Outside the Battle

Looking at the smoke-filled scene before him, Li Lin breathed a sigh of relief. The Kasos City was now completely reduced to ruins, and the remaining Dark Elf could do nothing but wail among the rubble. Just now, he had politely but firmly sent the two gods directly to the realm of the Elf Goddess, letting them fight it out there. Li Lin didn't care about the outcome. After all, he had done everything he could. The Spider Goddess, who had descended to the Prime Material Plane in her true form, had already expended a great deal of power due to the rules, and she had been politely "invited" by Li Lin into the realm of the Elf Goddess, her complete opposite. She was now almost completely weakened. If it weren't for the principle that Arcane Mage wouldn't kill gods, even Li Lin could have easily killed her in the Elf Goddess's realm. He was an evil god. Therefore, he had no interest in, nor any need to be interested in, the safety of the Elf Goddess. Right now, he was already looking to the future, considering what he could gain after victory. Li Lin had contributed significantly to this war, and weakening the Spider Goddess was largely his suggestion; the Elf Goddess should understand the principles of exchange between Arcane Mage. If she could assist Li Lin in mastering the remaining Dark Elf forces after the battle, everything would go smoothly. Conversely, if she couldn't, it would be quite troublesome for both Li Lin and the Elf Goddess. The situation of the Dark Elf underground without their god was unimaginable. Although Li Lin was confident he could eventually subdue them for his own use, relying on the power of a god would always make things easier.

However, speaking of which...

"Angela?"

Li Lin turned to the little guy standing next to him, stretching lazily out of boredom.

"I didn't expect you to be afraid of spiders?"

Just now, Angela had witnessed Li Lin's panicked jump to avoid the spider, but he never expected that Angela would be helpless against such a thing.

"What can we do?"

Faced with Li Lin's question, Angela hesitated for a moment, but finally answered indignantly.

"I hate them! I despise those eight-legged monsters the most; they're nothing but scum of this world!"

Later, through Angela's slightly complaining account, Li Lin finally understood the whole story. Of course, this matter had to start a long, long time ago—back then, Angela was just an ordinary Vampire Species, lacking even basic self-defense abilities. Her daily routine was not much different from that of Vampire Species described in other literary works; she slept in her coffin during the day and came out at night to drink blood for survival. According to Angela, she was in an "unstable period" at that time, and her upcoming special form forced her to consume large amounts of blood to prepare for the series of changes that came with growth. After confirming that she was ready, Angela found a cave and comfortably lay down in her coffin for a long sleep.

She slept for decades or even centuries, but when Angela awoke, the cave she was in was almost completely filled in. Naturally, the entire wooden coffin had begun to rot. But what terrified Angela the most was that the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was a spider weaving a web on her face...

It's easy to imagine that anyone treated this way would suffer deep psychological trauma. Even after a long period of time and gaining immense power she didn't possess before, Angela still deeply loathed spiders. Fortunately, the grown-up Angela possessed the aura unique to Vampire Species, making it difficult for insects and animals to get close to her; otherwise, Angela probably wouldn't have been able to sleep well during the day.

"The thought of the humiliation I suffered back then makes me furious..."

Clearly, Angela, lost in her memories, was more aggressive. She was trapped in those shameful recollections, unable to extricate herself. Watching Angela begin to grit her teeth, her killing intent palpable, Li Lin could only manage a bitter laugh. Although he couldn't quite grasp the extent of Vampire Species's sensitive pride, putting himself in her shoes, Li Lin could understand Angela's feelings. So he said nothing more and turned to Mina and Fina. They were tending to the mercenaries who had already fainted. Although there was no immediate threat, the two were still diligently carrying out Angela's orders. Mina gripped her sword hilt, vigilantly scanning her surroundings to prevent any Dark Elf from launching a sneak attack. While they probably wouldn't dare, it was always better to be cautious.

"Ah, Master..."

Seeing Li Lin approach, Fina hurriedly stood up. She was still immersed in the magical battle with Li Lin just now, and felt that the man in front of her was so powerful that he was beyond her imagination. So, without realizing it, Fina's attitude towards Li Lin became even more respectful. She first bowed solemnly to Li Lin before asking him with some curiosity.

"Is there anything I can help you with? Everything is already..."

"We've done all we can."

While answering Fina's questions, Li Lin turned his gaze to the mercenaries. Although he had brought them along to spread information, there were some things they shouldn't know. Therefore, necessary memory alteration was crucial. At the very least, he needed to make them forget the scene of seeing Nia transform into the Eternal Library; otherwise, if such rumors reached the Mages' Association, it would be a significant problem for Li Lin.

Therefore, Li Lin immediately concentrated and began to modify the memories of several mercenaries. Fortunately, Nia's transformation was only momentary. As long as the impression of that moment was erased and the preceding and following moments were blurred as connections, most people would not notice that their memories had been tampered with.

As Li Lin considered what was about to happen, he placed his glowing right hand on the mercenary's forehead.

