There Is No World For ■■
Chapter 142: City Of The Wretched (5)

* * *

Grabbing the sword that Seti threw, Yeomyeong immediately blocked the elf’s surprise attack.

Clang!!

The sound of the first clash resounded.

Yeomyeong’s muscles contracted as he blocked the blow, and simultaneously, the marble floor he was standing on cracked.

However, the elf’s attack didn’t stop there. The elf’s sword bent like roots, clearly aiming for Yeomyeong’s neck.

Yeomyeong drew upon his mana, concentrating his strength into his shoulders.

The mana from the Surging Wave technique responded. Flowing along the tense veins and muscles, the waves were absorbed into the sword.

!!!!!!

Their swords collided, creating an immense shockwave, but no sound was heard. The mana explosion swallowed the noise completely.

Or perhaps his eardrums had burst.

Either way, it didn’t matter. Yeomyeong swung his sword once more, and the elf responded in kind.

The elf’s sword had neither a beginning nor an end. Sometimes, it drew a straight line; at others, it curved and continued without end.

Yeomyeong was all too familiar with this elven swordsmanship.

It displayed the same movement and trajectory shown by Rime, Soe Miri’s escort, but… the degree of skill was different.

If Rime’s swordsmanship was like a pistol, the sword wielded by this elf before him was akin to a cannon.

The power his blade contained, and the outcome the swordsmanship created were proof of this.

The shockwave from their clash crushed the marble floor. Glass shattered, and cracks spread through the pillars.

The entire building trembled and groaned while the people fleeing screamed even louder.

However, the elf’s sword failed to achieve its intended result.

Far from slicing it, the sword with a red leaf drawn on it barely managed to inflict small wounds on Yeomyeong’s neck.

Why? The red-haired elf figured out the reason easily.

This guy had already seen elven swordsmanship before.

“…I’ve finally found the culprit.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

Yeomyeong frowned. He attacked him out of nowhere and was now talking about a culprit?

“There’s no point in denying it; it’s too late. You thief.”

The elf spoke as he unleashed his Sword Aura. A translucent aura unique to elves, containing pure mana.

Yeomyeong realized that the elf had some misunderstanding but had no intention of clearing it up through conversation.

Having already crossed swords, this wasn’t a problem that could be solved with words but with blades.

“Humans usually become obedient after losing an arm. I hope you can hold out a bit longer.”

The moment the elf sneered and swung his sword, Yeomyeong completed an ice spike almost simultaneously.

And the next moment, the translucent Sword Aura and the ice spikes collided, small ice shards filling the air.

“…Magic?”

While the elf looked surprised, Yeomyeong was already on the move. As he dashed outside the building, he launched a few more ice spikes at the fragile pillars.

Crack!

With a chilling sound, the pillars shattered, and the ceiling came crashing down.

The elf also leaped outside the building immediately, only to find the ice spikes Yeomyeong had set in place waiting for him.

“…Not bad for a thief.”

The elf commented as he gazed down at the ice spike embedded in his side. Yeomyeong responded casually.

“You’re not too bad for an assassin either.”

A fierce smile followed by a brief silence.

A drop of sweat trickled down Yeomyeong’s forehead, hanging on his chin before falling to the ground.

And in the next moment, both released their Sword Aura simultaneously.

* * *

“Well, I’ve finally lived long enough to experience a surprise attack by an elf.”

Joseph murmured as he watched Yeomyeong and the elf clash atop a building from afar.

Flames from the wreckage of the restaurant had spread to the surrounding area, illuminating their fight under the night sky.

“By any chance, did you do something to make an elf hold a grudge against you?”

Joseph’s question was directed at Seti, who wore a black dress.

She intended to assist Yeomyeong after saving the civilians from the restaurant, including Joseph, but she couldn’t find an opening to join the fight and was left waiting anxiously.

“…I would’ve helped if anything, but I haven’t done anything to deserve a sneak attack.”

“That’s… strange then.”

