After interrogating the two High Elves, Vahn put them both into a temporary coma and set about incapacitating the entire Sage Council. With the admission of two senior members, and the fact that he had already discovered the link between their leader and Alosrin, Vahn had no reason not to hold them all accountable. After all, according to the nearly 300-year-old member he had just interrogated, they only made decisions based on internal votes. The part about certain Sages favoring certain factions had been a hoax from the start, only allowing them to manipulate the Noble houses even further.
It would seem that the corruption within the Elven Kingdom ran even deeper than expected, going all the way back to the establishment of the Sage Council more than eight-hundred years prior. The man he had killed, known as the Grand Archmage Kesir Alu Prana, had actually been the one to establish the Sage Council and, at the time of his death, was purportedly 837 years old. Ever since the death of the first Elven King, he had been plotting to try and seize power for himself but, as a result of having a rare 'mutation' in his genes, could never lead in the light.
He was one of the few people in the entire world who could use Necromancy, a type of magic that could animate the dead and have them fight at nearly the same strength as when they were alive. This type of magic was a serious taboo so, as a result of his 'mutation', which Vahn suspected was simply an Innate, the only path left to him was to run things from the shadows. Knowing this, Vahn couldn't help but find it fitting that someone who mingled amongst decay and death happened to be one of the primary reasons for the decline of the Elven people, and the deaths of thousands of its members...
In total, the number of 'Sages' within the council amounted to only twenty-seven individuals, generally divided between Master and Apprentice. Though they were all given the title of Sage, granted to them by the King in days gone by, the only ones who held power were the thirteen Masters. By the time Vahn had completely cleared out the underground Sanctum, he had managed to kill three Masters, incapacitate five, and disable the majority of their Apprentices. The rest had to be aboveground and, considering the duo he and Terra had taken out previously, this meant there were five Masters unaccounted for.
Given the circumstances, Vahn assumed they had fled but, if this wasn't the case, he would weed them out if given enough time. Now that things had reached this point, he would take a more proactive approach in dealing with things. Even if Larfal didn't choose to retain his position as King, Vahn wouldn't let other people easily take up the mantle of leadership. From now on, the Elves no longer walked their path towards the future without guidance. If he had to be the stern Shepherd, earning the ire of the entire Elven people, it was something he felt compelled to do. With the introduction of things like the [Sage Aldrnari's Blessing], better living conditions, and less restrictive trade regulations, Vahn knew things would eventually normalize.
One of the more important matters on his mind wasn't actually the Elven Kingdom, as that would be resolved in time, but the Rakia Kingdom to the West, and the Iron Hills to the North. Vahn had given them a warning previously but, after this fiasco, his opinion of the Dwarves of the Iron Hills had reached an all-time low. Though it was certainly the fault of the Nobles and Sage Council for making use of the items provided by the Dwarves, the fact that the supposed 'allies' of the Elven people had given weapons to be used on themselves was ridiculous. They obviously just wanted to take advantage of the inner turmoil even further, likely to secure more 'stock' for their Slave Farms and the like.
Once things had started to calm down, they were next on Vahn's 'corrections required' list, regardless of their own opinion on the matter. Though he wouldn't be the same kind of tyrant Emperor in the Divination, he had just about gotten fed up with how backward all of these things were. Since the Nobles had no right to sell the Elven people as slaves, the Dwarves would be forced to return each and every single one of them. If they failed to do so, Vahn wouldn't mind teaching them that, much like they seemed to purport, 'everything' had a price. The Iron Hills had been accumulating a great debt with him for a long time, compounded by things such as the matter with Tsubaki, and the attempt they had made to put pressure on Orario's markets.
This matter was just the final straw and, if they were unwilling to compromise, Vahn would simply flip the table on them. Though there would certainly be Dwarves that were innocent, Vahn would give them the same treatment that seemed 'necessary' in almost every country around the world. The ruling class had simply been in place for too long and, with a greater focus on personal wealth and repressing other people, this had caused the world to turn rotten. As a physician, just as he had done previously, Vahn knew it was important to remove the rot if you wanted the wound to heal. Since he was trying to change the world in the long term, it would be better to cut out the cancerous parts now and, in time, there was a chance the newer tissue would be much stronger than before. All it needed was proper care, nourishment, and opportunity...
