The Forbidden Blood Bow
The Blood Bow.
It was a forbidden technique.
She had been told it was something never to be used, yet as a child Reyna had secretly read the technique manual in Titania's private library and mastered it anyway.
She had been so young.
She had believed that Titania would praise her for it.
But the Blood Bow was a far more dangerous technique than anyone had warned her of, and Titania had punished her severely for it.
In the end, all that remained for Reyna was the single result of having learned the Blood Bow.
"What in the world is that Blood Bow of yours?"
Bane stared in astonishment.
Satisfied with that realization, Reyna smiled faintly.
No matter how high-ranking a Demon King's Army cadre he was, the man clearly had no knowledge of an elven forbidden technique that had not been used in centuries.
It was not a technique one could wield for long, nor even for a short time.
Perhaps if Olivia Reinhardt had wielded such a technique, the battle might have ended swiftly. Yet Reyna possessed none of that explosive potential.
"Curious?"
Reyna drew the string.
Thump, thump, thump—the Blood Bow continued to quiver, and crimson blood dripped steadily downward from its tip.
"Try it."
Thwung!
The blood-soaked arrow streaked forward and slammed directly into Bane's barrier.
And then—
Thwung!
"Aah!"
It pierced the barrier and wounded Bane himself.
"W-what…? Elves have been studying this for ages, yet I've never seen anything like that. What is it exactly?!!"
"I will explain."
Thwung! Thwung! Thwung!
Arrow after arrow flew relentlessly, and at the same time Bane's relaxed posture vanished. He moved with blinding speed, forming stepping-stone barriers to leap across them.
He was using the barriers in an intriguingly clever way, yet it was useless against the relentless barrage.
"Huff!!"
Les charged in, swinging his sword.
Thwung!
The barrier blocked the strike, but the glare Les cast downward was no longer one of pity.
Reyna's attacks were a continuous storm; the blood arrows never stopped, each one powerful enough to pierce even Bane's defenses.
Bane, who had once been an entity she could never kill, had suddenly become a foe capable of slaying her. The shock was clear on his face.
"Just an elf, huh?!"
Thwung!
The blood arrow flew at him. Bane frowned.
"Do not belittle a Lich!!"
Hooong!
Purple flames manifested in physical form, hurled Les away, then flicked the blood arrow aside.
Without pause, the flames chased him. Defenseless Les was caught and sent flying straight into the World Tree.
Bane pinned Reyna against the trunk with the same purple flames and laughed.
"Now even you will be bound by the curse…"
"Huh."
"What?"
"It looks like one of the weakest Demon King's Army cadres Olivia defeated."
"…!"
Bane's expression twisted for a split second, then he sneered.
"You will lose to that weak cadre."
"Yes. Even if I knew how to use forbidden magic, I still would. I am…"
"…:"
Thwung!
"What—"
The attack struck him straight through the heart.
Bane looked back, eyes wide.
Sylphy stood there, Meteor Bow already drawn and ready, his stance flawless.
Bane's face hardened.
"Such ridiculous nonsense! A Lich is not something you can kill with a single chest shot!!"
Hwaaaruk!!
Purple flames roared like a tidal wave, striking all three at once. Reyna and Les felt their skin burning and the curse spreading through their bodies.
But it did not matter.
'Why… am I…'
Sylphy stared at the Meteor Bow.
It was no different from firing an ordinary arrow.
Because he was half-elf?
Because he lacked pure blood?
Or because he was not Titania's successor?
He did not know the reason, but the bow gave no answer. It had simply stood there quietly as a weapon.
'Maybe I should give it to Lady Reyna?'
Reyna was a high elf and Titania's daughter.
She would surely handle the weapon better than he ever could.
"Lady Reyna!!"
Kwakwang!!
Where the flames touched, his arm began to rot. The arrows made of flame pierced straight through his body inside the fire. A choked groan escaped him as he dragged Reyna aside.
Reyna, who had spent a long time in the flames, was already badly burned and in terrible condition.
"Why…?"
"Lady Reyna? Are you all right? The Meteor Bow… should have been yours…"
"Why did you save me?"
"Huh?"
"You… are not worth saving… I am… not a good person at all."
"I don't know!"
"…!"
Reyna's eyes widened.
Sylphy shouted.
"What kind of reason is there to save people?! I don't care about complicated things. Right now we are allies!"
"…Y-yes. That's right. There is no need for a reason to save people… I never understood that."
Reyna's clothing burned away, exposing the neck that had been hidden beneath it.
"…"
As expected, it was a Geas brand. Placing a brand on one's neck meant the person had been treated as a slave.
Even during the era of slavery, only the most worthless slaves bore such brands. From that, one could easily guess how Alex Reynolds viewed Reyna.
"Die!!"
"Such insolence!"
Purple flames surged toward them like a tidal wave. Reyna tried to fire her Blood Bow, but the flames burrowed deeper into her flesh, slowing her reaction time.
And then—
Les leaped forward.
"Holy Shield, appear now!!"
Kwoong!!
A shield of light formed around his sword.
"Oh my, barrier magic! I used to be skilled at that too! Hehehe!! My flames will devour even barriers!!!"
"Kyaaaah!!"
Thwung!!
The barrier shattered. Les's armor crumbled with it, and he crashed to the ground, burned to a crisp.
"Captain Les!"
"Les!"
"What are you staring at?!"
