The females were slowly starting to see Luca's picture and changing their opinion about him.

Julius, however, clenched his jaw, his hands curling tightly behind his back. He could feel the tide slipping away again.

He needed to turn this around. Fast.

So, he forced a laugh and said loudly,

"Sure, that sounds fair. If needed, I'd also kill to protect my family!"

The crowd barely reacted and most just rolled their eyes. Even his daughters sighed in exasperation.

But Julius pressed on, desperate to regain control.

"But what about how you killed them?"

He said sharply before going on to say in a vengeful manner,

"You didn't just fight them—you slaughtered them in a brutal way. You tore them apart, limb by limb. You made rivers of blood flow! If it was really about protection, why not give them a quick death? Why torture them like some demon?!"

He glared at Luca, his voice echoing.

"Tell me, Hero—what kind of man does that make you? What happens when that bloodlust turns against your own people someday?"

The elves all turned to look at Luca again—but this time, their eyes were different.

There was no fear in them, no suspicion.

They simply waited, wanting him to speak, to explain.

Because deep down, every one of them now started to believe that he would have a reason—a truth behind every action that Julius had condemned.

Luca didn't turn to the female elves this time.

Instead, his sharp eyes drifted toward the men.

"It's quite simple to explain." He said. "But for this, I'll need a volunteer once again. One of the male elves. Someone strong, confident. Someone who considers himself a powerful warrior."

The men hesitated. They glanced at one another nervously, none eager to be chosen.

Then finally, one stepped forward—tall, handsome, with a proud grin and broad shoulders.

"I'll do it." The elf said, puffing his chest out. "I'm the strongest of the bunch."

And seeing him, Luca's eyes lit up and he clapped his hands.

"Oh, excellent!" He said cheerfully. "Just look at you—those arms, those legs. You're built like a mountain! Honestly, you look less like an elf and more like an ogre in disguise."

The man puffed his chest, pleased with himself, while a few of the female elves tried not to laugh.

Everyone knew male elves weren't exactly known for muscle—they were lithe and graceful, not bulky.

Everyone could see Luca was teasing him.

And truthfully, standing next to Luca only made the contrast clearer.

Beneath his clothes, Luca's body was solid and sculpted, his movements carrying the weight of power.

The women couldn't help but notice, their faces warming slightly.

Luca, though, played along beautifully. His teasing tone only made the man preen harder.

"Alright." Luca said finally, pointing across the clearing. "You see that trunk over there? The big one—fifteen feet tall, thick as a boulder? I want you to go over there and punch it. As hard as you can. Show us your true strength."

The elf blinked. "Punch a tree?" He frowned suspiciously. "Why should I do that? It's seems stupid."

Luca leaned closer, lowering his voice secretively.

"Because the ladies are watching." He whispered. "They'll believe you're the strongest man in the village if you show them what you can do."

That did it. The elf straightened immediately, his pride swelling.

"Fine." He said, grinning. "Watch closely, everyone!"

He strutted over to the trunk, raised his arm high, and brought it down with a loud thud!

Thwack!

The sound echoed across the clearing, making a few birds scatter from the nearby trees. A few pieces of bark cracked and fell off, leaving a faint dent in the wood.

Luca immediately clapped.

"Amazing! Truly amazing!" He said with exaggerated enthusiasm. "I swear, I saw the other side crack. You're a monster among elves!"

The man grinned smugly, flexing his arm for everyone to see, glancing at the women again as if expecting cheers.

They simply looked away, unimpressed.

Then Luca smiled faintly and said,

"Now, I'll give it a try."

He stretched his shoulders lightly and stepped up to the same trunk.

"You might want to step back a little." He advised the elf beside him. "It could get a bit...messy."

The man scoffed, crossing his arms. "Why should I? I'm not afraid. Just punch it. It's not a big deal."

Luca gave him a small nod, still smiling.

"Alright then." He said quietly. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

Then, without even pulling his arm fully back, Luca thrust his fist forward.

Everyone knew that Luca was extremely powerful and he had strength beyond imagination as summoned hero.

So, they already knew he was going to have a better results and thought he was going to crack the tree of maybe even break the tree in half.

But when his fist landed—what they expected did not happen.

The trunk didn't just crack.

And instead—

It exploded.

BOOM!

A thunderous sound rang out as shards of wood and bark burst outward in every direction like shrapnel from a bomb.

SCATTER!

Splinters and debris shot through the air, slicing into the ground, the trees...and unfortunately the very elf standing proudly beside him.

"AHHHH! AHHHHHH!!!"

The man screamed as jagged splinters pierced his skin, his arms and legs bleeding. One sharp piece tore across his face, another stabbed into his shoulder, and worst of all—a thick shard embedded itself in his eye.

"My eye! My eye! I can't see!" He shrieked, collapsing to his knees, clutching at his face as blood streamed down his fingers.

