【 THE ELVES DECLARATION OF WAR 】

Eve channeled some of her divine power before connecting herself through the game system.

“So, 91,000 players have already reached level 30? Hmm… Over 40,000 are above level 25, and 5,000 are at level 29. At this rate, the number of players reaching level 30 will exceed 100,000 within a week.”

“Well… the players exploring the desert are also approaching the orcs’ core territory. In a way, their speed and efficiency are quite satisfactory.”

Evé nodded lightly, feeling both pleased and relieved after checking on the overall progression of the playerbase.

Shifting her consciousness elsewhere, she once again took on the form of Zero and descended into her private chamber within the central temple of the Chosen City.

Stepping out of the chamber, she made her way to the temple’s main hall, her footsteps light yet commanding.

As always, the temple was bustling with activity.

Most of those present were players, either browsing the exchange store or applying for a class change. Only a small number of natives dressed as priests served as temple administrators in charge of issuing daily tasks.

The moment Evé set foot in the area, all eyes within the vicinity immediately turned towards her.

The native priests greeted her with respectful smiles, their faces glowing with reverence. Whereas, the players regarded her with curiosity, excitement, and eager anticipation.

“Big Sis is here!”

“Quick, let’s go flatter her!”

“See if there’s a hidden quest!”

Yet, despite the players enthusiasm, no one dared to approach her. Not for lack of desire per se, but out of caution instead.

After all, ever since Evé had issued several hidden quests under the guise of Zero, this identity of hers had become the second most popular NPC among players after the goddess herself.

For this reason, for quite a long time afterwards, whenever Evé appeared under the guise of Zero, a large group of players would flock to get close to her.

It was fine before the public beta, as those older players were still relatively restrained in their bootlicking.

But after the latest game update, especially following Eve’s public appearance in Florence, where she effortlessly subdued the red dragon Tiberia, the newer players developed a strong interest in her.

Thereafter, as the newbies exchanged information with veteran players, her reputation as the “Big Sis Full of Hidden Quests” spread like wildfire.

From then on, whenever Eve appeared as Zero, players would swarm around her like frenzied fans at a celebrity event—jostling forward, calling out to her, and vying for her attention in hopes of triggering a hidden quest.

It reached the point where simply moving through the crowd became a challenge. Thus, it became hard to maintain order whenever she appeared.

Of course, Evé understood that most players didn’t actually like her disguise. A few certainly admired Zero’s mysterious persona, but for the vast majority, their enthusiasm stemmed purely from the rewards and opportunities she offered.

In the end, she had to use her trump card.

That is, to lower the favorability of any player who approached or disturbed her without permission.

Only then did things finally settle down, leading to the current situation.

After Evé showed herself, players noticed her with expressions alight with excitement, yet no one dared to step forward. However, they also didn’t leave. Instead, they lingered at a cautious distance, trailing behind her.

As word spread around, even more players rushed over to take a look, making the already crowded temple even more packed.

Evé, however, paid little attention to most of these players.

Instead, her gaze quickly settled on a particular priest-class player.

With the priest class now available, many players had chosen it as their main jobclass. Now, it had become common to see these player priests assisting in temples, working under the natives to run errands and relay church messages.

This particular priest player was one of them.

As Eve’s gaze fell upon him, the priest-player also excitedly locked eyes with her.

In that instant, Eve could sense the player shudder. His breathing grew heavier, as if he had just won the lottery—or like a concubine suddenly chosen by the emperor.

Without hesitation, Evé walked straight up to him.

She extended her hand and placed a scroll into his grasp.

Though confused, the priest-player hurriedly accepted it with great reverence.

“Deliver this message to Li Mu.”

Eve’s voice was cool and composed.

“To Brother Mu?”

The priest-player blinked in surprise.

At the same time, a system notification appeared—he had received the ‘Deliver a Message’ quest, which came with generous rewards.

His eyes lit up, and he immediately stood at attention, saluting.

“I’ll make sure to complete this quest at all cost!”

Delivering a message was a common task that most NPCs frequently entrusted to players.

Thanks to the in-game chat system, players could relay information quickly, making them the perfect couriers. NPCs were happy with their efficiency, and players enjoyed the easy rewards.

Seeing him accept the task, Evé gave a small nod.

Then, without another word, she turned and left.

It was only after her figure vanished from sight that the other players could no longer hold back. They swiftly swarmed the priest-player, their excitement bubbling over.

“Jelly! What quest did Big Sis give you?”

“A delivery quest? What kind of message?”

“Is it a hidden quest?”

“So jealous…”

The players bombarded him with questions.

Meanwhile, the priest-player named Jelly immediately unrolled the scroll.

