The First Pope - Chapter 123
Chapter 123
For Blood Demon and Wolf Fang, who had been imprisoned for thousands of years, the witches with the Power of Darkness flowing through their veins were a huge surprise. Watching some of them grasp the incantation in just a few short days, even Wolf Fang, who hadn't been very interested in them, felt a flicker of curiosity and came from the depths of the temple to the plaza to observe these witches.
Gifted with the ability to sense the Power of Darkness, and with Blood Demon directly infusing a wisp of its divine sense into the body of the most powerful witch, Elder Kana, due to the urgency of the situation, a spell that should have taken months to master was shortened to a mere few days.
Under the difficult and arcane incantation, the invisible barrier, visible only to Blood Demon and Wolf Fang, slowly dissolved. Blood Demon's form flickered in and out of existence from sheer excitement before finally stabilizing. The blood-red mist flew out of the temple, passing through the witches, and its joyous laughter disturbed the Magic Dragons sleeping on the Capri Plains.
The Magic Dragons had just found a place to sleep and were suddenly awakened. Irritation and anger welled up in their hearts. Some of the more hot-tempered ones had already flown out from their resting places, but after circling around and realizing it was Blood Demon who had woken them, their burning rage was doused as if by cold water, and they quickly calmed down.
The Magic Dragons, who had suffered countless losses at the hands of the God of Darkness, recognized Blood Demon's identity at a single glance-a general of the God of Darkness.
Although the God of Darkness was one of the main gods, she was actually far more mysterious than the Goddess of Light or the Earth Mother. Whether it was during the civil war among the gods or the later alliance against the demonic beasts, the God of Darkness rarely fought personally. Most of the time, she sent her two generals into battle.
Although Wolf Fang and Blood Demon held the title of generals, they were treated as mere tools of war. Their power was naturally no match for a god's, but with the God of Darkness backing them, they could be resurrected even from death, so long as a single trace of their divine sense remained.
To the demonic beasts, the two of them weren't as threatening as the gods, but for that very reason, they had caused them a great deal of trouble.
And now, with the overall strength of the demonic beasts weakened by more than half, they wanted to face a battle maniac like Blood Demon even less.
The Magic Dragon that had just been raging sobered up. Before it could even wonder how Blood Demon had gotten out of the temple, it turned to flee, but it was too late. A red spear of indiscernible substance shot toward the Magic Dragon like a bolt of lightning and mercilessly plunged into its back. Bloody scales rained down from the sky as the Magic Dragon let out a mournful cry and crashed heavily to the ground.
Blood Demon descended from the sky, its misty hand grasping the spear and yanking it from the Magic Dragon's body. It sneered, "A bunch of trash."
When the witches emerged from the temple, they saw the Magic Dragon pinned to the ground by the spear, but they couldn't see the spear's owner. They exchanged glances, their curiosity about Blood Demon's true identity growing.
Another awakened Magic Dragon flew over to investigate, only to be subdued by Blood Demon. But as more Magic Dragons appeared, Blood Demon, having already expended some of its divine sense, suddenly felt a pang of regret for its soul form and became reluctant to act.
When the God of Darkness left the Sitatul Continent, she did not take Wolf Fang and Blood Demon with her. Instead, she split their souls in two. One half was used to guard the Temple of Darkness, while the other half, along with their bodies, was sealed underground.
The active Blood Demon was the half of its soul left to guard the temple. With the God of Darkness no longer on the Sitatul Continent, it and Wolf Fang had lost their ability to "resurrect." Every bit of their soul form they consumed was a bit lost forever, never to be recovered-unless it could break the seal and release its body and the other half of its soul.
After snapping out of its excited state, Blood Demon brandished its spear to intimidate the Magic Dragons into leaving, then returned to the temple.
Although the barrier was gone, they were still in their soul forms. Staying far from the temple for extended periods would consume their divine sense.
"You just stood there and watched me fight those Magic Dragons?" Blood Demon floated before Wolf Fang, who was watching the show from the temple entrance, and said with veiled sarcasm, "You must be happy to see my divine sense being consumed, aren't you?"
Wolf Fang glanced at it, too lazy to argue. It raised an arm formed of gray mist and pointed toward the witches, asking coldly, "What are you going to do about them?"
Blood Demon had used a spell when communicating with the witches; they couldn't see its soul form.
The blood-red mist glanced in the direction Wolf Fang indicated, its attention successfully diverted. "I find them very interesting." It retracted the spear, turned, and floated into the midst of the witches, its form gradually becoming visible to them.
"You broke the barrier, and in exchange, I have driven the Magic Dragons away for you." Blood Demon circled the witches, then tossed out a pile of dark magic incantations for them. "Do you have any other troubles now?"
In the witches' eyes, Blood Demon was a mass of black mist. Its voice was deep, making it impossible to tell if it was male or female, and its form constantly shifted, appearing mysterious and strange.
Elder Kana, who had been infused with a trace of Blood Demon's divine sense to break the barrier, felt a natural affinity for it. Her gaze followed the black mist, her expression hesitant.
Blood Demon noticed her expression and floated to her side, its voice laced with temptation. "Tell me whatever is troubling you."
"I will help you solve it."