As for Rakia Kingdom...Vahn knew they weren't the true threat, merely the tip of a very large iceberg that he hadn't even been able to glimpse in the Divination. This meant the Empire probably wouldn't be a threat in the interim, meaning he should take care of the Rakia Kingdom sooner, rather than later. They were the 'ultimate' example of how corruption from the top could corrode an entire society of people, as anyone that was even remotely 'successful' generally did so using cruel and heartless means. The only exception to this seemed to be those at the lower rungs, forced to act as slaves, and those that had never been exposed to the policies of Rakia's upper echelons. However, even amongst them, there would be few people that had clean hands as even people like Lunoire and Welf had been forced to get their hands dirty in their youths...
Since the Sage's Sanctum had been cleared out, Vahn made his way to the outside of the Sacred Tree and began constructing a powerful ward around the outside. Unfortunately, he was unable to muster up enough magic power to activate it so, after sending Terra a message, he had to wait for her to deal with her own matters before arriving and finishing the job. While he was waiting, Vahn was sending telepathic messages back to the Manor, updating the girls on the situation, especially Riveria. She wanted to come over but Vahn had asked them to wait until things had calmed down as, right now, there were several things he needed to tend to without splitting hairs worrying about them.
Though they could certainly be trusted to take care of matters, it would just cause even more trouble if all the forces of the Hearth Manor suddenly appeared within the Elven Kingdom. He had already thrown their original plans aside for his own 'selfishness' and, in order to make things smoother in the future, it was better that he deal with things personally. Besides, as he would be the catalyst for the changes coming to the Elven Kingdom, it was better to have everyone focus on him. They might treat him as a Tyrant for not but, in the next few years, Vahn believed he would truly be considered a 'Sage' in their hearts. Now, he just needed to secure all of the Sacred Trees and, if the Elven people were still being held captive by the remaining Noble Houses, Vahn would save them.
A few minutes after he had communicated the situation to her, Terra arrived at his side, fluttering her wings as she said, "Forgive my late arrival, Master, but I had to deal with a few...well, that can wait until later. So, you want me to activate this ward~?" Vahn gave a wry smile when he heard Terra's words, as he could imagine her intimidating the Elves that had shown hostility towards him previously. Though she had a kind and gentle disposition, most of the time, Terra actually wasn't a very personable True Dragon. In fact, like all True Dragons, she was very prideful and 'extremely' territorial of the things she considered her treasures. She showed a great deal of leniency towards the girls in the Hearth Manor, mostly out of consideration for him, but that didn't mean she would 'tolerate' hostility, or other things, from external parties.
Nodding his head, Vahn explained, "Yes, and I'd like for you to secure all of the other Sacred Trees, if possible. I'll make sure to reward you plentily later, so please work hard..." Vahn had been staring nearby Terra when he was speaking and had to 'dodge' her wings when they flicked open. Even her tail made a smooth undulation as her breathing increased slightly. Ever since the time they had first made love within Eva's orb, Terra had been a lot less 'reserved' than when she had first assumed her humanoid form. She was easily one of the more proactive women in his life and could be very 'greedy' when receiving 'rewards'...
After leaving behind the 'excited' True Dragon, Vahn dashed within the boundaries of the Elven Kingdom, looking for any large groups of Elves that might be held together. With his speed, it hadn't even taken more than two minutes to find a large underground area that looked like an 'ocean' of life signs, all clumped together. At a glance, Vahn speculated there were more than ten thousand people and, among them, there were two potential Sage Council members, as they were both Level 6. Before jumping in, and potentially bringing harm to the hostages, Vahn scanned the area within his perception, trying to find the location of the supposed 'bombs'.
Unwilling to overlook anything, it took Vahn nearly twenty minutes until he found energy signatures that matched what he was looking for. Using his [Eyes of Truth], Vahn peered through the ground and saw the situation inside, releasing a sigh of relief when he noticed there was nothing too gruesome going on. It seemed like the High Elves had enough sense not to rile the people up too much, as it would likely cause them to revolt and escalate the situation beyond control. Vahn visually identified the members that should belong to the Sage Council while also taking note of the forces that represented the Noble houses. The latter was in a panic, likely as a result of losing contact with their main forces, while the group for the Sage Council was lingering around the periphery.
