The Great Forest of Evasha, also known as the Great Sea of Trees.
The entire forest is covered by the vast network of branches and trunks stretching overhead.
The dense canopy blocks most of the light, leaving the surroundings dim even during the daytime. Visibility throughout the forest is usually only around fifteen meters.
This forest is home to many rare and valuable medicinal herbs, making it a natural treasure trove.
For those knowledgeable about herbs, this place is nothing short of a mountain of treasure.
Many adventurers repeatedly venture into the forest in search of rare herbs and other treasures that can only be found in this land.
Even though the monsters of this forest do not welcome human intruders, and many adventurers disappear here every year, never to return, it still does nothing to dampen people's enthusiasm.
Especially since this forest is also home to a large number of elven races.
The native Forest Elves.
And the Dark Elves who migrated here from the Great Forest of Tob, among others.
[PS: These Dark Elves originally lived in the Great Forest of Tob, but were forced to migrate here because of the Demon Tree.]
All of them make excellent slaves, particularly in the Slane Theocracy, where they can be sold for astonishingly high prices.
[PS: The Theocracy does not advocate slavery, but elves are an exception.]
Because of this, even knowing that death is a real possibility, a steady stream of poachers and slavers continue to risk everything for the enormous profits.
Especially now.
With the Slane Theocracy and the Elf King locked in full-scale war, this trend has surged to an unprecedented peak.
Not only did the Theocracy fail to stop this situation, they secretly encouraged it.
After all, the ones suffering from the chaos were the Forest Elves.
These opportunists stirring up trouble indirectly helped the Theocracy by distracting some of the Forest Elves, slightly shifting the balance of the battlefield.
On the battlefield.
"Swish."
A pitch-black death scythe sliced through the air, leaving a faint trail of flame behind.
The additional damage magic stored within the weapon, [Flame of the Dead], activated, and large numbers of elves fell where they stood.
Zesshi Zetsumei raised her long scythe and issued a command.
"Advance!"
Tens of thousands of elite soldiers charged forward from the flanks.
At the very front were the members of the [Holocaust Scripture]. Originally responsible for maintaining security within the Theocracy, they specialized in assassination, guerrilla warfare, and counter-terrorism operations.
However, in order to deal with the Forest Elf Kingdom, whose greatest advantage over the Theocracy lay in guerrilla warfare, and to bring the war to an end as quickly as possible, the entire unit had been deployed to this battlefield.
Following closely behind were the members of the [Ashendust Scripture].
[PS: Due to the command of the God of Death, the Ashendust Scripture, which normally guarded the temples, had been fully mobilized to the battlefield.]
This squad was composed entirely of tank-type classes.
They formed a defensive circle, protecting five young women standing at the center.
These were the Miko Princesses, the core figures of the Slane Theocracy's magical rituals.
All of them were faith-based fifth-tier magic casters.
Each of them wore a crown-like ornament on their head.
It was one of the Slane Theocracy's greatest secret treasures and the symbol of the Miko Princesses: the [Crown of Wisdom].
[PS: There were originally six of them, but one was killed when Clementine defected, leaving only five.]
[Although the Theocracy can quickly identify suitable candidates using their population registry, both the training process and the forging of a new Crown of Wisdom require time, so a replacement could not be deployed for this battle.]
A woman capable of wearing this item appears only once in a million.
The item seals the wearer's sense of self, turning them into a vessel that exists solely to cast extremely high-tier magic, allowing them to use magic beyond their normal tier.
Sixth Tier Magic: [Holy Spring Drop]
With the power of the Crown of Wisdom, the five Miko Princesses joined together to cast a sixth-tier healing spell.
Illusory droplets fell from the sky as emerald light spread from their bodies, healing the injuries of the Theocracy's soldiers.
Zesshi Zetsumei charged at the front of the army.
Clad in the full-body armor left behind by the God of Light, she rampaged forward like a battering ram, aiming straight for the center of the elf army.
Beside her,
The Captain of the Black Scripture followed closely behind. His blue hair streaked with gold fluttered in the wind as he continuously thrust his spear forward. Each casual strike was enough to cut down large numbers of Forest Elf warriors.
