novelraw Chapter 251 : Chapter 251
Chapter 251 : Chapter 251
Final Volume – “You Can Only Defeat the Greatest Evil by Killing Me”
“If the World Tree was born only to serve as a tool for the Golden Elves to oppress the Gray Elves and others, then it deserves to be destroyed.”
“Lady Teresa, I stand before you now as the leader of the Resistance. I request a negotiation.”
“Of course, negotiations rest upon power — you know that better than I do.”
Four hundred years ago, beneath the sacred tree, a gray-haired elf girl and a golden-haired elf girl faced each other in opposition. Now, they stood again — in the fallen holy capital, Tensuo City.
Here, Teresa finally understood the truth.
The so-called Demon King—was none other than her childhood friend, her dearest companion, Ifan Lanyel.
She could not recall every detail of their past, but when she saw Ifan emerge from the Demon King’s citadel, she wasn’t surprised. Perhaps, deep down, she had known all along.
Four centuries had changed her. Once, you could still see traces of the elf she used to be. Now her very form had shifted — her skin a deep violet-black, horns twisting from her temples. Only her face remained faintly recognizable.
A pure, untainted elf — a believer of the Mother of Forests — how could she bear such corrupted skin, such infernal marks?
No. The being before her was something new — no longer an elf, not quite a demon.
Yet Teresa felt little confusion. There were too many questions burning within her.
“Ifan. I have some questions. Please… answer them truthfully.”
“Oh?” Ifan smirked. “Still so proud. Even after centuries, your tone hasn’t changed. My beloved Lady Teresa — the all-knowing, all-righteous one. So, even you have doubts now?”
“Tell me. The one who opened the gates for the demons — was it you?”
“......Four hundred years apart, and that’s your first question? Not even a greeting? Not even to ask how much your kind made the Gray Elves suffer?”
“If oppression truly existed, then I am at fault. But… Ifan, I swear upon the World Tree — I remember no injustice, no cruelty, committed by me or the Golden Elves.”
“Ha. Still the same self-righteous saint,” Ifan scoffed, irritation crossing her face. “Your fake compassion makes me sick, Teresa.”
“Enough. What’s done is done.” She sighed, her tone softening, her expression briefly unreadable.
“Teresa… if I told you none of this was my doing — that someone else was behind it — would you believe me?”
“I want to believe you, Ifan. But show me proof.”
“......Teresa,” she said quietly, bitterness in her eyes, “to defeat the true evil in this world, the most terrifying one of all — you are far from ready.”
“What do you mean?”
Ifan’s lips curved into a faint, sorrowful smile. “Turns out… we were all just puppets on someone else’s strings.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Forget it. You don’t need to know.”
Then came her mocking laughter again. “You want to know what happened after we conquered the Elven Forest?”
Teresa’s brows furrowed.
“Heh. How naïve. Let me enlighten you — the Elven Forest has no more Golden Elves.”
“...What?” Teresa’s pupils shrank.
She remembered Yimi’s memories — the fire, the screams, the slaughter. None had survived.
“You…?”
“Who else?” Ifan spread her arms, her grin twisted.
“They were your kin! Innocents! Civilians who did nothing! Why?! Why unleash your rage on them?”
“Kin?” Ifan laughed, unhinged. “And what of it? Did you pity the orcs, the wolves, the beastfolk when they were crushed? When the oppressed rise, they don’t spare their own! To build a new order, there must be sacrifice.”
“Your sister was lucky — she ran fast. Otherwise, her head would’ve decorated the charred World Tree.”
She raised a long, withered spear of dark wood, pointing it at Teresa. “And you, too, Princess Teresa Galnorin — you would’ve joined her!”
“You’re lying… The World Tree still lives! Its leaves remain!”
“Hahaha! Of course they do! I banished them all to another dimension!” Ifan’s laughter filled the air. “They’ll suffer forever in the Void — eternal life, eternal torment, never to return to Kaleburn! Their endless years will drive them mad!”
“You can’t bring them back. Not even I can.”
Her laughter echoed through the ruins. “Your kin rot in an empty world, living deaths beyond salvation!”
“...Ifan!” Teresa’s fury erupted.
Ifan smiled coldly. “That’s it. Rage. Don’t hold back. Only then… will you have a chance to defeat the final enemy.”
“Come then, Teresa! You lost last time — and this time will be no different! I’ll send you to your kin soon enough!”
