The Monster King's Legacy-Chapter 96: Final Proposal

He took a step forward, his gaze sweeping across them.

"You claim to be wise. You claim to guide our people. Yet for thousands of years, what have you done? We cling to an illusion of superiority, while the world moves forward without us. This nation, our race, we’ve been stagnant for centuries. While the world progresses, we remain the same."

Some of the elders stiffened. Others glared at him, as silence filled the hall.

Then, an elder spoke, his voice heavy with disbelief. "You speak as if we are weak. As if we have not protected our people for generations."

"Protected?" Ithil repeated, his eyes gleaming with a cold light, "or isolated? We build walls and hide behind them, believing that if we simply wait, we will be safe, wasting our gift of long life."

He gestured toward the outside.

"And yet, even now, the world is burning. The Demon Lord’s armies march. The balance of power shifts. And what do we do?"

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

No one spoke. Of course, it was common sense that joined with the other races, but Ithil meant, and was understood, was the fact that the elves could do very little alone and had to join forces with the other races to stand a chance. This was an enemy they had fought before, countless years ago, but somehow, when the enemy reappeared in another form, they still couldn’t face it by themselves, even after having more than a thousand year to prepare and improve. After all those years, they still needed to gather themselves to put up a fight.

Ithil exhaled, shaking his head. "What’s the use of our long lives if we only amount to this much?"

"I propose a new path." He continued, everyone listening in silence. "Stand with me, and we will ensure that the elven race does not continue as it is."

He let his words sink in.

"Or… Stand against me, and you will be removed." His words didn’t come as much as threats, nor anger, just certainty. The choice was theirs.

The silence did not last long as after the first elder spoke, the rest followed. The chamber trembled with tension as the elders shot back at Ithil, their voices rising in anger and disbelief.

"You speak madness!" one of them shouted.

"End this foolishness at once! Ithil!" another demanded.

"Do you think we will stand by while you desecrate our traditions? This is not our way! We won’t stand idle either, did you think of that?!"

Their reprimands echoed through the vast hall, but Ithil remained unshaken and calm as he listened to them.

"You still don’t understand," he said.

"Enough of this nonsense," an elder snarled, stepping forward. "If you refuse to listen, we will force you to stop!"

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the gathered elders. One of the elders, a middle age looking elf with long silver hair and deep green robes, stepped closer, his face twisted in rage.

"You’ve gone too far, Ithil," he seethed. "You think power gives you the right to dictate our future? You may be an exception for your generation, but remember that there are those who have been around long before you!" He said, reaching forward, jabbing a firm finger against Ithil’s chest.

Before he could even react or reach Ithil properly, the ground beneath him shifted, and a thick, gnarled vine shot up from the floor like a spear, piercing through his chest. His body tensed, his mouth opening in a silent gasp as his eyes were wide with shock… not even a single word of resistance escaping him.

The branch twisted, wrapping around his torso, pulling him in. Wood grew at a terrifying pace, engulfing him in a cocoon of bark and vines.

In mere seconds, he was completely encapsulated.

The chamber fell into dead silence as the remaining elders stared in horror. The elder hadn’t even fought back, he didn’t even get the chance to. Not only that, but for some reason, they appeared even more shocked that Ithil had not hesitated.

"You…" One of the elders said, shaking his head in disbelief. "You’ve lost your mind." Despite his words, Ithil remained calm and collected.

"It seems to me that the rest of you are of the same mind as him." Ithil said, taking his first step towards them as the air crackled with magic around the elders as they moved, this time, without hesitation.

Before they could all unleash their attacks at him, Ithil appeared before a male and female elder who just so happened to be standing next to each other. To those who watched, they couldn’t tell if he had moved there or if he had teleported, no one was certain.

These two were the ones he had vouched to himself countless times to kill with his own hands, and especially the female elder, she was someone who Ithil saw as insufferable and promised to kill first.

