In a trance, Sophie felt as if she had returned to the suffocating battlefield.
On the battlefield, high-powered magic intertwined like artillery fire, gradually bombarding groups of enemies.
The human warriors were roaring and charging.
The Demons were slaughtering in a frenzy.
The Protoss Goddess appeared in every corner like a commander who dominated the situation.
The sky, the earth, the sea …
Everything seemed to have ushered in the end of the world, bathed in blood and fear, as if it could be destroyed at any moment.
As the Elf Queen, she was at the center of the battlefield.
Beside her, other than the two trustworthy elves, there were also the brave companions, as well as the heroes of the human race and other races.
A total of 13 of them, they were regarded as the stars of the battlefield, the existence that had reached the limit of their lives, stepping into the realm known as "Legendary".
They even had the ability to change the situation of the battlefield, changing the current situation of the war. Humans and even the Protoss had high hopes for them.
However, reality slapped them hard in the face.
To this day, Sophie could still remember how hopeless she had felt when she saw "that" appear.
"— — —!!!"
It was a roar that shook the world.
It was a horn that announced death.
The roar spread through the air.
The trembling sound came from under her feet.
"It" just like that, like a natural disaster that could destroy the world, suddenly appeared.
A gigantic body that covered the sky.
A loud roar that awakened fear.
A ferocious appearance.
A terrifying murderous aura.
The largest "beast" in the world appeared on the battlefield, moving its limbs that were as big as mountains, moving its body that was as big as a continent, bringing the entire battlefield under its feet.
People saw it kick over the mountains with their own eyes.
People saw it break through the clouds with their own eyes.
Fear.
Despair.
Insignificance.
Powerlessness.
Those were the emotions in the hearts of everyone on the battlefield at that time.
Sophie could even clearly see her trusted subordinates and the other 10 heroes of the human race trembling.
The trembling that originated from instinct uncontrollably emerged from the bottom of everyone's heart.
Even the existence known as heroes couldn't avoid it.
Because, after all, they were still mortals.
Because, after all, they were still mortals.
It was no longer a matter of whether or not they had the chance to win, but whether they were on the same level.
Sophie could be sure that, if it weren't for the wailing around them and the fall of so many companions, the 13 of them wouldn't have the courage to challenge the world-destroying beast.
And in the situation where they overestimated themselves and issued the challenge, in the end, more than half of the 13 people were still killed on the spot.
Sophie was lucky.
No, not only Sophie, but Reya and Nya were also lucky.
This was because they were not warriors who needed to charge and break through the enemy lines, but mages who needed to support from the rear. That world-destroying ferocious beast had never cast its gaze on the "insignificant" mages. It only attacked the "flies" that were harassing it and rushing toward it.
So, the three of them all survived.
However, everything that happened in that battle was still firmly engraved in the depths of their hearts, and they would never be able to forget it.
People called it Psychological Shadow.
People called it.
For those who had personally experienced all of this, if they didn't have any psychological trauma, then they were all fools who forgot the pain after the scars healed.
In that battle, they were hailed as the Thirteen Heroes, but they had merely obstructed the footsteps of the world-destroying beast. The price they paid was the sacrifice of more than half of their people.
Sophie couldn't imagine what would have happened to them if Hero Mithra hadn't defeated the Demon King with the help of the Supreme God Omnys, causing the Demons to give up fighting.
Was he burned to ashes by the raging flames of the fierce beasts that blotted out the sky?
Or would they have been turned into minced meat under its mountain-like limbs?
Anyway, Sophie couldn't imagine any other outcome.
Now, the world-destroying beast that brought despair and fear to everyone on the battlefield, the Demonic Beast of the Six Great Demons, appeared in the Elven Homeland, in front of Sophie.
It didn't have a body that could cover the sky, nor did it let out a roar of death. Instead, it was like a small pet, turning into a furry little beast and standing there.
"You haven't changed at all." Lide looked at Sophie and said casually: "You're still so beautiful, so aloof, just like you were in the past. How nostalgic."
