Before dawn, the Elven Forest was shrouded in a pale purple mist.
Rain stood on the rocky platform at the cavern's mouth. Through the morning fog, his Emerald Vision pierced toward the northeast horizon. The direction of the Holy Alliance headquarters was marked by an eerie dark purple energy in the ley lines, like a coagulated bloodstain. More unsettlingly, the stain slowly rotated, forming a faint vortex.
"Old Nick's notes mentioned this," Ravenna said, walking to his side. Her newly restored right hand shimmered with a pearlescent glow in the morning light. "Beneath the Holy Alliance, there's an ancient sealed 'Gate.' The council intends to use the Seeds of Life and the Mechanical Seeds as keys."
γ rubbed her sleepy eyes as she followed. Her alchemical prosthetic eye adjusted focus automatically. "We're really going to rely on these elven airships to reach the Holy Alliance?" She pointed to three leaf-shaped vessels docked below the rocky platform—strange constructs forged from living wood intertwined with alchemical metals, their hulls wrapped in glowing vines.
"Better than walking," Ravenna said, stretching her shoulders. Purple-gold veins faintly pulsed beneath her skin. "But first, we need to solve the propulsion issue."
Elondir arrived with a squad of elven warriors, each carrying a bulging leather sack over their shoulders.
"Concentrated essence of the Fountain of Life," the old elf said, patting one of the sacks, a liquid sloshing inside. "Enough to sustain you until Holy Alliance airspace."
Rain accepted a sack. A warm pulse of energy traveled from his fingertips into the liquid. Under Emerald Vision, he saw countless tiny points of light suspended within—each a highly compressed unit of life energy.
"These are from the Mother Tree…"
"A gift," Elondir said solemnly, nodding. "And an investment. If the 'Gate' beneath the Holy Alliance is opened, the entire continent will descend into eternal night."
The elven warriors silently loaded the supplies. Rain noticed their gear had changed from the previous day—light emerald scale armor replaced the traditional heavy plate, and new runes were etched onto their bows. Most striking were the purple-gold crystals embedded atop each ship's mast, sharing the same energy origin as Ravenna.
"We modified them overnight," Elondir explained, following Rain's gaze. "Purple-gold energy can neutralize corruption—at least, in theory."
γ curiously touched the hull of one ship. The wood slightly curled in response, like a shy plant reacting to touch. "They're alive!"
"Ancient elven wisdom," the old elf said with a rare smile. "The core of each airship is a branch from the Mother Tree, capable of self-repair. However…" He turned to Rain, his expression darkening. "The skies above the Holy Alliance are currently shrouded by the Eternal Dusk Veil. Conventional means cannot penetrate it."
Ravenna had already leapt onto the deck of the lead airship, inspecting the helm."There's always a loophole. Like brief fluctuations during energy overload?"
"In theory, there's a three-second window every twelve hours," Elondir said, surprised by her expertise. "But it requires precise calculation…"
"Leave it to me," γ said, patting the alchemical instrument at her waist. "Old Nick's Weather Compass can predict the cycles of magical storms."
The morning mist gradually dispersed. The three airships were ready for departure. Elven warriors formed a ceremonial line to see them off, singing ancient blessing chants. Elondir hung a jade leaf pendant around Rain's neck."The Mother Tree's blessing. It may save your life when it matters most."
Rain was about to thank him when the ground beneath trembled slightly. From the direction of the Mother Tree's cavern came the rustling of leaves, as if the ancient tree was bidding them farewell. Even more wondrous, all the airships' vines lit up simultaneously, forming glowing shields along the hulls.
"Looks like the Mother Tree is more anxious than we are," Ravenna said, turning the helm. The airship emitted a pleasant hum. "Everyone aboard!"
γ jumped onto the second airship to handle navigation, while Rain took the third as rear guard. At Elondir's wand signal, giant flowers at the docking site bloomed, releasing rising air currents. The leaf-shaped sails of the ships automatically adjusted angles, lifting lightly into the sky.
"Maintain an altitude of three hundred meters to avoid the corrupted cloud layer!" γ's voice echoed across the ships through the phonetic flowers. "Thunderstorms ahead to the northeast—recommended detour!"
Rain stood at the stern, watching the Elven Forest shrink beneath them. Through Emerald Vision, the purified ley line network stretched out like a glowing spiderweb in all directions. The main line toward the Holy Alliance was most striking—not because it shone brightly, but because the darkness around it was so intense, like fireflies in ink.
