Elf Kingdom: Game of the World Tree-Chapter 335 - 318 Ambushing Elf Army

"This place... was once the Rock Cave Tribe?"

Cynthia’s voice carried a trace of disbelief as she looked at the desolate ruins before her.

Kains frowned and nodded, looking around cautiously before stepping forward to examine the site.

On the ground, faint traces of blood could still be discerned, but it had completely darkened.

The entire ruin seemed as if it had been overturned, a scene of utter disarray.

"There was a battle here, I fear... it’s been at least three months, and judging from the traces at the scene, it’s as if a village had been looted by bandits, with nothing left behind. The Rock Cave Tribe, it seems, was exterminated."

Kains said in a deep voice,

"Three months..."

Cynthia murmured, her eyes reflecting a hint of doubt.

The largest Half-Beast Tribe near the Elf Forest was silently wiped out three months ago, and all this time, there hadn’t been a single whisper about it!

*What exactly did they encounter?*

*What happened here?*

*Moreover, it’s just a poor Half-Beast Tribe; what could be so valuable that someone would bother to rob them? Just junk?*

The more the two Mercenary Corps Leaders pondered, the more alert they became, yet they also felt a deep sense of puzzlement.

Judging from the traces at the scene, it looked as if the Rock Cave Tribe had been attacked by bandits, and not just any bandits, but those with considerable power who could eliminate them quietly.

*But... these were Half-Beasts!*

*What was worth robbing in their junk?*

*Furthermore... this area falls under the Half-Beast’s domain; where would bandits come from?*

"Could it be... the Black Dragon? Or perhaps the Black Dragon’s clansmen?"

Cynthia asked.

"The Black Dragon... an immature Black Dragon should not have the capability to silently exterminate the Rock Cave Tribe. To quietly wipe out a Half-Beast Tribe... this must be a formidable force, and... it’s likely there are many of them!"

Kains said, frowning.

Hearing Kains’ words, Cynthia’s frown deepened.

She looked around again, and suddenly her expression changed,

"Look quickly! There are so many footprints here!"

Kains stood up and looked in the direction she indicated, indeed seeing a multitude of chaotic footprints.

The footprints seemed human, vaguely mixed with some Demon Beast prints, with an overwhelming number of them.

The traces of these footprints were very fresh, as if they had just been left.

"These are new footprints, definitely less than a day old!"

Cynthia murmured.

Kains squinted slightly and suddenly stretched out his foot, comparing it with the footprints.

"Hmm?"

After a moment, he let out a light exclamation.

"What’s wrong?"

Cynthia asked curiously.

Kains’ expression carried a trace of surprise, a hint of confusion, and a bit of delight,

"These footprints... they seem to belong to elves!"

"Elves?!"

Cynthia was slightly taken aback.

Listening to the other’s words, she looked again carefully and indeed discovered some unique traits of elves.

Both mercenary groups had been involved in dealings and hunts with elves before, and they were quite capable of identifying elf footprints. On closer inspection, they truly noticed the difference.

"These really seem like elf footprints! But... where did so many elves come from? Could they be the ones deceived away by the Southern Nobles earlier?"

Cynthia was both delighted and puzzled.

Delighted because if there were really elves here, they might make a fortune, but puzzled because there seemed to be an excessive number of footprints.

Kains was about to say something when suddenly there came the piercing roar of a dragon from afar...

They instinctively looked up, towards where the sound originated, and saw a black castle on a distant hill.

No, that was no longer just a castle.

A ring of solid walls had been built around the castle. The walls looked very new, perhaps finished not long ago.

Even the castle itself seemed to have undergone meticulous refurbishment.

And a majestic Black Dragon was circling in the sky above the castle.

"The Black Dragon Nest!"

Their eyes lit up,

Having been stunned by the ruins before them, they hadn’t noticed that the Black Dragon Nest they were searching for all this time was right ahead!

However, before they could rejoice, their expressions became serious almost instantly...

The refurbished castle, the annihilated Rock Cave Tribe, and the numerous footprints seemingly belonging to elves...

Somehow, it was as if the Mercenary Corps Leaders realized something, and they instinctively looked around.

The Rock Cave Tribe was built against a hill, in a low-lying area, with dense forests on the other three sides, looking... just like a pocket.

This terrain... if something were to happen, it didn’t seem very favorable.

The same thought almost simultaneously crossed their minds.

And at that moment, a breeze suddenly blew by.

Countless birds flew out from the forest, chirping as if they had been startled by something...

"No good!"

In an instant, both Mercenary Corps Leaders stood up almost simultaneously.

And just as they finished speaking, they heard the swooshing sound of breaking wind, a barrage of skill-glowing arrows flying out from the surrounding forest, directly targeting the mercenaries gathered at the ruins of the Rock Cave Tribe.

These arrows were so unexpected that the mercenaries on the perimeter didn’t even have time to grasp what was happening before being struck.

In an instant, amid exclamations and screams, dozens of mercenaries fell to the ground with uncertain fates.

In no time, the gathered mercenaries erupted into chaos.

"Ambush! It’s an ambush! We’ve fallen into a trap!"

Almost at the same moment, the two leaders realized what had occurred.

They were shocked and enraged, confused and terrified.

And just after the arrows fell, a frenzy of wild cheering erupted all around.

Amid chaotic shouts like "Ula!" and "Ohwowo!" tall figures suddenly charged out of the surrounding forest.

With magnificent equipment and faces either handsome or beautiful, they were elves!

"Elves?!"

The mercenaries wore an astonishing expression upon seeing several hundred elves suddenly emerge.

But soon, this astonishment transformed into excitement.

Elves!

They had actually encountered elves!

And... these elves were foolishly charging towards them!

"By the Eternal Lord, this could be piles of shiny gold coins!"

Though a few dozen of their comrades had just been killed by the elves, upon seeing these elves, the mercenaries’ initial panic and confusion quickly turned into euphoria.

In the Fengye Territory, not a single mercenary was unfamiliar with elf hunting.

They knew all too well these long-eared beings, with weak combat abilities and timid natures, yet worth a fortune.

Their skill with arrows was only slightly better, their melee combat skills weak to the utmost!

However, this instinctive thought lasted less than a few seconds.

Because they soon discovered something peculiar about these elves.

The appearances of these elves were utterly different from any that the mercenaries knew of.

They wielded weapons, shouting and rallying, screaming with excitement, resembling a bunch of lunatics.

And the way they looked at the mercenaries was like wolves seeing prey!

Brutal, thrilled, insane...

Those eyes made the mercenaries involuntarily take a step back.

And just as the mercenaries reeled in hesitation.

Countless more figures accompanied by the varied cries of battle, burst out of the forest...

Their shouts were deafening, the figures densely packed.

The expressions of the two leaders instantly turned serious.

In their view, they saw a fully armed Elf Army!

And they... found themselves encapsulated in a moment.