166 Dekan is always one level below
Deep night, in the city-state.
Pale gray clouds were dense and heavy, and the moonlight was not very bright.
Under the dim yellow lamplight, the streets looked desolate.
A cool breeze blew, lifting the fallen leaves and making them drift along the ground.
The shop doors on the street were tightly shut, occasionally making creaking sounds.
There was only one shadow on the entire street.
It was a woman in a somewhat cheap dress, walking unsteadily as if drunk.
She seemed to be struggling to find her way home, gradually tottering into a lane.
Yet, from a higher vantage point,
A shadow was barely visible in the dim light, its only distinguishing feature a pair of bright red eyes.
It appeared to have already locked its prey.
Then,
It moved with such speed that it was almost invisible to the naked eye.
An uncomfortable smell began to waft through the air.
The vampire leapt toward the woman from an unexpected angle completely outside her field of vision, not giving her a chance to react.
But at that very moment, the woman’s eyes flashed with a clear and cold light, and she crouched down!
With nimble movements, she managed to maneuver behind the vampire and, with a knife that she had somehow produced, swiftly and accurately plunged it into the vampire’s back.
She wasted no time withdrawing the knife.
The blood sprayed on her, but she paid it no mind, grasping the vampire’s neck and violently throwing it to the ground.
She then plunged the knife once more into its heart.
Despite the two fatal injuries, the vampire showed no sign of weakening.
Its spilled blood seemed alive, trying to return to its body to heal the wounds.
But during the vampire’s struggle, a man appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
He displayed several magical cards in his hands.
He quickly activated them, promptly electrocuting the vampire and then forming a halo to restrain it.
“Finally, we’ve caught one.”
The man, looking at the immobilized vampire, sighed in relief.
“With it, we’ll be able to find the Elder Vampire.”
The woman withdrew her knife, observing the vampire now subdued by her.
While it had clear vampiric features, its scent was muddled and far from that of a purebred vampire.
It must have been a Follower of a Greater Vampire hiding in the city-state.
It was the third night of the Shadow World.
This female warrior and male mage duo were both sent to stop the sixth-ranked elite of the Rebirth Church from Morion.
In the morning, they had just seen Task Target 3, “Prevent the Rebirth of Marquis Roderick,” unlock.
In the afternoon, they saw the notification that Marquis Roderick had fallen.
Even now, they didn’t understand how that happened.
They only felt that this Shadow World was not pleasant, and there might be some deep waters among the Challengers.
Based on their knowledge, even Morion would find it hard to achieve such an exaggerated feat.
And it was not in line with Morion’s usual strategy.
Thus, in the afternoon, after a brief discussion, they confirmed their action plan for the next phase in this Shadow World.
Do not cause trouble; abandon targeting Morion; perfectly disguise oneself as an ordinary Challenger.
Since it seemed there was a powerful individual in this Shadow World, they were wise enough to take things slowly and simply aim to secure their rewards.
However, the final reward settlement in the Shadow World was related to the degree of contribution.
If there was a very small contribution, the rewards would be correspondingly minimal.
Of course, it would be hard to leave a Shadow World without any rewards, even with all-out effort.
At least, they had never seen such a situation.
In the investigation of the previous three days,
They discovered that there was likely a Greater Vampire lurking in the city-state with unclear intentions.
After seeing Task Target 3 in the Shadow World public notice, they quickly deduced that the motive of the Greater Vampire was to rescue the sealed Vampire Marquis.
And the reason it remained hidden must be due to its weak state, as it was recovering.
“Strike while the iron’s hot, finish it off,” was the best time to defeat the vampire.
If significant contributions could be made towards Task Target 2, their final rewards would be quite substantial.
Therefore, their strategy for the evening was entrapment.
The female warrior would pretend to be a weak woman, roaming the streets to lure in feeding vampires.
The male mage would hide in the shadows, ready to assist the female warrior at any moment.
He would also carry out detection work, guarding against multiple strong enemies.
And finally, he would neutralize the vampire.
Sure enough, the female warrior successfully lured in a vampire.
They effortlessly captured the target.
Next, they only needed to hand over this Greater Vampire’s Follower to the Holy Ritual Church or the Lord.
The city authorities would naturally conduct a thorough investigation throughout.
Even if the Greater Vampire’s demise wasn’t directly attributed to them,
They would still earn decent rewards due to their crucial contribution.
“Tap tap tap.”
As they prepared to escort the Followers to the church, quick hoofbeats were heard from the outskirts of the street.
Apparently, their commotion had drawn the attention of night patrol guards.
Soon, the knights appeared at the street corner, looking at the mess in the alley.
