"Church of Light on the scene! Get out of the way, all of you!" a angry shout rang out. The priest rushed into the battlefield with his men, immediately attacking the nearby Killers.
Holy light flooded the area, flashing with piercing cold. In an instant, several Killers were killed on the spot.
"Deceitful wretches! Even the Church of Light is getting involved in this?" a Killer cursed furiously. This was outside the city walls, far beyond the Church of Light's jurisdiction.
The priest didn't bother to answer. Five hundred Bright Knights stood with icy expressions, their bodies bathed in holy light. They had already surrounded the Killers and Annie.
"Fall back!" someone realized something was wrong and tried to run, but was instantly shredded by beams of holy light.
Just ruthless!
Allen hid in the shadows, watching quietly. These Killers weren't innocent, either.
"Allen, move!" Simon whispered a warning.
"Right."
Allen agreed. Powerful water energy surged around him as he cast Heaven's Wrath · Mist Art.
Whoosh...
A thick fog erupted from him, spreading rapidly outward. It covered a radius of nearly a kilometer, enveloping both The Knights of Light and the Killers.
"Why is there suddenly so much fog?" a terrified voice cried out from within the mist.
The fog was eerie. It appeared without warning, and visibility was near zero—less than one meter.
"Be careful! This is Misting Art! Everyone, get together!" The priest sensed the danger and shouted a warning immediately.
Trapped by the fog, his connection to The Knights of Light was cut off completely, and the holy light formation could no longer function.
"Ah..."
Suddenly, a sharp, agonizing scream pierced the air, followed by the smell of blood.
Within the mist, dark shadows flickered like ghosts. Every time they appeared, someone died.
For a moment, panic spread among the Killers and the members of The Knights of Light.
"This Allen, why didn't he invite me to his party?" Annie wondered, watching the swirling fog. She stayed put, too scared to move.
In the mist, both her vision and her senses were heavily hindered. If she were ambushed right now, she wouldn't even have a chance to defend herself.
"Allen, let's attack!" Lilia was eager to fight. She instantly transformed into her vampire form, her massive wings spreading wide. She wrapped her arms around Allen, and together, they shot up into the sky as the mist churned below.
Excited, Allen launched two giant fireballs, screaming toward two Bright Knights.
Boom! Boom!
Two massive explosions rocked the area, the flames surging wildly. Several Bright Knights were blown away, and the fog around them was scattered.
"Don't use fire attacks!" Simon's low voice came from the mist.
Allen snapped out of his trance. Fire counters fog. Luckily, Misting Art is also a Forbidden Spell, so the fog quickly reformed after being dispersed.
"Careful! Someone is in the air! Use fire to clear the fog!" Priest's voice rang out from a distance. Just as the fog vanished for a split second, he caught a glimpse of a figure soaring above.
The remaining Killers and The Knights of Light immediately gathered their fire energy, launching Fireballs at the mist.
But their fire was just normal attacks. They could barely push back the fog three meters away; the effect was terrible.
"Allen, take out that bastard first!" Lilia locked onto Priest's position and dove down rapidly.
Allen didn't waste time. Several wind blades formed in the air, flashing with cold light as they sliced down with a whistle.
"Shameless!"
Priest cursed angrily. He produced the Codex from nowhere. Holy light flared, condensing into a protective shield that surrounded him.
Clang! Clang!
Sharp, echoing impacts rang out. His Wind Blades couldn't even crack the light shield, despite being a Forbidden Spell attack!
Allen's frown deepened. He glanced at the the Codex in Priest's hand; it seemed to be a powerful weapon.
"It's Oracle Magic," Lilia whispered urgently, quickly rising to gain distance from Priest.
That holy light made her feel extremely uneasy.
"Invite me to your party, or I can't pinpoint their locations!" Annie's anxious voice cried out from a distance.
The swirling mist nearly caused her to strike a Shadow Guard by mistake.
Allen immediately removed Lilia from the party and sent a party invite to Annie.
"Hey! How did you kick me out?" Lilia protested.
"Are you kidding? I'm here! There's a Bright Knight right below your feet," Annie reminded her. Together, the two of them moved without the fog hindering them at all.
By now, the time limit on Misting Art was almost up, and the surrounding mist began to slowly dissipate.
