The Reader and Protagonist Definitely Have to Be in True Love Chapter 38 - Protagonist: You will eventually come back to m

Chapter 38.1 – Protagonist: You will eventually co back to .

The blood-red, human-shaped, rune-covered creature sank into the ground, vanishing without a trace as if it had been absorbed by the forest.

Xiu sat on Zaphion’s shoulder, chin in hand, and looked thoughtfully at the result. This was the fifth ti that he had recalled the blood contract beast. He knew that the man he was looking for was in there and, though the blood contract beast could enter freely, the whole elf forest was like a large magical array that kept out all unwelco visitors.

Since that is the case then all this will have to be destroyed.

The flaxen-haired gno straightened up, looked at the lush forest before him, and patted the head of a chanical puppet.

From now on, there will be no Elven forest on the Chaos Continent.

***

Sunlight, filtered by the interlaced branches of the trees, illuminated the open-air altar and an exquisite idol surrounded by flowers and a fence of woven branches and leaves. On the circular altar, a golden-yellow branch dangled above a small pool. After a very long ti, a drop of golden liquid would fall from the branch onto the pool.

That pool was not large. Its radius was around 3 ters and it was full of the golden liquid – the sap of the Tree of Life. According to legend, one drop of this sap can restore a person to his peak condition and greatly strengthen his physique.

Kneeling beneath the altar was a beautiful elf. Her long blonde hair, elegant white robes, and glittering white gold forehead ornant proclaid her identity. The Queen of the Elves, with her hands crossed and against her lips, closed her eyes and adopted a reverent posture. After praying for a long ti, the Queen of the Elves looked up at the Tree of Life. The foliage around the altar that was erald green, but the rest of it was completely black.

There was a rustle of leaves and the Queen of the Elves stood up. Her golden eyes flashed with displeasure. She went outside and saw her most faithful bodyguard, Simon, and the loathso Necromancer. They brought with them a black-haired man who was pale and appeared to be in a coma. As for the last person to arrive, Ariel, she was totally ignored by the queen.

“Your Majesty, I have sothing important to report,” Simon politely but hurriedly greeted the Queen of the Elves. “The gno I spoke of last ti seems to have ford a blood contract with this man. He has been looking for this person and should be here soon.”

The queen was startled. Simon had told her everything that happened in the Gno Ruins. The sudden reappearance of a gno was a little surprising, but right now the most important thing is to heal the Tree of Life. The gnos and the elves have never interfered with each other’s affairs.1 She believed in Simon’s ability and thought that the gno would never find out that the elves were behind the kidnapping. But now, because of the blood contract, the gno who controls one five-star and one six-star chanical puppet found out and is coming?

The elves have three War Gods and two Mage Gods, so one Sword Saint and one war God can’t defeat them, but it will be troubleso. The Queen of the Elves turned her gaze to Anat: if it were not for the vampire ...

Anat noticed the elf queen’s gaze and she smiled with her hand on her red lips. “Why are you glaring at ? How was I supposed to know that they had a blood contract?”

“When will you remove the pollution?”

“It depends on when you bring the person I want. What I want is that gno, as long as you bring him here, I will fulfill my promise.” Anat smiled mysteriously. “Anyway, a gno is nothing to the elves, right?”

It’s true, a gno is nothing to the elves, but even if she is the queen it’s not easy to ask the elven elders for help in this matter.

Suddenly, the ground started shaking. The queen held on to so branches for support and looked to the distance with astonishnt. It seed like a huge teorite had fallen, it’s fiery path painting the sky red. From far away, a green ball of light erged from an ancient war tree and flew to the queen. The elves had planted hundreds of ancient war trees in the Elven Forest. These trees protected the elves’ territory and, when they died, their souls would pass on information to the elves before they disappeared.

The Queen of the Elves reached out her hand and touched the soul orb, perceiving the information. No one could discern anything from her expressionless face. The green orb vanished.

The queen was calm, but it was the calm before the storm.

“Simon.” The Elf Queen’s voice was cold. “Please ask the elders to co.”

Simon ca to attention. Anat saw that the queen was only pretending to be indifferent. Obviously, sothing was up. Anat snapped her fingers and a bat flew over to her.

“The children I gave you before can’t hold on any longer.” 2

From Anat’s fingers, the bat flew to the Tree of Life. It alighted and began to suck out the pollution. The queen looked at this silently. Her normally cold, impassive face showed a trace a helplessness. If it weren’t for Anat’s bat, the Tree of Life would be completely polluted.

The beautiful vampire laughed joyfully.

“Working together is good.”

(TN: I guess she ans the bats are her children)

***

The Fire Phoenix flew over the forest. Wherever it’s long tail feathers trailed, strong fire elents fell onto the trees like a crimson flower. Alighting on a tall tree, the Fire Phoenix surveyed the results. The green of the forest has been replaced by red. The god beast happily spread its wings and tweeted. Then, it seed to think of its missing “Mother” who wasn’t here to see its masterpiece and folded its wings, dejected.

