The First Pope - Chapter 164
Chapter 164
The commotion in Ochester was so great that Cynthia didn't even need to send a message to Darcy to ask for the specific location; she just followed the intense fluctuations of energy.
However, only the Elves and the Wolf Race were with her; the Dragon Knights were not by her side.
"These monsters with human torsos and snake tails look a little familiar." Cynthia touched her chin, exchanged a look with Olivia beside her, and said with a raised eyebrow, "It seems the new race sealed in the Beast God's temple has also escaped."
Darcy's message hadn't mentioned these monsters, only briefly describing the gathering and rampage of beasts.
But Cynthia had already guessed as much. After all, when the Vampires destroyed the temples, the barrier sealing the new race had already loosened. It wasn't strange that the chain reaction triggered by undoing the seal in the Earth Mother's temple would cause the seals in the other temples to fail as well.
"They look like trouble," Olivia said with a frown. "The Beast God is a subordinate of the God of Darkness, so the race he created would surely prefer darkness."
Although the aura of these snake-tailed monsters wasn't as powerful as the Dragon Knights', they would still be a nuisance if they defected to the Vampires.
"Let the Dragon Knights solve the trouble they stirred up themselves." Cynthia glanced at the situation ahead, took out her staff, and said in a low voice, "But before that, I have a few things I want to ask them."
A domineering and powerful golden light suddenly burst into the chaotic battlefield. The Light Knights, who had been surrounded by beasts, were sent to a safe place by the golden light. Light Fire coalesced into cages, trapping the beasts inside. The monsters with human bodies and snake tails nimbly leaped aside just before the golden light reached them, avoiding the fate of being trapped.
But their situation wasn't much better. They dodged the Light Fire but not the thorn-covered vines that spread everywhere. The vines wrapped tightly around their snake tails, the thorns nearly piercing their fine, tough scales. A rain of arrows formed from Nature Power flew toward them, and tall, ferocious white and gray wolves also charged forward.
A male monster, bare-chested and with a rather plain face, slithered his snake tail over to Mera's side. Looking at his kin fighting the werewolves, he frowned and said, "Clan Leader, what should we do?"
Mera was the female monster who had spoken arrogantly to Darcy. She was the clan leader of the Snake Race. Unlike Ellen, who had risen to her position later, Mera was among the first of the Snake Race created by the Beast God and was the clan leader he had personally appointed.
However, their race had only been created as a diversion. The Beast God hadn't put much effort into their creation, so their strength was far inferior to the Dragon Knights'. When outnumbered, they were even weaker than the Elves and the Wolf Race.
Mera was unwilling to accept this, but they had just managed to escape the temple. A head-on fight with no chance of winning was not a good choice.
She licked her crimson lips, her gaze fixed on the God Race member atop the lighthouse. "We retreat," she said in a low voice.
They would regroup and then come back to fight for the territory of Ochester.
After Mera gave the order, the male snake-person tilted his head back and let out a hissing sound to convey her command to the others. Upon hearing the sound, the snake-people all stopped fighting and prepared to retreat. The beasts trapped in the cages became even more frantic, some even breaking out to cover the snake-people's withdrawal.
Mera stared at the God Race member for a moment longer before turning to leave. But just as her snake tail propelled her a few meters away, a cold breeze swept past. A bad premonition suddenly rose in her heart. She instinctively leaned back, her snake-person's excellent flexibility allowing her back to almost touch her tail as an arrow condensed from the Power of Light grazed past her forehead.
If she hadn't dodged, that arrow might have pierced straight through her heart. This instantly darkened Mera's expression.
Two slender figures walked out from the chaotic battlefield. The environment, splattered with blood and littered with torn flesh, seemed not to exist for them. They walked as if strolling down a quiet and elegant forest path, their robes and boots remaining spotlessly clean.
An Elf and… Mera's gaze fixed on Cynthia, her expression changing slightly. A hint of disbelief showed in her strange, serpentine pupils.
"Although you know me, I'll still give a simple introduction." Cynthia waved the longbow in her hand at Mera, as if she hadn't been the one to fire that last arrow, and said gently, "My name is Cynthia." After speaking, she took Olivia's hand. "This is my lover, Her Majesty Queen Olivia."
Olivia glanced at her and pressed her hand down, but surprisingly, she didn't let go, instead holding it lightly.
Mera's gaze shifted between the two of them, her eyes narrowing slightly. "The God's Descendant… and the Elf Queen."
She curled her lip. "What, do the two of you call the shots on this continent now?"
"When the main god, the Earth Mother, was still around, she never laid a hand on us minor races." Mera glanced at her kin. "Is the race created by Lord Beast God not qualified to live here?"
"Whether you're qualified or not…" Cynthia chuckled, her golden eyes filled with faint mockery. "Don't you know for yourselves?"
A golden barrier enveloped the three of them, isolating them from the clamor outside. Cynthia leaned forward slightly, looking directly into Mera's eyes, and said, word by word, "Wasn't it your Lord Beast God who wanted to leave this continent, even if it meant killing the Earth Mother?"
Mera froze for a moment, then her expression turned strange. "The Goddess of Light was also involved in that matter." The implication was that if the Snake Race wasn't qualified, then neither was the God Race.
