Chapter 596.5: Retreat? Rout!
They let those cruel monsters loose on a quiet and peaceful elven village.
They watched as every elf was slaughtered and filmed it all as "evidence" to force the others to return.
That's right—it was a self-staged tragedy.
The kingdom tried to act covertly, but those who carried out the act were too amateur.
By then, the elite elves—already at the peak of Extraordinary tier—easily found the answers they sought.
Answers that made them feel utterly disgusted.
Aicharn had "asked" the blood-covered elf why they chose that obscure village, and was shocked when the elf actually replied:
Amid crazed, shrill laughter, he shouted:
"Because they sheltered half-elves. That was the stupidest mistake, their death sentence! Every year we wipe out many such fools..."
Before he could finish, Aicharn beheaded him while the man stared in disbelief.
After that, everyone fell silent.
They felt the world had become completely unfamiliar. Their once-proud homeland had transformed utterly.
They were soon surrounded by an army—but were quickly released.
The reason was simple: those they killed had now been labeled "cultists."
The councilor handling the situation even subtly reminded them:
"You are the pride and idols of many young elves. You could never be wrong—just like us..."
From that day on, Aicharn felt he had "gone mad."
He felt like a joke, a joke carefully manufactured by others.
He had rebelled, struggled, fallen into darkness.
And received support from the council.
As long as he obeyed, none of it mattered. It was even seen as part of his "growth."
So Aicharn quickly realized...
As a single elf, he could not resist or change anything.
The darkness within the Cole Elves was rooted in the very blood and foundation of their nation.
Now, they didn't even bother hiding it!
So, Aicharn "compromised," becoming once again the "elite" who completed all sorts of "missions."
From a radiant hero to a hidden executioner.
Eliminating any enemy who posed a threat to the Cole Elves...
Even former comrades!
He quickly earned the council's favor, received more resources and authority, and gained greater power.
But without realizing it, Aicharn forgot who he used to be, forgot the madness buried deep in his mind, and drowned in a false world crafted for him and by him.
He gradually became the very thing he hated most!
The dragonslayer became the dragon?
Until now, from the eerie will of "Legendary Spell: Meteorfall" to the birth of the Scarlet Moon's vessel...
The madness in his heart swiftly absorbed all memories and experiences.
He awakened!
Just like an old Eastern friend once said:
"Suddenly the golden rope snaps, the jade lock breaks!"
"Behold, the tidal bore of the Qiantang River approaches."
"Only today do I know—I am myself!"
Wiping the blood from his cheek, Aicharn gently rubbed his fingers, a slight smile on his lips, madness flickering in his eyes, and said calmly yet confidently:
"It's fine. These bastards gave me inspiration. I know what to do now."
Eiris instinctively widened his eyes.
He could clearly sense something off in Aicharn's mood and quickly handed him a purification potion. Only after watching him drink it with a grin did he finally exhale in relief:
"Don't scare me like that. That earlier failure showed these cursed things can't be trusted."
Aicharn shrugged nonchalantly. He knew what his old friend was worried about and said with casual indifference:
"Relax. I won't do anything stupid."
"We've taken these things down before. They're too weak to deserve much of my effort."
"But they are perfect tools... for dealing with fools."
Eiris looked conflicted, hesitating for a moment before saying nothing.
Because deep down, he too harbored a deep hatred—one he had long suppressed but never forgotten.
He didn't know how insane Aicharn's plan might be, but he no longer wanted to keep torturing himself.
Clenching his blade tightly, Eiris forced himself to his feet and looked toward the grotesquely red-glowing Bloody Ancient Tree, curiously asking:
"How strong is that thing?"
Aicharn shook his head casually, gazing skyward with eager curiosity on his face:
"It should be here!"
"Roar...!"
A sky-piercing dragon roar and massive form immediately drew everyone's attention.
Brilliant golden sunlight gleamed off Yaya's body.
Her scales weren't smooth and shiny like typical silver dragons but deeper, denser, and shimmered with the glow of time.
Noticing Yaya's arrival, the Bloody Ancient Tree slowly lifted its head.
Its twisted eyes grew bloodier, quickly gathering terrifying magical energy.
Screee!
A pillar of blood-red light condensed into a physical shockwave, flying toward Yaya in the sky.
Chaos Spell—Corruption Ray!
Yaya noticed but didn't dodge, instead diving straight down.
She spread her massive wings and opened her maw lined with razor-sharp fangs.
A pale, terrifying flame burst downward as she roared ferociously.
Fwoosh!
Yaya's Destruction Flame collided directly with the blood-colored beam from the Bloody Ancient Tree.
As expected, the still-maturing Scarlet Tree was no match for Yaya.
Now 25 meters long, Yaya was larger than many adult Legendary dragons.
And her true dragon breath had reached a staggering Level 3.
Its lethal power instantly neutralized the Corruption Ray.
The flame expanded tens of times in volume and crashed into the Bloody Ancient Tree like a battering ram.
Blood-colored twisted markings on its body glowed eerily, trying to resist the dragon flame.
Ignoring faint whispers in her ears, Yaya joyfully roared and slammed into the unresponsive tree like a super projectile.
