Fear Not The Elf Who Knows 10,000 Spells - Chapter 22

There was a moment.

Through the heat across my forehead, cheeks, jaw—just head in general from the mana fever, and the multiple spells I was juggling.

Through it all there was a moment.

A single moment where I thought if I should stop.

I can just go to Ackerheim, take Schroff, carry him and run away to our cabin in the mountain. Go face the Ancient Einsam, get the Shineglow Moss and give it to Minus to make the antidote out of.

I don't have to go through with this.

Before me stands an army. Around me are dozens of floating trees, cut from the forest near Ackerheim Town.

The army were about twenty kilometers out. Not twenty kilometers from Ackerheim, twenty kilometers from me. I flew closer to get better aim.

All trees were floating on their side, aimed like spears about to be launched. Schnellwurf, the Magnet Slingshot Spell was attached to every single tree, with one positive mana point charge at the tree, and the negative mana point charge at one of the people in the army with a magic-nullifying crystal.

Fucking disspell that, bitch.

Heh. The whole thing reminded me of that one time Flink literally just grabbed a tree by placing a palm on it, sinking his fingers into it, and ripping the whole thing out of the ground. With one arm.

Then his whole bow, magically opened up and extended into a larger bow, upon which he nocked the whole tree and fired it at the frosty mountain. The tree is stuck there to this day, at least last time, me, Schroff and Flink crossed over the mountain it was still there at the peak. I laughed at remembering that.

I focused on the present.

I swept through the army with a more through mana detection, this time shaping it as a cone to cover things quickly. On each mage (anyone with active and above average mana levels), I marked with a mana signal derived off the mana signal Minus placed on me. This one just a mark, rather than the tether of a magic link.

158 Mages.

22 Warriors, plus 5 Assassins with a magic-nullifying crystal.

335 soldiers of varying Classes.

All innocent people.

No. All people. Just people.

Just people... fighting for what they believe.

Just people who were conscripted.

Just people who didn't want to be here.

Just people who were tricked.

Just people who were confused.

Just people going with the flow.

Some might be kids.

Some might be old people trying to spar those younger from war.

Some might have had no choice. Joining for food, or resources, anything to take them from an awful life, and be given a chance for something anything better in life.

These are human beings—No. Rather for this world, these are living sapient beings. Thinking and feeling living beings like me. I'm about to kill them.

And...

I don't care.

My resolve solidified.

They were an obstacles to saving Schroff. They will be removed.

First the mages.

Targets were set. One hundred and fifty eight Offensive Magic spells formed and ready. Formed Spells.

My brain feels warm from the mana fever. But my mind feels cold.

There's no need to imagine. I know the spell inside and out. Willpower isn't infinite. It's a finite resource (for now). Thus spells are made and set in the Formed set way.

The energy of the killing spell condenses and is ready.

A faint memory of Fern practicing this spell, trying to perfect casting over a long distance while maintaining its power comes to mind.

The thought of that being a problem seem ludicrous to me right now.

Shooting from 5 km away and for the spell to reach the target isn't a challenge. It's a Certainty.

"Zoltraak."

98 Mages.

63 Mages.

46 Mages.

19 Mages.

4 Mages.

===x===

He was one of the elevated mages of the Anti-Elf Coalition. This mage had travelled long with this comrades, upholding the cloaking magic, helping the army with logistics and even fighting against those elf worshiping zealots.

The mage felt a sense of elation as they were an hour away from the next town. Soon they would take it, free those people from the obsessiveness of the Elves Shields and they subjugation of humans.

Following that would be two more major towns and the region is theirs.

This whole endeavor was a brilliant plan by his grace, Herzog Gierig and they were blessed to have had this rebellious spirit rouse them up into fighting the invisible chains of servitude and dependence elves had wrapped around humanity for long.

The mage, even with all he felt, showed nothing on his face. Just stark focused determination.

His skills in magic, how quickly he can cast spells and instincts were always praise worthy among his peers.

It would also be why he's one of the few who felt it. A change in the air. An odd tingle, a shiver running up his spine.

