Glorious Holy Light

The once bustling town is now deserted. Trees and vines have covered the original man-made buildings, and lush green grass has broken through the cobblestone roads, stretching across the land. Nourished by the spring breeze and rain, tiny white flowers sway gently, showcasing the tenacious vitality of nature.

"In this way, we have already recovered most of our territory."

Turning her gaze away from the beautiful scenery before her, Nisi sighed deeply. Shortly after becoming Arcane Mage, she had been summoned back to the Land of Elves by the Elven Queen. Although Nisi herself was somewhat dissatisfied with this, she was also well aware that after a long war, the elves simply did not possess the formidable fighting power of the Magic Empire. Even with the Arcane Mage providing a large number of weapons, the elves still couldn't gain a widespread advantage. Their population was already small; in the war against humans, even the death of a single elf would be a significant blow to the elven race.

Although many elves who had been enslaved began to rebel after the war began, killing their masters and escaping back to their elven lands, many others also died along the way. Not to mention, the humans, enraged by the elves' counterattack, began to indiscriminately slaughter the elven prisoners, something they themselves did not wish to see.

Thus, the Arcane Mage, possessing immense power, became crucial to resolving the entire war. Therefore, Nisi understood the Elf Queen's eagerness to summon them upon learning she had become Arcane Mage. Li Lin didn't comment further; in his view, it would be best if Nisi could grow stronger through actual combat. Moreover, the Magic Empire was currently short-handed, and since the elves were unwilling to accept the "Scourge Legion," he had to ensure the elves' victory from other angles.

Although Nisi was only barely qualified as an Arcane Mage, she still displayed formidable power against a human army devoid of any magical support. Moreover, Nisi possessed the most destructive spell of all magical schools: Evocation. Even though she wasn't yet fully proficient in Arcane Mage, she had spent centuries studying the realm of high-level mages. With her familiarity and mastery of magic, Nisi easily destroyed almost the entire human army and defenses. Thus Nisi, in the war against the elves, humanity first faced cataclysmic magical power, while the elven army merely handled the cleanup.

Of course, this style of combat also put a lot of mental pressure on Nisi. After all, over this long period of time, humans had already occupied far too much elven territory. They greedily and recklessly pushed inward, swallowing up almost half of the Land of Elves's land. So, reclaiming it now was extremely troublesome and laborious. Often, the elves would just reclaim a piece of land, and soon after, the humans would gather their army again to counterattack, which could only force the elves to retreat again—a protracted war was not what the elves hoped for either.

Fortunately, with the arrival of spring, the human army dwindled significantly. They even voluntarily abandoned many border towns and began to retreat deeper into the interior. Nisi knew very well that this was because the threat from the Magic Empire forced these people to make alternative plans. For humans, while the elven invasion also caused them anger and pain, it was far less terrifying than the undead army. Therefore, in order to resist the undead army's attack, humans preferred to temporarily abandon their territorial disputes with the elves.

If only we could possess the same deterrent power as an undead army.

This thought kept crossing Nisi's mind, but she didn't voice it. Throughout the Land of Elves, although every elf knew of the undead army's existence, they deeply resented this force that defied the laws of nature. If it weren't for the existence of the Magic Empire, probably no one would be willing to cooperate with such an army and advance towards a common goal. Moreover, elves are peaceful by nature; although the brutal war had changed their lives, it hadn't altered their character. Even though these elves would show no mercy to their enemies, they still wouldn't harm unarmed refugees. Nisi, however, knew very well that on the Magic Empire's side, the undead army killed indiscriminately, reaping lives without hesitation, regardless of whether the person was enemy or not.

This is the source of fear, and even though elves can defeat their enemies, they still cannot instill this kind of fear in them. Perhaps this is why the elves are so easily oppressed.

Nisi had tried several times to harden her heart and order the elves to hunt down the fleeing soldiers, but ultimately, the naturally peaceful nature of the elves within her blood prevailed, preventing her from issuing such an order. Nisi herself knew very well that even if she did issue such an order, her elven soldiers would not carry it out if they were not mentally prepared.

In any case, they will eventually die at Lord Luoxia's hands.

Thinking about this, Nisi couldn't help but feel uneasy. She hadn't been an Arcane Mage for long enough. Moreover, although Nisi herself understood that she was no longer the child who could run around playing games Capital of the Magic Empire, she still subconsciously relied on Li Lin. After all, he had been her and her sister's teacher, and someone they respected. Frankly, Nisi desperately wanted Li Lin's advice and opinions to alleviate her unease. However, even though she had reported the situation to Li Lin and Nia, neither of them had offered any suggestions.