Boom!
A violent shockwave erupted from the impact.
Amid the rolling smoke, Yaya severed vine-like tentacles stretching from the Bloody Tree's mouth.
As it tried to rise, she jammed a claw straight into one of its eyes.
Eye stab!
Her agile tail swept aside a few shriveled monsters emerging from blood cocoons.
With another twist, she slammed it heavily into the tree's abdomen.
Groin kick!
"Aaaagh...!"
A shrill scream rang through the sky.
Not because the Bloody Ancient Tree had vital organs...
But because Yaya's tail, harder than iron, slashed open a gaping wound in its belly like a massive blade.
Twisted, disgusting tendrils poured out but were helpless against her gleaming dragon scales.
Seeing it still trying to struggle, Yaya flapped her wings without hesitation.
Her claw twisted in the eye socket, yanking out a mass of writhing blood flesh.
Yaya could clearly feel...
Even detached, the flesh remained alive and twisted.
It tried to burrow into her scales and skin!
Yaya felt no fear, her heart calm like still water, and dove again.
She pinned the Bloody Ancient Tree's rising head back to the ground.
Yaya circled deftly behind it.
Both claws locked around its neck, and she squeezed.
Chokehold!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The disturbing sound of bones breaking echoed.
The heavily wounded Bloody Ancient Tree thrashed wildly.
But neither its frail limbs nor its internal tendrils could match the mighty, agile Yaya.
She ripped its head off with brute force!
Under the golden sunlight, Yaya stood atop the twitching headless body, holding its distorted head aloft.
She slowly opened her maw,
And under countless stunned stares, unleashed a torrent of rage-fueled flame.
Fwoosh!
The devastating fire surged hundreds of meters, instantly reducing the tree's head to ash.
The air filled with the stench of burning flesh.
Without pause, Yaya dismantled the twitching body like a grotesque toy.
This ferocious and visually stunning display struck a deep chord in all who watched.
Tigris blinked hard, overwhelmed by the distant dragon's terrifying aura, and muttered in disbelief:
"That's it? How did she do that? That's impossible!"
Tigris wasn't the only one dumbfounded. Even Councilor Kaledor, who'd seen Yaya's power before, shuddered involuntarily.
He was extremely knowledgeable about dragons.
Because besides being a councilor, he was the patriarch of the Cole Elven Kingdom's Dragon-Taming Family.
His family had long been renowned for subduing dragonblood creatures.
Naturally, Councilor Kaledor had deep interest in the mysterious and powerful Yaya.
He had gathered lots of footage and intel about her through various channels.
From her birth to her rise in power, her growth had completely captivated him.
At first, he stubbornly believed her changes were due to an exceptional bloodline.
And that she was just in her fastest-growing juvenile stage.
He assumed her current state was just the result of years in the egg and gifts from her elders.
But after seeing her again, the terrifying changes left Kaledor feeling like all his knowledge and experience were garbage.
He could clearly judge:
Yaya had grown at least four meters taller.
Her weight had increased by at least 20%.
Her strength and explosive power had obviously surged.
She completely crushed the Legendary Bloody Tree in both might and physique.
She wasn't like a silver dragon at all—she was scarier than gold or red dragons!
Because that meant her strength and physique had both surpassed 35 points, approaching the peak stats for Legendary creatures.
In just two or three months, her growth speed shattered Kaledor's understanding of dragonblood creatures.
Even more shocking to him was...
Yaya hadn't lost any agility. She was even more skillful and experienced in combat than before.
Such terrifying changes were unprecedented, leaving Kaledor utterly lost.
Yaya, of course, had no idea about Kaledor's inner turmoil.
Cheerfully, she dug the meteorite—the vessel of the Bloody Tree's consciousness—from its broken body.
In front of everyone, she blasted it with another terrifying dragon flame.
The intensity of that breath made everyone's scalps tingle.
For the first time, they experienced the dread and awe of facing a Legendary True Dragon.
It shattered their understanding of what was possible!
All the Cole Elves watched in despair as Yaya returned to Icewind Fortress, meteorite burning in her claws.
Their morale sank completely.
Just when they had built up courage to fight again, Yaya's godlike performance crushed their will.
How could we fight such an opponent?
Keep fighting?
Hell no!
At that moment, a surge of spatial energy rippled from Icewind Fortress.
All the Cole Elves immediately realized—Bay Territory's second wave of reinforcements had arrived!
Eyes twitching, Tigris, in unspeakable pain, stared long at the devastated Icewind Fortress and the golden dragoness on the wall, gritting his teeth and ordered:
"Retreat!"
Icewind Fortress.
Matthew patted Jifan on the shoulder and walked toward Yaya, who was offering treasure to the Goddess of Magic, casually saying:
"They're retreating!"
Jifan took the documents and new communication device handed over by the newly arrived Filia.
Glancing silently at the magic map, he spoke into the communicator with firm conviction:
"All units, begin operations as planned."
"Those bastards think they can run? No way we let them go!"
"We need a decisive victory—they'll suffer a complete rout!"
Bay Territory, strike back!