Walking among the ruins and rubble, Maya felt a dazed state. Just moments ago, she had killed her own mother and become the matriarch of the First House, summoning the assistance of the great goddess. But now, it was all over. She had witnessed the great Spider Goddess vanish with another strange deity. Although she didn't know what this meant, based on what Maya had learned in her religious studies, it must have been the despicable gods worshipped by the weak and incestuous relatives on Earth. Now, this new matriarch of the First House walked alone through the ruins. Although she had once again felt the great power of the Spider Goddess after the Mythal was broken, she didn't know what to do with it. What to do? After the ceremony, the matriarchs of the other seven families ran faster than rabbits. It was unclear whether they were going back to prepare for their next move or if they had sensed an incomprehensible danger and were planning to flee. The soldiers and priests of the First House had also suffered heavy casualties in the disaster. Out of self-interest, Matron Ryan had left her most elite troops at her base camp before setting off. In the violent earthquake, the stone pillar where the First House was located had completely collapsed, destroying all of Matron Ryan's years of painstaking efforts. The soldiers outside, having been essentially abandoned, suffered even heavier casualties. Maya looked around but couldn't find a single person she could command or discipline.

The Dark Elf's emotions were incredibly complex. Just moments before, she believed she had not only won the favor of the Spider Goddess but also gained the First House. But now, she had lost everything. Even with the ability to sense divine power, this matriarch had no subordinates she could command. This gain and loss seemed to have taught this relatively young Dark Elf some lessons. Now, she wandered aimlessly through the ruins, gazing at the corpses and cries of her kin, unsure of what she should do.

Just then, a petite figure stopped in front of her.

"You are the matriarch of the First House?"

Angela held down a Dark Elf dressed in a magnificent robe with one hand, while squinting her eyes to examine Maya before her.

Upon seeing the little girl, Maya immediately became alert. Little did she know, haunted by her shameful memories, the enraged Angela sought to vent her anger on others. Simultaneously, with the intention of eliminating the threat to Li Lin, she set her sights on the eight Dark Elf. Having already discovered their unusual arrogance during previous encounters, Angela envisioned conquering them as a highly entertaining endeavor.

In fact, Angela did get some pleasure from it. She quickly dug out the matriarchs of the second to seventh families. Although some of them were under heavy guard and others tried to escape, they all eventually became victims of Angela's tyranny.

"Is that her?"

She lowered her head, looked at the second matriarch of the family, who was being dragged to the ground by her neck, and asked.

"That's right, it's her! She's the matriarch of the First House who killed her own mother and took her place...!"

Before the second matriarch could finish speaking, Angela abruptly pulled her hand away, cutting her off.

"Have you forgotten your place again? Who gave you permission to speak without my permission? Do you remember what I just said?"

"... Woof, woof."

"That's right, Black Dog."

As she spoke, Angela casually tossed the Second Family's matriarch far away. She chuckled and looked at Maya in front of her, then snapped open the velvet folding fan in her hand.

"Come, you dark-skinned bitch, I grant you the right to play with me. Now, draw that damned whip from your waist and settle things with me. Of course... if you lose, you will become one of my pets."

"..."

Maya didn't fight as Angela had suggested. She glanced at the Second Mistress, who had been tossed aside like an Angela doll in an odd pose. Her feelings were incredibly complex. Before, she had respected, even feared, this Second Mistress. After all, she had once accumulated power comparable to the First House and possessed extraordinary wisdom, even becoming a thorn in the side of Matron Ryan. But now, this family matriarch, who had once made her tremble with fear, was being thrown aside like a rag doll, only allowed to bark like a dog but forbidden to speak. When had the family matriarch ever been treated like this?

Thinking of this, Maya felt utterly despondent. She took two steps back, fell silent, and shook her head without a sound.

"What's wrong, nigger?"

Angela gazed at the Dark Elf before her with some curiosity. When she defeated the Second Mistress, she had already learned from her how the current First House Mistress had risen to power. In Angela's mind, only ruthless and heartless individuals were worth toying with. However, this young Dark Elf was not at all as cruel and treacherous as she had imagined; on the contrary, she gave the impression of a hermit who had seen through the illusions of the world.

"If you don't make a move soon, I'll have to!"

What's the point of all this?

Maya sighed helplessly. Just now, she had indeed been ignited by the anger in her heart. You must know, she is the current matriarch of the First House, and has even received the blessing of the goddess!

However, this anger also brought her back to her senses. So what if she was the mistress? Even Dark Elf as powerful as her was no match for others. Looking at the corpses and remains scattered around her, didn't she understand this?

It is precisely because she has seen through all this that Maya is now inevitably caught in a state of bewilderment. In her two hundred years, Maya has dedicated all her energy to the goddess, the matriarch, and the intrigue. Her greatest ambition is to surpass her mother and become the master of the entire Kasos City. But now, the goal she has pursued has shattered before her eyes; two hundred years of life-and-death struggle seem to have been completely negated. What does this mean for Dark Elf?

However, she had not expected an answer. Just then, a deep, bone-chilling pain suddenly erupted from the depths of the Dark Elf's soul, sweeping over and shattering her last remaining will.