Looking towards the energy signatures he had taken note of previously, Vahns aw several small cask-like objects that were filled with a mixture of powdered Fire Dragon Cores, some Earth-based catalyst, and what looked like an inner tube of Flame Dragon's Oil. When it exploded, Vahn could imagine that, not only would the explosion spread out for around 50m, but the fire resulting from the explosion would be 'very' persistent. It made sense how the Nobles had been able to damage the Sacred Trees now, as normal flames wouldn't have been able to do much to the magically resistant bark. The flames resulting from Dragon's Oil, especially those coming from Fire Dragons, were especially effective against anything that relied on natural energy to empower itself.
After identifying each of the casks, Vahn took the path of least resistance and simply threw each of them into his Inventory. Though he could have probably taken out the Nobles before they were able to activate the bombs, there was no need to put on an unnecessary display. For now, he just needed to save these people, as it would likely help his cause in the future if they were able to identify him as the 'reason' they avoided a major catastrophe. His actions, of course, caused the Noble Family's forces to start panicking even further but, immediately after Vahn had stowed away the casks, he had already moved into action.
Using his same lightning-form [Shundo], Vahn set his 'destination' point at the same location as the stronger of the two Sages. He had learned his lesson from his previous acceleration attempt and, instead of just 'picking a direction', Vahn set a destination from the start. Thus, with the sound of a thunderclap impacting the ground, Vahn tore through the layer of soil with his body and 'struck' the unfortunate Sage directly. Just like the elderly Necromancer, Vahn had completely annihilated the body of the man while simultaneously stunning everyone present. The underground area had been very dark, as Elves actually have very good eyesight, so the sudden flash of lightning, accompanied by the sound of an explosion, had caused many people to actually pass out from shock. Others held their hands of their ears while the vast majority of people near his destination point were temporarily blinded by his intrusion.
Unfortunately, apologies would have to wait until later as Vahn had already started moving towards the man desperately channeling his mana into a red crystal. It was obviously the 'trigger' for the explosives and, knowing that he had actually tried to set them off, Vahn showed the man no mercy. He had set his 'destination' point to right behind the monstrous individual, causing another thunderclap as, in significantly less time than it took to blink an eye, Vahn was already behind where the man had previously stood. Now, other than some mist that had dispersed into the ionized air, nothing else remained to even mark that another person had been there previously.
Vahn was beginning to find this method of moved-based-attack very effective and, feeling appreciative of the functionality of the skill, decided to name it 'Fulgur Interitum', Lightning Annihilation. Yes, it was a bit cheesy, but Vahn felt this technique could become the cornerstone of his attack method in the future and wanted it to sound flashy. Then, as if to commemorate the naming of the skill, Vahn expanded his senses and set several destination points, making sure to avoid the citizens. With the sound of a thunderstorm constantly releasing flashes of lightning and thunder, Vahn blinked around the underground area fast enough that it looked like a constant stream of lightning that had several versions of himself present. He could already make afterimages with regular [Shundo], so this was pushing that same functionality to the extreme.
Though it felt like a minute had passed for him, the actual time it had taken to eliminate all the 'obvious' hostiles was only seven seconds. When he was finished, Vahn stood before the completely awestruck crowd of Elves and calmly stated, "I have come to help you, but I will not tolerate disorder in this situation. Stay still and allow me to heal you quickly so I can move on and save the next group. Anyone that tries to make trouble will be treated as a hostile..." To emphasize his words, Vahn allowed his aura to expand slightly, causing a very high pitched sound of electricity to spread around the cavernous underground storage area.
Not too surprisingly, the crowd remained mostly passive as Vahn spread out his aura across them and began regulating his energy to simultaneously heal their wounds and calm their nerves. At the same time, however, he was also identifying the remaining enemies and, after the majority of people were healed, he began pointing them out, ordering in a stern tone, "As you can see, it isn't my intent to bring you any harm. However, there are some hiding among you that belong to the forces that put you into this situation. I will point them out and, unless someone has a good reason explaining why they shouldn't be punished, I will cripple them and put them into a temporary coma until they can be judged for any potential crimes later..."
