Bastards Ascension: A Playground of Gods
Chapter 77: The Enemy

Chapter 77: The Enemy

Kieran saw the arrow streaking straight for his head. His pupils dilated as his hands moved on instinct.

In an instant, he hurled the flames hovering over his palm directly at it.

The moment the ball of searing fire met the arrow, the reaction was explosive.

The metal tip melted instantly under the heat, while the wooden shaft charred to black, crumbling into smoldering ash before it even hit the ground.

Kieran’s eyes snapped toward the figure that had fired at him.

It was dark—but he didn’t need light. His ultra-senses cut through the shadows like daylight, and he saw the shooter clearly.

An Elf.

The archer’s bow was still raised, and the stunned look on his face was unmistakable. His pointed ears stood stiff, reacting almost as much as the expression frozen on his face.

A chill crawled down Kieran’s spine.

He recognized the race immediately.

Elves were rare—almost mythical—but among the most dangerous beings mankind had ever encountered.

They never came in large numbers, but even one could be a serious threat. Intelligent, strategic, and capable of building civilizations, they were classified by the AFO as high-level threats.

It typically took two Awakened to take down a single Elf of equal rank—and sometimes even a third was needed.

Normally, Elves weren’t much of a concern due to their low numbers.

But this time was different.

Kieran could see what the others couldn’t.

There were two of them.

And both were—

> {Champion-class beast detected}

>{Aetheris: +300}

The system confirmed what he feared.

Both Elves were Champion-class.

At that moment, another arrow shot toward Natasha and the others. But Natasha reacted just in time.

With swift precision, she struck the arrow mid-flight, using her blades like a baton.

SNAP!

The shaft split in two, the pieces clattering harmlessly to the ground.

Her hand trembled slightly, her eyes widening at the sheer resistance she’d felt.

’That arrow... the force behind it was unreal,’ she thought, turning her gaze toward the Elf that had fired.

In that instant, every hair on her body stood on end, as if a current had surged through her.

And she wasn’t alone. Stan and Henry were frozen in place, their faces pale, their bodies rigid.

One word echoed in all their minds:

Elves.

Kieran wasn’t too surprised—he had already sensed what awaited them beyond the hills.

But it seemed the enemy had decided not to wait.

They were coming to ’them’.

There was no time now.

’These are Beast Elves,’ Alexa said quickly. ’They can control multiple beasts, and the number and strength of those beasts depends on the tamer’s level. These two probably have at least one elite-ranked beast with them... and a few common-ranked ones.’

She paused, the tension in her voice heavy.

’This is trouble.’

Kieran let out a long sigh.

’Fuck,’ he thought, sucking his teeth in frustration as he turned his attention back to the figure pinned against the tree.

’I’ll have to deal with him later... the Elves come first.’

And they weren’t alone.

He felt it instantly—the presence of the beasts lurking nearby. He could sense them clearly now, connected by threads of mana to their masters.

These creatures weren’t wandering freely. They were being controlled.

Not just one or two, either. Several.

’There’s a hawk circling above,’ Kieran noted, eyes flicking upward. Its massive wings cut through the night sky, casting faint shadows below.

’And... a Mandine Bear,’ he added, spotting the hulking shape behind one of the Elves. Its crimson eyes burned with fury, locked in a silent snarl.

’And... are those monkeys?’ he thought, eyebrows knitting as he counted nearly twenty of them encircling the group.

But something felt ’off’.

These monkeys didn’t have energy cores—no internal mana signature like the others.

’Cogitationis monkeys,’ Alexa muttered, her voice tinged with irritation, almost like she had a personal grudge.

’Why don’t they have any cores?’ Kieran asked, frowning.

’Because they’re clones. The real one isn’t here. These pests are born with absurd mana reserves and are classified as Champion-class from birth. Physically, they’re not much, but their mental capabilities make them incredibly dangerous. They’re masters of distraction during combat.’

Her tone made it clear—she’d dealt with them before, and it hadn’t gone well.

Kieran scanned the battlefield again.

They were completely surrounded. There was barely any room to maneuver, let alone escape.

