The First Pope - Chapter 146

Chapter 146

The Wolf Race and the Elf Race could be called the sworn enemies of the Vampires. During the era of the gods, the two sides had fought countless times. But back then, the Wolf Race and the Elf Race had the God of War and the Goddess of the Forest for backing. After the gods departed, they were targeted for nearly a thousand years. Compounded by their difficulties with reproduction, their current strength was far inferior to that of the Vampires.

The Wolf Race could still rely on the advantages of their beast forms, as well as their comparable speed and strength, to compensate for their lack of power. The Elves, however, only had their Elf Queen, who could match a Second Generation Vampire in presence alone. Their strongest warriors were still a notch weaker than the Second Generation Vampires.

In terms of strength, the Vampires indeed held the advantage, which explained their arrogance.

Although Cynthia and the God Race remained a variable, a cautious Talia was already watching this "variable" like a hawk.

Talia, along with five or six Second Generation Vampires, kept a close watch on Cynthia. They didn't get near her, but they didn't give her enough distance to use her divine bow, either. Layers upon layers of dark power pressed down, leaving almost no room for the Power of Light to coalesce. Even so, the Power of Light still swirled around Cynthia, and the pure white staff in her hand cast one Light Magic spell after another through the gaps to resist the crushing pressure.

With Cynthia bearing the brunt of the pressure, the Elves and the werewolves had a much easier time. After loosing several arrows in succession, Olivia glanced sideways at Cynthia, her brow furrowed.

"Her Majesty the Queen, should I take some people to support Excellency Cynthia?" Polly asked, flashing to Olivia's side. The staff in her hand still glowed with a faint green light.

"No need." Olivia retracted her gaze, her tone calm. "She can handle it."

"Keep an eye on the Wolf Race. Don't let them extend the battle line too far."

This was only the beginning.

Targeted by five or six Second Generation Vampires, Cynthia could barely protect herself. The moment she cast her Light Magic, it was devoured by the Power of Darkness within the encirclement. Just as Talia had said, as long as no one got close to her, she had no means of threatening the lives of the Second Generation Vampires.

"Kate repeatedly warned me to be careful of you, but it seems she was being overly cautious." Talia's injuries had not yet fully healed, so she hadn't made a move. Watching Cynthia, who was on the verge of being consumed by the Power of Darkness, her perpetually gloomy face slowly brightened, and a relaxed smile returned.

She had said it herself-Cynthia wasn't a god. With the Second Generation elders from two of their clans present, how could they possibly suffer a loss at her hands? She was just a member of the God Race with some ability.

Targeted by five or six Second Generation Vampires, with layer after layer of Blood Domain descending upon her, even Cynthia found it difficult to breathe. If not for the staff in her hand, she wouldn't be standing here so calmly. Cynthia waved her staff and chanted a spell in a low, rapid voice. A continuous stream of Light Power gathered before her; some of it was dispersed by the dark power, but new energy quickly filled its place.

This was a battle of attrition, and it appeared Cynthia was at a disadvantage.

The commotion drew Avira and Kate over. Kate stood on a treetop, craning her neck to look at the patch of darkness. From her vantage point, she couldn't see Cynthia, who was shrouded in darkness. She could only sense a few scattered sparks of Light Power through the layers of the Blood Domain. She focused her senses for a moment, then shook her head slightly, saying with regret, "What a pity."

It was rare for such a powerful individual to appear among the other races, but unfortunately, she alone could not change anything.

"It seems Talia has won this game of chess," Kate said, turning to Avira.

Avira stared at Cynthia, who was surrounded and unable to counterattack, but she did not agree with Kate's conclusion in her heart.

Affected by the Elves' nature magic, the entire Thacker Plain was battered by fierce winds and heavy rain. Avira's long red hair was whipped into a mess by the wind. She casually raised a hand to tidy it, and a glance to her rear caught her attention. She turned and carefully scanned the other side of the battlefield, then asked, "Where did all the God Race go?"

