Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 501 - 463 The Subverter

Bolvent gazed at the young girl standing at the church’s pulpit, the very place where the bishop once preached to the lost lambs. That spot was sacred, noble, and even though they had become vampires, some old habits lingered. The little angel, sealed by Degonris, stood tall and proud, devoid of holy light, but her defiance shone brightly in Bolvent’s eyes.

Swallowing the squirming maggot in his throat, Bolvent contained his bloodlust, seeing a truer world through his crimson eyes. The little angel seemed to have learned much from the Angel of Earth, Raphael, like the contagious power to inspire admiration and longing. Bolvent heard her rapid heartbeat, saw Karen’s trembling hand by her side.

This isn’t right, how can those who sit so high be more lost than us, her power isn’t enough.

Karen miscalculated. Under the silent gaze of pair after pair of blood-red eyes, she knew her plan to turn these vampires once again had failed. Purifiers, once priests of the Holy Light, masters of its essence. Unlike Guardsmen, who protected people as soldiers, or Inquisitors, the hunters of evil, Purifiers lived within the Holy See, delving into the future of Holy Light and the ascension of life. They were scholars of Holy Light, mentors. Compared to the other two legions, their wisdom was profound and deep, self-awareness and penance were their daily deeds. Now, it seemed that these scholars of life’s ascension had hit a dead end in their studies, or perhaps, in an irony of extremes, they had taken another path of Holy Light—a path of corruption. Yet even so, the once lost believers cling to the grand tales spewed by the Holy Light Messengers. These fallen ones scoff at what they once considered child’s play.

They were the most rational spellcasters of the Holy Light era, the closest to the essence of this world.

But within this world’s essence, the Evil God slumbered.

"The Holy Light has abandoned us, the Holy Light led by Melok Raymond has forsaken his brothers, forsaken us!!!" Bolvent rose to his feet, his twisted face glaring at Karen, his bloodshot eyes brimming with hatred and madness. "We were the most devout followers of the Holy Light, we trusted our brethren, we remained humble, we adhered to the doctrines! But what did we get in return! Judgment!"

"The executioners of the Holy Light murdered our leader, the Angel of Water, Gallaron Loshutar, died at the hands of his own brother!"

Bolvent stood before Karen, looking down at her from a superior position.

"You know nothing, little angel! The surprise in your eyes when I revealed the dark deeds of the Holy Light was foolishly endearing. These weren’t mentioned in the Crusader tales, were they? Because the damned scribe of those lustrous stories was none other than the leader of the Inquisitors, George Edmund. Let me guess, how do the chroniclers describe the Tragedy of the Holy Light?" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"A terrible calamity struck a fatal blow to the noble Crusader leader, three of the four Angels fell, and the glory of the Holy Light was left unfinished? Have you never wondered what kind of calamity could kill Raymond, the dragon slayer?"

"The fall of the Holy Light, came from a betrayal!"

"The traitor, the fallen Angel of Fire, George Edmund!"

"We had no choice but to hide in darkness, living without a glimpse of daylight, and it was during this period that Loshutar transformed us all into vampires."

"Having lost our leader, the Purifier Legion nearly crumbled, and what happened to the Inquisitor Legion? Nothing! They went on hunting evil as if nothing had happened! Isn’t that odd? The Crusader leader was our pillar, and those Inquisitors showed no response to losing their leader."

"Little angel, the Holy Light has become a terminally ill old man, rotting from the inside."

"The Holy Light needs healing, and you can do it, little angel. If you become the leader of our Purifier Legion, we can cleanse the Holy Light. A surgery from outside in, we need your leadership, little angel."

Karen brushed away the hand Bolvent extended.

"Letting a bunch of vampires cleanse the Holy Light, absurd, Bolvent, stop your slander against Saint George! The Crusader leader is supreme!"

"What about our leader then! Gallaron, also a legion leader, was his death holy! The path of the Holy Light has failed, little angel, and we must find another. For revenge, for ascension, we have become Blood Knights." Bolvent returned to his spot, the silent prayer resuming.

"We need you, little angel. In a few days, once you become a Blood Knight like us, maybe... maybe then you will see this world clearly, like we do."

"You will become the leader of us, the fallen, the Blood Red Angel, and together we will tear apart the darkness beneath the light."

In the darkness, Karen’s panting echoed through the catacomb, not just for lack of air, but also for the impact Bolvent’s recounted past had on her.

"No, the words of dark beings cannot be trusted, this is what my teacher and the bishop taught me." Karen sat back down on the stone, looking at the bewitched Blood Knights kneeling before her.

"But then, my tutor Schuderman who said these words, has also become a vampire..."

Degonris hid within the forested mountains, where the nights belonged to the frigid wind. Creatures of the night howled with abandon, making the world under the blood moon even more terrifying.

Kevin crouched behind a broken tree trunk, staring at the blurry castle in his sight.

After the wanderer left, he and Grape had been squatting in this forest, carrying out their support operation. In plain terms, they did nothing but stand in place.

But in this godforsaken place of Degonris, winds would rise for no reason as soon as the sun set, chilling one to the bone.

Before long, a pine tree beside Kevin snapped in two in the wind, its thick stump and collapsed branch with leaves conveniently forming a triangular area to take shelter from the wind. Kevin crouched within it, listening to the piercing screeches flying over his head.

Not long ago, Kevin suddenly felt the time was right and let loose Grape, who had been clamoring to find Lyle. Since Kevin had been hindering Grape’s search until then, when he finally let her go, Light Bat Grape actually forgot to spread her wings and crashed to the ground. Grape lying on the ground and Kevin looked at each other, both seemingly wondering if the other had gone mad.

"You’re letting me go?"

"Don’t you want to go anymore?"

It had been two disappearances since Grape went to Degonris by herself. During this period, all kinds of ghostly howls and wolf cries surrounded Kevin, but his hiding spot was secure enough that nothing untoward happened.

A sudden gust brought down an object, and Kevin thought it was just another fleeing pinecone, but the black little thing quickly unfurled its wings. Light Bat Grape, trembling all over, lay in front of Kevin, her rapid breathing made her look in bad shape.

Kevin cradled her in his hands.

"It’s okay, Grape."

No response, and it took about five minutes before Grape’s pupils finally showed some spirit and focused on Kevin.

"It’s a terrible feeling, Kevin. Even now, it’s as if there’s a Lyle in my head, continually whispering in a creepy voice, he’s right... he’s right behind you!!!!"

Kevin turned his head around, only thick pine needles lay behind him, no Lyle. But Grape seemed agitated, screaming "Lyle, Lyle" continuously. Kevin pinched her back lightly with the technique he used to soothe cats and it seemed to have some effect, as Grape was no longer panicking.

"So, did you find Lyle?"

Grape placed her paw beneath her mouth, her eyes showing confusion.

"It seems like I did, but also not. I definitely have a memory of meeting Lyle, but it feels like it wasn’t my own experience. Never mind that, I have Lyle’s request for help here, and I’m passing it on to you now, Kevin."

Kevin then noticed something shiny attached to the fur on Grape’s belly, secured by black threads.

It was a ring, the one from Lyle’s hand, the Ring of Andrel.

The black lines slowly slid off, clustering around the ring, entering the pale blue emblem, and finally, the emblem transformed into a twinkling water-like eyeball.

"We’ve run into trouble and need support now."

"I trust your abilities, Kevin."

"Please act freely following your intuition."