Perhaps this is precisely because they don't want to disrupt their own growth.

"Report... reporting to the Arcane Mage, sir?"

"Why?"

After the elven guards around her called her name softly several times, Nisi finally came to her senses. Even now, she was still not used to being addressed like that. After all, in Nisi's view, she was far from meeting the requirements and level of Arcane Mage. Moreover, all of this was too dreamlike, making her somewhat unable to believe it.

"How is the situation?"

"Most of the residents in the town ahead have already left, but there are still about three hundred soldiers remaining there."

Upon hearing this, Nisi frowned, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes.

Although most people had fled to deeper regions to preserve their strength, there were always some in every town who refused to leave their homes. They would rather risk their lives to defend their homes than hand them over to the elves. For these people, this land had been their home for generations, and now these despicable elves were the true invaders. To protect their land, these people were willing to sacrifice their lives.

However, the elves were furious at this logic. In their view, this was originally their territory, and it was only right for them to reclaim what belonged to them. But now, these greedy and evil humans had not only plundered their land, but also showed no remorse, even righteously claiming that it was human territory and regarding them as invaders? This was outrageous!

Even the most peaceful elves would be angered by these stubborn people. And each time, they would completely grant their wishes—since they wanted to die here, then so be it!

"What kind of soldiers are they?"

A flash of anger crossed Nisi's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and asked the question.

"Including one hundred archers and two hundred soldiers... and a paladin."

"A paladin?"

To be honest, this news made Nisi hesitate a bit.

After becoming Arcane Mage, the things previously kept secret from the lower realms were no longer secrets to Nisi. She was well aware that a war threatening the elven race was raging in places she couldn't see, with the God of Justice searching for other deities to destroy and seize their divine offices and powers. Her own Elf Goddess was among them. Although Nisi had considered strengthening herself to help her goddess fight the enemy, Li Lin flatly refused her request.

"Remember this, Nisi: the battlefield for Arcane Mage is the Prime Material Plane. Gods don't descend to the Prime Material Plane, and we don't go to the Upper Planes. This is the rule, the agreement, and you must abide by it when you become Arcane Mage. Moreover, even if you went to the Upper Planes, it wouldn't be of any help. Gods become quite weak when they enter the Prime Material Plane, and we will face the same limitations when we enter the Upper Planes. There, even if you are an Arcane Mage, the effect you can exert will probably only reach the level of a mid-level mage. Gods, on the other hand, can unleash their full power. Therefore, it's a very unwise choice."

Li Lin then specifically offered this reminder.

"Don't forget, you are Arcane Mage now... Even though you are an elf, you are still Arcane Mage."

During the process of reclaiming the elven territory, Nisi had never seen a single paladin. This was partly due to considerations from the Temple, but the most important reason was that Catherine, following Li Lin's instructions, had withdrawn all the paladins back to the autonomous territory. After all, the paladins' abilities were quite troublesome for the elves and not easy to deal with.

However, Nisi wasn't considering it from that perspective. Her greater concern was that the sudden appearance of a paladin here might be due to the will of the God of Justice, and if that were the case, they would be utterly helpless against him. After becoming Arcane Mage, Nisi had also crammed on theology under Nia's tutelage, so she was very aware of this. Perhaps someone as powerful as Lord Luoxia could send the God of Justice back to his homeland, but she herself hadn't even fully mastered the fundamental power of shaping energy, let alone directly confront a god.

"Take me to see it."

In the end, Nisi made up her mind. Led by the guards, she walked to a nearby hillside, and with a nimbleness rarely seen in a mage, she leaped onto a tree branch, while looking towards the distant town.

Thanks to the elf's keen eyesight, and with Nisi's magical intervention, she could clearly see the situation within the town. In the central square, a man clad in paladin armor stood. Soldiers, under his command, were running around, searching for cover. Archers were also entering the surrounding houses; it seemed they were planning a surprise attack.

What surprised Nisi was that while the paladin was indeed wearing proper paladin armor, he looked far too young, no more than a teenager. Although he was tall, it wasn't particularly surprising. Humans aren't like elves, who can live for very long and still look young. For example, Nisi, though a thousand years ago she was just a kid who loved games and disliked studying, had already lived for several hundred years, and even now she looked no different from young human women. But human lifespans aren't that long. This paladin was only in his early teens; how could he possibly be here alone, holding such a position?

Nisi pondered for a moment, but still couldn't figure it out. She really couldn't understand what these humans were thinking. However, no matter what, she still had to do her job.

"I'm about to cast a spell."

