CA - Chapter 179
Chapter 179
Traveling north, the closer they got to the Gru Empire, the harder the monsters the Holy See's procession encountered became.
After entering the Shas Principality, the difficulty of advancing reached a new height. The Shas Principality bordered Witch City, making it one of the most severely corrupted places on the continent.
Of the dozens of cities in the Shas Principality, only a dozen or so were saved; the rest had been occupied by monsters, becoming complete cities of the dead.
The monsters wandering within the Shas Principality had evolved a certain level of intelligence. Flocks of black crows pecked at rotting flesh on withered branches, while crimson skeletons dragged bloody, mangled corpses past the trees. They threw the bodies into a blood-colored swamp, attempting to create more of their kind.
A Black Witch in a white robe stood beside a Dark Array, chanting a spell and raising a bone staff. The black crows perched on the withered branches suddenly sensed something. Flock after flock, they flapped their wings and took flight, letting out piercing cries.
The white-robed witch stopped her spell, glanced in a certain direction, and sharply turned to leave, quickly disappearing into the darkness.
A while later, a dozen Holy Knights cleared the crimson skeletons from the road and approached. The pressure from the Dark Array made them stop in their tracks with grave expressions. The crimson skeletons near the array, their eyes flashing with green light, surprisingly didn't charge forward immediately but shrewdly retreated into the blood-colored swamp.
One of the Holy Knights turned and went back the way he came. He soon saw the Holy See's convoy, sheathed his longsword, and deftly entered Cambecus's carriage.
The Holy Knight reported the situation ahead truthfully, then quietly awaited Cambecus's orders.
Cambecus stroked his chin and fell silent. The journey from the Central Church to the Gosse Empire and then to the Shas Principality had refreshed his understanding of the dark forces.
The countries near the Holy See's domain weren't severely infiltrated by darkness due to their geographical location, and the Gosse Empire didn't seem to have suffered devastating casualties under the dark invasion. This had led Cambecus to believe that the Black Witches were nothing to fear.
But the farther he got from the Holy See's domain, the more the monsters on the road and the situations in various countries astonished him. By the time he reached the Shas Principality, he no longer dared to underestimate the Black Witches.
After returning, he had to signal to the Pope that it was time to act. They couldn't wait any longer, or it wouldn't be so simple to clean up the monsters after they evolved a few more times.
Allowing the dark forces to destroy the continent's foundation wasn't good for the Holy See either... All sorts of thoughts spun in Cambecus's mind. He pondered for a moment before asking the Holy Knight, "Where are we currently located in the Shas Principality?"
"The southeastern region. We are still two days' journey from the Gru Empire."
Cambecus thought for a moment and said, "We'll stop here. Tell them to rest where they are. We'll set out again tomorrow."
It was about time to deal with the blond bishop. It was good to be a bit farther from those werewolves in the Gru Empire's territory, just in case anything went wrong.
The situation outside was far more dangerous than he had imagined. He needed to get back and inform the Pope about this matter sooner.
Cambecus took out a black scroll and tossed it to the Holy Knight. "Go find Lord Delia," he said in a low voice, "and tell her to act tonight."
The Holy Knight acknowledged the order in a low voice, put away the black scroll, and turned to leave.
The carriage fell silent again. Cambecus opened the window and glanced sideways at the dim environment outside, his hands clasped together. He narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.
The convoy ahead suddenly stopped. Mario frowned and sent a Holy Knight to inquire about the situation. After learning it was Cambecus's order, his eyes flickered. He turned, walked to Tang Qiu's carriage, and explained the situation in a low voice.
The carriage was quiet for a moment before the blond bishop's gentle voice came from within. "Listen to him."
Her tone was casual, but Mario detected an air of calm and confidence, as if she had everything under control.
He paused, recalling the other side of the blond bishop he had seen among the Elf Race. Mario swallowed the words he was about to say and simply replied in a low voice, "Yes."
Just as he was about to leave and make arrangements, Tang Qiu's voice came from the carriage again. "It might not be peaceful tonight. Have your men keep an eye on Cambecus's guards."
Mario understood Tang Qiu's hint. He nodded and replied, "I understand." He had worked for Reese for so many years, and it was his strength that had earned him her trust as a confidant.
"I won't let a single one get away."
After tonight, only one side—either theirs or Cambecus's guards—would see tomorrow's sun.
But how were they to deal with Archbishop Cambecus? As Mario turned to leave, he glanced up at the carriage again. Though he had doubts, he chose not to ask rashly.
The sound of footsteps faded away. Inside the carriage, Tang Qiu returned to the book in her hands, showing little concern for the fierce battle that might occur tonight.
The sky near the Dark Array was gloomy, and the daylight hours were extremely short. Tang Qiu had only read a third of her book before the sky outside had turned completely dark.
Mario personally stood guard in front of the carriage, staff in hand, his gaze vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
After darkness fell, a fog suddenly began to rise. The crimson skeletons wandered nearby again, but they didn't get too close, wary of the aura of light from the convoy.
Black crows perched on the dry branches, their red-glowing eyes in the darkness fixed on the Holy See's procession, creating a strange and sinister scene.