The airship formation sliced through the clouds. Sunlight refracted through the emerald shields, casting a rainbow halo. Ravenna piloted the lead ship with complex evasive maneuvers, avoiding mechanical raptors circling at high altitude.
After two hours of uneventful flight, γ suddenly issued a warning:"Energy turbulence ahead! It's a Abyss Beacon!"
Rain immediately spotted the black prismatic pillar hovering above the sea of clouds. It rotated slowly, its surface etched with anguished human faces, continuously emitting dark red pulses in all directions. Each pulse swept past, causing the airships' vine shields to flicker violently.
"Can't we go around it?" Rain asked through the phonetic flower.
γ's reply came with harsh interference:"Calculated… detouring would miss the skyfold gap… we have to break through!"
Ravenna's lead ship suddenly accelerated, purple-gold energy flowing from her palm into the helm."I'll lead the way! Rain, cover the rear!"
The three airships formed an arrowhead formation, charging toward the beacon. When the distance closed to five hundred meters, the prism abruptly transformed, unfolding six blade-like wings. At its center, a gigantic mechanical eye opened, the pupil swirling with dark red energy.
"Corruption Gaze incoming!"
The lead ship's shield took the first hit. Emerald vines withered visibly under the assault. Ravenna cursed, plunging her right hand into the control panel. Purple-gold energy flooded into the ship's core like a torrent. To everyone's amazement, a pair of radiant wings unfolded on either side of the hull, allowing the airship to roll nimbly like a real bird, dodging the lethal beam.
"Mother Tree airships have this function?" γ gaped in disbelief.
"Just upgraded it!" Ravenna shouted proudly. "Hold on tight!"
Her ship suddenly dove, then, only a hundred meters from the beacon, pulled into a steep vertical climb. This provocative maneuver drew all fire toward her; the mechanical eye's gaze relentlessly pursued. Just as the beam was about to strike, Ravenna's ship executed an almost impossible 90-degree sharp turn—the beam grazed the hull and struck the beacon itself!
"Using its own force against it! Beautiful!" Rain couldn't help but admire.
Hit by its own attack, the beacon faltered momentarily. The three airships seized the opportunity and surged forward at full speed. Just as they were about to break through, the beacon suddenly self-destructed! Countless shards of metal, infused with corruption energy, rained down like a storm.
"Emerald Barrier!"
Rain leapt to the stern, Frostword sword carving a perfect arc. Emerald energy formed a hemispherical shield, blocking most of the debris. Yet some shards slipped through, striking γ's ship and tearing a massive hole in the port side.
"Propulsion system damaged!" γ desperately adjusted the alchemical compass. "We have to make an emergency landing!"
Ravenna made a snap decision:"There's a floating island ahead! Follow me!"
The three airships skidded and tilted as they landed on the edge of the floating island. The island was made of some kind of antigravity rock, its surface covered with glowing moss and stunted crystalline trees. γ immediately jumped down to inspect the damage. Her alchemical eye scanned the crack in the hull.
"The main keel is broken. Repair will take at least two hours…" She bit her lip. "We're going to miss the skyfold gap."
Rain scanned the surroundings. At the center of the floating island stood a ruined observation tower.
"There might be spare parts there," he said, taking a step forward. Suddenly, the moss beneath his feet changed color—shifting from emerald green to dark red, spreading like ink dropped in clear water.
"Alert!" Ravenna's right hand transformed into a purple-gold blade. "The island is corrupted!"
One by one, the crystalline trees exploded, releasing dozens of Abyss Lurkers. These mechanical creatures, part spider, part scorpion, had crystal carapaces capable of perfectly refracting light to become nearly invisible. Even more deadly were the neural paralysis stingers on their tails—just a graze was enough to paralyze a grown elf.
"Back-to-back defense!" Rain's Frostword sword blazed with emerald flames. "Don't let them near the airships!"
The first wave of attacks came from all directions. The Lurkers' crystal shells made them almost invisible; only subtle distortions of light revealed their movements. Rain's Emerald Vision barely tracked their paths. With consecutive Spirit Phoenix Slashes, three were cut down, but more emerged from the ground.
γ pressed her back against Ravenna, plunging her alchemical dagger into an incoming Lurker. "There are too many of them!"