As he read the contents of the scroll, Jerry’s eyes lit up, and his expression grew expectant.

“An envoy? A divine kingdom? Hiss… Is the war finally about to begin?!”

The very next moment, a global system announcement rang out, notifying everyone:

【❗】

【Hidden Questline: “The World Tree’s Divine Kingdom” has been triggered.】

【Quest Description: Rumors of the ‘World Tree’s Divine Kingdom’ have spread across the Desert of Death. Though the truth remains uncertain, as believers and loyal protectors of the Goddess, we must prepare for full-scale war…】

【The elven legions are nearly ready. For the sake of ultimate victory, we must push forward one last time!】

【Special Effect Triggered: War Preparations】

【War Preparations: For the next week, all players will receive double experience points.】

“Double EXP?!”

The moment the buff appeared, the playerbase erupted in excitement.

༺⟐༻

Desert of Death, Silver Canopy Tribe

The Silver Canopy Tribe was the largest orc settlement closest to the Dark Mountains and served as the first line of defense against the elves raiding the desert.

Like other tribes, Silver Canopy had hastily constructed fortifications with assistance from Sauron’s personnel once the elves began their relentless raids. Though simple in design, the defenses were sturdy—reinforced earthen walls, wooden barricades, and watchtowers manned day and night.

With its formidable walls and a population exceeding ten thousand, no elves had dared to launch a direct assault so far. Their hit-and-run tactics favored stealth and surprise, but against such a heavily fortified settlement, they had yet to make a move.

As a result, the Silver Canopy Tribe had become the safest refuge within the so-called “Elven Disaster Zone.”

Weary survivors from other tribes, displaced by the ceaseless raids, flocked to its gates. As such, several smaller tribes had already gathered outside its walls, seeking protection from the elves’ ruthless attacks, their tents and makeshift shelters forming a sprawling encampment.

Atop one of the watchtowers along Silver Canopy’s walls, a bored orc sentry leaned against the railing, lazily scanning the vast wasteland beyond. The monotonous landscape stretched endlessly before him, the occasional gust of wind kicking up swirls of dust.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something unusual.

“What’s that?”

He looked toward the north.

A cloud of dust was rising over the distant hills…

His heart clenched, and his expression grew tense.

Quickly, the orc sentry raised the spyglass he had purchased from Sauron and peered in the direction of the dust cloud.

Then, he saw them—

Flags.

Numerous fluttering banners, rippling in the wind like storm-tossed waves.

A black double-headed eagle.

A golden iris.

A strange geometric emblem.

A menacing black dragon.

Each sigil was unmistakable, their colors stark against the dusty horizon. These banners were all too familiar to any orc living in the desert.

The sentry’s expression shifted slightly as he lowered his gaze.

There, riding in neat formation atop various magical beasts, were heavily armed elves, charging forward in perfect unison.

At a glance, their numbers exceeded two thousand.

“Damn it! It’s those evil elves who wiped out those mid-sized tribes!”

The orc sentry’s face turned ghastly pale as realization struck him like a hammer. Without hesitation, he seized the warning bell and began ringing it furiously.

The sharp, metallic echoes rippled across the settlement, bouncing off the crude fortifications and reaching every corner of the tribe. Within moments, the once-lively streets fell into chaos as each orcs in the vicinity immediately dropped what they were doing and turned their gazes toward the horizon.

Even with Silver Canopy Tribe’s formidable defenses, panic spread like wildfire.

There was no helping it—the mere reputation of these elves was terrifying enough.

Their recent conquests had left a deep scar on the orcs, a lingering fear that refused to fade. Most smaller tribes had practically vanished overnight, with entire population wiped out before they could even mount a defense.

Wherever these elves appeared, destruction followed.

And now, they had come for Silver Canopy Tribe.

It wasn’t until the approaching elven force arrived beneath their walls that the tribal leaders finally managed to restore order.

“Do not panic!” the tribe’s High Priest bellowed from atop the walls. “There aren’t many of them! They cannot defeat us!”

After calming the crowd, he turned his attention to the elves outside the walls.

A trace of doubt flickered in his eyes.

These elves’ numbers were not large—only about two thousand.

That might be enough to ambush and destroy a mid-sized tribe, but against a well-prepared large tribe like them?

They had no chance of victory.

Yet, curiously, these elves had not attacked.

Instead, they remained stationed just out of range of the orc archers.

“What are they doing?”

The High Priest frowned in confusion.

Then, someone from the elven army moved.

A dragon-riding elf at the front whispered something to his companion.

Moments later, an elven archer stepped forward, raising his bow.

