Quickly and methodically, groups of soldiers stepped into the huge mouth of the ground and disappeared into the silver and white galaxy.

Within minutes, the thousands of soldiers gathered in the cave were gone. Ann's squad was nearing the end of the line, just ahead of Kylo's team. She took Elio's hand and stepped forward without hesitation.

This is her second trip to the Mirror Realm. Unlike the last time, the girl retracted all her superfluous thoughts, and only kept her only thought-

"Let's go to the top floor of Ellan Castle, on the promenade where the royal court is located."

The starlight swirled, turning into a channel and pointing into the distance. Ann felt the warmth coming from her right hand, took a deep breath, and trotted forward. The stars dimmed, and the surroundings returned to light. Ann rubbed her eyes and looked around at everything in front of her.

She was indeed in the middle of a long corridor. The walls are as white as frost, and the patterns of flowing gold are woven on them, which is exquisitely like an ancient painting. The ground was dark brown, and the divine light fell overhead, coating it with a soft glow. This should be the treated dark iron wood - An remembers that it is like wood and gold, light and tough, as strong as mountain rock, and is not afraid of insect erosion, water and fire are not injured. The only drawback is that it takes so long to complete that there are very few buildings made from it throughout the kingdom.

Fort Elan is the largest of these and the oldest of them. It is located in the center of the Golden Spike City and has served as the royal palace of the Erna people for more than 2,000 years. The original builder is long gone, and it quietly watches the change of kingship and even the changes of the world.

Ann turned her gaze and saw Shirley and the rest of the group appear from not far away, and immediately gathered in front of her. The thick door inlaid with gold rim is also not far away, and a faint sound passes through the door and scatters on the corridor. She clenched her right hand, steady, and took a few steps toward it.

The voice was clearer—it was the cry of a human being, full of panic and despair. Ann couldn't help but shudder and looked at the young man beside her. Elio looked at her as well, his expression serious for a moment, and then a big smile.

"Don't worry, I'm here!" The boy looked at the teammates who gathered around him one by one, and lowered his voice, "Are you ready?" ”

Shirley brushed the ground and drew her two-handed sword, nodding silently. With a flick of Mantour's fingers, several secret techniques enveloped everyone—Ann felt lighter and more powerful, and her mind clearer. The soldiers who belonged to Kylo clenched their weapons together and stood in front of Ann and Elio.

The stout Barrett raised his two-handed hammer and slammed the door open. The scene that immediately came into view, even if he had been prepared, still made Ann feel dizzy.

The royal court, which should have been neat and dignified, has become a bloody purgatory at this time. Stumps and severed arms can be seen everywhere, and blood is splattered all over the white walls and columns, as if it is covered all over the soles of the feet. She remembered that there were hundreds of people who had gone here, all of them the elite of Kailo's army, and many of them were skilled in magic. But less than twenty are still resisting. In the middle of a breath, four more soldiers fell one after the other, and the liquid gushed out of their bodies, taking away all their vitality.

Ann forced herself not to close her eyes. Arles stood at the end of the royal court, watching the slaughter with a cold eye. Among the dead were also the Elna, presumably the original guards. And at the moment there are only three executioners, but they are unmatched.

As if hearing a knock in the doorway, they temporarily stopped killing and turned their attention to this side. A sergeant took the opportunity to launch a sneak attack from behind, but was grabbed by the neck with his backhand and cut off his head mercilessly.

It was a tall, red-haired woman with a cold face and a fire in her eyes. She was clad in a red cloak, with slender arms and no blades in her hands—for that body was a weapon. The other was a gray-haired young man with a pair of wolf ears on his head, grinning cruelly. His light brown leather armor was blackened with blood, and his sharp claws were slightly curved from the base of his knuckles, reflecting cold light like metal.

The last person was also a woman, half covered in silver armor, and the soft glow shrouded it so that it did not stain it with blood. The long hair is draped up to the waist, like a rainbow. She stood on the ground with the giant sword in her hand, her gaze spanning half of the royal court and sweeping over Ann's face.

