CA – Chapter 103
Chapter 103
Karen had only three Holy Knights with her to fend off the vampires' attack, but the vampires numbered twice as many. Even with Lisa constantly using light magic to support them from behind, it was only a matter of time before they were defeated.
Karen's right hand was injured and not very flexible. Faced with the vampires' inhuman speed and strength, her dodges were always half a beat too slow. This led to her being caught several times. Her right arm was covered in wounds, and in the most severe spot, a large chunk of flesh had been torn away, almost revealing the stark white bone within.
The dark aura drifting through the Blood Domain seemed to catch the scent of blood and lunged at Karen without warning. Her face pale, Karen dodged backward, but some of the black energy still managed to seep into her arm. The dark aura's corrosion was incredibly fast; the torn flesh instantly turned as black as coal.
Intense pain beaded Karen's forehead with cold sweat. The hand gripping her longsword trembled. Her right arm, eroded by the darkness, had gone numb. She could feel the dark energy spreading through her body.
One of the other Holy Knights was also invaded by the dark energy. His wound was on his shoulder, too close to his heart. He only had time to let out a blood-curdling scream before he collapsed to the ground, a pitch-black, withered skeleton.
A faint white light penetrated the thick fog and landed on Karen. However, it could only alleviate some of her pain; it couldn't expel the dark energy that had invaded her body, much less heal the arm that had already turned to withered bone.
Lisa, who had been watching Karen intently, paled and cried out, "Karen..." The staff in her hands fell to the ground as she trembled, but she paid it no mind. She stared at Karen, trapped within the circle of vampires, her mind a complete blank. Her body shook uncontrollably. Her lips parted, the words of a spell on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't make a sound.
Karen used her sword to support her weakened body. Though her vision was blurring, she caught a glimpse of Lisa standing frozen in place. She frowned and, using the last of her strength, tried to lead the vampires away from Lisa's direction.
The other two Holy Knights also fell to the vampires. Two vampires split off to deal with Karen, while the rest went after the priest who had just fled. One vampire paused as it passed Lisa, licking its blood-stained fingers. Its gaze fell upon Lisa as if she were a lamb to the slaughter.
Lisa seemed not to see the vampire closing in on her. Seeing Karen being pursued by the vampires, her pale face was filled with panic. Without a second thought, she ran in that direction.
The vampire that had reached her side stretched out a hand, intending to grab her and tear her in half. However, the moment its palm touched her arm, it was thrown back by a sudden flash of white light.
Of the two rings on Lisa's hand, one had already dimmed, and a fine crack had appeared down its middle. As Lisa ran, the ring quietly fell off.
While the ring's defensive barrier was still active, Lisa threw herself onto Karen, trying to shield her from the vampires' attacks.
Karen froze for a moment, staring in astonishment at Lisa who was shielding her. "Are you crazy..." she said in disbelief.
Why was this person protecting her at the cost of her own life...
The defensive barrier was shattered by the vampires. With no time to ponder Lisa's motives, Karen single-handedly pulled Lisa behind her. She quickly picked up the longsword from the ground and held it horizontally in front of her, blocking a vampire's hand as it reached for her chest. The immense force shattered the longsword. Karen bent over and spat out a mouthful of blood, her vision went black, and she collapsed to the ground.
Lisa crawled to Karen's side and held her in her arms, tears streaming down her face. Her fingers touched Karen's mangled shoulder, and the light in her eyes slowly faded. She placed her hand on Karen's chest, feeling the heartbeat beneath it grow weaker and weaker. She slowly closed her eyes, her heart turned to ash, waiting for the darkness to consume them.
However, the pain she expected never came. Instead, the screams of vampires filled her ears. The Blood Domain above was shattered by a golden light. White holy flames consumed the dissipating fog. A vampire happened to be standing within the golden light's range and was burned to a black crisp before it could even react.
Lisa held Karen tightly, staring blankly in the direction the golden light had come from. Her vision was blurred by tears, but through the golden glow, she could still make out the red figure raising a staff to cast a light spell. She murmured to herself, "Reese..."
Lisa looked down at Karen's blood-streaked face. A thought seemed to strike her, and a spark of life gradually returned to her once-dead eyes...
The golden light had only shattered the Blood Domain outside Rose Manor, saving the Church's team, which had nearly been swallowed by it again. Monica stood beside Reese, her expression grave as she looked at the dead and wounded among the Church's ranks after the Blood Domain receded. She bit her lip so hard it nearly bled.