He had felt it enough times through the battlefields and this march to recognize it.

Killing intent.

He summoned up his mana, and readied himself to cast Defensive Magic and be able to react to any sudden danger.

"Huh? What the matter? You sense something?" Asked one of his comrades.

"Nothing," he replied. "Just this odd feeling of—"

"GAAAAAH!"

He saw his friend be shot and pierced through by a very rope width beam. A Zoltraak that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Immediately mage cast Phaitagurd without a second thought.

He looked around in panic, wondering where the attack came form—

Dozens.

Hundreds of small and precise Offensive Magic spells were raining on them.

Most mages didn't have time to process the assault. Some tried to dodge only for the beam to immediately change direction and home in on them.

All of it happened simultaneously in a second

And for those like him, with instinct and luck enough to get their magic barrier up in time?

Crack!

Pain.

A small hole shattered in the barrier. Before the mage could react, or even be cognizant of what happened, he was shot through.

A hole where his throat was.

Like all other mages in the Coalition army seeking to strike fast and take the Anfang Region, he was slain where he marched and died before he could even understand what was happening.

===x===

The moment I fired the Offensive Magic, I fired the trees at the warriors with the magic-nullifying crystals.

There would be no pause nor mercy.

"Schnellwurf."

1 Assassin.

5 Warriors with a magic-nullifying crystal.

78 soldiers.

===x===

He was a knight of the Anti-Elf Coalition. He had always wanted to be an adventurer, a hero, like the great Himmel of their current era.

He had been born during the Age of Peace, where no more fighting was left.

He was from a prominent noble family in the Southern Lands. He trained on the path of the Warrior Class, even if the future seemed to have no need of it.

And then came the Elf & Freedom Discourse. That's what his family and peers called it. The fight for academic discussions that split the country apart.

The boy grew into a man. A Warrior.

And the Warrior became a Knight.

A knight who served and defended his noble family, who stood up for the righteous cause of freedom.

At least that's how it seemed in the beginning.

After the third village he sacked following the banner of Lord Verfehlt, the Enlightened Knight—for he broke free of his family under the royal crown and oppose them to fight for justice—the knight began to wonder, where are the elves this whole fight was about.

They are so few in numbers that, would they even have heard of the wars in the Southern Lands fought for them or against them?

At this point, the knight wished for nothing more than the fighting to end.

He trained harder, strengthened his body, sharpened his swordsmanship, all for the sake of peace. To return back to those halcyon days were boredom was his greatest adversary.

The knight vowed to grow stronger so as to end the fighting. The moment they finish with the Anfang Region, he would head Eisenruh Region, right into the capital of the Principality and no matter the hardship, he'd do anything fight in any battle so that finally—

Rays of light fell upon the army. He heard the cries of pain and death.

The knight reacted instantly, arming himself with his sword, and raising his shield. Yes he was gifted a magic-nullifying crystal brooch by his liege, Lord Verfehlt, and had no fear of magic.

Yet if the enemy mages are attacking then soon enough their solider—

The knight felt something coming fast from up above.

And the last thing he saw was a giant piece of lumber with a cone of air around it.

It hit him. Darkness took him. He heard the crack of thunder then no more.

===x===

It all happened in an instant. Lauer warning was the only reason Ruhm Verfehlt still lived.

His horse was blown into a gore of meat as the supersonic tree slammed into Verfehlt. Only his shield, made of the highest quality of magic-nullifying crystal with it's mythical durability saved his life.

Yet, even then, it took all his strength and training to react, guard and tank the full power of that attack.

Lauer with all her swiftness managed to survive as well. Jumping from her horse, that only the shockwaves hit her, carrying her away.

Verfehlt looked back to see his beloved mount reduced to a carcass. Flesh that was ripped and torn apart by sheer force.

He couldn't even take a moment to process, let along mourn one of his oldest companions, as around him was a scene from hell.

Verfehlt had been in battle before. He had seen battlefield after the fighting was done many times, and it was always a gruesome scene.