As the Theocracy's strongest representatives of combat power. the Captain of the Black Scripture's nickname was the [Black Scripture], meaning "I alone am the Black Scripture."
He possessed strength powerful enough for a single person to rival an entire army.
Now that he had inherited the weapon and bloodline of the God of Wind, his strength had risen to an even higher level. Even when facing Zesshi Zetsumei, he would not be at a disadvantage.
The two of them were like a sharp blade, leading the Theocracy's forces as they stabbed deep into the heart of the elf army.
"Cast your magic! Stop them!"
An elf shouted.
As he looked at the "younger sister" rushing toward him, his face filled with terror.
He was the child of the Elf King. He was noble royalty with a bright future ahead of him. He had no intention of dying here.
As his shout rang out, countless magic circles lit up at once. Vines and massive roots burst from the ground.
The elf archers within the army drew their longbows, and shrieking arrows fell like a dark cloud.
Yet Zesshi Zetsumei showed no intention of defending or dodging.
"Kill! Kill!"
Zesshi Zetsumei swung her scythe wildly. The vines and branches were instantly shredded, while the arrows were easily neutralized by the thin protective film formed by her armor.
Not only did it fail to stop her, it could not even slow her down for a single second.
"Too reckless."
The Captain of the Black Scripture sighed as he helped the surrounding soldiers block incoming attacks.
At the same time, the God of Wind within his mind also shook his head.
From a player's perspective, Zesshi Zetsumei had many problems.
Her blind confidence was not the worst of them.
After the battle at the temple and the fight with that fellow player, she had already restrained that tendency quite a bit.
However, her understanding of magic was seriously flawed.
In Zesshi Zetsumei's view, magic was not meant to strengthen oneself.
Instead, its purpose was healing and removing abnormal conditions.
If she ever faced an opponent of equal strength, this mindset would lead to a fatal weakness: a severe lack of experience.
What a troublesome junior.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield.
Enduring the barrage of magic attacks, Zesshi Zetsumei finally crashed into the enemy ranks.
In an instant, blood and flesh scattered everywhere. Severed limbs flew through the air.
Screams and the sound of bones breaking echoed endlessly.
Facing the "younger sister" rushing toward him at terrifying speed, the Elf King's son did not hesitate.
With only strength at the Hero realm, he stood no chance against her.
Run!
No, retreat! I must retreat!
The sense of impending death grew stronger. Terrified, the cowardly prince instinctively stepped backward, immediately preparing to withdraw from the battlefield.
But the moment he turned around, he collided with what felt like a wall.
"Fa… Father, why are you here?!"
Seeing the cold figure before him, the elf trembled as his weapon slipped from his hand. His eyes were filled with fear.
The Elf King, Decem Hougan.
His biological father, the absolute ruler of the Great Forest of Evasha, and the king of the Elf Kingdom.
"Please… listen to me. I was not trying to run away. Absolutely not…"
Remembering his father's personality, the elf hurriedly tried to explain.
"Trash."
The Elf King's expression twisted as he looked at his panicking child.
Pathetic weakling.
To possess such noble blood and still think about fleeing in battle. Truly worthless.
A cold killing intent flashed in the Elf King's eyes.
Without hesitation, he threw a punch that instantly crushed his son's head.
The blood of the king must never be tainted.
The Elf King watched indifferently as his child's corpse collapsed to the ground.
He calmly took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from his hands.
Then his gaze shifted toward the girl standing not far away.
"My child, return with me to the Elf Kingdom."
"If you do, I might even forgive you for killing your own brother."
The Elf King spoke slowly and calmly.
As he looked at Zesshi Zetsumei, the satisfaction in his eyes only grew stronger.
What a perfect creation. If he could mate with her, they would surely produce the strongest offspring.
"Heh. A beast who kills his own child. Are you starting to spout nonsense now that death is right in front of you?"
Zesshi Zetsumei stared at the Elf King before her, the scum who was supposed to be her father.
Her voice was filled with killing intent, as if she might charge forward at any moment to fight him to the death.
The Captain of the Black Scripture, standing beside her, was startled. He had just been about to tell Zesshi Zetsumei not to act recklessly.
