"Shatter!"

Agatha, influenced by the corrupted bloodline, was already starting to lose control. In addition, Coco's mention of her parents brought a surge of emotions, causing the dark magic that originally belonged to the Dark Elf to go out of control.

The direct effect of this magic going out of control was a tremendous increase in the power of the dark whirlwind formed by the dark magic mist. The protective barrier Coco had created for the Tree God was now on the brink of shattering.

As the one maintaining the shield, Coco keenly felt the power of the dark whirlwind. If her defense were to break, both she and Sylvie would be seriously injured, and the students could even be in mortal danger.

There was no time for hesitation anymore. While maintaining the protection of the Tree God, Coco started to gather some magic power to prepare for another spell. "Listen closely, once the shield shatters, immediately fall back and withdraw from the battlefield at the fastest speed."

Fighting against the demons was not Galandria's obligation, and staying to fight had already been driven by the students' sense of justice and passion. Moreover, each and every student brought to the Elf Kingdom were geniuses. If there were to be any casualties, it would be a great loss.

As the fluctuations in the dark whirlwind became more terrifying, the protective barrier of the Tree God shattered, and the surrounding air seemingly turned gelatinous in an instant. Surging pressure came from all directions, making every Galandria student feel difficulty breathing.

However, thanks to Agatha's release of the dark whirlwind, its astonishing power even made the demon warriors on the same front unwilling to be affected. They retreated one after another, clearing a path for the Galandria students to escape.

The Elves maintained their formation and swiftly retreated. A group of a few people would not draw much attention, and the demon warriors did not hinder them too much either. Although Milt was at a disadvantage, its counterattack was still fierce. The bulk of the enemy forces were too preoccupied to bother with a few obstacles, and if they encountered any roadblocks, they could quickly defeat or bypass them with coordinated strikes.

However, when they reached the edge of the battlefield, the students realized that two people were missing from their group.

Initially, Agatha did not intervene to stop the Galandria students from retreating. One reason being her goals were not within them, and the other being that someone was blocking the route of pursuit.

"Guardian of the World Tree - Tree Guardian!"

The ground beneath their feet suddenly cracked open, and the silent Tree Guardian, nearly ten meters tall, emerged from underground. Its sturdy arms protected it, blocking the undiminished force of the dark whirlwind.

As Coco infused her own magic power into the Tree Guardian's body, it too gained strength. A layer of emerald radiance covered its body, and with a deep roar, it extended its hands into the center of the swirling winds, tearing it apart with a burst of magic power and formidable strength.

"Now, we can have a proper one-on-one battle."

Coco stood on the Tree Guardian's shoulder, looking down at Agatha from a higher vantage point.

"Phew... It's good that there are fewer obstacles now." Agatha also managed to regain some control over her nearly out-of-control flow of magic power. Her blood-red eyes stared fixedly at Coco, revealing an unreserved desire.

But before she could make a move to attack, a streak of light arrived in an instant. Agatha hadn't even had a chance to react when her left shoulder exploded into a gaping hole, and her arm spun and fell to the ground.

"Oh? So, there's still one more, huh?"

Although she had lost an arm and her shoulder was completely destroyed, Agatha's body strangely did not bleed a drop of blood. Flowing from the severed stump was a black sludge-like liquid that quickly filled the wound and even reshaped a new arm.

"This fellow is no longer a conventional lifeform, Your Highness Irizer, please be cautious."

Silverson, who shot the explosive arrow, put away his bow and lightly stepped on the tree guardian, quickly arriving next to Coco.

"That's not the point! Didn't I say that everyone should leave? Without your protection, it's not certain that the students can safely evacuate,” Coco said, a bit angry but also helpless.

"Your Highness, please trust them. Besides, protecting you is my top priority, and this guy is not an opponent to be easily defeated," Silverson said, preparing for battle once again.

Silverson pulled his bow again, aiming at the now recovered Agatha, feeling a sense of worry.

According to Agatha, her own fallen bloodline was different from the Dark Elves. Although Dark Elves could draw magic from blood as well, the conversion rate was very low. That was the reason why they had such a convenient way to increase their power, yet the Elf Kingdom was able to push them to the brink of extinction.

But Agatha's current level of magic had already reached the point where she could materialize it and replace her body. This kind of magic was definitely not on the same level as the Dark Elf's conversion ability; it was more "advanced."

Although the specific reason was unclear, it was certain that her power was unquestionably formidable below the Holy Rank.

"You still think about going back to your previous appearance? In this situation, even if you obtain my blood, you will only become a more terrifying monster," Coco sighed. "Tree guardian, attack!"

The tree guardian took a giant step and stomped towards Agatha, while Silverson jumped down and shot several arrows in the air, each containing powerful explosive magic that would detonate upon impact.

