Shien was above the Elven Homeland, suspended in mid-air, bathed in the cascading waterfall of evil aura, as if undergoing a baptism of darkness. However, his eyes were clear and bright, unaffected by the aura. Thanks to the [Supreme God’s Blessing], the evil god’s power was nothing to him.
But as Shien gazed at the Tegor Forest, now engulfed in darkness, his eyes were cold.
“You can’t escape now, can you?” Shien sneered.
Suddenly, Shien looked down towards the Elven Homeland.
“As expected, they’ve been alerted.” He murmured.
Several figures flew out from the Elven Homeland. One was enveloped in emerald green light, another surrounded by swirling leaves, and the third carried by fragrant flower petals.
The three legendary archmages of the Elven Race, braving the descending waterfall of evil aura, came to Shien.
“What are you doing, Earl Buztout!?” Sophie, radiating emerald light, her staff in hand, floated before Shien, her face anxious and questioning.
Not only Sophie, but Leia and Nia also looked at the Tegor Forest, engulfed in darkness, with fear and disbelief, unable to imagine what had become of the largest monster forest in the human world.
They had all heard the rumors about Lilith, the evil god who, ten thousand years ago, had plunged a continent into darkness with her madness-inducing power, turning it into hell, forcing the Divine Race and the Demon Race to temporarily halt their war. This evil god, whose power rivaled even Demon Lords, was on par with Artemis, the Goddess of Justice, and stronger than the Goddess of Life and the Goddess of Nature.
Now, although this evil god had regained her sanity and was no longer out of control, who would have thought that today, she would suddenly unleash her power and turn the entire Tegor Forest into a land of evil aura?
And judging from Shien’s appearance, this clearly had something to do with him. Sophie sensed a chill emanating from him, his usually frivolous demeanor replaced by a cold indifference.
Sophie realized that all this was probably Shien’s doing.
But just as she was about to question him, Shien said calmly,
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. Soon, after I’ve done what I need to do, everything will return to normal.”
“Return to normal?” Sophie was taken aback.
“That’s right.” Shien said directly, “Lilith’s power is terrifying, capable of driving any living being mad, turning them into creatures of evil and chaos. And it’s a transformation at the soul level, eroding their very existence.”
These words shocked Sophie.
Transforming the soul?
Eroding existence?
This was the power of the strongest evil god, the one who governed evil and chaos?
How terrifying!
No wonder… no wonder a continent had fallen ten thousand years ago. Facing such power, even she couldn’t resist for long. If constantly exposed to this evil aura, she would eventually become a mindless monster. If directly targeted by Lilith’s power, Sophie wouldn’t even be able to resist for a second.
Realizing this, Sophie’s face paled, and Leia and Nia were also shocked and angered.
Fortunately…
“It’s not irreversible.” Shien said calmly, “As long as they don’t stay in that state for too long, before the transformation of their souls is complete, Lilith can restore them at any time.” RΆNO฿Èṥ
So, it was only temporary.
“Please just watch and don’t interfere.” Shien looked at Sophie. “Just make sure no elves leave the Elven Homeland.”
Now, the Elven Homeland, protected by the barrier, was the only safe haven in the Tegor Forest, untouched by the evil aura.
As long as the elves stayed within, they wouldn’t be affected.
Of course, since Lilith wasn’t specifically targeting anyone, the erosion of the evil aura was relatively weak. A powerful archmage like Sophie should be able to resist it to some extent, using defensive magic or spells that countered negative statuses, at least for a while.
But eventually, no one could escape being corrupted by the evil aura.
After all, this was the evil aura released by Lilith herself, far stronger than the residual aura Shien encountered in Cosmos.
“That’s how the Stalim family’s First Knight Order, the Empire’s Second Princess, and the Severed Blade Knights disappeared.”
Shien said.
“Please don’t do anything reckless.”
Before Sophie could respond, Leia and Nia were enraged.
“Who’s being reckless here!?”
“After we treated you with such courtesy, this is how you treat us and the entire Tegor Forest!?”
Leia and Nia strongly condemned him.
Sophie also stared at Shien with a grim expression, seemingly wanting an explanation.
Shien, however, wasn’t in the mood for explanations.
“I’ll only say this once.” Shien said indifferently, “The Dark Elf has appeared.”
These words shocked Sophie, Leia, and Nia.
“What…!?” Leia was aghast.
“Impossible!” Nia exclaimed reflexively.
“A Dark Elf…?” Sophie was stunned, her beautiful face showing unprecedented confusion. A painful memory resurfaced, a memory from before she became Queen, thousands of years ago, when she was still young, naive, and full of hope, her magic just beginning to develop.
The Dark Elves’ wickedness forced the Elven Race into a war that decided the fate of both races. The elves won, but at a great cost, including the death of the previous Elven Queen, and Sophie’s own near-death experience. And then she was targeted by that evil being, leading to a series of tragedies. These were shadows Sophie didn’t want to recall.
“Impossible… impossible…” Sophie murmured. “The Dark Elves are extinct, aren’t they…?” It was less a denial, more a desperate hope.
But Shien ruthlessly shattered it.