Chapter 52: Elfin and an Unexpected Encounter.

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Elfin and an Unexpected Encounter.

Several hundred meters away, on an improvised platform among the trees, another mercenary observed what had happened. He was the sniper.

A gray-tailed dragon that had remained hidden throughout the entire confrontation had his magic rifle resting on a wooden structure reinforced with mana, but he no longer had any intention of using it.

’This can’t be...’

He had watched his three companions die, and the worst part was that none of them had managed to resist.

That human had eliminated experienced fighters using techniques the sniper didn’t even recognize.

’What the hell is that guy!?’

The dragon tried to control his breathing, since he couldn’t allow that young man to discover his location, and although he still had several enchanted bullets left, he understood that shooting would be useless.

If the strange human could move instantaneously, he would probably reach him before he could reload.

’Don’t move.’

The mercenary remained completely still.

’Don’t make a sound.’

In the distance, Elfin walked toward the place where Draven’s daggers had fallen, so he crouched down and picked up both weapons.

"Ah, right."

He examined them briefly.

"These things belong to that brat."

He stored the daggers and then checked some of the wounds on the body he was using.

His right shoulder still showed significant damage, along with a wound on his left leg and discomfort at the back of his head.

"They really left this body in a pitiful state."

He concentrated mana around the wounds, so the bleeding decreased considerably, but he made no attempt to fully reconstruct the damaged tissues.

’I’m not going to waste my time repairing all these wounds.’

Besides, he still needed to figure out what was going on with his power, while the sniper continued watching him.

’Alright...’

The god seemed distracted.

’I just have to wait.’

If he managed to stay hidden until that monster left the area, he could escape.

’He hasn’t seen me.’

Then Elfin slowly raised his head and his eyes locked directly onto the place where he was hidden, so the sniper stopped breathing.

"..."

The god watched him for several seconds and then raised an eyebrow.

"Did you really think I couldn’t see you?"

’SHIT!’

The mercenary immediately grabbed his rifle, but before he could pull the trigger, Elfin moved his right arm and an enormous amount of mana briefly concentrated in front of him, which then vanished so that an instant later, the area where the sniper was hidden was destroyed.

The trees were ripped from their positions, the wooden platform disappeared along with the mercenary, the earth was violently upheaved, and a massive crater remained at the point of impact.

Elfin lowered his arm.

"..."

He observed the result with an expression of deep distaste.

"What a waste."

The technique had consumed more mana than he expected, and even so, the destroyed area was considerably smaller than what he would have achieved using his true power.

However, before continuing his investigation, he sensed a change in the atmosphere, as the mana structure surrounding that region began to destabilize.

Elfin raised his gaze.

"Oh."

Until that moment, a nullification spell had prevented the magical fluctuations from the confrontation from being detected from the outside, but now the effect was dissipating.

’So there was still one more.’

Elfin directed his attention toward the sky, and in the distance, an enormous winged creature had just risen above the trees.

It had a body covered in dark scales, four limbs, and large membranous wings.

It was a dragon in its true form.

’The mage.’

Elfin immediately understood that that creature must have been the one responsible for maintaining the barrier.

Upon sensing that his companions had died, the mercenary had canceled the technique to recover the mana used and escape.

"What a coward."

The god raised a hand and pointed toward the creature that was flying away.

"Infinite Abyss."

However, absolutely nothing happened.

"..."

Elfin remained motionless and concentrated mana once more.

"Infinite Abyss."

A small fluctuation appeared at the tip of his finger, but it immediately disappeared.

"..."

The god’s expression grew even more unpleasant.

’So there’s a usage limit as well.’

Now he understood why he had experienced that resistance when trying to execute his techniques.

Not only was the amount of mana he could use restricted, but some of his more powerful abilities were also subject to additional conditions.

’Damn you...’

Meanwhile, the fleeing dragon continued gaining altitude.

’I have to escape!’

The mercenary flew as fast as his wings allowed.

’That human isn’t normal!’

The dragon had participated in numerous jobs, but he had never felt a concentration of mana like that.

’I have to warn the boss!’

They had received detailed information about Draven Dunvyr, but no one had warned them that he could use that kind of magic.

’They sent us to die!’

The dragon increased his speed, so the forest began to fall behind.

