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A few dozen minutes had passed since the battle against the zombified General Baraben had begun.

A mere few dozen minutes.

During that time, Thunder Sonia had unleashed more than a hundred spells, the collateral damage from them scorching the nearby trees and turning the immediate surroundings into a wasteland.

However, the thing at the center of it all was still standing.

“UUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!!!!”

“GeeeehhyEEeEEehee, gUuURghee, stupid, stupid, IDIOT, Thunder Sonia…”

Baranben howled at the wind while Gunda Guza mocked her.

They had been struck by the entirety of the Elf Hero’s arsenal and were still alive and well.

Though calling them “alive” wouldn’t be quite right…

Baraben sprung forward, lifting his hammer high above.

The gigantic zombie was agile, imbued with power and speed befitting of a former Orcish General.

Even a nimble Elven warrior would be hard pressed to avoid his blows, let alone an ordinary person.

“You scummy Elf! You dumb, skinny, weak Elf! Elf, elf, ELLLFFF!! EAAAATTT THISSS!”

A guttural string of insults emanated from the depth of his decrepit throat as he charged, readying his attack.

As a matter of fact, Sonia had already been struck by quite a few of his strikes.

The only reason she was alive despite her injuries was the powerful and sophisticated magical barrier she had erected around herself.

She had to split up her magical energies between attacking and defending.

Even her, the most eminent mage in Elf Country, wouldn’t be able to last very long straining herself at maximum strength like this.

But she couldn’t be economical with her magic – if she let up the pressure even for a second, her allies would be destroyed.

At that very moment, more and more Elven soldiers were losing their lives every second.

She needed to defeat the undead pair, and fast.

She had no more time to spare.

This was easier said than done, though, as she had no good way of striking an decisive blow.

Not only had the effectiveness of her lightning spells been reduced, but they had also covered for the undeads’ natural weakness to fire. Not to mention their innate resistance to cold and earth.

If she were to take down the vanguard, General Baraben, Gunda Guza would immediately revive him.

If she tried to aim for Gunda Gunza, Baraben would intercept her attack.

And that was without considering the fact that the Lich had his own slew of magical barriers.

“…This is bad…”

Thunder Sonia realized that if things kept going as they were, she would lose.

During her 1200-year long life, she had experienced many losing battles.

As the eldest of all Elves, there was no way any person could have gone that long without facing defeat at least once.

And she had been the Elven Archmage and Hero for hundreds of those years.

Eventually, her enemies would obviously come up with countermeasures against her abilities.

Daemon King Gediguz was one of them, in fact. Years ago, he had completely negated her magic when he had previously laid waste to an Elven city she was protecting.

She has faced death more times than she could count, and she only survived through sheer grit and will.

Like a cockroach.

An indelible wine stain on the white carpet of life.

Sonia just had too many reasons pushing her forward. Too many people counting on her. Too many to protect.

If she died, the Elf Nation’s morale would plummet.

If she died, who would defend the citizens?

If she died, who would guide the next generation?

These feelings led her to seek survival above all else, and she kept on living, even if she had to quench her thirst with mud and her hunger with tree grubs.

“…”

Thunder Sonia glanced back behind her.

She could see Aconite’s figure, valiantly defending himself.

Calendula was no longer there.

He had withdrawn, taking his troops with him.

Listening to the Archmage’s advice, he had done with best to retreat.

Her nephew had stayed behind, as he was her escort and bodyguard.

His duty was to protect the Hero.

And so, he remained.

But it was then that Thunder Sonia remembered.

Aconite was about to get married, wasn’t he?

He hadn’t made it public yet, but he had a fiancée, and they were in love – or so he says.

Ah… how enviable…

However, her feelings of pride and joy towards him were stronger than her jealousy.

After all, she was the one who once changed his diapers.

She could still remember, clear as day, his tiny, childish figure waddling after her and pulling at the hem of her dress, saying “Soni…Soniiiiiaaaa!”

He was he cute little nephew after all. How could she possible dislike him?

The war was long over now.

That gruesome, painful conflict had ended before these kid’s heyday.

He shouldn’t be the one to die here. This wasn’t his responsibility.

Dragged to hell by the ghosts of the defeated… by a bunch of dirty, rotten zombies.

If anyone were to face the netherworld today… it would be her.