“Water cage.”

Dense water elents suddenly surrounded the god beast, caging it. By the ti the Fire Phoenix noticed, it was already too late and the Phoenix was unable to take off. Seeing its precarious situation, a figure jumped up to the top of the tree and grabbed the Fire Phoenix, rescuing it from its watery prison. It was Old John.

In the air, a figure gradually appeared. It was an elf wearing the blue robe of a magician. He looked at Old John, who was holding the Fire Phoenix, and the forest that was being ravaged by fire. The elf decided to put out the forest fire first then take care of the masterless god beast later.

The elf took out his staff and spit out a spell: “Rainstorm.”

In the twinkling of an eye, clouds ford above the elf forest and poured down rain. The forest fires were put out.

Xiu looked up at the elf. Advanced magic can allow a person to cast a spell without saying the entire incantation. Only Mage Gods have the ability to cast a spell just by saying its na. To the Mage Gods, casting magic is as instinctive as breathing. They can instantly cast low and interdiate level magic.

“Zaphion.”

The chanical puppet heard the order and stopped its killing of ancient war trees. Zaphion raised its head to look at the elf.

The elf didn’t seem to mind being stared at by the chanical puppet and continued putting out fires by manipulating the water elents in the forest.

The chanical puppet swiftly jumped up and ruthlessly struck at the elf magician. It was like pressing a button – one mont the chanical puppet’s hand was about to hit the elf, then the next mont light was shining through the hole in the chanical puppet’s body.

Xiu turned back. On a tall tree behind him, another elf appeared. The elf put an arrow on his bow then shot at Zaphion, who was struggling to get up. “Don’t get in the way.”

Xiu looked at the two holes that ruined the beautiful silver white design on Zaphion’s body. Only a War God can damage a six star chanical puppet’s body. For Zaphion to be unable to block the attack, it was clear that the archer was a War God.

The Mage God and War God were staring at Xiu, whose expression was very strange. His chin was lifted and his smile was both bizarre and dangerous.

Finally soone ca to play with . A raindrop on Xiu’s hair dripped down. It was dark red in color. He stretched out his two hands and started counting off.

“On the blue side, the elves have 1, 2, a total of two people. On the red side the chanical puppets have 1, 2, 3, 4, ...”

The bow on the hand of the elf who was standing on top of a tree began to tremble. Ever since he beca a War God, he had never felt this kind of fear and despair as chanical puppets began to appear, one after the other. The elf can feel the battle aura3 of the chanical puppets. Their chests all had six stars and all of them are ... War Gods.

“... 9, 10, a total of 10 people.” Xiu put his hands down and softly announced: “We can start the ga.”

......

Xiu poked at the air in front of him. Like a burst bubble, the forest scene in front of him vanished into thin air and a beautiful fantasy scene appeared in front of him. Xiu summoned the blood contract beast once again. The red humanoid form began to run towards the distant lake.

Zaphion placed Xiu on its shoulders. Another chanical puppet ran after the blood contract beast, leaving behind an area of burnt soil mixed with red. The terrible color looked as if soone had crushed minced at into the ground.

They did not see any living creatures along the way. All the elves had gone off to hide sowhere, and Xiu didn’t feel like trying to find them. His brain was full of the urgent need to find that person.

The blood contract beast ran through the grass, over the lake, then finally began to climb up the tree in the middle of the lake. Zaphion ran through the tree canopy then jumped down in the middle of a clearing.

“Boom!”

The chanical puppet fell heavily onto the flowers, and its falling wind created a rain of petals. Xiu stood up and peered at the altar.

Above the altar was a human.

Du Ze was in Anat’s hands. He was still in a coma, his face was pale from blood loss ... too pale.

When he caught sight of Du Ze, Xiu’s eyes instantly beca red.

“Bam!”

The Queen of the Elves and the crowd of elves around her involuntarily retreated. Even though the chanical puppet’s attack was stopped by a light barrier, they still felt its dreadful intent to crush them into the mud.

“Bam! Bam! Bam!”

More and more chanical puppets arrived and started attacking the magic barrier as the elves gaped, horrified. The chanical puppets cast an intense red light onto them, as though announcing their desire to erase the elves from this world.

Fortunately, even though it looked as though it would was going to break at any ti, the light barrier held. The Queen of the Elves remained calm. She walked forward and spoke to Xiu, who was still on Zaphion’s shoulder. “You cannot break it. This is the barrier of the goddess of life.”

Xiu finally turned his gaze away from Du Ze and looked at the elves. The queen saw his bright coloured eyes and suddenly found it difficult to speak.

“We ... There may be so misunderstanding between us.”

