Chapter 585.5: The Mind Flayer Has Arrived
The others clearly recognized Tyrael.
But their hunger kept them from backing down.
Helplessly, Tyrael directed the soldiers who had recovered to pull apart those fighting and said firmly:
"There's enough food for everyone. If you keep fighting, no one gets any—we'll all die!"
The elves gradually calmed down, glaring at those who had fought but still parting ways.
Even if reluctantly!
Famir let out a quiet sigh, though relief showed on her face.
She saw something worse.
The common elves' quality and education had long been deliberately neglected.
The elven council only wanted easily controlled lower-class elves.
They shaped public opinion to guide them where they pleased.
To become soldiers!
To become assassins!
To be pawns in their schemes!
Even noble education had grown stagnant.
Divided by nobles and territory, everyone pursued their own benefit.
The united kingdom that once overthrew the Golden Elves' tyranny was gone.
Worse still, it now followed in those very footsteps.
While within it, Famir sensed something was wrong, but couldn't explain it.
But in Bay Territory, everything became clear!
Knowledge of statecraft, governance, class development...
Made her grow fast.
She realized the Cole Elven Kingdom had fallen gravely ill—a terminal disease.
The Elven Council cast a wide net, trying to ensnare the northern continent.
Using countless means to influence and control other kingdoms.
They seemed all-powerful, yet created countless enemies.
Many active Cole Elves had noticed this.
But they lacked the strength to oppose the council.
Their methods became increasingly extreme.
When radicals won, they deployed all sorts of terrifying strategies.
Their suppression of the Netheril Empire was a core part of it.
And they succeeded!
The Netheril Empire had lost much in the past two years.
Even now, the Sevinton Council struggled to eradicate orcs.
Their demiplanes still faced constant turmoil.
Cole Elves were always behind it.
But those two years gave rise to Bay Territory—a terrible new foe!
Bay Territory's counterattack had already cost the Cole Elves dearly.
Famir could easily imagine:
After so many years of scheming, Cole Elves must have countless unresolved enemies.
Her fears had come true!
Bay Territory didn't even bother hiding their move from her.
Sera had clearly told her:
"The better you do, the more elven prisoners survive."
"But you must keep this secret in the beginning."
"Later, we won't care anymore."
Not care!
That was the scariest part!
Seeing Tyrael stand up, Famir felt both pleased and uneasy.
She felt that if Tyrael survived, he could be a great help.
But she was wary of Sera approaching.
Famir feared she'd see Tyrael as a threat.
Cole Elves always eliminated threats—
Even potential ones!
But unexpectedly, Sera made no move.
She just handed her spoils to Batum.
Who happily took them and expertly sorted materials.
The elves nervously watched the huge troll.
Seeing the boning knife in his hand, chills ran through them.
What would that blade cut tomorrow?
The three minutes were long over.
But none of the elves mentioned it.
Thanks to Tyrael's shouting, order had returned.
Everyone got a bit of porridge and water.
Sera gave them a cold look and beckoned to the weakened Tyrael.
What now?
"Not bad. Keep it up."
As Tyrael regained some strength, he got a good look at Sera and noticed subtle differences.
Her skin was lighter, her frame broader and more imposing.
Tyrael was a melee combat expert.
He sensed the explosive power in her body.
Yet in that earlier fight, Sera had relied on technique.
Highly unusual!
Sera turned and met his gaze.
He quickly looked away, heart racing.
Then a series of wails echoed from outside. The ground trembled.
Sera frowned, checked her communicator, and said clearly:
"We must retreat. The mind flayers' half-giant legion is coming."
"If you don't want to die, follow me."
"If you do, stay and wait for death."
With that, Sera led the group deeper into the dungeon.
fff
Mind flayers!
The half-giant legion!
Most of the elves who heard this looked confused.
The common elves, who'd never paid attention to such matters, didn't know about these terrifying underground creatures.
Even though they lived near Black Duck Castle!
All they cared about was pleasure. Why worry about such things?
Was the party not fun enough?
Or had the arts become boring?
But Tyrael knew very well.
He even knew about the actions Cole Elves had taken to weaken the Dwarven Kingdom—
They attacked the core brain of the Mind Flayer Empire!
And that had enraged the Mind Flayer Empire!
They rose from the depths and attacked the Gray Dwarves and even some Drow settlements.
In the past, the Mind Flayer Empire had stood alone against the united Dwarven Kingdom and Drow Elves.
After thousands of years of growth, they not only recovered but surpassed their former strength.
Now, with unending rage, they rose again.
Their first strike devastated the Gray Dwarves.
In front of many Cole Elf envoys, they enslaved the Gray Dwarf King.
That sudden defeat caused the entire Gray Dwarven Kingdom to collapse.
But now, the Mind Flayers weren't satisfied with just that.
They needed more slaves to restore their former glory.
They aimed to build a vast empire under their control!
Tyrael hadn't learned this from the military.
Though his rank was decent, he hadn't seen such secrets.
These were memory fragments left behind during the Mind Flayer's mental invasion—
Tyrael knew this wasn't a probing attack!
The half-giant legion had been deployed.
One of the Mind Flayer Empire's top forces cultivated over a millennium.
Hybrids of earth giants and other races.
Not too bright, but immensely strong and gifted in battle.