Thud-thud...
From the direction of the city, another heavy sound of hooves approached.
"Get out of here! Leave the rest to me!" Annie ordered immediately. Her energy flared, and a green fog surged around her. Hidden by the mist, it spread rapidly.
It was jungle poison gas, filled with toxins designed to knock enemies unconscious.
Simon was the first to sense it. He led the Shadow Guards to quickly retreat from the fog.
Allen and Lilia, flying high in the air, were unaffected.
"Poison gas! Hold your breath!" Priest realized the green gas rising from the fog and immediately covered his mouth and nose, shouting a warning.
But it was too late. He had already inhaled the toxic mist.
"Lord Priest! Protect Lord Priest!"
Suddenly, a shout rang out from a distance as a squad of riders raced toward the scene.
Reinforcements?
Priest's brow furrowed. He felt no joy at this news. The voice belonged to City Lord Lucas.
Although he hadn't clearly seen the attacker in the air earlier, he was certain it was a Vampire.
And Lucas's own daughter, Lilia, was a Vampire. Was Lucas actually coming to save him?
Priest felt the world spin. He swayed and collapsed to the ground.
As the mist slowly cleared, everyone except for Allen and his group had fallen unconscious. This included The Knights of Light and the remaining Killers.
Lucas led his squad of guards, quickly surrounding the battlefield and ordering anyone to stay away.
"My Lord, should we finish them off?" Raven asked, making a slashing motion across his throat.
"No need," Lucas said, glancing at the battlefield. Only eleven Killers and over a hundred Bright Knights remained. These guys were more valuable alive than dead.
Soon, he found the unconscious Priest. His hands were crossed over his chest, one tightly gripping a cross, the other clutching an Ancient Oracle Codex against his chest.
Allen stepped closer, curiously eyeing the Codex in the Priest's arms.
This thing could even block Forbidden Spells. It had to be a treasure.
Simon saw right through his thoughts and spoke up, "Kid, don't even think about it. Only Church clergy can use the Ancient Oracle Codex. In your hands, it's just a pile of trash."
"Is that so?" Allen couldn't hide his disappointment.
"Don't waste time. Lilia, it's your turn," Lucas interrupted. The poison fog wasn't deadly; it would only knock people out for about fifteen minutes.
Lilia stepped forward and looked at the unconscious Priest. Her brow furrowed; the holy light radiating from him made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Dad, what do I do?" she asked curiously.
"Just bite him," Lucas replied simply.
Lilia looked disgusted. Her gaze shifted from the Priest's neck to his wrist, but she still couldn't bring herself to bite down.
"Blood infection works too," Annie reminded her from the side.
"Okay," Lilia let out a relieved breath. She could handle this way.
She pulled out a dagger, first slicing the Priest's wrist, then her own finger. She pressed a drop of her blood against the cut on his wrist.
Annie stepped closer, sensing the change, and nodded slightly. "That's it. He's infected now. The Church's holy light will suppress it, so he won't realize it for a while."
"Good. Simon, take everyone back to the City Lord's Mansion. I'll handle this here," Lucas exhaled in relief. The first step of his plan had succeeded.
Simon nodded and led Allen, Annie, and the others back to the City Lord's Mansion.
Moments later, the Priest and the others began to wake up groggily.
"Lord Priest! It's so good that you're okay!" Lucas rushed over immediately, helping the Priest up with a look of deep concern.
Priest frowned, his expression wary. He rubbed his throbbing head and asked, confused, "What happened?"
Lucas looked grave. "I got word that you were in trouble, so I rushed here with my men. You were hit by Elf poison gas. Fortunately, I arrived just in time, or things would have been bad for you."
Priest quickly straightened his clothes and bowed deeply. "Thank you, City Lord, for saving us."
Lucas smiled gently. "No need for thanks, Priest. We're on the same side; helping each other is our duty."
"Sir!You are right," Priest bowed again. Then he noticed a fresh wound on his wrist and frowned. He didn't remember getting hurt before he passed out.
"Oh, by the way, did you catch that Elf?" He remembered their main goal. They had sent all of The Knights of Light just to capture that Elf Saintess.
Lucas shook his head. "When I arrived, that Elf had already escaped, using the fog as cover."
"Pity," Priest sighed, looking disappointed.