CA – Chapter 52
Chapter 52
In the dark, damp stone chamber, Erin leaned against the wall, indifferently watching the illusions around her. The gray-white walls, stained with black blood, had vanished, replaced by the desolate and lonely Witch City. Two figures, one large and one small, walked along the empty streets.
A little Erin was being led by a beautiful woman in a red robe. She wore a pure white priest's robe that was completely out of place in the gloomy surroundings, and in her hand, she held a small staff the woman had just given her. Her gray eyes looked with innocent curiosity at the witches passing by.
Some of the Black Witches liked to cover themselves completely in black cloaks, revealing only their eyes. As they brushed past little Erin, they let out strange peals of laughter.
Little Erin's shoulders shrank. Frightened, she averted her gaze and stared down at her feet. The strange, eerie jeers grew more frequent, making her stop in her tracks and hide behind the red-robed woman, clutching her leg.
The illusion blurred slightly due to Erin's intense emotions, but it sharpened again the next moment. Erin felt as if she were floating in mid-air, her limbs bound and unable to move. Even when she closed her eyes, the illusion remained, forcing her to watch her younger self and that woman.
The memories buried deepest in her heart, the ones she was most unwilling to recall, rushed toward her like a tidal wave. She held her breath as little Erin's childish voice suddenly echoed in her ear.
“Mama, do they not like me?”
The red-robed woman knelt, stroking little Erin's head. “They’re envious of you,” she said gently.
“Because you are a pure and noble priest.”
The emotion in Erin's eyes instantly shattered. The emotional turmoil was so great that a crack appeared in the surrounding illusion. The crack spread like a spiderweb, and the illusion crumbled into dust, dissipating into the air.
The scene changed. In a cold, dim stone chamber, little Erin, not yet as tall as the stone platform, was being held by the red-robed witch. Her small hand tightly gripped a sharp little knife. The blade pierced the chest of a man lying on the high platform, unable to make a sound, and slowly sliced down to his stomach. The hand holding the knife didn't tremble in the slightest. When hot blood splattered onto her face, she tilted her head slightly to avoid it.
The man had stopped struggling, and his warm blood was slowly beginning to congeal.
Little Erin skillfully put down the knife, then hollowed out the man's organs and placed the prepared items inside. Her blood-soaked hand hovered above as her childish voice haltingly recited a complex incantation. Dark energy gathered in her palm and, bit by bit, enveloped the corpse on the platform. The wound on the stomach began to heal on its own, and the man's skin gradually turned ashen gray.
After the dark energy dissipated, the thoroughly dead corpse suddenly twitched. The red-robed witch's eyes lit up. She stared at the corpse for a moment, but when she saw that the man did not open his eyes, her expression slowly calmed.
Little Erin turned her head and said to the red-robed woman, “Mama, did I save him?”
The red-robed witch nodded and, with a wave of her hand, stored the corpse from the platform into her Space Gem.
“Then let’s go see him quickly.” Little Erin jumped down from the red-robed witch's arms and pulled her by the wrist, heading outside.
The illusion of the stone chamber vanished. Little Erin stood at the entrance to a small town, a happy expression on her face as she looked at the man who had just been on the platform. He was now restored to health, chatting with his companions, the smile on his face incredibly vivid.
The red-robed witch stood behind little Erin, glancing at the burial mounds in the distance with a faint smile. She stroked little Erin's head and praised her, “Erin, you are truly an outstanding priest.” She took out a bottle of Holy Water of Light and handed it to little Erin.
Little Erin drank it with a frown, her face turning pale from the pain. She grimaced and said, “I don’t want to drink this.”
“Only by drinking this can you learn more light magic.”
You will surely become Mama’s pride, Erin.
When you grow up, Mama will build a church for you, okay?
You will become the supreme Pope on the continent of Statu, and everyone will have to submit at your feet.
Erin…
The red-robed woman's voice echoed endlessly in her ears. Erin closed her eyes and roared in a low voice, “...Enough.”
A warm touch on her palm awakened Erin from the prison of her memories. She opened her eyes slightly and looked down to see the little gray furball leaning against her hand, staring up at her blankly.
The scene before her was still changing rapidly. Erin slowly exhaled, her movements stiff as she picked up the little furball and held it to her chest. She rested her head against the wall, her eyes vacant as she stared at the ceiling.
A strange sound came from the doorway. The door was gently pushed open by a slender, pale hand. Glanna walked in from outside, the hem of her wide red robe swaying slightly as she moved. She admired the illusions around her as she walked to the stone bed, her gray eyes holding a faint smile as she looked gently at Erin.
