Radiant Dragon’s Otherworldly Reincarnation

Chapter 196. …Wi… Wife? (1)

Grind!

Kantaros, the head of the orthodox Elven faction.

He felt like he was about to lose his mind.

As soon as he heard the news, he rushed over to assess the scene, and what he saw was a spectacle beyond any other.

Elders bound by ropes.

Elven warriors who had fallen while fighting to protect those elders.

The fact that this tragedy was not caused by external invaders or a natural disaster, but by the young members of their own clan, made him genuinely furious.

“What… what in the world is this mess!”

At his booming shout, the young Elves who had joined the rebellion flinched.

More than the power in his voice, his sincere anger was clearly conveyed to them.

Then, Kirioth stepped forward and spoke.

“Elder Kantaros. We have risen to correct the wrongs of the Elven race.”

“Hah…. Hahaha….”

“Would you please allow yourself to be detained peacefully? We do not wish to harm our own clan more than necessary.”

Kantaros laughed at Kirioth’s words.

That laugh was devoid of all joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.

It was just a deep emptiness.

It was the laugh of terrible emptiness, like that of a merchant who had lost his entire fortune or a farmer whose wheat fields, cultivated for a year, had burned down.

After the laughter abruptly stopped, Kantaros spoke to Kirioth.

“You’ve gone mad.”

“……”

“I knew you reformists were starting to be tainted by the humans. I knew it all along. Still….”

“……”

“Still, I thought you had at least made your choice for the sake of the clan. So, in a way, I felt pity for you. But this….”

Kantaros looked around before turning his gaze back to Kirioth and saying.

“You’ve crossed the line.”

“Elder.”

“Your way of doing things is no longer that of an Elf. You are not Elves. But you can’t become humans either. You are just broken, defective goods. You are trash!”

“Eldeeer!”

“Shut up!”

Kantaros responded to Kirioth’s shout, who was trying to protest that his words were too harsh, with an even louder shout.

He looked up at the sky with a sorrowful expression and said.

“Why, why has our Elven race become like this? Our Elven race, the purest, the wisest, the most sagacious, why?”

Kantaros cried out.

He paused for a moment to catch his ragged breath.

And when he opened his mouth again, he spoke in a determined tone.

“It is time to start over.”

“What did you say?”

“We must erase everything and start anew. He was right. At this rate, there was no future for our clan.”

“What are you talking about…. Have you really given up? Are you planning to just watch the World Tree die and wait for the end of the clan?”

“The World Tree is not the problem. You reformist bastards are the problem. The ones ruining the Elven race are you!”

“……”

Kantaros’ anguished shout, delivered in an agitated voice, was at least sincere.

Was he right? Was he wrong? That was a secondary issue; at the very least, Kantaros himself sincerely believed this.

He commanded the Elven Knights he had brought with him.

“Warriors of the clan.”

“Yes, sir!”

Yurahis, who stood at the very front, answered.

Then Kantaros continued his command….

“Those before you are pitiful and filthy beings who have abandoned the pride of the clan and become corrupt. Them….”

“……”

“Kill them!”

Everyone was shocked by the resolute order.

Since the rebellion began, there had been no fatalities in the battles that had taken place.

There had only been some minor injuries, as both sides fought to subdue each other without killing.

But now, Kantaros had given the first order to kill.

“Will that be alright?”

To Yurahis’ question, Kantaros said firmly.

“I will take full responsibility. Purify the clan!”

“…I will follow your command.”

Yurahis said so and commanded the warriors of the clan.

“We will carry out the elder’s command! Kill the traitors!”

Yurahis gave the command himself and simultaneously charged forward. And on his charging sword was a translucent aura.

It was spirit power.

“Yurahis!”

Kirioth fought head-on against Yurahis, and their weapons clashed violently.

And with their clash as the starting point, the two sides began to clash in earnest.

“Strike!”

“Die.”

“You traitors!”

It was the beginning of a real war.

***

Elven Knight.

The greatest power of the Elven race and a symbol of their military might.

There are several conditions to bear that name.

First, one must have a contract with at least two types of high-level spirits.

One must be able to hit a target over a thousand steps away with a bow while blindfolded.

And one must be able to imbue their weapon with spirit power on their own.

What this means is that they use the spirit power, which is normally consumed to summon a spirit, by imbuing it into their weapon.

Just like a knight who has trained in aura.

These are the minimum conditions to be recognized as an Elven Knight.

