The Knox Mountains lay to the south of the South Vantina domain.
Light was gradually swallowed beyond the horizon, replaced by a crimson moon rising against the falling curtain of night, shrouded in a thin veil of pale gray haze.
High in the night sky hung the blood moon, bathing the mountain range below in a dim, uncanny glow. The valley entrance appeared exceptionally sinister, like a gateway leading into an unknown world.
Each peak rose nearly a thousand meters high, almost touching the clouds and blocking the starlight, rendering the entire valley deep, dark, and impenetrable.
Two figures slipped into the mountains, undetected by anyone.
A slender, graceful silhouette led the way, looking as though she had just fled halfway through a ball.
A tall figure followed behind her, his silhouette like a statue carved into the darkness, his cloak and hood snapping in the wind.
"Thank you very much for stealing the royal capital's cipher key for us, Lurker," she said with a beaming smile.
Soon she lightly covered her red lips, offering an apology: "Pardon me, I suppose it's more fitting to call you the Holy Son of Wither now."
"Call me whatever you like."
The tall figure seemed utterly indifferent, continuing forward with ghostly strides, every step sounding like a whisper from the Reaper.
The air was thick with moisture, mingled with the scent of damp earth and rotting leaves.
Among the vegetation, peculiar magical beasts could occasionally be seen creeping silently by. Dark shadows flickered in and out of sight, and low growls rumbled from time to time, yet none dared approach the two figures.
"We have already received the Bishop of Wither's sincerity. Next, we will also cooperate with the Wither branch beneath the table."
Countess Saiberna reverted to her original form, letting out a crisp chuckle.
Her authority, Blood Disguise, allowed her to perfectly disguise herself as any target she had touched, lasting until she actively dispelled it.
Within the Creti Empire, she could play anyone she wished, making her a specialized member of the Blood Clan ideally suited to infiltrating enemy territory as a spy.
Now that her work was complete, her top priority was ensuring her own safety and evacuating in advance.
Yet stepping into the Knox Mountains was virtually equivalent to a successful escape; venturing even slightly deeper into the Knox Mountains late at night was something ordinary folk feared to do.
The gloomy light, rugged terrain, and concealed traps of ancient ruins turned this into a region fraught with danger.
"Don't forget to give me three different Blood Moon Souls," he abruptly reminded her.
"Of course. We will help you break through to Tier 7, rest assured," Countess Saiberna turned back, resting a hand gently on his shoulder as she replied softly.
A Blood Moon Soul, which could only be condensed by a Blood Clan member of Tier 7 or higher, could create kin and also serve as superb breakthrough material for reaching Tier 7.
"Honestly, it's a bit of a shame to leave just like this. I was really looking forward to the scene when your friends find out that the traitor was actually you."
Saying so, Countess Saiberna tilted her head back and let out a wanton, bell-like laugh.
"Indeed."
The male figure merely kept pace with her, revealing a faint, malicious smile.
Until they gradually vanished into the dark depths of the mountains.
***
Meanwhile, minor unrest had already begun in the main city of the South Vantina domain.
The city-state's protective barrier—that translucent, crystalline radiance on the horizon—had always been the steadfast guardian in the hearts of the borderland residents. But just moments ago, it had been forcibly shut down for unknown reasons.
After being halted, restarting it required some time, and this interval would be exceedingly perilous.
This sudden shift immediately triggered a full alert across the city-state. On the once-peaceful streets, sirens pierced the heavens and echoed ceaselessly like an ominous omen carved into the walls, throwing the entire populace into panic.
In the Church of the Goddess of Fate's South Vantina temple, the clerics, normally solemn and dignified, rushed out in squads. Stern-faced, gripping holy staves or ancient scriptures, they moved swiftly through the city to offer protection and guidance to the populace.
"Your mouth is truly a jinx, Stina."
Loren felt a splitting headache as he looked at the short-haired girl, a scout cleric.
Something like this rarely happened once in several years, yet she just happened to ask about it on the train, and the moment they arrived with the clerical investigation team, it happened.
Detecting trouble with the barrier, Loren had rushed to the city-state's control nexus and the count's manor at once.
Yet he found nothing wrong at the count's manor; the culprit had vanished without a trace.
Judging by the records of the surveillance magic apparatuses, someone had stealthily transformed into the count, infiltrated the manor, and stolen the cipher key.