"Get out of here." In a clear voice, she declared, "Or die." ”

"Ariel—what are you doing!" At the same moment, Elio also recognized the other party, and his words were filled with anger, "Where's that bastard Huruman!" Where's Captain Lily!? ”

However, no one paid attention to him, not even Ariel. Shirley set up her weapon, Mantur waved her fingertips, and the remaining two of them rushed to Ann's sides with lightning speed. The still alive sergeants glanced at each other, surrounded the Celestial Clan like a spirit, and attacked at the same time.

Ariel didn't squint, but held the greatsword to her chest. The purple electric light coiled upward, turning into thunder in the next moment—

A few people who were closer to the Celestial Clan were struck in the chest by lightning and fell on their backs screaming, and immediately lost their voices. A blinding arc of light pierced the air and rained down on the sergeants in the distance, engulfing them all. All the thunder lights immediately fused into one, and the two of them, who had the ability to bypass the charge like life, exploded in front of the girl's eyes.

Everything happens in an instant. Elio stood in front of him, his arms crossed over his head. The gray-robed wizard summoned two silver-white giant palms to block the rushing foe. Shirley prayed aloud, and the pure white wall of light enveloped everyone, returning to nothingness with the purple thunder.

"Wait a minute! We're here to negotiate! The young knight cried out angrily, "Can't you just talk well!?" ”

Still no one paid any attention to him. Mantur retracted his second giant palm, and together they stopped the red-haired woman, and began to chant another spell. Shirley stepped forward, her sword meeting the steel claws, and she hissed sharply, as if scraping through the glass with a sharp weapon. Ariel carried a two-handed greatsword, stepped over the corpses on the ground, and approached everyone step by step.

Ann shuddered, barely regaining her composure. In a battle of this level, she knew she couldn't help anything. She patted Elio on the shoulder, looked around at the people around her, and finally pointed to the throne in the distance.

Catching Arles might make them stop for a moment, the maiden prayed.

Elio immediately understood what she was thinking. "Will, Serra, protect Ann." He drew his blade and strode forward, "For the rest, go grab Arles." And you—" The blade sliced through the air, slashing through the Celestials' right shoulder, "I'll take you down!" ”

The boy roared loudly, using all his strength with each sword, and for a moment it seemed to have the upper hand. Ike, Duncan, and Barrett bypassed the warring crowd and ran toward the royal court. Ariel unsheathed Elio's four swords and took six steps back at the same time, shaking her head with pity.

"You shouldn't be here." She said.

The young knight swung his sword again, but the Celestials—literally—turned into lightning, and the boy's attack was completely nullified. She landed behind Ike, her greatsword flickering away, leaving her body split in two. Duncan and Barrett raised their weapons, trying to fend off, but they couldn't do it faster.

The lightning reversed course and stabbed the young knight in the waist, seemingly merciless.

Ann clasped her hands in front of her chest and let out a silent cry. But instinct or whatever, Elio took the sword. A high-pitched thud rang out from between the blades, and the Celestials returned to their human form, and the young knight staggered backwards, nearly crashing into Serra.

"You ......" the young man gasped, blood dripping from the corners of his forehead, and his hands holding the sword trembled slightly, "Don't want to hurt Ann-"

Roar and heat came from the right, and Ann hurried to the left. A sea of fire engulfed where she had been, blocking the path to the exit. A near-transparent sword slammed through the flames, stabbing the red-haired woman in the back, but she turned around and clenched it in her hand. The sword trembled violently for a moment, and finally fell into shape.

"Stupid resistance, wizard." The red-haired woman rose into the air, her words full of contempt, "Wait until I destroy this palace and see where else you can escape!" ”

The female knight on the other side was also wounded, and the blood spilled with the fierce battle, it actually glowed with a soft luster, like a dancing flame. The claw-clashing wails became more frequent and sharper, making Ann even want to cover her ears. The wolf-eared youth roared again and again, as if he was intoxicated by the fight, and his voice was inexplicably terrifying.

The young knight straightened up, clenched his sword, and once again met the approaching Celestials. The girl bit her lower lip and stared at Elio's back. She knew that all she could do now was wait and pray.

If you die here, at least ...... Someone will be waiting for me in front of me, the girl thought to herself.

The battle didn't last long, but for Ann, a thousand years had passed. Countless chaos passed through her ears, and finally merged into a roar of rage—

"Damn it, wizard!" The red-haired woman roared, "What are you going to do!" ”

Ann turned her head to look. The middle-aged wizard's clothes were in tatters, his face was distorted, and half of his body did not resemble a human form. He grabbed the woman with his unusually thick right arm, and his intact left hand was unfolding a scroll and slapping it into the other's chest.