Chapter 38.2 – Protagonist: You will eventually co back to .

“Give him back to .” Xiu’s voice was soft and sweet, but also creepy: “He is not soone you can touch.”

“My student is not soone you can kill!” Anat suddenly spoke up as her magic inford her that he was the one who killed her beloved student. Anat stared at Xiu with extre hatred while her bright red nails pierced the skin of Du Ze’s chin. “Make your tal lumps leave! Or I’ll rip his throat out!”

Xiu was silent for a while, then he clapped his hands and all the chanical puppets retreated from the light barrier. Anat giggled at the Queen of the Elves. “Why are you afraid of him? This man is in our hands. He will not dare to act rashly!”

“Anat,” said the Elf queen coldly, “I wish I had never t you.”

“Oh? Are you sure, my dear queen?” Anat smiled nastily: “If not for , your Tree of Life would be long gone.”

Four of the 10 six-star chanical puppets walked away, leaving the rest at the entrance of the altar. Xiu stood on Zaphion’s shoulder and asked: “Is that a threat?”

Anat coldly humd but the queen did not speak. She looked at the chanical puppets guarding the entrance and her heart was very uneasy.

Xiu gazed at the elves. “Then I’ll say this. If you don’t give him to , you will lose the Tree of Life now.”

“Boom-”

From the lower part of the Tree of Life ca a violent shock, as if soone was trying to uproot it. The force of the shock was so great that the elves’ eyes showed horror. Xiu smiled.

“If he dies, I will bury the Tree of Life with him.”

Before Xiu finished speaking, Anat had realized that the situation was bad, but she was still unable to stop the elves from taking Du Ze from her. Two elven War Gods held her back.

For the first ti, the Queen of the Elves’ face showed an expression. She shouted to the devil outside, horrified: “Stop it! We’ll give him back to you in perfect and flawless condition!”

Xiu looked at this farce and patted Zaphion. The light in the chanical puppet’s eyes flashed as a ssage was transmitted, then the movent at the Tree of Life’s roots stopped.

The queen almost collapsed on the ground. Simon brought over Du Ze, who was still in a coma. Anat watched as these events unfolded and she pointed out with a smile: “Do you really think that if you give him back that person he will let you all go? Don’t be daft! I can see that he is a devil worse than I am!”

Although the elf queen did not respond to Anat’s words, she was still affected. Staring at Xiu, she said: “You must swear to God or we will not believe you.”

Xiu did not hesitate. “If you give him back to , I will not use any ans to harm the Tree of Life.” Xiu lowered his head to think then smiled mysteriously. “I swear this by the god of light.”

The elf queen saw a light descend on Xiu. This light showed that the god of light had recognized the vow. Anyone who violated an oath sworn to the god of light will be punished by the god. She breathed a sigh of relief, walked towards the center of the altar, and used a leaf to take a single drop of golden liquid. She then carefully poured it into Du Ze’s mouth. Instantly, Du Ze’s face beca ruddy as he woke up.

Du Ze looked around him in confusion, but his sight were blurry as though he wasn’t wearing his glasses. He took off the glasses to check if sothing was wrong before freezing. He could see everything clearly! His vision was better than ever before. Opposite him was Xiu, and Du Ze could even see his reflection in the gno’s eyes. Though his reflection was tiny, it filled Xiu’s eyes so that there was no room for anything else.

Du Ze didn’t know what to think. Why were his highly myopic eyes suddenly fixed? What is this current situation? Then he heard Xiu say to him: “Co here.”

It was almost an automatic reflex for him to get up and go to Xiu. The elves didn’t block his path and the light barrier had been opened for him. He climbed up Zaphion’s outstretched hand, and the chanical puppet placed him in front of Xiu. When so silly, cute person saw that familiar flax-colored hair and small face, he suddenly beca too nervous to speak.

This is Xiu. He’s a real person.

While Du Ze was wool gathering, Xiu leaned forward to grab his neck.

“You will eventually co back to .”1

At that mont, Du Ze’s heart overflowed. In fact, he did not panic when he was kidnapped because, subconsciously, he knew that Xiu will definitely co to find him. So silly, cute person thought that he had forgotten what it was to have friends, but when this person held him, it made him realize that this was true friendship.

Du was about to reach out and hug him when he heard Xiu whisper in his ear: “Because I’m going to destroy everything that separates us.”

“Boom! Crash! Bam!”

The sound was that of a person’s flesh and bones crushed into a paste. It was like a man crushing a cockroach under his foot.

Du Ze later thought: if he had not turned to look behind him, would he still have seen the pool of blood under the chanical puppet’s foot? Is it because he now sees everything clearly and differently – whether it’s Xiu or the rest of the world?2

The Queen of the Elves stared at the two chanical puppets that dropped down from the sky. If the two War Gods weren’t fast enough to dodge, it wouldn’t only be Anat under the chanical puppet’s foot.

