Chapter 1231: Dark Region (15)
Verna was desperate.
Her two armies of reinforcements had crumbled, while the remaining dark elf mages basically went to her to take refuge. But come to think of it, these dark elf mages weren’t outsiders in the first place. Back then, in order for Verna to protect herself from both of her daughters’ conspiracies, she sneaked a group of spies into her daughters’ families to monitor their activities. Due to that reason, it went without saying that these spies weren’t devoted to their so-called ‘matriarchs’ and were the first to hide in the back of the army once battle commenced. That was how they avoided disaster and retreated to report the situation.
Upon hearing their reports, Verna was put in a tough spot. She realized she seemed to have made a rather foolish decision. She considered the situation from the perspective of dark elves, so it went without saying that she thought no matter how strong the enemies were, they were still a small group, after all. As long as she diminished their strength, even if she couldn’t annihilate them all, she could still suppress their arrogance and teach them that Carlesodar City was a city belonging to the dark elves!
And that it was not a place for outsiders like them to act brazenly!
Verna was already ashen at the thought of this sentence. She felt as though she were slapped several times in the cheeks, and they were red and swollen now. Not only did she not force the enemies back, but she also sacrificed two families that she groomed with utmost care. Moreover, several smaller families were also implicated and buried to the ground. Right now, it was complete chaos for Verna.
As the largest city of the dark elves, Carlesodar was huge. Even though the underground was different from the surface, this city was about the same size as Casabianca and also divided into districts. Duergars and bugbears basically resided in the slave distract of the outer city. A little deeper inside would be the business district, followed by the district for dark elves. Despite that, as smaller families were weaker in strength, they were situated on the periphery of the inner district, while larger families were based in the core. That was why the inner city was categorized into civilian, lesser-n.o.ble, and core districts.
Rhode’s group were currently located in the business district, while Verna’s directions of attack came from the civilian and lesser-n.o.ble districts. As a result, the three districts were in complete disorder right now. The civilian district was turned into a living h.e.l.l by s.h.i.+ra, where the dark elves were minced, becoming a part of the b.l.o.o.d.y battlefield without a chance of survival. The lesser-n.o.ble district also struggled and eventually collapsed to Angelina’s undead army. Even though vampires weren’t as skilled as liches at creating undead creatures, they were experts in creating ghouls. Well, this wasn’t too surprising since many legends on this continent about one turning into ghouls after being bitten by vampires started from them. Even though Angelina wasn’t that thirsty to sink her teeth into dark elves, she, who was born in the first vampire family, naturally possessed the ability to turn her victim into ghouls without sucking their blood.
Facing the sudden emergence of so many undead creatures, the n.o.bles were apparently unready. They never antic.i.p.ated a situation where undead creatures would attack them in their own city. Moreover, Anne had also transformed into the Elemental Spirit and flattened more than half of the entire lesser-n.o.ble district. Her wind element was undoubtedly an attack that ravaged the entire ‘map’. As a result, some dark elf families who didn’t send out their troops and decided to enjoy the show were killed by the lack of air despite being in the safety of their homes.
The families who survived struggled whilst at death’s door. But before they pulled themselves together from the wind element’s suppression, they faced an ambush from the sea of undead creatures. Not only were low-level troops like duergars and bugbears turned into undead creatures, but Angelina also manipulated countless dark elf corpses into becoming her able-bodied soldiers. In the end, those families resisted, but to no avail as they were swept away by the undead army’s human wave attack. Meanwhile, those family members who weren’t captured struggled and couldn’t hold on for much longer.
On the other hand, it was even more miserable for the civilian district. s.h.i.+ra was entirely addicted. Other than those dark elves who fled upon witnessing the unfavorable situation from the start, none of the rest escaped. s.h.i.+ra was alone and didn’t use any AoE skill to bombard the battlefield like Anne and Angelina—until the wave of explosive arrows struck her and she released the steel chains from her body like a huge spider web to envelop the entire civilian district.
It wasn’t that none of the dark elves tried to escape. But as soon as they neared the steel chains, they were immediately shackled and minced to their death. Not only that, but s.h.i.+ra also continued to roam the battlefield, letting out a peculiar laughter as she smashed everything she saw, be it a building, person, or anything else…
Verna was also distressed over a th.o.r.n.y problem. Mini Bubble Gum practically charged her way over and slaughtered anyone who obstructed her. Right now, she had arrived at the east periphery of the lesser-n.o.ble district. Judging from her aggression, it seemed like she was about to barge her way into the core district and obliterate all the dark elves. The dark elf army was also utterly defeated by her. This young lady didn’t seem to understand what limit and holding back meant as she eradicated everything in her path. Even if one weren’t standing in front of her and were simply unpleasant to her eye, she would still murder one.