A gust of wind swept past, carrying dust. The startled crows flew up, cawing. A black mist suddenly rose from below, completely enveloping the carriage before the Holy Knights could react.
Inside the carriage, Tang Qiu's hand, which was turning a page, paused. She looked up slightly, her lips moved a few times, and a barrier of light appeared around the carriage, causing the black mist to shrink back in fear.
Mario first raised his staff, then, after a thought, switched to a golden longsword. He stood guard before the carriage and commanded, "Protect Bishop Grace."
The Holy Knights drew their longswords and surrounded the carriage. The priests stood in the inner circle, also taking out their staves and beginning to chant.
A figure flashed through the black mist. Before Mario could even pinpoint their location, a dark flame flickering with green light suddenly appeared and surrounded them.
A chilling aura washed over them. The circle of fire shrank smaller and smaller. The priests all stopped their chanting and began using purification spells, attempting to extinguish the flames.
Mario's expression was grave as he watched the dark flames. He frowned and said, "This is dark magic."
Were they being besieged by Black Witches?
The carriage door opened, and Tang Qiu stepped out. Looking at the surrounding dark flames, she raised an eyebrow and said with surprise, "The power is quite strong."
Mario turned to look at her. "We're very close to the Dark Array. It's a suitable place for Black Witches to cast spells."
Tang Qiu shook her head. "The opponent isn't a Black Witch."
Mario was taken aback. "They're not?" But this was undeniably dark magic.
Although other dark creatures included vampires and dark elves, those two races only used the Power of Darkness, not this kind of dark magic.
Tang Qiu took out her staff, chanted a spell, and a flame of light descended from the sky, completely engulfing the dark flames and burning towards the surrounding black mist. "The opponents are vampires of the Xi-Tai clan."
Tang Qiu had only learned about the talents of the Xi-Tai clan from Lucille.
This clan was different from the other vampire clans; their lineage did not exist since the Age of Gods.
To be precise, the Xi-Tai clan were originally the earliest human mages to practice dark magic. In their pursuit of eternal life and power, they studied other vampires and successfully transformed themselves into one of them.
A long time ago, the Xi-Tai clan was not recognized by the vampires. They were only accepted after they sided with the vampires during the Holy War. However, unlike other clans, the vampires of the Xi-Tai clan were not particularly outstanding in speed or strength.
Their specialty was dark magic. Of course, after transforming into vampires, they called their magic blood magic.
Tang Qiu lowered her staff and stared at the surrounding black mist. "But there are fewer of them than I expected," she said thoughtfully.
It was within her expectations that Cambecus couldn't resist making the first move, and she had also guessed his trump card. It had to be said, the location Cambecus had chosen was quite good. Tang Qiu even suspected that Cambecus's intentions might have coincided with her own.
The black mist didn't just envelop Tang Qiu's group; Cambecus's side was also included. But unlike here, their side was quiet and had not been attacked at all.
Cambecus stood by his carriage, watching the chaotic scene over there with a slight smile. The white light of light magic occasionally illuminated the darkness, making the blond bishop's silhouette exceptionally eye-catching.
Although Cambecus couldn't see Tang Qiu's expression, he darkly imagined whether the gentle smile the blond bishop always wore had been replaced by panic. It was a great pity that he couldn't personally witness panic and fear appear on that beautiful face.
"Keep an eye on them. Don't let a single one escape." After saying this, Cambecus was about to turn back to his carriage when a Holy Knight in the procession suddenly screamed, stopping him in his tracks.
Cambecus frowned. "What is it?"
A Holy Knight went to check the situation and found nothing but a pool of blood on the ground; the person who had screamed was gone.
The priests and Holy Knights became vigilant. They surrounded Cambecus, their light magic already prepared.
Another scream rang out, this time from behind them. By the time the people around turned their heads, the person who had screamed was already gone.
Cambecus's face darkened. He gave a look to the attendant priest beside him.
The priest led the other priests in releasing their spells. The darkness was suddenly illuminated, but the surroundings were empty, with no figures in sight.
The captain of the Holy Knights scanned the area. Just as he was about to send someone out to investigate, a corpse fell from the sky and landed at their feet.
The corpse was one of the Holy Knights who had just disappeared. The knight closest to the body went forward and turned it over, discovering that its face was pale and its neck was a bloody mess, looking as if it had been bled to death.
On the mountain cliff behind them, Lola casually tossed down the dead Holy Knight in her hand. She raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth and said with a satisfied expression, "As expected, the blood of Holy See personnel is the most delicious."
Beside her were two other vampires. One was also feeding, just like her, while the other was watching the situation with Tang Qiu's group.
"This is Lord Delia's aura..." The vampire crossed his arms, saying thoughtfully, "Have the Xi-Tai clan really colluded with the Holy See?"
A thousand years ago, the Pope of the Holy See died at the hands of their vampires. This news caused a sensation in the Blood Domain, but the related Xi-Tai clan and Tzimisce clan refused to speak about it.
Later, the Holy See quickly recovered, and at that time, the relationships between the various vampire clans were tense, so the vampires did not take advantage of the situation to attack the Holy See.
The vampire recalled the rumors in the Blood Domain about Evan and the others, and stroked his chin. Who would have thought... the Xi-Tai and Tzimisce clans were actually so bold.
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