An Elf stood at the valley entrance with a blade in hand, staring ahead with a calm expression. Demon corpses lay strewn across the ground before him. The retreating Kaldorei were stunned by the sight and came to a halt. They forgot they were on a battlefield, forgot the pursuers behind them, and merely stared at the man in a daze. "Did he do this? Alone? Who is he?"
Before long, Ravencrest, who had stayed behind to cover the retreat, arrived. Seeing the stalled formation, his heart sank; he thought demons had blocked the exit. The soldiers saw him and hurriedly made way. When he emerged from the crowd, he was stunned! Not by the demon corpses covering the ground, but by the blade-wielding Kaldorei. That Kaldorei noticed Ravencrest as well. Ravencrest sprinted toward him without a second thought, then dropped to his knees with a thud. The surrounding soldiers were bewildered, as were the cavalry who had come to meet them. First there had been a pile of elite demon corpses, then their own commander had knelt before him. Just who was he?!
"Get up. Organize the troops and withdraw in an orderly manner," Azar said sternly.
"Yes!" With that, Ravencrest went to gather the troops.
Azar then charged into the valley. The demon pursuers had arrived! The slaughter began.
Elsewhere, Tichondrius stood motionless atop his command carriage, his brow furrowed. The elite troops sent to seize the valley entrance had been almost completely wiped out—and by one man. The report brought back by the fleeing Dreadlord left him deeply unsettled. He was hesitating over whether to halt the army when a report interrupted his thoughts.
"Chief, the Kaldorei have successfully withdrawn."
"What?! What is the pursuit force doing?!"
"It's still that Kaldorei. He blocked the pursuing troops."
"I'll