Chapter 165
Chapter 165
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 165
Chapter Title: The Elves' Great Purge
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Thud thud thud!
Footsteps echoed from all directions.
Roughly a million elf soldiers had assembled in Albheim.
And they were perfectly armed.
Seeing the full might of Albheim's forces gathered in one place made my heart swell with grandeur.
At the same time, it showed just how serious Ervehim was about this operation.
"Great army! Hear me!"
'She's dead set on this.'
Just as she had said, it looked like they were truly going to purge every last demon from Albheim.
It wouldn't be easy, of course...
'The Land of Purification... Yeah, that suits it better.'
Truth be told, it didn't feel strange to me at all.
A hundred years ago—back when I was playing the game—Albheim had been known as the Land of Purification.
'[Black Forest] and [Twilight Valley] aside, everywhere else was a clean zone.'
Places like [Moonlight Pond] or [Sanctuary of Silence] had hardly any demons.
But for some reason, in the meantime, even those spots had turned into perfect hunting grounds like the Black Forest.
"...And so, we shall reclaim Albheim's former glory!"
Ervehim must have been lamenting that loss, which was why she was doing this.
Thinking about her current feelings made her motivations click for me.
Then.
"Advance!"
Ervehim's command rang out.
Thud thud thud!
Step, step, step.
As the soldiers marched forward, we—who stood at the very front of the formation—began to move slowly as well.
'Just don't get hurt.'
This was the moment the true demon purification operation began.
***
The purification proceeded swiftly.
Slash! Slash! Pssh!
A million-strong army wielding swords with expert precision and loosing arrows nonstop.
A few even used spirit arts, said to be possible only for the chosen elves.
'The average elf soldier's power is around 4th circle, huh.'
An average of 4th circle was an insanely strong force.
Albheim hadn't endured for centuries for nothing.
With that power multiplied by sheer numbers, the demons were helpless.
"Kieeeek!"
Tree-like demons twisted their bodies and shrieked in agony.
Fwoosh!
Whenever exhausted demons appeared, Ervehim called Kayla over to incinerate them completely.
It was a command that revealed her intent to uproot every last demon.
Anyway, how much time passed?
The local demon boss appeared, as if making a final stand.
Leading a horde of its minions.
"Kigik! Gigigik!"
[Corrupted Ancient Tree].
A upper-grade demon that had rooted itself in one area for decades, absorbing demonic energy.
In simple terms, it was extremely dangerous.
Yet even that creature couldn't stand against the elves' overwhelming numbers.
Pssh!
"Kikikigik!"
Swoosh—.
Under a relentless barrage of arrows, it eventually scattered into gray dust.
With that one gone, there were no demons left to find.
We had caught every demon in [Moonlight Pond].
'At this rate, they might actually pull it off...'
The purge operation was going smoothly so far.
But that hopeful situation didn't last.
The problem arose that evening, in [Twilight Valley].
"..."
True to its dusky name, the place was dimly lit, and we searched our surroundings in tense silence.
And for good reason—the situation felt off.
'...No demons.'
At this point in time, [Twilight Valley] was crawling with demons rivaling the Black Forest.
Yet now, no matter how hard we looked, we couldn't spot so much as a single demon hair.
It was as if they were up to some scheme.
As I pondered what could have happened, Erebos whispered.
"Contractor, no demonic energy can be felt here."
"...You sense it too?"
I'd already confirmed it with my own eyes.
But Erebos's senses were far sharper than mine.
If even it couldn't detect demonic energy, that pointed to one fact.
"...So there really are no demons here."
No demons existed in [Twilight Valley].
"What the hell is going on? Erebos."
"This one lacks the ability to read the past, Contractor."
"Hm, I figured they were just hiding."
"If they left recently, faint traces should remain."
At that moment.
An elf soldier rushed up and whispered something to Ervehim.
Her face twisted, and she strode off toward somewhere.
'Something's up.'
Sensing it wasn't normal, I hurried after her.
"...Ah, human mage. Try to make some noise when you move. I almost shot you."
"Yes."
Ervehim didn't stop me and kept heading deeper in.
How far did we go?
Ervehim suddenly halted.
"What's wrong?"
"...There's something over there."
She stared intently at one spot.
I turned my gaze there too, and quickly grasped the severity.
"...A pit?"
A massive pit had been dug there.
