The First Pope - Chapter 152
Chapter 152
Although the God Race had given both Ochester and the Slade Sea Region to the humans as territory to establish their nation, Ochester, in reality, had far fewer places suitable for human life compared to the latter. After all, it contained many areas as dangerous as the swamp of death.
The regions within Ochester not designated for human settlement remained as desolate as before. Even though a patrol of knights would occasionally pass through, it wasn't enough to dispel the area's cold emptiness.
The sky over Ochester was gloomy and overcast, and the ground covered in withered yellow leaves added to the sense of loneliness. Several jet-black crows huddled together on a tree branch, just like the witches in black robes standing silently below them, a dense and eerie sight.
The Grand Elder of the Sethite clan stood before the witches. He was turned to the side, his body slightly bowed in a posture of respectful listening, yet in front of him was only a mass of dense black fog that writhed and clawed with the wind, looking as if it could be blown away at any moment.
"The God Race actually managed to drive out the Vampires. It seems this God's Descendant truly has some ability." The Blood Demon controlled the dense fog, making it tremble with the wind, her tone sounding extremely nonchalant. "But the Vampires have really gotten weaker and weaker."
The Grand Elder had completely figured out the Blood Demon's temperament by now. Hearing her words, he agreed without a change in expression, "The Vampires are indeed not what they used to be. Once Lord General takes down the God Race and breaks the seal, the next step can be to invade the Blood Domain directly. By then, both the Sitatul Continent and the Blood Domain will belong to you."
The Blood Demon was very pleased with the Grand Elder's flattery. The black fog floated into the air and circled the witches behind them, her voice sounding extremely excited. "Doesn't that make me the god of this place?"
Through the efforts of the Sethite wizards, more and more Garcia witches were being rescued from the Vampires' dungeons. In the era of the gods, every god had believers, and these several thousand black-robed witches looked just like her believers.
The dense black fog circled her "believers" a few times before returning to the Grand Elder. "Then let's go attack the Slade Sea Region now," she said impatiently. "I can't wait to use the God's Descendant's blood to break my seal."
The Grand Elder lowered his head and said in a low voice, "Cynthia has just led the God Race through a great war with the Vampires. Her strength has not fully recovered. Now is the best time to attack."
"Speaking of which, how exactly did this God's Descendant drive the Vampires out?" The Blood Demon couldn't leave the Temple of Darkness for too long, and she had no desire to go to places like Thacker Plain, so she certainly hadn't observed the great battle between the God Race and the Vampires. She asked the Grand Elder curiously, "Do you know?"
After learning that the God Race, Elf Race, and Wolf Race were attacking Thacker Plain, the Grand Elder had personally gone to the vicinity to observe the situation. He had witnessed from beginning to end how Cynthia used the Sacrificial Array to trap Talia and the other Vampires, but he had no intention of telling the Blood Demon this. The Grand Elder kept his head lowered, his tone betraying nothing unusual. "I heard that Queen Olivia displayed her great power, and with the clandestine help of Elder Amelia of the Ventrue clan and Elder Kate of the Gangrel, the Lasombra and Tzimisce reluctantly returned to the Blood Domain."
"So, this God's Descendant didn't do much of anything." The Blood Demon's tone was filled with disdain, though she had never taken Cynthia seriously in the first place.
Cynthia was just some soul from who-knows-where that had luckily entered the God's Descendant's body. In the Blood Demon's view, she was fortunate enough not to have been expelled by the God's Descendant's body. And she dared to dream of completely merging with this body?
Simply laughable. Did she think she was a soul personally chosen by the Goddess of Light to be placed in that body?
Ever since regaining her freedom, the greed in the Blood Demon's heart had begun to swell again. Anyone who had lived through the era of the gods would envy the high and mighty gods who could do as they pleased—or more accurately, the Main Gods.
As long as she broke the seal, she too could become a Main God of the Sitatul Continent.
The more the Blood Demon thought about it, the more excited she became. Her mind was already filled with images of herself wielding a spear, conquering all lands. The black fog manifested by her soul began to tremble violently. She flew in a circle in the air, and a fiery red spear pierced through space, flying before her to be snatched from the air. The Blood Demon gripped the spear, pointed it toward the Slade Sea Region, and shouted excitedly, "Attack!"
Influenced by the Blood Demon's emotions, the witches who had been standing quietly also grew excited. Their gazes seemed vacant yet held a hidden fervor. It was as if their surroundings didn't exist; only the dense black fog captured their full attention.
