Chapter 252: A Killer's Understanding

  Knight Tamika did not take the opportunity to press the attack. His voice was still as indifferent as ever, like pieces of wood, but on his wooden face, there was a strange fluctuation. It might have been a very small smile, but perhaps because he hadn't smiled or shown any expression for so long, he had even forgotten how a person should smile, so the smile looked very strange. Although he hadn't trapped the two of them together, the current situation was also one he was happy to see.

  "That's because you must let go when it's time to let go," Ethan replied lightly.

  He had already grabbed Luya, but when he realized the trap had been triggered, he immediately let go, rushing out by himself the instant the ice sealed. There was no way two people could make it in time. Once completely sealed in the center by such a thick magical wall of ice, there was absolutely no way he could escape with his Battle Qi alone.

  He let go of more than just Luya; he also had to let go of the bag full of magic scrolls. He needed both hands on his sword to break through the ice layer as it was about to freeze. Now that small bag was also frozen beside Luya.

  "How did you know something was wrong? I believe you did see through this magic trap, you were just wary," Knight Tamika said, still not in a hurry to make a move. He seemed quite willing to talk with this opponent.

  "There were many things that were wrong. For example, I knew you weren't the kind of person who likes to do pointless things."

  "Pointless things?"

  "Pointless things like killing over a hundred elves and stacking the bodies so neatly. And letting blood flow all over the ground."

  "Not pointless," Knight Tamika shook his head lightly in reply.

  Ethan smiled slightly. "Right, not pointless. The congealed blood can cover up the subtle fluctuations and scent of the magic traps. Stacking the bodies like this has more of a deterrent effect. Even if it couldn't fool me, it could at least fool her. Then, killing a few more in front of her would naturally make her lose control. It's a pity I realized it a bit late."

  Knight Tamika nodded slightly. A strange light flashed in his eyes. "Generally, I hate talking to people. But now I find listening to you is actually very interesting. You're really not bad—not only are your skills good, but your mind is sharp too. The key is that you can still maintain enough judgment in a situation like this. Seeing more of your excellent qualities before you die will make me feel a bit more when I kill you." His voice, which had been like spitting out wood, now had some fluctuation. It seemed like something akin to emotion. "You know, it's been a long time since I've had the impulse to kill someone like this."

  "Then come and kill me." Ethan glanced at the ground intentionally or otherwise. The thick bloodstains on the ground were semi-congealed, seeming to have stuck his feet to it. He hadn't moved a muscle since bursting out of the ice. He continued to look at Knight Tamika and asked, "Since you want to kill me so badly, why don't you make a move? You're not a person who likes to talk, nor someone who would let slip an opportunity to attack. I know everything you've done is just to make me die. Do you want me to step on two more traps myself? I've said it, I know you're not the type of person who likes pointless chatter."

  Knight Tamika laughed. This time, he finally truly laughed. But this smile, appearing on a face that was originally wooden and seemed completely insulated from the concept of laughter, looked more ferocious than a Behemoth beast devouring its prey.

  "It's rare to meet someone who understands me this well. I like you." Knight Tamika's voice had even changed. This sentence was no longer in his wooden voice, but the sound of a beast chewing its prey—viscous, full of bloodlust and the desire to devour. From this voice, one could feel the thickness and intensity of the desire and killing intent, a killing intent that had been cellared for ten years.

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  The area of congealed blood was large. There must be more than just that ice trap. But just seeing Knight Tamika standing still, Ethan knew he didn't not want to move, didn't not want to seize the opportunity to strike the moment he burst out of the ice. Because right beside him, perhaps less than an inch from his feet, there were several, or even dozens, of magic traps.

  Understanding between friends can never be as direct and thorough as understanding between enemies. In a state of enmity, it's easiest to see a person's true nature stripped bare.

  But seeing through it doesn't mean there's a way to break it. Especially since he didn't see through it completely yet.

  Ethan didn't dare to jump around randomly. A standing jump without a run-up to clear the bloodstained area would require him to jump very high, very far, and with great force. The opening he would expose would surely be large. Knight Tamika would never let such an opportunity pass. He knew that in such a situation, he would be hard-pressed to withstand the other's full-power strike, which had been waiting for this moment. This was a trap set specifically to deal with him, perhaps a trap set by the most professional and seasoned killing machine on the continent. All of his reactions must have been anticipated by his opponent.

