It felt great.

Being able to completely and utterly crush everything around oneself at the snap of one's fingers was truly the greatest experience, to the elf who had experienced little but oppression and fear during his lifetime.

While admiring the view of the battlefield, which the courtyard had turned into, the young elf kept a certain three individuals within his sight. The three people who had driven him to turn into what he had become -- a monster.

A malice-filled smile was plastered across the young elf's face, because he could see the despair in their eyes, even though he wasn't even looking directly at them. He could see it, going by the tension in their bodies. Every single fiber of their beings appeared to know that they were largely to blame for the slaughter around them. Ash didn't think like that, though. On the contrary, he liked to think that what was currently going on was a product of his actions, and no-one else's.

The young elf sighed, before turning his head toward the humans who were desperately flailing about, in hopes of seeing the next day.

Ash continued to look at the slaughter, and how his army of the dead continued to press the living back; little by little. It wasn't even a battle. The young elf had to admit that the guardsmen, adventurers, and priests were fighting well, when considering their impossible situation. Unfortunately for them, their dead foes didn't tire, waver, or hold back, as they relentlessly cleaved through armored man after armored man.

The former slave clicked his tongue, when he realized that the time he had been waiting for had come. Three people were coming in his direction, and as they did, the young elf could feel something close to happiness. Not because of the reunion with his former comrades, but because of the wonderful chance encounter with the people whose lives had seemed nearly impossible to take.

He moved his hand to his chest and abdomen, where four ugly, partially healed wounds covered his pale skin, making something as simple as eating a painful experience.

While turning around to face the people he had been looking forward to see, the young elf wiped his ever-lasting, fake smile off of his face. The people who he was about to see had been important to him, and even though they likely weren't feeling the same, he wanted to treat them with some manner of respect.

His suspicions about their lack of respect for him were confirmed, when the first thing he heard was his former party leader's signature starting move, Gap Closer .

With ease, the defending elf grabbed the incoming sword with his right hand; the one he hadn't been able to use during their last fight. That enabled him to stop her next attack, Cross Cut , which she always used to follow the previous move up with.

"How are you here?" Robinia asked the elf, as she stood there, sword in hand. Her voice was shaking, and so was her body.

Even though he would have, some time ago, the young elf decided not to respond. He was quite sure he wouldn't be able to contain the ever-present rage, which resided within his being. Instead, he kicked the elven girl in the abdomen, sending her flying a good two meters back.

Robinia landed on her feet. Last time Ash saw her, her level of skill was nowhere near that level.

The young elf was even about to commend her on her progress, but was stopped by a spear, which was flung at his face, just as he was about to open his mouth.

Out of everyone in the Gold-ranked party, the trapper, Fang, was probably the most skilled. He was the only one Ash had never been able to completely overpower in a one-on-one fight. This time was different, though.

"Negative Blade." The young elf mumbled, while sending a kick after the trapper, so that his spell wouldn't be interrupted by another spear.

Fang didn't look surprised, since he was good at hiding his feelings. Ash had never liked him for that. Unreadable people were the ones, which the young despised the most. If they weren't easy to read, they were impossible to manipulate, which was how the former slave was used to interacting with people.

The trapper had dodged Ash's kick, enabling him to follow up by trying to stab Ash in the heart. Fang's strike was blocked by the dark blade, which the former slave had attached to his arm.

"Flame Lance!" Someone shouted from behind the trapper, who stepped to the side, as he heard the spell activate.

A spear of fire was quickly flying toward Ash, who allowed it to reach his face, before absorbing it with his Negative Blade . Surprisingly, for Ash, the blade flickered slightly as it was hit. Shortly after, it shattered.

"Ah, I got cocky." Said Ash, as he blocked yet another fireball, which was quickly followed up with a stab from Fang.

Robinia wasn't one to stand back and watch, either. She was charging forward, without relying on any skills. It would appear as if she knew that the young elf was more than aware of which spells she would attack him with, and in what succession she would use them.

The elven girl reached the young elven man, who blocked two subsequent strikes with his knife, which he had been keeping under his robes up until then.

