CA - Chapter 205
Chapter 205
On the shores of the Oscarld Sea, the black mist dissipated. Eden released Gabriel and stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the unnaturally quiet sea under the night sky. He fell into deep thought, remaining silent for a long time.
Gabriel, while tidying up his ruined accessories, said without looking up, "I'd advise you not to go back to capture her alone. Delphine and her guardian are there, along with a royal werewolf. Even that Gangrel vampire you want to catch doesn't look easy to deal with. Be careful you don't end up losing yourself instead of catching her."
He finally finished arranging his accessories, looked up, and habitually put on a smile. The robes of a Red-robed Archbishop were still dazzling in the night, and he had returned to his holy and noble appearance. "Our cooperation has only just begun, Elder Eden." Gabriel looked directly into Eden's eyes and said in a low voice, "Isn't the more important matter right now to help me drive the Black Witches back underground?"
"Once I've secured the position of Pope, forget capturing a single Gangrel vampire-even Delphine will be within your grasp with the Holy See's assistance."
Gabriel persuasively coaxed him, "Think about what your clan has been striving for all this time, Eden. Without the Holy See helping you guard the Tree of Life, can your experiments continue?"
Something in his words must have struck a chord with Eden, making him abandon the idea of returning. He stared at the sea for a moment before speaking slowly, "I will send seven fourth-generation lords to assist you. In three months, I expect to see peace restored to the continent of Statu."
"And you must have already secured the position of Pope."
Faced with the three-month deadline, Gabriel was full of confidence. "I believe our cooperation will be absolutely satisfactory and pleasant."
Having received Eden's promise, Gabriel didn't linger. After getting the scroll to summon the vampire lords from Eden, he took out a teleportation scroll, unfurled it, and left.
After Gabriel departed, Eden stood quietly in place for a while longer before leaping into the sea.
Since leaving the Blood Domain, no one knew where the Tzimisce clan had hidden. Even Gabriel only vaguely knew it was somewhere near the Oscarld Sea, but he never would have imagined that the Tzimisce clan was hiding at the bottom of the ocean.
A black mist enveloped Eden, carrying him downward. After an unknown amount of time, his feet touched the ground. The black mist gradually dispersed, revealing a dungeon with a complex structure of intersecting stone chambers spread across the seabed.
The seawater was held firmly at bay by a substance like a black mist, separating it from the dungeon, with neither interfering with the other.
Pressed down by the heavy weight of the sea, not a single ray of light could penetrate the dungeon. It relied solely on the oil lamps on the walls to illuminate the darkness, but the light was dim. Even with lamps scattered throughout, the place still felt oppressive and suffocating.
Eden pushed open the dungeon door, revealing a corridor so long its end was out of sight. A black shadow silently emerged from the wall and stood behind Eden with its head bowed.
Eden glanced at it and said in a low voice, "Have Delia come see me."
The shadow acknowledged the order in a low voice and vanished once more.
Delia had betrayed Lucille to gain Eden's trust, but that trust wasn't enough for her to truly step into the Tzimisce clan's territory. However, she had always been very clever. She knew what Eden valued, and she knew what the other Tzimisce elders valued. By catering to their preferences, she eventually gained the trust of one elder and managed to get in here.
The dungeon environment was not very comfortable. On her first day, to blend in, Delia immediately swapped her magnificent dress for a simple black robe like the other vampires, covering herself completely except for her face.
The place where Eden lived was no different from the other stone chambers. Delia followed the vampire to the door of the chamber. After the vampire left, she glanced around before taking a deep breath and pushing the door open to enter.
Eden had his back to the door, his head lowered as he fiddled with two glass vials filled with dark red blood on a shelf. Hearing the noise at the entrance, he spoke in a low voice without turning around, "I saw the Lucille you spoke of today."
Delia was taken aback and asked tentatively, "Did the Elder go to the Gosse Empire?"
"No, in Setaya."
Delia frowned, then heard Eden continue, "With a royal of the Wolf Race and the Elf Queen."
"Didn't you say she would be in the Gosse Empire?"
Delia's heart skipped a beat, but her face showed no trace of it. Eden's words were a sign of his suspicion. Delia lowered her eyes and spoke calmly, "She has a Bishop blood slave. Perhaps that Bishop was sent to Setaya."
"As for why she is with the Elf Queen..." Delia shook her head. "That I do not know. Lucille is a very mysterious person. Elder Evan also spent considerable effort trying to capture her back then."
She debated whether to reveal Tang Qiu's identity and chose the latter.
Ultimately, she still didn't dare to make an enemy of the savior from the Wolf Race's prophecy.
Eden fiddled with the glass vials for a while before grunting in acknowledgment and saying flatly, "Go and capture her."
Delia froze, asking cautiously, "By myself?"
Eden turned to look at her. Delia kept her head down, her heart beginning to suspect that Eden had seen through her lie, when he finally spoke, "Have Tal go with you."
