Chapter 1516: Eva

"Attack! Attack!"

"All combat units, take position! Maximize energy barrier output!"

"Elementalists, prepare long-range bombardment! Warriors, follow me!"

"......"

The commander's hoarse shouts echoed across the wall.

Eva spun around sharply, her emerald hair whipping through the air.

One step forward, and she stood suspended in midair beyond the wall.

In her hand, the longbow was drawn taut, emerald energy coalescing into a brilliant light arrow upon the string.

Far on the horizon, a dark fleet tore through the clouds, surging like a swarm of locusts!

Leading the fleet was a black main vessel a kilometer long, its hull engraved with a black ancient tree crest.

That was the totem emblem of the enemy planet.

In the bridge command room, the planet's lord, 'Kroog,' sneered at Eva's image on the holographic screen.

He stood nearly three meters tall, his skin dark red, curved horns rising from his skull, muscles knotted like steel.

He was not a pure-blooded elf, but a half-elf fused with other bloodlines.

Thus, he looked vastly different from ordinary elves.

"A Universe Stage One elf girl... held out this long. It's time to end it."

Kroog licked his fangs, his crimson eyes brimming with greed.

But soon, his rugged, dark-red face twisted into fawning smiles.

He bowed slightly and spoke respectfully to the inscrutable figure beside him:

"My lord, you'll need to intervene shortly.

This elf girl may be only Universe Stage One, but she has many tricks.

She's stubborn—I can't handle her alone."

Beside him stood a towering figure clad in dark-gold battle armor.

This man, named Daryl, had appeared suddenly a few days ago.

He claimed he could help Kroog conquer Elvin Star completely, on one condition: Eva must die.

Kroog privately muttered to himself.

He didn't know where this mysterious powerhouse came from, or why he demanded Eva's life.

But since the man was willing to help, Kroog was more than happy.

Who cared about his origins? As long as he helped seize this rich planet.

Eliminating the troublesome elf lord was a good thing.

Daryl merely nodded coldly in response.

A cold, emotionless voice emerged from beneath the dark-gold mask: "Let's go."

At those words, the warship's hatch burst open.

Two figures descended from above, one behind the other, like falling stars.

Carrying immense pressure, they hovered steadily in midair before the Elvin Star fortress wall.

"Kroog, you still...?!"

Eva's emerald hair whipped in the wind, her emerald longbow fully drawn, the light arrow poised to fire.

She was about to snap a cold rebuke.

But her gaze locked onto the dark-gold figure beside Kroog—her pupils shrank sharply.

The words died on her lips.

Universe Stage?!

That unrelenting, ocean-deep pressure—only a Universe High Stage powerhouse could radiate such might!

Watching Eva's stunned, uncertain expression,

Kroog burst into a coarse, grating laugh:

"Eva! You were so fierce, weren't you?

Didn't you claim you'd fight me to the death? Why are you silent now?"

He pointed at Daryl beside him, his tone utterly arrogant:

"Look closely!

This is Lord Daryl—a peerless powerhouse of Universe Stage Seven!

What can your ragtag remnants do against him?

Your time is up!"

Boom—

His voice exploded like thunder, accompanied by the tangible, terrifying pressure of a Universe Stage Seven powerhouse.

The entire battlefield seemed frozen in an instant.

On the wall, the eight thousand elf warriors turned deathly pale.

Many trembled, their grip on weapons shaking.

Universe Stage Seven!

What did that even mean?

Their lord, Eva, had strained to the limit just to hold her own against Universe Stage One Kroog.

Now, facing a foe six grand stages higher, there was not even a sliver of resistance left.

Alice stood beside Eva, her slender body trembling uncontrollably.

Her gray-green eyes turned to her sister, filled with despair:

"Sister... what... what do we do?"

Eva bit her lower lip so hard it nearly bled.

The emerald glow in her eyes rapidly dimmed; a profound, unprecedented sense of helplessness and icy dread surged in her heart.

Universe Rank Seven...

Let alone that she was merely newly entered into Universe Rank One.

Even if granted a thousand or ten thousand years of arduous cultivation, she could never bridge such a vast chasm.

Where on earth had Kroog summoned such a powerhouse from?

In the entire galaxy, Universe Ranks were few and far between.

She had never heard of any Universe Rank Seven named Daryl.

But thinking about it anymore was useless.

A Universe Rank Seven powerhouse was utterly unstoppable...

"Hah! That's the expression I love!"

Kroog took in Eva's despair with cruel satisfaction.

His heart surged with delight; he sneered and turned to Daryl:

"My lord, strike now!

Destroy this elf girl—Elvin Star will be ours for the taking!"

Yet Daryl did not move immediately.

His head, shrouded in dark-gold face armor, lifted slightly.

As if sensing something, his brows twitched faintly; his gaze snapped toward the distant heavens.

Almost at the same instant—

Hummm!!!

The space surrounding Elvin Star violently shuddered!

Not the roar of warship engines, but a far grander, older resonance.

It came from the depths of the cosmos, sweeping across the entire star region in an instant!

"What is that?!"

Kroog gasped, looking up.

The once smoke-choked, gloomy sky above them

Was now ripped apart by countless brilliant emerald beams!

Those beams carried pure, overwhelming life energy—as if all the vitality of the universe had converged at this moment!

Then, beneath countless stunned gazes,

Massive starships, so colossal they choked the breath from onlookers, slowly emerged from warped space ripples.

Unlike ordinary cosmic vessels, they were entirely forged from translucent emerald branches and leaves.

Their hulls shimmered with soft green radiance, like ancient divine trees carved into war behemoths.

At their prows burned intricate, sacred emblems of intertwined silver moon and ancient tree.

That was the symbol of the Elven Royal Court!

"The Elven Royal Court's fleet? How could they possibly be here?"

Kroog's sneer froze instantly; confusion clouded his face.

Even Daryl's cold, expressionless visage tightened slightly.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

One... two... three...

Exactly ten Royal-Class Life Tree Warships.

Arranged in battle formation, they descended upon Elvin Star's outer space like a sky-covering tide!

Each warship exceeded ten thousand meters in length.

The largest flagship stretched thirty thousand meters—like a floating emerald mountain range.

Across their hulls, countless emerald vines writhed like living things.

As leaves unfurled, they emitted a terrifying pressure that suppressed entire star systems.

But that was not the most suffocating sight.

When the fleet formation fully unfolded, figures stepped slowly from each ship's hatch, standing motionless in midair.

Most wore standard Elven battle armor, their aura deep as abysses, eyes like lightning sweeping downward.

The energy waves rippling from them made Kroog and Daryl's hearts nearly stop.

Universe Rank!

All of them were Universe Rank!

A quick count revealed over a hundred Universe Rank warriors lined the void.

Among them, even several high-tier Universe Rank beings were present!

Like the most loyal guardians, they surrounded the central flagship—the largest of all.