Fratricide

Flapping her wings, Rhea dodged swiftly. The palm gripping her silver sword was slick with sweat, yet she made no move to counterattack. "Catherine Moonchaser, wake up!" In her desperation, the half-elf even shouted the queen's name directly, repeating it several times with mounting urgency. Yet it was utterly in vain. Seeing her strike miss, Catherine lunged forward once more, her dagger thrusting straight toward Rhea's chest with crisp, ruthless precision. Rhea raised her silver sword horizontally to parry, but the tremendous impact battered her backward. The dagger struck again, grazing past her throat. Empowered by divine might, Catherine may have lost her mind to madness, but she now possessed strength rivaling that of a demigod—truly terrifying. Her other hand clawed toward Rhea as crimson moonlight poured forth, washing over and corroding the half-elf's body. Boom! Blasted back by this chaotic divine power, Rhea went hurtling through the air. Her armor was shattered and tattered, her body covered in wounds. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Panting heavily, she pleaded, "Your Majesty Catherine, you are the Queen of Serenia! You said you would bring peace to the Elven Forest, that you would give your people a tranquil life... Have you forgotten all of that?" But all that answered her was a burst of manic sneering. Catherine's face was twisted, her eyes glowing crimson. Eight phantom limbs sprouted from her back, thrusting toward Rhea like sharp spears. Whoosh— Rhea beat her wings forcefully, climbing dozens of meters to barely evade the stabbing limbs by a hair's breadth. Yet Catherine merely flashed a gruesome smile. Six of her slender limbs folded inward before her chest, channeling surging chaotic divine power that coalesced into a sphere of purplish-black light. Boom! A thick pillar of purplish-black light erupted outward, tearing through the air and piercing the sky with terrifying energy fluctuations. Caught off guard, Rhea unleashed all the remaining moonlight divine power within her and dodged with everything she had, yet she was still clipped by the horrific beam. The beam obliterated her left arm along with half her shoulder, reducing her left wing to dust as well. Thick black light roiled over the wound, relentlessly corroding the remaining flesh. "Your Majesty Catherine..." The Avenging Angel plummeted from midair, disbelief still lingering on her bloodstained face. Even though Rhea knew Catherine was under Lolth's control, she had never imagined that the queen she trusted most and had sworn her life to would injure her so grievously. The thought plunged Rhea deeper into despair. Overwhelming fear and oppression engulfed her heart, tangling with the agonizing pain where her left arm used to be, leaving her dazed as if plunged into hell. Lolth's shadow seemed to have blotted out the entire sky. *Sehanine, is this a trial You have bestowed upon us?* *Or is even the Goddess of Moonlight powerless before this catastrophe, left to watch helplessly as Serenia marches toward destruction?* If even a queen blessed with divine favor could be puppeted like this, did they... truly have any hope of victory left? "Rhea!" Titus, the ancient gold dragon, cried out in alarm and rushed forward. Flapping his massive wings, he stirred up a gale that caught the half-elf paladin. Cradling Rhea gingerly in his colossal talons, he cast healing magic to dispel the black light festering in her wound, then let out a furious roar at the maddened Catherine. "Your Majesty Catherine!" "Wake up! You are supposed to be the savior of Serenia, not its destroyer!" the ancient gold dragon rebuked with formidable majesty. Bracing herself against the dragon's claw, Rhea gripped her sword in her lone hand and barely held herself upright, her gaze locked on Catherine in the distance. Soon, Zayn the Lord of the Mountain, Melisandre the "Night Wind Whisperer," and Emerson, Sage of the Arcane Hermitage, all silently moved into position behind Titus, their expressions grim. Catherine had once been their indisputable leader, the favored child of the Moon Goddess, the sole savior of Serenia... Yet now, they were forced to face the Elven Queen as a formidable adversary. "Hahahahaha!" In the distance, Lolth let out a cruel sneer, making no attempt to hide the malice and venom overflowing from her. "Ah, betrayal, revenge, mutual slaughter... what a delightfully entertaining drama." She turned her gaze to the pale-faced Silvermoon elves and chuckled. "Do you see? This is the queen you swear allegiance to! With a casual flick, she took the half-elf's arm—her most loyal hound!" "Think about it. If this is how she treats her confidante, should she turn on you... would she show an ounce of mercy?" "You vile fiend, you're blatantly sowing discord! You are the one controlling Her Majesty Catherine!" The dwarven king bristled with rage, his beard trembling as he bellowed in fury. Yet