The Elven Cultivator

The plains, ten-odd kilometers north of the Silver Moon Forest.

Leaden-gray clouds hung low like a curtain, crushing the daylight until it was dim and somber.

A frigid wind carrying grit and the stench of blood assaulted them, stinging their cheeks.

By the time Anton and his two companions arrived, the battle had already reached a fever pitch.

A tide of grayish-green Lizard-men swarmed the forest border, their roars shaking the heavens. The Elf Warriors used the trees and a line of thorns as a defensive front, fighting back doggedly. Arrows and Magic erupted amidst the enemy horde, creating bursts of bloody mist.

The air was thick with the potent stench of blood. The ground was so soaked in it that each step was sticky and slick.

Elena was fiercely battling a Dragon Lizard-man, a blur of twin short blades. Her peripheral vision caught three figures streaking from the forest’s depths. She took a closer look, and her brow immediately furrowed.

’Anton? What is he doing here?’

With a thrust of her blade, Elena forced her opponent back. She retreated a few steps and shouted at Anton, “Anton, what are you doing here? We don’t need your help! Go back!”

Anton glanced back at her with a faint smile, but he didn’t break his stride.

Elena wanted to stop him, but the Dragon Lizard-man charged her again, tangling her up in combat. She had no choice but to grit her teeth and continue the fight, her heart racing with anxiety.

’Anton was certainly strong, almost unrivaled among the Silver Tier. But this was an army of thousands of Lizard-men, with a Golden Tier Dragon Lizard-man leading them. It was a completely different beast from the small-scale skirmishes he was used to.’

’Blades on a battlefield have no eyes. If anything were to happen to Anton…’

Elena didn’t dare to let her thoughts linger. She gritted her teeth and intensified her assault, hoping to finish her opponent quickly so she could get to Anton’s side.

Her opponent, however, was also a Golden Tier, his strength no less than her own. It was impossible to determine a winner in such a short time.

Anton paid Elena’s concerns no mind. In a flash, he shot like a bolt of lightning toward the most chaotic part of the battlefield.

Romance and Eleanor tried to follow, but they lacked Anton’s swift and nimble Body Technique. They were quickly intercepted by Lizard-men and forced to rally their spirits and fight together.

In the blink of an eye, Anton had reached the heart of the battlefield.

This was the most ferocious part of the battle. Elves and Lizard-men were locked in a chaotic melee, the air thick with blood and flying limbs.

The Lizard-men soon noticed the composed Elf in their midst.

Despite being in the heart of the battle, he moved with the leisure of someone strolling through their own courtyard, a stark contrast to the bloody brutality all around him.

Such a display was an undeniable magnet for hostility. Many Lizard-men, their faces twisted into savage snarls, immediately closed in for the kill.

Anton’s expression remained serene. He didn’t even draw his sword, merely striking out with a casual palm.

His hand, usually slender and fair, now radiated a searing red light. The surrounding air seemed to ignite as a scorching shockwave rolled forward like a tidal wave.

Several Lizard-men had no time to react before the rolling heatwave struck them, sending them flying with agonized screams.

When they landed, they writhed on the ground, wailing in agony. Their exposed skin was crimson, breaking out in massive blisters as if scalded by boiling water.

Their screams quickly faded, replaced by a few convulsive whimpers, before falling into deathly silence.

A flicker of satisfaction crossed Anton’s eyes.

’It’s still the Forge Palm, but its power when fueled by True Essence is on a completely different level than when I used Spiritual Qi.’

’I can even kill from a distance, without making contact.’

The surrounding Lizard-men were stunned frozen by the sight. The ferocious glint in their slitted pupils vanished, replaced by instinctual dread.

They exchanged hesitant glances, not daring to advance.

He still didn’t draw his sword, relying solely on his bare hands. With each palm strike, a scorching shockwave erupted, sending Lizard-men flying like straw.

The dull boom of his strikes echoed like thunder, rolling continuously across the battlefield.

In moments, Anton had carved a path through the center of the battlefield, plunging alone deep into the Lizard-man lines.

Several Dragon Lizard-men had already fixed their sights on him. Seeing his advance, they immediately hissed out a command.

Hundreds of Lizard-man Warriors immediately swarmed in from all directions, their killing intent filling the air.

Anton’s expression was unchanged as he suddenly opened his mouth.

A clear, resounding dragon’s roar erupted, like thunder rolling through the clouds, instantly echoing across the entire barren plain.

A sonic ripple erupted from him, sweeping out in all directions like a tsunami. The Lizard-men in its path were slammed as if by an invisible wall, their bodies erupting in a fine mist of blood as they were thrown backward to the ground.

Within a hundred-meter radius, nearly one hundred Lizard-men were killed instantly. None survived.

A bizarre, empty circle suddenly appeared on the battlefield.

Friend and foe alike were stunned into silence by the spectacle.

The Lizard-men were terrified, of course, but even their allies, the Elves, were slack-jawed with shock, swallowing unconsciously.

Anton rarely revealed his strength within the Clan. Besides the practical combat assessment years ago, he had only fought once during the Wind-Speaker’s trial.

Back then, he had killed a Spine-rending Dragon Beast in a single blow. That was powerful, certainly, but it couldn’t compare to the heart-stopping shock of seeing him casually slaughtering ferocious Lizard-men as if they were ants.

Elena, who had been stealing glances at Anton whenever she could, couldn’t help but marvel privately.

’That kid… he’s a natural-born weapon of war!’

“…Feels like Anton’s gotten stronger again.”

Romance muttered under his breath, pursing his lips as he cut down the Lizard-man before him with his axe.

’Looks like I’m going to lose that bet with Anton.’

「Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield.」

Moloch’s gaze fell upon Anton, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

“Who is that?”

He asked, turning to the subordinates beside him.

His subordinates all shook their heads, their expressions a mixture of shock and confusion.

The Molten Spike Tribe and the Silver Moon Race had fought for years; they knew each other’s top fighters like the back of their own hands.

But this powerful young Elf seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

They had never seen him before today.

“Forget it,” Moloch was done thinking. He charged toward Anton with great strides. “Doesn’t matter who he is. I’ll just kill him.”

Having just achieved his breakthrough, Moloch was brimming with confidence. He believed he stood a fighting chance even against the three Great Elders of the Silver Moon Race or the two captains of the Forest Guard. Naturally, he wouldn’t give a second thought to some no-name Elf.

Elena quickly noticed Moloch’s movement, and her expression changed drastically.

’She knew that Dragon Lizard-man was a newly promoted Golden Tier Warrior from the Molten Spike Tribe—formidable, powerful, and ruthless.’

’He had fought her several times, and while he’d never gained the upper hand, he’d never been defeated either—a rare feat in itself.’

’Anton might be incredible, but against that Dragon Lizard-man, he likely wouldn’t come out on top.’

’If anything happened to Anton, the consequences would be unthinkable.’

At this thought, Elena grew more frantic, trying to disengage from her opponent to go help Anton.

But the Dragon Lizard-man she was fighting saw her intention. With a savage grin, he pressed his attack, refusing to give her any chance to disengage.

After several failed attempts to break free, Elena’s expression turned grim. She sighed internally.

’All I can do now is hope Anton is smart enough to find a chance to shake Moloch and get off the battlefield.’