Still without saying a word, Ash followed up with another kick, which missed, as Robinia stepped back. She, too, knew how her opponent fought; they had done it many times, after all.

"Cross Cut!" She bellowed, taking a step forward.

Simultaneously, Ash screamed "Negative Burst.", blocking the incoming attack with a dark burst of energy.

"You've improved..." Gasped the elven girl, as she took her preferred stance -- standing with her side to Ash with a bit of distance between her bent legs.

The stance gave her a little mobility, while improving the stability of her body, which made kicking, striking, and slashing at her a meaningless endeavor.

Ash held out his palm, pointing it at Robinia, who was standing right in front of him; unprepared for what was coming next.

"Negative Bolt." Said the young elf, sounding almost apologetic.

Out of his hand shot a small, insignificant-looking pellet. It was no larger than an acorn, but somehow had an intimidating feel to it. At close range, it would seem small and weak, weaker than most spells, but from afar one could see just how dangerous the spell looked. When seen from afar, one would notice that the small, black pellet was but the core of a massive sphere of dark light, which was rapidly approaching the young elven woman.

The reason one couldn't measure its power from up close was simply because everyone who saw it from point-blank range were already swallowed up in its dark interior, slowly feeling their lives being sucked from their bodies.

The dark bolt, which was moving relatively slowly, was just about to hit Robinia's chest, when Fang jumped in front of her, protected by one of Lin's spells.

He was hit in the in the side, where his kidney was located. He was probably wholly expecting the spell to explode, blowing him miles away, and shattering every bone in his body.

Alas, that wasn't how it went down. Instead, the dark orb passed through the trapper, evaporating flesh, bone, and blood on its way through the black-haired man. It didn't stop there either. As if it hadn't even met resistance, it leisurely kept on flying in a straight line, past the screaming trapper.

Ash hadn't seen Fang being truly distressed before. Now, however, he was writhing in pain, as he saw the orb approach his mistress who was standing still. Paralyzed.

Lin, who had continually been spewing spells at the young elf, had also stopped moving for a second. She watched, horrified, as a spell much more powerful than anything she could possibly hope to conjure approached her beloved party leader.

The noble elf, Robinia, was quick to break her trance, though. She used her favored spell, Gap Closer , to make her way to Lin.

'Just leaving Fang behind, are we?' Ash questioningly thought to himself, disgusted at the indifference with which the trapper had been treated.

The young elf approached the trapper, who reached for his spear, which was lying beside him. Although he was in pain, he made a valiant effort to get a hold of his weapon, which he so dearly treasured.

While looking at Robinia, Ash knelt down beside Fang, who was looking at his party members with eyes that were filled with fear and just a little bit of defiance. He had gotten just a small taste of how his former party member had felt when he was branded a murderer before being stabbed to death in an unfair excuse for a trial by combat.

"If I were you, I'd join the winning side. There is nothing for you to gain by fighting with these miserable excuses for heroes." Said Ash, as he looked at Fang in a sympathizing manner.

The trapper looked at the elf with a mix of emotions clearly displayed on his face. Anger, fear, pain, and hatred were clearly visible on his scarred, weathered, and sweaty face. It didn't matter if he decided to join Ash. The trapper could no longer offer any real resistance.

"I was prepared to die fighting, so let me die fighting." The wounded man said, as he made his best attempt at standing up.

Ash gave him the time he needed. The two of them had been enemies for as long as either of them could remember, so allowing the trapper to die standing was the least that Ash could do out of respect for his opponent's courage.

In the end, Fang stood on his own two feet. He wasn't looking at Lin or Robinia.

The young elf was sure that he hadn't had an easy life, being around those two wasn't exactly easy. In another life, one without the elven girl, the trapper and the elven boy could have been comrades. But life had done as it does, and turned the two against each other.

Ash gave the trapper a chance to put some distance between him and the elf, before they started fighting.

"Then let's have a duel." Ash solemnly said, before storming at the trapper, knife in hand.

The young elf slashed at the trapper, after having closed the distance between the two, but was blocked by Fang's spear.

