On the thirteenth floor of the Necropolis of the Gods, in the Elf Clan's territory.
At the center, surrounded by towering ancient trees, moonlight streamed through gaps in the canopy, illuminating the elves' sacred grounds.
The trees here were thicker than those on the outskirts. Their trunks were covered in intricate life magic patterns, each line breathing slowly with the shifting moonlight.
Between the treetops, layers of bridges woven from vines linked the entire territory into a three-dimensional city.
Suddenly, a terrifying slash of lightning sword energy descended from the sky.
The sword energy was deep purple and dozens of yards thick. Wherever it passed, it tore a black fissure through space, ionizing the elements in the air into plasma that gave off a piercing hum.
The lightning sword energy slashed straight toward the oldest mother tree at the very center of the Elf Clan's territory.
"Who goes there!"
A cold female voice rang out from deep within the mother tree. Then a huge emerald-green tree phantom rose from it. The phantom was translucent, and patterns of the Life Law flowed across every leaf, overlapping to form an enormous, domelike shield.
The lightning sword energy struck the tree phantom, and purple and green light clashed violently. Lightning power tore frantically at the phantom. Cracks kept appearing across it, only to be swiftly repaired by the Life Law.
The two powers remained locked for several full seconds before the sword energy was completely neutralized. The remaining cracks on the tree phantom slowly healed, but each healing crack was a little deeper than the newly added ones.
"Grand Elder." Beneath the tree phantom, the elves bowed their heads, their voices filled with reverence.
A beautiful figure emerged from the tree phantom. She floated before the mother tree, her long hair falling to