As if sensing something unusual, Erin opened her eyes. Seeing Glanna before her, her expression was a bit dazed; she couldn't tell if this was the real person or another illusion.
She shifted her gaze, looking at her surroundings. The illusion had changed once again.
“This is truly a sad thing.” Glanna watched the scene displayed by the illusion alongside Erin, shaking her head with a sigh. “My lovely child is actually unwelcome in the Church.”
In the illusion, little Erin had grown much older. The innocence on her face was gone, and her gray eyes looked lifeless and dull. The background behind her was no longer the Witch City but a church in the country nearest to it.
She still wore a pure white priest's robe, but compared to a truly noble and holy priest, her robe appeared dim and worn, its hem seemingly stained with blood that could never be washed clean.
She was berated by priests and attacked with light magic. The power of darkness within her, long suppressed by the Holy Water of Light, erupted without warning and spiraled out of control. The “companions” in her heart were eroded by the dark power she unleashed, melting into pools of blood in a gruesome manner.
Glanna looked at the little Erin in the illusion, sitting in a pool of blood with a look of despair, and smiled at the real Erin before her. “You looked truly adorable back then.”
“From the moment you were born, the first time I saw you, I knew you weren't suited to be a Black Witch.” Glanna's brow furrowed as if recalling something unpleasant. “Because you were too kind.”
“How can a Black Witch of the Anderson Family possess such a useless emotion as kindness? Especially since you are my, Glanna's, daughter.”
“Your talent is very high, and you always bring me surprises.” Glanna sighed, speaking with some regret. “It’s just a pity that a shattered faith and despair weren't enough to pull you into the darkness.”
Erin lowered her head and said numbly, “Madwoman.”
Glanna shook her head in disapproval. She lifted Erin's chin, forcing her to meet her gaze, and said seriously, “The people of the Anderson Family are not madmen. The people of the Garcia Family are.”
Erin watched her quietly.
“The Dark God went to the God's Domain long ago. The continent of Statu no longer needs him. Yet that group of lunatics still thinks about awakening him.”
As Glanna spoke, the corners of her lips curled up. She leaned in slightly, close to Erin's ear, and whispered gently, “Clearly, we can become… a new Dark God ourselves, can't we?”
“We will shroud the continent of Statu in darkness, establish a Dark Church, and the giants born from the union of Half-Human Monsters and humans will be our dark believers.” Glanna caressed Erin's face and said with a smile, “You will be the Pope of the Dark Church.”
“The werewolves will be our knights.”
“As long as you are willing to join me, the entire continent will be ours.”
“Erin…”
Erin pushed Glanna's hand away and refused coldly, “I won't help you.” She looked up to meet Glanna's gaze, seeing the madness hidden deep within the eyes that were identical to her own. She said in a low voice, “Your ideas are too insane.”
Glanna let out a low laugh. “Are they? But hasn't my most insane idea already come true?”
“You are a Black Witch with the power of darkness in your bloodline, yet you do not fear the power of light. What a perfect existence.”
“I captured a thousand Black Witches for this experiment, and in the end, only you succeeded.” Glanna's gaze as she sized up Erin was more like that of someone admiring a satisfactory work of art. “I need you, Erin.”
Erin once again recalled the memory of the Holy Water of Light entering her body, clashing with her own dark power and causing her to faint from the pain. Her face paled, and she couldn't help but cough violently.
Glanna looked at her with concern, reaching out to pull her into an embrace and patting her on the back.
Erin leaned against Glanna, her coughing gradually subsiding. Glanna stroked her hair and said softly, “I need a resurrection array.”
Having caught her breath, Erin coldly pushed her away, turned, and pressed her forehead against the wall, ignoring her completely.
Glanna smiled helplessly and had no choice but to turn and leave. She exited the stone chamber and walked through a long corridor to the outside.
The sky was dimming, and the cold wind was biting. She pulled up the hood of her red robe and looked up at the waning moon in the sky. After a moment of contemplation, she said to the giant behind her, “Feed a forbidden fruit to those two werewolves.”
The giant scratched his head, looking troubled. “They’re too strong. I can’t hold them down.”
Glanna glanced at him. Before she could speak, she suddenly sensed something and sharply turned her head to the right. The boundless darkness seemed to hide an endless danger.
She reached out and gently grasped at the empty air. Looking at the phantom image formed by the dark energy, she raised an eyebrow. “Werewolves?” Her tone held a hint of excitement.
As her words fell, an angry wolf's howl shattered the silence of the darkness. Glanna narrowed her eyes, summoned a skeleton, and commanded it to carry her toward the dungeon.
