Elf Kingdom: Game of the World Tree-Chapter 265 - 257: Bury It

Imush leaned on his Lion Heart Sword and stopped his attack.

He leaned against a withered tree, slightly lost in thought as he watched the increasing number of elves before him.

The gathered players had become more and more numerous.

Imush was completely surrounded by them...

Layers upon layers, with no way out.

However, at this moment, Imush did not attack, and none of the players dared to attack recklessly either.

During the previous battle, every player who attacked him was ultimately killed by him.

Now that he had stopped attacking, the players found themselves suddenly not wanting to die... fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

They all worried about becoming the first bird that gets targeted by the boss.

Both sides... were locked in such a bizarre stalemate.

There was not a single Half-Beast left standing around Imush.

The last few dozen Half-Beasts that fled with him had all perished in battle, their bodies reduced to ashes...

Looking at the equipment dropped by his fallen tribesmen scattered on the ground, Imush’s expression became somewhat dazed.

He could still recognize which piece of clothing belonged to which Half-Beast and which weapon he had once bestowed upon whom.

Though a Half-Beast by race, Imush had always possessed great intellect and an exceptional memory.

This was something Imush had always been proud of.

But... at this moment, he wished his memory would be worse.

Gazing at the ownerless equipment, Imush recalled the familiar faces and the thirty thousand Half-Beast army that had vowed to follow him unto death...

"If... if only I hadn’t followed the Father God’s oracle to wage war back then, wouldn’t those tribesmen have survived?"

Suddenly, such an absurd thought emerged in his mind.

But soon, Imush couldn’t help but sigh softly.

*How could that be possible?*

*This was a war of faith, a war of races, a war risking everything!*

*In Segis World... this was the harshest of wars!*

*Only the victor could survive...*

*Only the victor could hold their faith!*

*The Father God’s command was not to be disobeyed, nor could it be disobeyed.*

Because...

*The Father God’s future was also the future of the Half-Beasts.*

"But with the army annihilated, the High Priest sacrificed, even the Legendary Power totem Guardians all missing..."

On a deeper level, Imush dared not think further.

As the Half-Beast king, even though the High Priest hadn’t disclosed the Father God’s true plans to him, he could guess a great deal.

This time, the Father God viewed the war as very significant.

If the totem Guardians were missing, then the situation was seriously dire...

In that moment, Imush had a slight realization.

Perhaps... the higher beings had already clashed.

*And the outcome... was already very clear.*

"This war... had already been lost."

Though he was reluctant to admit it, Imush had no choice but to face the brutal reality.

"What will become of the Half-Beasts’ future?"

Watching the elves who looked at him warily yet excitedly, his expression was somewhat perplexed...

He was all too familiar with those elves’ eyes.

During hunts, raids on the Aries Kingdom, or capturing elves in the Elf Forest, the Half-Beasts always showed such eyes...

Such eyes, eyes for prey!

And that excitement, the thrill of capturing their prey!

So... did he appear to them as prey?

For a moment, Imush felt it was the biggest irony in the world.

Who would’ve thought, the ones who always saw themselves as hunters would become prey one day...

Who would’ve thought, those they always viewed as prey would someday rise and fight back...

Seeing the elves grow more excited and dangerous with his silence, Imush let out a mocking smile.

Perhaps...

This was also a form of punishment.

Imush thought sadly.

Tired.

Truly tired...

The strength in his body waned, the bone-eroding pain intensified, and his consciousness grew hazy.

Leaning against the withered tree, holding his sword, Imush’s gaze gradually lost focus...

...

On the other side, seeing Lionheart King Imush cease his attacks, the players first breathed a sigh of relief, then grew excited, then thrilled, but eventually puzzled...

"Hm? Why isn’t the boss moving?"

"Hiss... is he charging up for a big attack?"

"Could he be dead?"

A player joked.

However, once he said that, no one responded to his words.

For a moment, everyone looked at Imush with strange expressions...

The half-orc who had fought for so long stood there, but indeed, appeared statue-like, silent.

"No way... is he really dead? He was a gold-level NPC! And... he hasn’t turned to ash?"

The player who first joked was startled.

Xi Hong, who was also fighting alongside, his eyes flickered slightly, and asked in a deep voice,

"Did anyone receive experience points?"

The players exchanged glances, shaking their heads.

