So that's the reason the elves want to kill them.
Seeing the heroes, who were supposed to lead humanity to victory, fall at the hands of the very enemies they were meant to defeat.
"What a shame," he said, stepping beside the captain, who had already drawn his arrow, ready to release it the moment the magic dome was fully formed. "If humans knew they fell this easily, what would happen?"
That question made the captain's eyes widen.
She didn't want to imagine the despair that would engulf the human race once they learned that the heroes they so admired had fallen so easily to the demon race. Even though elves and humans were not close, she also didn't want to witness humanity slowly crumble from within, especially because deep inside their hearts, there would be a gaping hole that could never be filled. A wound that would remain open for a lifetime.
A deep black void that always marked the end of someone's life.
The elves were grateful they didn't have it, but at the same time, they felt sorrow for humanity, the only race that could never feel truly satisfied or at peace. Forever tormented by fear, despair, and emptiness, they would go to great lengths to escape those negative emotions. Many were even willing to commit atrocities just to breathe easily, even if only for a moment.
The demon race knew how to take advantage of that.
They only needed to plant the seed of darkness, and even a hero would fall with ease.
Becoming nothing more than a puppet, a soulless being.
Forever a slave, trapped in a prison of darkness with no light or warmth.
A fate worse than death itself.
"That's why we can't let them remain like this," the captain replied. "The council should have restrained them while we prepared an external spell to cleanse their hearts of darkness. But now that it's come to this, we have no choice but to take their lives," she continued, full of regret.
Once again, they had to take the final step.
A step that the elves despised.
And that was exactly why he was here.
"Who said they have to die?" he interjected, stepping forward. "Did you forget about me?"
"I know you're strong! But they're under the influence of darkness! Anyone who gets too close will end up just like them!" the captain said in panic.
"That's true… if they're from this world."
The captain's mouth opened, about to say something.
But he was already gone, appearing outside the magic dome, shocking everyone. The raging dark aura in front of them passed through his body without taking hold of him. As if he wasn't even there, just a shadow.
And because of that, Aldean moved, preparing to swing his sword, now imbued with dark mana, a strike that would surely damage the magic dome.
"Hold your ground!" the captain shouted.
The elves immediately strengthened their defenses, hoping the attack wouldn't shatter the dome—otherwise, they would all be exposed to the dark aura still raging before them.
Fortunately, they had already evacuated all the city's residents. Otherwise, the casualties would have been devastating.
But they hadn't gone far from the city yet. If a battle broke out, they would inevitably be caught in it, something the captain desperately wanted to avoid.
However, what they feared did not come to pass.
The sword swing was stopped midair—by a single hand.
The elven soldiers' eyes widened in shock. They couldn't believe someone had blocked such a powerful strike alone, without using magic. He even looked relaxed, as if he were stopping a child's swing.
"This is why you can't be too kind, Aldean. Trust me, I've been through it before, and in the end, it only left me exhausted." He pushed Aldean back, making him stumble as if he had just taken a heavy blow.
The knight clicked his tongue in frustration, his hatred toward him growing tenfold due to the dark mana corrupting his body.
Once again, he tried to attack, only to receive a crushing blow to his body—like being struck by a warhammer, as if his soul was about to be knocked out of him.
For a brief moment, he saw a bright light in his vision.
He was almost sent straight to heaven.
But he held back from using his full strength. No matter what, from what he had seen in the past three days in this world, Aldean was the protagonist. If the protagonist disappeared, what would happen to this world?
Even though he wasn't part of it, he didn't want to see this beautiful world fall into chaos—or worse, be destroyed.
That's why, even if it hurt, he would make the hero wake up… even if he had to break every bone in his body.
What happened next left the elves frozen in place.
They had seen countless battles before. They had fought in terrifying wars. But never had they witnessed a fight—no, a slaughter—like the one unfolding before their eyes.
The foreign man, with his strange power and ever-shifting body, made the hero look like an ordinary soldier. The immense strength, now twisted into darkness, was nothing before him. No matter what Aldean did, every attack simply passed through his body without leaving a scratch. Not even a single cut.
Once again, it was like fighting an illusion.
An illusion that was real—and was mercilessly beating the hero to a pulp.
Seeing this, the other four heroes moved, trying to help their leader, who was already struggling, blood dripping from both sides of his mouth.
They unleashed all kinds of powerful attacks—attacks that, if used against the elves, would have left countless casualties. But each strike merely phased through him, and he skillfully redirected them to avoid harming the city's remaining citizens, who were still fleeing as fast as they could.
Not a single attack worked, pushing the heroes further into frustration and rage. Their strikes became wild, uncoordinated, throwing everything they had until their mana was nearly depleted.
In the end, the heroes had been driven to despair.
A sight no one ever expected to witness—and one that would be hard to forget.
When the awakened council members finally emerged, they had braced themselves, expecting to find the elf city in ruins from the intense battle that had shaken the very buildings. But when they saw the elven forces still intact within the magic dome alongside the captain, their minds seemed to shut down.
They even thought it was an illusion.
Their subconscious worked desperately to shield them from the shock they were about to feel—until,
SMACK!
One of the council members slapped himself so hard that blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. But on his face was a hopeful smile.
"This… is not an illusion."