Chapter 63: The Laughing Blue Blade Reaper
The air was tense, filled with the fading scent of ozone and scorched earth. Moments earlier, Aeloria's Alliance had begun their retreat, speeding toward the Upper Lands of the Fae Region. Their mission was clear—get the injured to safety, regroup, and prepare for whatever hell might come next.
But fate, as always, had other plans.
A sharp explosion echoed through the dense forest trail, shaking the magical vehicle that carried Elton and his battered companions. The force of the blast threw debris into the air, jolting the vehicle violently and hurling its passengers into confusion.
A large number of Masked assassins from large trees, ditches, and amid smoke swiftly appear making their attacks. Their necks were bound with red shackles glowing ominously. Each assassin radiated a different aura, varying in strength, but all deadly. Their presence was like a swarm of vipers striking from the shadows.
Aeloria's alliance didn't hesitate. Battle formations erupted instantly as retaliation tore through the attackers. Explosions of magic, bursts of elemental power, and the sharp clang of steel on steel created a chaotic battlefield. One by one, the assassins were cut down, but more kept coming.
Then, as if the chaos wasn't enough, a dark wind spell surged through the battlefield like a phantom tempest.
"ELTON!!" Shayleaf's cry ripped through the air as Elton was snatched by the spell and hurled far from the vehicle and the army. The gust launched him deep into the forest, a speck swallowed by the trees.
"Damn it!!" Ramiro cursed, slamming his fist into a nearby assassin.
"I can't sense him!" Zoro growled, eyes darting through the magical fog.
"We need to go after him!" Shayleaf shouted, struggling against Shirleaf's grip.
"No! You'll get yourself killed!" Shirleaf held her back, barely managing to stop her sobs.
Suddenly, a massive shift in the battlefield occurred. Norg's army arrived—not with an all-out attack, but a looming pressure. They positioned themselves around the edges of the battlefield, sowing tension and hesitation. Their presence further disrupted the Alliance's coordination, sowing confusion in their ranks.
And then it got worse.
A small battalion of beings of another race emerged, their bodies clad in black armor. With malicious intent, they attacked—both Aeloria's forces and, half-heartedly, Norg's, as if putting up a show. It was also clear that they were stalling with their actions. They would attack and then flee when Aeloria and here remaining forces arrive.
Meanwhile, far from the chaos, Elton's body rolled to a stop in a patch of dirt and broken roots, bruised and bleeding. He gasped, trying to rise. His vision was blurred. Pain flared through every limb.
Three towering figures stepped into his vision all demon warriors, each Gold Tier 1, radiating sinister power. Behind them, a squad of lesser demons watched, licking their lips, grinning.
"Well, well," one of the Gold Tier demons sneered. "We've finally caught one of the three little lambs."
Elton coughed blood, glaring weakly. "What… do you want from me?"
"You don't get to ask questions!" another demon snarled, launching a sphere of dark energy that crashed into Elton's side. He cried out, tumbling again. Elton filled with pain gathered himself to give the demons a glare full of rage.
"Don't you dare look at me like that, boy!" the same demon shouted. He fired three more blasts. Elton raised his arms in a futile attempt to block them, the force of the attack slamming him into the ground.
The third demon, silent until now, stepped forward. "You'll be held as a prisoner until the boss feels like dealing with you. Chain him up."
The demon soldiers began moving, but then a chilling laughter echoed.
"…Hehehehehehahahahahahaha!!!!"
The one that was laughing was none other than Elton.
The laugh was insane, arrogant, and dripping with twisted glee. Elton slowly lifted his head, his eyes glowing with a foreign brilliance.
"Oh, how interesting…" he said, voice layered with a sinister edge. "No matter what, this weak version of me always manages to get himself into near death scenarios. Once again… I have to clean up his mess."
The Gold Tier demons froze.
"What… are you?" one of them growled.
Elton smiled wide, an unnatural grin that didn't belong to the boy who'd been beaten moments ago.
"I am…" he said, rising to his feet as energy began to swirl around him. "The last thing you'll ever see."
His Ki and Arcane Essence exploded in a surge of blue and silver light, coalescing like a storm made flesh. The Blue Star Heavenly Destroyer sword appeared in his hand, humming with ancient energy.
"Kill him!" one of the demons barked, and the lesser demons rushed forward like a tide.
