The First Pope - Chapter 68
Chapter 68
Selpa City was located northwest of Pegel Forest, only a few hundred miles from Iman's castle. One-fifth of Iman's subordinates resided there.
The Anderson witches had set out in advance, arriving near Selpa City before Iman was even trapped.
The climate in the Pegel Forest territory was very suitable for human survival, and it lacked dangerous places like the deathly swamps. As a result, the number of humans who had fled here was more than ten times that of Ochester.
Along their journey, the Anderson witches, without even deliberately searching, had come across numerous villages and towns controlled by the Vampires, liberating a large number of humans.
The witches were petite, with mostly cute and sweet features. Although their loose-fitting red robes were a bit jarring, their appearance was so deceptive that the rescued humans were completely unaware of the darkness in their hearts, seeing them only as saviors.
As the group of rescued humans grew, Molly toyed with her staff and glanced back nonchalantly. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly into a somewhat sinister smile.
A red-robed witch sidled up to her, her tone filled with unconcealed excitement. "Today, we can finally try out the new dark magic we've been researching."
"Once we succeed, what's a third-generation vampire?"
"It's so boring that this continent has been controlled by the Vampires for so long. It's about time for a change of masters, don't you think?"
Molly let out a low laugh and said softly, "Aren't the God Race dealing with the Vampires? What's your hurry?"
Wouldn't it be more fun to watch them fight until both sides were devastated?
Under the brilliant golden sunlight, the witches' red robes appeared even more vibrant. Their black boots trod upon the somewhat cracked earth. An occasional breeze would sweep up fallen leaves and lift the hair from their faces, exposing their seemingly innocent yet chillingly cold smiles to the light of day.
Camille, clutching her skeleton mouse, followed Elder Molly with cheerful steps, the dagger at her waist swaying with her movements.
The Anderson witches relied on summoning demonic creatures to enhance their Power of Darkness. Leaving the witches' territory was actually a good thing for them.
After all, the Capri Plains didn't have nearly enough humans for them to use in their summoning rituals.
In front of Selpa City was a stretch of long-desolate woods. It was deathly still, without a trace of life, yet Molly found it incredibly comfortable. She adored places filled with the aura of death; vibrant, living plants only annoyed her.
Waving her staff to clear away the nearby dead trees, Molly surveyed her surroundings. Seeing that the clearing was large enough for their formation, she nodded slightly, gave a meaningful look to the witches behind her, and said with a smirk, "Come on. It's time for our human allies to make their contribution."
The witches chuckled softly, then turned and walked toward the crowd of people behind them.
Because the witches had saved them from the Vampires, the humans were incredibly grateful. Those who were chosen by the witches had no idea what was about to happen and obediently followed them into the clearing.
Camille looked at the humans, who were confused but still trusted them, and felt not a shred of hesitation. Instead, a smile spread across her face. She put away her skeleton mouse and drew the dagger from her waist.
The sharp dagger sliced through fragile skin, and crimson blood triggered chaos. The humans in the clearing screamed, trying to run, but their escape was blocked by a white mist that had appeared out of nowhere.
Molly spun her staff, bored, finding the piercing screams delightful.
The last time, the humans had all been unconscious, and the slaughter had ended in silence, which she had always considered a pity.
This time was perfect. Molly lifted her gaze to the chaotic scene in the clearing, the corners of her lips slowly turning up. But just as her smile formed, her peripheral vision caught a dazzling golden light, and her expression instantly turned grim.
The golden light was more brilliant than the sun, descending with an aura that carried its user's fury. The ball of golden light landed in the clearing. The humans, bathed in its glow, found their wounds being healed, while the witches were mercilessly thrown back.
Camille's back slammed into a dead tree near Molly. She fell to the ground, her calf gashed by a sharp rock, and fresh red blood began to well up.
She looked down at her blood-soaked robe, and her cute little face fell.
Chloe appeared at the edge of the woods with several dozen members of the God Race. Her expression was icy, but a towering rage burned in her golden eyes. She gripped her staff so tightly her knuckles turned white. Chloe strode through the crowd and stared at Molly and the other witches on the far side of the clearing, demanding word by word, "What are you doing?"
With several thousand witches present, they had no fear of the few dozen God Race members Chloe had brought. Molly glanced at the witches who had just been sent flying by the golden light, her eyes narrowing as she said with a soft laugh, "We're rescuing humans and, incidentally, dealing with the Vampires in that city."
"Isn't this the task you God Race arranged for us?"
The thick stench of blood still hung in the air. When Chloe thought about the methods the Anderson witches had used to conquer the last city, her anger became almost uncontrollable. "We never told you to use such... cruel and cold-blooded methods."
"Cruel?" Molly reacted as if she had heard something hilarious, spreading her hands toward Chloe. "We've rescued so many humans. Didn't you see that?"
