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"Understood!" Lady Kaire's expression was solemn as her clouded eyes locked onto Shalltear. The white-gold patterns on her cheongsam shimmered, forming a misty dragon motif.
As her gaze fixed on Shalltear, the white-gold dragon emerged directly from the cheongsam, baring its claws and fangs as it turned into a streak of light and flew toward her.
Downfall of Castle and Country, activate!
Quaiesse's grip on his sword loosened slightly. A smile appeared on his face as he retreated to Lady Kaire's side.
As long as Downfall of Castle and Country was activated, it was a guaranteed hit.
"I've been locked on!"
The intense sense of crisis brought by Downfall of Castle and Country caused Shalltear's crimson eyes to clear significantly.
Buzz!
The white-gold light pierced through Shalltear's body like a radio wave. Immediately after, a strange mental ripple spread outward like a wave, and her entire body was enveloped in a layer of milky-white radiance.
"A Demon God Class Vampire. The charm succeeded!" Quaiesse could not hide his excitement. With this vampire, the Slane Theocracy would gain an extremely powerful combat asset.
However, Lady Kaire, looking at the white radiance surrounding Shalltear, could not help but frown. "Quaiesse, don't let your guard down. It seems Downfall of Castle and Country did not successfully charm her."
Downfall of Castle and Country was a world-class item. How could it possibly fail?
Quaiesse was about to retort when he heard Shalltear's cold, mocking chuckle.
"Ahahaha~~ So it's a world-class item. Hehehe~~ if it weren't for the item given to me by my Lord, I almost would have fallen into your hands."
"Impossible!" Quaiesse stiffly turned his head toward Shalltear.
He saw a deep blue orb floating above her head, continuously emitting a pure white radiance.
Just now, was it this pearl that had blocked the charm of Downfall of Castle and Country?
Shalltear carefully retrieved the pearl, which was now nearly dim.
This was the [World Barrier] bestowed upon her by Lord Helant, a divine artifact capable of blocking the negative effects of a world-class item once.
Admiration welled up in her heart. If it had not been for this [World Barrier], would she not have been charmed by [Downfall of Castle and Country] and become a lapdog for these low-class humans?
Shalltear could not help but start imagining it. If she really became their lapdog, would she not end up facing the Supreme Being?
At that thought, Shalltear's gaze instantly turned fierce, and her aura surged violently.
"You humans actually dare to try to charm me. You deserve to die!"
At the exact moment she was about to lose control, Helant's voice rang in her mind. "Shalltear, control your emotions. What you need to do now is seize [Downfall of Castle and Country]."
Not far away, beside a crystal mirror.
Helant sighed to Momonga. "This girl, Shalltear. Why can't she focus on the main point?"
"Helant-san, Peroroncino designed her that way. We need to be more patient with her. Or… should we have someone else guide her?" Momonga had returned to his usual mage robes and chuckled helplessly.
Demiurge, standing to the side, remained silent, but the bulging veins on his forehead showed he was far from calm.
Shalltear has a world-class item right in front of her, yet she needs a Supreme Being's reminder to realize she should seize it.
And activating Blood Frenzy from the start. Is she so afraid people will not discover her weakness? Why did she not use her [Valkyrie]form from the beginning?"
"She absolutely must be properly disciplined by Albedo or Aura."
…
"Right, the world-class item." Shalltear's eyes cleared once more. She looked at Lady Kaire, her lamprey-like mouth revealing sharp fangs as her aura intensified even further.
Gulp. The members of the Black Scripture swallowed in unison.
This vampire's aura was too terrifying, as if they were facing a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
Seeing this, Quaiesse moved inconspicuously to Lady Kaire's side and whispered, "My lady, I will summon magic beasts in a moment. Ride one and flee. Do not look back."
Lady Kaire nodded solemnly. She was carrying the legacy of the Six Great Gods, the world-class item [Downfall of Castle and Country]. Even if she died, it must not be lost.
"Hmph, thinking of running?" Shalltear quietly activated a barrier skill, then summoned her pure throwing spear. Her sharp fingertips pointed at the members of the Black Scripture one by one. "One, two, three… fifteen people in total."
Her crimson eyes settled on a priest. "Just now, you were the one who killed my familiars, weren't you?"
"Then you're first."
Pssst!
The moment she spoke, the priest's head was sent flying into the air, and hot blood splashed onto Quaiesse's face.
So fast. I could not see her movements at all.
Cold sweat poured down Quaiesse's back as he roared, "Everyone, you must protect Lady Kaire and the safety of Downfall of Castle and Country!"
Then mana surged from his body, forming more than a dozen magic circles.
The magic circles flashed with light, and over a dozen magic beasts manifested within them.
Quaiesse panted slightly. Summoning more than a dozen magic beasts in one breath was taxing even for him.
He was hailed by the Slane Theocracy as a One-Man Army because his class was Summoner, capable of calling forth a large number of magic beasts at once, with combat power sufficient to rival an ordinary legion.
The moment the magic beasts were summoned, Lady Kaire quickly mounted a horse-shaped magic beast and sped away.
Watching her receding figure, Quaiesse finally let out a sigh of relief. He turned to Shalltear and said, "Now, your opponents are us."
"Hmph. After I kill you all, it won't be too late to give chase~~" Shalltear said with a chuckle. With the barrier in place, she could not escape.
Quaiesse scanned the surroundings. There were twelve members of the Black Scripture left, plus his thirteen magic beasts. Even if this monster intended to kill them all, it would take some time.
His Gale Horse would definitely be able to escape the vicinity of E-Rantel within five minutes.
At that point, he would use Reverse Summoning to teleport to Lady Kaire's side. Not only would he successfully protect the world-class item, he would also survive.
Quaiesse's gaze hardened as he looked at those around him, as if prepared for death. "Hold on. We do this for the Slane Theocracy!"
"Oh! For the Slane Theocracy!" The members of the Black Scripture lined up, their fanaticism replacing their fear.
Squelch.
In the very next second, five heads were severed in an instant. Blood sprayed everywhere, and the fanatic light in their eyes turned back into fear.
"Hehe~~ So noisy. Insects should learn to keep their mouths shut." Shalltear held her pure throwing spear upside down as she looked at the survivors.
Quaiesse silently directed the magic beasts to surround her, continuing to use words to buy time. "Vampire, I don't know what kind of Demon God you are, but how dare you trample on life like this!"
Shalltear casually killed three more members and said with amusement, "Do the lives of insects even count as lives?"
Quaiesse clenched his teeth and shouted angrily, "What do you think life is!"
Squelch.
The last four heads were severed.
Shalltear yawned in boredom. "All right, I've had enough fun. Time to take the world-class item."
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(currently up to Chapter 34. It'll reach 12 chaps ahead status by today and 15 chaps ahead by tomorrow.) If you want to support the fic and stay two weeks ahead of the curve, consider grabbing the Supreme Being rank.
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