CA - Chapter 92
Chapter 92
Bright moonlight shone through the windows into the hall, dispelling the darkness. The panicked nobles, seeing the familiar figures around them in the moonlight, gradually calmed down. The gas lamps and torches on the walls were lit one by one, but the three cages that had held the Dark Elves were now empty.
The red-eyed vampire beside the cages looked up and scanned his surroundings, not missing a single corner of the hall, but he still couldn't find any sign of the Dark Elves.
Although the hall was brightly lit again, the nobles were dissatisfied with the recent incident. Some were shouting accusations, while a few timid ones had already turned to sneak out.
The situation, which had just stabilized, descended back into chaos and noise.
A flash of displeasure crossed the eyes of the red-eyed vampire who was searching for the Dark Elves. He raised a hand and made a gesture. Vampires lurking in the hall flashed to the doorway, blocking the nobles who were trying to slip away.
The red-eyed vampire's piercing voice cut through the clamor as he said slowly, "The auction is not over. No one is to leave."
The nobles' faces began to change drastically.
Tang Qiu, Lucille, and Lola had remained standing in place since the lights went out. Tang Qiu and Lucille were focused on the werewolf aura coming from upstairs, while Lola watched the chaotic scene in the hall with cold detachment.
With the item Erin had given her to conceal her aura, Tang Qiu wasn't too worried about being discovered by her own kind. She was just wondering about the identity of the werewolf upstairs.
From the aura she sensed, the other party was very powerful. In Tang Qiu's opinion, this aura was even stronger than that of the gray wolf Fanny she had encountered in the Shas Principality.
Suddenly, a fierce wind howled outside the hall. The bright moonlight was obscured by a dark cloud, and the sky instantly darkened again. The hall doors rattled in the wind, and a sharp sound of something tearing through the air rang in everyone's ears. The nobles scurried around the hall in panic. The vampire blocking the door suddenly let out a muffled grunt, his chest pierced clean through by an arrow formed from condensed dark energy, and he collapsed softly to the ground.
After piercing the vampire, the black arrow shot through several more nobles, flying into the hall like a bolt of lightning.
The red-eyed vampire's expression changed. He flew over and snatched the arrow, his face cold as he snapped it in two.
The dark, chilling aura from the arrow instantly enveloped the entire hall. Tang Qiu snapped out of her thoughts, frowning as she glanced toward the entrance. A figure seemed to flash by the doorway. She paused, then sensed something and suddenly reached out, wrapping an arm around Lucille's waist and pulling her away from where they stood.
Just as the two of them moved, a long arrow formed of dark energy flew from the direction of the entrance. With a whoosh, before the red-eyed vampire could react, it pierced through his chest. The arrowhead, carrying the vampire's heart, flew out of his back, shot past where Tang Qiu and Lucille had just been standing, and embedded itself in the thick wall of the hall.
Lola, who was standing nearby and hadn't managed to dodge, turned her head in astonishment. The dark energy exploded, blowing the wall wide open. The ground beneath their feet began to shake, and the hall showed signs of collapsing.
There was a reinforcing dark magic array beneath this hall, personally laid by the fourth-generation lord of the manor. It should have been able to withstand at least one attack from a fellow fourth-generation vampire, but now the array had been pierced by a single arrow... Lola narrowed her eyes and turned to look toward the entrance.
Six or seven slender, tall figures appeared at the doorway. Their dark skin, stunning features, and pointed ears all revealed their identity.
The Dark Elf in the center handed her bow to a companion beside her. Her long, silver-gray hair remained dull and lackluster even under the moonlight. She closed her eyes for a moment to sense something, then slowly looked up. Her silver-gray eyes were lifeless, devoid of any vitality, containing only a void. She spoke in a low voice, "Above."
The other Dark Elves looked up in unison, then took a few steps back, using a nearby tree to leap upstairs in a couple of bounds.
After the Dark Elves disappeared from the entrance, the hall fell silent for a few seconds before erupting into even louder screams. The nobles swarmed toward the door.
The chaotic scene made Tang Qiu frown. She withdrew her gaze from the entrance and grabbed a noble who was running past her.
The noble was startled and demanded, putting on a brave front, "Who are you? What are you doing?"
Tang Qiu said nothing, simply reaching out and pulling the mask off the noble's face. She glanced at his face, saw that it wasn't the Prince of Gosse, and casually tossed him aside.
"Let's find our person first," Tang Qiu said in a low voice, turning her head to Lucille and Lola.
Neither the Dark Elves nor the werewolves were her objective for coming to Rose Manor. Tang Qiu looked up thoughtfully; she had already sensed the werewolf upstairs beginning to deploy a domain.
In such a chaotic situation where they couldn't grasp what was happening or control the outcome, it was best for them not to get involved.