At Nisi's command, the nearby elven soldiers immediately stood guard around her. Although Nisi had mastered a hundred techniques to protect herself from surprise attacks since becoming Arcane Mage, her mage instincts still made her subconsciously rely more on the warriors around her. Although their role might not be as effective as the defensive spells on Nisi right now, the psychological sense of security they provided was irreplaceable.

Closing her eyes and feeling the flow of magical power, Nisi began chanting incantations. At her call, the power of the elements condensed, gathered, and formed a new form. Thick clouds gradually appeared in the originally clear, cloudless sky, stretching in all directions and covering the once beautiful sky.

This was the very Lightning Strike that Li Lin had used during the raid on Casablanca reinforcements, and it was also the most proficient spell of the previous Evocation Arcane Mage. However, although Li Lin possessed the power of the Origin, he didn't like using Evoking spells, so the spell's power was greatly reduced in his hands. But now, cast by Nisi, a true Evoking and Tome Mage, the power was entirely different. She could not only control the area and power of the lightning strike, but also precisely control the lightning to strike any target she designated. In the previous battle, just one such spell was enough to destroy all of humanity's defenses, and this time, Nisi intended to start with the same.

A cold, violent wind replaced the warm breeze, and bursts of roaring light and flashes of light were faintly visible from the depths of the clouds. Humans, however, would simply perceive this as a normal change in the weather and wouldn't pay much attention. After all, without a mage present, no one could sense this immense magical power.

"...!"

After chanting the final incantation in a low voice, Nisi reached out her hand, and with her will, the previously restrained lightning transformed into a furious torrent, cascading down.

"Boom!!"

One deafening clap of thunder after another rang out, and dazzling lightning bolts struck straight down from the clouds, crashing into the town.

In the past, such a lightning strike alone would have been enough to destroy these human dwellings, set them ablaze, and pulverize those despicable invaders. But this time, the same thing did not happen.

"What is that...?"

Nisi stared wide-eyed in astonishment at the town. Above it, a faint barrier had appeared out of nowhere. Though it looked as thin as paper, it had withstood the powerful lightning strikes. No matter how fiercely the lightning bolts struck, they could not penetrate the protective shield. Below the shield, the young paladin held aloft a scepter, which emitted the same light.

I didn't sense any Magic Power aura, so it shouldn't be spells. Could it be divine magic? But why is that paladin carrying something only priests would carry?

Nisi, her mind racing, didn't stop casting her spell. Under her control, lightning began to spread outwards, igniting the grass around the town. Since she couldn't attack them directly, she would force them to leave with smoke and fire. At Nisi's manipulation, a storm also arose at the right time, sweeping towards the small town with thick black smoke and flames.

Just then, a bright light suddenly appeared from the center of the town.

Under the light, Nisi immediately felt a powerful divine force surging forth, contending with the magical power she was wielding. The black clouds began to tremble uneasily, disintegrating under the influence of the two forces. The forces of nature began to roar, gradually teetering on the edge of spiraling out of control.

"Not good!"

Nisi frowned. She hadn't yet fully controlled the power of the elements. Although she could control most of them, she knew she would soon be overwhelmed if things continued this way.

With this in mind, Nisi did not hesitate. She chanted softly again, and then the entire cloud layer condensed again, finally transforming into a huge bolt of lightning that struck straight down.

Since we can't gain an advantage through quantity, let's focus on quality.

Just moments before the lightning struck the town, Nisi clearly saw that, facing the intense lightning strike, the scepter in the young paladin's hand shone even brighter. Then, it transformed into a ball of light and shot straight towards the lightning.

The two forces clashed and erupted simultaneously. The clouds were torn apart by the wind and disappeared back into the sky. The lightning had vanished, and the town below was clearly unharmed.

What exactly happened?

Nisi flew into the sky, cautiously observing everything before her, while looking up at the town above, before her eyes widened in surprise.

There, a beautiful young woman floated in the sky, dressed in a sacred bishop's robes, holding a huge holy book in her hands. At this moment, the young woman looked at Nisi in front of her and showed a holy and gentle smile.

"Arcane Mage, you've finally appeared."

"Who are you?!"

Nisi involuntarily stepped back, quickly casting several layers of protection on herself. Then, she frowned and asked.

"I should say it's nice to meet you..."

The girl smiled at Nisi.

"I am the messenger created by the great God of Justice, one of the 'Divine Envoys of the Seven Sages,' the 'Glorious Holy Light' Nalu. I will be here, representing the Holy Light, to destroy evil... Arcane Mage, prepare to die!"