Bell Cranel always dreamed of becoming a hero, but reality proved far crueler than his fantasies. Left humiliated and on the brink of death after a fateful encounter with a Minotaur and the adventurer Ais, something deep within him awakens-a power u...
The elves made themselves visible. Their armor gleamed under the pale light, their eyes cold and calculating. One of them sat atop a sleek, ghostly-white horse, his posture exuding an air of authority. There was no doubt—he was their leader.
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His gaze locked onto Bell, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "You there." His voice carried effortlessly through the frigid air, laced with a quiet arrogance. "You're different from the rest of this filth."
Lili tensed, gripping her crossbow. "Did he just talk?" she whispered. "A talking monster...?"
Bell, however, was intrigued. This one spoke with the confidence of a seasoned warrior.
The elf leader gestured to a soldier beside him. "This one wishes to challenge you."
The words had barely left his lips before a silver blur sliced through the air. The next moment, the soldier's head tumbled from his shoulders, landing soundlessly in the snow.
Bell lowered his blade and met the leader's gaze with unshaken calm. "Is there anything else you'd like to say, or can we skip to the part where I kill you?"
The elf leader, unfazed, let out a low chuckle. "Bold. But do you really think you can take on me and my men? You are outnumbered."
Bell's lips curled into a smirk. "How wrong you are."
A dark wave of energy rippled behind him as dozens of figures emerged from the shadows. Titans of muscle, warriors clad in spectral armor, and beasts of death stood at his back—his ever-growing army of the fallen.
The elf leader's amusement didn't wane. If anything, it deepened. "Such a petty trick." He tilted his head, studying Bell with a flicker of curiosity. "Tell me your name, human. I am Baruka."
Bell's grip tightened around his blade, his crimson eyes gleaming with quiet resolve.
"Bell Cranel."
The moment their fight began, Bell lunged forward with blinding speed, Hestia's Knife carving through the air in a streak of silver. Baruka met him head-on, his twin daggers flashing as he effortlessly parried each of Bell's strikes. Sparks danced between them as their blades clashed in a deadly rhythm, neither warrior giving an inch.
Bell twisted mid-air, aiming a strike at Baruka's ribs, but the elf leader sidestepped with ease. Before Bell could recover, a powerful kick slammed into his abdomen.
"Gah—!"
The impact sent Bell skidding back, his boots carving a trench in the snow. His breath hitched, the force behind the kick rattling his insides. Baruka smirked, flicking the blood from his daggers.
"Too slow."
Before the elf could press the advantage.
The Shadow Mages unleashed torrents of fire, engulfing Baruka in a roaring inferno. The flames crackled and surged, turning the frozen landscape into a searing battlefield. Bell took a moment to steady his breathing, readying himself to counterattack.
