There Is No World For ■■-Chapter 142: City of the Ignorant (5)

The moment Yeomyeong caught the sword Seti threw and blocked the elf’s ambush—

CRASH!!

The first clash rang out like thunder.

Yeomyeong’s muscles tensed all at once, and the marble floor beneath his feet shattered.

But the elf’s assault didn’t stop there.

Its blade bent and twisted like roots, relentlessly aiming for his throat.

Yeomyeong pulled mana into his body, bracing his shoulder.

The mana of Pahyang Resolve surged in response, flooding his veins and muscles, wrapping his sword in waves of energy.

BOOM!!

The impact of sword against sword erupted with an immense shockwave, but no sound followed.

The mana explosion had devoured all noise.

Or maybe his eardrums had burst.

It didn’t matter. Yeomyeong swung his sword again, and the elf’s blade came slicing toward him once more.

The elf’s sword had no beginning or end.

Sometimes it drew straight lines, other times curves, flowing endlessly without pause.

It was familiar—elf swordsmanship.

The same techniques and patterns used by Lime, Soemiri’s bodyguard.

But this elf’s strikes carried a completely different weight.

If Lime’s sword was a pistol, this elf’s blade was a cannon.

Its sheer force, the results of its technique, made that clear.

Shockwaves from the clashing swords shattered the marble floor. Windows burst apart. Cracks spread through the pillars.

The entire restaurant building trembled and screamed, and the people fleeing inside screamed even louder.

Yet the elf’s sword failed to achieve its goal.

The crimson-bladed weapon left only shallow cuts instead of severing Yeomyeong’s neck.

Why?

The red-haired elf quickly understood the reason.

This bastard... He already knows elf swordsmanship.

“...Finally, I’ve found the thief.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Yeomyeong frowned. Ambushing him out of nowhere and now calling him a thief?

“Deny it all you want. It’s too late, you thieving bastard.”

The elf raised a blade of mana. Transparent and sharp, it shimmered with the pure energy characteristic of elves.

Yeomyeong realized the elf was mistaken but had no intention of clearing up the misunderstanding.

With their swords already crossed, this would be settled by blades, not words.

“Humans get obedient when you cut off one of their arms. I hope you last a little longer.”

The elf sneered as he swung his sword, just as Yeomyeong completed an ice spear spell.

The next moment, the elf’s translucent blade clashed with the ice spear, scattering icy shards through the air.

The elf’s eyes widened in surprise.

“...Magic?”

Yeomyeong was already moving.

He dashed outside the building, firing ice spears at the fragile pillars as he ran.

CRACK!!

With a bone-chilling sound, the pillars crumbled, and the ceiling began to collapse.

The elf leaped outside just in time, only to be greeted by more ice spears Yeomyeong had prepared in advance.

“...Not bad for a thief.”

The elf muttered, glancing at the spear embedded in his side.

Yeomyeong grinned.

“Not bad for an assassin.”

A savage smile. A brief silence.

Sweat rolled down Yeomyeong’s forehead, clinging to his chin before falling to the ground.

And then—

Both fighters unleashed their mana blades at the same time.

*****

“Damn, I’ve lived long enough to get ambushed by an elf.”

Josef muttered from a rooftop in the distance, watching Yeomyeong and the elf clash.

The fires spreading from the ruined restaurant illuminated their battle even under the night sky.

“Did you, by chance, do something to piss off an elf?”

Josef directed his question at Seti, who was dressed in a black dress.

After saving the restaurant’s civilians, Seti had tried to assist Yeomyeong but couldn’t find an opening to intervene.

“...Helped them, maybe, but definitely didn’t deserve this.”

“That’s... strange.”

Josef rubbed his chin, studying the elf’s attire.

Seti didn’t take her eyes off Yeomyeong as she asked:

“I don’t get it. Is this because of the tracking spell on the gold coin? Do they think we stole it?”

“No, that can’t be it.”

“....”

“The tracking magic on the coin was basic. No way would the Red Branch use such low-level spells.”

“...Red Branch?”

Seti turned to Josef in disbelief, but he answered firmly:

“Yes. That elf is definitely from the Red Branch. You think an arms dealer can’t recognize them? I’m telling you—he’s high-ranking.”

The Red Branch.

Seti recalled the name—the elves’ elite special forces.

They had proven just how terrifying supernatural guerrillas could be in modern warfare.

Before they were banished from Earth after the Malta Agreement, they had been the number one cause of CIA deaths.

The kind of people you only read about in textbooks.

What were they doing here in Drayterial?

Actually, it wasn’t strange.

This wasn’t Earth. It was the world beyond the dimensional gate.

‘What... what should I do?’

Seti bit her lip.

Yeomyeong wouldn’t lose, but the bigger problem was the other supers watching this battle.

Count Nam’s men, hidden agents of the Korean government—

Too many variables.

Seti’s anxiety spiked.

She couldn’t interfere in a fight like that barehanded.

It wasn’t just skill—her abilities were incompatible.

‘If I had a weapon, maybe I could create an opening....’

But for now, all she could do was worry.

When Yeomyeong and the elf disappeared from sight, her unease peaked.

Unable to hold back, she spoke.

“Josef, you know our base, right? There’s a chest of gold bars and sacks of coins there. Go grab them—and dispel the tracking spells if you can.”

