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Chapter 144: Lanchi Stays True to His Word
Chapter 144: Lanchi Stays True to His Word
In the dense forest atop the mountain, just outside Lichten Castle, a column of black smoke rose like a colossal dragon, coiling and roaring its presence in the sky.
The sparks of fire spreading across the treetops seemed poised to paint the entire forest in a hue redder than the evening sky's glow.
Within the cathedral, the chatter among the group abruptly ceased as astonished expressions claimed their faces, their gazes fixed on the unforeseen turn of events unfolding in the direction of the forest. They sought to comprehend the situation, their eyes darting anxiously between the smoke and the trees, minds fraught with questions and concerns. Yet, no one dared to utter a word, and they could only turn to Cardinal Lanchi, awaiting his reaction.
Could it be...
That all of this was within the lawyer's expectations?
"You two really know how to keep things interesting," Hubertian remarked, having already deduced what was transpiring.
It was that old fox, Fred, who had never left and had been lying in wait within the forest, setting up his trap!
In the forest terrain, with Fred facing off against the heavily injured Saintess of Destruction alone, the odds were heavily in Fred's favor—a prepared and concealed opponent against an exposed and injured foe. The Saintess had a world of pain coming her way.
As the group gradually grasped the situation, a glimmer of hope ignited within them once more!
In the corner, beneath the rose window.
Moments later, the expression of the female priest of the Church of Resurrection froze.
While she struggled to make sense of this unexpected development, her heart began to pound wildly.
"How... How is this possible...?"
She quickly counted the number of people in the cathedral to ensure everyone was accounted for.
The intense confusion and unease sent her mind into a frenzy.
Then, as if recalling something, the female priest's eyes widened in realization.
Indeed, someone was missing.
That damn meddler who had muddled their thoughts from the very beginning and then vanished from the map!
If this was all a ruse, then what of the turmoil her heart had endured all day, and the humiliation she had suffered?
Before she could process her nearly shattered emotions...
The female priest of the Church of Resurrection opened her mouth in horror, her face contorting in despair.
"Ahh..."
She saw an update in Shadow World:
[Betrayer Adelais is dead. Blood Lord Count Palocas will arrive at the Honing Empire border, coordinates Lichten Castle, in approximately six hours.]
At that moment...
"Do you know what you've done?! She's the Saintess of Destruction!!!"
The female priest screamed hoarsely,
"Now we're all going to die!!!!"
Initially, she had taken solace in the mechanism of Shadow World, believing that once the betrayer was slain, it would attract the vampire count, and at the very least, she was confident she could return to the real world alive.
But now, with the vampire count's impending arrival, a indiscriminate slaughter was imminent! The mission objectives and backstories of the two vampire retainers among them painted them as ambitious traitors with designs on rebelling against the Blood Lord!
And at the same time...
Not far from the female priest.
The captured noble magician girl seemed to lose the last glimmer of light in her eyes, succumbing to despair, though there was a hint of resignation in her gaze.
"Vampires... Is it truly an inescapable nightmare...?"
Her lips quivered as she accepted what seemed like an inevitable fate, a destiny she loathed with every fiber of her being.
...
The hearts of the others in the cathedral also sank in that moment, and even the most valiant among them, the executioner, slumped powerlessly to the ground.
In an instant, their emotions had plummeted to rock bottom.
They finally understood why Lanchi had been so calm earlier—it was because he had anticipated that the detective was lying in ambush in the forest.
Unbeknownst to them, their joy was short-lived as they were suddenly struck by a devastating realization.
The good news was that the Saintess of Destruction had been dealt with.
The bad news? They were all going to die tonight.
Those two were truly ruthless, toying with the Saintess of Destruction like a puppet. In the end, driven to madness, she would choose to take her own life, dragging everyone else down with her.
Their defeat was not unexpected. After all, they had pinned their hopes high, so it was only natural to feel a sense of loss now.
A gloomy atmosphere filled the cathedral as their last glimmer of hope faded away.
"Oh well,"
"We did our best."
"Regardless of the outcome, we have no regrets."
"After all, none of us backed down when faced with the followers of the Church of Resurrection."
The cathedral fell silent, and the weapons that had been brandished with such determination finally rested.
The melancholy sunset seemed to foretell their fate, burning their irises before plunging into the horizon.
Their words of encouragement to one another sounded like final goodbyes, a fitting end to a day of valiant efforts. They accepted their impending fate with a sense of resignation, ready to face death bravely.
With the arrival of the seven-ranked vampire count just hours away and a full five nights to endure, they couldn't fathom any way to turn the situation around.
This time, it truly seemed to be the end.
...
...
Wait, why was Lanchi making that face?
Perhaps out of habit, the challengers in the cathedral couldn't help but turn their gazes towards him.
To their surprise, he remained as calm as ever, casually sipping from his wine glass!
"Why are you all looking at me? Let's eat first."
Lanchi looked at them with confusion, simply gesturing towards the long dining table as if he had been waiting for them to join him for dinner all along.
After all, the title of this Shadow World was 'Cathedral Banquet'.
It was obviously a tourism and catering-themed Shadow World, so why wouldn't they eat before getting down to business?
"Could there still be a way...?"
The challengers stared at him in astonishment, their eyes widening in the same direction.
The setting sun shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting its rays on Lanchi. Seated casually on the sofa, his silhouette seemed even more dazzling than the sun itself.
"We still have six hours. Hunting a count should be a piece of cake, right?"
Lanchi's lips curled up, and he flashed a confident smile, reminiscent of the certainty he had displayed when wielding lightning in the Inferno Corridor Academy.
...
At that moment, in the Geralt Memorial Square of the Ikelite Academy, the expressions on the faces of all the students mirrored those of the challengers in the painting.
They couldn't believe what they were hearing, yet they had no choice but to accept it.
A seven-ranked vampire count.
And a full five nights to endure.
Even if their combined strength could somehow match that of the peak six-ranked Destruction Saintess, a seven-ranked count was far beyond what their human bodies could withstand. The power gap between each rank widened exponentially.
"They say Lanchi's epic performance during the Registered Card Master exam involved creating a small sun..."
"But that was just an illusion, without the power of the real sun!"
The sealing vision ability of the orange epic card, [Radiant Virtue], was quite versatile and practical. However, considering its indiscriminate targeting and high magic consumption, it was underwhelming compared to other orange epics.
"I can't bear to watch."
The atmosphere in the square had shifted from lively to deathly silent.
Many students began to leave the Geralt Memorial Square, unable to bear the oppressive feeling of impending doom.
It seemed like a tragedy destined to unfold in just six hours.
The faculty meeting room must be filled with a similar sense of heaviness.
After all, the Ikelite Academy was about to lose three of its most outstanding freshmen that very night.
(End of Chapter)
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