"We... many of our people died at the hands of the Sethite wizards." Kana bit her lip, her face filled with deep-seated hatred at the mention of the Sethite wizards. "I want revenge."
"Sethite wizards?" Blood Demon floated in a circle in the air. Having just been released, it was filled with interest in everything. It chuckled lowly and said, "Tell me where they are. I will use their blood to commemorate your people."
The Elf Race and the God Race had come prepared this time. The moment Edeli spotted Cynthia, the thought of retreat began to form in his mind, and he started searching for an escape route. However, a scan of his surroundings revealed that nearly all paths were sealed off.
Although Olivia, still recovering from her injuries, had no intention of attacking and merely expanded her domain to block Edeli, he felt no sense of relief. After all, he was also injured, and his wounds were far more severe than Olivia's.
He couldn't win a fight, nor could he escape. Edeli floated in the air, his gaze instinctively turning in a certain direction. There was only... He narrowed his eyes as a thick, blood-colored fog began to coalesce before him, gradually obscuring his figure.
Cynthia had been keeping a close watch on him. Seeing him suddenly gather the Power of Darkness, she launched the Grand Light Spell she had prepared long ago. A golden light shot toward Edeli like a meteor. Unexpectedly, instead of using the condensed Power of Darkness to resist the Grand Light Spell's attack, Edeli threw it toward a certain location. The Power of Darkness seemed to collide with something, producing a massive explosion.
Cynthia glanced in the direction of the sound. The area was shrouded in night, untouched by the fires of war, giving it an eerie sense of calm.
The Grand Light Spell slammed into Edeli, making his face even paler. He fell from the sky as sharp arrows flew at him from all directions. Edeli forced himself to mobilize the Power of Darkness to block the arrows while his subordinates gathered around him, fighting the elven warriors who charged forward.
Ever since the gods had withdrawn from the Sitatul Continent, it had been a long time since Edeli had found himself in such a dangerous and passive situation. He was both panicked and furious. Over a thousand years of arrogant dominance on the Sitatul Continent had transformed him from a timid underling in the age of the gods into a conceited and arrogant "expert."
To have his dignity as an expert provoked, and by the Elves and God Race he looked down upon, no less, sent Edeli into a rage.
A pair of silver boots suddenly appeared in Edeli's line of sight. He froze for a moment, then looked up, his scarlet eyes staring fixedly at Cynthia. The wound near his heart, pierced by an arrow, began to ache again.
"We meet again, Elder Edeli." Cynthia's eyes swept over the surroundings. She softly chanted an incantation, and golden flames encircled both her and Edeli, leaving only a few meters between them. For a vampire, that distance could be closed in the blink of an eye. Edeli's hand, hanging at his side, twitched, but in the end, he abandoned the idea.
Even if he got close, he couldn't finish this God Race member in one blow. In fact, he might be the one in greater danger up close. Edeli glanced at the Light Crystal in Cynthia's hand, and for some reason, this thought suddenly surfaced.
"Cynthia..." Edeli's voice was low and hoarse, as if he were suppressing his fury. "I will remember your name."
"A lowly member of the God Race dares to challenge the authority of a Second Generation Vampire." Even at a disadvantage, Edeli's attitude remained haughty. "You will pay the price for this."
Being called a lowly God Race member didn't anger Cynthia. She looked at Edeli as if she had heard something amusing, her eyes curving into a smile. She shook her head slightly and said, "The gods have only been gone for a little over a thousand years. Has Elder Edeli already forgotten what to say when begging for mercy?"
"What price will I pay for killing you?" Cynthia thought about it seriously, then smiled. "The price might be that the next time I see the Lasombra clan, they'll be short one elder."
"You..." Edeli's aura began to surge with rage. Sensing the danger, the Light Fire pounced on him, successfully suppressing his anger. Edeli dodged the flames clumsily, wanting to say something harsh, but his lips parted and closed without a word.
Had he begged for mercy before? Of course, he had. During the age of the gods, the first-generation vampires were above them, and the gods were a threat from without. Back then, he didn't even know what arrogance was.
These were memories he had long since cast aside. Now that Cynthia had pointed them out so bluntly, the smoldering anger in his heart burned even hotter.
"Calm down, Elder Edeli." Cynthia toyed with the Light Crystal and took a small step toward him. The surrounding golden flames made her look exceptionally divine. She said in a soft voice, "I have something to ask you."
Edeli stared back at her with a grim face.
"Do you know Joanna?" Cynthia's red lips curved slightly, her golden eyes bright and profound. "The vice clan leader of the Wolf Race."
Edeli's gaze flickered for a moment before he snorted coldly. "What's it to you?"
"It seems you do." Cynthia nodded slightly, then took a few steps back, leaving the circle of fire. She said nonchalantly, "Then capturing you might be of some use."
After Cynthia left the circle of fire, the quietly burning flames suddenly constricted, completely engulfing Edeli within. Cynthia walked a dozen meters away and swapped the Light Crystal in her hand for a longbow. She raised the bow, but just as her fingers touched the string, before she could begin to form an arrow, she suddenly sensed something, causing her to pause.
She turned her head to look in a certain direction, her beautiful brows slowly furrowing.
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