Reincarnated Into A World Of Elves As The Only Man-Chapter 35: The Ambush

Moonlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting eerie shadows across the forest floor as nine riders picked their way carefully along the overgrown path. Six days of fruitless searching had worn their spirits thin, each village yielding nothing but blank stares and fearful whispers when they inquired about a young woman traveling alone.

Naia shifted uncomfortably in her saddle, the wooden frame digging into her thighs despite the padding of her commoner’s disguise. The rough-spun clothes itched against her skin, so unlike the fine fabrics she’d worn her entire life within palace walls. She glanced at her sister, noting how even in peasant’s garb, Lyra maintained her regal bearing.

"I think we need to take the next step," Naia finally said, breaking the heavy silence that had settled over the group. "We’ve searched every village within a three-day ride of the border."

Lyra’s head snapped toward her, eyes narrowing. "You can’t just tell us to enter Vylonia. It’s far too risky." Her voice dropped to a harsh whisper. "If anyone discovers our identities, it would be considered an act of war."

"And what would you have us do instead?" Naia shot back, frustration bleeding into her words. "Continue circling these same territories while Eren gets further away with each passing hour?"

Captain Diana pulled her mount alongside them, her weathered face grave in the dim light. "Princess Naia may be right," she said, her voice low and steady. "We’ve been wandering for six days without daring to cross into another kingdom. What’s the point of this mission if we’re unwilling to take necessary risks?"

"The point is finding Eren without starting a war," Lyra hissed.

Lieutenant Mira guided her horse forward, her keen eyes catching the last rays of sunset through the trees. The short auburn hair framing her face gleamed even in the dim light as she addressed the princesses with quiet authority. "If I may speak freely, Your Highnesses," she said, her fingers absently touching the air element pendant at her throat, "our intelligence places Princess Eren on the road to Vylonia. Every hour we debate this decision is another hour she travels beyond our reach."

Diana shook her head. "If she crossed the border, that’s where we must follow. My squad is trained for covert operations—we can pass as mercenaries while you maintain your disguises." She glanced back at her remaining warriors. "Our duty is to protect you and find Princess Eren, not to avoid all danger."

From the back of the formation, the kitchen servant guided her horse mechanically, barely engaged in the conversation. Her eyes remained fixed on Lyra, gaze sharp and unsettling. ’Six days of searching, and still she hesitates,’ the servant thought, fingers tightening around her reins. ’Does she truly wish to find Eren, or merely to appear as though she does?’

"If we’re voting, I say we cross the border," quipped Elira, the youngest of the AMAZON squad. "Better than another night sleeping on these forest roots. My back can’t take much more of nature’s hospitality." She grinned, patting her mount’s neck. "Besides, I hear Vylonian wine is worth the risk."

Despite herself, Naia laughed—a brief, unexpected sound that cut through the tension.

"I agree with Lieutenant Mira," Diana added. "Our intel suggests the border town of Krenmill has seen unusual activity. If Eren sought refuge there, every moment we delay could mean losing her trail entirely."

Captain Diana raised her hand, signaling a halt. "We make camp here," she announced, assessing the small clearing ahead. "It’s getting dark, and these woods aren’t kind to travelers after nightfall. We’ll continue this discussion in the morning with clear heads."

The group dismounted with practiced efficiency, falling into the routine they’d established over the past six nights: securing the horses, gathering firewood, setting watchpoints. Within an hour, a small fire crackled in the center of their camp, carefully shielded to prevent its light from traveling too far. The horses were secured nearby, tethered within quick reach should danger arise.

One by one, they settled into their bedrolls, exhaustion claiming them quickly. Only the servant remained awake, staring into the flames, her thoughts consumed with finding Eren—a fixation that had long ago crossed into obsession.

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Lyra awoke to the sensation of cold steel against her throat.

Her eyes snapped open to darkness—the fire had died to embers hours ago. The pressure increased slightly, and she caught the glint of a crude blade in the moonlight. Without hesitation, she rolled away, air surging through her veins as she drew her sword in a single fluid motion.

The attacker lunged with unnatural speed. She parried, channeling energy through her blade, feeling the resistance as it met flesh. With a powerful strike, she cleaved the creature from shoulder to hip, its body separating with a sickening tear.

As the two halves fell to the forest floor, moonlight illuminated its features: sickly green skin stretched over gaunt features, pointed ears, eyes clouded with an unnatural milky film.

"Forbidden elves!" Lyra shouted, her blood running cold. "Wake up! We’re under attack!"

The camp erupted into chaos as flaming arrows rained from the darkness, piercing the night from all directions. The AMAZON warriors sprang to their feet, weapons drawn, just as shadowy figures poured from the trees.