I don’t care if you are good or bad; dark elves should all peris.h.!.+
Carlesodar City was in a complete disaster. The core district rumbled as all sorts of dazzling, holy bursts of light thundered from time to time. The city was as though torpedoed by bomber aircrafts and the dark elves were about to be sent back to the Stone Age.
Meanwhile, hair-raising screams of victims and roars of undead creatures rang in the south and echoed within the tall, pitch-black cave, leaving one’s hair standing. On the other hand, the west was in complete silence like a still, ice-cold cemetery. Perhaps not even the presence of life could be felt, not to mention voices being heard.
It was entirely out of Verna’s prediction for Carlesodar City to be tormented to this degree. She didn’t expect the enemies to be this powerful to ignore the deterrence of dark elves and launch attacks to eradicate anyone on sight. It was as though the dark elves who terrified everyone in the underground were nothing more than a group of free-range chickens. The enemies just couldn’t care less about what the dark elves were capable of.
This feeling… This feeling… This feeling…
At first, Verna was enraged. Then, she panicked and was now terrified. It had been a long time since the dark elves tasted this feeling. In the past, even though the Dark Dragon had indeed crushed them once, that happened a long, long time ago, after all. No matter how long the lifespan of dark elves was, none of them lived right after the Creation War ended (especially considering their unique values in life). Therefore, none of the dark elves experienced that catastrophe. Even though they heard of relevant legends from word of mouth and through historical records, it was only after they experienced it themselves that they felt petrified.
What gave Verna a headache was that the entire hall was in loud clamors before she came up with any counter solution. She didn’t know whether it was due to the continuous failures that made her reputation plummet or that the dark elves forgot the rules out of extreme fear for them to break out in huge quarrels in the hall.
But what they were fighting over was ridiculous. They were actually debating which enemy was the most terrifying.
The dark elves who were repelled by Anne insisted that Anne and Angelina were the enemies they should worry about the most.
We’re all spell casters, but have you ever witnessed an Elemental Spirit? Even if you haven’t seen one, you should have heard of it before, right!? How can we possibly defeat it? Also, that vampire created so many ghouls in the blink of an eye. It is obvious that she is definitely not someone we can defeat effortlessly. In that case, shouldn’t we focus all our strength on her?
Meanwhile, the dark elves who were fortunate enough to flee from s.h.i.+ra stood firm that she was the scariest enemy. They had never seen a crueler murderer than her!
I think we should get rid of her as soon as possible. If she comes knocking on our door, none of us will be able to escape! So what if it’s an Elemental Spirit? It’s just a materialization of a spirit and the top 10 matriarchs should have ways to deal with it.
On the contrary, the mysterious undead creature was entirely different. The dark elves tried coming up with various solutions, but just couldn’t figure out how to kill her. If s.h.i.+ra relied upon some skills and methods to defend herself, perhaps the dark elves could come up with some countermeasures. But the problem was that s.h.i.+ra didn’t need any of that as she defended using her own flesh. Facing such an invincible enemy, the dark elves were at their wits’ end. That was why the dark elves believed that s.h.i.+ra was their biggest threat, especially with her peculiar and frightening enjoyment while slaughtering her victims.
Upon hearing the complaints from both parties, the spell casters on Verna’s side were instantly displeased.
The reason why you bunch here are yelping is because your families are ranked in the 20s and 30s. Even if the top 10 matriarchs were to send out humans to deal with the enemies, the former will surely defeat them, not to mention dispatching dark elves. The whole lot of you are exaggerating. In terms of danger, that pet.i.te young lady is the most dangerous!
The pet.i.te young lady they referred to was Mini Bubble Gum. She faced the elite army of the fourth family along the way, which was termed as one of the best armies in Carlesodar City. However, the army was utterly defeated by her and even some advanced mages were killed! Besides, judging from the intelligence they gathered, it was apparent to them that Mini Bubble Gum was the leader of her pack. Therefore, their priority should be to form an alliance to crush her. As long as they eliminated her, the others shouldn’t pose an issue.