Lolth paid him no mind. Turning her head, she cast a meaningful gaze at the frenzied Elven Queen, a playful smirk curling at the corners of her lips. "Catherine, I'm going to treat you to a wonderful show—I want you to watch with your own eyes as you are slaughtered by your most trusted subordinates." The Demon Queen of Spiders extended her grotesque limbs and began weaving ceaselessly. A crimson web blanketed the sky, stretching tens of kilometers to envelop the entire Elven Forest. Countless spider fiends scurried down the silk strands, ravenously devouring every living creature in the woods. Unicorns, pegasi, and giant stags alike fell prey to their venomous fangs. Even ancient trees that had weathered millennia were overwhelmed by swarming arachnids, decaying in moments into withered husks dripping with poison. At that moment, the Elven Forest echoed with wails and shrieks. The metallic stench of blood and the acrid stench of venom hung thick in the air. It was as though the end of the world had arrived, and this realm was about to fall into a demonic domain. "The Weave is blocked; we cannot escape," Emerson said, a trace of despair creeping into his voice. "The Weave across this entire region has been supplanted by the Demon Spider Domain. Soon... that evil deity will become master here, wielding authority akin to the Goddess of Magic within the Elven Forest." "Once that happens, we will have no chance at all. Even the gods might not be able to curb her expansion," Melisandre sighed. Surveying the grim carnage around them, the ancient gold dragon spoke in a heavy, resolute tone. "We have only one urgent priority: wake Her Majesty Catherine. Only she can save the Elven Forest." Melisandre glanced at the Elven Queen enshrouded in black light in the distance and hesitated. "But she has already been corrupted by that evil deity..." Rhea, who had remained silent for so long, raised her lone remaining arm. Ignoring her grievous wounds, she declared firmly, "I agree with Lord Titus. The Silver Moon Goddess is ethereal and elusive, beyond the reach of ordinary mortals. Only Her Majesty Catherine has the ability to commune with Her. "Therefore, I must awaken Her Majesty Catherine, even if it costs my life." The half-elf's voice rang clear and unwavering. Faint light gleamed in her silver eyes, reflecting an unprecedented resolve. Seeing Rhea's unshakeable determination, Melisandre could not bring herself to object and nodded in silence. Zayn, meanwhile, was brimming with fighting spirit. He wanted nothing more than to follow in his father's footsteps—to save Serenia, forge anew the Holy Alliance, and become a true dwarven hero. "Kill..." "Kill you all!" In the sky, black light surged around Catherine. Her bloodshot eyes flared crimson as she let out a furious roar. The legendary champions of the coalition exchanged glances, turning in unison to face Catherine, prepared to join forces against the maddened chosen. Emerson raised his staff, the crystal at its tip bursting with dazzling rays of light. *Radiant Purification!* *Dispel Evil!* The beams shone upon Catherine, only to be instantly swallowed by the black light of chaotic divine power, which tainted the magic and sent it blasting back toward its caster. Emerson hastily waved his staff, erecting a Globe of Invulnerability that barely managed to deflect the orb of chaotic light. "Die—!" Laughing maniacally, Catherine blurred into a black afterimage and charged at the fragile wizard, her leg-blades formed of divine power poised to tear through his barrier. Just then, a sharp whistle cut through the air. Whoosh— An arrow wreathed in emerald spiritual light ripped through the sky, shooting straight toward Catherine's shoulder. From afar, Melisandre gripped her longbow, tensely watching the Elven Queen. But Catherine sneered savagely. Reaching out, she effortlessly snatched the arrow mid-flight and snapped it in two. A cluster of jade-green light brimming with natural power erupted from the arrow, yet against Catherine's chaotic divine might, it was trivial and swallowed up without resistance. The splintered fragments hovered in the air, engulfed in eerie dark flames. With a flick of Catherine's hand, they tore through the atmosphere, bearing devastating force as they shot toward Melisandre. Melisandre instinctively moved to phase into the Ethereal Plane, only to find the surrounding space locked down by the Demon Spider Domain. Unable to breach it, she froze for a fraction of a second. In that fleeting split second, the splinters arrived right before her eyes, glittering with dark, ominous light. "Look out!" Titus roared. Scorching dragon breath imbued with sacred power descended from above, sweeping across the expanse to incinerate the deadly shards. Yet Catherine transformed into a blur of dark shadow, warping through space and trailing black light as she struck at the ancient gold dragon with a frenzied screech. "I will slaughter