The First Pope - Chapter 97
Chapter 97
The teleportation array from the God Race to the Elves was situated on the edge of the Elf Territory. When Cynthia emerged from it with the Morgan Family, the first thing she felt was the oppressive presence of the Blood Domain.
The Elf Territory was vast, and the Blood Domain did not completely envelop it. The area where the teleportation array was located was outside the Blood Domain's range, yet the pressure was still intense.
This pressure indicated that there were certainly more than one or two Second Generation Vampires currently in the Elf Territory.
The cold wind brought by the Blood Domain was biting and bone-chilling. Although Chelsea had developed some immunity to the Power of Darkness after switching to Dark Magic, the wind still made her deeply uncomfortable. She raised a hand to pull her cloak tighter, turned to Cynthia, and asked with a frown, "How are we going to get in?"
This Blood Domain not only trapped those inside but also blocked their way.
As they emerged from the teleportation array, they happened to encounter a squad of Elf warriors under orders to escort the young elves to the God Race. They had managed to exit the Blood Domain because Olivia had forcibly opened a passage for them, but that passage had now vanished.
Waiting for Olivia to open another passage... was clearly unrealistic.
Cynthia said nothing. Instead, she took a step forward and raised her hand to feel the strength of the Blood Domain. The scarlet mist made her palm appear exceptionally pale. The Power of Darkness approached her hand with ill intent, only to be gently brushed away by a flash of golden light.
Avira's eyes lit up at the sight of the Blood Domain, her desire to watch the show growing stronger. She curled her lips into a slight smile and was about to step forward into the domain when a staff suddenly appeared before her, blocking her path.
Avira halted, turning to the staff's owner with a raised eyebrow. "And what is this?"
Cynthia pulled her gaze away from the Blood Domain and met Avira's. Her red lips curved into a beautiful arc as she said softly, "Let's settle the payment for using the teleportation array, Elder Avira."
Avira's expression turned wry. "You never mentioned payment before we teleported."
"Not mentioning it doesn't mean it's free." Cynthia smiled at Avira, but her eyes were completely calm. "It's a simple matter. Surely Elder Avira isn't so stingy, is she?"
Given the strength of this Blood Domain, breaking open a passage would be much faster with Avira's assistance.
The situation inside was still unclear, and they had little time to waste.
Avira glanced down at the staff blocking her path, her tone unreadable as she said, "Is this a threat?"
Cynthia twirled the staff, pressed the Light Crystal against Avira's waist, and leaned in slightly to correct her. "This is a threat." The Light Crystal rested against Avira's waist for a few seconds before Cynthia voluntarily moved it away. She retracted her staff and said seriously, "Let's hurry. Don't waste time."
"Don't you want to watch the show? If Talia ends up being the one defeated, wouldn't that be far more entertaining?"
Avira was not one to appreciate threats, but... she truly did want to see Talia suffer a miserable defeat. Her gaze flickered as several thoughts raced through her mind. In the end, her desire to watch the show won out.
Avira scoffed, her expression disdainful. "You think you can defeat Talia with just these few little witches?" Despite her words, she had already raised her hand and begun to gather the Power of Darkness.
"Do not underestimate witches." After speaking, Cynthia took a step back, creating distance from Avira, then raised her staff and began to chant.
Golden and red light flared, and the powerful aura forced the members of the Morgan Family behind them to retreat.
Chelsea gripped her bone staff, silently gazing at the figure bathed in golden light. In truth, Avira's disdainful tone when calling them "little witches" hadn't angered her much, but Cynthia's defense still warmed her heart.
This was not the first time she had heard Cynthia defend them, the witches, and Chelsea believed it would not be the last.
Therefore, they absolutely could not fail this time. They were indeed "little witches," but they were not useless.
After helping Cynthia break open a passage, Avira headed straight for the most intense area of the battle. Cynthia did not follow her, instead observing the surroundings for a moment before rescuing a squad of Elf warriors who were tied down by vampires.
The vampires had appeared too suddenly. Many elves had not been in the central area of the territory at the time, and when they sensed something was wrong and tried to return, they were intercepted by the vampires.
The squad of elves Cynthia rescued numbered less than a hundred. Though half of them were injured, their combat strength was largely intact.
Cynthia selected four or five elves from the squad and entrusted the rest to the Morgan Family. "Tell them what you require. They will lead you to a suitable location."
Seeing Chelsea's solemn expression, Cynthia smiled at her and said gently, "Don't worry, Chelsea. Just stick to the plan we agreed upon."
Their plan... Chelsea took a deep breath, nodded at Cynthia, then turned and swiftly led the squad of elves away.
After watching the figures of the Morgan witches disappear from sight, Cynthia turned to the Elf warriors beside her and said in a low voice, "Let's go, too."
Although she trusted in Olivia's strength, at a time like this, she couldn't help but worry. Because she cared, her reason had become less reasonable.
Cynthia caressed the staff in her hands, her gaze slightly lowered. The worry she had been deliberately concealing was now fully revealed in her golden eyes.
Vampires were never the type to hold back for the sake of beautiful scenery; on the contrary, destroying such beauty brought them greater pleasure. The trees, flowers, and plants within the Elf Territory had been destroyed, the ground beneath their feet turned to scorched earth. The most beautiful place on the Sitatul Continent was now a scene of utter devastation. The blood of elves was spattered on the ground, dyeing the green grass red, and beside the blood lay the corpses of vampires, their hearts torn out.