Thwung!!
The flames that moved like tentacles caught Reyna and Sylphy as well.
"How wonderful, how wonderful~ Who shall we turn into corpses first? Hahaha! I could just revive them and kill the same elves again! Wyverns must be starting to push them back soon! Hee hee hee! That would be perfect!"
"Filthy creature."
"Filthy? You, who tried to dissect a Hero and kill me, and me—who's the filthy one here?"
"…!"
Reyna's eyes widened in shock.
It was not the fact that she had been called a monster that surprised her.
It was simply…
"How did you know that?"
"Well, uh…"
Countless possibilities raced through Reyna's mind.
"You… you weren't planning to invade at this exact moment…?"
Hooong!!
"Ack!"
The Geas on her neck flared, forcibly sealing her mouth.
"Kyaaah! Aaaaaah!! Aaaaaaaaah!!"
Reyna lay on the ground, clutching her throat, but the pain showed no sign of ending.
She could never speak anything that would harm "Alex Reynolds."
Because of one of the Geas's conditions, she could not utter even a single word against him in private, nor could she accuse him of crimes or even express suspicion. The Geas would activate immediately.
The same applied to indirect actions.
"Cough, cough!"
"Lady Reyna! Lady Reyna!!"
"The Geas is incredibly powerful! I like it!"
"Kuk."
Sylphy remained standing alone, glaring at Bane.
Bane laughed with genuine delight.
"So, what will you do if you glare?"
Flames danced on his hands.
'What should I do? What can I do? What should I do?'
"Hey, half-elf. You elves hate me anyway, right? Do you really need to fight? Just laugh while the elves behind you die. Mock them for karma. That elf over there even abandoned his own comrade—the one who helped save the world!"
"…!"
"They have no value worth saving, do they?"
"…!"
Reyna stayed silent, still clutching her throat.
She had no words to return.
Everything he said was true. There was no falsehood in it.
She was the villain.
She had no value for Sylphy to save.
Instead, Sylphy was the one worth saving.
That was what she thought.
"Shut up."
The words seemed directed at her. Reyna's eyes flew open.
But Sylphy's gaze remained fixed on Bane.
"Many people choose the wrong path and walk the road of sinners. We set laws, rules, morals, ethics. We judge and punish based on evidence and stories."
"…!"
"Though we may be clumsy, we recognize our sins and truly look at them. You, a monster, could never be like that. Just because we speak does not mean every word is truth. Silly things are often more pleasant to hear."
"…Yes, then why don't you go and die protecting that villain!!"
"Sylphy! Get away! C-cough, you're going to die too! I'll just… run away…"
Reyna saw light flickering on the Meteor Bow Sylphy still held.
And at that exact moment—
Thwung!
A loud report rang out, and radiant light erupted from the World Tree.
'This is…'
Reyna felt her body lighten, her movements returning to her.
The Protection of the World Tree was back.
Someone had saved the World Tree.
The question formed in her mind, yet it was not the time to ponder it.
Hwaaaruk!!
Looking at the flames now almost upon him, Sylphy drew the string.
Meteor Bow.
It was the bow that protected Elvenheim, forged from the World Tree.
By receiving power from it,
One received the right to become King of the Elves.
That was why the positions of Oberon or Titania were not hereditary.
Only those chosen by the World Tree could become king.
One could be chosen and not become king, but anyone who became king must have been chosen.
This bow.
It would lend its strength to those who wished to protect it with a selfless heart.
'Sylphy, you…'
"Meteor Bow."
Thwung.
A short, simple word.
The instant he released it, the purple flame arrow pierced straight through the flames. The arrow grew larger and larger until it stood before Bane's eyes.
"What—?!"
"Sylphy!"
After firing, Sylphy staggered, coughing blood. Reyna grabbed him and rolled him aside. The arrow had indeed pierced the flames, but the remaining flames still rushed toward Sylphy.
The strain of using the Meteor Bow had left Sylphy half-delirious.
The Meteor Bow was the highest technique passed down to elves who endured the harshest training. It did not need to be used as a weapon, yet when it was, the power was amplified and efficiency increased.
But Sylphy had not trained, so he could not adjust it. He had simply fired with all his strength, and the burden had transferred directly into his body.
Reyna quickly pulled the half-delirious Sylphy away, out of the flames' reach.
"Kyaaah."
Thwung!!
A deafening report echoed. Bane's body was pierced and split in two.
No, not yet.
"Kyaaah!"
Reyna ran at full speed.
She leaped.
"Kyaaah, this is the ultimate archery of the elves…!! I… I can't regenerate…!! But I am not dying!! With the power I received from Lord Death…!"
Tup!
"Eh—?!"
Before Bane could even activate the Evil God's power, Reyna climbed onto his head as if riding a horse and drew the string above him.
Despite the awkward angle, her perfect aim proved the countless hours she had spent practicing.
"There must be a Lich's core between the brain and the heart, right?"
"…!! W-wait a moment!!"
"Go to hell first and see for yourself."
"My curse… will not be lifted even if I die! You will all die! I will curse you all—"
Reyna filled her Blood Bow with mana.
Ignoring Bane's words, she let blood trickle from her lips and gave a small, cold laugh.
"Whether fast or slow, I will go there too."
Thwung!!!
The blood arrow dropped straight down and pierced Bane's brain, splitting him cleanly in half.