Therefore, even in the current battle where spirits were sealed, an Elven Knight should have been able to overwhelm other Elves.

That’s how it should have been.

“Haaaaat!”

“Kuk….”

Kwoooong!

A spear blade imbued with powerful aura and a sword blade forged from spirit power clashed head-on.

The two forces were in a tense standoff, so evenly matched that it was hard to say who had the upper hand.

At that, Yurahis’ expression contorted.

“You bastard, Kirioth….”

“Why? Did you think you could win easily?”

“How dare you….”

“As a matter of fact.”

“……”

“I didn’t like the way you were looking at my sister… ya!”

Kirioth shouted loudly and swung his spear wide.

Yurahis, who was locked in a power struggle, was pushed back significantly.

And as the distance widened, Kirioth actively used the advantage of his weapon, the spear.

“Hap!”

A swift thrust that came from a place a sword could never reach.

Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!

Yurahis moved his sword to parry the spear and defend, but he couldn’t find an opening to close in.

The speed and destructive power of the spear were considerable.

A situation where he was being attacked one-sidedly from a certain distance, unable to advance.

This was the most difficult situation for a swordsman facing a spearman.

In the end, Yurahis was gradually pushed back, and as he was, Kirioth’s spear thrusts came even faster.

‘How dare this bastard….’

The fact that he, an Elven Knight, was being pushed back by a common Elf warrior wounded Yurahis’ pride.

But it was an undeniable fact that he was currently being pushed back by Kirioth.

‘I, who have top-tier skills even among the Elven Knights, am being pushed back like this…. Wait.’

For a moment, Yurahis flinched.

If he was being pushed back like this, what about his other comrades?

Yurahis quickly took a large step back to create distance and surveyed his surroundings. And he couldn’t help but be shocked.

“It can’t be….”

Their orthodox faction was being unilaterally pushed back.

The Elven Knights of the orthodox faction each fought with their weapons imbued with spirit power, but the weapons of the young Elves they faced were all imbued with aura at the 3-star level.

This completely negated the advantage of fighting with weapons imbued with spirit power.

On top of that, the enemy had far greater numbers.

“Push them back!”

“Surround them from the front and back!”

“Strike simultaneously! Don’t let them rest!”

The Elven Knights somehow held on against the young Elves who were fiercely pushing them, taking advantage of their numerical superiority.

But to anyone watching, the situation was clearly getting worse.

“It seems the situation isn’t looking good, is it?”

Kirioth said with a faint smile on his lips, his spear pointed at Yurahis.

Yurahis’ expression crumpled at Kirioth’s provocation, but he kept his mouth tightly shut.

‘Calm down. I have to stay calm.’

The situation was indeed serious.

If the battle continued to flow like this, their defeat was certain.

He had to cool his head and come up with some plan to turn the tide….

Just as Yurahis was racking his brain.

“It’s Lady Elione!”

“Lady Elione has come leading the other Elven Knights!”

“Alright. Push them back!”

“Uooooooh!”

To make matters worse, Elione was approaching with her comrades who shared her will.

“Dammit….”

A rough curse escaped Yurahis’ lips.

Although they were a minority compared to the orthodox faction, there were Elven Knights who supported the reformists.

They were now about to join the battlefield with Elione.

“Kuk….”

Feeling a serious sense of crisis, Yurahis bit his lip tightly and shouted.

“Silaphe!”

At that moment, as if responding to his call, a fierce gale enveloped his body.

And what appeared was a translucent, light green beautiful woman. It was the high-level wind spirit, Silaphe.

“Huh?”

“A spirit!”

Everyone was shocked.

Even those from the orthodox faction.

But Yurahis, without hesitation, commanded the summoned spirit.

“Dwell in my sword. Silaphe.”

The raging gale converged on Yurahis’ sword blade. And as he swung his sword forcefully, he said.

“Die!”

Kwaaaaaang!

A terrifying gale swallowed Kirioth. And it didn’t end there.

“Ugh… Aaaaaah!”

“Aaaargh!”

The gale, like a condensed typhoon, swallowed Kirioth and then the dozens of Elves behind him.

And what was left in the place where the gale had passed was a truly gruesome sight.

“Kuh… Ughhh….”

“Ughht….”

The Elves, horribly torn and shredded by the blades of wind, groaned in pain.

It was a miracle that there were no fatalities, and the reason for that was….

“Keoheok….”

It was because Kirioth here had used all his aura to minimize the power as much as possible.