One of the monkeys perched calmly on an Elf’s shoulder. It adjusted its small spectacles, gaze scanning the group—until it landed on Kieran.

"Hmm... the others are weak. But that one... he’s different," the monkey said with a smug grin.

"You should be careful dealing with him. Though with me here, I doubt he’ll have time to do anything dangerous."

It leapt to the ground effortlessly, picked up a small stone, and tossed it in the air before catching it again.

Kieran could practically feel the sinister aura rolling off the tiny creature. Its words weren’t just empty bravado.

’So this is the beast that got on Alexa’s nerves,’ he thought, eyeing the confident little monkey with narrowed eyes.

’Now I see why.’

-------

Far in the same forest, another group was moving together.

Unlike the others that were scattered all over the place, looking for a way to get back together, this group of five managed to come together with relative ease.

They were all wearing the distinctive traditional white battle suit.

Now, they sat gathered around a campfire, its golden flames casting a warm glow against the surrounding darkness. Neatly pitched tents formed a circle around them.

She sat on a flat rock, legs crossed, her white hair falling loosely over her shoulders. A sword rested across her lap, the metal catching bits of the firelight.

She looked calm, almost like she was meditating, but there was something about her that made the whole place feel different—like the air itself was heavier. Even the fire crackled softer, as if it didn’t want to disturb her.

A few steps away stood a man. His skin was pale, almost sickly, and his dark green hair hung around a face that looked tired—too tired for his age. His eyes were hollow, like someone who had seen too much. He didn’t say a word. Just stood there, close enough to guard her, but far enough to keep his distance.

The boy glanced at her with hesitation written all over his face.

He looked like he was debating whether or not to speak, his lips parted and closed a few times. After a long pause, he finally broke the silence.

"Karin... what do we do? There’s no way out of this place. And this realm..." His brows furrowed, worry clear in his voice. "From the energy alone, we can tell—it’s a high-ranked one."

The girl—Karin—slowly opened her eyes, calm and deliberate, like she had all the time in the world. Her gaze met his, and a faint smile curved on her lips.

"Noah," she said softly, her tone steady, "we can’t do anything. Not yet. We’ve been dragged into someone else’s battle—a fight between two very powerful opponents."

Her eyes shifted upward to the dark sky, the firelight flickering against her pale skin.

"I just wonder..." Her voice dropped, almost to a whisper. "Which one of those students was the candidate?"

But before Noah could respond, her eyes widened. She felt it—a surge of killing intent rushing toward them.

Her head snapped around just in time to see it: a wave of massive stone shards tearing through the air, aimed right at her.

Her fingers barely brushed the hilt of her sword before Noah moved.

He stepped in front of her without a word, his chest rising as he drew in a deep breath. Then, he moved.

Fast. Too fast for the eye to follow.

CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!

His hands became a blur as they struck the incoming stones, shattering them one after the other with effortless precision.

Fragments rained down around him like harmless dust.

It wasn’t just the two of them. The other three in their group were under attack too—a storm of stones raining down from above.

But they reacted just as quickly.

One of the boys stepped forward, planting himself between his teammates like an unshakable wall.

"WALL!" he roared.

In an instant, his skin shimmered, shifting into a hard metallic sheen. He crossed his arms over his head just as the barrage hit.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

The stones slammed into him with brutal force but bounced off harmlessly, scattering across the ground.

When the last rock fell, silence hung for a moment. Then, they saw them.

Perched in the trees all around—dozens of monkeys, maybe more than twenty, each clutching a stone in its tiny hands. Their sharp eyes glinted in the moonlight, full of mischief and malice.

But it wasn’t the monkeys that froze their blood.

On one of the highest branches stood a figure—a woman draped in sleek blue armor, balanced with effortless grace.

Perched on her shoulder was a monkey wearing a tiny pair of spectacles, its beady eyes watching with unnerving intelligence.

Her long, feline-like ears peeked through her silver hair, catching the pale glow of the moon.

Karin’s breath hitched. Her face hardened as she whispered a single word, almost to herself:

"An Elf."