Chapter 624 - 622: Beyond Saving, Await Death

The mark left by Rose only affected Solais, so only Solais could see Hilia.

In reality, this "seeing" was also a result of spiritual power acting on reality. It was Solais’s unstable spiritual power that allowed Hilia to smoothly manifest and communicate with him.

Watching as Solais began to disintegrate and Disola rushed in, Hilia’s smile never faltered.

As for the faint threats from the Elf King, she paid them no mind.

She wanted him to openly confront her!

If you’ve got the guts, come at me!

I may not be able to win, but you won’t be able to catch me either!

After delivering that message to the Elf King, Hilia fell silent, leisurely watching as creatures turned to sand.

Solais and Disola were high-tier mages, so their demise wasn’t as quick.

Having returned empty-handed from Hilia, Disola opted for self-rescue.

He rapidly notified all the high-tier mages of the Withered Wood and gathered them there, attempting to call upon the Holy Tree to elicit a reaction.

Yet it was better not to call—upon calling, the rate at which their powers drained accelerated.

Foremost affected were the tier-four mages.

They could only watch in horror as their bodies slowly transformed into particles, starting from their palms, moving up their arms, as their legs also started to disappear, and finally, their bodies, brains...

Everyone looked toward the Elf King, hope glimmering in their eyes.

Loyal to the Elf King, they hoped he could prevent it all.

Of course, the Elf King didn’t sit idly by.

He lacked withering powers, but as the Elf King, he had the ability to communicate with the Holy Tree.

However, the more he communicated, the gloomier his face became.

He turned to Disola, his tone teeming with restrained anger: "The other side has devised some means, causing you to encounter anomalies when communicating with the Holy Tree. The Holy Tree informed me that you’re all ’thieves’ stealing its origin, so it wants to reclaim all the power it endowed you with."

Disola was stunned.

The others were stunned too.

An unprecedented situation.

"Could she be able to communicate with the Holy Tree?" Disola frowned.

Being the sole tier-six among the Withered Wood, his massive power meant a slower loss. However, even he couldn’t stop the siphoning of strength.

The higher the rank, the more they’d sacrificed and the deeper their ’bond’ with the Holy Tree, making it harder to break free.

Perhaps only tier-one, two, and three mages, who hadn’t formed deep ’bonds’ with the Holy Tree, might narrowly survive.

The Elf King shook his head: "Doesn’t seem likely, hang on a bit longer; Elder Louis is almost here. He’s the Forest Purifier and deeply connected with the Holy Tree; maybe his communication might curb the Holy Tree’s actions."

The tier-four mages had dissipated to just floating heads, eerily suspended in mid-air.

Their eyes held only despair.

Tier-five wasn’t doing much better; Solais’s limbs had vanished, leaving just his torso.

Only Disola, the lone tier-six, was missing his hands.

When the first tier-four mage vanished completely, leaving no trace.

The Elf King became restless.

He turned to Solais, "Can you still see Hilia?"

Solais looked to the side, leapt onto a tree root, hands pressed on either side, feet dangling, watching the disintegrating Hilia and nodded.

"Pass on a message for me, ask her how we might stop, what her demands are?"

Within the Withered Wood organization, there were many mages, but their numbers in the Elf Royal City were few; most were mobile, moving between cities and even worldwide.

Yet at this moment, more and more reports flooded in, indicating issues were not confined to the Withered Wood members in the Elf Royal City but affected those executing tasks abroad as well.

A tier-four Withered Wood member sent a message to Disola, explaining he felt his power vanishing, his body disappearing, and apologizing for potentially failing his duties.

Mages from other posts were alarmed, bombarding Disola with queries about their sudden loss of strength.

As reports mounted, the Elf King grew anxious.

Withered Wood was a covert organization nurtured by the Elves for centuries—could it truly be annihilated here?

Initially, he was assertive, secretly dispatching agents to Watch City, ready to threaten Hilia on-site.

He even contacted Watch City’s City Lord Mornis, but Mornis merely brushed him off, pretending not to notice the implied threat in the messages.

The Elf King understood Mornis’s discontent and predicament.

Now, Hilia was surrounded by numerous Holy Priests from the Human Empire, seeking ways to rescue her. If Mornis, as City Lord, personally intervened, public outrage might make his future unbearable.

Mornis was already disgruntled with the Elf King for acting without notice in his territory, brazenly attacking Hilia amidst countless witnesses.

Even an order from the Elf King wouldn’t suffice for Mornis.

Only a direct command to arrest or capture Hilia might prompt action.

Hints wouldn’t be enough.

But the Elf King wasn’t ready to flip the table yet.

He hadn’t fully grasped the Holy Court’s position.

If Hilia wasn’t the Holy Court Saintess, there might be covert threats, followed by a gag order for those in the know.

But she wasn’t simple; she hailed from a vast empire poised for revival, something even the current Elf Race couldn’t resist.

The Elf King watched Solais, waiting for him to speak.

But Solais remained silent for a while, turning to the Elf King, finally saying, "She’s not speaking."

The Elf King’s brow furrowed, ready to speak when suddenly, he felt a stirring.

Outside came a powerful surge of magic power, and within moments, Louis, who Hilia had seen at the pollution source, rushed inside.

"What’s going on?" Louis inquired.

The Elf King turned to Disola.

Louis slightly arched a brow, "Holy Tree issue? Let me see."

Natural green light emanated from him, connecting softly with the Holy Tree’s roots.

After a moment, he opened his eyes with a frown, giving Disola a steady gaze, shaking his head.

"I’m sorry, I can’t communicate; the Holy Tree’s will is unstable, seemingly attacked by something."

He looked at Solais and added, "That unknown entity was transmitted to the Holy Tree from him."

"Seems Hilia’s behind this after all."

Louis stated that he could see Hilia, but whether the Elf King or Disola believed it was uncertain.

Yet, Louis directly confirmed the source was Solais, establishing near certainty.

"Hilia?" Louis questioned in surprise. "Is she the Holy Court’s preparatory saint who purifies and treats pollution within the Elf domain?"

The Elf King nodded, "Indeed, she’d used some means, causing anomalies in Disola and his men, leading them to disappear."

Pausing, the Elf King continued, "Elder Louis, continue communicating with the Holy Tree and see if there’s a way to remove what’s attacking it."

Louis: "This is challenging for me; I suggest bringing in Elina, or alternatively, seek help from the Recovery Temple."

"Elina?"

The Elf King’s expression stiffened.

Elina was elusive, currently nowhere to be found.

And the Recovery Temple...

The Elf King hesitated.

However, gazing upon Disola and the numerous loyal Withered Wood members.

The Elf King fell into contemplation.