No experience...

And no ashes...

Then... he probably wasn’t dead, right?

At this moment, another figure stepped out from the crowd.

It was a fully armed Hunter player, half of his body adorned with legendary golden gear, looking fierce and intimidating.

With a cold expression, he held a dagger in one hand and walked toward the Half-Beast boss by the withered tree, under the surprised gazes of other players.

"It’s Boxed Lunch!"

"Boxed Lunch, the boss is here!"

"Whoa! Be careful, Boxed Lunch! This boss is tough, don’t let him bite you back!"

For a moment, the players started reminding him.

After a grueling battle, no one dared to underestimate high-level professionals anymore.

Yet, Boxed Lunch did not stop. He went straight to Lionheart King Imush.

The surrounding players instantly fell silent, watching Boxed Lunch with wide eyes...

Boxed Lunch first made an attacking motion.

However, the other party did not react.

Boxed Lunch’s eyes narrowed, and he decisively reached out to grasp the longsword in Imush’s hand.

The other party... held on tightly.

Yet, at Boxed Lunch’s touch, Imush’s body lost its balance and fell to the ground.

In his hand... he still held tightly to his longsword.

His eyes, open wide, as if pondering something, but they had lost all vitality.

He truly... was already dead.

"He’s dead."

Boxed Lunch said in a deep voice.

In an instant, the players exploded in commotion.

"Whoa! Really dead?"

"We actually took him down with our siege?"

"Wait... why wasn’t there any experience points! And he didn’t turn to ash!"

"Could it be a bug?"

At this moment, Boxed Lunch’s expression slightly tightened.

He crouched down again, carefully examining Imush’s body.

Seeing this, Fried Tomato’s heart slightly moved. He took a few steps forward and asked,

"What did you find?"

Boxed Lunch was silent for a moment and then said,

"He’s dead, but not by us."

"Not by us?"

The players were all stunned.

"He... was poisoned by Rose."

Boxed Lunch said.

"Whoa! Poisoned?"

"Rose’s poison? No wonder, no wonder!"

The surrounding players suddenly realized.

Of course, some were heartbroken:

"Ahhh! If I’d known he was poisoned, we should have finished him off in time for the kill opportunity!"

"Damn this experience system! Developers are an issue!"

"But... when was he poisoned?"

Someone asked in bewilderment.

"It should have been after Rose killed Bimong, and I saw her chase this boss several times afterward, but he escaped."

Fried Tomato said.

"Hiss... Rose’s poison is tricky, and the more you move while poisoned, the worse it gets! But, if it’s not too much, with a bit of exercise, suppression, and timely treatment, you could still save your life..."

Hu Lu rubbed his chest as he recalled with a shiver.

"Pfft... how do you know so much?"

"Don’t ask! Just call it extensive knowledge!"

Hu Lu’s face darkened.

Even Boxed Lunch’s face stiffened slightly.

On hearing Hu Lu’s words, a player’s expression turned a bit odd:

"Since he was poisoned, why didn’t he just run away? And judging by the way he was early, lively, he should have been able to suppress his injuries, right?"

"Right, he’s a Gold Professional, so fast, why did he turn back to fight? The more he fought, the worse the injury, and ended up dying of poison without us finishing him off, we missed the opportunity for a kill, such a loss..."

Listening, Boxed Lunch swept his gaze over the surrounding players, who started to frantically snatch the equipment dropped by the Half-Beasts, then glanced at the Lion Heart Sword that Imush held tightly even in death, and after a moment of silence, said,

"Because... he was the Half-Beasts’ king. He didn’t want to abandon the last of these people."

"So... even knowing the battle would lead to death by poison, he chose to turn back."

After hearing this, many players’ actions halted simultaneously.

They suddenly remembered the shouting words of the Half-Beasts at the beginning of the charge...

They wanted to fight together, go home together...

The players looked again at Imush’s body, their expressions somewhat complicated.

For a moment, the happy atmosphere around them stagnated quite a bit.

"Let’s bury him."

Fried Tomato sighed.

After saying that, he couldn’t help but self-mockingly add,

"Damn it, it’s just a game, why do I care so much..."

But even though he said this, he extended his hand and solemnly closed Imush’s eyes.

Though he was an enemy, though he was an NPC,

he was also a king worthy of respect...