“We are adventurers assigned to a task.”
The female warrior and male mage quickly explained themselves, stepping aside to let the knight leader clearly see the vampire on the ground.
The captain of the knights relaxed upon seeing the vampire.
“You don’t need to worry; we are aware of the situation. In fact, last night we noticed vampires appearing in the city-state, so we increased patrols tonight. We sincerely thank you for helping us defeat the vampire.”
The knight captain dismounted from his horse, quickly walking up to the two with a calm tone.
“It’s nothing, we were just about to hand over the vampire. You can take things from here.”
The two Rebirth Church members, after inspecting the knight patrol and confirming they were a regular, subordinate force to the Lord, put their minds at ease.
After a brief handover, just as the two were about to leave, the knight captain courteously asked:
“Please wait, if it’s not too inconvenient, could the two of you assist us in escorting this vampire? Also, there are some details our Lord would like to inquire about from the two of you.”
The knight captain wasn’t insisting, and he showed a great deal of respect for the two powerful and righteous adventurers.
“No problem.”
The two quickly glanced at each other and confirmed agreement.
This small contribution could also increase their contribution level.
So, the two followed the knight brigade towards the Lord’s mansion.
On the way, according to the knight captain’s explanation, in fact, since yesterday, there had been suspected vampire sightings in the city-state during the night.
Three citizens had also gone missing.
But ultimately, it was just suspicion; there wasn’t enough conclusive evidence, and nothing substantial came out of a day’s investigation.
The Holy Ritual Church was being rather ambiguous and hadn’t provided any opinions or made any responses.
For this, the Lord was in a mess, having no choice but to strengthen the nightly patrols.
The Lord also instructed that any leads or informants be reported to him immediately.
The knight captain was certain that the two were the people the Lord was looking for.
Soon, they arrived at an ancient, grand and luxurious mansion.
Around the mansion stood several towering ancient trees with lush foliage, blocking the already sparse moonlight, leaving only patches of faint light scattered across the walls, giving the entire mansion an air of mystery.
Under the guidance of the knight captain, the two followed a winding path from the courtyard into the Lord’s Mansion, and directly entered the spacious meeting hall.
A dignified middle-aged man sat on the sofa, his expression very serious.
He was the Lord of this city-state.
The patrol knight captain quickly retreated at the Lord’s instructions.
The vast meeting hall had only a few guards left, and a young maid who was serving them drinks.
She then stood with her tray behind the Lord’s sofa.
This maid, looking like a teenager, was certainly a highly skilled fighting maid to be able to guard the Lord so closely.
“Thank you greatly. Because there might be vampires in the city-state, I’ve been sleepless these few nights. Only after confirming you caught one can I temporarily rest. However, I’d still trouble the two of you to inform me of as many details as possible.”
The Lord pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaustion heavy in his voice.
The two Rebirth Church members soon explained to the Lord the ins and outs, including the clues they had uncovered in the city-state, etc.
Just omitting the Shadow World mission prompt.
However, the existence of the Shadow World, even if they told others, wouldn’t be believable anyway.
Next, the Lord discussed with them.
The Lord appeared especially worried, very concerned with all intelligence regarding vampires.
If a Greater Vampire had infiltrated his domain, a single misstep could mean annihilation for him and his domain.
“My Lord, you need not worry, we will help you defeat the vampires.”
“Understood. I will step up the investigation within the city. If you need assistance, please let me know. I will go all out to cooperate with you.”
“Good.”
In the end, the Lord finally calmed down and warmly stood up to shake hands and thank the two.
The two Rebirth Church members were also pleased.
With the Lord’s strong assistance, capturing Task Target 2, the Greater Vampire, would be twice the result with half the effort.
Perhaps they even had a chance to find the Greater Vampire and eliminate it much faster than they imagined.
“Do the two of you wish to rest at the Lord’s Mansion tonight? I’ll have someone prepare guest rooms for you.”
“That would be a bother to the Lord.”
Just as the Lord instructed the guards to escort them away from the meeting hall towards the guest rooms,
Without warning,
“Puff.”
When the female warrior realized what was happening, her clothes had already been dyed red with flowing blood.
It wasn’t her own blood; the male mage beside her had been struck through the heart by an unknown bloodied hand.
The next moment, the male mage’s body convulsed violently, and the floor quickly transformed as if a red inkwell had been overturned, soaking everything in dark crimson.
Intense death vibes swept through every single cell of the female warrior’s body, and her instinct caused her to distance herself.
It was as if the mansion servant leading them away with an impassive expression was now showing eyes that had grown completely crimson blood-red, exuding a dense, pungent blood smell.
