"Above!" With Elder Lloyd's loud shout, all the elves looked up and saw the rapidly descending figure. But their first reaction was surprise, not caution.
In the Sun Well's anti-magic barrier, Feather Fall spells couldn't be used. Given the speed at which the figure was descending, they could tell that the fall must have come from at least a thousand meters above. Regardless of who or what this person was, it seemed certain they would be smashed to pieces upon impact. If it hadn't been for the earlier alert caused by Ayime, some of the elves might have even tried to catch the person.
"All units, be on guard!" Elder Lloyd, however, did not relax for a moment and instead shouted urgently. He knew this person had fallen from at least 5,000 meters high, and the scouting radius of the Ancient War Tree stretched for over ten miles. However, in order to extend this radius, the height of the range had been reduced. Even so, 5,000 meters was still far too high, a height even winged horses and griffins couldn't reach.
Someone capable of approaching from such a high altitude and falling directly toward the World Tree Leaf clearly had no intention of being smashed upon impact.
As expected, when the person was still over a hundred meters from the ground, he suddenly unfurled a large cloth, with the four corners tied to ropes held in his hands. As the cloth caught the wind, it inflated like a large umbrella, catching the surrounding air. The person's descent slowed significantly. The elves with sharp eyes gasped, now seeing the figure clearly. The person was dressed in black, his form blurry and ghostly, like a cloud of mist. What stood out most, however, was the dark golden skull mask covering his face. It had a sinister, eerie quality, giving the impression that the mask was not worn by a person but was, instead, a mask enveloping a humanoid cloud of smoke. Surrounding the figure was a layer of white frost, condensed from the high altitudes of thousands of meters.
"Necromancer!" With a shout of alarm, a shower of arrows shot toward the figure in black, but these arrows were insignificant in comparison. Two peculiar branches let out a strange roar, and two enormous green orbs of light shot out, whistling through the air.
The orbs were so thick with energy that they didn't appear to be light but rather seemed like massive leaves wrapped tightly together, their surfaces flickering with energy arcs, glowing with an oppressive, unsettling green hue. Any arrows that came close to the orbs were disintegrated, turning into wisps of green smoke that vanished into the air.
The necromancer, floating in midair, suddenly released the ropes of the cloth umbrella in his hands. The previously inflated fabric collapsed into a limp sheet. His descent, which had slowed, now accelerated again. Countless arrows and two green orbs—powerful enough to injure dragons—whizzed past him, heading skyward, while he continued to fall toward the altar below. The remaining hundred meters of descent was a matter of mere seconds, and he was now just a few meters from the World Tree Leaf.
The surrounding withered wood warriors had already raised their massive arms under the command of Elder Lloyd. Dozens of gigantic wooden stakes swung, slammed, and thrust toward the descending figure, aiming to strike.
As long as magic couldn't be used, unless one had wings, it was impossible to maneuver or change direction in midair. Despite the slow movements of the deadwood warriors, they should have easily been able to capture the necromancer. With a thunderous crash, the hands of the dozens of wood warriors collided, trapping the necromancer in between.
But all that followed was the dull sound of wood clashing, and amidst the flying wood chips, there was no sign of blood or flesh. The necromancer, like a shadow without substance, or perhaps a pool of water that could change shape at will, dodged, twisted, flowed, and even seemed to split into two or three parts before reassembling. He managed to slip through the interlocking arms of the deadwood warriors, which collided with each other, and fell directly onto the altar.
"Impossible, how is this happening?" All the elves, including Elder Lloyd, were stunned. In the Sunwell's barrier, aside from the magic of the elves and the space magic empowered by the Star Eye, no other magic should have worked. Yet this necromancer had managed to perform such an unbelievable feat.
The necromancer was not solely skilled in magic; he relied on unimaginable techniques, coordination, and agility, using his body to perform movements that were beyond belief. He was not, or rather, not just a mage. Elder Lloyd was the first to realize this and react accordingly. He waved his hand in a gesture and loudly chanted a few incantations. Meanwhile, the elves' arrows, summoned giant venomous bees, and various poisonous insects all rushed toward the altar.
With a flick of his hand, the necromancer caused the black cloth, which had been used as a parachute, to swirl into a shadow. The poison insects and arrows were blown into disarray by the fierce winds generated by the shadow. In the midst of this, the necromancer could be faintly seen grabbing the green World Tree Leaf. The elves collectively gasped.
As Elder Lloyd continued chanting his incantation, several branches on the Ancient War Tree began to tremble. The thick branches instantly softened and stretched out, becoming massive vines several meters thick, covered in thorns the size of a regular sword. They moved like serpents, alive and intent on striking.
With a tremendous crash, wood chips and stones flew through the air, and even the decaying wooden warriors, which were about to stomp down, were torn to pieces under the massive vines, reduced to nothing more than shattered wood. But amidst the debris, the shadow of the necromancer emerged unscathed, floating through the chaos. In the blink of an eye, he was by Ruya's side. He grabbed her, and in another blink, he was beside Elder Lloyd, snatching him up as well.
"Don't move," a hoarse voice came from beneath the dark golden skull mask. Despite the necromancer using only one hand, he had a firm grip on both Ruya and Elder Lloyd. Both of them felt only two or three fingers pressing against their backs, yet they couldn't move a muscle.
It was only when everything stood still that they could clearly see the necromancer's body was actually quite small. He still gave off a strange, hazy aura, but there was blood on the ground where he stood, confirming he was indeed a living person. The earlier storm-like assault had not left him unscathed.
The elves all stopped, and even the massive vine-like tendrils ceased their movements. It was clear to everyone that any further attack would only endanger the two elders, while the necromancer would likely dodge effortlessly.
Elder Lloyd let out a long sigh. "I should have raised the reconnaissance radius to ten thousand meters."
"Enough talk. Let's go. Both of you accompany me," the necromancer said slowly, starting to move while holding both elves. Despite his seemingly frail frame, the necromancer showed no sign of strain, carrying two elves much larger than himself with ease.
"Oh, and release the human girl," the necromancer added.
Inside the thorny cage, Ayime stared with wide eyes, utterly confused, watching the necromancer. Thanks to the incredible toughness of the thorn cage, she had managed to remain unscathed amidst the flying debris of wood and stone.