Once again, as expected, a person from the crowd immediately shouted out to try and refute Vahn's words. Since it was one of the people he had already identified as an enemy, Vahn immediately converged his aura on the man, silencing him. Raising his hand, Vahn pulled the man forward with his telekinesis and 'poked' his index finger slightly below the man's navel. Because of the suppression of his aura, the man wasn't able to scream out in pain and passed into unconsciousness moments later. With the same calm tone as before, Vahn said, "If you want to avoid pain, you would save us both the trouble by offering yourself up willingly. Your Masters are either dead or dying, so the only hope you have to avoid even heavier punishment is to show penance for your actions..."
For several long seconds, nobody made any sounds, which was very eerie with more than ten-thousand people within the cavern. In response to this, Vahn just began converging his aura on everyone that had a highly negative aura, freezing them in place. Some of them had been on the periphery and were looking for opportunities to disappear into the various passages doting the massive underground chamber. Then, with a raise of his hand, Vahn picked up nearly a hundred people, gritting his teeth against the strain as he brought them slowly towards his position. As this was happening, the rest of the group of Elves remained silent, many showing expressions of absolute fear and dread at the situation occurring before their eyes.
Like a machine, Vahn systematically crippled each of the ninety-three men, and four women, before laying them out on the ground in a line. Turning to the group of Elves, who seemed to be waiting for the sky to fall upon their heads, Vahn put on the gentlest expression he could manage and said, "I know this experience has been difficult for each of you...but we're doing our best to get things under control. For the time being, I would appreciate it if you all stayed in this area and watched over these criminals. I'll provide you with food, water, and blankets to tide you over and, hopefully, this nightmare can be brought to a conclusion in the next couple of hours. Rest assured, as your King will likely make a statement alongside the High Priestess once everything is resolved..."
While speaking, Vahn began to line the area with tables full of food, purchased through his system shop, and began piling up large amounts of blankets next to the crowd. Pointing to a few people, Vahn tried to soften his words as he said, "Please, help pass out these blankets. There aren't enough for everyone, so please share with your friends and family. And, please, remember my words...if you start returning to the surface while the conflict is ongoing, it will only make matters more difficult to resolve. I know some of you may wish to help, but you wouldn't have ended up in this situation if you could contribute to resolving it. Leave it to myself, my companions, and the people that are in charge of your safety and protection..."
Towards the end of his words, Vahn began to slowly levitate into the air, causing several people nearby to backpedal as if their lives depended on it. He knew that, while he thought it looked cool, his [Magia Erebea] form could appear very demonic. Though he had several forms that allowed him to make use of natural energy, they typically weren't suited for combat like this so they would have to tolerate his 'demonic' appearance. Fortunately, he noticed that many people had slightly positive colors in their auras, even though the majority of them also had clear indicators of fear present as well. They had been through a lot and, even though his attacks had been decisive, it wasn't a pleasant experience having lightning flashing and exploding around you...
Giving the group one last look, Vahn ascended through the hole he had arrived through, making his way towards his next destination. Now that he had success using his method once, Vahn knew he would be able to repeat it for any other places. He did, however, make a mental note to ask how many locations existed where people were being held. It would be very embarrassing if he had all these people waiting underground after he had already 'rescued' everyone. Since there was a fair chance some people had been kidnapped during the chaos, having the larger group of Elves search their own territory would save time. For now, however, they needed to be patient as, much like people were ought to do, they would only stand in his way...
(A/N: Okay, this is the last one for today. I notice we're number 1 in the rankings and it kind of makes me want to push myself a little harder xD...the people on my Discord have strongly advised against it, however, so I'll see you all tomorrow. I hope you're all enjoying Vahn losing his shit as it is, 'very loosely', a representation of my own frustrations atm xD...Also, since some people would probably point it out, the High Elf he had saved GTFO of that place ASAP. Vahn just didn't stop her, as he had already given her the option to flee to safety. I imagine most people that had almost been raped would be in a hurry to leave the place their trauma was associated with. She will make an appearance later, however...)
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn is on a fucks clearance sale. Every fuck must go, until he has no fucks left to give~!','Terra is very greedy (O,...,O)...','Commanding Chaos With Absolute Power')
https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)
paypal.me/Einlion
Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh
While zipping around through the dense canopy of the dark forest, illuminated by his Lightning Raiment, Vahn encountered a variety of small groups that had sought shelter within the security of their own domiciles. With the massive downpour of rain extinguishing the once furious fires burning within the forest, it made the once beautiful and fantastical Elven Kingdom seem inordinately solemn. However, Vahn had the distinct impression that, even before he came to this magical land, it had already been a terribly dark place. Instead of the rain creating the stagnant atmosphere, Vahn felt as though it was washing away the sins of the past, purifying the corruption that had deeply rooted itself within this sacred forest. And he, his role in all of this, was the Lightning of Tribulation, striking down upon those that had lived their lives at the expense of others...