As if it was their everything.
Upon learning that a knight patrol had discovered the witches' tracks in Ochester, Susan decisively mobilized all her knights to secure the cities in Ochester and the Slade Sea Region where civilians resided. The God Race and Light Believers stationed in Manden City also entered a state of high alert. The Blood Demon and the witches' plan to attack the Slade Sea Region was quickly exposed.
Chelsea had been staying in Manden City ever since returning from Thacker Plain. When she heard the news that the Garcia witches had gathered in Ochester, her first thought wasn't to go investigate with her clan members, but to rush straight to Betty's room.
After returning, Chelsea had noticed that Betty's mental state was worsening by the day, and she was losing consciousness more and more frequently. She had worked with the Morgan elders and some God Race elders, poring over ancient texts and trying various methods, but they couldn't find the cause.
This made Chelsea anxious and uneasy. Now, hearing that the Garcia witches had gathered in Ochester, a bad premonition suddenly arose in her heart.
The God Race and Light Believers were all preparing for battle, leaving the once-bustling castle empty. Chelsea ran down the long corridor to Betty's room and saw that the door was open. Her expression changed instantly.
"Betty?" Chelsea entered the room and looked around, but saw no sign of Betty. Her heart sank.
Eunice, still in a comatose state, was propped up against the headboard. The blanket had been pushed down to her knees, and the bottle of Holy Water was tossed beside the bed, a clear puddle of water visible on the floor.
Chelsea walked over, picked up the bottle, and quickly confirmed it was the one she had brought over last night. Eunice needed to drink Holy Water every day, and Betty always took care of it personally. It was impossible for her to leave without a word.
Even if she had heard the news about the Garcia witches, she would never have abandoned Eunice and left in such a hurry.
Something must have happened to Betty!
With a grave expression, Chelsea clutched the bottle and was about to turn and leave when a faint sound came from behind her. She paused, frowning as she turned back. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw the source of the sound, and she whispered in astonishment, "Eunice…"
Eunice, who had been fed countless bottles of Holy Water but had shown no signs of waking, had somehow moved her hand from the bed to grip the nearby bedpost. Her grip was weak and she soon let go, but her eyelashes fluttered faintly, as if she were struggling to wake up…
Because leaving the Temple of Darkness for too long would drain her soul, the Blood Demon particularly disliked wasting time. She tore open space and teleported the witches and Sethite wizards directly to the Slade Sea Region, planning to take the area quickly and then wait for Cynthia to deliver herself to her doorstep.
"Are you sure Cynthia will come back?" The Blood Demon floated in mid-air, looking down at the God Race and Light Believers below. Seeing that their numbers weren't as large as she had imagined, she felt a little dissatisfied. "For just these few God Race members, she'll come back to die?"
It wasn't just the Vampires who hated Thacker Plain; the Blood Demon disliked it immensely as well. Knowing her aversion to the place, the Sethite Grand Elder had proactively suggested she attack the Slade Sea Region instead.
But now, the Blood Demon was beginning to doubt whether that was a wise suggestion.
"She will," the Grand Elder said in a deep voice, looking down at the God Race below. "The God Race values their kin greatly. Besides, this is human territory. She will definitely come back."
After the Vampires were driven from the Sitatul Continent, the Sethite Grand Elder had rescued many more Garcia witches from the dungeons. With the number of witches under her command growing, the Blood Demon was in a good mood and had become more trusting of him.
The Blood Demon brandished the spear in her hand and said languidly, "Then I'll wait for her for a while."
Below, the Garcia witches had already launched their attack on the God Race. The Power of Darkness struck the city they had once inhabited without reservation. As they watched the exquisite buildings turn to ruins, there was not a trace of hesitation or regret on their faces. The Grand Elder had been in contact with the Garcia witches long ago; back then, though wary, they were fundamentally kind, completely unlike the numb and cold-blooded people they were now.
And their transformation had all happened after they met the Blood Demon… A dark glint flashed in the Grand Elder's downcast eyes. He withdrew his gaze and, after a moment of contemplation, spoke in the Blood Demon's direction, "Once we take down the God Race and break the seal, the entire Sitatul Continent will be Lord General's."
"The Sethite clan is sincerely happy for Lord General."
The Blood Demon was very pleased by these words. She let out a low laugh, the spear in her hand twirling in a dazzling display.