The quarrels between the three parties grew fiercer with one despising the other for being timid.
They can’t even bear to witness some blood. What an insult to the honor of the dark elves!
The despised party was unwilling to admit defeat either as they reprimanded the other party for fleeing upon witnessing the Elemental Spirit, claiming that they were really weaklings.
If it weren’t for you cowards, our family wouldn’t have lost so quickly!
Meanwhile, the third party insisted that the other two parties were worthless trash.
We will show you what true power is! If you were the ones taking on that pet.i.te young lady, you wouldn’t even dare to let out a fart!
The first and second parties were furious, of course. The first party yelled: “If you’ve the guts, go and check out how your matriarch choked to death due to the wind element!”
The second party also berated: “Perhaps you would faint once you witness how the Undead Puppet slaughtered everyone and wouldn’t be standing here talking to us now!”
The quarrels between the three parties reached the point where they were about to break into a fight. They didn’t even think that their actions had shattered everyone’s morale. The dark elves who were stationed in the family premises were already feeling anxious over the constant reports of failure. And now, after learning just how terrifying and powerful the enemies were, they turned as white as a sheet. If it weren’t for the exceptionally stern rules of the dark elves, perhaps they would have already made their escape. Even though they stayed around, their morale took a dive. It was almost certain that if the three parties were to break out into a fight, perhaps many of them would turn around and flee right away.
“Alright, shut up, all of you!”
Verna returned to her senses and snarled, realizing that the situation was far from good. Fortunately for her, she was the matriarch of the fourth family and her prestige hadn’t completely gone down the drain yet. Upon hearing her rage, the dark elf mages in heated arguments and about to roll up their sleeves for a fist fight closed their wide-open mouths. They looked at one another anxiously. After venting their frustrations, the dark elves also knew that they were wrong to behave this way. They acted simply like moronic fans who hurled punches at naysayers to protect the image of their idols… But the problem was that they had no form of ‘wors.h.i.+p’ toward those enemies at all.
“…”
Glaring at her subordinates, Verna didn’t know what to do. According to her, these dark elves who spread rumors and fear should be executed on the spot. But it was a pity that Mini Bubble Gum and her group were pressing hard on them right now. Verna’s side suffered huge losses with advanced mages lining up in their graves. And now, the dark elf mages who survived were still useful for the situation. It would be utterly foolish if they didn’t die in the battle against the enemies, but in her hands instead.
What should we do?
Verna kept considering this question. She hesitated whether she should pull out her forces, but even she wasn’t of aware whether she could do it in time. She also didn’t know whether she held the authority to negotiate with the enemies because they were simply too powerful. Besides, judging from the situation, negotiation didn’t seem to be able to bring the enemies any benefits. So what if Verna were to give them countless compensations? The enemies were still capable of barging into the treasure house of the fourth family and pillaging everything inside, wasn’t it?
As for women? It was even more impossible. Mini Bubble Gum was a spell caster and there were lots of spells that could manipulate and even brainwash minds. If the enemies needed women, they could simply capture the dark elf mages, brainwash them, and do whatever they want. The dark elf mages also wouldn’t be able to retaliate in any ways. No, when that happened, perhaps they wouldn’t even know who they were.
What should we do now? Continue to fight to the death with the enemies?
In an instant, Verna was at a complete loss. According to the intelligence, even though Angelina and Mini Bubble Gum didn’t seem to have the intention of advancing, the situation also wasn’t looking anywhere better. Angelina was focused on expanding her undead army and it seemed like she intended to wipe out all of Carlesodar City at once. The other problem now was that Mini Bubble Gum was as though an insane person who smashed anything in her path. It didn’t matter if anyone attacked her or not as they were thoroughly slaughtered the very next moment. Verna initially hoped that they would expend a lot of their strength and become weaker. But now, it seemed like Mini Bubble Gum was still going strong and could last for another day and night.
But Verna wasn’t aware that while she was in a tough spot, a meeting regarding the fate of the entire city was going on in the peak of the towering stalact.i.te building in the core district.
“It seems like we’re in a horrible situation.”
Matriarch Durelle curled up in the chair with a sneer, gazing at the other matriarchs who wore the same robes, embroidered with a red spider. Nine of the most authoritative matriarchs sat quietly on their chairs, exchanging gazes with one another. The huge mess caused by Mini Bubble Gum naturally alerted members of the top 10 families. While Verna was in a headache, the other nine matriarchs of the top 10 families gathered in secret and discussed their options.