With his current speed, Vahn was able to move through the territory of the Elven Kingdom very quickly and, after a few minutes had passed, he had already located another group of hostages. Unlike the previous one, however, there were around thirty people from the High Priestess Faction currently trying to negotiate with the members of the Elven Nobility. Unfortunately, as a result of the fact that the main forces of the Nobles had already been mostly dealt with, those keeping the hostages weren't in the mood to negotiate agreeable terms. Vahn had heard them make some foolish demands like requiring the Priestesses to make vows of servitude if they wanted to free the captive members of the Elven community.
Instead of throwing his voice into the negotiations, Vahn instead threw in his own body, though not before completely getting rid of the explosives located around the mass congregation of Elves. Then, just as before, he had torn through the group within just a few short seconds before turning to the High Elven woman leading the group from the High Priestess Faction. She had honey-colored hair, peach-colored eyes, and a very beautiful face. Unfortunately, much like the group he had just rescued, she had a pale complexion full of fear while resisting the urge to raise her staff in a defensive posture. They had already been informed about his involvement in the rescue efforts so, fortunately, the woman had enough sense not to attack an ally...
Though he had left a survivor from the Noble faction, Vahn still asked the High Elven woman, "Tell me, do you know how many more locations there are with hostages? I've already rescued a group of around ten-thousand previously, and I need to know what to expect before I move on to the next location." These words, which easily cut through the silent atmosphere, eased the tensions of the captives who began to talk amongst themselves. Before it became too loud, Vahn turned towards them and spoke in a firm tone, "For the time being, it will be helpful for everyone if you remain silent. This situation hasn't been resolved yet and, until everyone has been saved, I ask that you be patient, quiet, and well behaved..." As before, Vahn began setting out food and blankets with a wave of his hand, assigning a few people to help pass them out before turning back to the group of Priestesses.
The honey-haired woman tensed up a bit with his approach but, after seeing the actions Vahn had taken, did her best to stay calm as she said, "Vahn Mason...thank you for your assistance. You have done the Elven people a great service today..." Though he would have humored her in normal circumstances, Vahn didn't believe that the Nobles and the Sage Council were the only ones to blame for how things had become. For the last thousand years, all in a vain attempt to hold onto their old culture and traditions, the High Priestess Faction had stood at the side and allowed their people to stagnate to the point that their population was actually declining. Their passive approach had crippled the Elven People greatly and, all because they refused to contend directly for power against the Elven Nobles, thousands of people had suffered due to their inaction.
Without extending any of the normal courtesies, Vahn's expression remained firm as he said, "I asked you questions previously, which are currently unanswered. Dispense with the pleasantries, there are people's lives on the line..." This caused the High Elven woman to both pale and blush at the same time, showing an expression of incredulity and embarrassment as she said, "There should only be one more place where people are being held...the High Priestess had gone to-" Holding up his hand to interrupt her, Vahn asked, "Where?"
Looking as though she had swallowed a bug, the High Elven woman pointed in the direction of one of the Sacred Trees and started to open her mouth. Before she was able to form any words, however, Vahn nodded his head and said, "I'll go lend a hand. Stay here and make sure things remain orderly until this incident is over. If your people had sent a group to the third location, send a message to make sure they don't let people begin wandering around. Until this mess is cleaned up, you have the responsibility of keeping your people in line. Wait for the King and the High Priestess to give you notice when things have been resolved..."
Finished speaking, Vahn used [Shundo] and vanished from the area with a loud thunderclap, startling the already stunned group. They were too used to being looked up to and treated as if they were special so, having someone like Vahn treat them in such a manner, was difficult to react to. It was almost like they weren't even in his eyes, merely an inconvenience that prevented things from running smoothly. Previously, the High Elven woman, named Rosalina Caed Gelaimh, had intended to use the captives to make a march on the properties of the Noble Faction. This would have caused even greater chaos, but it would have also prevented the latter group from bouncing back and trying to spin things in their favor.
