Chapter 366: New Plans [2] They were safest there, behind whatever protections the mysterious shop provided for Noah’s establishment if they could just reach that sanctuary before Seraphina recovered and organised pursuit, they might actually survive this catastrophic encounter. The forest blurred around them as they fled, every second of distance representing precious safety from the overwhelmingly powerful forces they had barely managed to escape. Seraphina barely had time to fully absorb the devastating combined attack despite all her desperate defensive preparations. The convergence of Lola’s compressed fire sphere and the cat’s ethereal flames created destructive force that exceeded what even her light magic shields could completely withstand. The layered barriers shattered one after another under the relentless assault, each defensive layer buying precious fractions of seconds before failing. The wind specialist’s air currents managed to disperse very little of the flames’ intensity, while the earth specialist’s emergency barriers absorbed portions of the kinetic impact. But it wasn’t enough. The fire penetrated through her final shield just as Seraphina was attempting to reinforce it with additional light magic. The searing heat caught her left arm directly, and the extreme temperature combined with Lola’s peak grandmaster power proved catastrophic. Her flesh began burning instantly, the supernatural flames consuming tissue faster than even her enhanced vitality could regenerate. Within seconds, the damage became so severe that the structural integrity of her entire arm failed. The limb separated from her body in a spray of blood and charred flesh, the cauterised stump all that remained where her graceful elven arm had been moments before. Seraphina’s scream of agony tore through the clearing with intensity that made even her own grandmasters flinch. The pain was beyond anything she had experienced in centuries of life, a violation of her perfect form that her mind struggled to process. Her supernatural beauty, so carefully cultivated and enhanced, was now marred by devastating injury that would leave permanent consequences. She collapsed to her knees, her remaining hand instinctively moving toward the smoking stump while her body went into shock from the traumatic amputation. Blood loss began immediately despite the cauterisation, her body struggling to cope with such catastrophic damage. But even through the blinding pain and disorientation, Seraphina’s mind recognized what was happening. The explosion’s visual obstruction was clearing, and she could sense through her remaining senses that the demon and the shopkeeper were no longer present. They were fleeing. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺 Rage cut through her agony like a blade, providing clarity born from pure fury. That demon had mutilated her, stolen the World Tree’s prize, and was now escaping while she writhed in pain. The humiliation was almost worse than the physical damage. Seraphina forced herself to stand despite her body’s protests, gritting her teeth against the waves of pain radiating from her severed arm. She channeled light magic to at least slow the bleeding, creating a temporary magical tourniquet that would prevent her from dying of blood loss in the immediate future. "Follow them!" she grunted through clenched teeth, her voice distorted by suffering but still carrying absolute authority. "Don’t let that succubus and the shopkeeper escape!" She launched herself into pursuit despite her catastrophic injury, her remaining arm channeling light magic for propulsion while her legs carried her forward with desperate speed. Every movement sent fresh waves of agony through her system, but fury provided motivation that exceeded mere physical limitations. That demon bitch will pay for this, Seraphina thought viciously as she pushed her damaged body to its limits. I will make her suffer a thousand times what she’s done to me. I will destroy everything she cares about and make her watch before I finally grant her the mercy of death. The other grandmasters fell into formation around their wounded queen, their own exhaustion and injuries forgotten in the face of Seraphina’s determination. None dared suggest she should rest or receive healing—the killing intent radiating from her made it clear that only capturing or killing their fleeing enemies would satisfy her rage. Mere seconds had passed since Lola had executed her desperate escape, and the light elves pursued her immediately with everything they had left. The raging queen with only a single remaining arm led the chase personally, her pain-fueled fury driving her forward despite the catastrophic injury that should have left her incapacitated. Still, those precious seconds the coordinated attack had bought were proving absolutely decisive. Despite the elves’ desperate pursuit, they could not close the gap no matter how hard they tried. In fact, the distance between them was gradually increasing as Lola’s fire wings carried her and Noah away with velocity born from full commitment to escape rather than conserved energy for combat. The light elves themselves had exhausted all their remaining enhancement items during the prolonged six-hour battle. The protein bars, beef jerky, and other consumables they had brought were completely depleted after the extended war of attrition. Without Noah’s premium products to boost their capabilities, they could only rely on their own natural strength to try and close the distance. Seraphina watched with mounting fury as the gap continued widening despite her desperate efforts. Even pushing her injured body to absolute limits wasn’t sufficient to catch prey operating at enhancement levels. Seeing that direct pursuit was proving impossible, her mind cut through the rage to identify an alternative approach. She reached for the communication crystal secured at her waist, activating it with a surge of mana. "I need immediate deployment of grandmaster forces to the shopkeeper’s establishment. Form a blockade line of five grandmasters around his shop immediately. Do not allow him or the demon to enter." She commanded into the crystal, her voice distorted by suffering but unmistakably authoritative. There was a pause before a response came through, the voice carrying obvious concern. "Your Majesty, there are only six grandmasters currently remaining in the kingdom after the deployments to support your expedition. Taking five to surround the shopkeeper’s location would leave our borders and capital virtually defenseless. If the dark elves attacked during this vulnerability..."