The elves had noticed it too, the way his presence seemed heavier, more dangerous, even when he was at rest.

Ever since the fight with Patriarch El'ran, his aura had changed a lot, and after the incident in the forest, it seemed to have solidified.

It had been several days since they came back from the forest, half healed and half injured; the whole three clans were in an uproar about what had happened.

Especially, the Nue'roka had been restless as their young patriarch had been missing, and Jorghan's group told them that they hadn't come across him.

Jorghan chose to remain silent about the fact that Lamorg plotted against him, and he chose to remain silent by not saying that their patriarch had been killed.

Swana and Scarlett have been healed and are in their better shape, but the effects of being tortured still linger in their minds.

The clans have been aware of what the empire had been doing as the reports came flooding in, and the truth about the existence of the hybreed blood elf creatures had come to light.

The empire was no longer silent, as they were outright showing their intent to wipe the elves' existence off the planet.

Since Jorghan's group's arrival, there had been several meetings held among the three clans. The discussions led nowhere, and of course, Jorghan hadn't been part of any.

Every one of them was terrified, except a few. Looking at the situation, they could tell that the empire had been preparing for this attack for a long time.

Right now, Jorghan was sitting with two of his elf women.

Across from him sat Sarhita, her golden eyes troubled as she reviewed the latest reports. She wore practical clothing—leather pants and a sleeveless tunic that showed the toned muscles of her arms—and her long white hair was pulled back in a warrior's braid.

Right now, her usual confidence seemed shaken by the weight of responsibility.

Beside her, Katisana sat with the dignified bearing of someone who had lived through centuries. The Nuwe'rak elder was perhaps the oldest of her clan; at over four hundred years, her silver hair was braided elaborately, and her golden eyes were still sharp despite her age. She wore traditional elder's robes in deep burgundy.

"Those allotrious creatures," Katisana said quietly, her voice carrying the weight of age and wisdom.

"To think the Empire would create such abominations. Taking the blood of the ancient elves, our essence, and twisting it into weapons to hunt us. It is beyond sacrilegious."

"It's effective, though," Jorghan said bluntly.

"That's what matters to them. They're not interested in respecting your culture or honoring your bloodlines. They want power, and they've figured out how to manufacture it."

Sarhita shot him a look. "You could show a little more sensitivity. These are our people being harvested like livestock."

Jorghan shrugged, completely unbothered by her disapproval. "Sensitivity doesn't change the situation. The Empire has nine-foot-tall super soldiers with elven abilities and human ruthlessness. Getting offended about it won't make them go away."

Jorghan had ventured again, just to have a look at what Yvonne was cooking, and found those strange beings in the camp at the forest edge.

They looked really odd, like human giants with really bad features.

Like a poor version of the elves, but the powerful pressure they emitted was something he couldn't ignore. Bad appearance, but they had the goods that matter.

"He's not wrong," Katisana said with a sigh.

"Harsh, but accurate. Which brings us to the real question—what do we do about it?"

"Run," Sarhita said immediately.

"We take all three clans and move deeper into the desert. Find somewhere they haven't mapped yet, somewhere we can hide until—"

"Until what?" Jorghan interrupted.

"They've already destroyed seven of the twelve clans. How long do you think it'll take them to find you, no matter where you hide? A month? Two? The desert is big, but it's not infinite. They'll keep hunting until there's nothing left."

Sarhita's jaw tightened.

"Then what do you suggest? We can't fight the entire Empire. Even with your... abilities, we're talking about a military force that spans continents."

Jorghan leaned back on his hands, a cocky grin spreading across his face.

"Who said anything about fighting the entire Empire? We just need to make hunting you more trouble than it's worth. Hit them hard enough that they decide to focus their attention elsewhere."

"You mean like what you did to the Earth military?" Katisana asked, her tone carefully neutral. "From what Sigora told us, you left nearly four thousand more dead and their entire base destroyed."

"Exactly like that," Jorghan confirmed without a trace of shame.

"Send a message. Make it clear that coming after people under my protection is a really bad idea."

Sarhita shook her head in disbelief. "Your ego is unbelievable. You think you can scare off the Empire by yourself?"

"I think I can make them reconsider their priorities," Jorghan replied.

"Look, the Empire is hunting down the clans because they think it's easy. Low-risk, high-reward—they capture elves, extract bloodline information, and use it to create their little Half breed soldiers. But if every hunting party they send out gets annihilated, if their losses start exceeding their gains, they'll reassess."

"You're talking about guerrilla warfare," Katisana said thoughtfully.

"Hit and run tactics, making them pay for every inch of territory."

"Exactly. And I'm very good at making people pay."

Sarhita stood abruptly, pacing the length of the tent. Her movements were agitated and frustrated. "This is insane. You're talking about starting a war with the most powerful military force on the continent."

"They already started the war," Jorghan pointed out.

"They've destroyed seven clans. I'm just suggesting we fight back instead of rolling over and dying quietly."

"All of us are not warriors!" Sarhita snapped, spinning to face him.

"Most of these people are farmers, craftsmen, and families with children. They can't fight these half-breeds and Imperial soldiers."

"Then they hide while I fight," Jorghan said simply.

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