Outside the manor, skeletons and monsters patrolled the empty streets. A white figure leaped out from the darkness, its sharp claws slashing directly across a monster's throat. A slender, pale hand grabbed the monster's head and tore it in two.
The remaining monsters and skeletons stopped in their tracks and charged toward the intruder. However, more and more enemies leaped out from the darkness. The ground was soon piled high with the shredded corpses of monsters and the bones of skeletons.
A massive gray wolf emerged from the darkness. Its brown eyes stared coldly at the manor, which was protected by a dark barrier. It commanded the werewolves beside it, “Smash it.”
The white-haired werewolves, who had the advantage in strength, stepped forward. They cracked their knuckles, balled their fists, and hammered them forcefully against the dark barrier, producing a series of dull thuds.
A crack appeared in the dark barrier. As the thudding grew louder, the barrier finally shattered completely.
One after another, the werewolves leaped into the manor, meeting the guarding monsters head-on. They fiercely and efficiently tore them to shreds, displaying a hardline stance as if they intended to crush everything in their path.
Werewolves never feared battle. Whether facing Black Witches, Vampires, or the Holy See, they would never take a single step back.
This was the beastly nature that flowed in their blood.
On a high roof at the front side of the manor, Tang Qiu and Lucille, who had already arrived in the Shas Principality, had secured an excellent vantage point. They were observing the situation between the werewolves and the Black Witches from the shadows.
The number of werewolves deployed exceeded Tang Qiu's expectations, but this was a good thing for her, especially after witnessing their combat prowess firsthand.
With the werewolves drawing the red-robed witch's attention, it would be easier for them to rescue Erin.
This was the first time Tang Qiu had seen the werewolves' extraordinary fighting ability. She was somewhat amazed. “Am I like that too?”
Because she had no memory of her time transformed into a werewolf, the concept was still vague to her.
Lucille pointed to a white-haired werewolf and said in a low voice, “You look just like that when you transform.”
Tang Qiu nodded thoughtfully, her gaze shifting to the massive gray wolf. She asked curiously, “What about that original form?”
Lucille shook her head. “You can't transform into your original form yet.”
Tang Qiu raised an eyebrow and smiled without saying anything. She looked down at the manor. The werewolves had already crushed their way several hundred meters inside.
The thick scent of blood had already spread to their location. Tang Qiu didn't dare use magic rashly for fear of being discovered. She could only give Lucille a reassuring look. Lucille frowned and moved closer to Tang Qiu.
Inhaling her scent, her expression softened slightly.
Inside the manor, the monsters and skeletons that had been roaming the courtyard were all slaughtered by the werewolves. As they pushed deeper, a giant over three meters tall suddenly came running out, its eyes crimson and its breath ragged. It charged forward at an incredible speed.
It rushed over, swinging its long arms to knock back two werewolves who met it head-on. The werewolves stabilized themselves in mid-air and landed on the ground, crouching low in an offensive stance.
The two werewolves began to fight the giant. Their figures, which were too small in comparison, tore off a piece of flesh with every exchange. Their claws were stained red with blood, and the giant's furious roars filled their ears. One werewolf took a step back and licked the blood from its fingers.
The scent of blood made it even more excited.
A black mist silently enveloped the entire manor. The Black Witch had released her Dark Domain. The werewolves, who had been fighting fiercely just a moment ago, instantly calmed down and gathered around the gray wolf, warily watching the mist-shrouded surroundings.
The gray wolf let out a low growl and took the lead to scout ahead. Its imposing aura was so powerful that it even pushed back the mist of the Dark Domain, creating a vacuum of about three meters around it.
Tang Qiu had noticed the black mist as it quietly spread. She took out two black cloaks, handing one to Lucille and putting the other on herself.
She carefully tucked her golden hair into the hood, then said to Lucille, “Let's go down.”
Lucille held her and jumped down from the roof. She glanced up at the manor, now shrouded in the Dark Domain, and frowned. “In the red-robed witch's Dark Domain, how are we going to find Erin?”
Tang Qiu smiled at her and said softly, “Don't worry, someone will lead the way for us.”
As she spoke, she took out a smooth finger bone and bent down to place it on the ground. Meeting Lucille's questioning gaze, she explained softly, “A guide service provided by Mark's Grocery Store.”
Lucille's expression was a bit strange. “...What's the fee?”
Tang Qiu looked at a skeleton that was swaying toward them from within the black mist. She stroked her chin and mused, “I'll probably have to give Erin to them.”
Otherwise, she really couldn't figure out why an underground organization that only worked for a fee would provide her with such "attentive" service time and time again, especially without any deposit.
The only reason she could think of was that there was some relationship between Erin and Mark's Grocery Store that she didn't know about.
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