First Contact

Dath'Remar, now possessed by dark energy, realized he had been discovered.

"Looks like I need to speed things up," the corrupted Dath'Remar muttered to himself.

The Dath'Remar at the meeting just now was a disguise possessed by dark energy. There's a reason why the dark energy is so powerful that it could possess Dath'Remar.

Dath'Remar's emotions have been incredibly volatile lately; negative emotions are his lifeblood.

Nourished by negative emotions, it grew stronger and stronger, evolving from a stage where it could only influence others in special circumstances to one where it could possess them.

"The task entrusted to me by my lord has not yet been completed; the Black Empire will eventually rise again," said the corrupted Dath'Remar.

The remaining dark energy of Zakajz, after becoming powerful, received whispers from the Old Gods.

The Old Gods commanded him to wage war on this continent, plunging the world into chaos.

The dark aura originally intended to control Dath'Remar and start a war against the native Vrykul Horde, but Dath'Remar decided to head north before the dark aura could control him.

This thwarted the black energy's plan, but it quickly found a new target to attack.

The Forest Troll have always lived there would be a good candidate.

Troll and elves already have a history of conflict, and for Dath'Remar to settle in Troll territory is a clear act of contempt for the Forest Troll.

Furthermore, the place Dath'Remar originally wanted was the ruins of the Forest Troll Empire, Forest Troll would absolutely not allow the elves to do so.

An epic battle is inevitable between the enraged Troll and the elves who desire a place to live.

This way, he could complete the task assigned by the Old Gods and also take revenge on Jarod.

The damage Jarod inflicted on it had penetrated deep into Zakajz's soul; even a wisp of residual black energy harbored a deep hatred for Jarod.

"The show is about to begin, now it's time for the main character to appear." With that, the corrupted Dath'Remar opened the door and walked out.

After returning, Snyder and Jarod began preparing the army for departure.

"Jarod, the fate of Dath'Remar rests on your shoulders," Snyder said.

"I will, I will proceed according to plan." Jarod gripped the Silver Blade tightly.

After a while...

All the spirits of the Highborne are ready as planned.

The vanguard, central army, and rearguard have all taken their positions.

The vanguard Warrior were tall and strong, wielding sharp and swift swords, and the accompanying mages were all highly experienced.

The soldiers in the central army, holding large shields in one hand and short swords in the other, tightly protected the civilians and mages behind them.

The rear guard Warrior wore soft iron armor and carried long swords and shields, allowing them to quickly deal with the pursuing invaders.

The Hand of the Bright Moon had also merged into the vanguard, and Snyder and Jarod found Dath'Remar in full armor within the vanguard.

When Dath'Remar saw that Snyder and Jarod had also arrived, he ordered the troops to set off.

All the Highborne set off in a grand procession, Highborne actions alarming all the creatures in the surrounding area.

The nearby Vrykul tribe also sent out scouts to investigate the surrounding area.

The Vrykul scouts reported what they had seen to their own chieftains, but the other chieftains paid little attention, except for one tribe on the edge of the Vrykul's territory, which took it seriously.

After listening to the scouts' description, they realized that these strangers were indeed the spirits described by their ancestors.

A few days later, when they sent scouts to the elven encampment again, it was empty.

In just a few days, the Highborne had already covered a considerable distance, as they couldn't possibly travel fast with the commoners in tow.

"Snyder, could you please tell Jarod to stay away from me?" Dath'Remar said.

"What's wrong? Is something the matter?" Snyder asked.

"He was always looking at me with his weapon in his hand," Dath'Remar said.

Snyder gave an awkward smile when he heard Dath'Remar's sarcastic remarks about Jarod.

"It's not safe now, it's normal for the general to be carrying a weapon."

"It's normal, but could you please stop him from looking at me with that weapon?"

"Alright then, Jarod, go check out the situation in the central command." Snyder said, giving Jarod a wink.

"Then I'll head to the central command." After receiving a subtle signal from Snyder, Jarod bowed to Dath'Remar and Snyder before heading towards the "central command."

"What happened to you? You got like this just from being watched with a weapon." Snyder said to Dath'Remar.

"Is there?" Dath'Remar asked.

"Of course, you weren't like this War of the Ancients thousands of years ago."

"Who doesn't know the power of the Flamestrike?" Snyder said.

Dath'Remar simply smiled awkwardly and didn't reply.

Seeing that Dath'Remar was ignoring him, Snyder went to inspect the Hand of the Bright Moon.

After seeing the two troublesome individuals leave, the now-corrupted Dath'Remar breathed a sigh of relief.

"Damn it, that weapon is still so annoying."

"Being around him, my power was also affected."

"Fortunately, that guy has already left."

He didn't realize that two pairs of eyes were watching him from a place he couldn't see.

The Highborne continued onward, crossing mountains and arriving near a forest.

Dath'Remar ordered them to rest on the spot, and to continue their advance once they were rested.

"Almost there, almost there. Once we enter the forest, we'll be in the Troll ' territory."

"Then the Troll will teach these elves a lesson," Dath'Remar thought to himself.

All the Highborne were delighted, for they knew they were nearing home.

Snyder also found Jarod, who was disguised as an ordinary soldier.

"Be prepared to rush over and purify him as soon as you see him being controlled again."

"You only have one chance, so make sure it hits its mark," Snyder told Jarod.

"I'm ready," Jarod said, dressed in soldier's attire. To avoid being recognized, he concealed the Silver Blade in his magic backpack.

Snyder left after speaking, Jarod looked towards Dath'Remar's location, pondering how to approach him.

Dath'Remar also sent his personal guards to check if Jarod was in the central camp.

The guards returned and reported that Jarod was indeed in the central army.

Hearing his guards' words, the corrupted Dath'Remar felt relieved. As long as it wasn't the Silver Blade, no one else could threaten him in his current state.

As the elves approached the forest, the Forest Troll who lived there discovered them.

The Troll scout then returned to report.

Shadra, the war lord of the Forest Troll, heard the report from his subordinates.

Enraged, he ordered his army to be dispatched to kill all the elves.

"Elves! We're already being lenient by not attacking you, but you still dared to provoke me."

"I want to settle both old and new scores."

After saying Shadra took his weapon from the wall and went outside.

The conflict began the moment the two races first met.