"Hahahaha..." Cardinal Jarvis laughed loudly, blood staining the corner of his mouth. His expression, previously graceful and distinguished, now looked somewhat sinister. He stared at the man in front of him and laughed. "Heaven had a path for you, but you didn't take it; hell had no doors, yet you chose to break in yourself. You thought that by luring me away with tricks, you could come here and turn the situation around?"
"Crack!" Asa stepped forward from the shattered marble debris. He had not retreated after taking the blow from Jarvis' sword, but the powerful force and momentum had shattered the marble floor beneath him. Although he didn't stagger back or spit blood like Jarvis did, he knew the injuries he had sustained were likely more severe than his opponent's.
Jarvis' strike had been built up with tremendous force, a powerful blow meant to shatter everything. Asa, on the other hand, had hastily defended after using his full magical strength. If his weapon, the Vampire's Fang, hadn't been of superior quality and strength compared to Jarvis' sword, Asa suspected he wouldn't even be able to stand right now. He looked at Jarvis and shook his head. "You never went to the magic academy? I put Talice there. I thought she would at least delay you a little..."
"I must admit, your trap was effective. You knew exactly what kind of lie would strike the greatest fear in me, and this risky move of yours was indeed quite ingenious, allowing you to get in here. Luckily, I came to my senses halfway and hurried back."
"Did you figure out what was wrong? I thought, in such a hurry, you'd have lost your judgment by now."
"Indeed, this matter is far too important to me, I didn't even have time to think it through. But halfway here, it wasn't about figuring things out—it was a feeling. I could sense that you would never actually take that thing..." Jarvis paused slightly, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Asa and asked, "I even suspect—you already know what's down there, don't you?"
"I didn't know before," Asa replied. "If I had, I would've told you while you were torturing Jessica. I only figured it out later when I went back to the magic academy to find Sandru. I heard about your strange behavior, and then I realized there really was something down there you wanted. It seemed like the Marquis had come back and called you out. Sandru had mentioned before that he was guarding something here, so I deduced that whatever's down there is important, and likely something from the Necromancer's Guild. Am I right?"
"Yes, you're smarter than I thought..." Jarvis smirked. "But this isn't the time for us to talk about this. Now that I've caught you, I've decided to cut off your hands and feet first, then slowly interrogate you..."
Jarvis glanced behind him. The officials who had been thrown out by the force of their clash had gotten up and were rushing back in, while the Holy Knights' swordsmen had arrived.
Asa gave a faint, cold smile. "You're sure you'll capture me?"
"I know you're badly injured. Stop pretending you're fine," Jarvis replied, his voice cold. The swordsmen of the Holy Knights had surged forward.
Roderhart, who had been swept away by the blast from their earlier exchange, had fallen against the wall and collapsed onto the ground, motionless. While he had been standing earlier, his chest had been shattered, and after the fall, broken bones seemed to have pierced his internal organs. The two priests rushing in to the hall were now trying to heal him. Though the magic users and priests of the Holy Knights were few, each was a master of magic, with the healing abilities of the priests comparable to that of an ordinary bishop.
Wiping the blood from his lips, Jarvis regained his composed demeanor, the one he always displayed in public. He smiled and said, "I told you, this was always a deadlock that could never be broken. Now, you choose to walk into it and die. We both know, surrounded by the Holy Knights, no one can escape. Not even Grutt or Theodorus."
Asa calmly responded, "I never said I was going to escape. I'll tell you this, though, this deadlock has already been broken."
"Please, come, break it for me," Jarvis sneered, stringing the words together as he waved his hand toward the densely packed swordsmen behind him. "Take this criminal down. Don't worry about anything, just make sure he stays alive. You can even cut off his hands and feet if necessary."
As Jarvis' hand swung down, the sound of dozens of long swords being unsheathed filled the air. A burst of brilliant sword light accompanied by a deadly aura swept through the room, and the temperature in the chamber seemed to drop several degrees. At the same moment, Asa grunted softly, his white aura flaring up brightly.
He wasn't preparing to strike back; instead, he was countering the several curses and debuffs like "Weakness," "Slowness," and "Curse" that suddenly assaulted him. These magical effects, each with its own strength, were so potent that he had to activate his full energy to push them out of his system.