"Hold the line!" Ravenna's purple-gold blade suddenly morphed into a long whip, sweeping a wide arc. "I installed on the airship…"
Her explanation was cut short by an explosion. From the mast of the lead ship, a beam of purple-gold light shot skyward, bursting into countless tiny luminous darts midair. These darts seemed almost alive, automatically tracking the Lurkers, each strike triggering a miniature explosion.
"Alchemical Swarm!" γ recognized one of Old Nick's signature inventions. "When did you—"
"Learned it last night," Ravenna grinned. "Pretty effective, right?"
With the Alchemical Swarm's assistance, the battle stabilized temporarily. Rain seized the opportunity to dash toward the observation tower, hoping to find useful supplies.
The tower door had long decayed; a gentle push sent it crashing down. Inside, the space was larger than expected. A rusted astrolabe occupied the center, and several metal crates were stacked in the corners.
Rain's Emerald Vision immediately detected an anomaly—one crate emitted a faint silver-blue glow. When he pried open the lock, he was astonished to find twelve crystal arrows neatly arranged inside, each shaft etched with ancient Elven runes.
"Demon-Breaker Arrows?" He lifted one; the arrowhead glowed softly. These were the Elves' highest-grade magical weapons, capable of piercing most protective wards. Even more remarkably, the arrows resonated with his Emerald energy—they were clearly crafted for a Life Seed bearer like him.
Suddenly, γ's scream echoed from outside. Rain grabbed the arrows and dashed out, only for his blood to freeze at the sight—eight metallic tentacles rose along the island's edge. Each as thick as an airship mast, covered in suction cups, each cup holding spinning saw blades.
"Abyss Marauder!" Ravenna dragged the injured γ backward. "This thing's supposed to be in the sea!"
The Marauder's main body slowly rose from the ground. It was a nightmarish fusion of a giant octopus and a furnace, its head a semi-transparent spherical chamber containing twelve Elf brains floating in liquid. Each time it attacked, the corresponding brain convulsed violently.
"It turned the Elves into bio-controllers…" Rain's anger made his emerald flames surge. "Beast!"
The Marauder's tentacles struck simultaneously—four coiling around the airship, four slashing toward the trio. Rain fired three Demon-Breaker Arrows in quick succession. The arrows pierced the tentacles and exploded; emerald energy spread through the wounds, instantly crystallizing and shattering each one. But the remaining tentacles grew even more frenzied. One swept across γ's airship, slicing it clean in half!
"No! My navigator!" γ stared in despair as the alchemical device plummeted into the cloud sea.
Ravenna leapt into the air, purple-gold energy forming a temporary platform beneath her feet. She flipped like an acrobat, her right hand transforming into a spear that pierced the Marauder's head chamber. Purple-gold energy poured in violently; the liquid inside boiled instantly, and the Elven brains exploded one by one.
The Marauder emitted a deafening wail; the remaining tentacles thrashed wildly, and the floating island began to collapse, massive rocks plunging into the clouds below. Rain seized the moment to fire two more Demon-Breaker Arrows, striking the last two brains precisely.
"It's falling!" γ grabbed a floating rock. "The airship can't hold!"
Ravenna leapt from the dying Marauder, purple-gold energy forming a cushion to absorb the impact. "Who said we needed an airship?" She pointed at the lead ship. "Watch this!"
Before the Marauder's final strike could land, the lead ship suddenly transformed—its blade-shaped hull folded and reassembled into a giant bird-like form. Emerald vines wove into feathers, purple-gold crystals became the heart, and the entire ship seemed to come alive.
"The true form of the Mother Tree airship!" Ravenna grabbed γ and leapt onto the bird's back. "Rain! Get on!"
Rain backflipped in succession, using the crumbling edge of the island to launch himself toward the mechanical bird. Just as he was about to grasp its talon, the dying Marauder spewed its final Corruption Breath! A dark-red beam shot straight at γ. Rain didn't hesitate—he turned and blocked it with his body.
"Rain!" Ravenna shouted as he plummeted toward the cloud sea.
The fall felt like slow motion. Corruptive energy gnawed at his emerald armor. Rain saw Ravenna diving to rescue him, but she was too far. Just as he braced for impact, the emerald leaf at his neck began to glow.
The voice of Elondir echoed in his mind: "When the Gardener falls, the branches will become wings…"
The leaf broke into countless shards of light, forming a pair of emerald wings behind him. The fall turned into a glide. He soared through the clouds like a true bird, perfectly joining the diving mechanical bird.