A muffled grunt suddenly sounded beside her. Monica instinctively turned her head and saw Reese covering her mouth, her face pale with exhaustion. A trace of blood seeped out from between her fingers.
She froze for a second, her hand moving on its own, but it stopped just before touching Reese. She began hesitantly, "You..."
Mario stepped forward to support Reese's arm. Reese lowered her staff, shook her head, and said in a low voice, "Go save them."
Seeing that she could stand steadily, Mario released her and began rescue efforts with the priests and knights behind him.
Monica hesitated for a moment but didn't follow Mario and the others. She saw Reese looking down at the blood on her palm. After a moment's thought, she took out a clean handkerchief and placed it in Reese's hand. When Reese looked up at her, Monica averted her gaze, looking toward Rose Manor. She frowned and said, "Who is the enemy?"
Reese slowly closed her hand, gripping the handkerchief. "A third-generation vampire," she said softly.
"Third-generation?" Monica was stunned. What were the vampires trying to do? Were they planning to start another Holy War?
For a third-generation vampire to set foot on the continent of Statu, the Holy See would need to dispatch at least three Cardinals to suppress it.
"A third-generation vampire is attacking the Church in the Gosse Empire. This must be reported to the Central Church immediately," Monica said with a solemn expression.
This was a very serious matter.
Reese glanced at her, lowered her eyes slightly, and said nothing.
Reese had only broken the Blood Domain outside Rose Manor; the one within the manor was still intact. Lucille was leading an unconscious Lola and several other vampires, searching for the weakest point in the Blood Domain. But unexpectedly, they found Delia and her group at their destination.
It was as if they had known Lucille's plan all along and had been lying in wait for them.
Or perhaps, this weak point was a trap from the very beginning.
The moment Lucille saw Delia, she stopped. She placed Lola on the ground and met Delia's gaze with a cold expression.
Delia's eyes swept past Lucille and she was surprised to find that Tang Qiu was not there. She raised a hand and made a gesture to the vampires behind her, who rushed out and surrounded Lucille's group.
Among them, only Delia posed a threat to Lucille. While dealing with the attacking vampires, Lucille kept a sliver of her attention on Delia. However, to her surprise, Delia was just watching from the back, showing no intention of making a move.
The Gangrel vampire who had escaped from the dungeon had managed to hold on this long due to his clan's advantages, but he was also heavily injured. He spread his wings and came to Lucille's side. Seeing that she was only using her strength and speed to attack the vampires, he paused for a moment and suddenly asked, "Why aren't you using your Gangrel gifts?"
He pointed to his own wings, gesturing to Lucille.
Lucille glanced at him but didn't speak. She grabbed the shoulder of a sixth-generation vampire, her hand forcefully plunging into his chest. But just as she was about to touch his heart, he unexpectedly escaped.
She frowned slightly and continued to pursue the heavily injured vampire.
The Gangrel vampire watched Lucille for a while, a look of confusion on his face. Lucille was the strongest fighter among them, but without using her Gangrel clan gifts, her combat effectiveness was diminished.
Moreover, he felt that Lucille's aura was somewhat familiar. Her strength didn't seem like a fifth-generation's, but it wasn't quite a fourth-generation's either... If the timing weren't so bad, he would have definitely grabbed Lucille and demanded answers.
With Delia not making a move, her subordinates were completely unable to restrain Lucille and her group. In fact, they were at a disadvantage due to their opponents' fearless attacks.
A vampire's heart was crushed, and its corpse was thrown at Delia's feet. She glanced down at it before indifferently looking away.
The thick fog beside Delia suddenly began to tremble. A blond vampire walked out of the mist. Looking at the chaotic battle ahead, he clicked his tongue and said to Delia, "You're quite the slacker."
Seeing the newcomer, Delia asked flatly, "Eric, where is Elder Evan?"
Eric was sizing up Lucille and her group. Hearing Delia's question, he replied distractedly, "He's behind." He took a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his hands, and said with a smile, "Elder Evan hates subordinates who drag things out."
As he spoke, his figure vanished. When he reappeared, he had already crushed the heart of a sixth-generation vampire.
Eric reveled in the thrill of killing. If not for the lack of time, he would have torn his opponent to pieces instead of simply crushing their heart.
Eric exuded the powerful aura of a fourth-generation vampire. The moment he struck, everyone felt the pressure. One by one, Delia's subordinates gathered behind him.
He shook his hand and looked toward Lucille, killing intent rising in his eyes.
