Chapter 358: Vorthane Duskborne

Meanwhile, far beyond the city.

BOOOOM!!

A deafening explosion rocked the night sky as two terrifying forces collided, sending shock waves rippling through the surrounding landscape.

"You really have grown stronger than before, Aelyssa."

A man floated in the air, his expression carrying a hint of amusement.

He appeared to be around thirty years old, with dark reddish hair, pointed ears, and a pair of glowing crimson eyes. He wore a dark purple outfit without a single piece of armor, seemingly unconcerned about the dangers of fighting someone of the elven queen’s caliber.

In his right hand, he held a curved blade formed entirely from blood.

Behind his back stretched a pair of enormous blood-red wings, their feather-like structures formed from condensed blood mana. They spread majestically through the night, radiating an oppressive aura that made the surrounding air feel heavy.

"Vorthane Duskborne!" The elven queen’s furious voice rang across the night sky. "Tell me how to extinguish that fire! You are burning our deity... our home!"

Aelyssa Sylvaine hovered opposite him, her long golden hair and elegant white-and-green robes fluttering wildly in the turbulent air.

The usual gentleness had vanished from her beautiful face. Her emerald eyes burned with unrestrained fury, and the mana radiating from her body was so intense that the surrounding air trembled.

In her hand, she held a long, magnificent wand crafted from wood and gold. Intricate carvings adorned its surface, while a brilliant golden crystal was embedded at its tip.

It was a weapon befitting the ruler of Elythraen. Yet even with such a powerful artifact in her possession, Aelyssa’s expression remained grim.

The World Tree was burning.

Her kingdom’s sacred deity, the heart of elven civilization, was being consumed by an unknown flame. Every passing moment brought her closer to a catastrophe she had never imagined facing in her lifetime.

And the man standing before her seemed to know something about it.

Vorthane merely smirked. He slowly waved his curved blood blade, examining its crimson edge as though he had all the time in the world.

"How?" he repeated, finally lifting his gaze toward her emerald eyes. "To be honest, even I don’t know."

Aelyssa’s expression darkened.

"What did you say?"

"I said I don’t know." Vorthane shrugged, his tone almost disappointingly casual. "I simply wanted to set something on fire, so I used a flame that would never stop burning until its target was reduced to ashes."

His lips curled into a mocking smile."Who would have thought it would be so effective?"

Aelyssa’s grip tightened around her wand.

Vorthane tilted his head toward the distant glow illuminating the horizon.

"So, why don’t you go and admire your precious tree one last time? At this rate, it’ll eventually turn to ashes."

"SHUT UP!!"

Her furious roar shook the heavens.

A powerful gust of wind erupted around her, sweeping outward in every direction. Clouds scattered beneath the force of her mana, while the golden crystal atop her wand blazed with brilliant light.

Vorthane’s hair fluttered in the sudden gale, but he remained perfectly still.

"Hehe~ Shouldn’t you be trying to find a way to save your tree instead of wasting your time fighting me?"

His crimson eyes gleamed with amusement. "Or are you afraid that if you turn your back on me, I’ll destroy the rest of your precious kingdom?"

Aelyssa’s face grew colder.

She had already tried different ways but they had no use. water doesn’t work nor any other magic.

But she couldn’t simply leave Vorthane alone. He was the only person who might know how to stop the flames, and allowing him to escape would mean losing her only lead.

More importantly, she couldn’t afford to underestimate him.

Vorthane Duskborne was a Blood Elf whose strength stood at the very peak of the race. His mastery over blood magic had reached a terrifying level, allowing him to manipulate blood element with astonishing precision and destructive power.

Even Aelyssa, the queen of Elythraen, couldn’t afford to lower her guard against him.

She raised her wand. In an instant, the mana surrounding her surged violently.

One enormous magic circle appeared above Vorthane.

Within seconds, more than a hundred magic circles had materialized across the night sky, each one enormous and intricately patterned. Golden runes revolved along their edges, while pale winds spiraled around their surfaces.

The sky itself seemed to have become a vast magical formation.

Aelyssa’s emerald eyes remained locked on her opponent. "You’re not leaving this place until you tell me how to save the World Tree."

Vorthane glanced upward. His amused expression shifted slightly. He examined the countless magic circles hovering above him, then looked back at the queen.

A helpless smile appeared on his face. "My, my..." He sighed. "You really have gotten stronger."

Aelyssa didn’t respond. The golden crystal atop her wand shone brighter, and the hundreds of magic circles began to resonate with one another.

The air grew heavy. Vorthane’s crimson eyes narrowed. ’She’s not holding back at all.’

He rolled his shoulders before spreading his blood-red wings. "Well, I suppose I should take you seriously, then."

His curved blade dissolved into a stream of crimson liquid that spiraled around his arm. The blood gathered behind him, forming countless tiny droplets that trembled in the air.

Then, with a single thought, those droplets transformed into hundreds of needle-thin blood blades.

Aelyssa moved first.

[Divine Lightfall]

She swept her wand downward.

The magic circles above Vorthane blazed with golden light.

In the next instant, countless beams of radiant energy descended from the heavens, each one accompanied by a violent surge of wind. They converged upon Vorthane from every direction, leaving him with almost no room to maneuver.

BOOOOOOM!!

The night sky erupted in golden brilliance. Vorthane’s figure disappeared beneath the overwhelming barrage.

Yet Aelyssa didn’t relax.

She knew better than to assume that a single attack could defeat someone like him.

And she was right. A crimson glow emerged from the center of the explosion.

The blood droplets surrounding Vorthane suddenly expanded, spreading into a vast, translucent barrier. Golden beams crashed against it, producing successive explosions that shook the surrounding air. It had so much firepower that could destroy a city.

Cracks appeared across the blood barrier. Yet the barrier handle the force.

Vorthane clicked his tongue. "That’s some serious firepower."

He spread his wings. The moment he did, the blood barrier exploded outward.

BOOM!!

The remaining golden beams were deflected in every direction, while the shattered barrier transformed into countless crimson blades.

With a powerful flap of his wings, Vorthane shot forward.

His figure blurred through the air.

This was just beginning as both of them haven’t exactly gone all out.