I Can Finally Use Force (1)
Ghislain had been carefully examining the rotting forest because something about it had raised his suspicions.
'This can't be just black magic.'
Black magic was certainly filled with resentment and malice, but it was still a force that existed in this world.
However, the energy spreading through the forest now carried a darkness far more fundamental.
It was a foreign energy, utterly incompatible with this world.
"The Salvation Church."
Only the priests of the Salvation Church could manipulate such energy—something that could never blend with this world, like oil and water.
That profane energy, when mixed with black magic, was rapidly corrupting the forest.
It was no wonder the elves hadn't noticed. The aura left behind by the Salvation Church merely amplified the power of black magic.
Since both were negative forces, they naturally felt similar in origin. Even a superhuman wouldn't easily notice once they'd been blended together like this.
But Ghislain, a highly skilled dark mage who had reached the realm of manipulating the force of will, could sense the world's dissonance.
Thanks to that, he had detected the presence of the Salvation Church's energy.
'Yeah, I figured as much.'
A war between elves and orcs was one thing—it had been going on for a long time. But the moment a dark mage got involved, he had grown suspicious.
The Salvation Church had been stirring trouble across the land. There was no way they'd leave the elves alone.
Sure enough, those bastards were now approaching the northern forest.
Ssssssshhk...
The corruption of the forest began to accelerate. It was reacting to the immense energy that was drawing near.
As the decay around them suddenly intensified, Erenes was startled.
She stepped back several paces and shouted,
"W-what? What's happening to the forest all of a sudden?"
It felt as though darkness was swallowing everything around them. That was how rapidly the forest was rotting.
Erenes turned to Ghislain and demanded,
"What the hell is going on! What did you do?"
"They're coming."
"Who? The dark mage?"
"No, others. But the dark mage and the orcs will be following behind them."
"What are you talking about? Who's the enemy?"
"The high priests of the Salvation Church."
"......."
Erenes's expression went blank for a moment. The name had come out of nowhere.
This was supposed to be a conflict between elves and orcs. The dark mage had only recently gotten involved.
If the Salvation Church had intervened, the Grand Chieftain and elders would've known.
Erenes scoffed with disbelief,
"Humans are supposed to be terrifyingly good liars, but now that I see one up close, I'm not impressed. That lie was pathetic."
Ghislain had no way to convince Erenes at that moment. The approaching darkness was something only he could see and feel.
And that darkness would soon arrive.
Ghislain looked back at Erenes and said,
"There's no time. Go back now. Tell them to prepare for war."
Ghislain began slowly gathering his magic. Several powerful presences were approaching this place.
But it wasn't just darkness drawing near.
Flaaaash!
Elves appeared alongside spirits. They had finally sensed the forest's abnormality and tracked Ghislain here.
An elder, the elf who had been pursuing Ghislain from the beginning, shouted,
"Erenes! What's going on here!"
"I, I..."
Erenes stammered, looking between the elder and Ghislain in confusion.
The elder turned a cold gaze on Ghislain and said,
"Was it you? Are you the one who did this to the forest? Where are the other dark mages?"
"........"
Ghislain furrowed his brow. It was a bit annoying, but he couldn't blame them. After all, they had no idea what was really going on.
But now wasn't the time to explain and clear up misunderstandings.
His tone turned cold as well.
"It wasn't me."
"Then what is going on?"
"The priests of the Demon Realm are coming."
"W-what?"
"The center of the forest should be the safest. Gather all the elves there. Prepare for battle."
"You fool! What nonsense are you spewing! Cease this madness at once!"
Boooom!
A massive spirit flew at Ghislain. In that instant, he turned to darkness and dispersed.
"This bastard, again!"
As Ghislain vanished, the elder expanded the spirit's energy even further. He was determined to capture Ghislain right here.
At that moment, Ghislain's voice echoed from within the darkness.
"Get out of here. They're almost here."
"Trying to deceive us—"
The elder stopped mid-sentence and looked up at the sky. He had finally sensed the immense presence that was approaching.
"W-what is this..."
He stood dumbfounded.
From far away, a thick darkness was approaching. It felt ominous and terrifying.
As one in tune with nature, the elf could sense it more clearly than anyone.
That was a force completely contrary to the laws of this world.
"Is it true... that beings from the Demon Realm have come here?"
When the elder stopped his attack, the darkness reformed, and Ghislain reappeared.
"Yes. So get out of here. Gather all the elves. The dark mage and orc armies will be following them."
"Then, what about you..."
"I'll buy as much time as I can. Just go. You're in my way."
The elder swallowed hard and stared at Ghislain for a moment.
The fact that he was still evading capture in this forest proved he had considerable skill. But why a human unrelated to them would go so far remained a mystery.
Still, now wasn't the time to question motives. They had to accept his help for now.
"Fall back. We need to inform everyone and prepare for battle."