Setting aside what was going on with the stolen cipher key from the royal capital, there was no time now to investigate established facts. The critical priority was responding to the true upheaval about to unfold!
Reconstructing the massive city-state barrier would take nearly half an hour.
South Vantina possessed three main energy stations in total, situated respectively in the northwest, east, and south districts of the main city.
For each damaged energy station, the restart efficiency would slow by a third; if all of them were destroyed, it would take an extensive amount of time to rush repairs on all three stations before the city-state barrier could be erected again.
Just as the barrier was halted, the city-state energy station in the northwest had been damaged simultaneously.
The enemy's plan was clearly organized and premeditated.
The next targets would undoubtedly be the other two energy stations to the east and south.
Thus, Loren had immediately dispatched forces from the Church of the Goddess of Fate to help defend the safest eastern side, leaving behind a temporary Tier 8 barrier, while personally leading the clerical investigation team to rush toward the most dangerous energy station in the south.
"Look on the bright side, Teacher. Though efficiency is only at two-thirds now, as long as we hold the remaining two energy stations, the barrier will restart in forty-five minutes. Whatever the enemy is plotting, as long as you're here, South Vantina can never fall," the scout cleric replied.
"Stop talking, please, Sister!"
The guardian knight and the healer priest hurriedly clapped their hands over her mouth.
Loren pressed a hand to his forehead with a sigh, the lonely cold wind making him increasingly uneasy.
Looking up, the stars that should have filled the sky were entirely obscured by dim clouds.
Behind the four, the light from watchtowers continuously swept the pitch-black ground. Officers of the South Vantina domain's forces were fully armed, their armor gleaming coldly in the night as they gripped their weapons, prepared for any threat that might emerge.
These seasoned warriors quickly split into squads; some patrolled critical sectors of the city-state, while others tracked potential leads behind the barrier's shutdown.
The entire southern district was gripped by an urgent, tense chill, every corner filled with figures in motion.
Further out in the residential quarters, the streets were entirely wiped out by darkness. In buildings high and low, residents either kept doors and windows shut tight, warily peeking outside, or took refuge in safer areas under the guidance of city defense troops and clerics.
"Teacher Loren, what are you thinking about?" the white-robed healer priest girl asked, observing his expression.
"Neither Bishop of Destruction Ivanos nor Decay Cardinal Farmer has appeared... Furthermore, even though they knew a mysterious Cardinal suspected of passing through here might draw me over, they still resolutely decided to launch a surprise attack tonight..." Loren muttered to himself, his voice troubled.
Something felt off.
If their goal were an all-out assault on the South Vantina domain, neither the Decay Cardinal nor the Bishop of Destruction would stay so far away from South Vantina. The signals sent by the Resurrection Church felt like telling Loren, "Whether you come to defend or not, the Cardinals currently have no intention to attack."
Did the enemy really need to completely destroy the main energy stations, then?
Could it be that they wanted to lure the main city defense forces to the south and east to guard the energy stations?
While their true objective was... to accomplish a certain purpose during this half hour before the barrier restarted?
Suddenly, Loren felt violent mana fluctuations erupt in the northwest of the city-state.
Looking in that direction, he sensed Farmer's mana, but weaker than Farmer himself!
It had to be a terrifying alchemy beast created by Farmer! An alchemy beast crafted by Farmer required no mana upkeep, nor did its summoner need to be Tier 8—it wasn't a magic card at all, but a magic apparatus!
There was also a Tier 7 mana source, seemingly the Son of Destruction, Salomon.
Fortunately, an unknown Tier 8 mana was fighting against them.
"Teacher Loren, what is it?"
The guardian knight went on full alert.
"This won't do. I have to go deal with Salomon and the alchemy beast in the northwest!"
Though Loren didn't know why a mysterious Tier 8 in the northwest was aiding them, perhaps that was precisely the target the Resurrection Church was determined to destroy at such great cost.
The southern energy station didn't matter at all; even if the barrier took over an hour to restart, it didn't matter. What mattered was preventing the Resurrection Church from running rampant in the northwest and achieving their goal.
A cold wind swept past the group some distance from the watchtower.
Just as Loren was about to move, he seemed to notice something and violently shoved the three clerics beside him a hundred meters away!
In the very next instant, before the three clerics could even react amidst the gale in midair,
in their field of vision, another figure had already appeared beside Loren's original position.