"You scared me half to death!" γ grabbed his arm. "I thought—"
"Next time, don't be such a hero." Ravenna's words were scolding, but her eyes betrayed concern. "Hold on tight—we're crashing through the Sky Veil!"
The mechanical bird flapped powerfully, speeding northeast. The emerald wings faded back into the leaf pendant, now much dimmer. Below, the terrain shifted: lush forests gave way to grayish wastelands. Finally, a massive complex of buildings shrouded in darkness appeared on the horizon.
Sanctum of the Holy Alliance.
Even from high above, the complex was staggering in scale. At its center stood a dodecagonal fortress, each corner crowned with an obsidian spire. Radiating outward were military zones, and beyond them sprawled slum-like auxiliary buildings. Most ominous of all was the black canopy hovering above the entire headquarters—it resembled an inverted bowl, occasionally crackling with dark-red lightning.
"My god…" γ adjusted her alchemical eye to maximum magnification. "They're turning living humans into machines…"
Rain's Emerald Vision revealed even more. Hundreds of incubation pods lined the Holy Alliance plaza, each containing a transformed human. Even more horrifying, atop the central fortress, twelve robed prelates circled a floating female silhouette, uncannily reminiscent of the Mother's avatar he had seen in the Elven Forest.
"The Council has turned their headquarters into a Descent Altar…" Ravenna's mechanical eye analyzed the data. "The canopy gap opens in three minutes. Prepare for the assault!"
The mechanical giant-bird dove, emerald and purple-gold energies forming a conical shield around its head. γ nervously checked the five remaining Demon-Breaker Arrows. "Straight through?"
"Trust me." Ravenna's right hand fused with the control console. "The Mother Tree airship isn't just…"
Her words were cut off by a sudden shock. The canopy's surface bristled with metallic spikes, quill-like defenses erupting! The mechanical bird's left wing was pierced, and its flight became unstable.
"Hold on! We're going down!"
Rain poured the last of his emerald energy into Frostsong, extending the blade into a ten-meter-long sword. "I'll carve a path!" He leapt to the bird's head and unleashed Spirit Phoenix Slash. Emerald flames collided with the purple-gold shield, tearing a rift in the canopy at the point of impact.
The mechanical bird plunged through the breach, but its damaged wings couldn't sustain flight. The trio, along with debris, plummeted into the inner city of the Holy Alliance, crashing heavily onto a side platform of one of the obsidian spires, saved at the last moment by Ravenna's purple-gold energy cushion.
Rain was the first to rise, scanning the area. The platform led into the spire's interior. Deep corridors hummed with mechanical motion. The walls bore the Holy Alliance's seal runes, twisted here and there by strange dark-red patterns.
"We've fallen right into the heart of enemy territory…" γ's voice trembled as she checked her alchemical dagger.
Ravenna's mechanical eye scanned the hallway. "Good news: it leads straight to the underground altar. Bad news…" She pointed to a rune suddenly glowing on the wall. "…we've triggered the alarm."
From deep within the spire came the grinding of metal—something enormous was awakening. Rain gripped Frostsong as his Emerald Vision pierced the walls, revealing a chilling sight: twelve ancient suits of armor embedded in obsidian were activating. Their breastplates bore runes of the Holy Alliance seal, but now twisted by corruptive energy.
"The Holy Alliance's Ancient Guardians…" Rain said grimly, "the Council has perverted them."
γ suddenly held up Old Nick's notebook. "Wait! It records the seal's weakness! If these Guardians were originally…"
Her discovery was cut short by a thunderous crash. The nearest wall collapsed, and the first Guardian stepped onto the platform—a three-meter-high obsidian armor, joints writhing with dark-red energy, its head a floating metallic skull. When it raised its massive sword, runes similar to Frostsong's glowed along the blade—only read in reverse.
"Reverse Seal: Worldbreaker…" Rain understood instantly. "They've been modified to counter the Holy Alliance's power."
The Guardian's sword came down, splitting the platform in two. Ravenna dragged γ back, purple-gold energy forming ropes clinging to the spire's exterior. Rain faced the Guardian head-on, Frostsong clashing with the massive sword, sparks of blinding energy erupting.
"Don't fight head-on!" γ shouted from the swaying rope. "They draw power from the ley lines! Cut the connection!"
Rain's Emerald Vision locked onto the Guardian's back—a near-invisible energy cord extended into the ground. But as he prepared to sever it, three more Guardians encircled him.