But then?

This was nauseating.

Soldiers that he trained. Comrades that he travelled with, fought next to, shared meals with, all torn apart, crushed or smashed into a pulp like they were nothing.

"DAMN YOU—!" He began to shout. Began to look at the direction of the attack—coming for a north-east direction—and was about to mount an attack, even if he has to run on his own feet.

Lauer began to shout something, only to jump and somersault over an arrow that was aimed at her.

Archer!?

Verfehlt moved to save his beloved friend. By the time he reached her she had dodged three more arrows, one she had to use her crystal vambrace to deflect.

Verfehlt stood in front of her, shield up, blocking the flying arrows that he now could tell were coated in shaped mana, meaning a spell. A spell that broke into nothing the moment it came without three meters of his shield, yet it's force still stung him.

Yet by his count the attack only lasted ten arrows before instantly stopping.

And the screams started again.

Verfehlt and Lauer looked around them to see arrows falling down and even homing in on any person they missed.

"T-This isn't a battle." Whomever was attacking them was targeting even single individual soldier. "This is a slaughter."

The vile enemy must hold a demon's heart. For there are no mercy in their actions. Verfehlt thought in despair, and he ran toward one of the soldier that survived the first onslaught.

Hoping to save someone, anyone! Just one person.

Lauer grabbed his arm and pulled him back as a significantly faster arrow almost pierced his neck.

The solider died from another magic arrow right as Verfehlt was pulled back.

The archers attacking them were targeting everyone simultaneously.

"Lauer!" He shouted in rage and despair. "Where are they?"

"Verfehlt, we need to get out of here. The Shields clearly had a secret base here, deep in the heart of Anfang we didn't know about." Lauer tried to tell him, urgency in her every word.

"How could the scouts miss this? Your Rogues are the best of the best. Invisible, unseen and swift." He said, not looking at Lauer, high on alert for the next attack as he stood back to back with his childhood friend.

"The one that went this time is Pétze. She is," she paused, scowling in anger of. "One of the less disciplined Rogues I had. Excellent in everything else, but tends to spend more time than needed in her reconnaissance and assassination missions under the excuse of being thorough. I sent her this time as we all but were guaranteed to secure the Anfang Region when we were already so successful and deep into its territory."

Verfehlt gritted his teeth as it seemed like every worst possible scenario occurred all at once. The Devil's Joker coming for them all, even with the blasted Demon King himself being dead.

Joke of the Demon King, the jest that anything that could go wrong would do so.

"Lauer," Verfehlt spoke. "Some of the horses survived. I see a few running in circles. On my count we—"

"They're coming." Lauer spoke with dread.

"How many?" Verfehlt immediately called out.

"...One."

"What?" Verfehlt muttered in horror as he turned and stood side by side with his friend.

Verfehlt felt something coming toward me. Lauer tried to call out a warning, but he already had his shield up.

His instincts told him it was something moving faster than sound like the trees.

But no. When the attack hit him, the force was much greater than the launched trees. Verfehlt couldn't believe his eyes was he was pushed and his feet were dragged through the earth for who know how many meters.

The one who attacked Verfehlt, held a very familiar legendary sword. A sword Verfehlt only read about in books about famous and mythical swords.

Ewiglast, the Eternal Burden, and it was in the hand of his opponent... a child?

===x===

After the initial Zoltraak and tree assault, there four mages and eighty three soldiers and one assassin. Six were with magic-nullifying crystals, two of which had those high quality crystals.

The high quality crystals were with a warrior and an assassin. So those are the strongest? Neat combo.

Welp, good thing I got a bow and a quiver of arrows from the guards' garrison. Along with a handful of spears just in case.

The bow and arrow quiver I wore till I needed to use them. However I also had some extra arrows floating around me just in case.

Alright, initial attack done. Now for the clean up.

This time I flew toward the army. I kept my mana still suppressed, but to the point where I'm not actively thinking or focusing on it. So I must have felt like a normal teenage warrior, or apprentice mage. I don't know the specifics and didn't care to ponder.