It was a heavily muscled man with a ferocious expression, his brows tightly knitted and a provocative smirk playing at the corner of his lips. He wore a simple gray shirt and camouflage trousers, looking practical and rugged.
His right fist thrust violently forward, striking Loren squarely in the cheek, overflowing with explosive power and murderous intent, as if poised to detonate the entire area in the next instant.
The moment an explosive boom resonated across the southern border, dust burst into the air, and Loren was hurled violently backward.
The ferocious force caused the entire building Loren crashed into to collapse like surging sea waves; the impact was swifter than thunder, rumbling across the entire southern district of South Vantina!
"Teacher Loren!"
Cries of shock echoed through midair.
They had never seen Loren successfully ambushed!
Of course, part of the reason was that Loren, who would have reacted in time, had allowed the enemy to land the strike solely to protect them.
Yet.
The burly man stood where he was.
His crimson pupils locked onto the three clerics in an instant.
Their scalps went numb.
Under this man's might, there was no doubt that in less than a second, they would all be crushed into bloody foam.
Then, just as they thought the terrifying burly silhouette would flash before them,
the next frame their eyes could capture was the mysterious man being heavily struck by an airstream like a greatsword.
Amidst the hurricane rising from the distant ruins, Age of Gods runes densely covered the air. Loren stood up, the wind around him seeming to transform into pure lightning, continuously setting off explosive bursts from a cocoon of electricity. His raised finger, pointed with earth-shattering power, returned the punch in full to the mysterious man.
The profile of Loren's face was etched in sharp black-and-white contrast. Panting, his face was covered in blood that streamed down his cheek.
"Run as far as you can!"
Loren shouted without looking back, shielding the city defense forces and the residential district from this formidable enemy with his solitary back.
Receiving the order, the three clerics did not hesitate, vanishing from the spot at once.
Though they retreated with all their might, their eyes involuntarily tracked the clashes between Loren and the mysterious enemy.
A battle capable of battering Great Cleric Loren so severely was definitely beyond their ability to take part in; staying would only drag Loren down. They needed to evacuate the nearby residents as much as possible, for having to fight while protecting civilians would place Loren at an absolute disadvantage!
Facing Loren, the mysterious man kept his jaw clenched, his facial muscles contorted. He stood in a long trench gouged out by his own footing, everything around his boots buried under shattered flagstones.
His posture was upright like an unshakeable mountain. Taking Loren's strike directly to the face had torn open the skin on half his cheek, exposing teeth, gums, and jawbone.
Yet the wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, swiftly restoring themselves to their original state, as though Loren had barely inflicted any damage at all.
"Just who are you?"
Loren's pupils contracted slightly at the sight of this regenerative speed.
In all his years, he had never encountered such a mysterious, formidable foe.
Regeneration was not terrifying in itself; what was terrifying was that after regenerating, the man had consumed almost no mana, and his aura had barely weakened.
Such a creature could only remind him of the ancient beings known as the "Blood Clan."
Regardless, if the city defense barrier had still been active, neither Blood Clan nor demon race could have charged straight in from beyond the national border like this!
"Heh heh."
Eighth Progenitor Marquis Somerset's shattered cheek was completely restored, having no intention of answering Loren's question.
His gaze remained as scorching as lava, a hint of madness at the corner of his lips, every breath taken as though savoring the coming second.
Coming all the way from the Creti Empire to wait in the Knox Mountains had originally been to deal with that unknown Cardinal and prevent them from interfering.
He hadn't expected that the Church of the Goddess of Fate's Great Cleric would also happen to come to South Vantina today.
Still, fighting anyone was the same.
His arm thrust violently forward, his crimson pupils erupting with radiance. The might of his fist was like lightning in the night, determined to claim Loren's life with this single strike!
Offering Loren no breathing room whatsoever, Marquis Somerset's massive frame arrived before him once more.
Now revealing full murderous intent, his skin was enveloped in a faint red glow, scorching and fierce like burning blood.
But this time, with Loren having recovered his footing, Marquis Somerset would not find success so easily.
Marquis Somerset's fist collided as if against an invisible iron wall. A square emerald magical crest on the ground erupted with deep green ascending currents, waves of air and metallic hums surging out in rings once more.