The archer drew the string to its limit, the arrow shimmering with magical energy—

Then, he fired.

The arrow shot straight toward the High Priest atop the walls.

“High Priest, look out!”

The surrounding orc warriors cried out in alarm.

But the High Priest didn’t move.

A mere Silver-ranked archer’s attack was nothing to a Gold-rank expert like him.

The orc High Priest could tell that the arrow was never truly aimed at him and was merely intentionally shot in his direction.

The arrow arrived in an instant, striking a stone pillar in front of him. Attached to its shaft was a strip of parchment.

“Hmm?”

His expression shifted slightly as he retrieved the parchment and unrolled it.

It was filled with notes, written in the common tongue of the continent. Having received an education from the church, the High Priest could just barely make out its meaning:

“To the filthy and wicked orcs,”

“You have one week to return our World Tree’s divine kingdom.”

“Our army is prepared. If you persist in your defiance, then be prepared to face the wrath of our Goddess, Her Holiness! You will suffer Her divine punishment, and the iron hooves of our elven legions shall trample every Orc in the Desert of Death to dust!”

“Our Goddess’s radiance shall shine upon all!”

The High Priest’s expression grew heavy.

“A declaration of war…?”

Lifting his gaze once more, he saw that the elven army had already turned and was retreating into the distance.

His grip on the parchment tightened as he reread its words.

“The Goddess’s wrath… Her radiance shall shine upon all…”

His face darkened.

“Does this mean… that existence hiding within the Elven Forest will intervene personally? That it won’t just be her followers the elves attacking us?!”

“Is She truly going to break the covenant between the gods?”

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

No one in this world could withstand the wrath of a true god.

And if a deity with their true form anchored within Seigües were to go mad and personally make a move then…

No race would dare provoke such a catastrophe!

“I must report this to the church at once! I must pray to our Divine Father immediately!”

༺⟐༻

The Heavenly Realm, The Dominion of Hunt-Frost

Within the divine kingdom of winter and hunt, Uller reached out with a single finger.

The vision before him shattered like glass.

“Hah…threatening me?”

A low chuckle escaped his lips, tinged with equal parts mockery and disdain.

Rising from his divine throne, he approached a rotating sphere of shadowed light, his lips moving in a quiet incantation.

As his words took form, the sphere pulsed with dark radiance, expanding into a swirling veil of shadow.

It was a projection of a dimensional space beyond the Heavenly realm.

Uller channeled his divine power, casting his awareness into its depths as it connects somewhere within the cosmic void.

One by one, four powerful presences emerged one after another, their mere existence exuding an aura of terror.

Luria the fallen angel glanced at Uller from across the void and let out a soft laugh.

“Uller, you called us in such an urgent way, what happened?”

Uller ignored him.

His gaze locked onto the one seated at the head of the gathering—Hodür, the Lord of Darkness and Shadow.

“Lord Hodür, I have received a declaration of war from that evil god Evé.”

“She demands that I return ‘that’ divine kingdom within a week, or she will launch an invasion of the Desert of Death. She also hinted at personally taking action herself.”

As he spoke, he conjured an illusion of the parchment the elves had sent to one of his believers.

Hodür glanced at the parchment, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh?”

“So… She hasn’t completely lost her mind after all. There’s still some reasoning left as she knows a true god cannot personally intervene recklessly.”

“Of course, there’s also the possibility that she’s merely stalling for time. If that’s the case… things might become more interesting.”

A knowing smirk crossed his lips.

“Heh… If she truly is who I suspect, then even if she’s buying time, it’ll only prolong her struggle by a few days at best.”

He chuckled to himself.

Uller’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.

“Should I send a reply? Or should we simply wait a week for her to reveal herself?”

Hodür gave a slight shake of his head.

“Ignore her.”

“Instead, let’s use this time to perfect our trap.”

“Heh… A week from now, we’ll know exactly who she is.”

“For now, begin war preparations.”

Uller hesitated for a moment.

“Lord Hodür… Are you truly not going to send in your Shadow Legion?”

Hodür cast him a sidelong glance.

“Worried about your believers suffering heavy losses? That your divine power will be affected?”

Uller remained silent.

Hodür scoffed.

“Think bigger, Uller.”

“If you can truly obtain the Divinity of Life and Nature, then your future path will be far smoother.”

“Don’t let minor losses cloud your judgment.”

With those words, he shook his head and dismissed his projection.

Moments later, fallen angel Luria and the Queen of Pain Alisa also departed.

Uller lingered for a moment, a flicker of struggle in his expression.

Then, gritting his teeth, he gave a resolute nod before vanishing as well.

The entire area fell into silence once more.

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