The white-robed priest could sense the pervasive aura of darkness emanating from Fars from a distance. The holy scent that the blood clan inherently detested was also impossible to escape Fars's keen intuition. Although they had not directly encountered each other, their paths had crossed, and how things would unfold next depended on the actions of both sides. If it were just a white-robed priest, Fars wouldn't mind confronting him openly in broad daylight, seizing the opportunity to taste the blood infused with divine essence.
Typically, any attack or item imbued with holy attributes would inflict some harm on the blood clan. However, blood itself was an exception; no race could claim to understand blood better than the blood clan. The higher the level of a practitioner devoted to the God of Light, the more potent their blood became as a supplement for the blood clan. Perhaps it was this insatiable craving for the blood of the God of Light's followers that perpetuated the deadly enmity between the two sides.
Regardless, Fars was still wary of the bishop in Yao City, unaware that the bishop had already left the city for a remote area. He temporarily set aside the white-robed priest, who had seemingly caught onto his trail, along with the knight beside him, who also radiated a strong sense of holiness.
Meanwhile, outside the city, as night fell, two clerics on horseback were flanked by a group of knights, gradually making their way toward a remote area about two to three hundred miles from Yao City.
"Berlaute, are you sure the blood clan that attacked Lady Osyka is hiding around here?" a young man dressed in dark clerical attire, with a silver cross hanging from his chest, asked the slightly older white-robed priest behind him. Although he appeared young, this man was actually the bishop of Yao City, already in his thirties. However, due to his lifelong dedication to divine magic, he still looked youthful and handsome.
The white-robed priest named Berlaute respectfully replied, "Your Excellency, there is indeed a count-level blood clan hiding in this area, but whether it is the one that attacked Lady Osyka is hard to determine. However, based on the clues left in the city, he seems to have fled in this direction after leaving the city."
"Oh? How do you know there's a blood clan lurking here?" The bishop still seemed puzzled. He had investigated several places in the city where Fars had presumably stayed that night and discovered that he had indeed left the city, but he couldn't pinpoint this location as clearly as Berlaute had.
This question made Berlaute quite nervous. He had hoped to rely on the bishop for support, so he thought for a moment and then answered honestly, "Well, this blood clan has been around Yao City for quite some time. He existed during the tenure of the previous bishop, Lord Nuer. However, during the attempt to eliminate him back then, both sides suffered significant losses, leading to some agreements or tacit understandings between them: as long as he doesn't cause trouble within Yao City and there aren't too many serious blood clan attacks in the surrounding areas, the church cannot intervene too deeply."
After hearing Berlaute's explanation, the bishop's face darkened with displeasure. He snorted heavily before reprimanding Berlaute, "In the three years since I arrived in Yao City, why have I never heard anyone mention this serious obstacle to the church's development? Do you think I am inferior to the current bishop of Inlay City, Lord Nuer?"
Having reached this point, Berlaute was prepared. He couldn't afford to bear the heavy responsibility of deceiving his superior. Thus, he anxiously tried to defend himself, "My lord, I apologize for my negligence, but there was indeed an agreement back then. Moreover, if we quietly eliminate him, the influential figures in Yao City won't even know. Now that the entire city is aware we are investigating the attack on Lady Osyka, wouldn't that serve to promote the teachings of the God of Light?"
Perhaps Berlaute's last point struck a chord with the young bishop, who felt that despite being in Yao City for three years, he had yet to achieve any significant results due to the Magic Guild's suppression. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so eager to pursue this blood clan case. Although he still harbored some dissatisfaction with Berlaute, he found him more agreeable than the other white-robed priest, Nasa. If this operation went smoothly, he could shift the blame for the concealment onto Nasa and take the opportunity to reassign him to a remote location as a powerless church leader, thus removing a thorn in his side.
Temporarily overlooking Berlaute's oversight, the young bishop continued to ride forward, following Berlaute's lead toward the castle where the blood clan was said to be hiding.
The brazen move to break the oath from years ago and launch an assault angered the vampire, who had remained hidden for decades. However, he did not rush out of his castle. He could clearly sense an overwhelming aura of holiness and had heard about the arrival of a bishop in Yao City. Initially considering whether to immediately relocate outside the city, he hesitated due to the ongoing conflict between the Magic Guild and the church, which left the church too preoccupied to deal with matters in such a remote area. This made him quite pleased, but he also restrained himself from sneaking back into Yao City.
Why was there such a grand approach directed at him? Did they intend to use him as a trophy? The impression left by the old man Nuer was still vivid; he had been able to match wits with the nearly two-hundred-year-old vampire. Over the years, although his strength had improved, he remained stuck at the count level due to his bloodline issues, unable to break through. This made him realize that with a bishop leading the charge, he had no intention of engaging in a battle.
The blood clan is often perceived as youthful and handsome, but as they age, they gradually show signs of wear. The old count, now with a face full of wrinkles, hurriedly gathered his important belongings. However, he felt a deep sense of melancholy as he looked at a massive coffin, three to four meters long and two meters wide, in his bedroom. Unfortunately, his spatial ring was too small to carry such a large item. After a brief sigh, he resolutely waved his sleeve and left.
