Chaos

The priestess's scream drew everyone's attention, and the older priests glared at her angrily. Kama, the second daughter of the First House, strode forward, brandishing her six-headed serpent whip, and struck the young Dark Elf woman hard across the face.

"Shut up! You idiot! You piece of trash! You scum abandoned by the great goddess!!"

"I'm not...!"

The priestess tried to explain, but she realized she was wrong; in fact, everyone was the same. They couldn't use divine magic, but no one would be foolish enough to say it aloud. So why would she be so foolish as to utter such a thing? The priestess desperately retreated, but in the next moment, the second daughter's six-headed serpent whip struck her face heavily. Six terrifying venomous snakes raised their heads, biting down hard on her cheek, their eyes fixed on the venom.

"No...!!"

The priestess screamed, attempting to cast a spell to resist it all, but soon, a distinct pale green covered her original black skin. The young Dark Elf only had time to utter that scream before her voice faded into incoherent gasps, and she collapsed to the ground, dead.

This scene naturally caused chaos among the Dark Elf warriors in front, who stared in astonishment at the priestesses behind them. Although their upbringing had accustomed them to being controlled by their female brethren, that control was also built upon the powerful and terrifying divine magic of the female warriors. While the priestesses also received combat training, how could they compare to the male Dark Elf who possessed nothing but fighting skills?

Right now.

Li Lin noticed the chaos caused by the Dark Elf. He had originally planned to proceed methodically, but they wouldn't let any possible means of attack slip by. So Li Lin immediately changed his target. Several fireballs appeared in the air as he moved, shooting straight towards the rear of the Dark Elf. His target was clear: the group of priests.

"Block it!"

The Dark Elf priests from several families, responsible for overseeing affairs, immediately issued orders, and their male comrades raised their shields. They were supposed to receive the priests' blessing at this moment, granting them enough strength to withstand the fireball. However, the warriors did not hear the familiar prayers they heard. They turned around in surprise, trying to find the reason, only to find that the priests had already taken the opportunity to move away from them. At the same time, the fireball descended from the sky and exploded around them.

The minor disturbance sparked a turbulent situation. The Dark Elf priests cursed and brandished their serpent-headed whips, ordering their male comrades to their deaths. The Dark Elf, however, were hesitant. Although they were often at war, even humans knew that fighting a mage without proper defense was tantamount to suicide, let alone the naturally cunning Dark Elf. Without a blessing, they wouldn't be willing to fight, especially since the priests didn't seem particularly powerful. Influenced by these events, the slaves who had been forced into suicidal attacks began to quietly retreat. They might be foolish enough not to understand the Dark Elf's hesitation, but they weren't so foolish as to abandon their own lives.

"I need to take a break."

Gazing at the corpses scattered on the ground, Li Lin let out a sigh of relief. Then, he reached out again and touched the Eternal Library. Next, he gently turned a page.

The radiant power of magic emanated from his entire body, dark and evil runes gathering around him with immense force before seeping into the earth and merging with the corpses. Soon, the warriors who had died in the previous battle swayed and rose to their feet, gripping their weapons tightly. Their eyes no longer shone with the light of life, but with the darkness of death. Li Lin maintained the spell, simultaneously issuing a command to the dead through his mind. Quickly, they began to swarm downwards, rushing towards their former comrades and their master.

Faced with the onslaught of the undead, the Dark Elf could no longer ignore it. They quickly retreated, ordering their remaining slaves to maintain the front line. Against these undead, the Dark Elf's prized martial arts and poison arrows were utterly ineffective. Li Lin had deliberately stalled for time, waiting for this moment. Only mages or clergy could dispel the undead. But now, he had suppressed the Dark Elf' affinity for divine power to its lowest point using the Mythal, making it difficult for them to cast effective divine spells. Although their Dark Elf Darkness and Faerie Fire were still effective, they posed no obstacle whatsoever to an Arcane Mage.

"..."

This time, the Dark Elf matriarchs could no longer remain still. They stared at the undead army before them—just moments ago, that army had been theirs.

"Damn humans!!"

Matron Ryan screamed inwardly. She had a vague idea of what this human wanted to do, and she was also angry and shocked by his audacity.

Ultimately, this led the matriarch to make a decision.

He will become the best offering to the goddess.

Thinking of this, Matron Ryan suddenly waved her hand.

"Prepare explosive arrows and send these cursed undead back to where they belong!"

As she spoke, her levitation disc began to drift rapidly backward, away from the city walls that had fallen into battle. The other matriarchs hesitated only for a moment before issuing the same order to their soldiers, though of course, this did not include "sacrificing themselves." After all, these soldiers were the elite fighting force of their respective families, and each family hoped that others would sacrifice themselves first, so that they could retain their strength. This was the law of the Dark Elf; even in the face of such a crisis, they would not forget what they should do.