Joseph stroked his chin, observing the elf’s attire, while Seti, without taking her eyes off Yeomyeong, asked.

“I really don’t know. Can the tracking magic on the gold coin be the reason? Do they think we stole it?”

“No, I’m sure that’s not the case.”

“…”

“The tracking spell on the gold coin is a very basic one. A greedy human mage might use it, but there’s no way the Red Branch would use such a low-level spell.”

“…Red Branch?”

Seti stared at Joseph in disbelief, but he answered with certainty.

“Yes, that elf is definitely from the Red Branch. How can a weapons dealer not recognize that? And I assure you, he’s quite a prominent figure within the Red Branch.”

The Red Branch.

Seti recalled that it was the name of a special force operated by elves.

They were the ones who showed the world just how terrifying Superhuman guerrillas could be when used in modern warfare.

Until the Malta Accord expelled all elf guerrillas from Earth, they were the leading cause of death for CIA agents.

Why were people who she’d only read about in textbooks here in Dreitherial… No, maybe it was not that strange.

After all, this wasn’t Earth; it was a realm beyond a Dimensional Portal.

What… what should I do?

Seti bit her lower lip.

Even if Yeomyeong didn’t lose, the problem was that there were Superhumans all over the city watching this fight.

The Count Palatine and the Superhumans under his command, and even the Shepherds sent by the Korean government lurking in the shadows.

Not just one or two, but so many variables.

Seti was getting anxious.

Being barehanded, she couldn’t intervene in a fight of this scale recklessly. It was a matter of compatibility as much as skill.

If I just had a hammer, maybe I could create an opening…

For now, all she could do was worry.

And the moment Yeomyeong and the elf disappeared from sight, her worry reached its peak.

Unable to stay back any longer, Seti spoke up.

“Joseph, you know our lodging, right? There’s a chest with gold bars and a bag of gold coins there. Go grab them right away, and if possible, remove the tracking magic as well.”

“…Are you planning to get involved in that fight?”

“I’ll try to wait for the right opportunity. If we survive, let’s meet in the sewers where we first met.”

With those words, Seti immediately used her Flying Kick technique and leaped onto the rooftop.

The sight of the city being swallowed by flames was devastating, but her gaze remained fixed on Yeomyeong.

It’s fine. The odds are still in Yeomyeong’s favor.

Seti leaped across the rooftops, moving swiftly through the city, ready to intervene promptly if anything went wrong…

And just as she arrived near the building where Yeomyeong and the elf were clashing, a familiar figure appeared as space split open.

It was a girl wearing a combat suit and loaded with military equipment—someone Seti knew all too well.

“…Neti?”

Wondering if she was mistaken, Seti rubbed her eyes. But her younger sister was still there. She even spotted her and ran over.

“Unnie!”

“You—how did you…!”

“I’ll explain later. Just fill me in for now. Where are we, and why is Brother-in-law fighting an elf?”

Perhaps due to the shock of their unexpected reunion, Seti didn’t even think of objecting to the word ‘Brother-in-law’ and simply explained the situation.

This was the city of Dreitherial, and they were suddenly attacked by an elf while meeting with an arms dealer…

Despite the hurried, barebones explanation, Neti seemed to understand it perfectly.

“So, that elf is the enemy; and you’re unable to do anything because you’re currently unarmed?

“…Exactly.”

“Alright, then let’s get you armed first.”

Setting her military equipment on the ground, Neti carefully took out the contents.

Various firearms, grenades, gloves woven from elf hair, and …

A modular War Hammer with a separate head, steel rod, and handle pieces.

She quickly assembled the parts, and in no time, a large War Hammer was complete. Neti then handed it to her sister.

Feeling its familiar weight, Seti finally realized that the sister in front of her was not a figment of her imagination but real.

Ignoring her sister’s amazement, Neti skillfully cast a spell and said.

“I’ll use telekinesis to pin down the elf’s movements. Meanwhile, you join up with Brother-in-law, and then let’s all attack together.”

While it was a pretty basic tactic, Seti shook her head.

