Feeling betrayed, Captain Varren couldn't contain his emotions.

He never expected someone he admired to do such a despicable thing, sacrificing three innocent young children with pure and innocent eyes. How cruel must he be for the sake of his race?

Varren knew their chances of winning were slim without the presence of Zhao and Wei. But sacrificing three young elves?

Even though they were descendants of dark elves, this was going too far.

His heart ached as he saw tears falling from their faces, witnessing the three elves trying to stay strong despite the traumatizing scene around them.

"You're going too far, Your Highness. I know you're doing this for us, for the elven race. But sacrificing three young children who are still unaware of the world's cruelty? You have fallen into darkness, Prince. You are not worthy of leading us towards victory," he said coldly, then turned and left the Prince, who was now sitting below, trembling with anger.

Varren stood up, walked quickly, and intercepted him, trying to make him understand why he did such a thing. "We need to come up with a backup plan, Varren! You know I don't want to do this either!"

His hands were pushed away from the elf's shoulders, but he continued nonetheless.

"If this plan fails, where do you think our people will go? Do you think they can survive underground? Living forever in fear, unable to see and feel the warmth of the sun? The beauty of the night sky and the gentle breeze? Do you want them to suffer down there!? We have no other choice!!" he shouted, then received another blow and fell to the side.

Varren's chest moved rapidly, his breath gasping from the mixture of various emotions now raging like a storm. He didn't know whether to be angry, sad, disappointed, or concerned.

He was confused about how to react, unsure of what he should do now, when the leader who should have led them to victory was instead doing something that could lead them to destruction.

The Prince wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, stood up, and faced his troops who were now confused about which side to choose. On one hand, they agreed with Captain Varren. Sacrificing those three young children was too much as a way out.

However, on the other hand, what the Prince said was also true. If they failed here, at least the people could escape safely and wait for the right moment to take back Elecya while building another civilization. The elven race didn't need to perish and could continue to survive.

"I-I think what the Prince said is true, Captain. If we lose here, the elven race still has a chance to rise," one of them spoke up, mustering the courage to do so.

Several soldiers also began to agree, especially because the scars from their battles against the dark elves were still etched in their hearts. However, there were also many who opposed it because it went against their teachings.

The elven race shouldn't fall so low, and if the time had indeed come for them to fall, then they were ready to accept it.

"We will never sacrifice children for the sake of survival! We are the elven race! We are not like them, selfish pirates!" exclaimed another soldier, accompanied by cheers from the supporters.

The pirates felt offended by the remark but didn't retaliate because they knew they would do the same if it happened to them. They were already too full of sins to do anything good. So, they felt it was better to enjoy themselves while still given life and face the consequences when death came for them.

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The situation grew more heated, with two factions forming between Captain Varren's supporters and the Prince's followers. The majority of Captain Varren's supporters consisted of older elves, while the Prince's side comprised mostly young and hot-headed warriors.

They may be elves, but every race shares one similarity: their youthful spirits are inevitably filled with passion, sometimes to the extent that the excessive enthusiasm clouds their hearts and minds.

The unfamiliar man laughed loudly, delighted to witness the scene unfolding before him. This was what he had been waiting for, chaos among comrades. Accusations, hatred, and eventually killings. It only needed one more step before the situation reached its peak and a civil war erupted.

He was truly impatient to see it happen. The rushing blood excited his imagination, fueling his heart with desire, causing his breath to gasp and his tightly clenched fists to try to contain the overflowing emotions.

I walked closer, Glory gripped in my hand.

Their attention slowly shifted towards me, especially after the mysterious man responded to my presence, trying to find out what I was about to do.

I ignored him. I knew it would annoy him and could end badly, but I didn't want to play along in his twisted game. Instead, I came up with another idea that made me wonder.

Why didn't they think of the same thing?

"Do you all know that Glory might be able to do it?" I asked, causing the area that was once filled with shouts and anger to instantly quiet down upon the slap of reality. "Have you forgotten that Glory can grant anything we desire? It may not be as powerful as magic, but as long as it's beyond the reach of magic, it should work. Now, it's up to you to choose whether you believe me or not."

This was the only way I could find.

I knew this approach might not bring them back together as they were before, especially now that two distinct factions had formed. However, the main focus here was to save the three young elves.

If this didn't work, then I would just escape with them. We could pass through the death zone while they couldn't. It would be impossible for them to pursue us. Now, the problem was what the stressed man behind us would do.

Would he just remain silent or take action?

"Haha... Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHA!!"

He laughed, laughed so loudly that his body trembled.

With a wide grin, revealing a row of neatly white teeth, he responded to me, "Interesting! Truly interesting! Very well, do as you please. I won't stop you. However, don't blame me if something much bigger happens." That's what he said.

But those eyes looked so sharp, as if piercing through my heart. It made me certain that he harbored a grudge.

Step by step, he walked towards the center. Once there, he turned to me again and uttered, "Be cautious with your choices, Zent. The issue may be resolved, but the root of the problem is still deeply embedded. I suggest you prepare yourself, or else you will fall into darkness filled with regret."

Then he transformed into a black liquid, before ultimately vanishing as if he had never been here.

The pirate captain took advantage of this opportunity to escape. He once again empowered his crew, causing more blood to flow from their noses. Hervar didn't care; the only thing he desired was Glory in my grasp, and he would try to seize it by any means necessary.

They resumed their attack, pushing back the demoralized elven forces. They no longer trusted each other, making them much easier to defeat.

As the situation became increasingly unfavorable, the Prince ordered a temporary retreat, while Captain Varren commanded his troops to hold their ground and prevent the pirates from approaching their hiding place.

The pirates most likely knew its location, and it would be far more dangerous if they established a defense there. It was better to buy time here while the inhabitants escaped.

Zhao and Wei intervened, exerting all their strength until a massive earthquake occurred due to their overwhelming power.

Initially, they nearly succeeded in defeating the pirate captain, but the man reappeared, snapping his fingers while saying, "It would be much more enjoyable if you two didn't interfere."

Two black golems were created, nearly as powerful as Zhao and Wei. These golems, born from a shadow, successfully held off Zhao and Wei, allowing the pirate captain to escape.

He chased after me as I ran alongside the three young elves, heading towards the death zone as requested by the Prince. He didn't want me to escape with them.

I wasn't worried either because, as per the initial plan, if I failed, I would escape with them. The three of them were too precious to be sacrificed. Their pure souls, their innocence, and their naivety had to be protected, even if it meant sacrificing the elves.

As Z once said, I had to be brave enough to make a choice. Now, there were only two options: to save the elves or to sacrifice them.

And I chose the latter.

I knew this sounded cruel, but the elves didn't even deserve to accept them as part of their own. These children, who had fought hard to survive even in their tender age, deserved to live elsewhere, in a place that would embrace them as family. And I knew where that place was.