Though Loren had hastily absorbed a virtually lethal blow at close quarters earlier, equipped as he was with numerous damage-reducing spells and protective items, the injury had not been fatal.
"Don't even think about getting past me."
Behind the mana barrier, Loren wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth. Pure emerald mana carved scar after scar into the gloomy fortress ground like blades, sealing off all space between himself and Marquis Somerset.
Hearing this,
Marquis Somerset didn't withdraw his fist from the barrier in the slightest. Regardless of the torn skin and exposed flesh on his knuckles, his fanatical grin widened as he drove forward.
"I don't need to get past you. Battling a powerhouse like you is my pleasure."
He shifted the trajectory of his fist downward, slamming it heavily into the ground. Instantly, the entire southern district of South Vantina shook as if struck by an earthquake; the earth trembled violently!
Broad fissures ripped open across the stone-paved streets, collapsing downward step by step as if swallowed whole. Under the shockwaves of Loren and Somerset's collision, the intricately carved reliefs and glass on the buildings behind Loren shattered instantly, debris scattering in the wind.
Many residents were shaken so violently that blood trickled from their ears, and they screamed in agony.
"!"
Loren seemed to sense something, a rare flash of anger surging in his eyes. He immediately blanketed the southern district with a wide-area healing spell of enormous mana consumption. Sacred feathers of light seemed to drift down from the night sky, gradually easing the residents' injuries.
"If you want to fight me, keep innocent residents out of it!"
Veins bulged on the back of Loren's hands as he exerted all his strength to hold Somerset off.
"Naturally. I only enjoy winning—or rather, ravaging my opponents," Somerset added with a laugh.
With Loren's mana output dispersed, the barrier before him clearly exposed a weakness, gradually cracking under Somerset's fist until Somerset's blow crashed into Loren's body. Accompanied by a sonic boom, a fatal, crushing roar erupted amidst the ruins and flying rubble.
"You're quite something. If you didn't care whether the people in this city-state lived or died and fought me with everything you had, you might actually have won. But now, I am quite certain you are no match for me."
Somerset flicked his wrist. His mangled, deformed fist began to regenerate as he gazed forward with an appreciative smile.
He was in no rush to renew the slaughter; at a time like this, attacking the mind was even more effective than physical strikes, and far more entertaining.
Though this foolish human cleric was formidable—perhaps one day capable of rivaling a Grand Duke of the Blood Clan—he possessed the inherent weakness of humans: the compulsion to protect those who were weaker.
This was precisely why, during the thousands of years of the Blood Moon's golden age, the Tier 8 human prodigies who had perished by his hands numbered in the dozens, if not hundreds.
"You haven't forgotten there's another Cardinal in the South Vantina domain, have you? Even if you manage to survive me today, when he sees how weakened you are, do you really think he'll kindly heal you?" Somerset asked with mocking pity.
He was waiting for the Resurrection Church to successfully assassinate Hyperion, and today the other side had no chance of victory whatsoever.
"Just fight. Don't bother trying to talk to me anymore. There's no reasoning between me and a creature like you."
Loren unsteadily got to his feet from the rubble, blood streaming unabated down his face.
He sensed the battle on the other side might be even worse.
Not just anyone could withstand Farmer's alchemy beast. If that Tier 8 ally was also protecting something like he was, it would be even more grueling.
Even though no Cardinal had shown up in the South Vantina domain so far, an unprecedented Blood Clan monster had struck. Loren had no leeway to worry about the assault in the northwest; he could only pray they could hold on until the barrier was restored.
If he did not stop this Tier 8 Blood Clan monster before him, the entire city-state would be doomed.
"You think you can stop a natural disaster?"
Marquis Somerset clenched his fists, bones cracking, his eyes looking upon Loren as if mocking him. To wish to protect a whole city-state of ants during a life-and-death clash between Tier 8s was both too greedy and too conceited.
He believed the man had roughly deduced he was of the Blood Clan; if this turned into a war of attrition, victor and vanquished were obvious.
"If I see it, I have to stop it."
Loren cast aside his bloodstained white clerical robe, leaving only his black shirt.
His eyes were like the coldest frozen lake in winter, staring at his opponent through the sharp edge of wind blades.
On the southern border of the South Vantina domain, gale-force winds wailed beneath the blood moon, and a clash reminiscent of the Age of Gods was on the verge of erupting once more.
Chapter 507