Lucille was currently entangled with a fifth-generation vampire. Eric's palpable killing intent made her sense danger. A fierce glint flashed in her eyes. She grabbed the fifth-generation vampire's arm and threw him over her shoulder, but a glance from the corner of her eye revealed that Eric's figure had already disappeared from its original spot.
She didn't turn around, simply retreating several steps. But Eric's figure suddenly appeared in front of her, his hand only a fist's distance from her throat.
Lucille frowned and stopped, just as she was about to raise her hand to counterattack, a white shadow flew in from the side like a bolt of lightning, violently knocking Eric away.
Tang Qiu had appeared in front of Lucille at some point. The hood on her head had fallen off due to her large movements, and her long, snow-white hair flew back before slowly settling down.
She glanced down at her blood-stained fingernails. Several cracks had appeared on her palm from the impact of the dark power.
Eric was sent flying all the way to Delia's side before he finally stabilized himself. There was a wound on his neck and shoulder so deep the bone was visible, his right arm was torn, and his right cheek had also been hit, the claw marks covering nearly half his face.
Vampires of the Tzimisce clan valued their faces above all else. Moreover, since most of them didn't use their own bodies, their healing abilities were not as fast as those of ordinary vampires.
Eric raised a hand to touch his face, his blood-red eyes filled with rage. He stared intently at Tang Qiu and gritted his teeth. "Damn werewolf."
Delia glanced at Eric's miserable state. Though her face showed no expression, the corners of her mouth secretly curved into a slight smile.
To inflict such heavy damage on Eric with a single blow was only possible because she had caught him completely off guard. The longer they stayed in the Blood Domain, the more dangerous it became. Moreover, Tang Qiu could already sense that the third-generation vampire was nearby, though for some reason, he hadn't shown himself.
She took a step back, grabbed Lucille's arm, and shouted toward a certain direction, "Delphine!"
A long arrow shimmering with green light flew out of the void, its tip aimed at Eric's heart. Eric's expression changed, and he flew backward into the thick fog. The arrow pursued him but was blocked by a thick cloud of mist, within which a hand was faintly visible.
Seeing the arrow being stopped, Delia's eyes flickered, and she too turned and walked into the mist.
The arrow was gradually dissolved by the fog. As the mist dissipated, a tall, handsome vampire appeared in Tang Qiu's and the others' line of sight. He wore only a simple black robe, his skin an unnatural, deathly pale. Delia and Eric stood respectfully behind him.
"Elf Queen..." Evan said, pinching the now-harmless arrow in his hand. He looked at Delphine in confusion. "What are you doing here?"
Delphine had already raised her bow and prepared a second arrow. In response to Evan's confusion, she said with a smile, "You've mistaken me for someone else. I am now the captain of the Saint Forest Mercenary Team. As for why I'm here, it's because I was paid for a mission."
Evan: "..."
"I think Patricia is more suited to lead the Elf Race than you."
Hearing him mention Patricia's name, the smile on Delphine's face slowly vanished. She expressionlessly released her hand, letting the arrow fly, then turned her head and said to Tang Qiu in a low voice, "You guys go."
The arrow flew past Evan's face, shattering the Blood Domain behind him.
Tang Qiu gave Lucille a meaningful look, then scooped up Lola from the ground and headed for the breach in the Blood Domain. Eric took a step forward to stop them but was blocked by a wall of earth.
As Lucille passed by Evan, he let out a soft "huh," turning to size her up. Just as he was about to raise his hand, a vine that seemed to appear from nowhere suddenly wrapped around his arm.
He narrowed his eyes and looked in Delphine's direction. "...You want to fight me before the Divine Ruins appear?"
Delphine shook her head. "No."
Evan's purpose in the Gosse Empire was the same as hers. Both of them wanted to maintain their peak condition before the Divine Ruins emerged.
Understanding Evan's attitude, Delphine put away her longbow. Seeing that Evan was still looking at her with displeasure, she raised an eyebrow and said, "Actually, I was saving you."
"Oh?"
Delphine pointed to Tang Qiu's still-visible retreating figure and said, "See that werewolf?"
Evan followed the direction she was pointing and frowned. "...A Royal Werewolf." He had realized her identity the moment he saw her injure Eric from outside the Blood Domain.
But there were only two Royal werewolves, and he knew them both. Who was this person?
"She's Faye's daughter," Delphine revealed the answer directly. Seeing Evan's surprised expression, she smiled. "You should know how violent Faye's temper is, right?"
"If she finds out you hurt her daughter, she'll definitely go to the Blood Domain and smash the coffin you sleep in."
Evan fell silent.
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