"Ravenna! Cover me!"
"Should've said so sooner!" Ravenna's right hand transformed into a cannon, firing a purple-gold energy round at the nearest Guardian's head. Though it caused no real damage, it successfully drew attention.
γ climbed the spire's outer wall, etching runes with her alchemical dagger. "Old Nick said the Holy Alliance has emergency passages… found one!" She pressed a seemingly ordinary obsidian brick; the wall slid open, revealing a narrow maintenance conduit.
Rain rolled to dodge the giant sword, then leapt into the passage. Ravenna followed immediately, using purple-gold energy to seal the entrance temporarily. The Guardians slashed madly, but the obsidian walls proved unnervingly durable.
"Where does this passage lead?" Rain panted.
γ checked the notebook. "According to the schematics, it should bypass directly beneath the central altar…" Her voice suddenly caught as her alchemical eye detected movement deep in the tunnel. "Something's coming…"
Two rows of red lights appeared in the darkness, like the multiple eyes of a rapidly approaching creature. As it entered the light, all three sucked in a breath— it was a mechanical serpent, its body constructed from dozens of elven heads, each eye glowing red, each mouth fitted with a spinning drill.
"The Wailing Devourer…" Ravenna's mechanical eye flashed a frantic warning. "The Council has turned elven captives into these monsters…"
Rain's emerald energy surged with fury. When the serpent lunged, he didn't dodge—he met it head-on. Frostsong became a bolt of emerald lightning, piercing the first head. Foul-smelling fluid splattered everywhere, but the serpent immediately split into two slightly smaller units, continuing the attack.
"Physical attacks just make it divide!" γ warned. "We need energy purification!"
Ravenna switched her right hand to scatter mode, unleashing a purple-gold shotgun-like barrage down the corridor. Hit sections of the serpent screamed in mechanical agony as their components began to melt. Rain seized the chance to infuse Frostsong with emerald energy; the blade erupted with purifying flames.
"Spirit Phoenix: Purge of Sin!"
The emerald phoenix swept through the corridor. Every serpent segment it touched crystallized and shattered. When the last elven head was freed, a single tear of blood fell from it, and with its final consciousness it whispered, "Thank you."
At the end of the passage stood a metal door etched with runes. γ checked Old Nick's notes. "Here it is—the altar lies directly beneath."
Rain's emerald vision penetrated the door. The sight chilled him to the bone—twelve prelates formed a circle, and at the center floated not only the Mother's avatar but also a massive dark-red crystal. Inside the crystal was a vague human form, whose energy signature indicated…
"The Grandmaster of the Holy Alliance…" he whispered in disbelief. "The Council has turned the Supreme Leader into a core battery!"
Ravenna's mechanical eye added analysis. "No wonder they can sustain a canopy of this scale. But what are they waiting for?"
γ suddenly pointed to the last page of the notebook. "Old Nick wrote… they're waiting for the twin moons to align. That's when the 'gate' is at its weakest." She lifted her gaze toward the nonexistent sky. "And tonight is that night…"
The three exchanged a look, suddenly aware of the urgency. Rain pressed his hand to the metal door; emerald energy probed for weak points. At that moment, the entire spire shook violently, explosions erupting from above.
"The Guardians are self-destructing!" Ravenna's mechanical eye pierced layers of obstacles. "Someone triggered the final protocol!"
γ's alchemical eye detected energy flows. "No, someone is fighting up there! We're not the only intruders!"
Rain's emerald vision locked onto a familiar energy signature—silver-blue elven magic intertwined with purple-gold alchemical energy. It was…
"Ironbeard and the elven reinforcements?" Ravenna also sensed it. "How…?"
No time to dwell. The metal door slid open automatically, and a thick, corruptive miasma poured out. Frostsong ignited first, illuminating a spiraling staircase ahead. At the top, a dark-red glow pulsed like a heartbeat.
"Whoever is helping us from above, they've just created an opening." Rain ascended the steps. "It's time to end this."
Ravenna checked her remaining purple-gold energy. "Hope it's enough."
γ raised the last Demon-Breaker Arrow. "Old Nick said… this one must hit the center of the altar—"
Her voice abruptly cut off. From the darkness above the staircase, twelve pairs of dark-red eyes opened simultaneously. The prelates had long anticipated visitors, and their carefully prepared welcoming ceremony was only just beginning…