
“I should’ve realized when I saw how Ascon acts.”
“Why do we only get these kinds of elves?”

As Ereneth stood firm, exuding an unyielding aura, Ghislain’s lips curled into a twisted smile.

‘I can’t expand my cores just yet.’

In his prime as the Mercenary King, he had formed up to five cores, and to contend with someone like Ereneth, he would need that level of power again. However, his current strength wasn’t sufficient to maintain even two cores simultaneously.

He could manage one, but the fourth and fifth cores had to be created together for perfect balance. Until then, to match Ereneth’s overwhelming power, he would need to rely on more dangerous means.

Focusing inwardly, Ghislain directed his will toward Dark.

‘Amplify it further.’

― Are you insane? You want more power here?

‘Do it!’

― If you die, it’s not on me!

Crunch! Crack!

Ghislain’s bones and muscles twisted painfully, his body straining under the increasing power. Thanks to his relentless training, he had grown stronger than when he first acquired Dark. The amplification now produced even greater force.

For a brief moment, he intended to use this surge to unnerve Ereneth.

Roooaaaar!

The black smoke encircling Ghislain thickened and began to shimmer with intensity. Sensing his escalating strength, Ereneth drew even more of nature’s energy into herself.

“As expected, your aura is deeply unsettling,” she muttered.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground quaked violently, the immense energy warping the air itself. Onlookers scrambled to retreat even further. Even the elves accompanying Ereneth instinctively backed away.

Only Belinda, Gillian, Vanessa, and Tenant remained steadfast, lowering their stances and waiting for the right moment to strike.

Bang!

Both combatants exploded into action, charging at each other with terrifying force. Ghislain’s oversized aura blade slashed through the air, while Ereneth countered with a radiant green burst of energy from her hand.

And then, suddenly, someone intervened between them.

“What the—!”
“Stop!”

Both Ghislain and Ereneth were caught off guard, unable to fully retract their attacks in time.

BOOOOM!

The resulting shockwave left a massive crater in the ground. But the individual who had stepped in between them remained entirely unharmed.

Ereneth stared at the newcomer in disbelief. “You withstood that? Divine power… Is it the goddess’s blessing?”

The one who stopped the battle radiated immense holy energy, their silvery hair gleaming like moonlight. It was Piote, one of the priests favored by the goddess herself.

Piote turned to Ereneth and shouted, “Stop this! The Count has nothing to do with the Salvation Order! He’s been fighting against them, saving people from their schemes. If he were connected to them, why would he be sealing the Rifts?”

Piote then faced Ghislain. “And you, my lord, this is clearly a misunderstanding. I can feel it—it’s not malice.”

Piote, blessed by the goddess, was uniquely attuned to darkness. From his perspective, Ereneth radiated pure, untainted natural energy—a reflection of her righteous beliefs.

But Ghislain, his face twisting into a sardonic grin, sneered, “Attacking first, and she’s not malicious? Sure.”

“That’s…” Piote faltered before turning back to Ereneth. Her rigid convictions seemed to render her deaf to reason.

“I get it now… She’s like an old nag,” Piote muttered. “Someone who thinks their opinion is always right. She must be really, really old, though she doesn’t look it.”

“…”

Ereneth, silent for a moment, finally spoke, her piercing gaze fixed on Piote. “I can sense you are blessed by the goddess. But how, as a priest, do you not feel the ominous energy surrounding him?”

“That energy has nothing to do with the Count,” Piote replied firmly.

“What?”

“It’s because of Dark.”

The people of Fenris were already aware of Dark’s existence and had long grown accustomed to the eerie aura emanating from Ghislain. He had proven his control over it, so they never viewed it as a threat.

Ereneth, however, tilted her head in confusion. “What is this… ‘Dark’?”

Piote exhaled in exasperation and turned back to Ghislain. “Just show her already! Why do you always try to solve everything with violence?”

“She attacked first!” Ghislain snapped, his tone dripping with indignation.

Piote whirled back to Ereneth. “And why do you solve everything with violence? What kind of elf does that?”

“…”

For the first time, Ereneth appeared flustered, raising a hand to her face.

Ssssshhhh.

The wooden helmet covering her head disintegrated, revealing her face beneath. Though her armor remained, her expression was no longer as unyielding. She looked directly at Ghislain and spoke.

“Tell me… what this ‘Dark’ truly is.”

Her intense demeanor had softened, likely influenced by the overwhelming divine energy Piote exuded. Even Ghislain felt some of his earlier adrenaline wane, though he couldn’t deny his excitement had dulled.

Whrrr…

The black energy surrounding Ghislain began to coalesce, condensing into a humanoid form. Finally, Dark appeared, its shape shimmering faintly as it spoke.

“This is me, Dark. I live inside my master. You got business with me?”

Ereneth paid no mind to Dark’s arrogant tone. Instead, her eyes narrowed as she studied it closely.

“A spirit? No… not an ordinary one.”

“That’s right! I’m a Spirit King!” Dark declared proudly.

“…”

For the first time since stepping into the human camp, Ereneth felt genuinely dumbfounded.