Tang Qiu, Lucille, and Lola flashed away from the hall, each taking a side to stop the nobles who were desperate to escape, checking their identities one by one.
The nobles were still shaken and were intimidated by Lucille's and Lola's status. They obediently stopped and frantically removed their masks.
On the upstairs terrace, Glanna and the white-haired woman were still in a standoff. Noah frowned, her gaze shifting between the two before she stepped behind Glanna, the dark aura around her fluctuating.
"Who is she?" Noah asked, sizing up the white-haired woman, a guess already forming in her mind.
Glanna's lips curved. "Ophelia Field of the Werewolf Royals," she said softly. "The younger sister of the current clan leader. A pitiful wretch who betrayed her people for the love of a human." Though her tone was gentle, her words were more like a taunt.
Noah had already silently taken out her bone staff, her lips moving as she prepared a spell.
Ophelia's face grew even colder at Glanna's words. Her hands hung at her sides, sharp nails faintly visible. She stared fixedly at Glanna and said, word by word, "Is the resurrection array I asked for ready?"
Glanna shrugged. "A resurrection array isn't that easy to prepare." She smiled at Ophelia and said, courting death, "Of course, if you could bring me a few werewolves, I could prepare the resurrection array a little faster."
Ophelia closed her eyes. When she opened them again, killing intent had replaced the coldness. She clenched her fists, her knuckles cracking. "I told you, if you dare to deceive me, I will slaughter your entire Anderson family."
The moment her words fell, she shot forward like a phantom. Glanna's expression changed slightly. Before she could raise her bone staff, a cold glint was already before her face, her neck torn open by sharp nails.
Glanna's body fell to the ground, turning into a straw man.
The moment Glanna fell, Noah began to retreat. She backed away while chanting a spell in a low voice. A white mist suddenly appeared around them, and a beast over three meters tall, formed from the mist, blocked Ophelia's path. The beast threw its head back and let out a low roar.
Ophelia flicked her hand expressionlessly. The beast roared and charged at her, but before it could touch her body, it was pierced by a suddenly appearing long arrow. The beast let out a mournful cry and dissipated into the air.
Noah and Ophelia both froze for a moment, turning to look in the direction the arrow had come from. The figures of the Dark Elves were faintly visible in the thin white mist. The leader of the Dark Elves, Patricia, slowly drew her bowstring. A new arrow of dark energy quickly condensed on the string. She aimed the arrow at the Space Gem on Noah's waist and said indifferently, "Hand over the Elf Fruit."
The sudden appearance of the Dark Elves made the situation even more chaotic. Ophelia frowned and glanced at Glanna, who had reappeared not far away. She flashed over and slammed a fist into the dark barrier Glanna had summoned.
Cracks appeared one after another on the dark barrier. Glanna raised her hands, closed her eyes, and began to chant a spell. White mist rose from under her feet and instantly spread nearly a hundred meters in all directions. The moment the dark barrier shattered, Glanna's figure completely vanished into the white mist.
This was a Red-robed Witch's Dark Domain.
Ophelia narrowed her eyes and snorted coldly. Her vision was obstructed, but that still couldn't stop her from attacking. Glanna, who was summoning monsters within the Dark Domain, suddenly had a bad premonition. A pale hand shot out from the dense fog. Unable to dodge in time, she was grabbed by the neck and slammed viciously onto the ground, letting out a pained grunt.
The hand slowly tightened, snapping the fragile neck. However, there was no smile on Ophelia's face. She pulled her hand back and looked at the straw in her palm, shouting angrily, "Glanna!"
Having narrowly escaped death, Glanna hid once more in the dense fog. She raised a hand to her bruised neck, licked the blood from the corner of her mouth, her eyes turning cold, a wicked smile on her face. "The werewolf race really shouldn't exist."
Patricia released her fully drawn bowstring. The arrow shot from the bow and struck Noah's substitute straw man. Noah appeared beside Glanna, and another Dark Domain descended, enveloping them. She grabbed Glanna's arm, pulling her back a little, and looked down at her neck, stating a fact in a low voice, "A Royal Werewolf and a Dark Elf leader. I suggest you just hand over the Elf Fruit."
They had chosen their position poorly, too close to the werewolf and the Dark Elves, which was very disadvantageous for them.
Besides, Noah didn't want to fight them. She had more important things to do later and didn't want to get injured.
Glanna closed her eyes and said unwillingly, "Damn it." If the Dark Elves hadn't interfered, whether she and Noah could have killed Ophelia was another matter, but Ophelia certainly wouldn't have been able to stop them from leaving.
With a cold face, she threw the Space Gem containing the Elf Fruit toward Ophelia.
