New Enemy

“You! ...As a Saint Rank, have you no basic sense of shame!?” Angela rebuked him sharply, her voice trembling with fury.

“Hahaha, I told you already. As long as I achieve my goal, what does it matter if my methods are despicable? You know this little girl’s identity, don’t you? As long as she’s in my hands, I doubt you’ll dare to move against me recklessly.” Yuta sneered, glancing sideways at Lian in his grasp with eyes full of contempt.

Angela fell silent. Although she hadn't attended the Council Chambers meeting today, it didn't mean she was ignorant of Lian’s identity.

She knew exactly what Lian represented to the Night Elves. If she acted carelessly, it might reignite the war between the Tree Elves and the Night Elves.

Seeing Angela hesitate, Yuta shook his head at her, his tone dripping with mockery. “It seems I have to take back my earlier praise. Angela, you’re as naive as ever. This naivety will eventually become the downfall of the elven race!”

“Senior Angela! Don’t worry about me! Defeat him quickly!” By now, Lian had recovered slightly and began to struggle with all her might. However, with her strength, there was no way she could escape Yuta’s grip.

“Hmph, how noisy!” Yuta’s brow furrowed. A surge of mana erupted from his palm, instantly knocking Lian unconscious. “Be grateful. If it weren't for your identity, you’d be dead already!”

He then tucked the unconscious Lian under his arm. With his other hand, he retrieved a silver sphere from his storage space and crushed it with a forceful squeeze.

A crisp crack echoed as the silver sphere crumbled into powder in his hand.

Despite the distance, Starlight saw it clearly. The sphere Yuta had produced was not unfamiliar to him.

He had witnessed the black-robed mages outside Violet City use very similar Inscribed Stones. However, the one in Yuta’s hand was many times more complex in its construction.

“A Teleportation Inscribed Stone? Do you really think you can escape with that? I’ve already completely sealed the surrounding space!” Angela identified the silver sphere’s true nature instantly and spoke in a low, certain voice.

Simultaneously, she shot a subtle glance at Xia Duo, who was not far away. Xia Duo had been closely monitoring the battle and understood the hint immediately.

“Escape? No, no, no... I’m well aware that space magic cannot be used within the Emerald Forest Domain. This Inscribed Stone merely records a set of spatial coordinates. Since I can’t destroy it from inside the barrier, isn't it equally viable to change strategies?”

Having said that, Yuta slowly raised his head, looking toward the exterior of the Emerald Forest Domain.

Starlight followed his gaze. Although Angela’s barrier almost completely isolated them from the outside world, he could still clearly see the scene beyond. The space nearby suddenly tore open, revealing a massive rift.

The rift resembled a hideous, abyssal maw, radiating an ominous aura. Even someone as powerful as Angela couldn't help but feel a shiver of dread.

While everyone was transfixed by the sudden rift, a massive, pitch-black claw covered in giant scales abruptly lunged out. With the force of a thunderbolt, it struck the Emerald Forest Domain.

Crack!

A crisp shattering sound echoed through the area. In the next instant, the Emerald Forest Domain shattered like a giant piece of glass under a heavy blow, falling away in shards.

“This... how is this possible!?”

At this sight, not only were Starlight and the others dumbfounded, but even Angela, the creator of the barrier, stood frozen in place.

The Emerald Forest Domain she used had two applications. One was “Bind,” like the one just now, which trapped both enemies and allies inside, weakening the former and strengthening the latter.

The other was “Defend,” an application entirely specialized for external defense.

Although the “Bind” form’s external defense was far inferior to “Defend,” with the blessing of the World Tree, it should have been impossible even for Angela herself to break it from the outside so easily.

That eerie giant hand had actually shattered it with such nonchalance. The offensive power it displayed was simply unheard of.

The moment the barrier shattered, a terrifying pressure bore down from above. Starlight and his companions were all too familiar with this suffocating sensation.

Whether it was the incomplete, reincarnated Taros or the unknown entity deep within the Night Lotus Valley forbidden zone, their auras were strikingly similar to the pressure emanating from this giant claw.

“Half-God...? No! How could a Half-God rank creature still appear in this world? What on earth are you!”

Though Angela was struck with shock and horror, she did not retreat. The green light around her intensified once more. Her spear transformed into a brilliant streak of light as she hurled it with all her strength toward the descending giant claw.

The moment the spear made contact with the giant claw, the Power of Nature accumulated at its tip erupted like a volcano, successfully carving a startling gash into the claw’s scales. However, the spear itself was sent flying back by the colossal power contained within the claw.

In their first exchange, the two sides appeared to be evenly matched.

After Angela halted its trajectory, the giant claw did not continue its attack. Instead, it immediately changed direction, reaching straight for Yuta and Lian.

“It looks like this thing can’t manifest in its full form! There’s a chance!”

Angela realized this instantly. Naturally, she wouldn't let the opportunity slip by. With a wave of her fair hand, she summoned her spear back, intending to launch another attack.

But when the spear returned to her side, the weapon’s condition left her pale with shock.

The once emerald-green spearhead was now stained with a smear of viscous black liquid. The death energy contained within this liquid was so dense it was suffocating.

As the appointed spokesperson of the World Tree, Angela and her equipment were constantly bathed in the source of life energy. Theoretically, she should have been immune to almost all external energy corruption.

But now, her spear seemed to be suffering from a curse, gradually being corroded by this power. Even its once-vibrant life force appeared significantly dimmed.

In that brief moment of hesitation, the giant claw had already seized Yuta and Lian in its palm, clearly preparing to take them away.

“Xia Duo! Now!”

Seeing that the giant claw’s actions were irreversible, Angela made a split-second decision and called out to Xia Duo, who had been waiting nearby.

In the same instant, Xia Duo nimbly drew a Sacred Wood Arrow from the quiver on her back and fully drew her bowstring.

Starlight noticed that the Sacred Wood Arrow she drew this time was fundamentally different from the ones he had seen before. It was enveloped in a layer of brilliant radiance, appearing exceptionally dazzling.

Looking closer, he noticed a translucent green vine had quietly wound its way up from Xia Duo’s heel, coiling all the way to the arm holding the arrow.

Back when Angela had crushed the power suppressing the two of them, she had handed this insurance to Xia Duo—a Sacred Wood Arrow that had received the full blessing of the World Tree.