Mera wasn't surprised by her words at all; it was clear she knew about the gods' plan. Cynthia's gaze swept over Mera's face a few times before she curled her lips. "Since you know about this, things will be much easier."
Mera looked at her warily, not understanding what she meant by "things will be much easier." Suddenly, a long cry echoed from the distance. It sounded a bit like… a dragon's roar.
She snapped her head up to look in the direction of the roar. From afar, the massive bodies of the dragons still looked small against the sky, but no matter how small, it couldn't change their identity—the Dragon Knights.
Why were the Dragon Knights here? Why did the Dragon Knights still exist? The Earth Mother was dead, so the Dragon Knights should have vanished along with her. Mera's hands, hanging at her sides, clenched nervously.
Could it be that the gods had failed, that the Earth Mother wasn't dead at all? But if she wasn't dead, how was Heaven's Gate opened?
Mera was completely stunned when she saw the Dragon Knights. Chaotic thoughts flooded her mind, making even her fingertips feel cold. The Snake Race, created casually by the Beast God, was no match for the Dragon Knights, which the Earth Mother had spent nearly half her divine power to create.
Were they going to be torn to shreds by the Dragon Knights just after escaping the temple?
The moment Mera saw the Dragon Knights, she wanted to flee with her people, but all escape routes were blocked by the werewolves. And standing beside her were Cynthia and the Elf Queen. In the end, she could only watch as the massive bodies of the Dragon Knights drew closer and closer.
When the dragons flew overhead, they all transformed into their human forms and landed. The younger dragons scattered, looking at the other races with curiosity. Ellen and Flora came over to Cynthia. The former, holding a dragon egg, looked Mera up and down and recognized her. "You're the new race created by the Beast God, right? You look a bit weak."
Flora's gaze lingered on Cynthia and Mera for a moment. She keenly sensed that the atmosphere between them was off and asked with a deadpan expression, "What were you just talking about?"
Mera's heart tightened, and her snake tail tensed in a defensive posture.
She had expected another bloody battle, but to her surprise, the silver-haired God Race member before her didn't expose her. Instead, she replied naturally, "Nothing much, just chatting about the recent situation on the Sitatul Continent."
"Clan Leader Mera was quite furious to hear that the Sitatul Continent is being threatened by the Vampires and is preparing to join us in teaching them a lesson." As Cynthia spoke, she turned to Mera and gave her a beautiful smile.
But to Mera, that smile was full of threat. She remained silent for a moment before saying with an ugly expression, "The Vampires do indeed need to be taught a lesson."
Ellen didn't doubt their words. Hearing what Mera said, her eyes lit up. "I never thought the race created by that gloomy and cold-blooded Beast God would be so enthusiastic." She shifted the dragon egg to her other hand, then slung an arm around Mera's shoulder and said with a smile, "We should have cooperated earlier, but it's not too late now. Dealing with demonic beasts and dealing with Vampires isn't much different."
She enthusiastically held onto Mera and talked for a long time. Under pressure, Mera couldn't break free and could only glare sullenly at Cynthia.
The Goddess of Light was also involved in the gods' plan. Why was this God's Descendant so relaxed when facing the Dragon Knights?
Although Mera was dissatisfied, she wouldn't expose Cynthia. If the truth came out, they would both have to face the wrath of the Dragon Knights.
Mera dealt with Ellen for a long time before finally escaping her draconic clutches. She signaled a nearby kinsman to summon the others back. Her peripheral vision caught Ellen looking down and fiddling with the dragon egg, so she flashed to Cynthia's side, lowered her voice, and said through gritted teeth, "Don't think you can control me like this. The Goddess of Light was also involved in the gods' plan. If the Dragon Knights find out, your God Race won't escape responsibility either."
Cynthia turned her head to meet her gaze, patted her on the shoulder, completely unconcerned by her threat, and said with a smile, "We'll be fighting side-by-side for a while."
"You must obey the Dragon Knights' orders, Clan Leader Mera."
Mera: "…"
Their conversation was filled with the scent of gunpowder, but from the outside, nothing seemed amiss. Ellen walked over to Flora with the dragon egg and saw her still staring at Mera. "What's wrong?" she asked.
Flora withdrew her gaze. "Nothing." She snatched the dragon egg from Ellen's hands and strode away.
After turning enemies into friends with the Snake Race, peace returned to Ochester. The Light Knights and Light Believers cleaned up the battlefield and healed the wounded, while Darcy was given another task by Cynthia.
"You will live in this city. Don't come out unless necessary." Although Darcy had a smile on her face, her tone was cold and indifferent. She pointed to the city ahead and said, "There are many humans living nearby. Don't scare them."
She glanced at Mera's snake tail, the implication obvious.
Although dissatisfied, Mera could only suppress it for now. She raised a hand to stroke the smooth scales of her snake tail. Hearing Darcy's voice, she suddenly looked up, her gaze lingering on Darcy's face, a slight curve on her red lips. "Do you live here too?"
As she spoke, she moved closer to Darcy. Her voice, though hoarse, was no longer grating, but had a unique charm. "You're much better looking than that other God Race member."
Darcy placed a hand on Mera's shoulder, keeping a safe distance from her. She smiled slightly and said mercilessly, "But you're very ugly, and don't get so close to me."
Mera: "…" Her mood, which had just started to improve, soured again.
There really wasn't a single member of the God Race she found pleasing to the eye.
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