The five Tier 8 Undead acted swiftly, casting powerful defensive spells. As such, countless black shields appeared around them. Then, as soon as they finished, the three pillars of light hit them again.

The power of the pillar was devastating. Although these five did the best, light magic was the nemesis of the undead. And since the attack was more concentrated this time, two undead were severely injured.

Luckily, as undead, they do not feel fear or pain. So, such an injury was insignificant to them.

"Let's proceed," commanded the Zombie General. The five raised their hands simultaneously to conjure black lights.

Tier 8 Spell: The Abyss Domain.

The sky above planet Verdant suddenly changed. No, it was not just the sky but the entire planet. A weird aura that originated from the body of the fallen demons suddenly corroded the whole planet.

The aura was eerie, disgusting, evil, and corrosive. Every fauna on this luscious green planet turned black, red, or purple. They turned from beautiful things that gave life to ugly species that resonated with despair and evil.

And the plants and flowers were not the only creatures or things affected. Every rock, dirt, water, and even the air became corrupted. The mana that existed in the surrounding turned into Dark Mana, and the leylines who were the source of the mana were also affected.

The animals mutated and became savage while also gaining more powerful spells and abilities. The elves infected by this aura immediately die, but a few survive.

But the result was something worse than death. Their bloodline, body, mana, and soul were also corrupted, turning into Abyssal Demons.

The Validor Tree acted swiftly, releasing another holy light to purify this aura. However, this was a vain attempt. So, under the control of the Queen, the tree delegated its power to protect a few of the central cities of the planet.

Unfortunately, the places not protected became hell on Earth. The entire planet formed a strange dichotomy. The places protected had a shield around them, and when observed from above, were these places where one would expect the Gods to live.

Meanwhile, outside the domes, it was hell that the devil and his minions inhabited.

Clemnor, the Capital of the Kingdom:

Queen Mirthal floated above the city, her body trembling. Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth as a result of pushing her soul and mana beyond her limit.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

Soon, blood began to drip from her eyes, and that was the result of her immense grief.

Soon afterward, eight people–including King Arion–flew to her side.

"Are you alright?" he asked but received no answer. As husband and wife, they were connected through their souls so he could feel the pain and grief she was currently dealing with. But he also knew that it was not the time to deal with such emotions.

"We need to act immediately," said one of the Elders.

"In this situation, what can we do? Guzznad has most likely sent in one of his clones. Or maybe, even showed up in person."

The Elders knew the vast difference between Tier 8 and 9. So, although they had great faith in their queen to one day rival and surpass Guzznad, now was not the time.

Since the start of the war, only one group was able to deal with one of Guzznad's clones–the Arcane Empire.

"We need to ask the Arcane Empire for help."

"Is this truly the only way?" asked a male elder. The man looked in his mid 30's, but he had an ancient aura about him, and his eyes indicated wisdom and vicissitude.

"Look at the sky; we have no other choice."

The Planetary Shield was no longer working because the Queen and the tree had to focus their defensive capabilities on the few remaining cities of the kingdom.

As such, more demons and undead rushed into the planet, not hiding their intention to corrupt and turn all living things into one of their own.

"Will they help us, is the best question," commented a female elder who looked like an elderly. However, oddly, she remained beautiful and charming despite her elderly appearance.

"The Arcane Emperor is obsessed with creating an empire where all races are equal and live in harmony. So, as long as we ask, he will send aid. Of course, because of our previous rejections, we will suffer immensely during the negotiations."

The elders stopped talking and looked at Queen Mirthal. Although they agreed with this decision, the final choice was in the hands of their queen. If she chose to find her last breath, they would not hesitate to follow her in death.

Queen Mirthal felt the gaze of the people behind. She was quiet for a brief period, looking at the current state of Planet Verdant. She has spent countless millennia in this place, watching change for the better under her reign.

She remembered the envy and desire other races and factions would have after visiting this planet, their sincere praise about the beauty of the kingdom and this planet.

And now, everything is ruined.

So, Queen Mirthal hated the undead, the Abyss Demons, and Guzznad. More importantly, she hated herself. Her arrogance is what brought her people to such a state.

She raised her hand to wipe the blood tears, "I will make the call."

She used her staff to cast a long-range communication spell. Unfortunately, there was no response. So, she tried a few more times with no response.

"Do you think the Emperor refused to accept us?" said an elder with an ugly expression.

"Not necessarily. Guzznad will not allow us to call for reinforcement. So, he might block all attempts to call for aid."

"So, what should we do?"

If they cannot call for help, their planet and race will be doomed.

"We can use the Sacred Tree," said the truly elderly Elder.

"How so?" asked the others who knew she was the oldest amongst them, thus the wisest and most knowledgeable.

'In ancient times, the High Elves used the Sacred Tree to communicate across the universe and across planes through a very intricate system and secret system.

"We can use it to communicate to all the trees in the Empire, sending them a message of our current plight."

"Is that so?" muttered another elder. "Why didn't you say so be–," the elder stopped as he answered his own question. Before then, there was no one who awakened the Sun Elf Bloodline, so this method could not be used.

"The Sacred Tree is not at its peak, so using such a method could easily injure it. But now, there is no time to hesitate."

Queen Mirthal did not waste time and immediately acted. She closed her eyes and connected to Validor. Using her bloodline as a key, she saw this intricate system that resembled tree roots.

There were so many that she was dizzy, taking a moment to get the hang of properly controlling this system. Then, she focused on the different regions of this system.

In her mind, the queen saw countless trees scattered across the entire galaxy. She discovered a great majority was infected by death energy, and a significant was corrupted and could not be accessed.

She focused on the direction of the Arcane Empire's territory, accessing most of the trees. Without hesitation, the queen sent her SOS call, hoping to save her people.

Then, she exhaled deeply as she opened her eyes.

"Now, all I have to do is resist until reinforcement arrives."

She had a look of determination. She was prepared to do whatever it took to ensure her race's survival–even if she had to sacrifice herself.