  Knight Tamika was still not in a hurry to make a move. Instead, he asked, "I've asked a few elves. That thing that emitted a strange aura is yours, isn't it? Where is it now? Is it on you?"

  Ethan smiled. "Why do you think I would answer you?"

  Knight Tamika gave a light kick with his foot, and a fragment of a thorn flew over to a pile of elves. Just like before, a pillar of soaring flames instantly engulfed that group of unconscious elves.

  After the flames, dozens of elves were once again left as nothing but charred corpses on the ground and a heavy, burnt stench. But Ethan didn't even blink, not even glancing at it, as if it were nothing more than a child burning a pile of dry firewood. It was Knight Tamika who blinked instead. He nodded and said, "I also knew this shouldn't be enough of a threat to you... but perhaps this will be a bit better." He raised his voice and shouted, "Bring her out."

  At Knight Tamika's signal, three people emerged from behind the trees in the distance.

  Seeing the appearance of these three, Ethan was slightly taken aback. To be precise, two people were dragging one person out. A Templar and Yabin emerged, dragging Talise between them. The blonde-haired female knight was now tied up securely, her mouth tightly stuffed with a messy ball of leaves and weeds. There were deep wounds on her shoulder and arm, and half her body was soaked through with blood. Her phoenix-like eyes seemed not just about to spew fire, but blood as well, filled with red veins as she glared at Knight Tamika and Yabin beside him.

  "Hand over that thing, or tell me where I can get it." Knight Tamika raised the Fangs longsword in his hand.

  "You're threatening me with your own comrade? Do you think it's effective? I just find it ridiculous." Ethan smiled, still not even blinking.

  "No. Not ridiculous." Knight Tamika's voice returned to that wooden indifference. The Fangs longsword in his hand swung out in a single slash, straight for Talise's head.

  After that strange aura in the forest had suddenly appeared and then disappeared, the half-dead Templar, who had been knocked unconscious by the impact of the aura, struggled to recover. Then, he carefully and barely managed to use his Mana Divine Eye to look, only to discover that the two people and the Leaves of the World Tree had all disappeared together.

  Unable to determine if the disappearance of the two and the Leaves of the World Tree was related to that strange aura, Knight Tamika did not hesitate but directly decided to infiltrate the Whispering Woods. That opponent was temporarily gone; in this vast forest, absolutely no one had the ability to hinder him in the slightest.

  In terms of infiltration, hostage-taking, and assassination, he was truly an expert among experts, a master among masters. No matter how vast the prey he faced, he could use the most ingenious and appropriate methods to dismantle and carve it up in the shortest time possible, turning it into a delicious meal he could devour at will. From entering the Whispering Woods to completely controlling the situation, keeping tens of thousands of elves in the palm of his hand, Knight Tamika took no more than an hour. It was absolutely done in one go, with consummate skill.

  The Withered Wood Warden had been mostly depleted during the great battle of the day, and the elves, exhausted by the fight, had long since lost the energy to be on guard. The Templar's Mana Divine Eye could easily discern the layout within the Whispering Woods. Tamika, with Talise and the other three, moved as if entering an unguarded domain. The Mana Divine Eye could distinguish between the elven elders and the common elves, so it didn't take long for all the elven elders to fall into the hands of the Temple Knights.

  The elves were not defenseless lambs to the slaughter. If they were to fight head-on, Knight Tamika, for all his individual strength, would be no match for tens of thousands of elves. But when all the elven elders had fallen into the enemy's grasp, the elves were completely helpless. By nature kind and peaceful, they were no different from rabbits before Knight Tamika.

  The elves were not unaware of how to resist, but Knight Tamika had the Templar give them a sufficiently shocking demonstration right from the start. A magic trap sent a pillar of flames soaring into the sky, turning dozens of elves within it into charcoal.

  Tamika's words were few, but his negotiation methods were absolutely the most effective. He didn't just use his mouth; the key was that he made the elves feel completely that they had no room for bargaining. Besides the elven elders, there were even more elven captives, giving him plenty of leeway to display his unique negotiation skills. He would just use the simplest words to state his demands. Then, as soon as the other elves showed hesitation, resistance, or even tried to speak of compromise or negotiation, he would silently grab an elf and kill them. He would use the same method to cut the captive's throat and the tendons in their limbs, allowing the surrounding elves to watch clearly as their companions twitched and slowly died like skinned frogs.