The only reason the other Elves didn’t die was because of that.

Yurahis’ attack had been filled with sufficient killing intent.

Elione rushed over, panting, and shouted.

“Yurahis, are you insane?”

Her shout represented the feelings of everyone present at that moment.

Yurahis had just summoned a spirit and used its power, fully aware of the burden it would place on the dying World Tree.

And he had done so to kill his own kin, not an external enemy.

In this grim reality, Kirioth gritted his teeth with a pale face.

And he shouted to his comrades.

“Everyone, summon your spirits! We must not be defeated by those who tarnish the pride of the Elven race!”

At Yurahis’ shout, the Elven Knights of the orthodox faction showed conflicted expressions.

If they summoned their spirits and fought here, they might be the ones to put the final nail in the coffin of the dying World Tree.

They couldn’t help but hesitate at the pressure of knowing they might be leading their own god to its death.

Just then….

“If we lose here, we lose everything.”

From behind, someone encouraged the wavering Elven Knights with a stern voice.

It was Kantaros, the head of the orthodox Elven faction.

He spoke to the wavering Elven Knights of the orthodox faction.

“What we must protect is not our wretched lives. It is the pride of our clan. Warriors of the untainted Elven race! Fight with all your might!”

A few Elven Knights reacted to the word ‘pride’ in his heartfelt cry.

They were the hard-core traditionalists within the orthodox faction.

They were the ones who had already accepted the death of the World Tree and the doom of the clan, but supported the orthodox faction in the hope that their end would not be sullied.

They gritted their teeth and lifted their heads. And then….

“Naia!”

“Flare!”

“Metron!”

Fifteen Elven Knights from the orthodox faction summoned their high-level spirits.

The Elven Knights, whose individual combat power was known to surpass that of a 7-star knight in the human world, began to reveal their true strength.

“Th… this act… how dare they do this….”

Elione despaired at the sight.

Every bit of power they were unleashing was placing a massive burden on the World Tree.

And yet they were doing it, knowing that….

“How dare they do such a thing….”

She couldn’t believe the scene before her eyes. Just then, a bloodied Kirioth approached her side, using his spear as a cane, and said.

“Sister…. you have to… get away… hap… cough….”

“Kirioth.”

“Hurry….”

Kirioth was already in a state where he couldn’t fight.

But leaning on his spear with a body that couldn’t even stand on its own two feet, he blocked the path in front of his one and only sister.

As if to say he would protect his family with his own body.

‘Sister…. you have to live, sister.’

She was the sister who had raised him in place of a mother after he lost his parents in his childhood.

The sister he respected most in the world.

His only family.

He wouldn’t regret giving his life to protect that sister.

If they could just get through this crisis, his sister could flee to the human world with that human.

He didn’t like the human, but if it was for his sister’s happiness, that would be the only way.

At least until the final moment of the clan came, she could be happy by his side.

“Sister…. please….”

“Kirioth!”

Elione knew Kirioth’s heart completely, yet she couldn’t run away.

Where could she run, leaving behind the brother she had raised as if he were her own child?

When she realized that the immense energy emanating from those filthy traitors was aimed at them, she chose a different course of action instead of running away.

Grab

“Si… ster.”

She embraced her brother.

She, too, was an Elven Knight.

If she summoned a spirit and fought back, she could block that attack.

But she couldn’t do that.

She couldn’t hasten the death of the World Tree with her own hands.

Nor could she abandon her brother and run away.

In the end, she decided to face the final moment here with her flesh and blood.

“Sisteeer….”

“……”

Kirioth pleaded pitifully, but Elione just shook her head and hugged her brother tightly. And then….

“Strike!”

Finally, the last moment came.

The attack of the high-level spirits summoned by the Elven Knights engulfed the two siblings and the entire rebel army. And then….

“That’s far enough!”

[ Twin Dragons Eight Sword Forms: Second Form: Great Dragon Cross Sword ]

From the opposite side, a massive cross-shaped slash passed over the siblings’ heads and collided head-on with the high-level spirits’ attack.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!

A massive explosion erupted with a roar that seemed to echo through every corner of Evergreen.

The two attacks canceled each other out, and what Elione saw when she raised her head was….

“The chaos ends here.”

Tears welled up in her eyes.

No, they were already flowing.

“From now on, I will be your opponent.”

“Lord… Patrick.”

There was the back of Patrick, standing proudly with Aura Blades drawn on his twin swords.