The trapper went on to try to stab the young elf in the shoulder. Ash dodged the strike, by twisting his body to the right, whereas Fang had aimed for the left shoulder. And without a second's hesitation, Ash grabbed Fang by the spear wielding arm, before speaking the two last words the trapper would ever hear.

"Negative Siphon."

At first there was very little reaction from Fang. Too little reaction. Then all color started leaving his face, which was turning paler and paler by the second.

"Fang!" Someone cried out in pain. It was probably Robinia.

Fang turned his head to face his mistress, and for the first time, the trapper smiled. He had most likely never truly had anyone be sad for him, much less fear for his life. During his years, he had probably been treated as a disposable pawn. But now, as he was dying, he got to experience people caring for him.

Ash was glad for him, but as he let the now limp trapper fall to the ground he was reminded of his task: to kill the two people before him. The two people who, along with the dead trapper, had killed the young elf.

"You're going to pay!" Screamed Robinia, as she charged Ash without using any abilities.

"I for one would love to see that." Ash replied, nonchalantly.

He gracefully dodged the incoming attack, and was expecting to have to dodge spells from Lin, but it would appear as if she was too tired to do anything of the sort.

'Just my luck.' The former slave thought to himself.

The young elf ran toward one of the many trees in the courtyard, closely followed by the noble elf, who was sprinting after him to the best of her ability.

Ash found himself standing before the tree, exhausted. He still hadn't recovered his full physical strength after having been killed, which annoyed him greatly. Nevertheless, he supposed he should be grateful for even being up and about.

Seconds before Robinia reached him, Ash placed his foot on the tree, which he then went on to use as a platform to fling himself at the elven girl, who was all but prepared for the sudden turnaround.

"Cross-" she began, but realized too late that trying to go for that move had just lost her the battle.

A powerful kick hit her in the chest, sending her into the ground. The impact therefrom made her drop her sword, sending it flying many meters away.

There she laid, disarmed and beaten. Strangely, though, Ash didn't feel much pleasure from having defeated her. The last fight they had, had been so one-sided that he had completely forgotten just how much stronger than Robinia he was.

"There isn't much of an audience for this, is there?" Ash muttered to himself, sounding rather disappointed, as he pinned his former party leader to the ground with his free hand.

"Let me go! Lin, help me!"

"Don't you fucking dare call for help! What goddamn right do you have to ask anything of anyone?!" Ash shouted, finally unable to contain his emotions.

He had tried so hard to remain emotionless, but had, as he always did, succumbed to rage in the end.

"Get the mage!" The young elf shouted to a few idle undead, who were standing close by.

Quickly, and without a moment's hesitation, the five dead elves sprinted after Lin in a loose formation. The magician was too tired to use any of her spells, so she readied her wooden staff.

The first one of them reached her, and was about to slash at her with its incredibly sharp nails. However, Lin was quick to react, even though she was tired. She swiftly pushed the unholy creature, which she followed up with striking it in the face with her sturdy staff. As a result, the undead being fell on its back, breaking its neck.

That didn't stop it from getting back on its feet, however. And this time it was joined by two of the others, who had caught up with it. They continued their assault, by simultaneously jumping on the nearly defenseless girl, who offered naught but a scream to defend herself.

"Lin!" Cried Robinia, who still remained pinned down.

Ash looked at both of them, as they were brought before him. Both of them had acted so powerful, so in control, but there they were; completely at his mercy. One was held down by himself, while the other was being held tightly by five of his undead conscripts.

"Now remind me-" The victorious elf began, but cut off by a few of his servant, Zennereth's ice shards, which were flying everywhere.

Apparently, he was having quite a blast distracting the priest, who would otherwise have been able to do substantial damage to Ash. The young elf turned his head to watch the duel, expecting to see his servant winning his duel. And although it would make sense for the powerful lich to win the battle, he wasn't.

In fact, he was being pushed back by not a single person, but three people. Two of which Ash had seen before. The last one, however, he had never seen before. He had heard of him, though.

He was an old man with a long, impressive white beard, which was coupled with equally impressive, long white hair, which reached halfway down to his shoulders. His wrinkles were numerous, yet he looked so full of life, as he threw spell after spell at Zennereth.