“Are you planning to join that fight?”

“I’ll look for a chance. If we survive, meet me at the sewers where we first met.”

With that, Seti launched herself toward the rooftops using her lightfoot technique.

The city, engulfed in flames, looked hellish, but her eyes focused solely on Yeomyeong.

‘It’s fine. Yeomyeong has this.’

Seti leaped across the roofs, keeping pace to intervene if something went wrong.

And just as she reached the area near the battle—

The air split apart, and a familiar figure stepped out.

Wearing combat gear and carrying a heavy pack, it was someone Seti knew well.

“...Neti?”

Seti blinked, thinking she was seeing things, but her sister was still there.

And before Seti could say anything, Neti spotted her and rushed over.

“Sis!”

“You—how—?!”

“I’ll explain later! Just tell me what’s going on! Where are we, and why the hell is Brother-in-law fighting an elf?!”

Was it the suddenness of their reunion?

Seti didn’t even bother to correct the “brother-in-law” comment as she hurriedly explained the situation.

This was the city of Drayterial. They had been meeting with an arms dealer when an elf suddenly attacked...

It was a rushed, disjointed explanation, but Neti understood it perfectly.

“So that elf is the enemy, and you’re unarmed and can’t do anything right now?”

“...Exactly.”

“All right. First, let’s get you a weapon.”

Neti immediately dropped her pack and began pulling out its contents.

Various firearms, grenades, gloves woven with elf hair, and—

A modular war hammer with a head, shaft, and handle.

Click-click-click.

She quickly assembled the parts into a massive war hammer and handed it to Seti.

Seti gripped its familiar weight, and only then did the reality of Neti’s presence sink in.

But Neti wasted no time, weaving spells as she spoke.

“I’ll pin the elf’s legs with telekinesis. While I hold him down, you link up with Brother-in-law, and we hit him together.”

Her plan was solid, but Seti shook her head.

“No. We can’t give the elf any opportunities.”

This was the Red Branch—a guerrilla elite among elites.

If they couldn’t finish him, he’d escape and come back to ambush them again.

Seti made her decision quickly.

“...Neti, do you remember our dual bombardment drill?”

Neti frowned, stealing a glance at the elf scattering mana blades in the distance.

“...You want to end this in one strike?”

“It’s our best option.”

Seti’s firm tone left no room for argument.

Neti nodded and began chanting a telekinesis spell—the most effective one for her lack of precision with mana control.

The moment the spell was complete, an invisible force wrapped around Seti and hoisted her high into the air.

Higher and higher—

Seti rose until Yeomyeong and the elf looked no bigger than her palm.

Clutching the war hammer tightly, she gathered mana.

‘Rainbow-Sundering Thunderbolt.’

Lightning to sever rainbows.

Seti channeled her mana into the hammer, and its head began to glow brilliantly, visible even from the ground.

The moment Neti released the telekinesis spell—

A thunderbolt fell upon the city.

*****

The elf sensed the descending attack only after it was already too close.

Excuses flooded his mind.

He had focused too much on the human before him.

His concentration was drained by the blood seeping from his side.

But excuses didn’t matter.

He couldn’t dodge in time.

BOOM!!!

He avoided a direct hit, but that was all.

The rooftop he stood on was obliterated.

Shards of debris flew through the air, and his footing collapsed beneath him.

If that had been the end of it, he could have recovered.

But the human he had been dueling didn’t let the opportunity slip away.

SLASH!

A pale yellow blade sliced cleanly through the elf’s left shoulder.

Bone and muscle severed in one precise cut.

The elf didn’t scream.

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Instead, he rolled to soften his fall and hit the ground with a thud, pain hammering through his chest.

Blood surged up his throat, but he gritted his teeth and reached for his sword with his remaining arm.

Or tried to.

Before he could regain his stance, the blade that had taken his arm pressed against his throat.

“...I can’t believe I lost to a thief.”

There was no bitterness in his voice.

After all, he had started this fight with an ambush.

The elf raised his head, bitterly amused by the irony.

The golden eyes of the human above him showed no triumph or pride—only calm curiosity.

“Now... explain why you did this.”

It was a surprisingly flat question for a victor, and the elf smirked.

“...You should already know.”

Yeomyeong’s patience wore thin.

Did he need to cut off the other arm to get some answers?

He raised his sword again, but the elf sneered and spoke.

“Deny it all you want, but I can still feel it.”

“Feel what?”

“The mana of the World Tree flowing through your body... undeniable proof that the trash who stole the World Tree’s crystal has it inside you.”

“....”

“A human who defiled the World Tree. Even if you kill me, others will come for you. As long as our revolution lives, you’ll never rest peacefully.”

His voice was solemn, resolute.

Yeomyeong was momentarily at a loss.

How the hell did things get this messed up?

Yes, he had consumed a World Tree crystal—but it had nothing to do with the one rumored to be in this city.

The problem was proving that.

‘...Prove it? Screw that.’

Yeomyeong had no obligation to keep this elf alive or clear up misunderstandings.

Even if this worsened relations with the elves, wasn’t he the victim here?

Soemiri would understand.

‘I’ll just kill him.’

Yeomyeong brought his sword down—

But a voice interrupted.

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