The Grand Elder watched the spear, which was being brandished so quickly it left afterimages, and said tentatively, "Lord General's wish is about to be fulfilled. Regarding the matter of the Teleportation Array, shouldn't we…"
"The Teleportation Array?" The Blood Demon glanced at the Grand Elder and sneered, "You're quite persistent."
The Grand Elder raised a hand to touch his wrinkled face and sighed. "Even though my Power of Darkness has surpassed that of many third-generation Vampires, I, who cannot live forever, am still aging day by day."
"I have no choice but to be persistent."
In the past, the Blood Demon would have only scorned the Grand Elder for being afraid of death. But ever since her body was sealed and her soul began to slowly dissipate, she suddenly understood his feelings. The Blood Demon thought for a moment, then turned her head to look in a certain direction and said meaningfully, "The Teleportation Array… you're in luck this time."
The Grand Elder was slightly taken aback. "In luck, you mean?"
"Once we take this place, you'll have your Teleportation Array." As they spoke, a powerful surge of Light Magic erupted from below, directly breaking through the witches' joint domain. The Blood Demon glanced down and saw that the number of God Race members had increased. She instantly grew excited. After a few perfunctory words to the Grand Elder, she grabbed her spear and charged down.
The Grand Elder watched the Blood Demon's descending figure, replaying her words in his mind. His eyes narrowed slightly. He turned to survey his surroundings, his gaze finally settling on the vast, boundless sea.
Once we take this place, you'll have your Teleportation Array… Could the array be in the Temple of the God of the Ocean? But he had been present when the Vampires destroyed the temple, and there was nothing like an array inside.
The Grand Elder pondered but couldn't come to a conclusion. With the God Race returning from Thacker Plain, the Blood Demon had joined the battle, which was now raging fiercely below. Sunny came to the Grand Elder's side and asked, "Grand Elder, the witches are about to collapse. Should we intervene?"
The Grand Elder lowered his eyes in thought for a moment, then shook his head decisively. "Ignore the witches. We're going directly to the Temple of the God of the Ocean."
Sunny was stunned. "But what about Lord General…"
The Grand Elder glanced at the situation below and said flatly, "Do you think she can kill Cynthia?"
Without waiting for Sunny's reply, he continued on his own, "I don't think so." He made a gesture to the wizards below, then led them to gradually withdraw from the battlefield. "We just need to find the Teleportation Array. It's best we don't get involved in the war with the God Race."
This God Race member, Cynthia, was too uncanny; they couldn't afford to provoke her. As for the Blood Demon… to be honest, after spending time with her, he no longer feared this general very much.
And seeing the fate of the witches, it was best for the Sethite clan to have as little contact with the Blood Demon as possible.
When Cynthia and Olivia emerged from the Teleportation Array, the sky over the Slade Sea Region was already shrouded in darkness. The barrier erected by the God Race was only pitifully managing to protect the city behind them. The disparity in strength between the two sides seemed immense.
Darcy had already led the God Race here as reinforcements before they arrived, yet they were still being suppressed by the Power of Darkness to this extent? Cynthia looked up to assess the situation, her gaze fixed on the area where the Power of Darkness was most concentrated. She touched the fading scar on the side of her neck and said thoughtfully, "It seems the 'God of Darkness' the witches spoke of has arrived."
The Garcia witches had used some method to summon many large, blood-colored monsters. These creatures had a certain resistance to the Power of Light and had nearly broken through the Light Knights to reach the God Race's ranks, making them quite troublesome to deal with. Besides these blood-colored monsters, a blood-red spear within the dense black fog caught Olivia's attention. She stared at the spear, her voice cool. "A spear and blood-colored monsters. This 'God of Darkness' should be the general, Blood Demon."
Cynthia raised an eyebrow and repeated in a low voice, "Blood Demon…" Her gaze swept over the blood-colored monsters one by one, finally landing on the Garcia witches who were chanting spells and brandishing bone staffs to command the creatures. Her previously gentle eyes instantly darkened.
Just then, a group of God Race members walked past them. Cynthia retracted her gaze and called out to one of them, asking for her staff.
Olivia glanced at her. Seeing her expression, she knew what Cynthia intended to do. She advised softly, "Be careful."
Cynthia toyed with the staff and curved her lips at Olivia, her voice gentle. "With Her Majesty the Queen protecting me, I don't need to be careful."
Olivia shook her head slightly but took out her longbow. "As you wish," she said lightly.
In any case, as long as she was there, she would never let Cynthia get hurt.
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