Chapter 760 Elven Mother Goddess

"The Eight-Armed Mother is none other than the great Lady Shahanni. Her form is like that of a spider—merciful and majestic. I have always been Her most devoted follower. I gave everything to Her, and She bestowed divine grace upon me."

"Praise the Eight-Armed Mother! Holy! Holy!"

"Her first pair of arms are the Hands of the Moon, capable of releasing moonlight and embracing the earth. The second pair are the Hands of Night, capable of brewing darkness and bringing sleep. The third pair are the Hands of the Future, weaving a great web to determine the fates of all life. The fourth pair are the Hands of Chaos."

The Fallen Elf still spoke smugly, his expression fanatical, his tone full of devotion.

"What the hell is this?"

"What kind of nonsense is that?" The onlooking Silvermoon Elves frowned, murmuring in confusion.

In all eras, their Mother of the Sacred Tree had never had eight arms, nor could She brew darkness or weave chaos.

"Spider Lady... Eight-Armed Mother... Weaver of Chaos..."

Catherine pondered those strange titles carefully, then suddenly realized something and murmured, "It’s the Spider Queen, Lolth. That evil god dares impersonate the Mother of the Sacred Tree! This is blasphemy—utter blasphemy!"

Her eyes filled with fury as she looked at the Fallen Elf and snapped, "Don’t you understand yet? There is no Eight-Armed Mother. The one you worship is not the Goddess of Moonlight, but an Abyssal evil god—a traitor from tens of thousands of years ago: the Spider Queen, Lolth!"

The Fallen Elf screamed, struggling violently and shouting, "Impossible! You’re lying! I saw the Eight-Armed Mother’s divine form on the Sacred Tree myself!"

As he thrashed, the cracks in his skin widened, oozing dark red venomous blood with sickening squelching sounds.

"Shriiip——"

His elven skin tore apart completely, and a half-elf, half-spider monstrosity crawled from the discarded shell, letting out a hoarse cry and lunging at Catherine.

"He’s beyond saving!"

"Kill that filthy beast! Protect Her Majesty!"

Rhea stepped forward and slashed down with her silver sword, cleanly slicing the spider creature in half. Dusky twilight light caused wisps of black smoke to rise from its body.

"Rest in peace, my former kin."

Catherine remained calm and unshaken, only staring coldly at the spider corpse. "How dare they—using the faith of an evil god to replace the Mother of the Sacred Tree, warping our people’s minds and corrupting their bodies."

"Those elders are filthier, more shameless, more repulsive than I imagined! They are no longer worthy of being called Silvermoon Elves—they are nothing but a pack of monstrous fiends!"

The Ancient Gold Dragon circled a few times, then flapped its wings and landed with a thunderous crash beside the Elven Queen. He bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty Catherine, righteous forces from all across the world have gathered here. We will fully support you in reclaiming your throne and becoming the true Queen of Serenia."

King Zain of the Shield Dwarves also rode in on his ram from afar, laughing heartily. "That’s right, Your Majesty Catherine! Those treacherous dogs are nothing compared to you!"

"On behalf of the Harpist Alliance, I fully support your uprising!"

"In the name of Mount Heaven—"

High in the sky, giant eagles circled and cried out. Across this chaotic battlefield, humans, dwarves, elves, dragons, angels—all beings of the good-aligned factions—gathered together, surrounding the Elven Queen like stars around the moon.

A pure white unicorn trotted gracefully, stepping onto a rainbow-formed bridge, lifting into the air and hovering mid-sky.

Catherine, riding the unicorn, raised her Elven staff high. Her flawless face radiated determination. "Everyone—those elders have shamelessly allied with the Abyss, replaced our faith with a chaotic evil god, and turned our people into half-elf, half-spider monstrosities!"

"This is betrayal! Unforgivable betrayal!"

"Tonight, on this holy night of sacrifice, we shall reclaim the Sacred Tree and let the silver moonlight shine upon Serenia once more!"

