Chapter 271: Bias Although the delay between transactions lasted merely two seconds, that brief window proved catastrophically decisive given their combat speeds now possible. Queen Seraphina’s rapid speed allowed her to traverse vast distances and execute devastating attacks before Darian could complete his own enhancement consumption. She descended upon the battlefield like divine wrath made manifest, her form blazing with concentrated light magic that had been amplified far beyond her previous limitations. The luxury smoothie’s attribute doubling, combined with dozens of other enhancements, had transformed her into a different person in terms of power. This feels so good! I can capture the stars with this strength. Seraphina thought with ecstasy. "Solar Lance Barrage!" Seraphina commanded, her voice resonating with power that made the air itself tremble. Dozens of brilliant spears materialized around her, each one crackling with purified light energy that sought dark elf targets with unbelievable accuracy. The first volley struck a number of grandmasters who had been eliminating her retreating forces. "AHHH!" The lead grandmaster’s scream cut short as the lance pierced through his defenses like they were paper, vaporizing him instantly. "No!!" another dark elf cried in terror before three more lances found their marks simultaneously. The queen’s intelligence boost that came from the various skills and effects had allowed her to process battlefield conditions with perfect tactical clarity, identifying priority targets and optimal attack sequences within microseconds. Her doubled comprehension speed compressed seconds of strategic analysis into instantaneous decision-making. "Radiant Wave!" she declared, raising both hands as a tsunami of golden light swept across the battlefield. Six more grandmasters caught in the wave simply ceased to exist, their shadow-based magical defenses proving utterly inadequate against light magic against the queen’s attack. "Your Majesty lives!" Elena sobbed with joy, her voice carrying across the battlefield as hope returned to the surviving light elves. "We’re saved! The queen has returned to us!" The dramatic reversal sent shockwaves through both armies both mental and physical. Light elf forces who had been facing complete annihilation suddenly witnessed their enemies being obliterated by their miraculously restored ruler. "Impossible! Damn it, why did things have to reach this stage." a surviving dark elf grandmaster gasped while desperately attempting retreat. "This level of power shouldn’t exist!" "Oh no, she is much stronger than before!" Kael realized with growing horror. "We need lord Darian! Two seconds has passed and tens of grandmasters and masters had died!!Ugh!! It’s my fault, how could I be so foolish!" Seraphina’s relentless assault continued, eliminating dark elf commanders faster than they could coordinate defensive responses or withdrawals. "Light’s Final Judgment!" she roared, channeling every enhancement into a devastating area attack. The remaining dark elf grandmasters in her immediate vicinity were consumed by purifying radiance that left nothing but scorched earth where they had stood. By the time Darian completed his own enhancement consumption and prepared to enter the conflict, twenty grandmasters and nearly sixty masters lay dead on the battlefield. The strategic balance had returned to its previous equilibrium, both sides were now arguably on equal grounds. Both enhanced rulers now possessed roughly equivalent capabilities for what promised to be the final confrontation determining their kingdoms’ ultimate fate.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Queen Seraphina’s body continued radiating brilliant golden light as she faced off against Darian, the enhancement effects creating an almost blinding aura around her form. The luminous display made her appear more like a star than a ruler. Seeing the radiant glow surrounding her, Darian frowned with obvious irritation. His own enhanced body showed no such spectacular visual effects when he had consumed the smoothie, making him wonder what additional benefits she might have gained. Damn shopkeeper! Darian raged internally as he surveyed the devastating losses his forces had suffered in mere seconds. This reversal came from one source only, his interference! Despite his fury at the sudden battle shift, Darian maintained enough discipline to avoid reckless engagement with the queen. After all, she had just consumed the luxury smoothie. While he had done the same, the difference was that he possessed only temporary attribute enhancement effects currently and his skill increase. He remained uncertain about what abilities she might have awakened or strengthened through the process. He wasn’t too afraid, but he needed to be careful. Lest her new abilities take him by surprise and the tides change. Her current power levels appeared too dangerous for direct confrontation without additional information about her new capabilities. Carefully positioning himself near Noah’s territorial boundary, Darian ensured he could retreat into neutral protection if the battle turned against him. Noah could practically read Darian’s thought process of escaping to his territory when things went wrong. His mouth twitched slightly, recognizing how both rulers were exploiting his neutrality rules for their advantage. "These elves are using my boundary as a safety net," he muttered with growing amusement. He couldn’t prevent Darian’s positioning without showing obvious bias, especially after allowing Queen Seraphina similar sanctuary earlier. With a resigned sigh, he decided to tolerate the manipulation rather than compromise his established neutrality. Lola glanced at him with curious assessment. "Do you truly maintain no bias between them?" Noah shook his head with honest self-reflection. "Inside the shop, I have no bias. They’re purchasing identical items under equal conditions. But outside these walls, I’m leaning slightly toward the light elves, simply because they were being slaughtered mercilessly earlier." He paused before adding, "Of course, if the light elves had won the original auction and were dominating, I would probably lean toward the dark elves instead." "But the bias remains minimal," Noah continued with genuine uncertainty. "I still struggle to understand the deeper nature of their conflict. Are they truly fighting over something as superficial as skin color and magical talent differences?" Lola considered his question carefully. "Most wars begin with territory or resources, but decades of hatred create their own momentum. The original causes often become less important than the accumulated grievances." "So they’re perpetuating violence for its own sake rather than addressing legitimate concerns?" Noah asked with growing comprehension of the tragic cycle he was witnessing. "Possibly. Each generation inherits anger from the previous, making peace increasingly difficult to achieve."​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​