Scorched earth covered much of the Elf Territory, but in the center, where the fighting was most intense, not a single corpse could be seen. Moreover, the trees here remained lush, and the grass underfoot, though trembling, stood firm.
Behind her was the Forbidden Land, home to the Tree of Life. Olivia floated in the air, staff in hand, serving as the final line of defense against Talia and the other vampires. She could not break the barrier the vampires had erected, but neither could Talia's forces advance another step.
This elf was truly troublesome. Ever since the gods had departed the Sitatul Continent, Talia had rarely encountered such a stalemate.
She had brought so many vampires, yet she couldn't even handle a single elf? To suffer setbacks at this elf's hands time and again... she didn't have to imagine how the others back in the Blood Domain would mock them.
Talia's patience was gradually wearing thin. Though she had not intended to intervene personally, she slowly began to channel the Power of Darkness.
Polly led the Elf warriors behind Olivia, helping her resist the pressure from the vampires. Talia's intervention brought the stalemate to the brink of collapse. Polly's face grew pale under the strain, and she couldn't help but look up at Olivia.
Thanks to Cynthia's care, Olivia had recovered eighty percent of her strength. While she had not yet returned to her peak, she could no longer be injured easily.
Sensing that Polly and the Elf warriors were at the end of their rope, she frowned and took the brunt of the pressure onto herself. The staff in her hand began to crack under the strain.
The heavy pressure on them suddenly eased, but Polly's face showed no relief. Gazing at Olivia's back, she called out worriedly, "Her Majesty the Queen..."
"I am fine," Olivia's cool voice came from ahead. "Retreat into the Forbidden Land."
Cynthia had not arrived yet; she could not leave the Forbidden Land.
Talia's sharp eyes spotted that the staff in Olivia's hand was about to break. She let out a low laugh as the Power of Darkness before her coalesced into a sharp dagger and shot directly toward the pale green barrier in front of Olivia.
The barrier, which had been maintaining a delicate balance, shattered under Talia's attack. The sharp tip of the dagger instantly neared Olivia's face. Olivia dodged to the side and raised her wrist slightly. The staff and dagger collided with a loud crack. The former instantly shattered, and the dagger pierced through Olivia's palm before slowly dissipating.
The pain caused Olivia's body to stiffen for a moment. She glanced down at her profusely bleeding palm, her eyes turning icy.
The faint scent of blood spread through the air. Talia took a deep breath, her scarlet eyes falling to Olivia's palm. She licked her lips and said, "Such delicious blood. What a waste."
Without even looking at her, Olivia summoned a gale that carried her back into the Forbidden Land. Her usual staff was broken, and the emptiness in her hand felt strange.
Once they gained the upper hand, the Lasombra clan's penchant for toying with their prey would surface, and Talia was no exception.
"I wonder if your face would be even more beautiful if it were stained with fear and sorrow?" Talia dispersed the Power of Darkness, closing her eyes as if imagining the scene. "...It would truly inspire pity."
Edeli and the other vampires also began to laugh softly, all traces of their earlier impatience from the stalemate gone. The sight of Olivia's staff breaking and her dejected retreat into the Forbidden Land with her warriors filled them with pleasure.
"I have no interest in your face, regardless of its expression." After her staff broke, Olivia did not produce a spare. She casually flicked the blood from her hand, met Talia's gaze, and said bluntly, "It would only disgust me."
Seeing the disdain in those pale green eyes, Talia's expression darkened. Her fingers, hanging at her side, twitched, and a dense, blood-red fog unfurled without warning, attempting to envelop the Forbidden Land.
Olivia watched the blood-red fog, her brow furrowing slightly. Just as she was about to draw her longbow, a streak of golden light shot from the horizon. The dazzling, bright Power of Light collided with the bloody mist. They held against each other for a second before both dissipated simultaneously.
The appearance of the golden light startled both Olivia and Talia. The former recovered quickly, lowering the longbow in her hands and turning to look in the direction from which the light had come, her expression subtly shifting.
"Is it Cynthia...?" Polly also turned her head in a hurry. Seeing the slender figure emerge from the woods, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Cynthia's steps seemed slow, but she was in front of Olivia in an instant. At first, she only noticed Olivia's pale complexion, but after catching the faint scent of blood, she saw the hand Olivia had hidden behind her back.
"You're injured." Cynthia's fine brows furrowed slightly. She took Olivia's wrist and looked down at the wound in her palm.
The person who had secretly sent her Twin Flowers so many times was now standing right before her. Although they were still in the midst of a crisis, Olivia felt a strange stirring in her heart. She averted her gaze, uncomfortable, and said softly, "I'm fine."
She tried to pull her hand away, but after two attempts, Cynthia still hadn't let go, so she had to give up.
Talia had recognized the member of the God Race the moment she saw Cynthia, but before she could react, her peripheral vision caught a familiar figure that completely drew her attention.
"Amelia..." Talia stared at the red figure, a flicker of annoyance crossing her face. "What are you doing here instead of sleeping in your coffin?"
Seeing that she'd been spotted, Avira simply moved to a spot with a better view to watch the show. In response to Talia's annoyance, she just waved a hand dismissively and said, "Don't mind me. You all carry on fighting."
"I missed seeing you all flee back to the Blood Domain in disgrace last time. I certainly don't want to miss it this time."
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