Ashen Dragon

Rhea flapped her wings swiftly to dodge, her palm gripping the Silver Sword was drenched in sweat, yet she didn't take the opportunity to retaliate.

"Catherine Moonchaser, wake up quickly!"

In desperation, the half-elf even called the queen by her name, repeating it several times with an anxious tone.

However, it was all in vain. Seeing she missed her stab, Catherine flew up again, her dagger aiming straight at Rhea's chest, her attack swift and vicious.

Rhea raised her Silver Sword horizontally to block, but was forcefully knocked away as the dagger came at her again, grazing her throat.

Under the divine power's blessing, though Catherine was irrational and mad, she now possessed strength comparable to that of a demigod, terrifyingly so.

Her other hand clawed towards Rhea, blood-red moonlight pouring out, eroding the half-elf's body.

"Boom!"

Under the power of this Chaos Divine Power, Rhea was blasted away, her armor tattered and broken, her body covered in wounds.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth as she gasped, "Your Majesty Catherine, you are the queen of Serinia, you vowed to bring peace to the Elf Forest, to give your people a tranquil life, have you forgotten all this?"

But what greeted her was frenzied laughter. Catherine's expression was twisted, her eyes blood-red, as eight phantom limbs grew from her back, stabbing towards Rhea like spears.

"Shua—"

Rhea instinctively flapped her wings, ascending several meters, barely dodging the strike.

But Catherine let out a ferocious smile, her six slender limbs closing in front of her, the flowing Chaos Divine Power within converging into a purple-black orb.

"Boom—"

A thick purple-black pillar of light shot forth, ripping through the air with a terrifying energy wave, piercing the sky.

Caught off guard, Rhea, despite fleeing with all her remaining Moonlight Divine Power, was struck by the fearsome pillar.

Her left arm, along with half her shoulder, was decimated by the beam, her left wing turned to dust.

Dense black light surged from the wound, continuously corroding the remaining flesh and blood.

"Your Majesty Catherine..."

The Avenging Angel fell from the sky, disbelief etched on her bloodied face.

Though Rhea knew Catherine was controlled by Rose, she never imagined being hurt so severely by the queen she most trusted and vowed to serve.

With that thought, despair grew darker in Rhea's heart, immense fear and oppression mingling with the searing pain in her left arm, leaving her dazed as if in Hell.

Rose's shadow seemed to have engulfed the sky.

Shanee, is this the trial you gave us?

Or—has even the Moonlight Goddess been rendered powerless against this calamity, forced to witness Serinia's descent into ruin?

Even their deity-blessed queen being so controlled, do they... truly have hope for victory?

"Rhea!"

The Ancient Golden Dragon Titus exclaimed, rushing forward, stirring a gale with his dragon wings to lift the half-elf paladin.

He carefully grasped Rhea in his giant claw, using healing spells to dispel the black light at her wounds, then roared with anger towards the maddened Catherine.

"Your Majesty Catherine!"

"Snap out of it! You should be Serinia's savior, not its destroyer!" The Ancient Golden Dragon scolded with commanding authority.

Rhea clung to the golden dragon's claw, holding her sword with one hand, barely maintaining her posture, staring intently at Catherine in the distance.

Soon, the Master of High Mountains Zeen, "Night Wind Whisperer" Melisandre, and the Sage of the Arcane Monastery Emerson stood silently behind Titus, their expressions extremely grave.

The former Catherine was undoubtedly their leader in their eyes, the Chosen of the Moonlight Goddess, Serinia's sole savior...

But now, they had no choice but to stand against the Elf Queen, regarding her as a formidable foe.

"Hahahahaha!"

In the distance, Rose's cruel laughter echoed, his malicious and venomous intent nearly overflowing: "Ah, betrayal, revenge, slaughter, such delightful drama."

He glanced at the pale Silver Moon Elves, chuckling softly: "Do you see? This is the queen you pledge your loyalty to! She just casually dismembered that half-elf's arm, he was her most loyal dog!"

"Think about it, she's this ruthless to her confidants, if she turns on you—would she show any mercy?"

"That's clearly you sowing discord! It's you the villain who controlled Her Majesty Catherine!"

The Dwarf King was furious, his beard bristling, bursting into a fierce shout.

Yet Rose paid no heed, instead, he turned his gaze toward the mad Elf Queen, a mocking smile on his lips.

"Catherine, I'll let you enjoy a good show—I'll make you watch yourself get killed by those you trust the most."

The Spider Queen extended her ghastly limbs, weaving continuously, as crimson webs shrouded the sky, spanning dozens of kilometers, enveloping the entire Elf Forest.

Countless spider creatures crawled down the silk, greedily devouring every living creature in the forest, be it unicorns, pegasi, or giant deer, none escaped their venomous fangs.

Even ancient trees weathered by millennia were consumed by the dense swarms of spiders, instantly turning into rotting, venom-filled deadwood.