Verna wasn’t aware of this meeting. As a matter of fact, this meant that she and her family were abandoned. And now, the nine matriarchs naturally weren’t discussing issues regarding the fourth family, but problems about their safety instead. Frankly, the dark elves were also bewildered that Mini Bubble Gum caused such a huge ruckus. They had never seen anyone so formidable and odd that she wasn’t willing to listen to the words of others. The dark elves were at a complete loss.
Durelle, who raised the issue, was secretly glad that Verna’s family had an idiot who attracted all the firepower over to her side. Fortunately for Durelle, her Bailey Family was safe and sound right now. If it weren’t for that foolish daughter of Verna who tried to probe the situation and lured attention over, perhaps Durelle would be the one in deep trouble.
Even though Mini Bubble Gum hadn’t slaughtered her way into the fourth family yet, it seemed like it was only a matter of time.
“…”
Facing Durelle’s words, the other eight matriarchs remained silent. After a few moments, one of them puckered her brows and saidspoke
“Yes. So what should we do?”
“Giving up is our only option.”
No names were mentioned. This was the consistent rule of the council. They never specifically mentioned the names of a certain family or matriarch. This was ‘fairness’ among dark elves. As long as no one said it, it didn’t exist. As long as there was no evidence, one didn’t need to admit one’s fault. As long as there was no failure, there was only victory. That was why even though they didn’t speak straightforwardly, everyone knew that person they were referring to wasn’t present.
“But we aren’t sure whether that is the best choice, right? Will our threats end just like that?”
At that moment, the matriarch of the third family asked with knitted brows.
The place fell into complete silence.
This was also one of their biggest doubts. Back then, even though Rhode said he was only pa.s.sing through the city to reach his destination, judging from the situation now, it was no different from an all-out war. Although there were only five members in Rhode’s group, no one ignored the fact that Rhode hadn’t attacked yet. Moreover, the five of them were enough to flatten their paths. As soon as the core district crumbled, they would surely take over the entire city. When that happened, what should they do?
Should they just type ‘GG’ to the enemies?
Of course, they didn’t know what ‘GG’ meant.
Even though Rhode said he was only traversing the city, what if his true intention was to attack the city in the first place? There was a possibility for that. The matriarchs knew that the surface wasn’t peaceful right now through their own intelligence network. They were also aware that the alliance of the Void Territory and Munn Kingdom had been attacking the Country of Darkness constantly, while the Dark Dragon couldn’t hold his ground. What if Rhode came here specifically to subdue them? It wasn’t entirely impossible. Dark elves were a race who desired authority, where dominating everything seemed only right. If any of them were to think that Rhode wasn’t interested in authority, they would simply treat him as an idiot or lunatic. Therefore, based on the current situation, the matriarchs believed that the possibility of Rhode taking down Carlesodar City and dominating the underground world was most likely.
This point reached a consensus among the matriarchs. But they couldn’t agree on their next step. To dark elves, it seemed like nothing significant to change a ruler. But the problem was that they had no intention of giving up yet. No matter what, Rhode came to the underground and stirred trouble with them. If the dark elves were to shrink without saying a word, it went without saying what would happen to their reputation in this underground world.
And the pressing situation now was that Mini Bubble Gum was closing in on them. Angelina was also leisurely expanding her undead army, while s.h.i.+ra was ma.s.sacring with grins and bursts of laughter. The three of them were having fun. In this one-sided situation, the dark elves were overwhelmed. Of course, it wasn’t like they didn’t have any ace in the hole. But…
There is a Void Dragon amongst them. The Void Dragon hasn’t even attacked and Carlesodar City has already ended up in this pathetic state. What would become of the situation after the Void Dragon attacks?
“Matriarch Durelle.”
All of a sudden, a voice shattered the silence and Durelle was instantly taken aback. She looked up and gazed at the figure in the middle seat of the round table. For some unknown reason, she felt like the situation was far from good for her.
“We hope you can represent us in visiting His Majesty the Void Dragon and seeking his true intentions. After all, we are at our wits’ end right now.”
Upon hearing this statement, Durelle’s vision turned pitch-black.
Of course, she knew why she was selected.
At the same time, she also knew that she perhaps couldn’t escape this responsibility.