"Keep an eye on her. When she's separated from Delphine and the others, summon me."
Three months... was too long. He couldn't wait any longer.
Delia respectfully agreed. After waiting a moment and seeing that Eden had nothing more to say, she tactfully departed.
She came out of Eden's stone chamber and looked around, but the vampire who had brought her was gone. Delia frowned, hesitated for a moment, then turned and walked to the right.
This dungeon had a particularly complex layout. Normally, Delia only moved within a fixed area and only had the opportunity to approach the central part of the dungeon when summoned by Eden.
She had discovered on the day she entered the dungeon that although it looked unremarkable and was simply built on the seabed, there were, in fact, traces of an inscribed array beneath their feet.
What kind of array was this, she wondered. Delia lowered her head, following the faint lines as she walked and thought.
"What are you doing?" a voice sounded behind her. Delia jumped in fright and turned around. "...Nothing. Elder Eden told me to find Lord Tal."
"Lord Tal is not in that direction." The vampire gestured for Delia to follow her, then turned and said in a warning tone, "I'll take you. Wandering into the depths of the dungeon is forbidden."
Delia looked at her back, not daring to let her thoughts stray any further. She hastily composed herself, lowered her head, and followed.
Setaya.
Having just experienced a chaotic battle, the already desolate and uninhabited city had been completely reduced to ruins by the bombardment of light magic. Broken armor, snapped staves, and blood-soaked golden swords littered the ground. Blood stained the earth, and the field of corpses was a vision of hell.
Because the Tzimisce clan had suddenly interfered, Mario had only half-finished cleaning up the mess. The Saintess stepped onto the scorched earth, her silver-white boots stained with indelible grime. She walked past the bodies strewn across the ground to the area most severely damaged by light magic.
This was once the Holy Son's manor.
"Are you scared?" A small hand secretly took the Saintess's. The Saintess paused for a moment, looking down at Kama nestled beside her, and asked in a low voice.
Kama shook her head but pressed even closer to the Saintess.
The night wind carried a foul stench. Kama wrinkled her nose and unhappily covered her face with her sleeve.
"Found him." The Saintess walked to a pile of rubble and looked down at the body lying on the ground. The corpse's skin was already blue and stiff, its holy robes were covered in blood, and its handsome face was twisted and hideous in extreme pain. Its golden eyes were lifeless and gray.
Kama hugged the Saintess, cautiously peeking at the body on the ground before lowering her head in fear.
The Saintess gazed down at the Holy Son's face with a complex expression. She remained silent for a moment, then sighed softly and explained to Kama, "This is my brother."
Kama was stunned and looked up at her in surprise.
"The other clan members are too far away, so I could only bring you." The Saintess crouched down and stroked Kama's head, comforting her gently. "Don't be afraid. I just wanted to bring a clan member to see him off."
Kama bravely glanced at the corpse again, then held out her hand to the Saintess, wanting to communicate.
But the Saintess didn't want to reveal her current emotions to anyone, so she didn't take her hand. "I know what you want to ask, but it's a complicated story."
"You're still young. I'll tell you when you're older."
The Saintess took a bouquet of lilies from her Space Gem and handed it to Kama, saying softly, "Can you help me give this bouquet to him?"
Kama took the flowers and nodded. She let go of the Saintess, walked over, and placed the flowers beside the body.
The youngest of the clan presenting a fresh bouquet to the deceased was a farewell ritual for the God Race Descendants... even though the Holy Son only had half God Race blood.
The Saintess walked to Kama's side, put an arm around her shoulder, and looked down at the Holy Son's body, softly chanting a spell.
Golden flames descended from the sky, turning the area ten meters beyond the Saintess and Kama into a sea of fire. The corpses were incinerated, turning to ash that scattered in the air.
"Your birth brought misfortune to many; your death should not cause another disaster." The Saintess raised her hand, and a single flame fell upon the Holy Son, instantly setting him ablaze.
The Saintess watched as the body disappeared bit by bit, her heart unusually calm. From the day she learned of the Holy Son's existence, she had foreseen this ending.
It wasn't that she hadn't tried to guide the Holy Son onto the right path, but... he trusted Cambecus and Gabriel more than her.
It was nothing more than a lust for power. The Saintess shook her head, the complex expression on her face gradually returning to one of cold indifference. She stroked Kama's hair and said softly, "Let's go."
Kama looked up at her, making a few serious gestures with her small hands.
The Saintess smiled faintly and shook her head. "I'll take you back to the Gosse Empire, but I have to return to the Central Church."
Kama looked disappointed and hugged the Saintess tightly, refusing to let go.
"Don't worry, I'm just going to take care of some things," the Saintess comforted her. "I'll protect myself, okay?"
"Besides, the thing you want is also at the Central Church. I have to go back."
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