"What are they?" Naia cried, scrambling to her sister’s side, air already swirling around her hands.

"Forbidden elves," Lyra answered grimly, deflecting another attack. "Corrupted forest dwellers. They shouldn’t be this far north—they’re creatures of the deep woods." She kicked away a fallen attacker. "We need to get out of this clearing!"

Lieutenant Mira appeared beside them, her fingers dancing in practiced motions as she summoned a protective shield of swirling air. "Stay close, Princesses," she ordered, her keen eyes scanning the darkness. "They’re surrounding us."

Captain Diana’s voice cut through the chaos. "To the horses! Defensive position!" Air swirled around her as she raised her hands, creating a powerful gust that knocked back three approaching elves. "Move toward the eastern ridge!"

A volley of flaming arrows hissed through the air, striking the ground around them, setting patches of dry grass ablaze. Lieutenant Mira dove forward, summoning a protective dome of turbulent winds around the princesses.

"Stay behind me!" Mira shouted to Naia, her usually calm demeanor replaced by fierce determination. More arrows rained down, their trajectories altered as they struck her whirling shield of air.

"Keep moving!" Diana ordered, sending a blade of concentrated air through the chest of an approaching elf. The creature’s torso split open in a spray of blackish blood, entrails spilling onto the forest floor as it collapsed. freёnovelkiss.com

Sergeant Kenna, a stocky warrior with air mastery, thrust her palms forward, sending a concentrated blast of wind across the clearing. Three elves were lifted off their feet, their bodies contorting as invisible pressure crushed their ribcages with lethal force.

"The horses! Get to the horses!" Lyra commanded, slicing through another elf’s throat. Dark blood gushed as she yanked her blade free, spattering her face and chest.

More flaming arrows streaked overhead, some striking trees and setting branches ablaze. The sudden illumination revealed dozens more elves emerging from the shadows, their pale eyes reflecting the firelight like predators.

"They’re everywhere!" Elira shouted, dispatching an elf with a brutal swing that severed its head clean from its shoulders. The head rolled toward the fire, its eyes still blinking with unholy life until Elira crushed it beneath her boot.

Flavia, another AMAZON warrior, caught the brunt of the next arrow volley. Three flaming shafts pierced her chest and stomach, setting her clothing ablaze. She screamed, dropping to her knees as the flames engulfed her. Captain Diana rushed to her side, summoning a gust to extinguish the flames, but an elf leapt from the darkness, driving a crude spear through Flavia’s back. The point erupted from her chest in a spray of blood and bone fragments.

"Flavia!" Diana cried, decapitating the elf with a single stroke of her blade. But it was too late. Flavia convulsed once, blood bubbling from her lips, then collapsed face-first into the dirt.

Naia summoned her power, sending powerful jets of high-pressure water that sliced through the approaching elves like liquid blades. One creature was cut clean in half at the waist, its legs continuing to run three more steps before toppling over. Another lost both arms, green ichor mixing with the water spray as it howled in rage.

"Behind you, Lieutenant!" Kenna shouted, but her warning came too late. An elf dropped from the trees above, landing on Lieutenant Vale’s shoulders. Before anyone could react, it sank yellowed teeth into Vale’s throat, tearing away a chunk of flesh. Blood fountained from the wound as Vale clawed desperately at her neck, unable to scream as she drowned in her own blood.

"No!" Sergeant Kenna roared, summoning a powerful cyclone that lifted the feeding elf into the air before crushing it with intense pressure. The elf exploded into a spray of gore, but Vale was already gone, her eyes vacant as her body crumpled to the ground.

The survivors fought their way toward the horses, cutting down elves with increasingly desperate fury. Each warrior moved with lethal precision, their elemental powers leaving destruction in their wake. Limbs were severed, bodies split open, heads crushed—yet still the elves came, seemingly endless in number.

More flaming arrows streaked overhead, one striking Lieutenant Mira’s shoulder. She extinguished the flames with a small vortex of air but staggered from the impact, momentarily vulnerable.

"Stay close!" Lyra called to her sister, dispatching another elf with a slash that opened its torso from navel to throat. Its innards spilled onto the forest floor with a wet slap.

They reached the horses, which reared and bucked in terror at the chaos surrounding them. Captain Diana swung into her saddle, extending a hand to pull Lyra up behind her.

"Hurry!" she urged, sending another air blast to clear a path through the swarming elves.

Naia grabbed her horse’s reins, preparing to mount, when a shadow detached from the darkness behind her. An elf, larger than the others, raised a jagged blade, poised to cleave through her neck. She felt the displacement of air but had no time to turn—