56: The elves fall! The roar of gold!

Just as Su Jin was preparing his military forces in the Royal City, ready to march into the Twilight Forest.

Deep within the Twilight Forest, once the heartland of the Elf, now lay desolation.

The World Tree, which had been guarded for generations, had withered branches, and the Elf main court, symbolizing life and nature, had been reduced to ruins.

The air was filled with a pungent smell of burning and a faint scent of blood.

Two days ago, that seemingly impregnable natural barrier had been breached by internal ' woodworms' ( woodworms - borers/internal traitors), collapsing with a roar.

On that day, the Goblin army surged in like a tide, the wails of the Elf echoed through the sky, and now, only the clamor of the conquerors remained.

In the center of the main court, the white jade altar once used to worship the World Tree had been toppled, replaced by a hastily erected platform of massive stones and black iron.

Bashaka, the Goblin King, stood upon the platform. His powerful body was clad in heavy plate armor, his face alight with unconcealed excitement and elation.

Beside him stood Eldrin, an old Elf in luxurious robes.

Once a member of the Elf Elder Council, he now bowed slightly, his face wreathed in fawning smiles, carefully attending to Bashaka.

It was he who had personally torn open the last line of defense for his people.

Below the platform, the remaining Elf were roughly herded together by Goblin warriors.

Liora was among them, her once nimble green eyes now burning with deep-seated hatred, fixed on Eldrin on the platform. Her gaze seemed to want to flay the traitor alive.

She finally understood why the teams sent to the forest's periphery, attempting to contact the outside world or seek aid, had vanished without a trace, like stones sinking into the sea.

It turned out that the greatest enemy had always been lurking within.

"My King, the time has come," Eldrin reported obsequiously to Bashaka.

Bashaka's gaze was fervent, barely able to suppress the wild joy in his heart: "Excellent! Excellent! The world book will finally be made whole in my hands!"

He extended his hand, holding a thick book bound in unknown animal hide—the fragmented world book of the Goblin, its runes on the cover seemingly sensing something, glowing faintly.

Eldrin, with trembling hands, presented an ancient scroll woven from moonlight vines, emitting a soft glow—the 'Star-Moon Revelation,' a sacred relic guarded by the Elf for generations, another fragment of the world book.

Bashaka's eyes flickered as he took the 'Star-Moon Revelation'.

He raised his hands, feeling the tremors emanating from the two sacred objects, slowly bringing them closer.

Buzz—

An invisible wave spread out from the platform, and a low resonance sounded.

The two incomplete world book seemed to be drawn by some mysterious power, breaking free from Bashaka's control and floating in mid-air.

The twisted runes on the cover and the silver-white star patterns on the vine scroll intertwined, emitting increasingly intense light.

They began to rotate, drawing closer, and finally merged slowly with a roar that seemed to come from the beginning of the world's creation.

The light surged, illuminating the entire dilapidated main court as if it were day.

Above the sky, the winds and clouds changed color, and a fissure opened in the originally gloomy sky, casting down a pure and vast pillar of light that enveloped the merging world book.

All living beings present, whether Goblin or Elf, felt an indescribable tremor.

It was as if some missing rule had been completed, and the entire Adran World seemed to become more "complete" at this moment.

A brand new, thick tome made of unknown metal pages floated silently, its cover no longer bearing single runes or star patterns, but a perfect combination of both, forming an ineffable yet unified emblem containing the mysteries of the universe.

Bashaka's blood surged within him; he clearly perceived an unprecedented sense of completeness, and with it, a certain 'liberation' targeting his very essence of life.

It was as if some invisible shackles were peeling away, layer by layer.

Power, unprecedented power, gathered in his limbs, and the Ninth-Tier shackles that had plagued him for so long were now as fragile as thin paper.

It was the merging of the world book, the blessing bestowed from the heavens, opening a clear path for his advancement.

The opportunity was right before him.

He no longer hesitated; the accumulated power within him erupted suddenly.

"Hoo-ah-ah-ah—!"

He roared towards the sky, his voice shaking the four wilds, filled with long-suppressed desire and impending ambition.

Under his dark green skin, muscles visibly bulged and expanded, straining his plate armor until it creaked under the immense pressure.

His bones let out a rapid series of pops, a violent transformation brought about by the leap in life's hierarchy.

A wild, heavy aura exploded from him, like a small storm, sending nearby Goblin warriors staggering and even knocking Eldrin to the ground.

His aura climbed steadily, breaking through the Ninth-Tier limit.

Tenth-Tier! Gold!

Bashaka felt the surging torrent of power within him, a mighty force surpassing Silver-tier.

"Hahahahaha!" His wild laughter echoed over the dilapidated Elf main court, full of wantonness and arrogance.

He spread his arms, as if to embrace this newfound power, to embrace the entire world.

"From today onwards, I... Bashaka, shall be the undisputed King of the entire Adran World!"

His gaze was disdainful as he swept over the trembling Elf captives below, filled with the conqueror's glee.

Eldrin scrambled back to the platform's edge, his face adorned with an even more subservient smile: "Congratulations, my King! Congratulations, my King! Achieving the Tenth-Tier great feat, unifying the world is within reach!"

He had almost been blown away by the earlier surge of energy, and his robes were somewhat disheveled, but he paid no mind.

Liora closed her eyes, her nails digging deep into her palms.

The glory of the Elf, a sacred relic passed down for millennia, had ultimately served to empower a Goblin tyrant, whose throne was watered with the blood of her people…

However, just as Bashaka was smug and enjoying the supreme glory brought by his breakthrough, an increasingly loud clamor came from outside the main court.

Bashaka's mood was interrupted, and he frowned with displeasure, growling: "What's happening?"

A Goblin general ran over, his voice somewhat panicked: "King... the Royal City… the Royal City has fallen!!!"

"What?!" Bashaka's smile instantly froze, as if a basin of cold water had been thrown on him; he even doubted if he had misheard.

The Goblin general panted, his voice distorted by anger: "It's… it's humans! The human army of the Infinite City! They broke through the Royal City… the city guards… they're all finished! They… they also declared… that our Goblin race… will be reduced to slaves!"

"Slaves?!"

These two words were like two heavy hammers, striking hard at Bashaka's heart.

The joy and pride of just breaking through to the Tenth-Tier were instantly replaced by boundless rage and humiliation.

He, the great Goblin King, Bashaka, who had just stepped into the Gold-tier, his Royal City had actually been captured by a group of humans? His people had actually been reduced to the lowest of slaves?!

"Humans…" Bashaka gritted his teeth, each word seemingly squeezed from between them, his recently stabilized Tenth-Tier aura surging wildly, golden energy erupting wantonly, causing the entire main court to tremble, "Good! Very good!!"

He suddenly turned around, his crimson gaze sweeping over the Goblin warriors below, who had likewise transitioned from shock to fury.

"Give my command!" Bashaka's voice was like rolling thunder, filled with brutality and murderous intent, "All legions, assemble! Don't bother with those fleeing Elf remnants! Two days! Within two days, I want the army to march, to return to the Royal Capital!"

"I will personally slaughter those damned humans! Pile their heads into a monument! Use their blood to wash away the shame of our Goblin race!!!"