Now was the perfect time for a revolution and, suddenly being 'told' to stand by, Rosalina couldn't help but clench her teeth in frustration. However, she couldn't even imagine something that could deal with the power that Vahn had just displayed. Since their current orders were to 'not antagonize Vahn Mason', the only thing she could do was swallow her pride and, as he suggested, make sure the people stay calm until everything had been resolved. Just the fact that Vahn had saved nearly twenty-thousand people, while eliminating a group they couldn't even do anything about, kept her from having any ideas that might go against his words...
With the directions provided by the High Elven woman, it didn't take Vahn long to reach the final destination where people were being held captive. Once again, he bore witness to a completely different scenario, however, as the 'negotiations' that had been taking place looked to have progressed to an annoying point. Vahn saw a middle-aged handsome man with Dark Blue eyes and a mix of golden and silver hair putting a slave collar around a young High Elven woman, the same one he had seen previously alongside Terra. Seeing this, Vahn couldn't help shake his head because he couldn't understand what was going through the minds of the High Priestess Faction if they believed the 'solution' was to compromise with the people 'literally' bringing ruin to their country.
Just as the man had finished fastening the collar, showing a 'victorious' look on his face, Vahn had appeared next to where the man had stood. The only thing that remained of the Level 6 Noble was the hand he had stretched out to touch the young Half Elf's chin, which now fell lifelessly to the ground. Having resigned herself to her fate, the young woman's dark blue eyes opened wide when she saw this and she instinctually took a few steps backward before falling onto her butt. Her golden hair, which bordered on the color white, was matted against her face from the rain and she couldn't help but stare wide-eyed as Vahn, currently appearing like a phantom shrouded in lightning, tore through all of the enemies present.
Once the main group had been dealt with, Vahn pulled out the remnant group within the crowd of captive Elves and crippled all thirteen of them. It seemed only the first group he had found, which was held underground, had been smart enough to include a large number of plants. The second group he saved only had a single high-level person hidden in their midst and the third group just had a few people carrying smaller explosives on their body, which had been thrown into his Inventory before he jumped in. Even so, his actions had left the group completely stunned as, much like the previous two, it was a very startling experience to have lightning 'exploding' around you. Most people in the areas he had appeared were completely stunned, fallen to the ground while covering their eyes and ears, while everyone else just cowered away, using the bodies of other people as cover.
Shaking his head, Vahn spread out his hands and gently stated, "Do not worry, I have come to help you...please, stay calm and quiet. The King and the High Priestess will inform you when everything is safe..." With that thought in mind, Vahn [Shundo]'d over to the group of nearly fifty women, consisting of two High Elves and forty-three other Elven women. He saw the young woman on the ground and frowned slightly, trusting his instincts and asking, "Are you supposed to be the High Priestess...?" Without forming words, the young woman just nodded her head a little too quickly while still letting the rain pepper her body. Seeing this, Vahn released a small sigh and threw a blanket to her before condensing the periphery of his domain to form a barrier around the area, preventing the rain from reaching the exposed captives.
Suddenly having a warm blanket thrown over her body, the young High Elf muttered an 'Eh?' while putting on a confused look. Vahn, however, had already turned back to the crowd to calm them down, providing them with warm food as he increased the temperature within his domain to keep them from being chilled. It took around fifteen minutes to get everything settled, as he was no longer in as much a hurry, before he turned back to the group from the High Priestess Faction. At this point, the High Priestess had been brought to her feet and was surrounded by the larger group of Priestesses as the only other High Elf looked towards him with a fierce expression.
Seeing the look she was giving him, Vahn felt his brain buzz with frustration as his own visage become icy cold. He was starting to get really tired of the people he was helping give him accusatory looks and showing hostility. Previously, he thought the High Priestess Faction to be far more reasonable but, after coming to their aid, Vahn realized they had been treating him as an enemy. Since he had never done anything to antagonize them, the fact they were treating him like this was beginning to grate on his nerves a great deal. All he had ever done, since their first interactions with each other, was trying to help out their Faction and support the Elven people as a whole...this...this treatment didn't make any sense at all...
Before the woman was able to say anything, Vahn bore his aura down upon her and said, "Choose your words very carefully...ever since I've come here, the only actions I've taken were to help you and your people. If you continue to treat me in such a hostile manner, I will give you a reason to..." While speaking, lightning began to crackle around Vahn's body as a stark white aura lit up the darkness, radiating from his body and forcing everyone to remember how he had previously wiped out all of the enemies in mere seconds. This caused the mature High Elf to take a deep breath and step back as her hand instinctually went towards a pendant around her neck.