But to his surprise, she had actually suppressed her emotions.
Although she looked furious, her eyes were calm. Her mind was not clouded by anger.
That made the Captain of the Black Scripture extremely curious.
What exactly had happened during the time he was merging with the bloodline that caused such a huge change in her?
"No. You killed him."
Seeing that Zesshi Zetsumei had not lost control, a trace of disappointment flashed through the Elf King's mind, though his expression remained relaxed.
He believed himself to be a merciful person.
He judged others according to his own standards of value.
Since he could not understand the feelings of what he considered "fragile trash," he simply granted them what he believed to be mercy.
Killing his own child earlier was, in his eyes, also an act of mercy.
From his perspective, it was not the father who caused the death.
The one responsible was Zesshi Zetsumei.
Her rebellion had led to that outcome.
"Enough talk. Just die."
Zesshi Zetsumei no longer wanted to waste words on the lunatic before her.
She nodded to the Captain of the Black Scripture beside her, and the two immediately rushed forward in formation.
The Captain of the Black Scripture took the front while Zesshi Zetsumei followed behind.
Their goal was to eliminate him as quickly as possible.
"What disobedient children. Very well. I will show you what true power looks like."
"Come forth, Behemot."
The Elf King raised his hand.
A magic circle that had already been prepared lit up brilliantly, and a massive figure emerged from within.
Primal Earth Elemental LV87
As a faith-type magic caster specialized in summoning, the Elf King could command elemental spirits stronger than himself.
However, as long as the summoned spirit continued fighting, his mana would constantly be drained.
The Primal Earth Elemental before them was his greatest trump card.
He had even given it a name.
Behemot.
"Tenth Tier Magic: [Mercy of Shorea Robusta]."
Without hesitation, the Elf King immediately cast another spell.
This time it was a tenth-tier spell.
Its mana consumption was extremely high, on the same level as [Reality Slash].
Its first effect slowly restored health for a period of time, though the recovery amount was not very large and was almost meaningless at this level.
The second effect granted complete immunity to instant death.
If that were the only purpose, lower-tier spells could achieve the same effect.
However, the Elf King still chose this spell because of its third effect.
When health dropped to zero, the caster would immediately resurrect without suffering any loss of levels.
This was a high-tier resurrection spell.
It could even bypass the instant death effect caused by [The Goal of All Life Is Death].
The Primal Earth Elemental, with its level of 87, possessed the passive ability [Physical Attack Defense Expertise], making it a nightmare for warrior-type opponents.
Combined with the blessing of [Mercy of Shorea Robusta], the Elf King was completely confident.
Even though he knew Zesshi Zetsumei was powerful, he believed he would still win.
As for the Captain of the Black Scripture?
The Elf King paid him no attention.
In his eyes, there was no way he would lose to a mere human.
Facing the Elf King's preparations, neither Zesshi Zetsumei nor the Captain of the Black Scripture showed any sign of panic.
Zesshi Zetsumei raised the scythe in her hand.
Under the activation of her innate talent, the weapon of the God of Death released a dark and ominous aura.
Special Skill: [The Goal of All Life Is Death]
Combined with Eighth Tier Instant Death Magic: [Death].
An illusory clock hand slowly began to turn, bringing equal death to all living beings.
Having already learned about the Elf King's abilities, the two of them immediately decided to first remove his regeneration and resurrection effects.
[PS: The Goal of All Life Is Death strengthens the next instant-death spell or special skill used. Once enhanced by this skill, even a target with complete immunity to instant death will still die after twelve seconds. The skill itself does not cause instant death.]
[Momonga's Cry of the Banshee is an area instant-death spell, while Eighth Tier [Death] is single-target instant death, so there is no risk of harming allies.]
"Hahaha, useless!"
After successfully resisting the instant death effect, the Elf King burst into laughter.
At the same time, magic began gathering in his palm.
The surrounding air started to shift, as if drawn by an invisible force.
A battle between powerful beings deserved an appropriate opening.
Rejoice, humans.
Witness this terrifying power.
Celebrate the strength that you could never hope to reach.
The Elf King laughed wildly.
At that moment, he felt unstoppable.