Following the orders of Elf Corps Commander Feiyana, the Elf Archers divided the Red Water Copper Pythons into two groups: those swimming in the water and those sunbathing on the shore. Two separate squads of archers were assigned to harass and pin down each group.

At Elf Corps Commander Feiyana’s command, a volley of arrows flew.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Specially made iron Cross Arrowheads pierced the outermost layer of the Red Water Copper Pythons’ scales.

However, the iron Cross Arrowheads did not penetrate deeply. They only managed to create shallow cuts that barely bled. While one small cut was insignificant, hundreds of them together were another matter entirely. A single volley from the Elf Archers sent nearly two hundred arrows into the fray. The pain from so many projectiles piercing their bodies thoroughly enraged the Red Water Copper Pythons in the water.

Lured by the Elves’ arrows, the swimming Red Water Copper Pythons were drawn from their positions. They stayed in the water, furiously chasing the Elf Archers who moved and shot along the riverbank.

While the pythons in the river were being drawn away, the Elf Scouts and a Flame True Form created by Magic moved in tandem. They approached the Red Water Copper Pythons that were incubating eggs on the shore. The Flame True Form pounced on a Red Water Copper Python, locking it in combat. Seizing the opportunity, a nearby Elf Scout took advantage of the distraction, snatched the python’s eggs, and fled.

Ten seconds later, the Flame True Form—a creation of a Second Level Spell—dissipated. The Red Water Copper Python instantly transferred her hatred to the Elf Scout who had just stolen her eggs. The scout dashed along the Chaotic Stone Beach, plunged into the river, and swam for the opposite bank, with the enraged python in hot pursuit.

Thus, according to Elf Corps Commander Feiyana’s plan, the pythons originally in the water were kept occupied far from the main battlefield. The egg-incubating pythons from the Chaotic Stone Beach had also been lured into the river. Finally, only the sunbathing Red Water Copper Pythons on the beach remained.

Receiving their orders, the now-unoccupied Elf Archers fired another volley at the sunbathing pythons. These arrows dealt little damage, but the insult was immense. This goaded the remaining Red Water Copper Pythons on the Chaotic Stone Beach into the water. They began swimming across the river, preparing to charge the Elf Corps that was harassing them. They wouldn’t consider their revenge complete until they devoured a few tender, tasty Elves.

With this series of maneuvers, Elf Corps Commander Feiyana had successfully drawn the hatred of all three groups: those swimming, those sunbathing, and those incubating eggs. The enraged pythons swam with all their might, intending to cross the river and devour the entire bothersome Elf Corps in one fell swoop.

Unfortunately for them, at that very moment, Elf Corps Commander Feiyana gave a new order.

"Change arrows!"

Following her command, the Elf Archers, who had been using simple iron-tipped arrows, now reached into their quivers. They pulled out exquisite and precious arrows inscribed with various runes. These were what the Clans of the Zhang Yi Divine Realm called Magic Arrows. They were created using runic knowledge the Elves had obtained from the Small Magic Library they had established. From that point on, the Elves’ understanding of Magic had reached a new level.

They had learned that Magic wasn’t just for direct casting. Desired magical effects could be inscribed onto Scrolls or Weapons using Magic Runes. This meant that even a non-Mage, unable to inject Magic Power, could trigger the effect. All it took was impact or tearing the object to activate the Magic Rune and produce its corresponding effect.

The Magic Arrows the Elf Archers now held came in two types, each with a different effect: one was inscribed with a Frozen Rune, the other with an Entwining Rune.

An arrow with a Frozen Rune could instantly freeze an area several meters wide upon impact. The effect was more powerful in areas rich with the Water Element, and next to a river, the Water Element was naturally abundant. Arrows with the Entwining Rune would activate the nearby Wood Element upon hitting a target, causing long, tough vines to grow and bind the creature in place. In the water, this generated thick aquatic plants; on shore, it produced clinging vines.

Elf Corps Commander Feiyana judged the moment to be right. With the vast majority of Red Water Copper Pythons now in the river, the two types of Magic Arrows rained down, striking them hard.

These were battle-hardened Elf Archers, their accuracy beyond question. The moment a Magic Arrow with a Frozen Rune struck a python, a sapphire-blue rune flashed to life. A spiderweb of frost spread across the river’s surface at a speed visible to the naked eye. The swimming swarm of Red Water Copper Pythons suddenly went stiff. Any that weren’t frozen solid by the initial volley of Frozen Arrows were hit by the next wave. These arrows, bearing the Entwining Rune, caused dense aquatic plants to erupt from the riverbed and bind the pythons tightly.

In an instant, an aura of desolation and slaughter enveloped the small, ten-meter-wide river. Elf Corps Commander Feiyana issued no new orders, simply having the Elf Archers continue firing arrows with Frozen Runes. Soon, a thick layer of frost covered that entire section of the river.

After a great struggle and with help from their comrades, some Red Water Copper Pythons managed to break free from the ice and swim to the opposite bank. But as soon as they crawled ashore, still covered in frost and dripping wet, they were struck by massive fireballs that had swelled to their absolute limit.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The intense heat instantly vaporized the ice crystals and water on the pythons’ bodies, creating high-pressure steam beneath their scales. With a series of sharp CRACKS, their scales shattered and flew apart. Once their scales were gone, the pythons’ tender white and pink flesh was exposed. Without their natural armor, they were nothing but prey waiting to be slaughtered.

Instantly, the Dwarf Shieldmen in the front rank advanced. Behind them, Elf Warriors armed with Long Spears lunged forward, thrusting their weapons directly into the bodies of the scaleless pythons. The Red Water Copper Pythons writhed in pain, but their thrashing attacks were uselessly blocked by the two-meter-tall greatshields of the Dwarf Shieldmen.

The events that followed unfolded just as Elf Corps Commander Feiyana had predicted. The Red Water Copper Pythons came ashore one by one, only to be killed in turn. After a busy afternoon, the army of nearly one thousand Fifth Level Creatures—the Red Water Copper Pythons—had been all but eliminated.