Ifan thrust her spear, summoning black skulls that screamed through the air.
Teresa steadied herself, bow drawn. Five arrows, glowing like a rainbow, collided with the skulls — shattering them instantly.
“Don’t forget, Ifan,” Teresa said coldly, rushing forward. “You never beat me. Not once.”
In a flash, her bow became a blade of fresh leaves.
Their weapons clashed — sparks and thunder filled the crumbling city. Each strike bent the air itself.
“Join your kin in the abyss!” Ifan roared, driving her spear into the ground. From it rose a prison of bone, tightening around Teresa, closing in to crush her.
The walls shrank, her movement restricted — until—
BOOM!
The prison exploded. Bone shards flew — and from the smoke, a sword of flowing light cut through space and time.
Teresa emerged unscathed, her willow-wood sword gleaming.
[Broken Bow] — activated.
Few in existence could push Teresa to this state. And once she reached it, none could defeat her.
Ifan knew that better than anyone.
Four centuries ago, even after embracing demonic power, she couldn’t match Teresa. Teresa had held back — then and now.
The gap between them hadn’t changed.
Teresa remained the unrivaled Elf War Goddess.
Her sword swept the skies. A single strike tore through Tensuo’s ruins, splitting palace and city alike — yet still, the ancient wall stood unmarked.
Ifan stared into the oncoming storm, feeling that same helplessness as before.
You can’t dodge it. You can’t block it. Unless you transcend the very laws of the world, you can’t defeat Teresa.
But you can.
A faint smile crossed her lips — unseen by Teresa. She raised her spear in token defense.
It shattered instantly.
And she fell.
***
“...Heh. I’m not dead? You still can’t finish me off.” Blood trailed down her chin as she leaned against the rubble, her voice soft, almost nostalgic.
“You let me win,” Teresa said quietly, tightening her grip on her sword. “Why? What are you hiding from me?”
“I’ve told you everything that matters,” Ifan murmured coldly.
“Who knows you better than I do, Ifan? Why lie to me?”
Silence. Then a weak laugh. “Sometimes, I wish your intuition weren’t so sharp.”
“What are you hiding?”
No answer. Only quiet breathing.
“You’re not dying here,” Teresa said, kneeling beside her. “I held back. You’ll live.”
“That’s exactly why I needed to make sure you’d kill me,” Ifan said, smiling bitterly. “And of course, you couldn’t.”
“Teresa, stop talking and do it. Strike me down. Prove you’re still the Elf War Goddess I admired — the one who never hesitated.”
“Even if you’ve betrayed me… you’ll stand trial when the Elven Forest is restored. I won’t execute you.”
“Idiot! You don’t understand!” Ifan coughed blood, voice trembling.
“When you were struck down centuries ago, your soul shattered. That bastard—he hid your final memory fragment inside me! If I don’t die, you can’t reclaim it! And without it, you’ll never reach your full strength—never defeat him!”
“Golden Elves, Moon Elves, Sea Elves, Wood Elves, Snow Elves—if you don’t kill me, none of them can be saved!”
“Don’t make me despise you, Teresa! You’re not someone who’d sacrifice the world for sentiment!”
Teresa froze.
She remembered that question she once asked Felicia: When forced to choose between love and duty… which would she choose?
Back then, it had seemed obvious. Personal feelings could never outweigh justice.
But standing here now—she couldn’t do it.
Even knowing Ifan’s crimes, she couldn’t bring herself to end her life.
“There must be another way. Tell me who the real enemy is, and I’ll bring him to justice myself.”
“No, Teresa. You can’t. Even a War Goddess can’t.”
Her voice grew faint. “You might be unmatched beneath the heavens… but what if your foe stands beyond them? Do you think you can defeat a being unbound by the world itself?”
“He’s planned this for centuries. You, even whole, wouldn’t stand a chance. In your current state? Impossible.”
“Choose, Teresa! Now! Before it’s too late—”
A new voice interrupted. Cold. Empty. Familiar.
“Too late already.”
Teresa’s eyes widened. That voice—“Astrid?”
From the shadows, the silver-haired elf stepped forward, expressionless.
“What are you saying?” Teresa asked, shaken.
Astrid ignored her, her gaze fixed on Ifan.
“So this is where you were hiding. Clever.”
Then, with a faint smile that chilled the air, she whispered:
“Let’s end this farce. My ‘fragment’… you’ve been gone long enough. Isn’t it time you came home?”