One oozing with ominous energy at first glance.
Peering inside, it was so deep I couldn't see the bottom.
"...Demonic energy."
Ervehim stepped forward, touched the pit, and asked quietly.
"Do you know what this is? I hear mages are creative."
I didn't get what creativity had to do with identifying this pit...
But I had a pretty good idea.
Given the gravity, I answered in a heavy tone.
"It seems they've caught on. To our purge operation."
Somehow, things were escalating.
***
Night had fallen, blanketing [Sanctuary of Silence] in complete darkness.
The beings swarming there spewed demonic energy.
Roooar!
The sanctuary filled with an enormous amount of it in no time.
One being watched the scene with satisfaction and spoke.
"Th... that, that one will come. Pre... prepare."
Was that the signal?
Crackle!
Crimson lightning struck down onto the condensed demonic energy.
At the same moment, the air split open, and a figure emerged from within.
Clop, clop, clop...
A mysterious being astride a black horse.
Encased head to toe in black armor, it gestured, and a waiting demon soldier approached.
"L... Lord... A... all have gathered."
[What of the forces?]
"Th... total of one hundred thousand..."
[Sufficient.]
Nodding with satisfaction, it spoke in a commanding voice.
[Great army.]
"Uooo!"
[The time has come. Time to show those impudent elves our power!]
Roooar!
The demonic energy it exuded pressed down on every living thing around.
But the demons howled in delight instead.
"Uoooo!"
"Gelgelgelgel!"
"Kigik! Kigigik!"
The cries of the hundred thousand demon soldiers echoed thunderously through Albheim.
They feared nothing now.
Their commander had arrived.
All looked upon it with reverence, and it responded by raising its sword high.
Shing!
[...Three days. In three days, Albheim will be ours.]
***
Thud thud thud!
Me and my group, Ervehim, and the key elf soldiers leading the troops gathered urgently.
The reason was simple.
Moments ago, crimson lightning had struck near [Sanctuary of Silence].
'...Crimson lightning.'
It meant one thing.
A massive wave of demons would soon descend.
Everyone gathered here couldn't help but be grave.
Ervehim spoke first.
"You all saw it? That crimson lightning."
"Yes."
"We saw it, Elder."
"Indeed. Time is of the essence. Report what you've scouted."
As soon as Ervehim spoke, each shared their findings.
"No demons in [Mist Lake] either. We found another pit like the one before, a short distance away."
"Same in [Arsus Canyon]. No demons, but the same pit."
Not just [Moonlight Pond], but [Mist Lake] and [Arsus Canyon] too.
Not a single demon in sight.
We'd found those pits as well.
'...As expected.'
My hunch was right.
The demons had anticipated our attack and moved first.
And those pits...
'Probably gateways for them to gather.'
Likely escape routes.
They'd used the pits to flee and regroup somewhere.
That somewhere was undoubtedly [Sanctuary of Silence].
'This much is fine.'
It was within expectations.
We could still counter it now.
But one issue remained.
"What about the scouts sent to the crimson lightning?"
No one knew anything about it yet.
"...They haven't returned."
"They've had plenty of time?"
"Yes, we suspect trouble."
"I see."
Something had happened to the scouts too.
We had no choice but to discuss the lightning ourselves.
Fortunately, we had a hunch.
Barundel, the veteran in this field, spoke first.
"It wasn't like normal lightning. The color was darker."
"Does the color change anything?"
"I'm not sure. But since it's unprecedented, it's definitely not normal. And my guess is..."
"Your guess?"
"The demons of Albheim opened the rift themselves."
"...The demons. Themselves?"
Ervehim's eyes widened, and Barundel nodded.
I chimed in to back him up.
"I think so too. This is the third time I've seen such lightning, and the color was definitely darker, the energy weaker. Weaker energy means they lacked the power for a full crimson bolt."
"So the local demons opened it?"
"Not certain. Just a possibility. But..."
What mattered now wasn't who caused the lightning.
It was who—or what—it had summoned.
That sparked heated debate, but the conclusion was straightforward.
Not a legion commander, but something on that level had appeared.
Of course, without seeing it, we couldn't confirm.
Then.
"...Contractor."
Erebos suddenly whispered in my ear.
"Something akin to my own energy is felt somewhere."
"...What?"
Its expression was utterly serious.