Chapter 1009: Stay, or leave?

In Aerin’s mind, the path forward was clear. To survive, they had to take shelter under Orion, to earn his protection. For the Wood Elves she had just rescued, the best way to do that wasn’t through an alliance, but through submission. To put it bluntly, what was left of the Wood Elf race was in no position to negotiate as equals. Pledging fealty now would save them all a great deal of conflict and trouble down the road.

“Xylia, Angel… none of you have entered the inner camp yet. You still have a choice,” Aerin said, her voice heavy. “My friends, the most I can do for you now is to beg the lords of this place to look for more of our people during their purges. I am sorry, but I don’t have the power to lead you out of this darkness myself.”

It took a great deal of courage to admit one’s own powerlessness. A part of Aerin desperately wanted these Wood Elves to stand with her, to support her and become the foundation of her new position here. But another part simply wanted them to have a choice, to be free. Whatever they decided, she wouldn’t blame them. Goodness was, after all, in the nature of the Wood Elf race.

“The Wood Elf Tribe was destroyed,” Xylia said, her gaze locked on Aerin. “But we can rebuild it.” Each word was spoken with defiant conviction.

“We can rebuild it together, Elder,” Angel added. She might not have trusted Aerin yet, but she trusted her captain completely.

Aerin could only shake her head. The idea of rebuilding the entire Wood Elf Tribe with just the two dozen of them was a pipe dream. It wasn’t that she looked down on her own people; it was that the world outside this camp had no place for them. She knew that the moment they stepped outside the walls of The Stillness, they would be hunted down and devoured by the demonic monsters.

“With just the few of you?”

A voice, dripping with contempt and power, echoed from the direction of the castle. “Where would you rebuild? And how?”

The Wood Elves all turned to see an imposing figure approaching slowly, his hands clasped behind his back. He was a giant, tall and broad-shouldered, the hooded cloak he wore whipping dramatically in the wind.

“Allow me to introduce myself,” he said, his voice a low rumble. “I am the master of The Stillness. And a king of the giants.”

Orion knew he had to step in. If he let Aerin’s soft-hearted approach continue, this valuable group of elves might actually choose to walk out of the gate to their deaths.

“The Forest of Nature is crawling with demonic monsters,” Orion stated, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Step outside this camp, and you will die. I suspect you understand that reality better than I do.” It was the simple, brutal truth, and the foundation of the psychological pressure he was about to apply.

“Submitting to me is not the same as being enslaved. If and when the time is right, I will even support your efforts to rebuild the Wood Elf race. With our backing, that goal is no longer a fantasy. It’s an achievable objective.”

Orion’s eyes settled on Xylia. This one was different from the others—more composed, with a stronger will. He could tell in a single glance that she was the one in charge of this squad.

“But you are of the dark races,” Xylia countered, her voice steady despite her injuries. “We are incompatible. We stand on opposite sides.”

Ah, there’s the real problem, Orion thought.

He let out a deep, unrestrained laugh that boomed through the courtyard. “Wood Elf, tell me, are dark and light, good and evil, truly always in opposition? If so, please explain why my ‘evil’ subordinates bothered to save you. And then, tell me if you would rather lead the elves behind you out there to a pointless death, or stay here, survive, and one day reclaim your home.”

His questions were a rapid-fire assault, giving Xylia no time to think.

“Now, tell me your choice. Do you stay, or do you turn around and leave?”

He presented it as a simple choice, deliberately avoiding any negotiation of terms. He was pushing them into a corner. If they chose to stay, they would have to accept his conditions, whatever they might be. If they chose to leave, he wouldn’t lose any sleep over a handful of stubborn rebels dying in the woods.

“Stay, or leave?” he pressed again. As if on cue, a chorus of low, terrifying snarls echoed from beyond the camp walls. The sounds were a chaotic mix, and the Wood Elves couldn’t tell if they belonged to the demonic monsters or the Plague-thralls.

“My lord,” Aerin cried out, breaking the tense silence. She dropped to the ground, prostrating herself before Orion. “Please, I beg you, allow my people to stay. Grant us your protection. We will serve you in any way we can, with all the skills we possess.”

Orion looked down at Aerin, satisfied with her intervention. He mulled over her carefully chosen words. With all the skills we possess. Was that just a desperate plea, or was it a promise?

The air grew heavy as the silence stretched on.

“And what makes you think you can protect us?”

After a long moment, Xylia pushed herself to her feet, her eyes meeting Orion’s directly.

Orion felt a flash of admiration. The fact that she could still ask that question meant his pressure tactics hadn’t completely broken her. It also told him that, ultimately, they would stay. All he had to do now was show them his power.

“Insolence!”

Before Orion could speak, a low, hoarse voice roared from the castle. Clymene emerged from the shadows, Tangere following a step behind. Clymene had just finished receiving the new materials for the necropolis. Tangere had been unfazed by the elf’s defiance, but Clymene, the former lord of a giant tribe, was instantly enraged. Orion was her brother. She would not suffer such a low-tier creature to insult him.

A crushing wave of dark, necrotic power swept over the courtyard, slamming Xylia, Angel, and every other Wood Elf flat on the ground.

“The majesty of the King of Giants is not to be questioned,” Clymene snarled. She came to a stop behind Orion, the suffocating aura of death pressing down relentlessly on the small squad of elves.

Tangere said nothing, simply taking his place on Orion’s other side. His silence was its own statement.

Xylia, pinned to the ground, saw it all. She already knew Tangere was a Legendary level powerhouse.

Now, another figure of Legendary power had shown up.