The clash began!
Rey's army of a hundred thousand inevitably met against the seemingly uncountable number of Undead that had made the Eastern continent their new home. These creatures resembled no single monster, but were an amalgamation of various creatures.
They had pitch-black flesh, with purplish energy around them to complement their glowing purple eyes. They were incredibly fast and strong, each possessing distinct Skills from all the Monsters they were a part of.
Naturally, they also contaminated anything they touched.
'I can see why the Elves easily lost.' Rey reasoned silently. 'But…'
His eyes were on his army, and his lips curled up to form a beautiful smile once he witnessed the clash.
'… They don't stand a chance against our forces.'
Rey's army easily bulldozed the army of Undead that surrounded them.
"The machines are made of minerals with special resistance to Miasma, and I have personally made sure the Giants have developed immense Miasma Resistance. Something of this scale should be no problem…" Ater reported as the group flew ahead.
"Yeah… looks like things are going well so far."
Rey was relieved.
'Even Esme is being protected from the Miasma with her Skills. Something of this scale isn't a problem for her either.'
With this, the first hurdle had been passed.
He could only hope that the next stage—seizing the Elf Village—would be won as easily.
… It was!
The Undead surrounding the Elf Village were noticeably stronger than the ones that roamed the continent, but they were still no match for the Giants and Machines. Not to mention, Esme and Ater were bombarding them with numerous Skills and Magic attacks in order to assist the army as whenever they hit a roadblock.
Rey simply watched everything, absorbing the chaos and filling up his [Doppel] as much as he could. He was certain he witnessed over a hundred Skills already, but that didn't stop him from continuously observing the battlefield.
He could always delete unneeded Skills anyway.
'Looks like even more Undead are charging at us from all directions, but that's not our concern at the moment.' Rey reasoned, looking at the massive wave of black nightmare creatures that looked as plentiful as the sea.
They were charging at the village, threatening to consume it in darkness.
'As tempting as it is to keep warding them off together, we'll leave them to the army, while we visit the Shrine.'
He gave his instructions immediately.
"Form a defensive line to surround the village. Divide it into several layers of defense and plant an emergency force within the village in case any of them make it inside. We're heading in now!"
The army cheered as Rey's group parted with them, entering the Elf Village.
Or rather, what was left of it.
"…."
The place that once bustled with life and the allure of nature was nothing more than a landscape of blackness and death. The houses were long corroded into something akin to black mud, and everything around it was completely ruined.
Esme's face grew pale as she witnessed this sight, but she maintained composure as they floated in. She understood the gravity of the mission and chose not to act on her emotions.
Still, her eyes burned in hatred for Adrien Chase.
She hated him immensely.
'I'll do anything to kill that bastard… to get rid of him forever for what he did here.'
On their way to the Elf Village, she had seen the Refinery from a distance, and it seemed like that place was properly maintained. Adrien still had some use for it, after all. However, everything else was reduced to nothing.
"We should hurry." Rey urged them to cease their serene parade.
However, not long after he said this, they noticed new presences in the village: the last barrier of opponents before they could reach their destination.
—Undead Elves.
"How did he manage to make Undead Elves? I thought it was impossible..." Rey remarked, his eyes wide in surprise.
"Yeah… it would normally be." Ater responded with a cruel smile. "But he most likely caused them to kill living creatures, forcing them to become Dark Elves. He then corrupted them afterwards, turning them into Undead."
There was silence.
"What an interesting guy…" The Familiar added.
"Ater… come on."
"Sorry."
All eyes were on Esme, whose expression was aghast upon seeing her comrades now as shadows of their former self. She recognized every single one of them, and upon seeing them like this, her heart bled.
However, who was Esme if not a master of her emotions?
How could she have properly led the Elves if she didn't master the art of self control?
"They're obstacles to our path… we should eliminate them." She spoke, flying forward as she used a single Skill.
"[All Evil Must Die]."
In an instant, bright light enveloped everything around her, and as far as the eyes could see.
That mere moment marked the demise of the Undead Elves.
They were purified in the light, screaming in agony as their bodies disintegrated into nothingness.
'Wow…' Rey witnessed all of this in silence. 'This is crazy.'
However, the group didn't have the time to gawk over Esme's fierce display of power and her ruthless extermination of her own people—or, what used to be them.
The mission came first.
"Let's go." Esme led the charge at this point, guiding the group to the Shrine.
Surprisingly, it still stood.
"Interesting… so this happened to be the only place unaffected by the Miasma." Rey mused as the group ventured inside one after another.
"I shouldn't be surprised."
After all, this was the only gateway to The Oracle's domain.
The place was covered in white, with a simple statue of the Oracle having multiple arms and heads—just as he remembered it to be. The surroundings looked a little different from what he recalled, but those were not important details.
Rey stepped forward, ahead of everyone else, and touched the statue while speaking as urgently as he could.
"Oracle… please let us in!"
No response.
The war cries of the battle beyond the Shrine and the Village was getting louder, which meant the battle was becoming even more intense. At this point, Rey's army was beginning to suffer serious casualties, but that was beside the point.
The important thing was the Oracle answering their call.
"Oracle, we have the Elves with us in the Fairy Kingdom. We are here to discuss with you on pertinent matters."
This time, the Fairy King stepped forward and touched the statue to speak.
Nothing happened.
Ater watched all of this in silence, observing as Rey and the Fairy King took turns in speaking to the statue, only to receive no response.
Then—
"Let me try." Esme sighed, stepping forward as she stretched her hand to the statue.
The instant she neared the object, it began to glow.
"Something is happening!"
"Could it be… oh wow! It really was a good decision to bring Esme along!"
"…."
As the group marveled at this sight, Esme touched the cool surface of the statue, initiating a swift reaction—one too fast for anyone in the room to process until it happened. In a flash, Esme vanished from her spot, leaving the rest of them watching in awe, and then shock.
Rey's eyes widened once he realized this.
"ESME!!!"