The Elven Gambit

“Hah!”

With a casual ease, Tina hoisted a half-collapsed building, showcasing the terrifying strength inherent to her elven nature; her seemingly muscle-less arms steadily propelled the massive structure through the debris.

“Don’t put it there… yes, yes, yes… put it here.”

Perched atop a vantage point, Rosa imperiously directed her pet and roommate in their strenuous labor; her long golden hair whipped ceaselessly in the night wind, making her the spitting image of a demanding taskmaster.

The sudden catastrophe had instantly transformed the members of the Supervision Bureau, originally tasked with monitoring Vampires, into an emergency disaster relief team; Rosa and Tina were no exception, and at this very moment, they were bustling back and forth through the wreckage left by the impact.

Wiping a bead of sweat from her brow with her sleeve, Rosa gazed pensively at Tina, who was still hauling heavy objects.

Even with her body transformed and her mind twisted, Tina plunged headfirst into the front lines of the disaster without hesitation.

Perhaps this was one of the reasons the higher-ups allowed her to roam freely?

“Watch out!”

“Swish!”

The ground trembled.

Before Rosa’s horrified gaze, the debris-strewn ruins, choked with various shattered buildings, were bisected by a black sword qi surging from below, scattering the remaining fragments in all directions.

Bathed in the brilliant moonlight, a shadowy figure emerged from the depths of the earth, as if rising from an abyss.

“Found… it…”

The fragmented words issued from the newcomer’s lips, making one wonder if they might choke to death from lack of breath.

Yet, what astonished Rosa most wasn’t the terrifying power just displayed, but rather the face she saw—both familiar and utterly foreign.

“Vangua…rd?”

Despite the different hair color, Rosa instantly recognized this human hero, this demon from her memories.

‘Why are they here?’

‘Have they found me?’

‘Are they here to kill me?’

Thoughts churned relentlessly in Rosa’s mind.

Naturally, her shout received no response whatsoever; the shadowy Vanguard merely advanced step by step towards her target.

‘Target?’

Estimating Vanguard’s trajectory, Rosa yelled:

“Tina, run!”

“Thud.”

The sound of a heavy object collapsing echoed through the ruins.

Tina clapped her hands, having already hurled the building she was supporting at the unknown intruder; the moment she was targeted, she had instinctively launched an attack.

“Swish!”

A black sword qi flashed past, pulverizing the pinned building into dust with terrifying force.

Without pausing, the black-haired Vanguard continued her advance towards her target.

“Don’t come closer, Rosa! Her target is me.”

She blocked her friend, who had attempted to approach.

Under the black-clad girl’s unwavering gaze, Tina experienced the terror of death for the very first time.

For elves, who acted solely on instinct, death was a distant concept; even the act of preying on one another in the forest was merely a prelude to a new cycle of life, repeating endlessly.

However… this being before her was entirely different.

It hunted not for sustenance, nor did it prey to survive.

If one were to describe it, it killed for the sake of death itself, an anomaly capable of shattering the eternal cycle.

It was, quite simply, the antithesis of the Forest King.

‘Could it be the Sect Master’s enemy?’

Tina mused.

Yet, there was no time for her to dwell on such minutiae; the shadowy monster was only a few steps away, its beautiful face appearing as terrifying as a fiend from hell in Tina’s eyes.

Tina took a deep breath, having always operated in a state of self-imposed limitation.

As a derivative elf, a creature that struck terror into the hearts of humans, it was no exaggeration to say she could single-handedly raze the city in a short time if unhindered by a formidable opponent.

Now, however, was the moment to unleash her full power.

Without any flashy theatrics, Tina threw a punch.

Carrying earth-shattering, terrifying power, a single strike shattered the girl’s defenses, piercing through Vanguard’s chest.

She instinctively sniffed, detecting a familiar scent.

However, distraction in battle was a grave mistake.

Shaking the jumbled thoughts from her head, Tina intended to land two more blows, ensuring her opponent would be unable to rise again.

But…

‘What’s happening?’

‘My hand, it won’t pull out.’

Despite having her chest pierced, the monster’s expression remained utterly unchanged.

Her right hand lifted the demonic sword high, and a dense, palpable killing intent materialized, enveloping the elf.

‘I’ll die.’

In that critical moment, Tina instinctively severed her own left arm, swiftly retreating two steps backward and narrowly evading the demonic sword’s fatal strike.

