For as long as Erendir had fought humans, defeat had never crossed his mind.
In his arrogance, he had expected an overwhelming victory. After all, the fallen elves under his command were the vanguard—elite among elites. How could frail, short-lived humans ever stand against them?
'Humans are weak,' he had always believed. 'A corrupted species. Inferior in every way.'
They lacked the superior senses of elves, the strength of their bodies, the divine connection to spirits. Even their lifespans were pitifully short—a mere century at best. What growth could they possibly achieve in such a fleeting time?
So when Erendir led his forces into battle, he swore to himself: I'll sweep them away before the Emperor arrives.
Hunters? Warriors of mankind? He had only laughed. "No matter how you dress them up," he sneered, "humans are the weakest of all beings."
The only redeeming trait they possessed was adaptability—but even that, he considered unimpressive.
He had lived among elves beside the World Tree and seen humanity's nature firsthand. Pathetic creatures struggling to rise above their limits… yet, somehow, they always crawled forward.
He remembered one such anomaly—Lee Seong-jun. A human walking the path of the Emperor. A single spark among a field of ash. But such beings, he thought, were anomalies, not the rule.
Most humans died meaningless deaths, fading into nature's embrace.
And yet, as he faced the humans of Earth, Erendir realized his mistake.
Humanity's power was not that of individuals—it was collective. One great person could ignite the world around them. Lee Seong-jun had proved that much.
'I see now why Allerua feared the human Emperor,' Erendir thought bitterly. 'My arrogance has cost me dearly.'
He should have killed Baek Mu-jin the moment he captured him. Now, that mistake returned to bite him.
The human he had thought defeated now radiated a power so fierce it made the air tremble. Blue energy surged from Baek Mu-jin's battered form.
Still, Erendir refused to accept it. It can be reversed, he thought. The human was gravely injured. He only needed to keep attacking—to finish this before that power consumed him.
"I'll pierce your heart," Erendir hissed, his form dissolving into a curtain of shadow. "You won't run wild any longer."
"I assure you," Baek Mu-jin replied, smirking through the blood on his lips, "that will never happen."
His fist struck the empty air—yet the sound of impact resounded like thunder.
Kwaang!
Erendir staggered out of the darkness, eyes wide.
"You…!"
Baek Mu-jin grinned. "Using the same trick twice? Too shallow!"
"How dare you—!" Erendir snarled, his pride boiling into rage.
"Let go of your pride," Baek Mu-jin said coldly, his stance shifting. Blue light enveloped his body from head to toe, pulsing with fierce vitality.
The elf's heart quivered. This was different—stronger, purer.
Baek Mu-jin had surpassed his limits.
"Bet everything you've got," he warned, "or you'll never beat me."
Then he lunged.
"You're getting cocky, human!" Erendir shouted, swinging his arm. A wave of darkness surged forward, blotting out the light.
But Baek Mu-jin only laughed. "You won't stop me with these cheap tricks anymore!"
The black curtain split apart as natural energy twisted the rules of the world itself.
"Silence!" Erendir howled, drawing his sword. "Don't you dare compare yourself to me!"
His blade cut through the air—Phew!—but Baek Mu-jin was already gone. He appeared right before Erendir's eyes.
"When you're angry," Baek Mu-jin said with a calm smile, "your movements grow sloppy."
Kwaang!
His fist crashed into Erendir's abdomen, piercing through the shroud of black energy. The fallen elf screamed, crashing into the earth.
Erendir retaliated immediately, black auras lashing out like serpents.
"How ridiculous—!" Baek Mu-jin countered, sweeping his arm. The power of nature dispersed the assault like mist before the wind.
"Don't be arrogant!" Erendir roared, his fury exploding outward. "This is only the beginning!"
The dark energy wrapped around him, hardening into an armor of pure negation.
Baek Mu-jin's eyes narrowed. "So that's your trump card, huh?"
The armor shimmered like obsidian flame. It couldn't be dispelled—an abomination that devoured anything it touched.
"Then let's go all out," Baek Mu-jin murmured. "Let's see who breaks first."
He shot forward again. His strike came in an instant, aimed for Erendir's gut.