Empowered by divine magic, Catherine’s voice spread for a hundred kilometers. Nearly half the elves in Serenia heard her passionate declaration.

A gentle breeze blew, branches swayed, and leaves fluttered down. In the forests, the Silvermoon Elves were thrown into an uproar.

"By Shahanni! Those rotten bastards did this? They dared disguise an evil god as our Mother Goddess!"

"Mother Goddess..."

"This is blasphemy!"

"Only Her Majesty Catherine can restore Serenia! We must help her!"

Those who had long been discontent with the Elder Council now found their chance to rebel. They were heartbroken by Serenia’s decline and saw the elders as enemies.

The elves moved swiftly through the forest, avoiding the Holy Court’s patrols, and gathered around Catherine.

Upon seeing the grotesque elven husks and the disgusting spider monster remains, most of the elves fully believed Catherine’s words.

These were no Blades of the Holy Court—they were filthy cultists, Abyss-corrupted abominations!

The Silvermoon Elves raised their weapons and cried out, "Long live Serenia!"

"Long live Her Majesty Catherine!"

"Purge the worms of the Elder Council! Destroy the corrupt at the top! Let Her Majesty Catherine rule personally!"

Some elves even knelt and wept. "Please, Your Majesty Catherine, punish those scum! My husband was tricked into joining that so-called Eight-Armed Mother cult!"

Silvermoon Elves are born with magical power and are known as nature’s chosen. Nearly every one of them can become a Ranger, Bow Warrior, Druid, or other Professional.

With the influx of support from across Serenia, Catherine’s army rapidly expanded to over fifteen thousand.

Elves live long lives and have small populations—fifteen thousand is already a huge army for them, showing just how deep the resentment against the Elder Council runs.

Seeing this, even Rhea smiled. "Your Majesty, do you see? I told you—the people of Serenia would support you."

The Ancient Gold Dragon agreed. "Your Majesty Catherine, it seems this holy uprising has the blessing of all."

"You’re too kind. They’re merely fed up with those filthy tyrants and can’t bear it any longer. I take no joy in this—only sorrow. My mission is to overthrow the Elder Council and end their rule once and for all."

Catherine nodded, her voice resolute. "I will never betray the hopes of my people. They’ve endured enough suffering—it’s time to end this dark era."

She raised her staff and pointed at the towering Sacred Tree. "Everyone—move out! Reclaim the Sacred Tree with me!"

As her voice echoed, roars, cries, and cheers surged skyward. The Holy Coalition, composed of many righteous beings, marched mightily into the Soulbell Tree Sea toward the Sacred Tree.

Serenia — Ensel Royal Court.

Perched atop the Sacred Tree, this was once the Elven Queen’s palace and the symbol of supreme authority in Serenia.

But a thousand years ago, during a coup, the fifteenth Queen, Fariti, labeled a tyrant, was overthrown. The Elven Elders set countless new rules.

Since then, the Queen became a symbolic figurehead while the Elders took real control, ruling the Elven Forest to this day.

But now, those finely dressed Elders sat grim-faced on thrones grown from the Sacred Tree’s branches. The air was tense.

Finally, the Grand Elder Theron, seated at the highest point, broke the silence with a hoarse voice.

"Serian is dead. The Blades of the Holy Court we sent were annihilated. Catherine has allied with many forces—including the Harpist Alliance, the Arcane Hermitage, the Mountain Dwarf Kingdom, and the Metallic Dragons—forming a powerful coalition that now advances toward the Sacred Tree."

At these words, an Elder shouted in fury, "I told you Catherine was a threat! We should’ve wiped her out long ago!"

"Who would’ve thought? We kept her around just to appease the common elves, and yet that caged canary broke free. Her gentle, obedient act—it was all a disguise."

"We underestimated her. She truly is Fariti’s granddaughter—just as mad as her."

"Elder Ryant, wasn’t it your job to watch the royal family? She built an entire army under your nose! You can’t escape responsibility!"