Between words, the red-haired woman shook off the arm and tore it in two. But a behemoth golden disc emerges between the two, with a strong gravitational pull that makes it difficult for her to escape.

"For the sake of ...... Make amends. Mantour's voice was hoarse and muddy, like a broken bellows, "Go to hell——! ”

The two of them sank into the disc together, and then it quickly contracted, becoming a very dazzling point of light, and then vanished.

Elio and the Celestials then split the winner, and the sword flew out of the boy's hand and landed on the ground several meters away. Ariel stepped forward, the greatsword wrapped in lightning and pressed against his throat.

The boy sat on his knees. His hands hung limply, and his face was covered in blood, but Ann didn't feel terrible. She bypassed the two men who were protecting her, and ran quickly towards Elio, standing tall beside him.

Ariel glanced at her, neither retracting her sword nor stabbing it. The battle between the remaining two continued, their movements slowing down a little, but more dangerous than at first. Shirley received a claw on her left wrist and now wields a heavy sword with only one hand; The gray-haired youth was stabbed in the leg and lost an ear. The light swayed under the feet of the two of them, no temperature, but bright red as fire.

The young man suddenly slipped on the soles of his feet and fell to one knee. The female knight took a step to the right, her sword slashing from the back of her opponent's head. But the young man suddenly raised his arms, his steel claws crossed behind his back, and locked the blade he swung down.

He roared wildly, twisting the sharp claws in his hand with all his might, and the heavy sword broke in response.

Shirley dropped her broken sword and pulled her dagger from her waist. But the gray-haired youth easily unshackled the weapon, and another steel claw plunged straight into her abdomen, then tore downward. Blood gushed out and spilled on the ground, competing with the flames on the other side.

"It tastes good." The gray-haired youth withdrew his claws and aimed at the heart of the female knight, his tongue licking through his fangs, "I will remember you." ”

The female knight knelt on one knee and closed her eyes in silent prayer. Flames rose from all around her, obscuring all the light from all else. The wolf-eared youth seemed to notice that something was wrong, but before he could decide to move forward or retreat, the blazing white flames enveloped him. A hoarse and sharp howl suddenly resounded throughout the royal court, full of pain and resentment.

Ann had heard that the Templars possessed superhuman powers, and this was the first time she had seen them—even if Shirley had not yet received her title.

The flames slowly dissipated, and the female knight maintained her original position, blood still pouring out, but it was no longer bright. The young man curled up on the ground, his hair burned out, and his flesh burned black. But he gasped heavily, and despite his heavy injuries, he survived—

After all, it is the child conceived by the "Lord of Heaven...... Like Lily, the girl thought to herself. She looked at the Celestials and asked with her mouth, "Where's Lily?" ”

Ariel withdrew her greatsword and walked over to the young man on the side. "Where you think you are." She grabbed the young man's arm, her voice still clear, "If you don't want your companions to kill each other, don't meet her." ”

The light flashed, and the Celestials and the charred youth vanished together. The sea of fires blocking the exit lost fuel and gradually became extinguished. And in the vast royal court, only six living beings remained.

Will and Sierra were unharmed, Elio was exhausted, and his life was fine. Ann ran to Shirley, who was not far away, and saw her slowly lying on her back on the floor with her arms outstretched. The knightess's face was as white as paper, and beneath her was a dark red pool, as for the wound in her abdomen...... Ann understood that there was nothing she could do.

Shirley opened her eyes and smiled weakly at Ann. She bit her lower lip and tried to catch her breath for a moment, slowly but clearly spitting out the words.

"Lord Herman, and Lord Langton...... Can be dangerous. If the Erna people are convinced...... Just go back. ”

That's exactly what Ann was worried about. She nodded earnestly.

"Since you have gone to the battlefield, from now on...... You'll see more deaths. The knightess raised her bloodstained hand and handed the dagger to the girl, "Yes...... Can you help me get free? ”

Ann silently took the dagger. Elio walked over to her and untied Shirley's half-body armor before leveling the knight again. The girl knelt down, clenched the blade in her hand, and aimed the tip at her heart.