The members of the God Race who had been supporting the Wolves and Elves in their fight against the third and fourth-generation Vampires had vanished at some point. Their positions had been filled by humans with the Light Constitution. Because the Healing Spells and Light Magic had never ceased, Avira hadn't even noticed the disappearance of the God Race.

Hearing Avira's question, Kate was initially confused. She turned to look and, seeing that the God Race was indeed gone, said in surprise, "You're right, where are they?"

The God Race didn't possess the speed of the Wolf Race or the Vampires; it was impossible for them to have vanished so suddenly.

Avira knew the God Race had things like teleportation scrolls, so their sudden disappearance didn't surprise her. She was merely curious about the reason for it.

This battlefield was some distance from where Cynthia was fighting. Avira pondered for a moment, then turned and leaped several times, landing closer to Cynthia's position. She narrowed her crimson eyes and searched carefully for a few moments, and sure enough, she found traces of the God Race.

They were standing on the other side of the frozen river, a few thousand meters behind Cynthia, looking as if they were there to support her.

But Avira felt it wasn't that simple. Just as she was thinking this, Cynthia, who was at the very center of the dark power and nearly consumed by it, suddenly stopped her incantation. Without new Light Power to support it, the barrier resisting the pressure for her became precarious.

The moment she lowered her staff, Olivia, who was leading the Elf warriors against Harris, seemed to receive a signal. She dodged back a little, then drew her longbow and fired an arrow at the Blood Domain enveloping Cynthia.

The Wolf Race elders also abandoned their opponents, chasing after Olivia's arrow and racing toward Cynthia. Together with the arrow, they tore the Blood Domain to shreds.

With Olivia and the Wolf Race elders tearing open the Blood Domain, Cynthia was freed. She waved her staff and chanted a single phrase, and a golden light carried her to the bank of the frozen river. She glanced down at the weeds on the ground, her silver boots parting them slightly as she said nonchalantly, "The ancient texts describe Thacker Plain as a place of mountains and water, grass and trees, a place where flowers bloomed in abundance."

"I originally thought it would be a pity to use such a place as your burial ground." Cynthia looked up at Talia, who was floating in the air and staring at her. She smiled faintly and said in a soft voice, "This current barren environment is much more suitable for you."

After tearing apart the Blood Domain, the Wolf Race elders rushed to stand before Cynthia, shielding her securely behind them. They lowered their bodies, baring their fangs at Talia and the other Vampires, showing no fear or intention of retreating.

"Burial ground…" Talia scoffed, amused that Cynthia could still utter such arrogant words in this situation. "Are you talking about yourselves?" The Second Generation elders beside her all let out low chuckles.

Vampires preferred to fight head-on. They couldn't get close to Cynthia, but they could get close to these werewolves. Some of the more impatient Second Generation Vampires, without waiting for Talia's command, had already flashed forward, closing in on the Wolf Race.

With the Wolf Race elders blocking the front, Cynthia had much more freedom. Recalling the map Chelsea had given her, she looked down, searching for something on the ground. She stopped only when she found the position she was looking for. She gently pressed her pure white staff against the eye of the formation. Her golden eyes lifted slightly, looking past the fiercely battling Wolf Race elders and Second Generation Vampires to meet Talia's gaze. Her red lips curved into a beautiful arc as she said softly, "The Second Generation Vampires are indeed powerful. In a direct confrontation, we are truly no match for you."

Vampires preferred close combat, but on her side, apart from the Wolf Race, everyone else favored ranged attacks. Chanting spells took time, and the Wolf Race wasn't strong enough to buy that time for the Elves and the God Race.

"So, I'll have to trouble you elders." As Cynthia finished speaking, she silently chanted a spell. The Light Crystal at the top of her staff emitted a dazzling golden light. The scorching Power of Light burned the weeds on the ground to ash, revealing intricate and complex patterns that had long been carved into the earth. The Power of Light filled the patterns like flowing, viscous golden liquid. One after another, the arrays lit up, and flames formed from Divine Light Power sealed off the entire space they occupied.