“Don’t… go… ugh…”

The black-haired Vanguard seemed to be enduring some agony, clutching her left eye tightly.

The arm fragment still embedded in her instantly dissolved, and her shattered chest was restored by shadows.

Tina clutched the wound of her severed arm, the intense pain causing her brow to furrow slightly.

Facing such an unprecedentedly formidable foe, she felt a sense of helplessness for the first time.

‘I’ll die.’

‘If I continue to entangle myself with her, I’m certain to die.’

‘Then, escape?’

‘Can I escape…’

Black matter on her left arm frantically corroded the wound; it was this very substance that prevented her from regenerating her severed limb.

‘Then there’s only one way.’

Having made up her mind, Tina did not retreat but advanced, delivering another fierce punch with her intact right hand.

The violent wind pressure stirred up surrounding debris, making it impossible to keep one’s eyes open.

“Ugh… ugh…”

Completely unfazed by the elf’s assault, Vanguard raised her demonic sword high, and visible shadows converged upon it.

Immediately afterward, a black sword qi flashed past.

“Boom!”

After the earth-shattering collision, Rosa opened her eyes again, only to be met with a sight that caught her completely off guard.

Tina’s fist had pierced through Vanguard’s body, yet this was no victory for her.

For the black-clad girl’s demonic sword had simultaneously impaled Tina’s body, leaving the two locked in an unsettling embrace.

“Tina!”

Rosa’s mournful voice echoed.

“Don’t… worry… about me, Rosa…”

Despite being a step away from death, not a trace of fear marred Tina’s face.

After responding to Rosa, she leaned against the girl’s shoulder, sniffed with her nose, and declared fiercely:

“I’ve caught your scent, you stinky brat!”

With those words, she was completely devoured by the black shadows, leaving no trace.

“Not… enough…”

“More… black blood…”

Even after slaying the elf, the shadowy Vanguard remained unsatisfied.

A red gem pulsed before her, trembling incessantly as she continuously siphoned power from it to combat the Light.

Yet, even the gem, rumored to possess infinite energy, proved utterly incapable of resisting the Light’s corrosion.

Before long, it began to falter, steadily retreating once more.

‘More black blood needed to suppress it…’

‘I… can… feel… it…’

‘There’s more there…’

Power surged into her feet, and Vanguard leaped, setting off towards a new target.

****

Drip, drip…

‘Did I cry?’

With tears streaming down her face, Rosa walked to the final point of their clash.

Undoubtedly, the foolish elf was dead, utterly consumed by that hateful demon, leaving not even a trace behind.

‘Sure enough, I’m just…’

“Cough, cough.”

A familiar cough interrupted her lament.

“Eep!”

“To prevent you from spouting any lines that would embarrass everyone, I figured I’d pop out early.”

“You… where are you?”

“Here, here! I’m pushing you now.”

Stumbling slightly, Rosa then noticed a tiny figure near her left foot, actively pushing her shoe.

With a gasp of surprise, she carefully picked up the thumb-sized girl, who was barely as tall as her finger:

“How did you get so small?”

“Couldn’t beat her, couldn’t escape her, so I had no choice but to play dead.

We elves possess the ability to split ourselves, and I simply used that power to pull the wool over her eyes.”

Tina said, shrugging.

“Is… that so?”

‘Why does this person’s logic seem so much clearer than before? Is being condensed truly the essence?’

Dismissing her impolite thoughts, Rosa continued, asking: “When will you return to normal?”

“In a while, I suppose.”

Climbing into Rosa’s palm, Tina lay sprawled out like a starfish, saying languidly:

“Even if I returned to my original size, I’d still be helpless against that monster.

If I’m not mistaken, that thing is hunting Black-Blooded Species (TL Note: A type of supernatural being or mutated creature, often associated with dark powers).

Next, not only me, but all those other anomalies hiding in the city will probably be hunted down one by one.

After all, that level of power is something no ordinary Black-Blooded Species can contend with.”

“What…?”

“Hehe, I’ll tell you another secret I just discovered.”

The thumb-sized girl, looking shifty and mysterious, whispered: “I smelled a familiar scent on that all-black bastard, guess whose it was?”

Before Rosa could guess, Tina preemptively declared the answer: “It was that stinky brat, your very own Liu Yu.

I never would have thought that she, with her thick eyebrows and large eyes, was secretly even more of a woman than any woman.

Truly, appearances can be deceiving…”

“………”