Chapter 794: Saving the elven planet VI
It didn't take long for the dark phoenix to find the remaining fragment of the Tree of Fate's core. The tree was powerless to stop him as he extended his hand and seized the glowing orb nestled among a dense layer of branches. A significant portion of the core was missing on one side, suggesting that a part of it had already been stolen.
His palm tingled as he carelessly tore the core from the branches. However, he didn't know that the moment he took the core, the Tree of Fate would emit a piercing, painful screech, and its branches, already devoid of leaves, would begin to wither, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
"Haha... I messed up big time. No what?"
His palms turned clammy and sweat gathered on his temples as he sensed many powerful figures arriving around the tree. The pressure emanating from them nearly suffocated him. He placed the glowing half-orb into his storage ring and pulled out a teleportation artifact. Now, a sensible person would have activated the artifact to escape. But he was far from sensible; he was crazy and bored.
With a wild smirk, he clutched the small, round teleportation artifact in one hand and soared out from the center of the withering branches, eager to taunt everyone who had appeared around the tree to eliminate him for various reasons.
He wanted to make sure they knew who had taken the remaining part of the core right from under their noses, relishing the chaos he was about to unleash. His heart thumped loudly for the first time in ages as he emerged from the branches and faced the hostile gazes of numerous people.
Samara's white slit pupils narrowed dangerously at the dark-haired man who had the audacity to steal right under her nose. To add insult to injury, he had taken what she desired! But as she surveyed the many elves and the few youngsters who had killed so many of her powerful people surrounding the tree, she swallowed hard and quickly changed her tactics. She couldn't allow the remaining part of the core to fall into anyone else's hands.
"Hand over what you just stole. Okay. I can sense the dark energy inside your body. You are one of us, are not you?"
The dark phoenix chuckled softly as the pressure around him intensified, almost crushing his body. Blood poured from the corner of his mouth, yet his dark eyes glimmered with amusement.
He wondered what this demon woman would do or say if she discovered he had been sent by the second shadow general. He hadn't met Samara before, but he could sense her immense power.
The elven queen and the group of supreme rank old elves floating behind her were the next to exert pressure on him. Their faces were ashen and pale at the turn of events, their hearts pounding in their chests.
They couldn't believe they had overlooked the Tree of Fate, the most vital symbol for them and their people.
The elven queen was ready to sacrifice everything to obtain the remaining core of the Tree of Fate and save the dying tree. So, she took out countless treasures from her mind space-items for which anyone would gladly risk their lives. Her voice trembled as she gazed at the dark phoenix.
"Give it to me... I will offer you all these treasures and many more. Just return what you have stolen from us."
Seeing her present so many treasures to entice the dark-haired man, the other older elves also stepped forward, revealing their own valuables for all to see.
The dark phoenix's eyes flashed with a smile, clearly tempted by the offerings. But what a pity he couldn't accept them, or else the second shadow general would kill him.
Samara's anger flared. She was ready to kill this man who had appeared out of nowhere if he dared to give the orb to anyone else.
Extreme silence enveloped the space as everyone around the Tree of Fate stared at the man floating in the center, anxiously awaiting his decision.
Their breaths were erratic, and all the weak demons and elves still on the planet knew it was the calm before a big storm that could either destroy the planet or save it.
Nine's eyes narrowed at the dark-haired winged man. He wanted to silently attack and kill him, but he knew that with so many people surrounding him, he couldn't. They needed to retrieve what he had stolen first.
All of a sudden, Bia transformed into her phoenix form and let out a cry, capturing everyone's attention. She wasn't alone in this; Nox also shifted into his beast form.
Unlike the others, they had already sensed who this dark-haired man was. He wasn't demi- human; he was a beast just like them. They had felt his presence during the war. They were stronger than him, so all they needed to do was assert their dominance, and he would comply. It was an unspoken rule among the beasts: regardless of their identity, they couldn't disobey those who were stronger than themselves.
The dark phoenix sensed their intentions. His expression shifted; the mirth in his eyes faded, replaced by a hint of rare panic as he inwardly cursed himself for being so dumb. He had forgotten that there were two beasts stronger than him in the vicinity!
He planned to activate the teleportation artifact in his grasp and vanish, fully aware that his fun time was over.
However, just as he was about to make his move, Samara lashed her whip toward him, sending his body hurtling through the air.
She disappeared behind him, intending to seize him and leave this planet for the time being. She planned to take him to a remote location and torture him to extract what she desired from
him.
The elves closely pursued her to prevent her from getting her hands on that man. Regius and Kurt also followed behind them.
Instantly, the focus of the fight shifted; now everyone's goal was no longer to win or kill the enemies but to obtain the remaining core of the Tree of Fate.
Bia's eyes blazed with anger.
-"That's my prey, you witches! I have a score to settle with that dark phoenix!"
Nox jolted at her shout and followed behind her, even though he knew they would likely be beaten in the battle of supreme ranks.
In the end, only Yue and Nine remained. They glanced at Ronan's unconscious figure and decided to send the man away from this place to avoid fighting him again.