Golden patterns also appeared beneath the feet of Talia and the other Vampires. A Second Generation Vampire standing at the very edge flickered and instantly vanished, reappearing at the barrier's edge. She gathered her dark power and struck the barrier fiercely, but it didn't even crack. Instead, she was thrown back by the Divine Light Power.

Harris broke away from Olivia and came to Talia's side. He looked up at the barrier above them and frowned. "This is Divine Light Power." And this formation looked somewhat familiar.

It resembled the Sacrificial Array favored by the God of Darkness. Back then, the God of Darkness loved to use this formation to trap enemies for her generals to deal with. The Sacrificial Array could multiply the user's power several times over, which was precisely why they had chosen this formation to destroy the temples.

Because Cynthia had activated it with the Power of Light, Harris hadn't initially thought of it. It was only when he realized that Cynthia's Light Power had transformed into Divine Light Power that he was certain.

Sacrificial Spell, Sacrificial Array. Both shared the word "sacrifice." Although the former came from the Goddess of Light and the latter from the God of Darkness, after carefully studying the Sacrificial Array, Cynthia felt that the two might have something in common.

The Sacrificial Spell was too overbearing, and its life-for-a-life nature made it impossible to understand why the Goddess of Light had left such a spell in the Light Crystal, especially since this body of hers was originally created to fight demons.

However, while Cynthia couldn't figure out the Goddess of Light's purpose, her research and experiments had uncovered the secret of the Sacrificial Array.

The formation, which was supposed to require a godhead to activate, showed signs of activation when she, holding the Light Crystal, chanted the sacrificial spell.

Moreover, the array's power was even greater than when activated with a godhead, as if she herself was the core for activating this formation. And reality proved her guess was correct.

After awakening the array, a golden halo appeared at Cynthia's feet. She could feel the Power of Light in her body draining away rapidly, but at the same time, the Light Crystal was continuously channeling Light Power into her body through the staff.

The Sacrificial Spell could only multiply her Light Power several times over, but the Sacrificial Array could increase it more than tenfold in an instant.

Although the drawback was that she couldn't move, judging by the intensity of the Vampires' dark power she had just tested, this amount of Light Power was more than enough to lock down the battlefield.

From the very beginning, Cynthia had never intended to suppress the Vampires head-on. Her plan, from start to finish, was built around the fact that the Power of Light was the Vampires' nemesis.

The space was sealed in an instant. Several Second Generation Vampires joined forces to try and shatter the barrier, but they failed repeatedly. The frozen river beneath their feet had been melted by the Light Fire, turning into a sea of golden flames. Talia and Harris floated in mid-air. Even though they were far from the Light Fire below, they still felt a sluggishness in their bodies, and the dark power within them was becoming uncontrollable.

Their situation was now the reverse of Cynthia's just moments ago.

Olivia led the Elves to Cynthia's side, joining the Wolf Race. She put away her longbow and took out an unremarkable tree branch, her gaze toward the Vampires icy and piercing.

"This version of Thacker Plain is much more pleasing to the eye." Although she couldn't move, Cynthia didn't feel nervous. She looked down at her staff, her long silver hair shimmering under the golden light. Her voice wasn't loud, but it reached Talia's and Harris's ears clearly. "Elder Talia, would you care to make a bet with me?"

"Who do you think will give out first? You Vampires, trapped to your deaths here, or me, who will burn to ash supporting this?" Cynthia raised her eyes slightly, a faint smile in their golden depths. She curled her lips. "I think it will be the former."

As her words fell, the members of the God Race, who had long been ready outside the array, simultaneously waved their staves. Thousands of Grand Light Spells were hurled into the formation, instantly turning the area where Talia and the other Vampires were into a golden ocean.

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