Chapter 155: Ian’s Desperate Plight

The emerald radiance surged forward like a violent wave, hurtling straight toward Ian and Kael.

Ian threw his hands up instantly. The gravity magic he was most adept at wrapped around him, condensing into an invisible wall. The air grew oppressively heavy, and the stone floor beneath Ian’s boots splintered into tiny lines, fracturing and expanding continuously.

Meanwhile, Kael cloaked himself in dazzling, potent light magic, sharing half of the overwhelming pressure with Ian.

*BOOM!*

The stream of green light slammed fiercely into both barriers. It stalled for a mere fraction of a second before grinding their defensive layers into dust. Both Ian and Kael were sent hurtling backward, their backs slamming hard against the stone floor.

Agony spiked straight into Ian’s brain, yet he immediately propped himself up onto his hands without yielding an inch.

Behind him, Kei still lay unresponsive inside the jade pedestal, completely drained of every last drop of the Sacred Spring of Life. Eleanor could crush Kei out of existence with a flick of a single finger.

Gritting his teeth, Ian blocked the front of the pedestal.

Eleanor strode up until he stood right before Ian. He glanced past Ian toward Kei, before his gaze locked onto Ian’s black hair. That cold stare made Ian’s chest tighten; his raven-locked hair, darkened eyes, and tanned skin served as the undeniable proof that Ian had completely betrayed the Elven race, leaving him with no road of return.

"Lord Eleanor, please forgive him, just this once!"

Kael scrambled up with a supreme effort. His injuries caused his footing to wobble unsteadily, yet his hands frantically struggled to weave a hand seal. A surge of golden radiance erupted, tearing through the air and targeting Eleanor directly.

The Elf King merely tilted his body slightly to evade. The strike grazed past his shoulder, shattering a section of the stone wall behind him.

Eleanor flicked his wrist.

An invisible wave of mana slammed violently into Kael’s chest. He was blasted off his feet, sent flying backward before crashing heavily against the stone floor with a dull, hollow impact. Kael curled inward, coughing violently as blood welled from the corner of his lips.

"Kael!"

Ian roared, but Eleanor had already stepped forward to block his path like a towering, insurmountable wall.

To the Elf King, brats like Kael and Ian were truly unworthy of a second glance, yet these very same kids had ended up sabotaging the Sacred Spring of Life, an outrage Eleanor could never forgive!

Ian drew his dagger, channeling every ounce of his remaining strength into a vicious lunge straight for Eleanor’s abdomen. He aimed squarely for the man’s flank, where the hem of his cloak fluttered in tandem with Eleanor’s pivot.

Eleanor caught Ian’s wrist effortlessly.

Teeth gritting, Ian maxed out his gravity magic, attempting to pin the man in place. The stone floor beneath Eleanor’s boots cracked wide open. For one fleeting moment, the blade’s tip rested barely a handspan away from Eleanor’s garments.

Then, Eleanor tightened his grip slightly.

A numb jolt shot up Ian’s arm. The dagger flew from his grasp, spinning wildly through the air before embedding itself deep into the stone floor. Simultaneously, a wave of force whipped him flat onto the ground. The air was violently squeezed from his lungs.

Ian propped himself up on his elbows, desperately crawling toward the pedestal.

He couldn’t allow Eleanor to get close to Kei.

A kick slammed into his shoulder, sending Ian rolling sideways. His head struck the stone floor hard, his vision blacking out instantly. Even so, he forced his body to pivot, inserting himself right between Eleanor and Kei.

"How utterly foolish," Eleanor looked down at him. "To betray your entire race for the sake of a human, I genuinely refuse to believe you are an Elf who crawled out of a Life Fruit just like the rest of us."

"Kei isn’t some toy for you to discard whenever you please!" Ian barked.

"Silence."

Eleanor kicked him once more. Ian rolled across the stone floor, his shoulder aching with a deadened numbness, fresh blood weeping from the corner of his lips to splatter onto the earth. He tried to lift his head, but his limbs refused to obey.

Across the room, Kael stirred, propping himself up in an attempt to stand.

"Enough..." Kael rasped. "Don’t touch him... Lord Eleanor..."

Eleanor stepped forward, kicking Kael coldly aside. The boy collided against the base of the pedestal and lay still, his hand trembling as it weakly stretched out toward Ian.

Ian looked at his younger brother, entirely devoid of any remaining strength to keep fighting.

Standing dead between the two brothers, Eleanor brushed off his sleeve as though casually flicking away a speck of dust.

"Kael, for aiding a traitor, starting today you shall be confined within the Sanctuary for ten years."

Kael let out a harsh, gravelly laugh. Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, yet his golden eyes remained locked onto Ian.

"At least... I did what I wanted. I have no regrets!"

Ian tried to prop himself up on his elbows, but Eleanor had already turned back around. Bending down, the Elf King grabbed Ian by the neck, his icy hand clamping down relentlessly.

Ian was hoisted straight off the ground. He struggled frantically, his hands clawing desperately at Eleanor’s wrist without being able to pry it loose. His airway constricted, and his vision steadily blurred.

Despite it all, Ian forced his head back to steal a final glance at Kei, his eyes filled entirely with the tiny silhouette of the boy slumbering away.

Eleanor stared down at Ian’s black hair and ink-dark eyes, his expression overflowing with utter contempt.

"As for you, a Dark Elf like you is an absolute disgrace to my lineage."

His grip tightened further.

"Therefore, you must die!"

Kael bit down on his lip until it split, his nose stinging fiercely. He couldn’t wrap his mind around Ian’s thoughts, nor could he fathom the depth of Ian’s feelings toward a human, yet he refused to stand by and watch Ian perish right before his eyes.

"Lord Eleanor, please stop! He... he is an Elf, too!"

Kael’s hoarse voice cracked, but Eleanor merely offered a cold, callous laugh, passing absolute judgment upon Ian’s existence:

"No, he is nothing more than a foul, repulsive Dark Elf. Dark Elves do not deserve to survive!"

"Ghk..."

Ian’s breath cut off entirely, his eyes rolling back toward the whites as his hands fell limp and loose at his sides.

Kael closed his eyes in sheer agony. No one remained who could possibly save Ian now; Ian was going to die today, right here, right now!