Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Pelan staggered as the fierce wind hit him head-on. A strong arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him against a firm chest. Bracing himself against Lou Guanyue, Pelan had no time to dwell on their intimate posture.

He abandoned the half-chanted spatial magic. The gale buffeted his face, and he could only glance in Sipo's direction out of the corner of his eye.

Sipo had folded his wings, clinging tightly to the rough bark with both hands, his whole body swaying violently with the surrounding branches.

At least he hadn't been swept into the whirlwind or blown too far away.

Pelan breathed a sigh of relief, pouring mana frantically into his staff. The saint's finger bone at its tip erupted with a dazzling light. He completed the Spatial Magic in an instant, and an invisible barrier snapped into place before them.

The whirlwind collided with the seemingly fragile spatial barrier, instantly shredded and scattered by the distorted spatial forces. The front section of the storm, over ten meters long, vanished into thin air, while the latter half of the tornado gradually twisted and disintegrated within the space, dissolving into chaotic, scattered air currents.

The wind had ravaged the surrounding grassland, snapping branches and leaving a scene of devastation. Although the wind had stopped, they had missed their best chance to escape.

They were surrounded!

Blinding flames erupted around the giant tree, illuminating the dark, dense forest.

A row of elves clad in silver armor, each holding a torch in one hand and a longsword in the other, menacingly encircled the area around the tree where they stood.

Behind them, dozens of mages stood ranked, simultaneously erecting sturdy shields over the front row of knights.

Every eye fixed on Pelan was hostile.

Pelan could feel the unfriendly stares from all around, even from above, fixed intently upon them.

Something was very wrong.

Elves didn't experience emotional swings as intensely as humans did. They'd just broken out of prison without harming a single elf. Such intense hostility was truly unusual.

The leader was a male elf in elder's robes. He cast a cold glance at the three figures below, waved his right hand, and began chanting a low incantation.

Almost simultaneously, the elven mages behind him sprang into action.

Two little tails—two figures—had secretly followed behind the Silver Moon Knights.

They were Hailisha and Nifla.

Coincidentally, Elder Gracey was also nearby. He immediately mustered the members of the Silver Moon Knights. After gathering sufficient intel, he performed a divination.

The divination pointed to Pelan's location. After calming the two young adult elves, the Silver Moon Knights immediately set out, quietly approaching this dense forest, leaving no chance for escape as a barrage of attacks rained down, keeping them constantly on the defensive.

With chants ringing out, various spells like ice blades and fireballs were hurled wildly at Pelan and the other two.

Although the damage from ice blades and fireballs wasn't high, they had the advantage of short cast times and fast casting speeds. Moreover, with at least thirty mages attacking simultaneously, their combined power was no weaker than a typical high-tier spell, making them ideal for rapid combat.

Sipo had been blown some distance from Pelan by the wind. Faced with the overwhelming onslaught of ice blades and fireballs, he immediately rolled behind the massive tree, using the thick trunk to evade the mages' frenzied assault.

Pelan reacted swiftly, casting a Water Shield over himself and Lou Guanyue. The faintly glowing shield blocked dozens of incoming fireballs before dissipating into mist. Seizing this opening, he pulled Lou Guanyue behind the giant tree.

Gracey, hovering in mid-air, snorted coldly and said unhurriedly, "Archers, loose arrows."

From behind him, hundreds of gleaming feathered arrows shot forth, seemingly about to pierce through all three of them. Sipo slightly raised his staff and waved it gently before them. Clusters of dark, shimmering starlight spread out, covering the area in front of the trio.

Suddenly, a thin, black barrier formed not far in front of the three.

Several arrows struck the barrier and were immediately deflected.

Nifla gasped sharply, her nails digging into her flesh.

By the torchlight, her sharp eyes saw that this Dark Magic was cast by the silver-haired, red-eyed elf in the middle!

A Dark Elf!

The rumors were true! Their people had actually spawned a Dark Elf tainted by darkness!

Although mid- and low-tier spells and ordinary arrows couldn't break the defensive magic cast by the Dark Elf, Nifla wasn't worried at all. While they were busy fending off these attacks, the elder had already completed the chant for his super-tier magic!

Gracey snorted coldly, a cold white light coalescing at the tip of his staff.

"Light's Judgment!"

Sipo's expression changed slightly. Light magic was the bane of dark magic. His shield couldn't block the infiltration of light elements!

A pure white pillar of light pierced through the darkness.

Wherever the white radiance shone, the magical barrier smoked as if scorched, rapidly dissolving.

The destructive stream of light still didn't pause, pouring down toward the three of them.

Lou Guanyue narrowed his eyes slightly, his fingers twitching before relaxing again. He looked somewhat flustered at Pelan.

"Teacher, you must go—"

He stepped in front of Pelan, seemingly intending to use his own body to block the white pillar of light.

"Get out of the way!" Pelan's pupils contracted. He reached out and pulled Lou Guanyue behind him.

Without time to think, a sinister, cold dark element surged from the tip of his staff. The pure white light stream seemed to have ink dripped into it, as an extreme darkness rapidly spread, instantly devouring the dazzling pillar of light.

"A dark wizard?! You're from the Secret Cult!"

