Volume One: The Infernal Lord World Chapter 101: The Last of the Elves

Hearing this voice, Kabbas was momentarily stunned. Then he quickly stepped forward, gazing at the older treant.

"You are the Grand Druid Daridos?"

After a long pause, Kabbas finally came to his senses. This was an old acquaintance from the elven race, though back then he had appeared as an elf. How had he come to take on the form of a treant now?

"Daridos, how are you here?"

"When the undead were about to invade the ancestral land, I joined forces with thirty-one other Grand Druids. Together, we severed the road leading to Cape City and transformed ourselves into the forest, barring outsiders from entering the ancestral land.

But you—how is it you are with the undead?"

"You mean the master? The master is not undead; he carries the Breath of the Elves," Kabbas hastily explained.

"I know. Before, it was you who came down with orders marked by the Breath of the Elves, orders that made no sense. Later, you simply threw down piles of papers bearing the elven mark, without even bothering to write commands.

Do you realize you were provoking us?"

For the first time, Chen Gu encountered someone like this, but he stepped forward as well.

"I came to this world to oppose the undead, to claim dominion over it. From now on, I am the Lord of the Elves. If you step aside now, I will treat you with courtesy. If not, you will witness my power."

Upon hearing this, Daridos laughed.

"What, you intend to kill me? I would like to see what you are capable of."

Chen Gu's expression hardened, and he was about to command the surviving illusions to attack, when Kabbas hurried forward and pulled him back.

"Master, it's not worth it. There may be remnants of the elves here. If we fight, it will only let the undead profit from our conflict."

Chen Gu relented, taking a step back.

Yet he did not leave. This time, he had come for the elven ancestral land, that island in the sea. If he did not go through, it would be a waste of all his efforts.

But Daridos was stubborn as well.

"No. Whether dead or alive, none may pass through the rift. If you wish to cross, there is only one way: defeat all the undead.

Did you not say you want to claim this world?"

"Then show me. If you succeed, I will acknowledge you."

"When I conquer the whole world, why would I even care about that city behind you? I could destroy it outright," Chen Gu retorted, his anger rising at being blocked.

"Behind me lies the treasures of the elven kingdom, five millennia of collections, seeds of the High Elves, the island of elven origins, dozens of slumbering gold and green dragons, thousands of unicorns—our last plan to turn the tide.

If you can drive out the undead and claim this world, then everything here shall be yours."

"I hardly need your forces," Chen Gu replied, feeling indignant. If you have so much power, join me now against the undead; that would be best. When I defeat the undead, what use will your army be? To say nothing of the rest, even a wave of fire elementals could sweep you away.

"You may not need it, but you will not defeat us or cross the rift. We have sworn, no matter how great the calamity, never to abandon the legacy of the elven kingdom.

So if you have the strength, attack us. I want to see if your army can overcome the great rift."

Chen Gu snorted heavily.

He knew that with his current forces, he could not defeat these treants. Even with his illusions, it would not suffice. But he could not simply let them do as they pleased. As he thought, once he had conquered the rest, he would hardly need this small force.

"No. At the very least, once I have seized the elven holy city, you must join me and become my followers, without trying to restore the elven kingdom. Otherwise, even if I must sacrifice my troops, I will take you down first."

Hearing this, Daridos was taken aback. Yet he quickly understood. Chen Gu was not an elf—why restore the elven kingdom for him? And even if it were restored, would Chen Gu become king of the elves? That was impossible; the High Elves would certainly try to raise one of their own as king. Then, a great war would ensue.

With Chen Gu's ambition, he would never allow such a thing to happen. In his view, one must either become his subordinate, bowing and serving, or his enemy, ending up as a corpse hanging from the city gates.

To try and rule over Chen Gu was nothing but a dream.

Now, those High Elves in the ancestral land would all perish, while ordinary elves might survive. But so be it—he had done what he could.

"Agreed. As long as you conquer the elven holy city and clear the undead between here and the city, I and the thirteen remaining Druids alive will submit to you, join your ranks, and become your heroes."

At this, Daridos paused. "As for those in the ancestral land, I cannot persuade them nor guarantee they will agree to anything. I can only bring your proposition to them."

Chen Gu understood Daridos’s meaning: he would only command the fourteen surviving Druids in the rift. As for the elves who had fled behind, they were beyond his authority.

"That's fine. Just inform them. Tell them I will leave my men at the original Raven's Nest, waiting for them. If they wish to join me, bring their forces and submit.

If they come now, their status will be assured.

If they come after I conquer the holy city, their elven identity will be preserved.

If they come after I return here again, their lives will be guaranteed.

But if they wait until I reach the elven ancestral land before seeking to join me, then I cannot promise their survival."

With that, Chen Gu waved his hand and retreated into his ranks.

Daridos was silent for a moment, then finally said, "Very well!"

He then led the surviving treants swiftly down the cliffs of the rift.

Chen Gu noticed, however, that the bodies of fallen treants were left untouched.

Once all the treants had withdrawn, Chen Gu dispersed all the corpse-eater illusions and said, "Prepare yourselves. Clean up the battlefield."