To cover his tracks, the old count summoned his descendants, instructing them to transform into bats and scatter through the castle windows. Along with the ordinary bats he had raised as spies, a large swarm of low-level blood clan bats surged out.
The bishop and his entourage outside the castle were caught off guard by the sudden exodus of bats. The prepared large-scale divine magic could only take down a portion of the bats, some dissipating in the holy light, while others fell to the ground, transformed into bloody, mangled humanoid forms. The bishop frowned as he watched the bats continue to scatter, realizing that none of them were his primary targets; they were all mere minions.
This experienced vampire calculated that as long as he remained undetected, the clerics would find it difficult to pursue him accurately, giving him time to escape. To further confuse his pursuers, he deliberately mixed in with the swarm of bats heading toward Yao City.
"Better to mistakenly kill than to let one escape." The young bishop decisively split his men into several teams, pursuing the bats fleeing Yao City with two knights. Berlaute was sent back to Yao City to prevent the count-level vampire from mingling with the bats heading toward the city. He believed that with his strength as a white-robed priest and the support of Nasa in the city, they could hold their ground until he returned.
The old count breathed a sigh of relief, momentarily easing his anxiety. However, Berlaute, a mere white-robed priest, was still not to be underestimated. Even at the same level, dealing with him quickly could be troublesome. The bishop had not gone far, and the old count dared not fly too quickly for fear of revealing himself. He had to match the speed of the ordinary bats. Under normal circumstances, the speed of a fast horse and a bat were not too different; a galloping horse could cover over a hundred miles in an hour, while an ordinary bat could also fly a similar distance. Of course, a bat transformed from a vampire could easily outpace a horse.
As the chase ensued, Berlaute was also cautious not to get too close. The count had dealt with him decades ago, and even though he was still only a count, Berlaute had never expected to match the prowess of the former bishop, Nuer. If the vampire were indeed hiding among the bats ahead, provoking him could lead to serious trouble. "May the God of Light protect me; I hope he's headed in the direction the bishop is pursuing."
Meanwhile, things were also unsettled in Yao City. Under the cover of the moonlight, Fars easily approached the vicinity of the church, which was only a few miles away from the Magic Guild, not quite intruding on their territory. It was quite simple for him to subdue a guard knight. Although these dullards were hard to interrogate, he managed to extract some information using his charm and terrifying methods of coercion. Fortunately, the bishop was not in the church.
Having captured a guard had exposed his presence, and Nasa, who had long been prepared for Fars's potential attack, was now on high alert. Clerics of all ranks were gathered in the cathedral, chanting sacred texts, while nearby residents wondered why the church was holding such an important event at night. Curiosity aside, few dared to investigate, and since Fars was careful and cautious, passersby remained oblivious to his actions.
Only one white-robed priest? Fars weighed his chances of successfully turning him into dinner, given the various divine spells bolstering him and the assistance of several low-level priests.
If he didn't seize this opportunity to test his strength, especially since his identity had been indirectly exposed to the white-robed priest inside, it would be troublesome to leave no witnesses. Yuna and Lilith had already boarded a cargo ship leaving Yao City, and he had only returned after accompanying them down the Rhine River.
Fars was not one to hesitate. Having come to investigate the situation, he had already determined his course of action. Without further delay, he took advantage of the bishop's absence and the presence of his kindred outside the city. With a light chuckle, he rose to a height of about a hundred meters above the cathedral, wielding his ornate wand to cast a spell.
He unleashed his most adept technique, the Dark Dragon Slash. Even without the blood sacrifice he had used last time, he had become increasingly familiar with the spell, allowing for precise control that compensated for previous shortcomings.
The black dragon, merging with the night, descended from the sky. Just as it approached the top of the cathedral, a milky-white barrier of holy light appeared, enveloping the entire structure. The clash between the black dragon and the barrier resulted in a momentary struggle of black and white, culminating in a thunderous explosion that reverberated throughout Yao City.
The cathedral, protected by the barrier, sustained little damage, merely trembling slightly. However, the residences of the nearby clerics were severely affected, suffering significant destruction.
"Not bad at all," Fars thought to himself, secretly praising the white-robed priest hiding inside the cathedral. After all, Fars possessed nearly the strength of a mage, and the priest inside had likely drawn upon some of the divine power concentrated in the church and the chanting of sacred texts to hold his ground against him. The church was quite different from the Magic Guild; it welcomed believers for worship, prayer, and confession, creating a sacred and serene atmosphere. However, it lacked many protective barriers specifically designed to fend off external attacks.
Moreover, despite having a bishop in Yao City, the church had not been able to expand under the pressure from the Magic Guild, remaining at the same scale as when the ordinary white-robed priests were in charge, lacking any special defenses.
"Do they really think a small church can stop me?" Fars resolved to force the white-robed priest hiding inside to come out. The commotion had already escalated significantly, yet no one had emerged to intervene, indicating that the situation was not yet urgent. The local elites in Yao City were merely observing the developments. What worried Fars the most was that the Magic Guild seemed to have tacitly approved of his violent actions, not wanting to miss the opportunity to suppress the church. Saving them? That was not something the mages in the Magic Tower were inclined to do.