The moment the Space Gem left her hand, Glanna and Noah felt the oppressive pressure from the Dark Elves instantly vanish. The faint sound of a bowstring being drawn full was heard. Ophelia glanced at the approaching Space Gem and retreated with a cold expression. A long arrow appeared out of thin air and struck the Space Gem, which instantly turned to dust, scattering the Elf Fruits inside onto the ground.
Ophelia and the Dark Elves teleported over simultaneously, wanting to claim the Elf Fruits.
Glanna and Noah's Dark Domain had directly enveloped this entire area, including the place below where Tang Qiu and the others were.
Tang Qiu had just found the Prince of Gosse among the nobles when a white mist began to spread at her feet. She paused, quickly recognizing it as a Black Witch's Dark Domain, and furthermore, she recognized it as Glanna's domain.
Besides werewolves and Dark Elves, even Glanna was here? A flash of astonishment crossed Tang Qiu's eyes. She turned her head and met Lucille's gaze, both seeing the confusion in the other's eyes.
The Dark Domain spread quickly. Tang Qiu didn't have time to ponder why Glanna was here. She raised her hand, knocked the Prince of Gosse unconscious, and tossed him to Lola beside her, saying in a low voice, "Let's go."
Inside the Dark Domain, Glanna could easily discover their presence.
The grand hall of Rose Manor had already half-collapsed due to the chaotic battle between the werewolf, the Dark Elves, and the Black Witches. Delia's room was not at the center of the battle, so her area remained relatively intact.
The Dark Domain's range included her location, but she remained standing in place, seriously mending the sleeve of a doll, as if nothing else was as important.
A vampire rushed in to report the situation outside. "Lord Delia, those two Red-robed Witches are fighting a werewolf and the Dark Elves."
Delia's hand paused. She asked in a low voice, "A werewolf?"
The vampire nodded. "Yes, a werewolf. We don't know how they got in." As he spoke, he grew a little nervous.
The fact that a werewolf could sneak in meant their security was too lax. And those Dark Elves...
Delia raised a hand to stroke the doll's long hair and fell silent for a moment before saying nonchalantly, "Let them fight."
The vampire was stunned. "...We're not intervening?"
"What do the affairs of Black Witches, werewolves, and Dark Elves have to do with us vampires?" Delia raised a hand and established a Blood Domain within the Dark Domain, allowing her vampire subordinates to move more freely. "Send someone to throw those nobles out."
After the vampire received his orders and hurried away, Delia returned her focus to mending the pearl button on the doll's sleeve, seemingly oblivious to the tremors under her feet.
The chaos inside Rose Manor was completely concealed by the high, long walls outside. Because Rose Manor's grounds were so large, the outside seemed exceptionally quiet and peaceful in comparison.
At the west entrance of Rose Manor, carriages entered the manor in an orderly fashion through a small gate. In the nearby woods, a group of people completely concealed in pure white cloaks was carefully counting the number of carriages entering the manor.
After the last carriage entered and the gate of Rose Manor slowly closed, an elf turned to Delphine and said, "A total of ten carriages. Each one holds four priests." Her tone suddenly became excited. "We can rescue forty priests."
This meant they could acquire forty Space Gems. As for how many bottles of Holy Water of Light were in those forty Space Gems, she felt it would surely be a pleasantly surprising number.
Delphine raised an eyebrow and said thoughtfully, "That many."
An elf asked impatiently, "When do we make our move?"
Delphine thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No rush."
She looked up at the high wall, a thoughtful glint in her light green eyes. The night wind whistling past her told her that it was not, in fact, peaceful inside.
Three dark figures suddenly appeared on the wall. Delphine and her kin retreated to hide in the woods, as vines actively wrapped around them, completely concealing their figures.
The three of them—Tang Qiu, Lucille, and Lola—stood on the wall, not in a hurry to go down. Lucille gazed toward the grand hall. Although the Blood Domain Delia had created wasn't large, she could still feel a slight fluctuation. "The fourth-generation vampire in Rose Manor might have made a move."
"...What a lively scene," Tang Qiu remarked with a sigh. A chaotic battle between Black Witches, Dark Elves, vampires, and werewolves was a once-in-a-century sight.
The nobles' carriages were rushing toward the manor's exit, one after another. Tang Qiu looked down at them, her eyes darkening slightly. After tonight, these nobles would probably learn their lesson and not dare to come here again.
However, people were always forgetful. As long as Rose Manor was not eliminated, it would one day reappear before the nobles.
Therefore, this place could not be left standing. Tang Qiu stared in the direction of the hall, her gaze profound. She was now a Bishop of the Gosse Church. If something happened at Rose Manor that affected the Church's reputation, regardless of what connection this place had with the Church, Cambecus would absolutely seize the opportunity to come after her.
She couldn't leave this bomb ticking.
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