Ashen Dragon

Melisandre looked at the Elf Queen, her tone full of guilt: "I'm sorry, Catherine, I didn't expect we would be a burden to you."

"This is not the problem of your Harpist Alliance. I am already very grateful that you could send support," Catherine said.

Melisandre wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, took down the longbow from her back, and looked sharply into the distance: "Catherine, please give me a chance to make amends."

"Of course, you may."

Catherine said solemnly.

For a moment, the air was filled with a tense atmosphere.

At this moment, a voice came from afar, low and hoarse, sending chills down the spine.

"Catherine, you could live in a luxurious palace, enjoying a peaceful and beautiful life—why would you be so ungrateful and start a rebellion?"

A male elf clad in a long robe stepped out from the shadows. He wore a white long robe, wielded a Mithril Staff, with a delicate appearance like other elves, but there was a strange glint in his eyes.

After he appeared, hundreds of Elf Archers drew their bows, dozens of Druids, Mages, and Priests also prepared spells, aiming at this elf who suddenly appeared.

"Elder Seryan..."

Catherine gritted her silver teeth, coldly saying: "Should I stand by and watch my people being dragged into the abyss by you, becoming the trophies of the Spider Queen?"

"You don't even wish to call me 'uncle.'"

Seryan gently shook his head and sighed: "Little Catherine, you understand nothing, you are but a flower in a greenhouse, how could you comprehend the elders' painstaking efforts?"

"Without our hard work, Serynia would have long been divided by various forces. This is your last chance, return to the Royal Court, disband your trusted aides, we can still have a detailed discussion."

"The elders do not mind replacing you with a more obedient queen, Catherine."

"I have nothing to discuss with you, you are already... beyond help."

Catherine's face was as cold as ice, she raised the Elf Staff in her hand and commanded: "Attack! For Serynia!"

In an instant, countless arrows dragging silver light shot towards Seryan like a fierce storm, and fireballs, ice blades, thunder, and other spells poured out, forming a terrifying elemental storm.

But Seryan remained where he stood, his face somber, saying: "Ungrateful, since that's the case, don't blame us for showing no mercy..."

Seryan raised the Mithril Scepter, a beam of black light spread out, forming a giant sphere that enveloped him, all arrows and spells were blocked by the black sphere.

He grinned hideously, waving his hand, saying: "Holy Court Blade, get them! Annihilate these rebels colluding with external enemies!"

The sound of metal scraping against metal and the heavy, orderly footsteps came.

In an instant, thousands of armored Elf Soldiers emerged from the darkness, wielding long swords and giant shields, surrounding Catherine and the others completely.

Unlike the usual Silver Moon Elves, this group of elves had dark cracks appearing on their pale skin, as if they were about to shatter.

"Blasphemers, you do not deserve that name!" Catherine shouted in extreme anger.

Holy Court Blade.

This was once the army dedicated to guarding the roots of the Holy Tree, their armor inscribed with ancient purification runes, the blades capable of cutting through corrosive energy.

But now, the name of the Holy Court Blade had been taken by a group of corrupt fallen ones, causing Catherine immense heartache.

"Why did you rebel, Catherine?"

Yet Seryan simply sneered and said coldly, "Realize the truth, we are the masters of Serinia, and you... are nothing."

"Kill them all!"

"Exterminate the rebels! For Serinia!"

The Elf soldiers of the "Holy Court Blade" shouted in rage, countless dark arrows shooting out from behind them, overwhelming and falling into Catherine's ranks.

Each arrow was laced with Zor Poison, able to penetrate flesh, causing the victim to bleed from seven orifices and explode to death within seconds.

Only someone as powerful as Melisandre could withstand it, holding out a bit longer.

"Beware!"

"The arrows are poisoned!"

In moments, over a dozen Elf Warriors spewed black-red poisonous blood, collapsing in succession amidst painful groans.

"Despicable!"

Catherine raised the Scepter high, silver light gathered to form a Giant Shield, blocking the sky and deflecting all the poisonous arrows.

"Your Majesty!"