"Your Highness must be joking." Sophie smiled bitterly: "Her Highness Lide is the one. She's as powerful as she was back then."
"Is that so?" Lide raised his eyebrows and smiled: "It seems that your words are still as pleasant as ever. I've come to see you in this form, yet you still say that I'm powerful. Isn't it bad to flatter me too much?"
"I'm not flattering you." Sophie shook her head and said: "Sophie will never forget the true form of Your Highness. That scene has been deeply engraved in Sophie's heart. Even though Your Highness has changed your body for the sake of convenience, Sophie can still see the unparalleled power from Your Highness' aura and magic power."
This was the truth.
Even though Lide's current body and aura were worlds apart from the past, Sophie wasn't naive enough to think that this furry little beast was easy to bully.
Sophie knew very well that as long as Lide was willing, he could return to his previous form at any time.
At that time, apart from the supreme expert of the God Race, who would be able to truly threaten her in Omni Potansen?
"You're good at everything, but you're just too stubborn." Lide laughed and shook his head: "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Relax. It's been a thousand years since I've returned to my previous form. I don't think I'll have the chance to do so again in the future, right?"
"Is that so?" Sophie was a little surprised.
"At least, that's what I hope." Lide looked at Sophie and stopped smiling. He said in a serious tone: "As long as war doesn't happen again, I won't have to return to my previous form, just like I have for the past thousand years, right?"
These words made Sophie silent for a moment. Then, as if she had relaxed, she smiled.
"Your Highness is right." Sophie also said sincerely: "Now we all understand that whether it's the humans, the Protoss, or the Demons, none of them want war to happen."
This was also the reason why Lide and Sophie could put aside their differences and coexist peacefully.
The pursuit of peace was the most fundamental desire in everyone's heart.
That was why the three races were able to exchange for a thousand years of peace. The Elves were also moved by this and set up a Peace Sacrifice to welcome this day.
Unfortunately …
"There will always be some who can't stand the appearance of peace. They don't want to live a stable life, and for some groundless reasons, they will try to destroy the prosperity that we have spent a thousand years to create."
Lide's voice became cold as he said this.
Reiya and Niya's hearts skipped a beat. They didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
Sophie's expression also darkened.
"So the Demonic Alchemy Ritual has appeared again in the Tagore Forest?"
Sophie asked in a low voice.
"That's what happened." Lide nodded and said: "Although the ritual has been disrupted by Milu and me, and most of the Demonic Alchemists born from the ritual have been destroyed by the interesting little guys that we recruited at the last minute, but the person behind the ritual may not have left yet. It's very likely that he's still in the Tagore Forest."
"The person behind the ritual …" Sophie frowned and quickly asked: "Could it be the [Primordial Demon]'s people?"
"Who knows?" Lide said unhappily: "Maybe it's the same as the previous times, a third party that was used by the [Primordial Demon]. Who knows?"
"Is that so?" Sophie pondered for a moment and said, "I understand. Your Highness wants us elves to search the Tagore Forest, right?"
"Yes." Sophie said: "The previous times, we had sent the Demons to search the Tagore Forest, but they found nothing. So this time, I want to ask the Elves for help."
The Elves were locals, after all. Although they didn't control the entire Tagore Forest, their understanding and familiarity with the Tagore Forest was definitely better than the Demons.
Plus, the Elves were the favored children of nature, and they were very sensitive to abnormal mana. If they were the ones to search the forest, there might be a different result.
The reason why Lide wanted to drag Shien along was because he wanted to see what the guy who kidnapped his sister was capable of, and also because the Demons had never found anything when they tried to do it themselves.
Therefore, this time, Lide wanted to borrow the power of an outsider to see if he could cause any chemical reaction.
"This should be our own business. It's the Demons who have these black sheep among us, so we should be the ones to solve it." Lide said in a deep voice: "But the [Original Demon]'s activities are getting more and more unscrupulous and frequent. In the past, the demonic ritual that only appeared in the Demon Realm and the Tagore Forest has appeared in other places in the human realm, such as the Adol Canyon in the Mithra Kingdom. Even the Empire has been acting strangely recently. All of this makes me feel a little uneasy."