With a crackle of lightning, Vahn appeared right in front of the woman and pulled away the pendant, even though there was a powerful resistive force trying to prevent him from doing so. The look in his eyes became even more fierce as fire elemental energy, infused with his lightning, consolidated within his hand. In mere moments, the temperature of his hand had reached nearly 60,000 degrees, causing the pendant to turn into liquid slag that fell from the cracks between his fingers. During this display, Vahn kept his eyes locked with the woman's, almost as if he were daring her to make another foolish action.
The tension in the atmosphere, which had started to soften from the warmth Vahn had introduced into his domain, immediately became icy cold as a terrifyingly oppressive aura descended upon everyone present. Vahn was fighting against his own urge to strike this woman as he had recognized the pendant to be very similar to the gravity artifact used by the previous woman. Though she may not have intended to use it, and was just moving instinctually to defend herself, Vahn didn't care one bit. If he had let her use that item against him, it was the same as essentially letting her kill him over a misunderstanding. Yes, he may be immortal, but the pain caused by having each of your cells weighed down by an oppressive gravitational force was maddeningly painful.
After clenching his teeth for a few seconds, doing his best to calm down, Vahn asked, "What...did you...want to say...?" Currently, the mature High Elf had been staring slack-jawed as she observed the droplets of one of her family's most precious treasures drip down onto the ground. She knew the temperature and strength of Vahn's grip was something unimaginable and, as she had not intended to use the item, it pained her to see it destroyed so quickly. However, regrets aside, she still tried to calm herself down, hardening her convictions as she said, "My name is Irisalia Els Lainu, former High Priestess and current Advisor to the new High Priestess, Sylfia Dal Alfan...Vahn Mason, if you do not wish to seek trouble with the High Priestess Faction, you will release our-"
Without continuing to listen to the woman's words, Vahn pinched the bridge of his nose, looking away from her as he coldly stated, "Ever since I came here, your people have done nothing but show hostility towards me. I did not seek trouble, Irisalia, your group 'created' it for me! After all of this, you think you have the right to order me!? You believe yourself so above everything that you would show ire towards the person that had saved nearly a third of your entire population!? You would show hostility towards the person that prevented you Sacred Trees from burning to the ground!?"
Irisalia stared wide-eyed towards the boy in front of her, clearly seeing that he had reached the limits of his patience. Everything he said was true and, even though he had done nothing wrong, they had been openly hostile towards him, even while he was in the process of helping them. Not only that, but he had prevented the assassination of the King, stopped the burning of two of their Sacred Trees, and liberated a large number of their people. However, the only thing that had been on her mind was the fact that, at the present moment, Vahn had become the 'Master' of the High Priestess, Sylfia.
By killing the man who had contracted Syflia, Vahn had 'inherited' her from him and Irisalia couldn't allow him to keep her as his slave, even for a short while. She had wanted him to nullify the contract before the people could react to what was going on, potentially spreading rumors that the High Priestess had been the slave of a 'human', even if he was rumored to be a Progenitor. The turmoil that the Elven Kingdom would face in the aftermath of this event was simply too great. They would need strong leadership to be able to return things to 'normal' once again, especially now that a large power vacuum had appeared with the deaths of so many of the Nobles...
Just as she was about to try and rebuke Vahn and get him to release the High Priestess, a small voice cut through the tense atmosphere, saying, "Please...wait..." Turning her head to the side, Irisalia saw Sylfia hesitantly talking towards Vahn and immediately moved to obstruct her, saying, "Sylfia, you must stay away from this man! He is too dangerous...!" These words caused Vahn to begin laughing, freely and uninhibitedly while a righteous fury began to bubble up inside of his heart. When he had laughed enough, he turned his eyes back to the woman, shouting, "So, you say I'm too dangerous, the man who just saved your people and provided them food and security!? Yet, just before I arrived, your group had literally been in the process of compromising with the very people trying to fucking 'kill' them! The only dangerous thing here is every word that comes out of your fucking mouth!"
