The war between the Elves and the Demon Race, in theory, had nothing to do with the girls who represented friendly relations with the Human Race, so they entered the treehouse and rested well for the night.
The next day, they followed the Elf Elders to select Dragon Hawks.
“Do you want the largest one? That might be difficult. Not to mention, no one has kept track of their sizes, and the older ones aren’t good at flying.”
Hearing Isadora’s words, Ella thought for a moment and said, “Then let’s pick one that’s relatively large here.”
She needed to find a mount that matched her status, so that anyone could tell at a glance to whom it belonged.
“Large chest cavity, Miss Ayla has a good eye.”
Isadora smiled.
“A large chest cavity means strong breathing ability. Such a Dragon Hawk can fly higher and longer.”
Next, they led them to the habitat.
The giant eagle itself was already a powerful raptor, and with a trace of thin draconic blood, it could instantly transform into the king of the sky.
Within its ecological niche, nothing could compete with it.
But like the Elves, their reproduction rate was low and their numbers scarce—only a few thousand existed, usually living in habitats thick with shrubs.
“We’ve arrived. It’s here.”
In the area ahead, more than a dozen Dragon Hawks lay sprawled.
From a glance, their bodies were huge, twice as big as the strongest horse.
Two or three people could sit on their backs without a problem.
Metallic scales glimmered on their wings, but upon touching, it was clear the texture remained that of bird feathers.
Isadora and several other Elves approached, pulling out the Dragon Hawks chosen by the girls.
No one knew what they whispered to them, but by the time the Dragon Hawks were brought over, they were already very docile.
Each of the four girls picked one, except for Zero, who refused because she thought flying in the sky made her too conspicuous and didn’t fit her style.
“If I need to travel, I’ll just hitch a ride with one of you.”
That was what she said, but Ella thought there was probably no second choice for this “one”.
It would definitely have to be her.
After the selection, Isadora came over to inform them that among the Elves, there were special Dragonhawk Riders—only a few hundred of them—considered high-quality elite units.
She had specially summoned a few today to take them on a flight nearby.
“Can we see the battlefield?”
Ella requested.
“Not too close, just on the outskirts. I want to observe the situation.”
“That’s possible, but please stay close to the lead pilot.”
Soon, the four girls soared into the sky on Dragon Hawks, accompanied by several experienced Dragonhawk Riders for protection.
They didn’t break through the treetop canopy; the soft feathers allowed them to glide easily at low altitude.
As a close-combat expert, Celes was used to high-speed movement in battle and quickly adapted to this.
Vina, petite and able to control wind elements, also handled it with ease.
Leah, upon taking off, quickly cast a Blessing on herself and then looked around worriedly for the girls.
“Are you okay, Ayla?”
The chill in the air made her shiver.
These Elf vehicles were unfriendly to girls with large chests.
When could she stand up again?
“I’m fine.”
Ella barely maintained her posture, grabbing the rope on the Dragon Hawk’s back.
“Let’s go. Let’s check out the battlefield.”
Flying in the sky indeed made her ample chest wobble, but as a pragmatist, she firmly decided to get used to this kind of mount.
After circling at low altitude and confirming that the girls were adapting well, the lead pilot guided them to glide toward the battlefield’s outskirts.
After yesterday’s war mobilization, nearly ten thousand Elves of prime age picked up weapons, shouting the slogans “Protect the Forest, Protect the Homeland,” and rushed to the fallen Northern Forest.
Rangers drew their bows, Magicians awakened the plants of the Forest, and Dragonhawk Riders attacked from the air.
The Demon Tribe’s initial vanguard was only a few thousand strong, but more troops kept pouring in.
The advance forces faced fierce resistance, and the battlefront stalled.
The Dragon Hawks stopped at the periphery.
Using their high vantage point, Ella could see everything clearly.
The Demon Army—or more accurately, the Blood Demon Tribe—was bogged down, their casualty ratio dire.
If the Bloodslaughter King stubbornly insisted on continuing the assault, regardless of how the Elves fared, the Blood Demon Tribe would be heavily damaged.
Ella steadied herself, blinking as her mood turned strange.
There were several rebel factions in the Demon Court.
The Blood Demon Tribe and Wolfhead Tribe were forces not to be ignored.
If she wanted to seize power, she would definitely face their obstruction.
But over the past six months, the Wolfhead Tribe had been decimated, and the Blood Demon Tribe was self-destructing.
At this rate, there weren’t many remaining rebellious forces left among the Demon Race.
The Demon King’s heart burned with anticipation.
Once the Blood Demon Tribe was dealt with, it seemed she could begin reclaiming power.
“No need to watch further. I’ve seen enough.”
Ella turned to the leading Dragonhawk Rider.
“Let’s go back.”
The group began their return journey.
Traveling by sky was indeed much faster—what took an hour by land yesterday now took less than ten minutes.
As soon as she landed, she couldn’t wait to find the Elf Elder alone and said,
“Elder Isadora, I discovered that the war situation is very advantageous for your side. But you must be careful. According to the information we gathered yesterday, the leader of the Demon Army is a cruel and brutal person. When they reach a stalemate, the leader will enter the battlefield personally.”
“Thank you. But we’ve considered this and made preparations.”
“I see. If you discover he’s entered the battlefield, could you let me know?”
Ella asked.
“I also want to lend you a hand.”
Originally, she felt awkward negotiating alone, but since Isadora had done so first yesterday, she decided to try and see if there was any tacit understanding.
“Of course.”
The Elf Elder agreed without hesitation.
Bidding farewell to Isadora, Ella returned to her companions.
They were discussing arrangements with the Dragonhawk Riders.
Due to lack of experience, the Dragon Hawks would remain at the habitat for now and be retrieved when needed.
“Flying in the sky feels great.”
Vina stretched her small hands, nostalgia in her voice.
“What about you all?”
Celes nodded.
“Indeed. Very fast.”
She valued practicality.
Of all of them, Leah was the least comfortable flying, but she couldn’t admit it.
She crossed her arms, humming softly.
“It’s nothing. Just taking off. It’s not like I haven’t experienced it before… right, Ayla?”
Right?
Is it?
It wasn’t a matter of right or wrong.
Why ask her such a thing?
Fortunately, the others didn’t overthink it.
“I feel a bit tired.”
Ella smiled wryly.
“I want to go back and rest first.”
Right now, she just wanted to wait for news about the Bloodslaughter King, then personally eliminate the traitors and reclaim her authority.
The war between the Elves and the Demon Army entered a stalemate.
A few days later, Ella finally received the news—the enemy leader had entered the field.
At the same time, an Elf Ranger stumbled into the Elder’s Treehouse.
“Bad news, Elder! During our routine patrol, we found… found changes in the Seal’s pattern!”