Chapter 373: New Enemy

Noah and Morgana sprinted through the now-deserted streets of Lunathiel.

Every building stood shrouded in darkness, with the city’s lights having gone out completely. The only illumination came from the distant World Tree, whose unnatural crimson flames cast an ominous glow across the night sky.

Few dead bodies lay in corners.

Noah felt just how dire current situation was.

Morgana ran alongside Noah at a speed that matched his own, her expression serious as she scanned their surroundings.

"Are you sure the teleportation gates are working?" Noah asked while running.

"Well, the last report I received confirmed that they were still operational," Morgana replied. "At least, they were working when I last contacted them."

Noah nodded, his gaze fixed on the street ahead.

For some reason, he had a bad feeling about it.

’Something tells me those gates aren’t going to work anymore.’

He couldn’t explain why, but ever since the Blood Elves had attacked the city, he had been experiencing one troublesome situation after another. It wouldn’t be surprising if their escape route had also been cut off.

"Let’s hope nothing has happened in the meantime," Noah muttered.

A vein bulged on Morgana’s forehead. She slowly turned her head toward him, her irritated gaze making Noah instinctively stiffen.

"If something has happened, tell me, who do you think might be responsible for it?"

Noah pondered the question for a moment.

"Obviously, the Blood Elv—"

"I wasn’t talking about the Blood Elves!" Morgana snapped. "I’m talking about the person responsible for wasting our time by running off alone and forcing me to chase after him before we could return to the others!"

Noah gulped.

He immediately turned his attention back to the road.

"I-I don’t know."

Of course, he knew exactly who was responsible.

Unfortunately, admitting it would only make his situation worse.

"Hmph! Just wait until we return to the academy. I’ll make sure you remember this little adventure of yours. I will punish you."

Noah swallowed nervously.

Just as he was contemplating his unfortunate future, a sudden disturbance cut through the air.

Whoosh!

A blood-red arrow shot out from the darkness, hurtling straight toward Noah’s head.

His eyes widened.

He was too late to react.

However, Morgana sensed the incoming attack almost instantly.

"Noah!"

She lunged toward him, wrapping an arm around his body and throwing them both to the side.

THUD!

They struck the ground and rolled across the stone pavement, narrowly avoiding the arrow as it streaked past them.

Noah felt Morgana’s soft body pressed against his as they tumbled together, but he had no time to appreciate the situation.

Before he could even gather his bearings, Morgana had already sprung to her feet.

A long spear materialized in her hand from storage ring. its already dark surface enveloped in dense darkness.

Noah quickly stood up beside her and looked toward the source of the attack.

A familiar figure floated above the street.

The female Blood Elf.

Her long hair, streaked with dark navy blue and crimson, fluttered in the night breeze. Her pale face was adorned with a delighted smile, while fresh blood stained her lips and trickled down her chin toward her neck.

Her crimson eyes immediately locked onto Noah.

"Found you~"

She giggled, bringing her hands together in front of her chest.

"Come here, baby~ I’ve been looking everywhere for you!"

Noah’s expression twitched. ’Why does she sound so happy about this?’

Unlike their previous encounter, however, he didn’t feel the same overwhelming sense of danger.

This time, Morgana was standing right beside him.

And he had complete faith in her strength.

Morgana stepped forward, positioning herself between Noah and the Blood Elf. Her amethyst eyes turned cold as she examined the woman hovering above them.

"Who are you?" she asked. "State your name."

The Blood Elf tilted her head before letting out a playful chuckle.

"My name is Tharlyssa. That should be enough for you."

She glanced at Noah, then shifted her attention back to Morgana. "But what about you, pretty lady? What’s your name? And tell me, are you that little boy’s girlfriend?"

Morgana’s lips twitched. "I’m his instructor."

"Oh?"

Tharlyssa’s eyes widened in exaggerated surprise.

Then she clapped her hands together.

"My goodness! So you’re both from Novaris Academy?"

Her gaze wandered over Morgana’s appearance before settling on Noah again.

"No wonder! It’s rather rare to find humans in the elven capital, after all."

She smiled sweetly at Noah. "Well, now that I’ve found you again, there’s no reason to waste any more time. Give that boy to me."

"No."

Morgana’s answer was immediate and firm.

The playful smile on Tharlyssa’s face remained unchanged.

"Come on, don’t be like that. I promise I’ll take good care of him!"

"I said no."

A dense, dark aura suddenly erupted around Morgana.

The atmosphere grew heavy as the mana surrounding her surged, causing the ground beneath her feet to tremble.

In the next instant.

BOOM!

Morgana vanished from where she stood. A black flash tore through the street, hurtling toward Tharlyssa with terrifying speed.

The air screamed as Morgana closed the distance, her spear enveloped in concentrated darkness and aimed directly at the Blood Elf’s chest.

The attack was so fast that even Tharlyssa’s expression changed.

She barely had time to react.

Yet just as Morgana was about to reach her. A shadow flickered from the narrow passage between two buildings.

Someone had been hiding there.

Morgana’s instincts immediately warned her of the approaching threat.

Without hesitation, she twisted her body in midair and redirected her spear toward the newcomer.

CLANG!

A metallic crash rang through the street.

Morgana’s spear collided with a dagger, sending a violent shock wave in every direction.

The sheer force of the impact shattered nearby windows and sent dust swirling through the air.

Noah was caught in the shock wave and forced several steps backward before he managed to steady himself.

Both combatants were pushed away from each other, creating several meters of distance between them.

Morgana landed gracefully, her boots scraping against the stone pavement as she steadied her stance.

Her grip tightened around her spear.

Standing in front of Tharlyssa was a man dressed in a dark cloak.

He had appeared without warning, intercepting Morgana’s attack at the last possible moment.

The man lowered his dagger slightly but remained silent.

Morgana narrowed her amethyst eyes. Another enemy? Or someone even more troublesome? She couldn’t tell.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

The cloaked man didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he studied her for a moment, as though confirming her identity.

Then he finally spoke. "You are Morgana Celestine?"

Morgana’s brows drew together. "Yes... I am."

The man remained silent for another moment. Then his gaze shifted briefly toward Noah. And the atmosphere around them grew even more tense.