Not far from the foot of Stone Staircase Mountain.
A massive armored 'Giant,' nearly ten feet tall, held a man by his collar.
"Not a trace of its aura on you. It seems you haven't encountered that thing either. Fine, get lost."
Alistair casually tossed the unremarkable human aside.
"Thank you, my Lord, for sparing my life!" the man cried, scrambling away on all fours. No one knew where he was going, but his only goal was to flee from this harbinger of death.
After several hours of searching, every human in the vicinity knew a terrifying existence had arrived. No one knew where he came from, but his strength was absolute; any who resisted left no corpse behind. One swing of that gargantuan mace was all it took to 'lightly shatter' a person's very soul.
"I've searched the entire perimeter and found nothing. Could it be at the summit?" Alistair looked up toward the peak of Stone Staircase Mountain.
Whoosh!
A piercing whistle cut through the dark as an object hurtled toward him from the shadows.
BOOM!
The projectile slammed into the chest plate of Alistair's armor with a thunderous impact. The sheer force drove him back two steps, his boots crushing the concrete into spiderwebbed craters. The object bounced off his armor due to the kinetic recoil, embedding itself partially into the ground.
"A double-edged axe?"
Alistair looked down. It was a massive greataxe, nearly two-thirds the size of his own Nightfall. Anyone who could throw such a weapon with that much power was no weakling. While Alistair had been holding back against ordinary human 'Weapon Users,' he was still an immovable object; to be pushed back even two steps was a feat.
"Oh? That only made you back up twice? That armor of yours is quite impressive," an arrogant voice called out from the darkness.
Hummm—
A low vibration filled the air as the shadows of the surrounding buildings expanded and merged into a giant, black 'mire' on the ground. Two female Dark Elves, clad in 'scant' armor, rose slowly from the pool.
One had long purple hair that waved at the tips. She leaned on an iron longsword, her expression calm and regal. She was exceptionally tall, carrying an aura of natural authority.
The other had short, golden hair with a gradient of pink at the ends. She was crouched on the ground, weaponless—the axe was clearly hers. Though her arms didn't show bulging muscles, her physical power was undeniable, likely reinforced by magic.
So, these are Dark Elves? Alistair thought with a surge of pleasure. They had rich bronze skin, the kind of "ebony beauty" that fit his aesthetic perfectly, rather than the coal-black charcoal look of some lore.
"Hey, big guy. Are you that old man's descendant?" the golden-haired one asked, standing up with her hand on her hip. Her tone was supremely confident, as if Alistair's obedience was a foregone conclusion. "If you are, you're coming with us."
Six-pack abs? Alistair noted. Damn, even I don't have abs that defined. She's definitely the physical powerhouse type. He didn't care about her demands; he was too busy admiring her firm, athletic build. Beyond the abs, she wasn't overly muscular, which hit his sweet spot perfectly.
"Are you... talking to me?" Alistair grabbed Nightfall, swinging it with one hand until it pointed directly at her throat.
"Oh? Feeling rebellious? Then I'll have to teach you a lesson. Let an elder show you what respect looks like!"
Ada, the short-haired elf, stepped forward and raised her right hand.
Vroom~
The silver-steel greataxe trembled, flew out of the ground, and zipped back into her hand. She hoisted it onto her shoulder.
"Remember my name: Ada. Once I crack open that tin can of yours, I'm going to drain every drop of your vital first harvest!" She tapped her flat stomach with a fingerless glove, her breasts bouncing with the motion as she laughed arrogantly.
"Tch. What a classic line," Alistair muttered. "Wait, I am in that kind of world. Why am I surprised?"
CRACK!
Alistair was still shaking his head when the ground beneath Ada shattered. She moved with a sonic boom, appearing before him in a flash.
KABOOM!
Ada brought the axe down with everything she had, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. She clearly wasn't worried about killing him.
"Wow, you really went for the kill, didn't you?" Alistair's voice came from the dust, sounding entirely unbothered. He waved his hand, clearing the air. "An ordinary man would have been turned into a smoothie by that swing."
"Is that armor a treasure left by your grandfather? How is it so hard?!" Ada's eyes widened. Her greataxe fell from her hands, the blade sinking deep into the earth.
"Your hands are shaking," Alistair noted, grabbing her trembling wrists with his left hand.
"Hmph! You're just hiding behind that armor. Your own strength is—"
Whoosh!
CRASH!
Alistair swung his arm, throwing her like a ragdoll. She smashed through a nearby building, disappearing into the rubble.
"Lucky for you, this area was evacuated. I can play as hard as I want. Oh, wait, I almost forgot. I have a new toy to test." Alistair pointed Nightfall at the two elves. "Since you want it so badly, it's time for our private session."
Eerie green flames flickered through the gaps in his armor. A dark film began to spread out from his feet, covering the ground.
"Domain Expansion: Realm of Death!"
Alistair's voice echoed clearly, despite being muffled by the helmet.
Wommm—
The dark film raced outward, covering the entire block in seconds.
"A magical barrier?" The purple-haired elf, Dilba, tapped the film with her boot. She swung her sword at the ground, leaving a faint scratch. "No defensive properties? Is it purely for trapping the target?"