"Yes, I guess the King of Domination also likes to use this method to save his blood relatives."
"But unfortunately, our strength is limited, so we can only save the Authority; our lives are not a concern."
"Ah?"
On the distant battlefield, York peeked out from the shadow of the Blood-Armored Knight.
He had never felt Vanessa's figure was so tall, not only giving him ten seconds of darkness but also saving him from the skeleton man's grasp.
At this moment, in York's eyes, Vanessa had become his second parent, and she was even holding a lightning lance and confronting the skeleton in the air.
So handsome! Blood relative, no, family!
Even York, whose nickname was "Grumpy," couldn't help but be moved by this thought.
He peeked halfway out of the Shadow and shouted:
" Vanessa, help me! I can sign a blood pact with you, and I promise I will never..."
"Sizzle!"
The blood-armored knight moved his lance, and a burst of crimson light appeared, making him incredibly powerful.
However, the target was not the formidable [ Divine Wings ] in the sky, but the shadow beneath his feet.
"Bite!"
"Ugh!!!!"
York let out a heart-wrenching wail as half of his body, which had been Shadow exposed, was pierced by a blood-red lance. Crimson lightning swirled around York's body, binding him firmly to the weapon.
Although the lance was still cone-shaped, York was unable to pull his body off the lance because of the lightning.
Every second he was pierced, he endured pain beyond his limits.
As Vanessa's right hand slowly but steadily rose, York was pulled out of the shadows like a blackhead.
The Grand Duke sometimes transformed into pure shadow and sometimes dissolved into viscous darkness, but he could never escape the weapon that pierced him and regain his freedom.
After struggling for a while, he finally gave up.
York throbbed against the blood gun like a lump of tar, emitting a sound that was almost a sob:
Vanessa, why...?
"Is there even a question? Of course, it's all about reaching higher."
A hoarse yet cold voice emanated from beneath the blood-soaked mask.
"Then why did you help me...?"
"If I don't help you, do you expect me to fight three High Tier skeletons?"
A disdainful voice came from beneath the mask:
"Give up resistance, and I'll spare your life. Adelaide and Antos can testify to that."
York fell silent, while Vanessa, clad in blood armor, appeared completely at ease.
You have no choice.
She glanced at Sailesi, who only had one leg left, and let out a contemptuous sneer. Then she looked at the [ Divine Wings ] that were eyeing her menacingly in the air, her expression slightly solemn, but without any fear.
Noticing the skeletal figure's chilling gaze, the knight beneath the mask let out a soft snort.
She slowly turned around, looking at Rosalind, whose insect body had remained motionless, and her voice suddenly changed, becoming slightly gentler:
"Long time no see, sister."
The enormous insect body stared at the tiny knight, making no move and offering no response.
Vanessa's voice continued, even softer than before, imbued with a strange power:
"Do you remember, sister? You once asked me to bring you a gift."
The enormous insect body froze for a moment—
younger sister?
Vanessa?
Gift?
No, no, no, I can't listen to her, I can't listen!
She can alter memories, she can Domination others—we must not let her continue!
You have to interrupt him at times like this!
Do something!
attack?
No, that won't do. Attacking will only give the skeletons an opportunity. I'm not in good condition yet, so I can't act rashly.
But what should we do?
Besides, when did I ask her to bring a gift?
No, no, no, don't think about that!
Compared to this, her abilities have improved again?!
He'd only said two sentences, and he was already...
We must act immediately, immediately!
otherwise...
"..."
Countless thoughts raced through the giant worm's mind, yet only a fleeting instant passed in reality.
As if her thoughts were sinking into a bottomless asphalt lake, the gaze of the hundreds of eyes on Rosalind's head became chaotic.
However, his thoughts were only confused for a moment before he regained his clarity.
The giant insect looked at Vanessa, opened its enormous, spiraling mouthparts, and said firmly in an unquestionable tone—
I like gifts.
"Haha, that's great! I knew you'd like it."
Vanessa's voice transformed into a sweet, gentle young girl's tone. She swung the fishtail in her hand, like a relative coming to pay a New Year's visit:
I'm planning to give you this.
"But--"
The knight's gaze swept over Sailesi and [ Divine Wings ]:
"They seem to disagree..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Blood-Armored Knight suddenly exerted force with his left hand, hurling the half-body-sized fishtail skeleton into the air like a boomerang.
Seeing the Holy Remains fly upwards, Sailesi and [ Divine Wings ] exerted their strength again, soaring towards the high sky where the fish tail was.
This is the top priority!
"Roar!!!"
With a deafening roar, Rosalind burst from the ground like a madwoman, rushing towards the gift her sister had brought her:
"That's mine!"
An angel with six wings, a one-legged giant with four arms, and a giant thunder worm simultaneously charged toward the seemingly Fragility fish-tailed Holy Remains.
Vanessa simply slung the lance with York's spear on her shoulder, looking as pleased as a hunter who had just caught his prey.
Exquisite teamwork, a thunderous strike, and utterly without greed.
Everything today is according to plan!
Vanessa whispered in her heart:
" Aeldra, I have succeeded."
"Good."
A deep voice echoed in my ears, and on the other side of the sky, a spatial rift was suddenly torn open, revealing what appeared to be a pair of golden eyes like the setting sun.
Vanessa arched her back slightly, her muscles tensed, and with a sudden burst of power, her tiny body rose like a rocket, soaring towards the crevice in the sky.
Behind the distant mountains, when Ed saw Vanessa stabbing York like a toothpick, he knew he had guessed right.
Vanessa truly came to save her blood relatives ( Authority ).
It's unclear whether [ Divine Wings ]'s attack is too strong, or York is weaker than he thought, or perhaps it's due to the game's design where assassins are always high-attack and low-defense.
In short, after being hit hard by the lightsaber, York was basically out of the final rounds of today's Demon Realm Battle Royale tournament.
As for whether or not to say goodbye to the biosphere, that depends on Vanessa's decision.
Rationally speaking, if one had to choose a winner among the vampire grand dukes, Ed would still prefer Vanessa to win.
After all, this guy really would spare the lives of his old brothers and sisters, as long as Authority could be transferred peacefully (relatively peacefully), he wouldn't let Samuer, the literal "Death Eater," profit from it.
However, her scheme is clearly not insignificant, so the current situation is:
Ed might want Vanessa to win, but it's unlikely that Ed would actually let Vanessa win.
Vanessa, having eliminated York, naturally secured her place in the final rounds of the Demon Realm Battle Royale tournament. However, what happened next caused Ed to smash his binoculars in shock.
Vanessa is planning to make a quick buck and run?!
Is this even a human being?
Hall painstakingly orchestrated this betting scheme so that the ultimate winner would take everything from the rest of the gamblers!
So you come here, show off a fruit platter, and then try to run away!
In another world, someone like Vanessa would be chopped into Bluetooth earpieces by casino thugs.
so...
"You think you can just leave after offending the abbot?"
Ed snorted coldly, and with a forceful clench of his large, tangible hand, the spatial rift torn open by Aeldra was instantly tightened, and he vanished into the sky.