"It’s already happened. What’s the point in blaming each other? Think instead about how those lowborn elves have disrupted the Great Plan. If the Mother Goddess blames us, what then?"

The Elven Elders quarreled and cursed, their tone heated.

"Enough."

Grand Elder Theron’s heavy whisper silenced them. The royal court fell quiet.

Theron was revered as the "Silverleaf Voice," said to have lived over a thousand years.

He once spoke with the Sacred Tree and upheld the balance of nature and magic. His prestige was unmatched in Serenia. Even in corruption, he remained the ultimate authority.

Theron shook his head and sighed. "They don’t understand our Elder Council’s intentions. Lady Shahanni has slumbered for over a hundred years. If not for our pact with the Eight-Armed Mother, Serenia would’ve burned a century ago."

"Yes, we only did it to protect Serenia. The deaths of those lowborn elves were necessary sacrifices."

"Grand Elder, we must annihilate the rebels! Root them out completely! Sacrifice the disobedient lowborn to the Eight-Armed Mother!"

"But she’s still the Elven Queen. According to our traditions—"

"Even the Elder Council is on the brink of collapse. To hell with tradition!"

The Elven Elders were furious, as if they were the true victims.

"Things have gone too far. We must now seek the Mother’s protection. The next Holy Offering begins now." Theron looked up at the grotesque statue of a half-elf, half-spider above the court, his eyes glowing faintly.

"This time... every family will provide one hundred offerings."

The Elders were stunned, drawing sharp breaths.

Soon after, a grotesque scene unfolded atop the Sacred Tree.

Silvermoon Elves were bound in spider silk, turned into giant cocoons, and hung upside down from the branches like dead insects on a web—a horrifying sight.

Then came the rustling. Swarms of black spiders climbed along the threads toward the hanging elves.

In moments, accompanied by hair-raising noises, the spiders devoured some of the Silvermoon Elves, leaving behind only bloodstains and bone fragments.

Many cocoons fell still—the spiders seemed to crawl inside the elves through their nostrils, ears, and eyes, hiding within their bodies.

For some reason, the Sacred Tree’s branches twisted further, its bark softening, bleeding at the cuts—like the limbs of a humanoid being.

Grand Elder Theron stood atop the altar in his robes.

He opened his arms, praying devoutly. "Holy One! Merciful Eight-Armed Mother!"

"I offer Your children the highest honor: to return their flesh to Your divine form, and their souls to Your heavenly kingdom."

Theron knelt and prostrated. "But, Mother, there is still one elf who refuses to join Your embrace. She is the tyrant’s bloodline, Queen of Serenia, and a shameful rebel who colludes with outsiders."

"Please, show Your supreme power. Let those pitiful elves see the truth and return to Your warm embrace to become one of us."

"Shriiip——"

Theron’s back suddenly split open as if slashed by blades. Eight sharp claws pierced through, drenched in blood, emerging behind him.

"Blood sacrifice to the Mother!"

The Grand Elder shouted.

Behind him, the other Elders knelt and chanted together, forming a bizarre symphony.

Poison, compound eyes, bristles—each of their bodies showed spider traits to varying degrees.

Amid the eerie prayers, the black spiders grew frenzied. Crimson eyes gleamed with greed as they swarmed into the giant cocoons.

A poisonous black mist spread in the air, accompanied by an overwhelming evil aura. A twisted figure suddenly appeared in the sky—

It seemed to be a female elf: voluptuous, curvy, her face veiled in thin gauze, always wearing an eerie smile.

But most striking were her eight arms—slender, elegant, each holding a sharp dagger like spider fangs.

"Praise the Eight-Armed Mother!"

Theron looked up, eyes dazed, raising both arms like he was witnessing a miracle.

Then, the hanging cocoons burst open, and countless half-elf, half-spider monstrosities crawled out, dripping with slime and hideous in form, immediately bowing to the figure in worship.

"Praise... the Eight-Armed Mother."

Staring at the hideous spider creatures, Theron repeated the words once more.