If he managed to reach a populated region, perhaps he could blend in with other travelers or use some escape route.

’Just a little more...’

Then he sensed an enormous concentration of mana above his head.

’What?’

He raised his gaze only to notice a gigantic mass of ice descending from the sky, which was completely solid and several times larger than his body.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

The dragon tried to change direction, but the mass of ice was descending too quickly.

’NO!’

He tried to use magic to reinforce his wings, but it wasn’t enough and the ice impacted directly against the dragon.

The force of the blow dragged him to the ground and caused an enormous depression among the trees.

The creature’s body was completely crushed under the frozen mass, so the mercenary died instantly.

Several hundred meters away, Elfin slowly lowered his hand.

"Done."

He observed the place where the dragon had fallen and then sighed.

"How annoying."

He had been forced to use elemental magic to eliminate a creature that, under normal conditions, he wouldn’t even have considered a threat.

That was humiliating, but what truly bothered him was the absence of a large part of his power.

Elfin raised both hands and concentrated mana around his body.

He tried to progressively increase the amount of energy and at first found no difficulty, but when he reached a certain point, the circulation stopped.

No matter how much he tried to force it, the result was always the same.

’This isn’t a natural limitation of the vessel.’

Elfin knew perfectly well the difference between a body incapable of supporting his power and a restriction imposed upon a deity, and he recognized all too well who had imposed it.

"...Eje."

The name left his mouth with clear contempt.

Elfin began to mentally review the conditions of the divine contract and came across something he hadn’t expected.

’That miserable bastard added restrictions on my power.’

Elfin clenched his teeth, but after analyzing the amount of mana he could use and the performance of his techniques, he reached a conclusion.

’I estimate I can only use between ten or fifteen percent of my total power.’

Not counting that some techniques seemed to have even stricter limits.

"..."

For several seconds, he remained completely still, but then he began to laugh and the laughter increased until he finally raised his head.

"EJE!"

An enormous concentration of dark mana appeared around him and the nearby trees began to shake.

"YOU DAMNED BASTARD!"

For a few seconds, he tried to increase his power again, but the restriction remained intact, so he finally stopped trying.

"...Tch."

Elfin took a deep breath.

"Fine."

His smile slowly returned.

"You can enjoy your little restrictions while you still have the chance."

He observed his right hand.

"Even if I only have this amount of power available, it’s still more than enough to eliminate most of the creatures in this world."

And that was true.

’At least I won’t have to worry about such insignificant creatures.’

Elfin began to walk.

He still had a few minutes before the time allowed by the contract ended, and although he would have preferred to use them differently, he needed to make sure that Draven’s body remained out of danger.

After all, he had no intention of losing his new vessel.

"I suppose I should look for a safe place."

He took several steps, but stopped when he sensed a new presence.

"..."

Elfin slowly turned his head, seeing that someone had just appeared among the trees. It was a woman.

She wore dark clothing that covered most of her body and a short cloak over her shoulders, while her face was hidden behind a white mask with small black details, so only her eyes remained visible.

The stranger remained still as she observed the destroyed terrain and then directed her gaze toward Elfin.

"It can’t be."

Her voice carried concern.

"I arrived too late."

Elfin observed her without much interest.

"Another annoying creature?"

The woman didn’t respond immediately; instead, she examined the wounds on Draven’s body and then observed the remains of the mercenaries.

"Those bastards dared to harm my lord."

Elfin raised an eyebrow.

"You knew them?"

"No, my lord."

"Then..."

The god slowly raised his hand.

"I suppose the conversation is over."

The woman observed the movement and a small concentration of mana began to appear in front of Elfin’s index finger, so the stranger immediately bowed.

"My name is Yndra..."

Elfin didn’t react and the concentration of mana continued to increase.

"Yndra Greydell."

"..."

The mana disappeared immediately and Elfin remained still.

For several seconds, the god of destruction observed the woman without uttering a single word and then slowly narrowed his eyes.

"...Greydell?"

The stranger nodded.

"That’s right, my great lord."

Elfin lowered his hand, genuinely surprised.

"Impossible..."

The woman bowed her head even further.

"It’s the truth, my great lord."

Elfin stared at her fixedly and a smile formed on his face.

"So that crazy bastard survived..."