CA - Chapter 197

Chapter 197

With Reese unconscious, Tang Qiu was left to seal the dark formation alone. The progress slowed instantly, but since three-quarters of it was already sealed, the delay didn't have a significant impact.

The situation within the Gosse Empire was gradually improving, but without Reese, Tang Qiu's duties became much more arduous. She couldn't rest even late at night, forced to constantly suppress the turbulent crimson swamp.

Wrapped in a black robe, Erin leaned against a bare tree trunk. Though her eyes were fixed on Tang Qiu and her staff, her thoughts had drifted elsewhere. The joy she'd felt watching the dark formations being sealed one by one had been replaced by a subtle sense of unease.

The image of Reese suppressing her rage and killing intent the night Monica was injured was still fresh in Erin's mind. Even though she knew Monica had been rescued, the weight on her heart hadn't lifted. On the contrary, it grew even heavier after she learned that Reese was missing.

Archbishop Reese had suddenly vanished, shocking the entire Gosse Empire, especially the members of the Holy See. The priests and clerics of the Gosse Church fared slightly better; after the initial panic, they gradually calmed down when they saw that Tang Qiu was unharmed.

However, the contingent of bishops and priests who had followed Reese from the Central Church descended into chaos-complete and utter chaos. Even the plan to expel the demonic creatures was brought to a halt.

Erin sighed silently. The Holy See had only just begun to seriously suppress the forces of darkness, and with great difficulty at that. She really didn't want to see it fall into disarray at such a critical moment.

Her spiritual energy depleted, Tang Qiu retreated from the front lines. She took out a bottle of Holy Water of Light and, while drinking, glanced at Erin. Seeing the worried expression on her face, she asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Erin glanced up at her and said hesitantly, "The Holy See... um... Is Reese all right?"

She hadn't gone with Tang Qiu and Lucille when they went searching, so she didn't know if they had found Reese. But seeing that Tang Qiu seemed unconcerned by the chaos outside, she had a gut feeling that they had.

"Reese is fine." Tang Qiu put the bottle of Holy Water of Light away, the smile on her lips fading slightly. "But the Holy See is about to descend into chaos."

Erin's face fell. "But it can't!" she lamented. "What will happen to the dark formation?"

If things went wrong now, there was no guarantee the Black Witches wouldn't take advantage of the chaos to strike back.

Tang Qiu's hand, still holding the bottle, paused. She lowered her gaze slightly and said softly, "The power struggles among the Holy See's upper echelons are far too complex. It was a great feat just to get them to unite. But now that Reese has been pushed past her breaking point, internal strife is inevitable."

The power dynamics among the Holy See's leadership were so convoluted that not even Tang Qiu could fully grasp them. Mobilizing them to suppress the darkness this time had been the absolute limit of her efforts at mediation.

Tang Qiu deeply regretted that they couldn't hold out until the end.

To Reese, someone targeting Monica was the same as someone holding a knife to her own throat. Compared to suppressing the darkness, protecting her "life" was, of course, more important.

Tang Qiu understood Reese. To urge her to set aside her hatred and focus on suppressing the darkness at a time like this would be tantamount to declaring their alliance over.

Besides, even if Reese suppressed her anger and continued to cooperate, the Holy See wouldn't remain peaceful for long. If Reese didn't stir up trouble, someone else would.

Tang Qiu sighed to herself. The Holy See was truly rotten to the core, unable to withstand the slightest disturbance.

The Black Witches' invasion was a gust of wind, but before that wind could even reach the towering edifice of the Holy See, the entire structure had already collapsed from its own internal rot.

The sound of footsteps approached from the distance. Tang Qiu and Erin turned simultaneously to see Phoenix and Kama.

Phoenix had not revealed her identity during her visit to the Gosse Empire. Even when she saw Reese's subordinates starting to riot over her disappearance, she did not appear to placate them.

As the two drew near, Kama let go of Phoenix's hand and ran to Tang Qiu's side. Tang Qiu glanced down at the girl and stroked her hair.

"I've come to say goodbye," Phoenix said softly, her gaze on Kama. "Kama wants to stay with you. Would you mind continuing to look after her?"

Tang Qiu nodded readily. "Of course," she said with a smile.

Phoenix looked up at her, her gaze lingering for a second on Erin cowering behind Tang Qiu before moving away impassively. "Thank you."

She paused for a moment before asking, "Is there any news of Reese?"

At the mention of Reese, Tang Qiu's expression grew somber and worried. She shook her head and sighed. "Not yet."

"I've sent people to search, but there are no clues. Priest Mario has searched every place Archbishop Reese might have gone, but he's found nothing."

Tang Qiu raised a hand to her brow, her face etched with worry. "I'm afraid she may have been attacked."

Phoenix was silent for a moment before saying quietly, "...I will inform the Pope when I return to the Holy See."

Tang Qiu nodded. "That would be best. After all, a Cardinal has gone missing."

Phoenix gave her a look but said nothing more. She simply pulled up the hood of her cloak and turned to leave.

Tang Qiu watched until Phoenix's figure disappeared from view, then turned her gaze away. Handing Kama to Erin, she said in a low voice, "Keep an eye on her. I have to step away for a bit."

With that, she turned and left. She had only gone a few meters when a red-haired vampire appeared from nowhere to walk beside her.

A moment later, they were both gone.

With most of the dark formation sealed, the knight orders of the Gosse Empire worked with the Holy See to clear demonic creatures from the wilderness and reclaim territory. The surviving civilians obediently stayed hidden in their homes. The streets were deserted during the day, and at night, they fell into an even deeper silence.