"Monster? Me?"

Agatha, however, did not respond, but became stunned after hearing Coco's words. She looked down at her own hands. Although her strong magic allowed her to perfectly mimic her original appearance, when looking through the false facade, all she saw was an endless chaotic flow of dark magic.

Why... did it turn out like this? I only wanted to go back to how I used to be... For that, I used those Dark Elves, attacked the capital of the Elf Kingdom, and even fully unleashed the monster within my bloodline to obtain power...

I wanted to eliminate the monster within my body, but I borrowed power from it? In an instant, Agatha's heart was strongly shaken.

No, it's not like that, no!

But you are already a monster, aren't you? A voice in her mind questioned her like that.

Boom!

The explosive arrow hit, and Agatha's body was instantly engulfed in flames. Then, the tree guardian's foot came crashing down, crushing the flames and Agatha together.

"She didn't fight back?"

Coco stood on the tree's shoulder, holding onto its neck, feeling very surprised.

"Your Highness, please be cautious. We haven't confirmed the enemy's death... Be careful!"

Silverson, who had landed steadily behind them, suddenly saw the black magic flowing and spreading under the tree guardian's feet like a large swamp. While loudly warning them, he quickly rushed up.

The tree guardian's body suddenly stiffened, and the black magic under its feet seemed to possess vitality as it defied gravity and flowed up its body.

Realizing that he could no longer control the tree guardian's actions, Coco also sensed the danger, decisively giving up on the tree guardian and jumping away, just in time to be caught by Silverson.

"What is that? Magic?"

Coco turned around in surprise and looked at the tree guardian covered in black slimy magic, which completely digested the massive creature like a giant slime.

The black slimy magic dissolved, revealing a dark black circular platform rising slowly in the center. Agatha, with her golden hair transformed into dark black, stretched lazily and opened her increasingly crimson eyes after letting her previously tied-up long hair loose.

"Thank you so much, Princess Coco. You were right, relying on monsters themselves to eliminate monsters is simply impossible. I... I can't go back anymore."

Coco and Sylvester stared at her as if facing a formidable enemy. After devouring the tree guardian, Agatha's previously depleted magic had been completely restored, while Coco had expended a significant amount of power summoning the tree guardian.

Now, relying solely on the two of them, even if they both possessed ninth-level strength, it would be incredibly difficult to deal with this seemingly completely awakened and reborn dark creature.

"Die!"

At this point, Agatha no longer needed any form of magic to attack. Her black slimy magic served as both a spear and a shield, merging offense and defense. Its effectiveness was multiplied countless times, and most importantly, it was under her complete control. With just a thought, dozens or even hundreds of dark black spikes shot towards Coco and Sylvester.

Sylvester, still leading the charge, stood in front of Coco. He was not a shield warrior and was not skilled in protective magic. Moreover, considering the power of the previous dark tornado, even protective magic might not be reliable.

Therefore, the only option at this moment was to replace defense with offense and find a breakthrough point in the opponent's attack using the strongest spear.

"Glorious - Unparalleled!"

Both his magic and Chi were concentrated in this one arrow. Sylvester pulled the bowstring to the fullest extent, and even when it seemed like it couldn't stretch any further, he twisted the bowstring with his index and middle fingers three more times, causing his fingers to be cut and blood to flow.

Coco understood his intention and silently chanted a spell, strengthening the arrow with three overlapping enchantments: piercing, explosive, and acceleration.

Then, an arrow propelled by the power of ninth-level magic and Chi howled through the air, its might surpassing even Aya's Golden Dragon Fist. It smoothly tore through the spikes, and with its residual force, pierced through Agatha's body, causing a large amount of black liquid to splash like blood. The immense force bent Agatha's upper body downward.

"The power of ninth-level full force is indeed formidable... but too bad you forgot that piercing through my body is useless, didn't you?"

Agatha, who had fallen, burst into maniacal laughter. In the moment Sylvester exhausted his strength, another spike aimed at Coco like a sniper, intending to pierce her.

Agatha had already chosen the angle, and with the speed of this stored-up strike, Coco would not have enough time to dodge. Her magic was imbued with the corruptive bloodline's devouring absorption ability. Once the strike hit, Coco's precious blood would become Agatha's own.

Although she understood that it might not be possible to eliminate the corruptive bloodline intertwined with her, the energy contained in Coco's blood still irresistibly attracted Agatha.

However, the spike ultimately did not touch Coco's body.

Crimson blood gushed out from the wound and was instantly absorbed by the black spike. The spike trembled violently, attempting to continue its attack, but a solid chest and a pair of hands firmly stopped it.

"Be more careful next time... Coco."