But this time, Erendir dodged and countered with lightning speed. His sword flashed—Phew!—and Baek Mu-jin barely twisted away.
The next swing came faster.
Too fast to dodge.
Baek Mu-jin laughed madly. "Hah! This is fun!"
He threw himself into the blade. Kwajik! Blood burst from his thigh—but before Erendir could react, Baek Mu-jin's other arm slammed down on his head.
Kwaang!
Erendir's body slammed into the ground, spitting blood. "A human… hurt me…?"
"You said this was only the beginning!" Baek Mu-jin grinned through the pain. "But you're already falling behind!"
Despite his bravado, he knew he was running out of time. His body was a wreck—blood soaking his clothes, limbs trembling.
'Five minutes left,' he thought grimly. 'That's all I can give.'
If this dragged on, he would lose.
His vision blurred, but his resolve burned brighter.
He charged again.
"It's slow!" Erendir snarled, reacting instantly. His blade danced—faster, sharper, deadlier. Three slashes came in the span of one breath.
The sword cleaved Baek Mu-jin's image in two—yet no blood spilled.
"You got caught," Baek Mu-jin's voice whispered from behind him.
Erendir's eyes widened. "What—!?"
Baek Mu-jin had stepped into the void itself—a technique he had saved for the final blow.
"It's over," he said.
Blue light gathered in his hand, swelling into a massive force.
"You relied on tricks, not wisdom. That's why you lost."
The energy burst forth, taking the form of a colossal black tortoise—a divine beast of ice and death. From its shell, serpentine heads emerged, hissing as the air froze solid.
Erendir screamed, "No—no!"
Kwakwakwakwang!
The ground erupted as spears of ice impaled his body. His scream echoed across the battlefield before being silenced forever.
When the light faded, only a frozen monument remained—a towering pillar of ice that pierced the heavens.
The hunters erupted in cheers.
"The Union Leader did it!"
"He defeated the enemy general!"
"Push forward!"
Despair spread among the fallen elves like wildfire. The tide of battle had turned.
Baek Mu-jin watched them crumble and allowed himself a weary smile. "At least… I did my part."
Had those corrupted elves reached the city, it would've been a massacre.
"Thank goodness…" he murmured, turning to leave—
Tsk, tsk.
The faint sound froze him in place.
His eyes widened. "…You?"
A figure stood amid the ice. Even without sensing her aura, he knew who she was.
Allerua.
The Grand Elf. The true leader of the fallen.
But she wasn't there—not truly. His senses couldn't even comprehend her presence. His mind refused to accept what his eyes saw.
It was like staring at something beyond reality.
"You were told to spread fear," Allerua said coldly, her gaze falling upon Erendir's corpse. "Yet you gave them hope."
Her eyes shifted to Baek Mu-jin. "So you're the one who dared to inspire humans?"
Feeling the crushing weight of her existence, Baek Mu-jin threw his fist—Bang!—but the shockwave vanished instantly.
Dark thorns of black energy pierced his body in an instant. Blood sprayed across the frozen ground.
"Now that's the expression I wanted," Allerua said softly, her white hair glinting in the dark.
Baek Mu-jin couldn't move. He could only stare in horror.
'This power… it's on another level.'
It was absolute. The mere sight of her filled him with primal terror. His body trembled, heart hammering like prey before a predator.
'I'm… afraid?'
He had faced countless foes. He had stood before monsters and legends alike—but never once had he feared anyone.
Until now.
"Yes," Allerua whispered, smiling faintly. "Die consumed by fear."
She flung him aside like trash. His body crashed into the ground with a sickening bang!
"Cough—!"
She turned away, ignoring his bloodied form. Her gaze fell upon the other hunters. Death burned in her eyes.
Dark energy flared between her palms.
'No…!' Baek Mu-jin tried to rise, but his body refused to obey. "Move… damn it, move!"
The black energy erupted—
—but a brilliant white light collided with it, shaking the battlefield.
Kwakwakwakwang!
Allerua narrowed her eyes. "This energy…?"
Baek Mu-jin recognized it instantly. That power—he knew it well.
"Anna…" he breathed.
Two figures descended from the sky through the light—Anna and Lee Seong-jun.
And as their feet touched the ground, hope returned to the battlefield once more.