The chanical puppet lifted its foot and the blood flowed freely. Anat beca a piece of bloody rags, but although her skull was flattened and her bones crushed into powder, she was still alive. To kill a vampire, you either needed to use silver or to decapitate it. The chanical puppet picked up Anat, who made a strange “haha” sound. It was unsure if she was laughing at herself or mocking the queen who is about to suffer the sa fate. The horrified elves could only watch as the chanical puppet held Anat’s head with his thumb and forefinger – Anat’s head was only as big as its finger – before gently tearing it off.

“Crack.”

Blood rained down from the sky. The elf queen watched the chanical puppet turn toward her. She scread in anger and horror: “If you break your oath you will be punished by the god of light!”

“I just promised not to harm the Tree of Life.” Xiu was combing through Du Ze’s hair soothingly. “I never said anything about the elves.”

The Queen of the Elves looked at the gno’s mocking smile. His sweet, soft voice revealed his extre contempt and disgust.

“Hmph ... who cares about the god of light?”

The queen finally realized what was going to happen and why Anat had laughed – the vampire was laughing at the elves who had foolishly trusted a devil. She was standing at the altar, lost in despair. She didn’t notice when a chanical puppet’s hand moved towards her.

“Your Majesty!”

Warm blood dripped down the elf queen’s face and she ca back to her senses as her most loyal retainer said to her: “Your Majesty, please escape.”

The Elf Queen looked at Simon’s broken arm and said nothing. The unbreakable light barrier was already open. The elven elders can’t even talk about saving the elf race because even their own lives are now unsafe.

This chaotic situation finally made Du Ze steel himself. Choking back his nausea, he tried to persuade Xiu to change his mind.

“I don’t want to kill them.”

Originally the elven race had been polluted, but now they were going to be exterminated. The difference between the two outcos is too extre!

Xiu loosened his hold on Du Ze and smiled.

“Those who make unhappy should die.”

Two chanical puppets tore an elf apart, and flesh and blood fell to the ground.

“Those who block my way should die.”

A chanical puppet clapped its hands, crushing an elf magician into at paste.

“Those who are worthless should die.”

Du Ze could not believe his eyes when he saw Xiu’s lips curve up as the gno uttered the last sentence.

Why is Xiu smiling?

No, no, sothing’s wrong! Xiu shouldn’t be this, it’s like, like ...

Du Ze was stupefied. His eyes fell on Old John who, saw Du Ze looking at him. Old John smiled helplessly and shook his head, mouthing silently: The little master is out of his mind.

Du Ze stared at Xiu’s brightly shining eyes that contained not even the slightest glimr of sanity.

“!”

Suddenly, without any warning, Du Ze picked up Xiu. The black-haired youth jumped off the chanical puppet with the gno in his arms and ran to the small pool in the middle of the altar.

“Crash-”

The golden liquid fountained up then fell back down, like soone throwing water to put out a fire.3

anwhile, a chanical puppet, with a wave of his hand, threw Simon to the wall. The chanical puppet looked at the elf queen who sat on the ground and raised his fist. A slender figure rushed forward to stand in front the queen. It was Ariel. The chanical puppet did not hesitate and smashed his fist down.

Ariel closed her eyes. The wind caused by the movent of the fist blew across her forehead, but nothing else happened. Ariel opened her eyes cautiously and saw the that giant fist was near her, but the chanical puppet had stopped its actions and was instead looking at sothing. In fact, all of the chanical puppets had stopped what they were doing, as though soone has pressed their pause buttons. They were all looking at the center of the altar.

Ariel covered her mouth with her hands in amazent. The Tree of Life’s sap had vanished, and sitting in the middle of the empty pool was Du Ze and a strange elf. The elf’s long silver hair was draped behind him and his green eyes were like the fresh, new budding leaves of spring ti. His exquisite face was overwhelmingly, stunningly beautiful. Although the elves have always been known as a race of beautiful people, this particular elf’s beauty was simply beyond compare.

The silver-haired elf propped himself up on one elbow and quietly looked up at the black-haired youth.

Du Ze was sitting on top of Xiu’s body. He loosened his grip on Xiu’s torn collar and gently asked: “Have you cald down?”

Xiu stretched out his right hand and the cloth slid down his arm, revealing white skin. He took Du Ze into his arms and his long eyelashes veiled his eyes.

“Ah.”

******

******

I will give you the sun and weave it into your hair.

I will give you the moonlight and cover your skin with it.

I will give you the flowers and paint your beauty with it.

I will give you the trees and make them into your house.

I will give you the harp and make it accompany your singing.

I will give you the bows and arrows and make it your strength.

I will give you the elf and make it your na.

– “Mixed Blood”: an excerpt from the Elves’’ song