"May the light bless you." Shirley whispered.

The girl took a deep breath and stabbed her hands hard. The female knight frowned slightly, but quickly let go, her eyes slowly closed, and the corners of her mouth still had a smile on her lips.

This is the first time Ann has taken her life, and it is not an experience. All she knew was that there was no time to be sentimental right now. She took the boy's hand and stood up straight, looking at Arles, who had been captured by Will and Serra and escorted in front of her.

"Would you like to join the alliance between the Church and the Empire against Femir Stark?" The girl asked succinctly, "Fermir wants to wreak havoc, and he's not a good ally."

The king of the Elna people stared at her with a cold expression, "No. "Never." ”

"Why?" She was puzzled by the other party's attitude, "You see, they don't care about the lives of the Elna people, including you. When the empire falls, the kingdom will not escape its fate."

"So what." Jarles sneered, "They can help me get revenge, that's enough." Aiken Orel has taken my son, and I want the whole empire to pay for him! He looked up, "As long as the empire perishes first, what does Elders' end have to do with me?" ”

Maybe it's that curse again, Ann has a headache, but there's no good way to do it. She tried to persuade her, but Alles turned a deaf ear. So the girl simply shut up, and Elio refused to give up and continued to quarrel with him, but with little success.

"You stump head! Can't understand people or what!? The young man waved his arms vigorously, furious, "Believe it or not, I slashed you with a sword and let you go to hell to get revenge!?" ”

"Whatever you want." The Elna people didn't care, "You killed me, and the empire and kingdom have been enmity ever since—" he raised the corners of his mouth, his smile mixed with a hint of madness, "just as I wanted." ”

Ann patted Elio's arm to prevent the boy from swinging his sword in anger. Alles was right, but not comprehensive—if her guess was correct.

"Of course, we didn't intend to kill you." A familiar voice came from behind him, and the timing was just right, "If you are willing to hand over the throne and enjoy your old age in peace." ”

The girl heard the woman's soft exclamation, and looked back to see that Kylo's team was intact and one more than it had been.

The long ivory dress wrapped around her waist and flattered her slender figure. The long hair was soft silver white, flowing down the shoulders and reflecting the eyes of the same color. A crown woven of silver thread is worn on the top of the head, showing the extraordinary identity of women. Her facial features were delicate and soft, and her gaze crossed the royal court, and her face was dyed with a touch of sadness, and then turned into compassion and perseverance.

Arles' eyes widened and he struggled hard, and Will and Sierra managed to hold him down.

"Ann, in your time." Kylo calmly asked, "Who is the king of Elders?" ”

Galaria Estelle, the Starflower Hope, is the queen of pure white, one of the six heroes who ended the "Grey War". The girl repeated in silence, her eyes on the Elna woman who was beside Kylo. Except for the extra bit of maturity, the portrait she saw from her grandfather was exactly the same as the face in front of her.

"Alles, then." The Wise General of the Empire nodded with satisfaction, "Please write down the paperwork and pass the throne to Galaria, and then you will be free." ”

The other party was silent for less than a second, and a clear mockery appeared on his face.

"Don't think about it." He squeezed a voice out between his teeth, "I'd rather die than join you short-lived ones." ”

"Then it can't be helped." Kylo turned to Galaria and sighed regretfully, "The help sent by Fermir Stark slaughtered everyone, including the king, and fled the royal court...... Is that all right, Your Highness the Princess? ”

The pure white princess closed her eyes and lowered her head slightly. "Please let him suffer less."

Kylo took the sword from the guard's hand and strode over to Arles. The Elna stared at Kylo and then at the silver-haired woman, his face full of disbelief.

"Galaria, my daughter, you're—"

The blade pierced his heart, and the words came to an abrupt end.

Will and Sierra let go of their hands, letting Arles' body fall to the ground. The wise general of the empire came to Ann with a slightly concerned expression.

"Are you alright?" Kylo asked, "I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to go through this." He looked around at the mess, his eyes full of regret, "And them." ”

Ann shook her head slightly, indicating that it was okay. Nothing is obviously good, but this is war, the girl said in her heart. Because of this, she wanted to put it to an end as soon as possible...... With everyone around you.

"Don't worry about me." She replied, "And, there is something urgent for you now, Your Highness Galaria."