Void Spirits

The tides rose and fell, and faint cheers could be heard in the distance.

Lieutenant Mailun sat on the beach, feeling cold all over.

The captain and Sir Taize led most of the ship's elite troops into the Rift, but the scouts at the three outposts on the island, along with the personnel left behind in the Rift, still numbered over a hundred elves. This was First Lieutenant Mailun's greatest asset in his confidence that he could support the Wings of Wayne... But all of this was wiped out by the enchanted crossbow bolts that rained down from the sky.

Paralyzed by lightning, suffocated at the bottom of the sea, poisoned by the rapidly spreading venom, frozen by the rapidly solidifying ice... He simply couldn't understand why the other side could activate the Magic Power of the crossbows under the magic-suppressing domain of the Holy Seal Archipelago, which led to such a tragic end.

He stared blankly at the beach.

More than a hundred warriors fought their way back to the Wings of Wayne, their morale soaring, vowing to wash away the shame of the night with the blood of the Goth People. But now, only a dozen or so of them escaped ashore with him.

The elf watched all of this in despair, wishing it were all a dream.

These deaths and injuries were all caused by his decisions.

For a commander, it was an agonizing ordeal.

Lieutenant Mailun's eyes were bloodshot, his blood surging. He was just a lowly adjutant, his prestige and abilities yet to be fully developed. He had hastily taken over command, and his first battle had ended in such a disastrous state, with heavy losses on his side Wings of Wayne falling completely into enemy hands. This was an eternal disgrace for the Royal Navy.

He gripped the sword hilt tremblingly, wanting to draw his sword and commit suicide, but the thought that if he committed suicide here, his body would inevitably be discovered by the Goth People, and perhaps even hung on the bow of the ship to show off—he did not want to suffer such humiliation even in death.

With this in mind, Lieutenant Mailun slowly rose to his feet.

The other elven survivors lay sprawled on the beach, staring blankly at him. Someone asked, "Mr. Mailun, where are you going?"

First mate Mailun paused for a moment, then whispered, "I've made a grave mistake, causing the deaths of so many warriors. I should die, but to die here would mean my body will be dishonored by the Goth People... I want to return to that rift valley, to find the captain and Sir Taize, to see what really happened there. Even dying there, alongside my compatriots, is better than dying at the hands of the Goth People..."

As for you...

He glanced at his dozen or so companions who had narrowly escaped death and said softly, "The battle was lost. Disband on the spot. Do whatever you want... I need to go and apologize to the captain and Sir Taize."

Having said that, he left the elves behind and strode towards the depths of the island.

It's like they're running away.

The elves on the beach exchanged glances, then looked at the Wings of Wayne on the sea with complicated expressions. Suddenly, they all let out a bitter laugh.

Then he silently got up and went in the direction the adjutant had left.

At the same time.

Deep in the rift valley.

Captain Estes and Sir Taize are still alive.

But they fought a bloody battle.

The roars of beasts rose and fell around them, and in the Shadow, shadowy beasts, as fierce as lions and tigers, were poised to strike, their numbers seemingly endless.

The two former subordinates, who had previously clashed, stood side by side with longbows, defending themselves against the enemy. Surrounded by elven soldiers, they unleashed a barrage of arrows, continuously slaying the charging Black Beast.

"Captain, we're running low on arrows."

Sir Taize fired an arrow, regulated his breathing, and calmly said, "Without a doubt, this is a trap. Ancient Civilization wouldn't build their ruins at the entrance to a place like this; it's just bait."

The captain fired an arrow, pinning a Black Beast to the ground, and said calmly, "I know."

Sir Taize recalled the events that had transpired, still feeling a sense of disorientation and shock. Even though it was a trap, the awe-inspiring images he had witnessed still resonated with him. The scenes that appeared on the strange screen filled him with fear, envy, and longing.

Previously, he and Captain Estes, vying for credit, decided to enter this rift together. At first, they were cautious, wary of possible attacks from the Goth People, but increasingly dazzling lights and sounds emanating from the rift urged them to quicken their pace.

Then, they witnessed a sight they would never forget.

Along the way, they discovered more "fragments of holy artifacts." Although they were broken and damaged, each one possessed an awe-inspiring power fluctuation. This was an enormous gain that would surely ensure the Wings of Wayne returned laden with treasures and drive Master Laclais mad with joy. This left everyone both happy and worried.

