Chapter 324: Different Paths, Same Destination
Chapter 324: Different Paths, Same Destination
“Crunch, crunch.” The sound of footsteps on broken debris echoed through the corridor, causing both groups of combatants to instinctively turn their attention toward the meeting hall.
During the recent battle, it was evident that the Vampires had taken the brunt of the losses. The corridor was littered with dozens of completely wrecked Blood Puppets, interspersed with the bodies of over a dozen Vampires. These corpses blocked a significant portion of the corridor.
Whether it was the Vampires or the puppets, most of the fallen had been riddled with black feathers or colorful petals. A few had been sliced into pieces, likely the work of Azure.
For the Vampires, today had been a day of blood misfortune. They had come to this supposedly secure castle to enjoy the gathering, to eat, drink, and revel. They never expected that some large, doll-like beings would suddenly charge in, wreaking havoc. Caught off guard, several Vampires were killed in their own rooms, completely unprepared.
By the time the Vampires organized and joined forces with the Blood Puppets to storm the meeting hall and reunite with the Elders, they realized that these large dolls were not only incredibly powerful but also ruthless. Their actions displayed a complete disregard for life.
As members of the underground black market in Eastern Europe, these Vampires were no strangers to combat. However, facing these emotionless, unfeeling dolls filled them with a long-forgotten fear.
When Liam stepped out of the meeting hall, the Vampires' morale had completely collapsed. Some Vampires, accompanied by Blood Puppets, launched a desperate, suicidal charge and were quickly eliminated.
The other Vampires scattered throughout the castle, desperately trying to escape. However, with the castle's magic defense system having been modified, they had no way out. Most of them lacked the ability to transform into Blood Mist. Liam and his team of small Puppets, along with Canary's group, quickly cornered and eliminated them. Searching the vast castle for these hiding Vampires was a laborious task, but Liam's Life Magic and Snowflower's Spirit Form proved invaluable in the hunt.
When the last Vampire, hiding in the rafters of the top-floor living room, was obliterated by Canary's sonic attack, they had successfully purged the castle.
"It didn't seem that difficult, did it, big brother? Was it really necessary to call all of us out?" Mercury Lamp said, her voice tinged with a hint of petulance.
"No, it's just that we are naturally advantageous against these Vampires", Canary interjected. "Their agility, strong Life Force, and specialized mind control and curse magic, which are highly effective against human wizards, become disadvantages against us. That's why they were defeated so quickly. You mustn't become arrogant because of this."
Liam found the small Puppets' battle summary intriguing. Their ability to draw lessons from their experiences made their souls increasingly complete and more human-like. This was one of the strengths of the Rosary Maidens.
After leaving behind the Rose Crystal, which shared a connection with his soul, to help the small Puppets clean up the loot from the Cepesh Family's castle and transport it to the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, Liam opened the castle's fireplace to travel to the location where Harry might have been kidnapped—the Southern End of Eysturoy, Faroe Islands.
Before departing, he asked Mercury Lamp and Crimson for some items to serve as his secret weapon, as he might face Voldemort directly. It was always good to have a few powerful tricks up his sleeve.
With everything prepared, a burst of flame flashed, and Liam appeared in a dilapidated fireplace inside a small, abandoned farmhouse. The roof and beams of the farmhouse had long since collapsed, leaving only rough walls with several holes.
Perhaps because there weren't many people here, the previous visitors had been rather rough when cleaning up their traces. Liam easily used Magic to find the marks left by those who had walked here before.
He pulled out two daggers from his waist. One, called Shadow, was obtained from a Shadowbinder he had killed in the World of Ice and Fire. A male wizard who had joined him told him that this was a Magic weapon from Shyra, and it made it easier to cast Shadow Magic when held.
The other dagger was called Flame. After acquiring the dagger named Shadow, Liam had crafted this replica using Valyrian Steel. It could be used to cast Flame and Light Magic, and it was one of Liam's recent masterpieces. However, Rose Crystal always called this dagger "Fire's Joy", showing that the soul connection occasionally led to some amusing situations.
For a teenage boy, what was a dagger in his hands was more like a short sword for an eight-year-old girl. But there was no time to worry about that now. Liam held both short swords and followed the trail.
After passing through a not-so-large forest, Liam heard the sound of waves in the distance. Soon, the light from a clearing in the woods caught his attention.
He circled around a large tree and, from a distance, saw through the gaps in the trees a huge stone cauldron being heated over a fire. Beside it, a sinister figure knelt.
The cauldron was filled with red Elixirs, emitting a strong light that illuminated the entire clearing. Using the light from the cauldron, Liam saw a tree trunk nearby, where the missing Harry was tied up. Beside Harry stood a middle-aged man with yellow hair, dagger in hand, apparently about to cut Harry.
This scene immediately told Liam what he was facing. He quickly took a Clay Jar filled with Wildfire from his waist bag and hurled it at the kneeling figure.
Voldemort seemed more cautious than expected, as a Magic Barrier immediately rose around the cauldron, blocking the Wildfire's burning. At the same time, a cold voice came from the cauldron: "Hurry up and complete the ritual, quickly!"
Is this Voldemort? Liam was thinking when he saw the yellow-haired man raise his dagger and rush towards Harry. Without hesitation, Liam cast a Shadow Blade to cut the ropes binding Harry.
Voldemort's shout revealed that the ritual wasn't complete, meaning he was temporarily trapped in the cauldron. Liam took this opportunity to focus on the yellow-haired man. Just as he was about to take further action to save Harry, the man grabbed Harry and leaned in close.
"Isn't the final step the Enemy's Blood? Why is he kissing him?" Liam stood in the woods, stunned, but now wasn't the time to be confused. Since the two were entangled, Liam had to avoid hurting Harry and used a Shadow Blade to sever the man's leg as he struggled with Harry.
Harry was some distance from the cauldron, and Liam thought he had successfully stopped the ritual. However, just as Liam ran towards Harry, the man pulled down the collar covering Harry's face and leaned in again, doing something to Harry's face before looking up at the cauldron.
The sky had grown dark, and Liam couldn't see what the man had done. It wasn't until he heard the broken incantation that he realized the spell was almost complete.
"When did he put Harry's blood in?" Liam was puzzled when the man suddenly looked up after finishing the incantation. Seizing the opportunity, Liam cast a Shadow Blade that severed the man's neck, and his head fell to the ground.
Liam hoped Harry wouldn't be traumatized by this scene. He ran to Harry's side and, in a little girl's voice, said, "You, follow me and run."
"You are—""Run, do you want to wait for death?" Liam pulled Harry up quickly. Fortunately, the Elixirs in the Stone Cauldron were reacting violently, producing a thick white mist that concealed the two.
"Find a place to hide, I'll hold him off." Liam swung his short swords and cast several Shadow Blades, but they were blocked by the white mist.
Finally, a figure emerged from the cauldron, indicating that Voldemort had successfully returned.
(End of Chapter)
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