In truth, Vahn had probably sworn less than a dozen times after arriving in this world, as it always seemed unnecessary. At this moment, however, he was so unbelievably annoyed at this situation that he couldn't help but use harsher words. Instead of thanking him, the first words anyone in their Faction spoke were 'telling' him what he needed to do. Even now, after it was very clear that he wasn't buying her bullshit, the woman openly called him dangerous. This was immediately after she had been tempted, even for a moment, to use an item that would have been able to kill him. He couldn't stand the hypocrisy and longer...
Raising his hand, Vahn's expression became even icier as he said, "You seem to lack an understanding of the situation on a very fundamental level, Irisalia. Currently, I have prevented the assassination of the Elven King, saved nearly thirty-thousand of your people, prevented the burning of two of your sacred trees, ensure that all seven sacred trees were protected, eliminated the forces of the Nobility, and destroyed the masterminds in the Sage Council pulling the strings behind everyone's backs...I did all of this without a single bit of help from your incompetent group. There was never a point in time where your opinion on the situation has mattered and, now that it has been resolved, any right you had to make compromises has been lost. You could have helped out from the start but, just like the arrogant Nobles, and the foolish Sages, you have only thought about how you can use this situation to your advantage. Here, before more than ten-thousand of your kin, you show hostility to the very person that saved them. All of this, without a single fucking word of gratitude before you start showing your true face...!"
Every word Vahn spoke boomed like thunder and, as his anger continued to rise, so too did the aura around his body. At this point, there was a stark white electrical aura shrouding his figure for nearly eight meters, making it almost impossible to look directly at him. Even so, his words echoed the truth of the matter to everyone present, putting into perspective what had been going on for the uninformed masses. As for Irisalia, and the other members of the High Priestess Faction, they had turned pale under the pressure of Vahn. Still, as if she was simply incapable of setting aside her pride and dignity, Irisalia's expression remained undaunted as she opened her mouth once again.
This time, however, Vahn flared his aura even more and furrowed his brows deeply as he said, "Shut the fuck up...I swear, if you say one more asinine remark, I will wipe out your entire Faction along with the Nobles and Sage Council..." To emphasize this fact, chains formed by the Laws of the world came into existence, binding to Vahn's heart as he gave Irisalia a stare that promised endless regrets if she so much as said a single word. This time, Irisalia's mouth shut completely and she swallowed hard enough that it was audible to almost everyone in the immediate surroundings. However, her silence only made it possible for someone else to speak up as the young High Elf stepped forward once again and muttered, "Vahn Mason...please...this is all a misunderstanding... it's my fault...please don't hurt anyone..."
The words came from none other than the current High Priestess, Sylfia Dal Alfan, currently with tears beginning to form in her eyes as she took hesitant steps forward. Vahn's icy expression softened a bit when he saw this young girl pleading for leniency and, as he didn't actually want to hurt anyone, his mind began to calm down very quickly. After all, the only reason he had come here was to save people and bring about change that would make each of their lives better. He didn't want to become a tyrant that 'forced' change, not if he didn't need to. However, it was very difficult to tolerate all the things he had to face over the last few hours, especially when the people that should have been helping him were the ones who had caused him the most actual harm.
Suddenly feeling a little guilty for making a 'young' woman cry, Vahn released a sigh and averted his eyes away as he said, "Calm down...I'm not going to do anything unless some 'fools' continue to try and antagonize me..." While speaking, Vahn had cast a glance towards Irisalia, once again 'daring' her to say something to trigger his fury. Fortunately, for everyone, she kept her silence as Sylfia continued to close the distance and released a long sigh of relief. Her dark blue eyes reflecting his image in them and, after a few awkward seconds had passed, a small smile began to bloom on Sylfia's face as she said, "I'm sorry for everything...please take care of me from now on..." Following her words, Sylfia bowed low, stunning everyone present, Vahn included...
//Sylfia Dal Alfan Wishes To Become Your Subordinate: (Y/N?)//
(A/N: I'll be trying to normalize the number of chapters to around 14k words a day again, but I won't be sticking to a hard schedule for the time being. This week's word count will probably be around 85-90k, as I got a slow start, but it should be back to normal in the following weeks. Enjoy these final few chapters of Volume 15 (UwU)~!)
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Ain't nobody got time fo dis~!','SAY SOMETHING! I FUCKIN' DARE YOU!','You dun wat now girl...!?')
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