And witnessing this feat, every elf—male and female alike—stared in horror.

Julius froze, eyes wide, the color draining from his face.

Leona's brows furrowed. Nyx's eyes gleamed faintly with intrigue.

The trunk was gone. Only its shattered remains lay scattered around them like a war zone.

They expected power but not this level of power.

Luna and Lulu also stood with wide eyes. But Lulu, in particular, practically jumping in excitement.

"AMAZING! AMAZING!" She shouted, beaming. "Now we don't even need to chop trees for firewood! Luca can handle everything! He can smash all the wood for us!"

Her innocent enthusiasm made several elves glance at her in disbelief, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

But Luca himself paid no attention to the wounded man still writhing on the ground. His smile returned as he walked toward a nearby boulder—large, heavy, and solid enough to tower over him.

He turned toward Julius.

"Your turn." He said cooly. "Come over here and tear this rock open for me. Let's see who's stronger—who can do it better."

Julius blinked in outrage.

"W-What are you talking about?! How could anyone tear open a rock like that?" He scoffed. "You think I'm some kind of juggernaut? It's impossible!"

Luca's expression didn't change.

"Impossible, huh?" He said lightly. "Let's find out."

Before Julius could reply, Luca planted his palm on the massive rock.

His fingers dug in—and to everyone's shock, they sank into the stone like it was wet clay.

Gasps echoed around the clearing.

Then, with a slow exhale, his muscles tensed and the veins along his forearms bulged.

Crack! Crack!

The stone groaned, cracks spreading rapidly across its surface.

The elves watched, wide-eyed, as he pulled his arms apart.

And with a deafening crack, the boulder split cleanly in two.

BOOM! SPLIT!

Two halves of solid rock—torn apart as though it were paper. Dust rose into the air, and the crowd stood frozen in awe.

Even Julius couldn't hide his astonishment. His face was ashen, his mouth slightly open.

Meanwhile, Luca straightened up, brushing his hands together, and said casually,

"And that...is what happens when someone who doesn't understand their own strength hits something soft."

He looked around the crowd, his gaze steady and calm.

"When I fought those humans, I didn't go around 'torturing' anyone. I didn't slice or tear for pleasure. The reason their bodies were destroyed...is the same reason that tree exploded and this rock broke."

He placed a hand on his chest.

"It's because I'm too strong. When I fight, I can't always control how much power I use. I mean, I can but it's much easier for me to go all out then control myself."

He turned to Julius then, his voice calm but cutting.

"So tell me, Holy Healer—if you were given a strength like mine, and you had to fight an army threatening your people, would you really control your attacks so that their families could have a easier time cleaning their corpses?"

"Or..." He raised his hands and waves it. "Would you give them a slap on the face and watch their head explode before moving on to the next one?"

Julius opened his mouth but no words came out.

"Because I can tell you this." He looked at all the elves with a solemn gaze. "When you're fighting to protect lives, you don't have time to calculate how cleanly your enemies die."

"You only think about ending it before they hurt someone else."

Hearing this bold statement, the elves looked at each other—and one by one, they nodded.

It wasn't savagery. It was power.

And power, by its nature, was destruction.

Nyx leaned toward Leona, her voice low but edged with astonishment.

"I was wondering." She murmured. "How exactly he managed to stop the war after hearing the reports. I wanted to know what kind of power he truly had…"

She crossed her arms, shaking her head in disbelief.

"But now, after seeing this? I completely understand."

"Even the strongest races—ogres, giants, beastkin—even when they had mana surging through their veins, they weren't capable of this. Not even close. I've seen them punch through boulders and crush swords, but nothing like this."

"He didn't just hit that tree, he detonated it. And that rock..." She glanced at the two clean halves still lying on the ground. "...he split it open like it was bread."

Leona's gaze lingered on the shattered remnants of both. She wanted to argue, but she couldn't.

"You're right." She admitted quietly. "Even in the age of mana, I've never seen such raw physical strength. The strongest giants could splinter a tree like that. But only when they went all out. He…"

She trailed off, watching Luca brush the dust off his knuckles.

"…he barely tried."

In that moment, she realized something terrifying and awe-inspiring: even if mana still flowed through the world, even if every race regained their peak strength, Luca would still be at the top.

A predator among predators.

And the most unsettling part?

He hadn't even gone all out yet.

But surprisingly, unlike before—when that power filled her with unease—she wasn't afraid anymore.

Instead, she felt a quiet, solemn appreciation.

She now starting to understood that everything he'd done, everything he'd unleashed, was for them.

For her people.

Nyx, watching her sister's faint change in expression, felt a ripple of satisfaction.

For the first time in years, Leona's cold, calculating eyes softened.

'He really is something.' Nyx smiled faintly. 'To even make Leona change her heart.'

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