Another sweep with mana detection and mana marking on everything. Then I got my bow in one arm, and drew an arrow.

Zoltraak covered the arrow, then I placed Wurfspeer on top of that for precision and to improve aim and to guide the arrow after firing it. Also the effect of Wurfspeer mixed with Zoltraak to add some extra piercing power.

Jilwer still on, everything in slow motion. I fired the arrow at the first targets are the warriors with the magic-nullifying crystals, then at four mages still alive. No, I still see you there under that cloaking spell and suppressed mana. Gotta try harder than that in your next life.

The warriors and mages were struck. The mages all died before they could react. Of the warriors with the crystals four died. The two with the highest quality crystals still survived.

Huh, must be the elite of this army.

Whatever. I'll get to them later then.

I targeted everyone else. One by one I shot the soldiers down, even those running away, even those escaping. Might as well leave no survivors to tell the Coalition to come back with reinforcement.

I kept going till I was out of arrows and had to use some of the spears.

Finally I was done, and only two were left. I dropped and bow. I had no more arrows, so it's burden now. Not like this is the one Flink made for me.

For who knows how many times I lamented that I kept it back home.

I had five spears left. Alright then.

I readied Schnellwurf, a curious thought in my head. Yes, I can't used spells on the crystal bearers, but about the preparations of a spell around them?

I used full-sight mana detection to get a look at the last two opponent. With my mana detection in the shape of a cone, it was easy to survey all the battlefield.

Hmm, the assassin's crystals were a vambrace. So it's actually two pieces rather than one, but because they are so close the null zone around them seemed like one. Gonna have to work to improve my mana detection on that.

And the warrior looked like a typical knight with a shield made of the crystal.

Like seriously stereotypical knight. Blond hair, blue eyes, shining armor, white cape. Bro, you think you're a hero or something?

Anyways, I placed the negative mana point behind the warrior, five meters away.

Alright so far so good.

Now the mana line and... Ooooh!?

It worked!

I can feel the magnetic charge between the negative mana point and my body which is the positive mana point. The mana line was charged and starting to pull at me.

I grinned. Alright then.

I did the same with the spear and made the point for them to target be behind the assassin girl. Zoltraak and Wurfspeer on the spears for accuracy and penetrative power. ...Phrasing.

Actually fuck her, I don't care.

Everything's ready.

I drew my enchanted sword. With my mana strengthening I had 7 minutes and 57 seconds before the enchantment adjusts and makes the sword unwieldy for life battle again.

Now...

"Schnellwurf."

The world zoomed around me, a sonic boom behind me.

The landscape speed up on fast forward as I ate kilometers in movement.

With Adlerblick, the hawk-sight spell on, I could see the unaware enemies coming quickly in full view.

Only a kilometer away did their instinct flare and they began to react.

Half a kilometer I kept my focus on the assassin not the warrior. My enchanted sword was still held to my side next to me for the opening swing.

300 meters. The assassin tried to move to push the warrior away or shield him. The warrior was putting his shield in place to block me.

190 meters—I fired the spears. The assassin only now noticing them.

She blocked two with her crystal vambraces. One got her in the guts and went through her. There were two one aimed high at the same place of the ones she blocked, her chest. One hit her left arm vambrace, the repeated strike force dislocating her arm and breaking her guard. The last spear struck her chest on the left side.

I was in range of the warrior now, and swing the enchanted blade.

BANG!

The sheer clash of opposing forces, destructive force and unbreakable shield, roared loudly to the world.

And I pushed him back, trying to make him break his guard and lose his footing. The warrior, well, knight was strong, I'll give him that.

Even while being dragged for who know how long across the battlefield, even with all the force that must be straining his arms, he held his crystal shield.

How admirable. How annoying.

"Y-You...!" He coughed and muttered. "Who?" He looked at me like he couldn't believe his eyes.

Then again, I was a child who killed his army.

"I'm the exterminator, ant."

Because compared to the Ancient Einsam I was fighting afterwards, that's all this knight was to me.