"Just because we killed a few, you erase all our contributions. We witches have been wronged."
"When you rescue humans, it's kindness. When we rescue humans, it's cruel and cold-blooded." Molly clicked her tongue and shook her head in derision. "You God Race are truly magnificent. Our kindness is nothing compared to yours."
"What kindness do you possess?" Chloe pointed at the corpses on the ground and said coldly, "You save people by killing people. What right do you have to call yourself kind?"
"Whether I have the right or not, why don't you go ask them?" Molly pointed to the humans who hadn't been chosen, a look of innocence on her face. "Just a moment ago, they were treating us as their saviors."
Chloe had never met someone so shameless, and her words became harsh. "If this is the only way you witches can deal with Vampires, then you should just stay obediently in the city and not come out."
"You're no better than humans."
Molly's face darkened. She planted her staff on the ground and leaned forward slightly. Though her tone was gentle, it was laced with immense danger. "Who are you looking down on?"
Behind her, the red-robed witches raised their staves in unison. A white mist quietly descended, enveloping the forest and Chloe's group of God Race members.
A chilling Power of Darkness began to coalesce before the witches, its immense pressure forcing Chloe and the others to take an involuntary step back.
Chloe gripped her staff tightly. Facing several thousand witches, she showed no intention of backing down and began to chant a spell of her own.
The commotion in the woods had long attracted the attention of the Vampires in Selpa City. A fourth-generation vampire floated in the air to observe the situation. Discovering that the God Race and the witches, rumored to be allies, had turned on each other, he remained on the sidelines, watching the show with great interest.
Just as the Power of Light and the Power of Darkness faced off, on the verge of clashing, Cynthia arrived at the edge of the woods with Betty, Chelsea, and the others.
After stopping the bleeding on her leg, Camille took out her staff and was about to join the other witches. But as her gaze swept around, she spotted Cynthia, Betty, and their group entering the woods through the mist.
Her eyes flickered for a moment. She put away her staff, tore open the already-healing wound on her leg, and ran toward Betty with tears in her eyes, looking panicked and afraid.
"Sister Betty." Camille limped to Betty's side, the tip of her nose red. She was already a mess of tears, looking exceptionally pitiful.
Seeing her covered in blood, Betty's brow immediately furrowed with worry. She reached out to steady Camille and looked at the wound on her leg, asking, "How did you get hurt? Are you alright?"
Camille shook her head, crying. She glanced toward the God Race with her reddened eyes, then lowered her head in fear.
She reached out, wanting Betty to hold her, but was pushed away by an impatient Eunice.
Cynthia glanced at Camille with a calm expression, then looked at Chloe and the other God Race members being suppressed by the witches. She softly chanted a spell. A surging Power of Light descended from the sky, leading Chloe's own Power of Light to tear through the witches' white mist and completely purify their coalesced Power of Darkness.
The sudden assistance startled Chloe. She turned around, and upon seeing it was Cynthia, her icy expression softened slightly.
Cynthia had brought not only Betty and Chelsea but also the other witches from the Garcia and Morgan families.
The Anderson family was, after all, part of the witch race. The Garcia and Morgan families had always maintained good relations with the God Race. To bypass these two families and deal with the Anderson family directly would only create a rift in their relationships as well.
After all, the three witch families had always lived together. Although they often had their own conflicts, they were witches first, and Anderson, Garcia, or Morgan second.
The God Race parted to make way for Cynthia. She walked to Chloe's side. Chloe no longer wanted to use words to describe what the Anderson family had done; she simply offered her hand to Cynthia.
Cynthia took her hand, and a moment later, pulled back. She turned her head to stare at the corpses in the clearing, her eyes turning cold.
Cynthia stood with the God Race, while the witches who had come with her went over to the Anderson side. Elder Kana surveyed the scene, and as a thought occurred to her, she frowned and began to question Molly, "Are you using humans to summon demonic creatures?"
Although she didn't practice dark magic, she still had some understanding of it.
The arrival of the Garcia witches significantly dampened the Anderson witches' arrogance. Molly raised a hand to smooth her hair. Though somewhat annoyed, she still answered, "This is how dark magic is practiced. What can I do?"
"We didn't even kill that many humans."
Compared to the number they killed, they had clearly saved far more.
Listening to their conversation, Betty suddenly felt a chill. She rubbed her arms, her gaze falling to Camille as she asked softly, "What does Elder Kana mean? Camille, did you kill humans?"
Camille kept her head down and said nothing.
Betty felt lost. She looked up at Eunice, bewildered. Eunice frowned slightly and explained, "Using human blood to summon demonic creatures to enhance one's Power of Darkness is the simplest and most convenient way to practice dark magic."
Seeing Betty's face instantly turn pale, she quickly added, "I don't use that method to practice."
"It's garbage."
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