"This… this is a defensive array! The elves are attacking!" Jessmine shouted.
"A defensive array? There's a defensive array here?" Andreas asked in disbelief. When they had entered the Free Zone a month ago, he hadn't sensed anything.
"Yeah. Actually, it's a deactivated six-star defensive array. Activating it requires a huge amount of resources. But yesterday, when you talked to my father about the mountain, he activated it without hesitation, regardless of the cost."
"With this array, no Climber below rank A can enter the city. Even regular rank A Climbers won't be able to get through."
"I see…" Andreas murmured in awe.
"But the fact that everything just shook like that means the array has been attacked!"
"We have to return to the estate immediately," Daniel said with a frown.
They all nodded and, without wasting time, hurried back to the estate. Once there, they didn't stop and went straight to see Leo.
"Father, what happened?" Jessmine asked upon seeing her father.
"The elves started attacking. The array has blocked their strikes so far," Leo said with a sigh.
"I didn't think they'd dare," Daniel said.
"Neither did I, honestly. There's a big difference between a siege and a direct attack. This is an official declaration of war. They've just violated one of the UFG's core laws."
"So, what should we do now?" Andreas asked worriedly.
"The strongest elf among them is at my level. I'll try talking to them. If that doesn't work, we'll have no choice but to fight and wait for reinforcements to arrive," Leo answered.
He then stood up, and suddenly, light enveloped his body. The next moment, the light vanished, revealing Leo wearing a massive red armor.
"You all stay here. The estate is the safest place right now." Then, he vanished from sight.
"So, we really can't do anything?" Ilaris asked.
"Of course not. We're way too weak for something like this," Jessmine answered with a sigh.
She was a rank B, and even she had no right to participate in something like this—let alone the three of them, whose strongest member was just a rank C.
"For now, let's wait. If the strongest elf in that army is at Mr. Leo's level, then he shouldn't be able to break the array," Daniel said, trying to calm them down.
Even though he said that, he himself was worried about the array.
'This array blocks the entry and exit of anyone other than Mr. Leo or those he allows. I hope the escape talismans still work…' he sighed.
Leo was at the peak of rank B. Naturally, someone at the same level had no chance of breaking a six-star array—something designed for rank A threats.
Daniel then activated his spiritual sense to see what was going on outside. Ever since his power officially reached the B-rank level, his spiritual sense had also grown much stronger.
At the border between the array and the outside of the Free Zone, two figures were standing in the sky, facing each other.
One of them was, naturally, Leo. The other was an incredibly handsome young man. Though he looked human, the clear differences made it obvious he wasn't.
His long golden hair and the non-human elongated ears made it clear—he was an elf.
"Human. We asked you to hand over the Dark Elf hiding here. But instead, you activated your defensive array?" the male elf said coldly.
"This is the Central Plains. We have our own laws here. I asked you to give me a reason why I should hand her over, but you ignored me," Leo growled.
"That Dark Elf is the daughter of a general who betrayed us decades ago. We need to capture her to gain information about her father," the elf replied, but the only thing he received was a wild grin from the man standing before him.
"Hahahaha! Do you think I'm stupid? I know all you want is the World Tree branch inside the mountain. Everything else is just an excuse."
As Leo's voice echoed, the elf suddenly noticed the air around them had started to drop in temperature. His aura became increasingly colder and more menacing.
"Lowly outsider… how do you know about the World Tree branch?"
"Does it matter? All you need to know is that I've already spread this information to the other regions of the Central Plains. They're on their way."
The elf frowned—deeply. He hadn't expected this foolish human to uncover the truth.
How had he found out? Who told him? Could it be the Dark Elf's doing?
What should he do now?
It gave him a splitting headache. The High Council of the Elves had already taken a huge risk by sending an army to the Central Plains.
One wrong move, and it could spark a full-scale war between the two races.
Still, he couldn't back down. This wasn't just about the World Tree branch. According to the council, that Dark Elf female was even more important—and had to be brought back alive at all costs.
"No other choice…" he sighed, and suddenly lightning cracked across the sky. The elf's clothes burned away and were replaced by a massive golden-green armor.
In his hand appeared a spear crafted from tree wood.
Leo's eyes narrowed slightly as he felt the rise in the elf's aura.
"You have four hours to hand over the Dark Elf. If not, we'll attack with full force." The elf turned around and, without another word, returned to the army behind him.
He had to inform the Elven High Council and order his troops to prepare for war.
Meanwhile, Leo frowned but couldn't do anything else. He needed to request reinforcements as soon as possible.
He turned and returned to the estate—but instead of going back to his daughter and the others, he went to the deepest part of the estate, a place he had marked forbidden.
In the center of that chamber was a colorless, transparent orb. Without hesitation, he dropped a bit of his blood onto it, and it began to shine.
A large screen of light, projected from the orb, appeared before him.
"Leo, you'd better have a damn good reason for disturbing us," three figures appeared on the screen, their faces obscured.
"I apologize for the disturbance, my Lords," Leo immediately dropped to his knees.
"Explain what happened," one of the mist-covered figures spoke with a deep, terrifying voice.
Leo didn't waste a second and told them everything the elf had said.
"So, they've lost their patience? Don't worry. I didn't want to use a portal and risk drawing attention from the other nations, but it seems we have no choice. Our forces will arrive in a few hours," one of the figures said.
"Thank you very much, my Lord," Leo replied with relief.
In truth, he hadn't informed the UFG about the World Tree branch at all. He had only shared the truth and the recent developments with the leaders of his own nation…
"Still… I have a feeling this isn't just about the World Tree branch," one of the figures suddenly said.
"I feel the same. Once we destroy that elven army, we'll talk about it more."
"If you need any more help, inform us. And make sure those three you told us about don't escape."