Joy is the joy of this immense gain, but worry is... the Goth People.

Without a doubt, the Goth People entered this place. They left these priceless fragments of the holy artifact here, either as a trap or... because there is something even more valuable ahead.

They proceeded cautiously.

Soon, the joy of acquiring the fragments of the sacred artifact vanished completely.

Instead, it was an overwhelming sense of awe.

They witnessed a sight they had never seen before in their lives.

Large and small light screens that emit light and sound on their own, and faint images appearing on the stone walls, along with various unfamiliar magical artifacts—these things transmit sound and images.

The lifelike images inside record stories that do not belong to this era.

They witnessed a human world unlike any they had ever seen before; enormous cities were built of steel and crystal, far more vast and magnificent than the glorious Twilight Moon Royal City.

Iron-winged birds soared in the sky, and long iron dragons ran across the land. Their magnificence and vastness astonished and terrified the elves. Born of nature, they were proud children of the forest, and could never imagine that weak and humble humans could live in a forest of steel.

These are definitely not humans of this era, they can be sure of it, because the humans in the image speak another language. Their world is incredibly wealthy and densely populated, but it is not always peaceful. Strange alien creatures invade their homes, and visitors from outer space descend with a roar. Enemies may blot out the sky or be cruel and cunning, but humanity always manages to win.

Because they possessed weapons far superior to bows, crossbows, and magic.

There are also powerful heroes whose combat strength is no less than that of legendary powerhouses.

Armored warriors wielding Warhammer and summoning thunder, burly men in cloaks with immense strength and burning gazes, steel giants whose stature surpasses even that of Titan... the list goes on. Their heroic figures in battle shimmer on the screen, and even though each hero's image is only shown for a few seconds, it still captivates the elves.

The world turned upside down, powerful enemies invaded, but they were able to seize victory each time, while their enemies grew stronger and stronger.

What happened next horrified the elves, even... filled them with despair.

They saw massive, steel-cast ships soar into the sky, each one larger than all the ships in the elven navy combined. They saw countless airships traversing the endless, dark universe. The boundless starry sky that elven astronomers yearned for was the ocean that humanity roamed.

Destructive beams of light roared and swirled as humanity's fleet battled an ever-growing enemy, leaping out from the vast stargate. The destructive rain of light was more magnificent than any other scene. Other beings also roamed this cosmos, some sacred, some cruel, but all powerful.

And... there's no place for elves.

After the initial shock came horror, disbelief, jealousy, and anger.

Why can mere humans be so powerful?

Upon witnessing this shocking scene, even the most arrogant elf would admit that the so-called glorious achievements of the Dusk Moon Dynasty and the so-called powerful force that suppressed the continent were nothing but a ridiculous joke.

There is an even more fatal problem...

Goth People, in front.

If this is a relic of this Civilization, if it contains things left behind by this Civilization... then how could the Goth People have obtained these things!

We must seize control of the human power inheritance within the light screen!

We must never allow humanity in this world and this era to become as powerful as depicted in the images!

Otherwise, the annihilation of the elves will not be far off!

--Master Laclais, your premonition was indeed correct!

With these thoughts in mind, filled with anxiety, jealousy, greed, and longing, the elves took a small piece of light screen and carried it with them, then moved into the rift valley at top speed.

Deeper into the tunnel-like chasm, they encountered an ambush—a trap that unleashed a surprising barrage of arrows. The elves, already on edge, immediately fired back, but their arrows struck a jarring rock face covered in magical runes.

After being bombarded by a large number of arrows, the stone wall shattered, revealing a darker and deeper path ahead.

The elves were desperate.

Moving forward madly.

Then I encountered... a nightmare.

Ahead lay not the ruins of a powerful human race, but an underground town, deserted and desolate, with jagged rocks perched atop a cliff, below which lay a dark abyss. Eerie black light coalesced into a vast, intangible pool of water, from which strange and terrifying black beasts continuously emerged.

They had fallen into an elaborate trap.

Sir Taize has now suddenly realized the truth.

He still remembers the sudden change in Captain Estes' expression when he first saw those Black Beasts; it was one of immense fear and shock.

The captain called out the name of the Black Beast.

Void Spirit.

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PS1: First update... Second update will be a little later, I'll speed things up!