Tang Qiu and Lucille crossed several streets and entered a secluded manor. It was small, with a stout, squat tree occupying half of the courtyard.

Lola was leaning against the tree trunk with her hands behind her head, resting with her eyes closed. She only opened them when she sensed the arrival of Tang Qiu and Lucille. Before Tang Qiu could speak, she waved a hand languidly. "She's in the garden," she said, pouting.

Tang Qiu removed her hood and gave Lola a smiling nod. After whispering a few words to Lucille, she turned and walked in the direction Lola had indicated.

Lucille didn't follow. She glanced around and, seeing that Lola was occupying the tree trunk, decided against crowding her. Instead, she turned and leaped onto the wall behind them.

The wall was high, affording a wide view that allowed her to see Tang Qiu easily. Lucille sat down, her gaze fixed on the blonde bishop's figure, a faint, almost imperceptible ripple stirring in her dark red eyes.

The "garden" Lola had mentioned was merely a small pavilion. Outside, a jumble of flowers and weeds grew wild, unkempt and overgrown from neglect. Reese sat in the center of the pavilion, bundled tightly in a large black cloak, its hood obscuring half her face. Her head was bowed as she toyed with a sheet of parchment.

"The Saintess has returned to the Central Church." Tang Qiu walked over and sat down across from Reese. The table between them was bare, lacking the rose tea she usually served.

"And you? Are you going to continue this charade of being missing?"

Reese looked up slightly, glancing at Tang Qiu with a smirk. "The enemy is in the open, and I am in the shadows. Isn't that an advantage?"

"So, was the Holy Son truly behind what happened to Monica?" On the surface, it certainly seemed Monica had been taken by his men, but the letter Tang Qiu had received was from Abel. She suspected Gabriel must have been involved as well.

Of course, given the relationship between the Holy Son and Gabriel, that wasn't particularly surprising.

"Even if he wasn't the one who orchestrated it, he's still inseparable from it." Reese casually folded the parchment in her hand, her voice low. "He is the source of it all. As long as he lives, Monica will never be truly safe."

"Then what do you intend to do?" Tang Qiu mused. "The Holy Son may have vampires protecting him."

"Vampires?"

"Yes, the Tzimisce clan. The Pope's line has always been in collusion with them. The schism between the Holy See and the Wolf Race and Elves was also connected to this clan."

Reese frowned. After a moment of silence, she said quietly, "I was by the Holy Son's side for more than a decade, and I never saw him have any contact with vampires."

"Oh?" Tang Qiu was taken aback. "Then could the one with ties to the vampires be Gabriel?" she asked, surprised.

Reese didn't know much about the Tzimisce clan and could only shake her head.

"Speaking of Gabriel... that old fox has guessed that I haven't actually disappeared." Reese handed the folded parchment to Tang Qiu. "And," she added flatly, "he thinks Monica is dead."

The parchment was covered in flowing script. Most of it was polite pleasantries, but a few sentences read strangely, as if hinting at something. Tang Qiu read it over several times, her expression turning peculiar. "Is he..."

Reese finished her sentence for her. "He wants to use me to kill the Holy Son. The man has always been treacherous."

Because Monica was safe, she could maintain her composure and see the trap in Gabriel's letter. But if something had happened to Monica... it was another question entirely whether she would have been able to see through his scheme in a fit of rage.

Even if she had seen it, she probably would have charged ahead regardless.

Tang Qiu clicked her tongue as she held the parchment. "Clever," she chuckled. Then, a thought occurred to her, and she shook her head slightly. "It seems the Pope no longer holds any threat to him."

Ever since Cambecus died, the Pope has been like a hunter who has lost his weapon. He may still look imposing, but to a wild beast, he is no longer a threat.

Tang Qiu handed the parchment back. After a moment of thought, she said, "Let's try working with him. We should strike fast and end this quickly, giving the Pope and the Holy Son no time to react." A slight smile touched her lips. "As for who is using whom... we'll see in the end."

"Speaking of which, I have a few questions for Gabriel myself."

Reese met Tang Qiu's gaze. Seeing her gentle smile and clear eyes, which betrayed no hint of her deeper machinations, Reese gave a slightly helpless laugh. "I'll have someone contact him."

In truth, she had planned to do so even if Tang Qiu hadn't suggested it.

The two discussed the matter a while longer before changing the subject. Finding the hood was obstructing her view, Reese simply pulled it down, letting the night wind stir the hair at her temples.

Tang Qiu's gaze fell upon Reese's face and the hand she had placed on the table, and her smile slowly faded. After a moment's thought, she took a white bottle from her Space Gem and placed it in front of Reese. "Aren't you going to apply some ointment?" she sighed.

The scars looked even worse than they had the day she'd brought her back.

Monica had been so gravely wounded. By forcibly transferring those injuries to herself, Reese was lucky to be alive, let alone unscathed.

Scars left by the corrosion of the Power of Darkness were the most difficult to heal.

"Ointment won't help," Reese said, picking up the bottle and toying with it, seemingly unconcerned. "They're just scars. The Power of Light within me is unaffected."

Tang Qiu studied her for a moment, and seeing that she was truly unconcerned, she dropped the subject. "Monica is with the Elf Race. Do you want to go see her? I hear she hasn't woken up yet."

Reese's hand stilled. She frowned, a hint of worry in her voice. "She's still not awake?"

"She's not awake, but Delphine has examined her. She said Monica is just in a deep sleep from excessive blood loss."

Hearing that Monica was not in any real danger, Reese's brow smoothed, and a faint smile touched her lips. "As long as she's all right. Please thank the Elf Queen for me."

The situation was about to get messy. Only with Monica in a safe place could she focus on dealing with the Holy Son without distraction.

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