Gracey's voice was full of shock, followed by a thick killing intent surfacing in his eyes.

He glared at the ordinary-looking, brown-haired youth, clenched his fist, and said coldly, "The Prince consorts with members of the Secret Cult. There's no need to hold back anymore. Kill them immediately!"

Several super-tier mages behind Gracey showed hesitant expressions. "Elder Gracey, the Queen has ordered that the Prince must not be harmed. We only need to bring them back to the Tree Court..."

Gracey, while raising his hand to begin sketching another destructive spell, turned his head and roared, "An elf colluding with the Secret Cult! Do you want the tragedy of a thousand years ago to repeat itself? If the Queen blames anyone, I will bear her wrath!"

The mages looked at each other, momentarily at a loss for words, but they no longer tried to stop Gracey's actions.

Gracey snorted coldly, raising his staff high and chanting, "Great God of Light, grant me your sacred power of light... Sword of Judgment, strike!"

As the chant began, the phantom of a gigantic sword appeared in the sky. Pelan's eyes sharpened. He similarly raised his hand, rapidly sketching the summoning gate connecting to the spirit realm.

On the other side of the light sword, the phantom of an ancient, majestic gate also gradually became clear. The oppressive aura of dark power made the elves present involuntarily frown.

The elves couldn't help but tighten their grip on their longswords or staffs. The more hot-tempered ones couldn't resist starting to chant spells.

Lou Guanyue stood protectively in front of Pelan, his gaze hostile as he scanned the surrounding elves.

"Everyone, stop!"

A cold voice came from afar. The next moment, a silver radiance bloomed in the sky above. Dense, silvery runes obscured the space. The giant light sword, along with the summoning gate behind Pelan, dissipated with a resounding crash.

Pelan tightened his grip on his staff. He could feel the power of this forest's laws. A thought clearly surfaced in his mind.

Restrained by the laws, everyone was temporarily unable to use magic above the high-tier level.

Pelan warily looked in the direction from which the voice had come.

Could it be that the Elven Queen had arrived?

Only a deity could mobilize the power of the natural laws.

The Life Goddess, initially worshipped by the elves, had long since receded from the world during the Great Cataclysm. She transformed into the Elven Mother Tree, her divine power nurturing generation after generation of elves. Later, the God of Light assumed part of the Life Goddess's authority. As beings of light, many elves worshipped the God of Light alongside their faith in the Goddess.

The Queen, acting on behalf of the Elven Mother Tree and thus the Life Goddess's authority, could mobilize the forest's laws, which was not surprising.

Everyone simultaneously halted their actions, and the atmosphere grew exceptionally still.

Moments later, a golden-haired elf, also clad in a golden-threaded robe, appeared before the knight ranks, his face cold. Upon seeing him, the elves' eyes filled with respect and fervent admiration.

"Elder Izavel!"

Izavel, the captain of the Sun Knights, was also one of the newest members of the Elder Council and the youngest elder among the elves.

He reported directly to the Elven Queen, answering only to her. Usually, he guarded the Elven Mother Tree and rarely appeared elsewhere in Ithilien. He would only make brief appearances for major events or upon receiving the Queen's orders.

Izavel's sharp gaze swept over the faces of those around him. He suddenly raised his hand, holding a token representing the Queen—a silver leaf from the Mother Tree.

Without even glancing at Gracey, he pointed at Sipo and said gravely, "I offer Your Highness two choices."

"First, kill you all. Do not doubt this; with the Queen's token in hand, it would be simple to end your lives."

"Second, comply fully, without attempting to escape or resist... Your Highness, you and your friend will come quietly with me back to the Tree Court. The Queen will not hold your unauthorized entry into the dungeon against you."

Neither choice was viable!

Pelan frowned, immediately catching the loophole in his words. The Queen had only said she wouldn't pursue the prison break, but she hadn't promised that Sipo would be spared upon returning.

"Izavel!" Gracey's expression darkened further upon hearing this.

Izavel waved the silver leaf in his hand, his face impassive. "I am only relaying the Queen's command. What is it, Elder Gracey? Do you intend to defy the Queen?"

Gracey's expression changed. He gritted his teeth and said, "I dare not. I will obey the Queen's will."

Though he spoke these words, his gaze toward Pelan quickly turned icy.

All eyes fell on Sipo, casting a sudden solemnity over the atmosphere.

Sipo did not look at Pelan. He pressed his lips together and met Izavel's gaze without flinching. "I will go back with you. Do not trouble my friends."

Izavel looked at him and offered a meaningful smile. "A wise choice."

Pelan frowned and was about to speak up to stop him when Lou Guanyue tugged at his sleeve from beside him.

Lou Guanyue whispered in his ear, "Teacher, be patient and wait for an opportunity. Confronting them head-on now is not the right moment."

He was right. Choosing to return with the knights for now was the best option... Pelan calmly analyzed the situation, his lips pressed tightly together as he worriedly glanced at Sipo.

Izavel withdrew his gaze from Sipo and announced loudly, "Return to the Tree Court—"

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Author's note: A little ramble.

Some men, seemingly sacrificing themselves to save others, actually just want their partner to reveal their true identity in a moment of desperation. How cunning (ー`?ー)

Can we update earlier tomorrow? [Pigeon][Pigeon]