The elves followed the elders and retreated. But Erenes stood frozen, clenching her teeth.
"Erenes! Hurry, let's go!"
"... I'm not going."
"What? What are you saying?"
"I'm going to fight here too."
"What nonsense are you talking about! You're not strong enough!"
At that, Erenes shouted with a furious expression,
"What's wrong with my strength! I'm strong enough too! I can fight just as well!"
"Y-you...."
The elder was momentarily stunned, wearing the expression of a parent shocked by a child's defiance.
And truly, that wasn't far from what he felt inside.
All elves obeyed their elders without question. He simply couldn't understand why Erenes was rebelling so fiercely.
Erenes looked at the elder and continued,
"That human is the first human friend I ever made! How could I leave my friend behind! Is that what we elves call nobility?"
"......."
The elder still had a bewildered look on his face.
Elves never abandoned their own, even if it meant death. That was a given.
But that principle didn't apply to humans. They were only cooperating now because of the Demon Realm threat—elves and humans were not meant to form friendships.
That was precisely why they had always taught their youth to stay away from humans.
And yet, she was already calling this unknown intruder her friend?
Erenes, with a proud expression, declared,
"I will fight here with my friend. You're not seriously telling me to abandon my friend, are you? The one who's risking his life for our sake?"
"...."
The elder had no response. Now that Erenes had called him a friend, staying and fighting here became a matter of her honor. Forcibly dragging her away would go against everything they had taught her about their values.
Seeing the elder rendered speechless, Ghislain smirked.
'Clever as ever.'
The emotions Erenes felt for Ghislain were little more than curiosity and mild affection—certainly not genuine friendship.
How long had she even known him to call him a friend? She probably just wanted to fight here and earn some merit.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason. She probably was a little worried about the first human she'd ever met.
'I'd appreciate the help, but not here.'
Ghislain had no intention of fighting to the death against the incoming army. He planned to hold them off just long enough and then escape.
If Erenes stayed, slipping away freely would become far more difficult.
So Ghislain said to her,
"Erenes, go with the elder."
"What? I'm fighting too! I'm strong, you know!"
"I know. But this isn't the place for you to fight."
"....."
"Go fight with the other elves. The orc army will flood in eventually—you'll get more than your share of battle there."
"And what about you!"
"I'll fight a bit, then run away. I need no one to worry about so I can escape comfortably. You know how good I am at running away, right?"
"........"
Erenes bit her lip. True, his evasion skills were top-notch.
Even before she had helped him, he'd managed to avoid capture just fine on his own.
Ruuuuuuuumble...
Now the darkness had come so close it was clearly visible. Its oppressive weight felt suffocating.
Ghislain gripped his staff tightly and shouted,
"Go! Hurry, and get ready!"
At Ghislain's command, the elder stepped back and spoke,
"Erenes, fall back. We'll prepare to fight alongside the Grand Chieftain."
"......"
Erenes no longer insisted. If she kept being stubborn now, others might be put at risk.
With her usual sullen expression, she said,
"Don't die. I still want to learn more about the outside world."
"Yeah, I'll hold out as long as I can, then escape. Just be ready."
With that, Erenes and the elves withdrew.
Ghislain lifted his head. The sky above was now completely consumed by darkness.
'One, two, three, four, five.'
The ones approaching now were no ordinary opponents. This might be the most dangerous situation he'd faced since arriving in the past.
This was a moment where he truly had to risk his life.
Honestly, he'd been fighting a little too easily up until now. No matter how strong people of this era were on average, he still far outclassed them.
But not this time. He felt a tingling energy throughout his body.
The true elites of the Abyss really were on another level.
This tension... it felt good.
"Finally, I get to cut loose a bit."
While Ghislain was thrilled, Astion and Dark, voices within his consciousness, were far less excited.
– She said he's the first human she befriended, right? She meant it like that?
– That's not what she meant, you idiot! You are turned into a complete fool!
'Quiet. It's starting.'
Ghislain grinned and pulled in his mana fiercely. His body became wrapped in a blue light.
Moments later, five beams of black light shot down from the sky toward Ghislain.
BANG-!
With a thunderous explosion, Ghislain's body was blown backward. So were the five beams of black light.
The sheer force of the impact cracked the ground, sending dust and debris flying everywhere.
In an instant, the area was reduced to ruins. A single clash had caused this devastation.
When the dust finally cleared, five middle-aged men in black robes stood in the now-barren clearing.
The man standing at the front looked at Ghislain and asked,
"Who are you? Why is a human with such power here?"
Regaining his stance, Ghislain spat out blood and answered,
"Just out for a walk."
"......"
The man glanced around briefly. Perhaps he thought he had come to the wrong place.
But no matter how he looked, this was indeed their intended destination.
An elven forest that rejected human presence, now so corrupted that nothing could live here.
And yet, there stood some strange human... claiming to be out for a walk.
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