The War Began 8
Elder Leynar kept trying to slow the spread of Death's Touch on Ailord's body. However, without high-level healing magic specifically to dispel dark magic, Death's Touch could never be cured and would damage his body. There was still time before that happened, but so little time that Elder Leynar was unsure if they could stop it in time.
Teena approached after throwing Veronica back, who was now being handled by Elder Olva using his ice magic. In front of the elf elder, Teena was confident Veronica couldn't do much, especially when she was raging like that instead of using her brain.
"How is he?" she called out, her steps slowing as she saw Ailord's skin had turned jet black with white crusts. She still remembered learning about one terrifying skill that was even considered a forbidden skill in the dark ages. Anyone possessing that skill would be hunted down and killed without mercy because its effects were too severe to heal. Most of their victims would take their own lives rather than try to endure.
Her hair stood on end when she heard the teacher explaining this in front of the class and seeing it with her own eyes, Teena felt her chest tighten, unable to imagine the kind of suffering Ailord was experiencing as he continued to groan with tears streaming down.
"Teena! Help me slow its spread! If his entire body turns black, he won't be able to use it anymore!" cried Elder Leynar, snapping the goblin girl out of her daze.
With trembling steps, she approached and knelt beside him, not knowing what to say to the figure now squeezing his eyes shut. She followed Elder Leynar's instructions, doing her best to ease Ailord's suffering until cold sweat soaked her face.
Glok turned around, unable to bear the continuous moaning, and stomped his foot, dashing towards Zayn who had just stood up. Just as he took a breath, a powerful blow landed in front of him, which Zayn caught. He stepped back several paces from the force of the hit, not expecting Glok in Berserker mode to be much stronger than he had anticipated.
However, this was still not enough to stop him now. "Glok, son of Grako, a name well-known even in Copperhaven, someone who ranks fourth in the academy battles, and certainly, the second strongest goblin after your father," he grasped Glok's clenched fist, making Glok's face twitch in pain. "But, I expected more than this!"
Glok was slammed to the ground, creating a large crack. Huge chunks of earth floated in the air, suspended for a moment by the immense power gathered in Zayn's right leg, then scattered along with Glok as the kick landed on his body. Glok flew backwards, locking eyes with Teena for a brief moment before being propelled into the forest, crashing through tree trunks unable to protect himself, until the knight appeared in the air and delivered a powerful kick to the ground with his heel.
The intense shockwave startled Teena, who was about to stand but was stopped by Elder Leynar. "Don't. If you go there, you'll only put Glok in greater danger. If you want to help, focus on slowing the spread of Death's Touch so he can move again and face Zayn," he explained, gripping Teena's arm before refocusing.
Teena glanced at the row of fallen trees with thick dust clouds at the end. Clenching her fists tightly, she steeled herself and refocused on Ailord, hoping in her heart that he could still stand to face Zayn. Because, among them all, he was the only one who could confront the knight.
Elder Leynar also wanted to help Glok; he couldn't let the son of his friend die at the hands of someone while he was there. But he also knew that he was no match for Zayn. He had managed to gain momentum earlier, but that was before Zayn became serious. Elder Leynar had suspected from the beginning that the knight was merely toying with them, and his guess was correct. The real Zayn was now facing Glok.
Glok struggled to his feet, teeth clenched in anger at the figure before him, who was now grinning arrogantly.
"Why? Are you angry? As a knight, you should retaliate with action, not with stares. Or have you realized? No matter what you do, you will never win."
Suddenly, the ground beneath them rose high. Zayn nearly lost his balance, watching as Glok managed to lift a massive chunk of earth with him on top of it. The next thing Zayn saw was the world spinning rapidly until he had to smash the chunk of earth to pieces, accompanied by a bright white light from the resulting cracks, ending with a mana explosion.
He looked towards Glok, who was suddenly behind a boulder with his fist aimed directly at Zayn's face.
Zayn grinned and snapped his fingers.
Several black chains enveloped in white light emerged from the ground, tightly binding Glok's massive arm just inches from Zayn's face. Zayn stepped back, using his high-level mana control to create a ripple effect with each step in the air, and touched the searing hot fist. "You really want to kill me, huh? I'm honored to receive such strong feelings from someone like you."
Glok struggled to pull his arm free, but the more he tried, the stronger the chains seemed to tighten, feeling as though they would crush his bones.
"Now do you understand why I'm so calm in front of a Berserker like you?" Zayn's arrogant grin returned. "Berserker, one of the unique skills that, if used correctly, can become someone's ultimate weapon. A skill said to be terrifying even to its user. But do you know the drawback of that skill?" His grin widened as he saw the change in Glok's expression. "The skill has a time limit, and the longer you use it, the more it will consume you."
"You think I'm afraid? I've experienced it before!" Glok retorted, his voice deeper and sounding like multiple versions of himself speaking simultaneously.
"That's even better; it means you'll last longer, which means you'll suffer more."
"What kind of human are you? The humans I know don't have hearts as rotten as yours," Glok spat.
Zayn chuckled, then stretched. "What kind of human? I am the true kind of human. Not the weak ones who are willing to befriend other races, races that are beneath us and should be slaves, not friends. We will make other humans realize how they should act to prevent the same events from happening again."
Glok's brow furrowed deeply upon hearing this. "You think the dark ages will return!?"
But Zayn laughed and nodded. "Yes, the dark ages will return. Not with you at the top of the food chain, but us, humans, who will now control everything."
"YOU FOOL! YOU'RE DESTROYING PEACE FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT!?"
"You call it foolish, we call it the future," Zayn said, walking around Glok. "We never know when you might attack again; we need certainty. However, as time passes, these weak races become stronger than before, returning to their former glory. It's only a matter of time before the dark ages repeat themselves."
"What you're doing is the same as making that era repeat itself!" Glok retorted angrily while increasing the heat of his body to melt the chains on his arm.
"Sooner or later, that era will return. We're just speeding it up, especially since not all races have the same strength as before. Now is the perfect time to destroy you, when you have nothing to face us. Thanks to our Constructs that have made you bow in fear, cowering and begging for mercy without daring to fight back. Especially now, when none of you have received blessings, what will you use when winter arrives?" Zayn's grin widened as he saw Glok's face realizing their aim.
"You're a monster."
Zayn laughed loudly again. "Say that to your ancestors." Mana gathered in his fist, now enveloped in a dark, black aura. However, before the fist could hit Glok's face, the chains fell away, glowing bright red on the damaged side. Zayn's eyes widened, and a punch landed on his face.
Glok watched as the figure was violently thrown to the ground, ready to deliver a second attack, but an explosion behind him drew his attention. Not far away, he saw the two elders trying to protect Elder Leynar and Teena from something now flying towards them from the direction of the kingdom. His eyes widened at the sight of the vehicles, especially when Zayn said,
"Finally, reinforcements have arrived."