A deathly silence enveloped the battlefield ruins.

The wails of the Deadwood tribe and the commotion of Kyle's squad subduing the Great Shaman and seizing the Heart of the Bloodvine seemed to have been silenced.

Tick…tick…tick…

Clear footsteps, as if stepping on solidified air, echoed from the dark, dense forest from which beams of light shot forth.

Three tall, elegant figures emerged slowly from the night sky.

They wore cloaks that seemed out of place in the swampy environment, as if woven from moonlight and vines. The hoods covered most of their faces, revealing only their delicate and cold jawlines.

The leader, the most slender of them all, possessed an air of indifference that seemed to look down upon all living beings.

Beneath the hood, a cold, emotionless female voice rang out clearly, like an icy spring dripping into a frigid pool. Every word carried a chilling edge that pierced the soul, mercilessly striking the distraught Anna.

“Anna Eldrinwal…” The voice paused slightly, as if savoring the sin contained in the name, “You really are… good at running.”

The chilling killing intent, like a tangible cold current, instantly swept across the entire area.

"From the Monster Mountain Range to the far north ice plains..." The female voice carried a hint of barely perceptible weariness, but more so a tone of mockery, "From the far north ice plains, and then to this filthy Lor Swamp..."

She slightly raised her hand, pointing at Anna who stood frozen like a statue, as if emerald light was gathering at her fingertips.

"We've been looking for you for so long!"

"Give up your futile resistance. Confess your guilt, submit to execution, and return with us to the royal court to face judgment. This is your only way out."

Anna's lips trembled slightly, her emerald pupils quivered violently, and fragments of past memories clashed fiercely with the laws of the Elven court in her mind.

Go back? What does that mean? She knows all too well.

Humans say that the elves are a free and peace-loving race.

But that only applies to creatures that have awakened the natural elements.

An elf like her, who has awakened the element of shadow, even though she was born into royalty...

That cold courtroom held no hope for her survival.

Can you resist?

If she wasn't mistaken, at least one of the three people in front of her was a Royal Guard of the Elven King's Palace whose strength was comparable to that of Alfonso, the leader of the Holy Light Church.

Although they are called Guards, they are actually the real strongmen who have been stationed on the outskirts of the Elf Forest for many years, fighting against powerful enemies who have offended the Elf Forest.

Is she really going to resist and cause trouble for Monica and Mr. Mark?

Overwhelmed by fear and confusion, she stood frozen in place.

He couldn't even move his fingers, and his throat felt like it was being choked, preventing him from making any sound.

Going back is a dead end, and resistance... seems to be a dead end as well.

In the midst of this deathly silence, a low growl, suppressed with pain yet unusually resolute, broke the stillness:

"Ahem... By the Holy Light, did you even ask me?!"

The mud churned, and Mark struggled to climb out of the filth.

The healing scroll that Monica had just torn open was rapidly repairing the horrific wounds on his arms, and the shattered bones were quickly healing under the power of the holy light.

His face was pale, blood still clung to the corners of his mouth, and his chest heaved violently, but his eyes burned with a furious fire.

He staggered a step, but without hesitation, he stepped in front of Anna again, facing the cold judge of the Elven court with his still-recovering body, his tone resolute:

"She's my teammate! If you want to take her away, you'll have to step over my dead body first!"

Enzo behind him was already furious, his obsidian-like skin radiating a mad glow of lava.

He paid no heed to the shards of the shattered warhammer still embedded in his flesh.

Gripping his small, yet terrifyingly powerful, runic forging hammer, he let out a low, thunderous growl: "Dwarves never abandon their comrades! If you want to touch her, ask my hammer first!"

His short, stocky frame stood shoulder to shoulder with Mark, firmly protecting Anna's front.

Monica's figure silently blended into the shadow beneath Mark's feet, her eyes scanning for every possible weakness in the three elves, the chill of her dagger gathering in the shadows, ready to strike.

"Foolish!" The lead elven envoy's voice finally carried a hint of anger, and the emerald light at his fingertips suddenly intensified. "Lowly humans, how dare you obstruct the royal court's enforcement of the law? You are courting death!"

Her surging natural magic was like a volcano about to erupt.

Stimulated by this pure yet icy vitality, the decaying vegetation of the Lor Swamp began to grow wildly and twist in a bizarre way, transforming into venomous vines that preyed on people, and a suffocating killing intent filled the air.

"The Church of Holy Light is carrying out a purification mission! All unrelated persons, please stand back immediately!"

A clear, cold command, like the clarion call of dawn, came from the other side of the battlefield.

Covered in blood, Kyle, holding the still-pulsating Bloodvine Heart that emitted an ominous red light, arrived side by side with Ruby.

Behind them, ten Holy Knights reserves, including Ouk, formed a tight formation. Although all of them were wounded, their aura was solemn and unified.

The holy light cast by Kael flowed over them, dispelling some of the gloom of the swamp and the cold pressure brought by the powerful elf.

Ruby's eyes swept over Mark's miserable appearance and Anna's pale face, finally settling on the three elves exuding a terrifying aura, her gaze sharp as knives.

The lead elven messenger's gaze swept over the Holy Knights emblem on Kyle's chest and the pure holy light emanating from Ruby, and his delicate jawline beneath the hood seemed to tighten for a moment.

She forcefully suppressed the urge to act, her voice icy as she warned, "Knights of the Holy Light Church? This is an internal affair of the Elven Royal Court, involving the grave crime of treason! I advise you not to interfere. Otherwise, Her Majesty the Queen will personally come to the Holy City to demand an explanation from your Pope!"

She paused, her fingertips flashing with undisguised contempt as she pointed at Mark and his group of four, her words like poisoned needles:

"What's more, what about the people you're trying to protect... Ha, the dense aura of shadow magic emanating from that red-haired woman, the dark magic mixed in with the lava of that dwarf, and this guy blocking the way..."

Her gaze pierced Mark sharply. "Look at the residual power fluctuations in him! That's not holy light! That's forbidden power that blasphemes your gods!"

"Such utter heretics would be burned at the stake in the Elven Kingdom or any of your human kingdoms! Are you sure you, the Church of Holy Light, are going to make an enemy of my people to protect a group of heretics?"

Upon hearing this, Ruby's wine-red pupils contracted sharply, and she instinctively looked at Mark again.

The lingering aura of seven-colored black light on Mark's body, and the persistent shadow power on Monica's body, were indeed... quite different from holy light.

But she didn't think it was some kind of evil magic at all!