He knew Jarvis was right. Every magician among the swordsmen had nearly reached the level of a grand sorcerer, and with all of them casting curses simultaneously, even Grutt's battle strength would be severely reduced. The hundreds of swordsmen surrounding them were all formidable, skilled in coordinated attacks. No matter how powerful the opponent, no one could escape such a siege.
"Stop!" A voice suddenly rang out. Someone stood up from the debris.
"Your Majesty the Queen!" The officials cried out in astonishment, their voices filled with joy. The Prime Minister, though not as shocked, had tears welling in his eyes as he watched the Queen stand up.
The bed closest to Asa had been thrown aside by the shockwave from their clash and had shattered, burying the Queen beneath the debris. Yet now, she had risen from the wreckage on her own. The terrifying fangs were gone from her mouth, and her expression was no longer twisted or monstrous, but had returned to its usual calm and regal demeanor.
"Everyone, stop!" The Queen stood up, her face filled with rage as she pointed at Jarvis. "He's the one to blame! He's the necromancer! He turned me into a vampire and tried to force me to gather the elder ministers like Marquis Minsk and General Thomas for an assassination. I refused, and that's why they imprisoned me and used magic to drive me mad."
Everyone froze in shock. Even the swordsmen of the Holy Knights, known for their unwavering focus on battle, were stunned.
Roderhart and Jarvis exchanged a glance of surprise, but their eyes quickly hardened. Jarvis scoffed loudly and declared, "This man used dark magic to control the Queen's mind. Quickly, seize him!"
Though Jarvis was somewhat surprised that Asa had managed to break through the white magic seal and the necromantic mind control, he wasn't overly worried. A vampire Queen who had just been a threat moments ago, now accusing a Cardinal appointed by the Pope of being a necromancer? It would clearly not be convincing.
But just then, another figure stepped forward, leaping in front of the Queen and shouting, "Stop! Everything the Queen says is true! He's the real culprit!"
The swordsmen, who had been about to move, paused. It was the Prime Minister.
"Wait," the elderly statesman, Jansen, spoke up, glancing uncertainly between Jarvis and the Queen. "This is strange..."
"Can't you see he's the one who assassinated Bishop Ronis and Duke Murak? Are you still going to defend him?" Jarvis's voice was laced with anger.
Jansen sighed. "Exactly because he's the murderer of Duke Murak that I find this strange. Why would the Prime Minister protect the killer of his own father?"
"Because she's also under the influence of that wanted criminal's mind control," Jarvis coldly replied, waving his hand again. "Seize the Prime Minister. I'll help her remove this magic."
At that moment, Roderhart, who had been treated by the priests, finally woke up, gasping, "He's right. Quickly, seize him."
"You don't need to argue anymore. Everyone, don't move," Asa suddenly said, his voice cold and commanding. Everyone froze in place.
It was Asa, and he had somehow pulled the Queen and the Prime Minister together from behind, both of his hands resting on their necks.
"Don't move. The Queen and the Prime Minister are both indispensable to the Empire. Don't force me to kill them," Asa's cold gaze swept over the room before fixing on Jarvis. "Cardinal, I'm sure you wouldn't want to risk their lives, would you?"
"I doubt you'd dare to do anything," Jarvis sneered, his voice unchanged, but his face had grown visibly tense.
"Don't doubt me. I know you won't," Asa replied calmly, ignoring the surprised looks of the two women. "As a Cardinal, how could you disregard the lives of the Queen and the Prime Minister? Unless you have other plans..."
At this moment, Grand Minister Jansen and General Thomas had transformed their initial shock into furious rage. Although they still didn't understand how the situation had come to this, the fact that both the Empress and the Chancellor were now in this man's grasp was undeniable. Jansen bellowed, "What are you trying to do, you scoundrel? Aren't the Prime Minister and Her Majesty the Empress speaking on your behalf?"
Asa responded with a faint smile, "Speaking on my behalf doesn't necessarily mean they can explain everything for me. That's why I'd like to wait here with everyone for someone who can explain everything clearly."