Chapter 52: Victory

Chapter 52: Victory

Then, one could see the four Warrior Lords being knocked back by Airael again and again.

The supportive magic on them was layered by Mason and Smir, over and over.

But Airael wouldn’t give them the chance to perform anymore.

The climax of this performance had already passed; it was time for her to wrap things up.

Airael maintained her golden glow, moving with incredible speed.

Whenever one of the Warrior Lords stood up, she would instantly rush over, sending them flying once more, crashing to the ground.

While she didn’t attack Mason and Smir, they felt more pressure than the four Warrior Lords combined.

Damn! This feeling of powerlessness!

Smir felt utterly dejected.

He thought it would be better to be tossed around like those Warrior Lords by Airael.

That way, he wouldn’t have to think so much.

Mason beside him felt much the same.

Though they verbally vowed to resist until the end, they now realized they didn’t even have the capacity to fight back.

In the face of Airael’s incredible speed, they could do nothing.

They could only stand there, watching helplessly as that blinding light zipped around them.

Every move guaranteed that a Warrior Lord would endure another blow.

Then they would go flying like broken dolls.

After each Warrior Lord fell four to five times, they finally couldn’t get back up anymore.

At this point, they weren’t just like broken dolls; they had become the very definition of broken dolls.

The armor on them had started to crack from Airael’s multiple attacks.

Airael then stopped, watching the struggling Elven Lords, and said, “What you’re doing is entirely pointless.”

Although they stood opposed, the tenacity of these Elven Lords was indeed admirable.

The Warrior Lords did not respond to Airael.

At this moment, Mason spoke up, “Perhaps what we’re doing is without meaning, but Your Majesty, we simply cannot accept your methods.”

“Is it for the power in your hands?”

Airael addressed him directly, a mocking expression on her face.

“There is power, but just a part of it.”

However, Mason completely brushed off Airael’s mockery and chuckled.

“Well, if your intentions aren’t solely for power, then handing that power over to me shouldn’t be an issue, right? We can negotiate everything else as we see fit.”

“Although it has little to do with power itself, if we hand over our power to you, we would lose those things in return.”

“And what are those things?”

Airael frowned and asked.

Seeing Mason’s expression, she knew this issue wouldn’t be so easy to solve.

“The value of our existence for thousands of years. After acquiring these territories, we have bound ourselves to them. For millennia, we’ve lived nearly entirely for these lands.”

“Are you afraid I’ll take your territories? You’re overthinking it. What I want is your loyalty, your lands will remain yours, and you can continue to govern them, only you must follow my orders.”

Airael shook her head.

Although she had considered abolishing the system of noble territories, that was still just a thought for now.

What she needed to do was centralize power.

As long as these Elven Lords were willing to listen to her, letting them continue to govern their own lands was no big deal.

After all, even if she didn’t let them govern, she’d have to find others to do it.

That would be a hefty burden for her as well.

After all, changing a social system isn’t a trivial matter; even if it’s to be done, it requires time to nurture and happen organically.

Otherwise, it would merely be a superficial imitation, grasping at form without capturing essence.

In contrast, as long as everything was under her control, if these noble lords were willing to heed her words, then maintaining the current system was nothing to worry about.

The arena fell silent for a moment due to Airael’s words.

At this time, the Warrior Lords had stopped resisting.

Airael’s words had moved them.

Moreover, they simply couldn’t defeat Airael right now.

And so a battle relevant to the future of the Elven Race concluded like this.

Airael showcased her overwhelming strength, crushing numerous Elven Lords, and her final words were a compromise with these lords.

Thanks to Airael’s reassurance about their territories, their worries had significantly diminished.

Moreover, because of Airael’s demonstrated might, they felt no psychological discomfort in pledging their loyalty to her.

Airael was indeed powerful, so strong that they couldn’t resist even if they joined forces.

With such a mighty queen, the future of the Elven Race held promise.

Furthermore, this Elven queen was not only strong but wise.

“We concede.”

Confirming their thoughts through glances, Mason spoke decisively.

“Great, Mason. You won’t regret your decision today.”

Airael was very pleased.

This nagging issue had finally been resolved.

Turning to the Elven Lords, Airael then addressed Linis in the stands, “Linis, let the priests come down to heal the Lords.”

Linis immediately called for the priests to enter and treat the injured Lords.

While the Elven Lords underwent treatment, Airael didn’t stay long and returned to the Avalon Royal Palace.

Elven Royal Palace.

Linis didn’t return to the Life Temple but followed Airael here.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty. With the support of those Elven Lords, Your Majesty’s orders will no doubt be smooth from here on out.”

In the office, Linis smiled at Airael.

“Although I’ve successfully tamed them, this is only the beginning.”

Airael’s gaze shifted toward the east.

“Your Majesty plans to intervene in continental matters?”

Linis immediately inquired.

“It’s not that we want to intervene; it’s that the people on the continent won’t allow us to stand by idly. Linis, you should still remember that agreement, right?”

“Of course not.”

Linis frowned unhappily.

“I am now the true queen of the Elven Race; those humans will quickly take action as soon as they catch wind of this.”

“What do you plan to do, Your Majesty?”

“Deal with whatever comes my way, dragging it out as long as possible. Currently, the Elven Race has shown some improvement, but we still aren’t suited to confront the humans head-on.”

In this regard, Airael was quite self-aware.

The magical technology of the Elven Race had not yet evolved to a level that could be disregarded.