So long as her sacrifice let the next generation flourish, she would be satisfied.

“…Good.”

Tunder Sonia nodded to herself as she steeled her resolve.

“Oi, Aconite. Looks like it’ll take me a while to deal with these guys! Let’s stop wasting time! I’ll hold them off, and you go on ahead and retreat first! I’ll follow behind you in a bit!”

This was the right decision.

Sonia had not a single doubt in her mind.

It was a fact that she was a wizard that could fight near indefinitely, but if the two of them stayed here at a standstill, it would still be a fruitless endeavor.

It would be better to retreat, regroup, and counterattack.

It was the most logical and legitimate option.

But then he raised his voice to reply.

“Bullshit! There’s no way I’m leaving you here to die!”

“What?”

Sonia exclaimed, surprised at his sudden outburst.

“What do you mean, die? I have no intention to die!”

“This is what you always say! “Just leave it to me, I’ll knock them down right away! What’s with that face? Huh? You think I can’t do it? Me? The Elven Archmage Thunder Sonia?” Stop shouldering everything on your own and trust us for once!”

“…”

Did she really say that often?

The Elf Hero asked herself.

…She had always felt that it was her responsibility to say those words.

All she wanted was to reassure the Elves, which she saw as her children.

Whenever there were many enemies, and her friends were in desperate straits.

Whenever she played with the youth during the brief moments of respite between combat.

She even remembered saying something along those lines right before going into the final battle against Daemon King Gediguz.

She never held back her self-praise and arrogance. Not even a drop of modesty.

Thunder Sonia had always acted as a true Archmage should. As a Hero.

“I’m the strongest, so you should just leave it to me”, she would say.

“How can I let you die here! How would I face your mother after this!?”

“Why should you be the one to die, huh?!”

“I’m not going to die! Remember all those times everyone thought I was dead, but I eventually made it back alive?!”

“We’re in a completely different situation! …I’ve got a suggestion…”

Aconite nodded at Sonia, his lips pressed tight.

He gulped, took a deep breath, and said.

“Yes…it’s better this way. Lady Sonia, please go back to town and call for reinforcements. So long as you’re alive, we Elves can fight as long as we need to!”

“You…”

Many would grieve if Aconite were to lose his life.

His parents, siblings, coworkers…

The Beastkin princess to whom he was bethrothed…

But that was it.

He was a soldier. A cog in the massive machine that was the Elven army.

The organization was set in such a way that even if a General were to be killed, another could immediately assume command.

Soldiers were disposable and easily replaced.

But the Elven Archmage and Hero Thunder Sonia?

She was different.

She was the living symbol of the entire Elven race.

A guardian deity that had watched over them for 1200 years.

“You idiot! You…you…you…why?! Why am I…why should…”

Sonia bit her lips in frustration as she held back her tears.

As she though back on her long life, it had always been like this.

Ever since she had turned 600, everyone had always tried to protect her life at all costs.

Even though she had never been an official member of the army and the only legitimate authority she could claim was being a member of the former chief’s bloodline, she was always the one whose wellbeing everyone prioritized.

She had always made it out alive off the sacrifices of those younger than her.

It was thanks to them that the Hero had made it out in one piece to this day.

At the time, she accepted this as a necessary tradeoff.

It was true – without her, the Elves would have collapsed long ago.

And so, she lived on, even if she hard to crawl through fire and brimstone to do so.

But the war was over now, wasn’t it?

They had won. The Alliance had won. The Elves had won.

So why did they need her to live any longer?

“You’ve been fighting for us for 1200 years, and you made it out alive. It’s time for you to leave all this violence behind and live happily ever after. Get the life you deserve. Get married. Experience love…”

“Well, if that’s how you think, then you should be the one to get out of here!”

“I don’t think so. I mean, I’ve already experienced a fair share of what life has to offer. I even have a fiancée.”

“That’s another reason for you to be the one to live! What a shitty argument!”

The second Sonia and Aconite were about to get carried away in one of their usual petty arguments, something came in barreling at thundering speeds.

A massive stone impacted the young Elf.

It sent him flying nearly a dozen meters away, into the upturned grass and dirt.

He laid there for a second.

And then another.

Not a muscle of his moved, his eyes still wide, a dribble of blood dripping down the corner of his lips.

Rip nephew