Elton didn't move.
He just smiled wider.
"Perfect."
And thus this battle and its developments produced major ripple effects that started the beginning of a certain legend.
The air was thick with smoke and blood as Aeloria descended like a vengeful goddess, leading the full force of the Alliance Army onto the battlefield. The enemy forces, realizing they had overstayed their welcome, began a chaotic retreat. But retreat came at a cost. Explosions rocked the ground as spells and war techniques tore through armor and flesh alike. Screams of the wounded and dying echoed through the valley as bodies were flung and burned.
Aeloria's eyes locked onto Norg across the field. Her golden hair fluttered behind her, her eyes aflame with fury. With every step she took, the ground seemed to quake under the weight of her killing intent.
"What is the meaning of this, Norg?!" she shouted.
Norg, ever the serpent, tilted his head with a goblin-like grin and replied, "Had nothing to do with me."
Her rage deepened. She could not help but just feel like he's lying.
"I know you don't believe what Im saying to you," he said with a shrug, preparing to order his alliance to depart from here as he walks away.
Aeloria's aura surged. The atmosphere rumbled.
"Stop." Her voice cut the air.
In the background, Shayleaf wailed, her voice cracked and broken. "They took him! They took Elton!"
Aeloria's heart slammed against her chest. She didn't show it. Her face remained hard, her presence cold.
"Hand him over," she ordered.
Norg turned back slowly, still grinning. "Who?"
"I said," her aura intensified, a visible wave of force sweeping outward, "hand him over."
Her subordinates responded in kind. A wall of auras erupted behind her, a clear line drawn in the sand.
Norg's grin twitched. His own aura flared, oppressive and sinister. "Are you threatening me, Aeloria?"
"I'm only going to ask you one last time, Norg…" She stepped forward, her killing intent crushing the air itself as waves of her aura rushes out supressing many of the weaker cultivators and warriors. "Hand. Him. OVER."
Sweat very vaguely formed at Norg's temple. He might be Gold Tier 5, but so was she and It was apparent that she was stronger than he was. She had Clashed with that terrifying Dredger without much faltering. The only other person who might match that was that monster Devrak…
"Tch… I don't have the human," Norg finally admitted. He pointed toward the scorched landscape. "He got flung away in that direction. He was probably captured or perhaps he may be dead. Who knows?"
He shrugged again. "But lets not be mistaken about something. He is still a fugitive.Whoever reaches him it's First come, first served."
Before Aeloria could erupt in fury, a seductive voice slithered through the air.
"Well then, I'll be the first to serve myself."
Rudecka and her alliance force arrived, slipping past the standoff like shadows. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she and her elites made their way toward where Elton was last seen.
"Damn her," Norg growled.
"MOVE!" Aeloria bellowed. Her foot slammed down, cracking the earth. Both armies surged forward in a mad race.
Not far behind, a Fourth force joined the chaos—led by Golden Lord Eddy and three Gold Tier 4 faction leaders of differing beast demi-human lineages. They carved through the terrain, heading toward the same destination. And Behind them were the tattered Army of Brymia and its allied coalition.
By the time every force had reached the area that Elton had supposedly landed what they found stopped them cold.
Elton was gone.
But the battlefield left behind was hellish. Bodies were burned, some split in half, burning blood splattered and floating in the air like vapor. The scent of ozone clung to the air. Patches of lightning-static flickered in the scorched grass, crackling with residual power. The number of individuals dead were unknown but for certain there was more than 20 people and traces of 3 dead Gold tier 1 experts was found.
No one could comprehend what they were seeing.
A battle clearly happened here, but it felt more like a massacre. Was it multiple people? Did another powerful expert come and cause this? Their minds simply refused to believe that a teenage Human boy at the Silver tier 4 could do this.
Two Days Later
Rumors began to surface.
A figure appearing after skirmishes, slaughtering attackers without mercy. Hundreds of bodies left in their wake. Survivors, few as they were, spoke in hushed tones.
A Gold Tier 1? Dead.
A Gold Tier 2? Torn apart.
Those lucky enough to live shared only two consistent details:
He laughed. A chilling, arrogant, terrible laugh that stuck in your bones.
He wielded a long blue sword. It struck like lightning, reaping lives in a blur.
They began to call him…
"The Laughing Blue Blade Reaper."
And yet this was only the beginning of that legend.