The Elf Journey In The Western Fantasy World-Chapter 197: The Conviction of Nueronist

These "people," or rather, it would be inaccurate to call them human, looked very strange. Their faces were deathly pale, devoid of any color. Black lines crisscrossed their skin, their hair was dry and lusterless, and their eyes dull and lifeless. Loose-fitting black robes draped over their bodies, concealing their shapes and making them difficult to see clearly.

Most people might not recognize them, but Sebastian, who had lived for a very long time, certainly did.

They were the "Imps," a faction that had once held a place even during the most brilliant and star-studded age of the world.

That was why Sebastian had always insisted that Nueronist’s faction was not weak. It had never been a lie. He had never understood why Nueronist would choose such a path of certain death.

It was truly baffling.

From afar, watching the scene unfold, Illiya did not miss a single moment.

He was just as shocked. The "Imps" had vanished from the public eye long ago. There were no more appearances across the continent, nor any rumors about them. Some speculated that the "Imps" had retired in seclusion, others that they had been completely wiped out. And there were even whispers claiming that the "Imps" had willingly succumbed to corruption and were quietly eliminated by Demon King Phenex.

Now it appeared that they had not been eliminated after all. The "Imps" had simply hidden themselves.

And those "whispers"—they were the truth all along. It was just that the former Demon King had not exterminated them completely. For some unknown reason, he had let them go.

In any case, the reappearance of the "Imps" now posed a whole new problem for them.

After the "Imps" had slaughtered the remaining members of the Yaguk Theocracy, they fell silent. They stood unmoving, like lifeless puppets. However, unlike real puppets, they were far from harmless.

The atmosphere grew tense once more, and the air itself seemed to tighten under the pressure.

Not long after, one of the "Imps" spoke.

"The five nations and three alliances will become history. The main continent’s powers will be reshuffled. Conflicts will rise again."

"The Areuseon has a partner. A millennium of brilliance begins anew. The twins of light and darkness will reappear—one shall die, one shall be left alone."

"The Elven Forest will reopen. Light shall shine upon the land."

"The gods will awaken with the dawn, and corruption will repeat again."

"Fate cannot be changed."

At first, only one of the "Imps" recited these words. Slowly, the others joined in, chanting the same lines. Their voices grew from hoarse whispers to a rising chorus. As they repeated these incomprehensible declarations, their previously lifeless faces lit up with a frenzied glow, resembling the devout zeal of the most fervent believers.

Surrounding the "Imps" were piles of corpses, with red blood soaking into the ochre earth, giving the scene a sinister feeling.

Their impassioned and exalted voices, mixed with cryptic declarations, made the entire scene appear both eerie and strangely harmonious.

Eventually, the ritual-like performance came to an end. The "Imps" fell silent once again, and their expressions returned to that same lifeless calm, as though nothing had just occurred.

The others present could not pretend this event had never happened.

The same "Imps" who had spoken first now spoke again: "This is the conviction of Nueronist Mekongawa."

"This is the conviction of Nueronist Mekongawa."

"This is the conviction of Nueronist Mekongawa."

He repeated this line loudly three times.

It felt both sacred and absurd.

After speaking those three sentences, black mist began to rise from all of the "Imps." Their deathly pale faces slowly showed signs of burning, and just like paper catching fire, their bodies turned to ash and scattered on the wind.

It was exactly the same death as those Fallen Demons who had been burned under the magic crystals.

Originally, these "Imps" had also fallen into corruption.

In fact, all of the "Imps" had willingly chosen to fall and become Fallen Demons, without exception.

After all, Nueronist was their leader. If even the leader had fallen, then naturally the rest of the tribe would follow him down the same path.

"So this was Nueronist’s final move. No wonder he was so certain that the people of Yaguk Theocracy would die with him," Sebastian murmured to himself.

Everything made sense now.

The group that had previously returned to the Yaguk Theocracy’s army had actually already been replaced by the "Imps."

Earlier, the Yaguk Theocracy King had sent a group to capture some of the "Imps" as hostages, to threaten Nueronist into cooperation.

But the Yaguk Theocracy King was never a clever man. Naturally, he had no idea of the threat the "Imps" posed. As a result, that group was entirely replaced by the "Imps."

No one had been able to notice what had happened, because no one could see through the "Imps," especially not under completely unprepared circumstances.

The reason why this group of "Imps" had not been exposed was most likely due to the handiwork of Nueronist.

As a powerful individual, even after having fallen, his strength could not have declined significantly.

Naturally, he would not have died so quickly under the radiance of top-grade crystals.

That must have meant that he had secretly provided protection for the "Imps" hidden among the Yaguk Theocracy’s army, leaving only a fraction of his strength for himself.

Under such circumstances, Nueronist could only stage such a performance.

He had drawn everyone’s attention to himself and the Pope.

The presence of Yaguk Theocracy’s army had thus been diminished and faded into the background. This way, any anomalies among them would remain unnoticed.

It had been quite a brilliant performance. Truly fascinating and well executed.

Sebastian sighed. He realized he had underestimated Nueronist.

It seemed that this demon had planned everything from the very beginning. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Sebastian had a theory. What they had witnessed today might have actually been Nueronist’s second plan.

The first plan had likely depended on the Pope successfully throwing everything into chaos, allowing them to muddy the waters and stir things up further.

However, in both versions, one outcome remained unchanged: the disappearance of Yaguk Theocracy from the main continent and a reshuffling of the main continent’s power structure.