Their low intelligence made them easy for mind flayers to control—perfect slave soldiers.
Each adult half-giant had high-tier strength.
Some modified ones even reached peak-transcendent or legendary levels.
A powerful army of high-level professionals was fearsome enough.
But add in racial talents for attack, defense, and stamina—they became heavy infantry monsters.
In a world without aerial combat, they were unstoppable.
One of the strongest armies underground.
If not for food and flayer numbers, their forces would be endless!
Stay, and be crushed.
"I don't want to die!"
"I can't die!"
"I must get this information to the Cole Elven Council—the Mind Flayers have a deadly plan!"
Tyrael gritted his teeth and looked at the confused elves.
He recognized them—most were civilians from occupied zones, only a few were ex-soldiers.
So he shouted without hesitation:
"The Mind Flayers are more powerful and evil than Gray Dwarves or Drow!"
"They don't just enslave—they devour brains and souls once you're no longer useful!"
This wasn't fearmongering.
He showed the horrifying scar behind his head—proof of the truth!
The terrified elves followed him instinctively.
For most intelligent beings, following is natural.
Batum recorded their data and reported to Sera.
She remained calm.
She already knew every detail about elves.
Down to the number of muscles.
And the most fatal attack points!
In the Catachan demi-plane's underground lab,
Sera had spent a long time with those sinful elves.
That's why she had this responsibility.
The Gray Dwarves' dungeon was massive—
Holding many races and slaves.
Elves, Drow, Dwarves, Gray Dwarves, Ogres, Trolls, Minotaurs, Dragonborn... over a dozen kinds.
The deeper they went, the more slaves there were.
Sera's people had already released all sentient prisoners.
Most didn't resist.
They obeyed the Drow.
They had no choice!
In the known world of magic beasts—
Drow ranked #1 on the "Do Not Provoke" list.
The cells held magical beasts, some very dangerous.
All non-sentient ones were killed.
Sera directed her team to quickly harvest their magic materials.
Some intelligent beasts acted obediently.
They didn't want to be skinned and gutted like the others.
Within thirty minutes—
Sera had explored the entire dungeon.
Over a thousand slaves were gathered—400 of them elves.
As numbers rose, Sera's force grew.
Many had just returned from fighting, bringing word of the flayers' advance.
Tyrael watched as more and more warriors joined Sera's side.
Over 100 Drow, a dozen elves, 200+ humans, a few ogres, 20+ trolls.
A mix of races, but all shared the same aura.
Uniform movement, synchronized tactics, a special presence.
Professionals.
Tyrael felt their strength clearly.
Their red leather armor, enchanted weapons, varied potions—he was envious.
Most intriguing to him was the red armor.
He felt its magical pulse, its strange energy.
A defense aligned with mind flayer psionics.
Clearly tailored to fight them.
These people belonged to a powerful force.
And had prepared well for this war.
A Drow city-state?
No—the Drow wouldn't be this "friendly," nor arm their slaves so well.
The Gray Dwarves wouldn't either.
They were more xenophobic and had already fled.
They wouldn't care about the prisoners.
Tyrael thought hard but found no answer.
So he focused on managing his fellow elves.
He'd learned—before numbers grew too high, elves could still be useful.
Outwardly, he calmed them. In truth, he assessed their identities and strength.
In the underground world, only power mattered.
He found over 50 elven soldiers.
They lacked gear, but were still in decent shape.
Tyrael knew the Drow well.
Even as slaves, fighters would be "protected."
Because they were valuable property.
Survive first—then think of anything else.
Facing all those wary, fierce, or blank stares—
Sera casually played with a burrowing lizard's head, showing off her power.
Confirming the prisoners were compliant.
Watched by gray elf warriors, they behaved "well."
Then Sera spoke clearly:
"You're lucky we found you."
"And saved you before the mind flayers arrived."
Famir released a magical projection—
Showing flayer slave armies ravaging a Gray Dwarf city.
The scenes stunned every prisoner.
Mind flayers tearing heads open and eating brains.
Disgusting, yet terrifyingly real.
Images spoke louder than words.
Death was close!
All scheming ceased. The prisoners stared silently.
Sera smiled darkly and shouted:
"But you're also unlucky—the mind flayers have us surrounded."
"There's no escape by normal means..."
Uproar among the captives.
Whispers, despair, some collapsed.
Many were elves.
Tyrael frowned.
He didn't sense fear in Sera's people.
Even trained, they wouldn't be this calm if death loomed.
That meant they had a way out.
Tyrael relaxed slightly, waiting to hear her plan.
Boom!
Heavy blows shook the dungeon gates.
Screams fueled more fear.
Sera raised a brow, asked a few spellcasters, then grinned:
"Stay and die."
"Or step into the teleportation circle and work for us."
"Five years of service, and you leave alive."
"You'll get pay and basic needs."
"Prove yourself and earn early release."
"Reject now if you wish."
"But agree and then rebel or flee..."
She dropped the bloody head and spoke flatly:
"Your suffering will rival what the mind flayers would do."
No one doubted her.
Stay, and die. Follow, and maybe live.
Compared to the terrifying flayers, Sera's restraint seemed safer.
Survivors weren't fools. They all agreed.
The screams grew closer.
Tyrael sensed light footsteps.
He clenched his fists, uneasy.
The mind flayers were truly here!