After the operation began, Pestilen vanished from sight, concealing himself. His purpose in coming this time was not to fight, but to observe—to assess Solam's true combat strength and make a detailed report to Alfred.
That was right. Pestilen had originally been a supervisor and observer; he would not personally participate in this operation.
Naturally, no one else knew that. Even the vampires Pestilen had brought along were unaware, and Redbeard of the Slaughter Cult knew even less. In the orders they had received, Pestilen was described as a secret weapon, meant to deliver Solam a fatal blow only at the most critical moment, so naturally he had to hide in advance. Thus, no one questioned his absence.
This time, the Slaughter Cult and the vampires were truly fighting together. They were mixed into joint units and split into six groups, surrounding Solam's villa complex from all directions. Before the battle began, the Slaughter Cult members were responsible for casting spells, while the vampires would serve as the vanguard and charge in first once the cult's spellcasting was complete.
No one objected to this arrangement. The vampires were all elites from their respective clans and had no resistance to acting as the vanguard. As for the Slaughter Cult, with vampires taking the lead, what did they have to complain about?
"Begin!" At the command, all six gathering points sprang into action almost simultaneously.
A group of Slaughter Cult members brought over a crowd of girls and children from who knew where. They seemed to have been drugged. Every one of them moved like a puppet, their eyes vacant and devoid of emotion. Whatever they were told to do, they obeyed numbly. Before long, the girls and children were driven into a blood-red magic circle.
The magic circles had been prepared