As the exploding arrows burst forth among the undead soldiers, Li Lin gradually retreated, landing back on the city wall and standing beside the others.

"Now, let's just wait for the results."

Watching the matriarchs gradually disappear into the distance, Li Lin breathed a sigh of relief, quickly began to recover, and prepared for the next move. The others, already stunned by his previous fighting prowess, didn't respond to his words. Only Angela frowned, as if complaining.

"Master, you've been showing off a bit too much."

"Trust me, there will be toys you like later."

Li Lin smiled slightly, not taking Angela's complaints seriously. He had already discussed the plan with Angela beforehand, so he understood that the little one was just venting out of boredom.

Faced with the onrushing army of undead, the Dark Elf once again demonstrated their superior combat skills. Without Li Lin's magical suppression, they didn't need to worry about being attacked by magic. In fact, most Dark Elf believed that the powerful human mage had already exhausted all his strength. They even began to mock his foolishness. Li Lin could have used necromancy to convert the miserable slaves from the beginning and attacked Kasos City alongside the undead army, relying on the effects of his spells. But this foolish mage not only chose this fighting style but also only cast a spell as a barrier at the very end. Now it seemed that the mage hadn't left. Although they didn't know what he was up to, a mage without magical support was a toothless tiger, utterly unworthy of fear.

Having "confirmed" the situation, the Dark Elf immediately changed their tactics. Waves of Darkness continuously covered the city walls, with the majority of Dark Elf tasked with eliminating the pesky undead army. The remaining, less affected and weakened Dark Elf seized the opportunity to use Levitate to advance into the city walls, attempting to ambush the mages in the Dark Elf and succeed. Although they had witnessed the matriarchs' departure, their logic naturally offered various interpretations.

Although the Mythal severely weakened the Dark Elf's stamina, their weapons remained unaffected. Soon, many sluggish zombies fell to the ground, their lives extinguished. The other Dark Elf, basking in this victory, gradually regained their confidence. This was their city, a place protected by the goddess!

A black light flickered.

The assassin, hidden in the darkness, silently thrust out his longsword, his gaze fixed on the mage before him. The mage stood quietly within the range of the Darkness, making no move. Based on ancient legends and intelligence, a mage would never cast a spell under such circumstances, for he wouldn't even have time to lock onto his target. Therefore, the Dark Elf was confident he could behead him in the next instant. After all, Dark Elf were a race that lived in darkness.

But the blood-red eyes that appeared before him in the blink of an eye revealed another truth to this foolish and reckless Dark Elf.

Angela deftly waved her folding fan, deflecting the Dark Elf's jet-black rapier. Her fan slid across the blade, piercing his eye socket with a movement a hundred times more elegant than the Dark Elf's. With a sudden twist, she swiftly withdrew it. Not a trace of blood remained on the beautiful fan's surface, but the Dark Elf's corpse had become yet another toy for Angela.

The others didn't gain much either. Although they discovered several other intruders on the city walls and attempted to take their heads as spoils, the Vampire Species' Darkvision was no less than that of the Dark Elf. Through countless practices, Mina's Battōjutsu had reached a level of perfection. The perfect blend of Vampire Species strength and speed formed an invisible protective line, separating every enemy who tried to invade, weapon and all. Of course, even if her combat experience was insufficient to compensate for her limited range, Fina would use Flare to dispel the darkness and inflict fatal damage on any assassins lurking in the shadows.

The elf gazed silently into the darkness before her. However, a verdant light gradually emerged from her body. Although this soft light was not enough to pierce the darkness, it was incredibly powerful enough to make everyone notice her presence.

"Your Temple, what are you doing?"

Li Lin quickly retreated and anxiously inquired. This scene wasn't originally part of his plan, and the premature Divine Descent of the Elf Goddess had clearly disrupted his schedule.

"I can't always let you fight on the front lines, Arcane Mage."

In the hands of the Elf Goddess, a wooden longbow appeared out of nowhere, its surface entwined with tender green leaves, seemingly brimming with absolute vitality.

"This is a matter for our tribe, and it is my responsibility to take on it."

"Next time, you should tell me before you change your mind."

Li Lin understood that the other party clearly intended to use divine power directly to lure the Spider Goddess into revealing herself. However, he did not like this method, so Li Lin immediately chanted an incantation, and soon, a transparent, dim shield enveloped the Elf Goddess, simultaneously locking away her divine power aura.

"Furthermore, I hate it when plans are changed arbitrarily. We Arcane Mage always keep our word; that's where our reputation lies."

As he spoke, magical symbols reappeared on the back of Li Lin's hands. He unusually released his hands from the Eternal Library, letting it float in the air, and then placed his hands on the city wall. Next, he poured immense, irresistible power into it.

The earth roared.