Melisandre darted across the battlefield, firing powerful arrows that penetrated the Giant Shield, killing several Fallen Elf soldiers in an instant.

Rhea leapt up, wielding the Silver Sword,

"Show no mercy to these fallen ones—slay them all!"

The East Road District and Branpton District, where the middle-class generally lived close to the aristocrats of the Upper City at the Blonrich District, while the East Road District near the connection to the Outer City at the Stone Lizard Gate was relatively more mixed, with many lively bars and cheap inns. The Sea Tower District housed the Flame Fist Mercenary Group. The headquarters of the Mercenary Corps, Bodlan Sea Tower, was built on the largest rocky offshore island near the Sea Tower District. The Branpton District and Steep District were relatively rundown, serving as living communities for sailors and dock laborers. The Outer City was spread along the Chongsar River, with temporary buildings and slums gathered, marked by a stone bridge crossing the Chongsar River—Flying Dragon Crossroad, crowded with vendors, with many structures built upon it. Law and order hardly existed here, even the Flaming Fist Mercenary Group's protection was very limited here. Many poor or criminal individuals who could not settle in the city gathered here.

The moss on the arch of the sewer glowed a ghostly green under the dim phosphorescent light, the murky sewage overflowed the boot soles, each step triggering a sticky "gurgling" sound. From the wall cracks, purple-black slime oozed, converging at the drainage like veins—this was the unique neuro-corrosive substance of the Spirit Sucking Monster Nest, causing hallucinations when inhaled by ordinary people, as if countless tiny tendrils were writhing in the ear canal. Suddenly, a "click" sound of dislocated bones came from behind a broken cast-iron pipe, as if something was twisting and squeezing through a narrow space. Three patrolling guards had just lifted their lanterns when the sewage suddenly exploded! Four Spirit Sucking Monsters burst from the water, their pale humanoid bodies covered in detritus, octopus-like heads with tendrils vibrating at high frequency, releasing visibly purple Mind Shock Wave ripples. The helmet of the foremost guard collapsed inward, the eyeballs bursting into a bloody mist due to increasing cranial pressure; the second person hadn't even screamed before tendrils stabbed into his ear canal, pulling his spinal cord out from his torso like a puppet; the only survivor stumbled back, the firearm's misfire roar completely swallowed by the sub-sonic shriek collectively emitted by the Spirit Sucking Monsters. These Spirit Sucking Monsters were clearly trained in tactics. Two feinting individuals slapped the water's surface with tendrils, raising fog cloaked with corrosive liquid to obscure vision; the third descended from the ceiling, adhering its suckers to a guard's skull, precision thrusting its tendril tips into the occipital foramen—not killing immediately, but forcing the puppet-like captive to turn, using his trembling hands to load ammunition for the companion's firearm. Meanwhile, the fourth Spirit Sucking Monster was slicing open the chest cavity of the fallen guard with knuckle bone blades, extracting a warm liver and stuffing it into its mouthpiece, pale yellow digestive fluid dripping from its chin, corroding the ground into wisps of smoke. The parasitized did not die completely. The guard's mutilated body suddenly twitched and rose, translucent Spirit Sucking Monster larval tendrils crawling from the neck's split, pupils dilating into a milky white. He grabbed a Dagger and stabbed it towards his former comrade, a non-human synthetic voice squeezed from his throat: "Skull... for the main brain...". And the true horror was only just unfolding—far away, the sewage pond began to boil, more pale figures emerged from the water, dragging dozens of prisoners wrapped in mucus cocoons, those human faces twisted into silent screams beneath the cocoon shells. When the final gunshot echoed away, the sewer returned to dead silence. Only the floating tattered uniforms and still pulsating neuro-corrosive fungus blankets testified to the massacre. The Spirit Sucking Monsters dragged their prisoners into the depths of the drainage pipe, the occasional twitch of the mucus cocoons seeming as if the "seed" inside was about to hatch. In the spiritual network of the main brain, the coordinates of these new bodies were transforming into a cold string of purple light, converging towards the massive, pulsating shadow beneath the Bod Gate.