They stood frozen as Ithil seemingly appeared out of nowhere in front of them, uncertain of what was about to follow, though deep down, in that split second realizing their fate.

Before they could utter a word, Ithil struck faster than they could perceive. His hand plunged into the male elder’s chest.

A sharp, wet gasp escaped the elder’s lips as his body went rigid for a moment, feeling Ithil’s fingers tightening around his beating heart.

The female elder tried to react, but she wasn’t fast enough, and Ithil’s other hand pierced her chest just as easily, his fingers curling into her ribs.

He held them there, gasping for air, dying in his grasp, slowly. They trembled, blood trickling from their mouths, then, Ithil leaned in slightly, his voice a whisper of mockery.

"You lived for so long," he murmured. "And yet, you were never strong enough. I’ll allow you the luxury of reprimanding me because you feel like, for the last time." He said, watching the light in their eyes fade slowly. "Well? You won’t say anything?" He said.

Just when she was about to say something following the other’s pain filled grunt, Ithil squeezed his hands, crushing their hearts in an instant. With a casual flick of his wrists, he withdrew his hands, letting their lifeless bodies crumple to the ground.

He watched them for a few seconds, blood dripping from his hands to the floor. Then, he looked up at the others…They attacked together, their powerful spells converging upon Ithil, but Ithil didn’t flinch. The chamber shook as their combined might bore down on him while he walked without resistance, completely ignoring their attacks as though fighting a bunch of children..

With subtle moves using his fingers, roots and vines erupted from the floor, twisting like living serpents, as they moved with impossible speed, piercing the elders just as they did the others before them.

One by one, they collapsed, their bodies quickly being consumed by the very nature they once controlled.

It was too easy. They had lived for countless centuries, but in seconds, they found themselves being helpless, not being able to even put up a proper fight.

Once that phase was done, Ithil turned to the remaining who had not acted, standing frozen in horror.

"And what of you?" he asked, his voice smooth.

"Do you intend to join them?" He asked.

None of them spoke, but their answer was clear, they would not stand against him, but they didn’t appear to want to stand with him either.

Ithil nodded softly. "Good," he said. "Then stay out of my way."

…

Elsewhere, while several events took place all around, the goblin settlement, now a fortified stronghold strengthened through battles, stood firm, serving as the main defensive line for the monster alliance as the goblin’s were closer to whatever danger that came their way before it reached the other races’ settlements. Towers of sharpened stone and reinforced wood lined the perimeter, while trenches filled with sharpened stakes surrounded the base. Fires burned in scattered pits, casting flickering shadows on the monstrous warriors standing guard.

Despite the heavy tension in the air, no demonic forces had made a significant move yet. Even then, the watchmen remained ever-vigilant, scanning the horizons for any sign of an impending attack.

Within the central war tent, several figures sat around a large wooden table, though, only two conducted the entire gathering, Lance and Rusak.

Before them stood a scout, a beastkin with the sharp features of a wolfkind. His breathing was steady despite the long journey he had endured to return to them.

"The results of the search?" Rusak prompted, his voice even.

The scout shook his head. "Nothing, my lord, no trace of the dragon was found."

Lance let out a soft sigh, leaning back in his seat. "Not surprising."

Rusak grunted, his brows furrowing. "Nothing? Not even a clue?"

The scout hesitated a bit before answering. "We searched the expected locations, but found no signs of its presence."

Rusak exhaled in frustration, drumming his fingers on the table, "a dragon as huge as that should not be this hard to find…"

Lance nodded, as though agreeing, though his words didn’t mirror that. "Dragons are wise creatures that enjoy their solitude. It most likely took refuge in a high-altitude region, some mountain peak or something. Such places are either inaccessible or beyond our scouting range for now."

Rusak agreed with a nod, finding sense in what Lance said. "So we just wait." He said.

Lance nodded, "that’s exactly what we do."

Rusak let out a low growl, clearly dissatisfied, but that was about it. "What else did you find?"