“No, we can’t give the elf any chance.”

The opponent was from the Red Branch—the guerrillas among guerrillas.

If he saw no chance of winning, he’d retreat, and they’d get ambushed again without finding out why.

Her hesitation was brief, and her decision swift.

“…Neti, do you remember the twin bombardment drill we did before?”

At the mention of ‘twin bombardment,’ Neti furrowed her brows. She glanced at the elf scattering Sword Aura in the distance.

“…Are you planning to end it in one blow?”

“It’s the best option.”

Seti replied firmly, leaving no room for objections. Neti nodded and began preparing a telekinesis spell.

As someone born with little talent for precise mana manipulation, it was the ideal spell for her.

And as soon as the spell was completed, an invisible force wrapped around Seti’s body and lifted her high into the sky.

Seti gripped her hammer tight as she rose high enough to make Yeomyeong and the elf look as small as her palm.

Rainbow-Slashing Thunderstrike.

As if pouring in lightning that could sever a rainbow, Seti gathered her mana and infused it into the hammer.

After observing the hammer’s brilliance from the ground, Neti released the telekinesis spell.

Almost immediately, a thunderbolt struck the city.

* * *

By the time the elf sensed that something was falling from the sky, it had already arrived right in front of him.

He had plenty of excuses he could have made.

He was too focused on the human in front of him, or the blood flowing from his side disrupted his concentration…

But regardless of the excuses, the elf failed to evade it completely.

!!!!!!!!!!!

Although he managed to avoid a direct hit from the lightning-charged hammer, that was all.

The roof of the building he was standing on crumbled into dust.

Debris flew into the air, and his footing gave way as he began to fall.

Had it ended there, the elf might have somehow recovered his stance.

However, the enemy he had been exchanging fierce blows with so far was waiting and not being one to miss such an opportunity, charged straight at the elf.

Slash!

A light yellow blade sliced across the elf’s left shoulder. It was a clean strike that neatly severed his bone and muscle.

Instead of screaming on having lost an arm, the elf skillfully broke his fall, cushioning his landing.

Thud! The impact from the fall struck his lungs.

Blood rose to his throat, but he clenched his teeth and gripped his sword with his remaining right arm.

Or rather, he tried to.

However, before he had a chance to regain his stance, the blade that had severed his arm was pressed firmly against his neck.

“…I never thought that I’d lose to a thief.”

He didn’t feel resentful about being ambushed; after all, he too had started the fight with a surprise attack.

Finding it somewhat ironic, the elf raised his head.

The golden eyes of the human who held the blade to his neck showed neither the thrill of victory nor pride.

Only calm curiosity.

“Now, tell me the reason you pulled this stunt.”

For a victor’s question, it was remarkably plain, but the elf twisted his lips.

“…You should know better than anyone.”

The human, Cheon Yeomyeong, began to feel slightly irritated. Should he cut off the elf’s other arm to make him obedient?

He raised his blade again, only for the elf to sneer and continue.

“There’s no use denying it. I can feel it even now.”

“Feel what?”

“The World Tree’s mana flowing through your body… it’s undeniable proof that the scum who stole the World Tree’s crystal put it inside you.”

“…”

“Human who defiled the World Tree, even if you kill me, the other elves will continue to hunt you down. As long as our revolutionary army remains, you will never sleep peacefully.”

Yeomyeong was at a loss for words in the face of the elf’s declaration, which was so determined it was almost solemn. How had things gotten so tangled?

It was true that he had ingested a World Tree crystal, but it had nothing to do with the one rumored to be in this city.

The problem was, how could he prove that…

…Proof? What proof?

Yeomyeong had no reason to spare this elf, let alone clear up his misunderstanding.

Even if relations with the elves soured, anyone with eyes could clearly see who the real victim was here.

Even Soe Miri would understand this situation.

Let’s just kill him.

Just as Yeomyeong was about to bring his blade down, an unfamiliar voice stopped him.

“I believe I can prove this young man’s innocence.”

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