you all—!" Sharp leg-blades clad in chaotic divine power sliced through the air, nearly severing the fabric of space itself. The ancient gold dragon swept his left wing forward in a hurried defense, a shield shimmering with starlight materializing over the wing membrane. Yet Catherine's blade easily punctured the spell's protection and tore through the wing membrane, carving a gruesome gash several meters long across the broad golden wing. "Aaargh!" The ancient gold dragon wailed in pain. Like maggots clinging to bone, the black light corroded his wound, dyeing half his dragon wing black. Yet in the critical throes of melee combat, Titus paid no heed to the injury on his wing. Extending his massive claws, he clamped down on Catherine, exerting all his strength to pin her within a cage of talons while intricate runes flared across his golden scales. *Dragon's Grasp!* With eyes blazing scarlet, Catherine threw her head back and let out a piercing shriek, struggling violently. The eight blades formed of chaotic divine power slashed madly at the gold dragon's vital points—his throat, his eyes, and beyond. Titus's Dragon's Grasp was powerful enough to seize an ancient red dragon by the throat, yet it could barely contain this Elven Queen, who seemed slender and delicate but fought with unhinged ferocity. "Quick! I can't hold her for long—find a way to wake her!" Titus roared hoarsely. Black light surged and toxic fog billowed. Under the assault of the Spider Queen's virulent poison, the gold dragon's talons visibly rotted, withering and festering. His massive frame was repeatedly slashed by the leg-blades, leaving him covered in wounds as golden scales flew in all directions. Seeing this, Emerson hurriedly raised his staff and chanted an incantation, unleashing a high-tier spell he had long prepared. *Eternal Imprisonment!* Countless profound runes manifested around Catherine, enveloping the maddened queen and forming chains woven from starlight that bound her fast. Yet Catherine continued her frantic struggle; her blades slashed out, instantly severing several of the chains. "There's no other choice..." Faced with this dire sight, Melisandre bit her fingertip and let her warm blood, brimming with the power of nature, drip onto her arrow before firing the bloodstained shaft toward Catherine. The moment the arrow struck Catherine, it burst apart, transforming into countless vines and branches infused with the laws of nature that wrapped tightly around the Elven Queen's body. "For the Holy Alliance!" Zayn leaped high into the air, brandishing the Hammer of Bedrock. Stone pillars burst from the ground, and countless rock fragments flew toward Catherine, adhering to her skin and encasing her in a colossal sphere of stone infused with the divine power of the earth. Only now was Catherine finally held in check within the ancient gold dragon's talons, momentarily unable to move. Yet the black divine light slammed against the restraints like a caged beast. Even with multiple legendary figures combining their might, they could only restrain her for a fleeting few seconds. Titus shouted, "Rhea, now!" Stepping along the stone pillars Zayn had raised, Rhea climbed into the air before leaping forward, raising her silver sword with her sole remaining right arm. At this moment, the half-elf paladin fueled her strike with the very life force of a peak legendary combatant, channeling the last dregs of Silver Moon divine power into her sword. *Divine Smite!* As the silver sword swung downward, a dazzling silver radiance descended from the heavens upon Catherine—a brilliance that dispelled evil, a light that purified all filth. Beneath that silver radiance, the black light dimmed, the fissures on Catherine's body faded, and the eight grotesque limbs steadily dissolved until they were gone without a trace. "It worked!" Joy flashed across the half-elf paladin's face in a surge of excitement. Yet moments later, Rhea's expression shifted drastically, replaced by sheer despair. To her horror, she saw that the mark of a black rose still lingered upon Catherine's slender, swan-like neck, radiating evil divine power every passing moment. It was Lolth's brand, the scar left by the Rose of Qilashar. The instant the suppression of the Silver Moon's divine power faded, Catherine would plunge right back into madness. In the distance, the eyes of Lolth's avatar lit up, as if she had anticipated this moment all along. Watching with relish, she mocked, "Half-elf, such pitiful tricks cannot purge the venom of the Rose of Qilashar." "This is a masterpiece I take great pride in. Even if an avatar of an elven deity were afflicted by it, they could not purge it. And there is only one way to cleanse this poison—" Lolth paused deliberately, a scarlet glint flashing in her eyes as a cruel smile spread across her face. "Pierce her heart. Sever her head. Slaughter her completely—just as you would any beast, monster, or fiend."