But the fact that these juniors could tear open the Demon Realm with their bare hands and directly attract those terrifying demon gods who were turning against their former masters... this was completely beyond their comprehension!
Is this really something that can be done by legends?
Are all the legends on the Holy Dragon Continent this strong now?
"This...this is an internal affair of my Elven Royal Court!" the white-haired elder shrieked, his voice sharp yet revealing a hollow strength beneath his outward bravado. His withered claws pointed at Ellen and Mark. "You outsiders, relying on the evil power of the abyss, what right do you have to interfere in our people's disputes?!"
His words were hollow and lacked any real conviction.
The attempt to straighten that hunched back only made him appear more comical and weak.
The other two elders also instinctively moved closer, their cloudy eyes filled with only fear and retreat, completely devoid of the arrogance they had displayed earlier when they wanted to "depose the queen and take down the heretics."
Just then, Mark suddenly smiled.
That smile was unusually bright, but his eyes narrowed dangerously, like the gaping maw of an abyss eyeing its prey, clearly responding to the heretical label imposed on him by the white-haired elder:
"Because we are heretics!"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the room, with a sense of self-righteous mockery.
"Today, Anna wants war, so we'll fight alongside her and raze this decaying Temple of Eternal Rest to the ground! Anna wants to reclaim what's rightfully hers, so we'll pave the way for her! As for you old ghosts who refuse to die, how much you want to jump around..."
Mark's gaze swept over the three pale-faced elders, a chilling smile spreading across his lips. "We'll see this through to the end!"
This blatant declaration, like a final, devastating blow, shattered the last vestiges of hope in the hearts of the three elders.
"You...you're in cahoots?!" the white-haired elder exclaimed, his voice trembling.
By this point, even the slowest of them had finally figured it out completely.
This group of legendary humans, with their bizarre strength and endless tricks, came specifically for Anna!
Their intrusion into the Elf Forest may have been motivated by more than just the Enlightenment Society!
Their eyes met rapidly in fear, instantly understanding the only message in each other's eyes.
We can't win, and we can't afford to waste time!
These madmen can tear open abyssal passages with their bare hands and summon demons as easily as calling for minions!
If they continue fighting, these three dying bones of theirs will truly be devoured by those greedy mid-level demon gods!
Epic dignity and royal authority are worthless in the face of utter death!
Thus, under the gazes of the elves, some with disdain, some with anger, and some with complex emotions, they...
Amidst the sulfurous stench spewing from the abyss rifts, three once high and mighty elven epic elders, who disregarded tribal rules and dignity, made an extremely "decisive" choice: the path they were best at.
Admit defeat.
"Stop...stop! It's a misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! Anna...my child, we...we were also misled by the Enlightenment Society and forced by circumstances!"
"You have the blood of Eldrinval flowing in your veins, how could we really harm you? Come back, the royal court needs your strength!"
Another elder hurriedly echoed, his voice hoarse: "Yes, yes, yes! We will immediately lift the arrest warrant for you! You will always be the princess of the Elven race! Everything that happened in the past was... was just a temporary measure!"
The last elder even tried to force a benevolent smile, but it looked more like a grimace: "As long as you return, you will surely have a place in the Council of Elders! You can use any of the resources of the Elf Forest!"
This sudden change of attitude and the complete surrender were even more swift than when he knelt and begged for mercy before the Abyss Scripture.
The remaining elves in the square wore only numb disdain on their faces. Even the dozens of elders' private army loosened their grip on their weapons slightly, their eyes lowered with complicated expressions.
Enzo, carrying the rune-forged hammer, snorted hot air with sparks coming from his nostrils, clearly not believing a word the three old ghosts said.
Monica's figure loomed in and out of sight in the shadows beside Elaine. Her [Domain of Insight] silently covered the entire area, and no matter what Elaine said, she would not let her guard down.
Ellen maintained the stability of the spatial passage, with the Star Moon Black Gold silently floating in front of her, its cold radiance reflecting on her expressionless face.
Mark's eyes gleamed with a subtle, inquiring light as he looked at Anna.
Anna slowly lowered the Shadow Longbow in her hand, her swirling shadow eyes beneath the hood piercing through a thousand meters of space.
The cold light swept across the obsequious and fearful faces of the three elders, finally settling on her mother, the Elf Queen Eliria.
“I am no longer a member of the Elf Forest,” Anna’s voice was as cold as an ice spring, without a ripple, as if stating a fact that had nothing to do with her. “I have no right to interfere in the internal affairs of the Elf race.”
Her words made Aria tremble slightly, and her eyes instantly filled with tears of pain and self-reproach.
She knew that her daughter's heart had long been broken by the Wang court's indifference and the elders' persecution.
“But—” Anna’s tone suddenly turned fierce, and shadow power surged around her, “Someone has to be held responsible for hunting me down! The elves must give me an explanation!”
This question struck like a heavy hammer, pounding into the hearts of every elf.
Aria suppressed her grief; she knew better than anyone what her daughter had endured.
Looking at her daughter's cold and resolute appearance, and then at those three so-called "foundations" who were willing to do anything to survive, a deep sense of powerlessness and worry about the future of her tribe overwhelmed her.
With turmoil looming on the mainland, the Enlightenment Society is eyeing the mainland covetously, and the threat of the abyss looms ever closer.
If the Elven race were to lose its last three epic warriors at this moment, even if they were decaying and rotten, it would be tantamount to cutting off its own arm, and the disaster of annihilation would be imminent!
As the queen of her clan, she had to shoulder this responsibility.
“Anna…” Arielia’s voice was choked with sobs, yet unusually firm, “It is my weakness and incompetence that have caused you so much suffering and brought shame upon the royal court.”
She took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind, and her gaze swept over the three pale-faced elders as she spoke loudly:
"I, Queen Eliria Eldrinval of the Elves, swear in the name of the Fountain of Life and the Ancient Tree of Eternity! I will immediately use the secret arts of the Royal Court to seal all the magic and natural power within the three elders! I will strip them of their eldership and imprison them forever in the depths of the Hall of Eternal Slumber, where they will not be released except by the annihilation of their race! This is the first measure!"
She paused, then turned her gaze back to Anna, a hint of resolute expectation in her eyes:
"Secondly, I voluntarily abdicate! Anna Eldrinval, my daughter, of the rightful royal blood of the Elves, will inherit the crown and become the new Queen of the Elves! She will lead..."
"Your Majesty! No!" A loud and resolute voice interrupted Arielia's words.
Thranduil Eldrinval stepped forward. This royal guard, who had once pursued Anna, now stood before Arya with a resolute gaze and without the slightest hesitation.
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