This was also a problem that the higher-ups of the three races were worried about recently.
Judging from the movements of the [Original Demon], it was certain that the plan to create the seventh demon that had been going on for a thousand years was nearing its end and was about to succeed.
"If the old Demons had a demon, it would be a disaster for the three races," Lide said to Sophie. "So, I have no choice but to be thick-skinned and use all the power I have."
Hearing this, Sophie's expression became serious.
"Rest assured, Your Highness." Sophie promised: "This is related to world peace, and we, the Elves, will not shirk our responsibilities. Otherwise, we will not have the face to see our Goddess of Nature in the future."
"Nadura, is it?" Lide curled his lips and said: "It would be great if that Goddess was here. With her power, she should be able to find something, right?"
Lide acknowledged the power of the Goddess of Nature.
Perhaps the Goddess of Nature's power was not as strong as a demon like him, but she had transcended the limits of life and could pose a threat to the demon, at least not without the ability to fight back.
Moreover, the most troublesome thing about the Goddess of Nature was that she could manipulate nature and even transform herself into nature.
Once she used this power, other than the Demon King and the Supreme God, no one would be able to detect her existence, let alone hurt her. She could spy on the entire world, and except for a few special situations, nothing could escape her eyes since she had become one with nature. Even the Supreme of the Demons, Sylar, once felt that this was extremely troublesome.
Back then, the one who discovered the existence of the old Demons, the [Original Demon], and the demonic ritual was also this Goddess of Nature.
This Goddess of Nature would sometimes descend and transform herself into nature to spy on the entire human world, so it was not strange that she could discover the conspiracy of the [Original Demon].
If it were not for the fact that the [Original Demon] was too cunning and well-hidden, active not only in the human world but also in the demon world, frequently changing their positions, and researching some methods to avoid the Goddess of Nature's prying eyes, they would have been discovered and uprooted by the Goddess of Nature.
Lide believed that in this era, the one who could pose the greatest threat to the [Original Demon] was this Goddess of Nature.
Thinking of this, Lide could not help but speak.
"If the Heroes were still in this world, it would be much easier to deal with the old Demons, right?"
Lide said with such sentiments.
"The Heroes …?"
Sophie also murmured, and Reiya and Niya who were beside her also fell silent.
No matter which race it was, the Braves were special existences.
The Protoss saw the Heroes as their trump card.
The humans saw the Heroes as their religion.
Even the Demons saw the Heroes as a target of fear.
If there were still Heroes in this era, would the so-called old Demons still dare to be so arrogant?
Would the [Original Demon], the Seventh Demon and the new Demon King still be a threat when facing the Heroes of the Legends?
This thought made Sophie feel a little melancholy.
"Perhaps, the Heroes could really appear again," Sophie said. "Mithra's Sacred Sword has been inherited by the kingdom's treasure, and in time, she will definitely become the Hero of this era."
"Perhaps." Lide seemed to be a little disapproving, but then he seemed to have thought of something and smiled. "Or, in this era, other than the Heroes, there is another interesting little fellow who deserves our attention."
Sophie did not understand the meaning of this sentence.
Lide also did not explain.
"Anyway, I will leave this matter to you two." Lide said to Sophie again. "During this period, we will temporarily stay here. If there is any situation, you can inform me."
"Yes." Sophie nodded solemnly. "If there is any situation, I will inform Your Highness immediately."
"Good." A trace of fierceness flashed on Lide's face as he said, "This time, not only me and Milu, but also Ai Yi and the Evil God Lilith are here. I don't believe that in the face of this power, a mere [Original Demon] can cause any trouble."
Leaving such words behind, Lide disappeared in a flash.
Only Sophie was left, looking in the direction where Lide disappeared. After a long time, she spoke in a faint voice.
"Can we … really hope that the Heroes will appear …?"
This was a question without an answer.
