The Pope paused, his gaze seemingly piercing through the dome, looking towards the direction of the Elf Forest.

"Pass down the order: the Holy City shall immediately enter the highest state of 'Holy Radiance Protection,' with all defensive arrays operating at full power and the Heart of Holy Light being closely guarded by the Holy Throne Guard."

"Regarding the Misty Forest, Commander Astrid is ordered to closely monitor any unusual activity in the Abyss and is not permitted to leave without orders. As for the Elf Forest..."

The Pope's voice was calm yet firm.

"Instruct the Intelligence Department of the Holy Judgment to utilize all covert channels and obtain a detailed assessment of the battle situation in the Elf Forest and the movements of the Enlightenment Society within twelve hours. Whether or not to provide assistance will be decided once the intelligence is clear."

Meeting adjourned.

The ruling of "to be discussed again next time" has been issued.

Some breathed a sigh of relief, some looked unwilling, and some had shifty eyes.

Alfonso Lin stood on the cold white stone cloister outside the temple.

His posture was as upright as a drawn holy sword, and his silver armor shimmered with a cold luster in the light streaming through the stained glass windows.

The long, calculating argument that had taken place inside the temple still seemed to echo in my ears.

He was expressionless.

The Vatican's final decision was "to await intelligence," which appeared to be beyond reproach.

He will not disobey the orders on paper.

The order of the Holy Light is above individual will; this is his creed as a knight.

But beneath the creed lies a clear-headed insight.

Roel's eagerness to control the restlessness of the Ninth Knights, Elliott's conservative adherence to his stronghold, and Ekel's cold, calculating approach reminiscent of the Inquisition—all these factions reveal their selfishness and shortsightedness in the face of crisis…

Each face, each excuse, was etched into his cold, hard memory like a photographic crystal.

He turned around, his silver cloak drawing a sharp arc behind him, and strode towards the towering city walls of the holy city.

Time is drawing ever closer; the Holy Light has little time left.

...

As the starlight and moonlight faded, the figures of Mark's team and Ellen solidified in the lingering echoes of the spatial passage.

The ground beneath my feet no longer smelled of the scorched earth of the Demon Realm, but instead smelled of the long-lost earth, carrying the scent of soil and vegetation.

However, the fragrance in the air was not the unique blend of morning dew and ancient wood scent that Anna remembered from the Elf Forest.

A strong, suffocating stench of blood, mixed with a cloying, putrid smell, gripped everyone's breath like an invisible hand.

Anna's shadow pupils contracted instantly. Deep within those eyes, which could see through illusions, her elven instincts allowed her to sense the dramatic changes in the forest faster than others.

Her body reacted faster than her mind, her fingers already on her arm.

There, the Shadow Bow, which was connected to her flesh and blood, was humming softly.

"Something's wrong." Anna's voice was as cold as ice in a deep pool, instantly dispelling the dazed feeling of everyone who had just escaped the abyss. "Come with me!"

Without even explaining, she darted off towards the Elven Royal Court like a cheetah disappearing into the shadows of the forest.

Her movements carried a sense of urgency, as well as a complex emotion she was forcibly suppressing when facing her homeland.

Alienation, resistance, yet an inescapable blood tie.

Mark, Enzo, Monica, and M followed closely behind.

Enzo's lava-like beard trembled as he quietly grasped the runic hammer in his hand, black lightning flickering on its head.

Monica's [Domain of Insight] silently unfolded, rapidly scanning the surrounding environment.

Mark felt a slight burning sensation from the cross necklace on his chest; his Halloween priestly senses allowed him to detect an evil energy in the air that was even more unsettling than the smell of blood.

The scenery along the way made Anna's heart sink deeper and deeper into an icy abyss.

The once vibrant forest path, carefully protected by ancient magic, is now covered with a layer of eerie gray-green fungal moss that makes a sticky, teeth-grinding sound when stepped on.

The tall golden oak tree, which should have been flourishing under the care of the elves, now had withered and curled leaves, and its branches were covered with scorched marks and hideous claw marks, as if it had been tormented by an invisible disease.

Dead silence.

The forest fell silent.

There were no birdsong, no insect chirps, only the suppressed breathing of the crowd and the rustling of footsteps on fallen leaves.

This deathly silence was more chilling than the roar of the abyss monsters.

Suddenly, Anna stopped abruptly at the edge of a clearing in the woods.

She stood there, as if nailed to the spot by invisible nails.

Eileen, Mark, and the others followed her gaze, and instantly, a chill ran down their spines.

In the center of the open space, a dozen twisted, enormous vines intertwined and tangled like living creatures, forcibly shaped by some force into a twisted vine wall several meters high.

Dozens of elf corpses were cruelly impaled on the vine-covered wall by thick, sharp vines, as if being tortured!

Their elven light armor was tattered, and their exposed skin had an unnatural, morbid color.

The empty eyes were frozen with the terror and despair of death, and dried dark red bloodstains meandered down the ancient vines, dripping into the pile of decaying leaves below.

What's most chilling is that these vines are not inanimate objects.

They wriggled slowly as if they were alive, their tips piercing deep into the heart of the elf's corpse, seemingly still greedily sucking up some remnants, the surface of the vines shimmering with a nauseating sheen.

Anna's pupils suddenly contracted to the size of a pinhead as she stared intently at the familiar emerald veins on the writhing vines.

That is the unique mark of Elder Padomela, the legendary guardian of the royal court, known as "Heart of Thorns"!

She had also studied under Elder Padomela for a period of time.

“Padomela’s thorny ramparts…” Anna’s nails dug into her palms. “It was supposed to be the first line of defense for the royal court.”

Ellen's Star and Moon Perception swept across the slaughterhouse. Judging from the surrounding corpses, most of the dead elves were mid- to high-ranking elf warriors, and there was no trace of legendary-level powerhouses among them.

She quickly assessed the situation: "Although the people from the Enlightenment Society can distort the original magic of legendary experts and backfire on the royal court, at least I haven't seen any legendary elven experts fall..."

"Anna, don't panic! The Enlightenment Society's 'Sages' who infiltrated the Elf Forest only have four members, all of whom are legendary! Doesn't the Elf Royal Court have three epic-level elders overseeing things? They'll definitely be able to..."

"They won't make a move!" Anna interrupted abruptly, her clear, cold voice sharp.

She pointed to the withered, gray elf corpses clinging to the vines, her eyes filled with a chilling, mocking glint:

"Elders? Those old fogies are just living dead soaking in the Fountain of Life, waiting to die! The Heart of the Elf is useless to them long ago!"

"As long as the Enlightenment Society doesn't drain the spring, even if the royal court is burned to ashes, they'll just turn over and continue sleeping!"

Anna may still feel a sense of kinship with the other elves.

But she felt nothing but hatred for those three old geezers!