One of the three people was the priest, Ash had been fighting. The other man, a middle-aged man in a bishop's robes, was of a far more worrying nature. Not just because he was a bishop, but because he was the bishop who had ended Zennereth's siege of Elcrada. Those two alone had proved that they were a match for the lich, who was barely able to withstand the immensely powerful spells he had to dispel.

What was truly worrying, yet so much more exciting to the young elf, was the last man -- the elderly one.

He was the Archbishop of Kanburrough, the most powerful man in the country. And he was simply watching his two subordinates, as they fought Ash's most trusted servant, who was also his best fighter.

Then, suddenly, Ash could no longer see him. Not because he had moved, but because of the insanely bright light that had suddenly come from his palm, which he pointed in the young elf's direction.

Ash managed to escape the stupidly powerful spell by a hairs breadth, but had to sacrifice his undead minions, and more importantly, his position of power over Robinia and Lin.

"That's no way for a filthy elf to treat ladies." Someone, who had suddenly appeared beside Ash, whispered in the young elf's ear.

A millisecond later, Ash found himself flying through the air, after having been hit by a punch so powerful it could only have been the product of some sort of magic. The elf was just about to question whether or not what was happening was real, before a strike to the abdomen firmly assured him that he wasn't dreaming by any means.

Wholeheartedly expecting to see the old man towering over him, as he finally landed on the ground, the elf was surprised to see that he was surrounded by no-one but the scattered corpses of the commoners who had been attending the festivities.

Every inch of his body hurt, as Ash sat up in order to get a grasp of his situation. He coughed, and he could feel blood filling his mouth.

His heart sank in his chest when he realized that the Archbishop, whom he had expected to have been hit by, was still standing next to Robinia and Lin, who both suddenly appeared to be full of energy.

'You can't do this to me... I won't let you ruin this for me.' Ash thought to himself, over and over again.

He could feel rage welling up in his heart. Maybe his revenge hadn't felt terribly good, as he was carrying it out, but at least he had been getting his revenge. At least he would have been killing the people who had wronged him. The people who had killed him, and who deserved to feel the helplessness he had felt, as he laid dying alone in that forest.

Ash looked as his hands, which were stained with brown, dry blood, which was mixing with the sweat that kept dripping from his face. Those hands had been used to kill so many things, monsters and humans alike. As he looked at his hands, he saw a single drop of blood drip unto them. A drop of blood, which was as dark as the night.

And just like that, he realized that there was but one way to end the battle.

He straightened his back, and pointed his palm at the man, who was hailed as the most powerful in Kanburrough.

Ash could feel the exhaustion in every fiber of his being, but he knew that in order to win the battle, he would have to overextend himself and surpass his boundaries. His resolve was firm, and he knew what would have to be done, as he sprinted toward his two former comrades. He had lost his knife, but he didn't care.

"Negative Blade." Ash managed to say through strained breaths.

He was sure that many of his ribs were broken, yet somehow it felt as painless as a mosquito bite.

The Archbishop, who had been exchanging a few words with Robinia, turned to look at Ash, as if he had been patiently waiting for the young elf to throw himself into battle once more.

Ash reached the three people, but was, as expected, met by the old man, who didn't seem the least bit willing to let him fight the two girls behind him.

"I'm sorry, pagan, but you will not be walking away from Icarus's wrath this time." The elderly man said, planting his cane in the ground as to show that Ash was allowed to go no further.

The former slave looked at the old man. Hatred was very clear in his eyes. After all, the Archbishop was orchestrating and enforcing the discrimination against elves.

"I suppose I'll have to go through you then." Said the young elf.

He threw a quick glance in Zennereth's direction. The lich was still managing to fight on, but looked as if he would be overpowered in time. If he slain, Ash knew that he would be the next to fall.

'I'm gonna have to end this quickly.' Ash realized, further firming his resolve.

A second later, the young elf lunged forward, thereby starting his duel with the strongest man in the kingdom. There was no respect between the two of them; merely strong desire to kill one another.

This was truly a duel.