At about the same time as the rescue mission commencing, the situation near the border between humans and elves heated up as Zodiac City's flagship Taurus raided half a dozen elven outposts in rapid succession.
Being one of the fastest battleships in the known universe, the Taurus took advantage of that greatly and used guerilla tactics to take on the elves. With its superior mobility it was able to swiftly attack the elves' strategic locations by catching their defenses off guard, while also avoiding any possibility of a confrontation with their warships.
The Taurus wreaked chaos and havoc in all the places it visited.
This situation was possible not only due to the ship's mobility or firepower, but also due to the fact that Alduin Talon, a powerful supreme magus, was on board. Together with five human grand magus hailing from Zodiac City and the Magus Academy, the group delivered wrath and payback for what the elves had done to the academy.
However, that didn't mean they could freely rampage without a care in the world. In fact, being inside the enemy territory, after hours of raiding, the Taurus finally fell into a pinch, surrounded by multiple elven battleships.
"My king, we cannot escape them this time. Not without a fight."
At this moment, Alduin who usually exuded calm and a sense of majesty, was replaced by a fierce commander as he was currently at the top of his zeal after leading the half a dozen raids.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtIn fact, he was about to order an attack before Grand Magus Aurora stopped him from doing so.
"King Alduin, the threads of fate have shown me a different path."
As he knew how potent the power of the Oracle was, Alduin controlled his urge and regained his composure, calling off his intention in spite of the fierce objection from the battle-hungry Lilith of the Black Salamander.
As it turned out, what happened next indeed went according to Grand Magus Aurora's words. Contrary to expectations, the six elven battleships didn't directly attack the Taurus. Instead, they only remained where they were, as if waiting for something.
Though many suggested to strike first and gain the initiative, Alduin kept those people in check, because he believed in the Oracle. The ships from both sides faced each other doing nothing, confusing those who had no idea what was going on.
That question was answered naturally a few minutes later, when another battleship arrived in the area. The newcomer quickly caught the attention of Alduin and the others as it was vastly different compared to the others.
A crimson-colored ship with a shape that looked like a huge blade, one so infamous that even the grand magus aboard the Taurus were shocked by its appearance.
"How can this be?! That's the Durokhai! the Abyss Queen is here!"
Knowing what kind of existence was in the crimson ship, Lilith quickly turned towards Grand Magus Aurora and scolded her harshly. She blamed her for what was about to happen, saying that if they had struck earlier, they would have had a chance to escape the circlement.
Upon being scolded, the grand magus chose to just keep silent.
In the meantime, the Durokhai and the other six elven battleships began to close in on the Taurus. Once again, the other side didn't start releasing a bombardment as expected. Instead, they stopped their approach at a certain distance, whereupon an object was seen flying out of the crimson ship.
Upon a closer look, everyone could see that the unknown object was a metal platform with two seats facing each other.
Quickly understanding what it was and the other party's intentions, King Alduin chose his right hand man, Sinure, to remain on the ship and take command, while inviting the others to join him.
It was such a rare sight to see a group of grand magus hesitate, which certainly proved the reputation of existence on the other side. In the end, everyone decided to leave and join Alduin.
Grand Magus Lilith, Aurora of the Light Institute, Api of the Fire Institute, and Ororo of the Lightning Institute exited Taurus spaceship, joining the Zodiac King as they sat on one side of the metal platform.
Before long, movement could be seen coming from the other side. A total of three figures came from the elves' side, consisting of two grand magus figures and one supreme being. The latter was a female dark elf, the one who bore the epithet of Abyss Queen, Azzhara.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe stunning middle-aged woman with long luscious white hair casually gave a faint smile to the human's side, before sitting down on the seat at the other side of the platform. As for the two grand magus, they stood behind her with a very respectful attitude, as if they were merely lowly servants.
Looking at the other party, Alduin and the others turned solemn. After all, the face in front of them was one of the seven most powerful Monarchs of the elf race. Moreover, it was said she was more than ten thousand years old, which meant she was as old as the Elven Empire itself.
In fact, it wouldn't be strange to think of Alduin, who was only two thousand years old, as a young boy in front of her. Despite that, the Zodiac King was fearless as he calmly looked at her and waited for her to speak.
"Alduin, the famous dragon king of Zodiac city… You are undoubtedly one of the youngest supreme magus I have ever known. A rare individual indeed" the white-haired woman said, a glint of appreciation flashing in her eyes.
"Thank you for the compliment," Alduin replied respectfully.
In truth, when he saw the Abyss Queen, Alduin found his past memories flood into his mind. The other party was famous for her experiments; one of her great creations was the infamous blood elf. The entity behind the massacre of his friends and master Altus Dresden's platoon.
"Queen Azzahra, tell us why are we here?"
At that question, the dark elf supreme gave another faint smile before saying, "Wait, we are still waiting for someone else." Hearing her answer Alduin just nodded in response.
Moments later, Alduin's attention was caught by the sight of another group approaching. The arrival made Lilith frown once more, but King Alduin quickly motioned for her not to be rash as he recognized the new arrivals.
Along with several elven magus, there was his previous right-hand man, Esbern. The former Elder of the Goat bloodline and with him the figure of his nephew, Zach Talon, in chains.