There was no doubt. His true identity was a Vampire Familiar!
And taking advantage of the close proximity, the Vampire Familiar had ambushed the male mage.
The fragile male mage had died instantly in the unexpected ambush.
And then, from around the meeting hall, a few silhouettes approached.
They were all sixth-ranked Vampire Familiars!
The female warrior realized at this moment that all the servants in the meeting hall had already been replaced by vampires!
Moreover, they had managed to perfectly disguise themselves as humans using some unknown technique!
“Lord…?”
The female warrior’s lips trembled, her face turning deathly pale.
The sudden turn of events made her realize that she might have been lured to the enemy’s hideout.
Even the lord was questionable!
What they thought was a successful sting operation might actually have all been part of the enemy’s plan.
In truth, the vampire they captured was the bait laid out by the enemy.
And they were the ones who had been caught.
In the gaze of shock and horror of the female warrior,
The lord didn’t answer her but stood up from the sofa.
He then walked behind the sofa and knelt down in front of the waiting maid.
“Countess Lislinna, my mission is complete; they have indeed sensed your presence.”
The lord said with utmost respect, almost like a dog trying to please its master.
“Good work, you may continue being the lord.”
The maid waved a dismissive hand, indicating that this fragile lord should leave.
It could be troublesome if he got hurt during the fight.
“Y-You are…!”
The female warrior, staring at the maid, her voice trembling, said that.
“Ha ha.”
What was initially a seemingly innocent and pleasant female maid, now laughed with mockery.
“Stupid humans, you think you could investigate me without me noticing you?”
Even though the maid still looked like a girl and sounded the same, but her aura had become overwhelmingly oppressive, as if looking down at an inferior race and observing the female warrior with disdain.
Blood-red eyes like crimson gems that seemed to conceal a sea of blood beneath them, hiding countless sins and murders.
The cold and blood-drenched atmosphere in the meeting hall made the female warrior’s entire body tremble.
She gradually comprehended everything at this moment.
The person in front of her wasn’t merely a maid.
She was,
The Greater Vampire they had been searching for hiding in the city-state!
And the Lord had already been controlled by Countess Lislinna!
The entire Lord’s Manor had now turned into a vampire’s den of terror, the enemy’s headquarters!
All information in the city could be efficiently obtained by the enemy as well.
Thus, unless Challengers maintained a high level of anti-surveillance awareness, the more they investigated, the more they exposed themselves.
This sixth-ranked Shadow World, even though not highly intense in battle,
Every step was fraught with danger.
One false move, and you could fall into a dire situation without even realizing it.
Amidst the female warrior’s scream of terror, her form was quickly swallowed by the vampires’ attacks, gradually losing vitality.
“Although I still don’t know where I slipped up and was noticed by you, you’re ultimately no more than food to me.”
Countess Lislinna’s face was filled with contempt.
She had a unique power of mental manipulation, able to control another’s spirit without turning them into a vampire.
She was skilled in disguise, capable of perfectly posing as a human while concealing the presence of vampires around her.
Even the Lord was unknowingly controlled by her after she infiltrated the mansion, becoming her puppet.
Additionally, some of the guards at the mansion had also been replaced by her.
Thus, this place had become her safest hideout, and she could keep abreast of the city’s situation through the Lord.
It wasn’t long before the female warrior was subdued by these followers.
They carried the dying female warrior in front of the Countess, presenting her as if she were a tribute.
“Damn Shadow World…”
The female warrior’s voice was broken and weak, her face, smeared with blood and tears, filled with resentment and despair.
This city was doomed.
In the face of extremely lacking intelligence,
It would be impossible for anyone to guess the troublesome abilities of this Countess and her already achieved stealth advantage.
Unless someone could inform others that “The Lord has been controlled,”
Otherwise, there would be no chance for a reversal.
As a follower of the Rebirth Church, she did not care about the failure of the Shadow World.
She was just bitter as she never expected the final adversary of this Shadow World to be so cunning, hunting the hunters.
After her consciousness faded completely, Countess Lislinna leisurely started absorbing the nutrients from her.
This was her most enjoyable dinner time.
“Pretty good. Would have been perfect with virgin blood.”
Countess Lislinna licked her lips, her mouth redder from the fresh blood, wearing a look of satisfaction.
This city would soon belong to her.
Even if her current combat strength had not fully recovered to the level of six.
As long as she continued to recuperate in a low-profile manner, she could restore her peak seventh-tier battle power in four days.
To then liberate Marquis Roderick in the town, everything would be over.
“Damn Great Priest… Your sacrifices, all your efforts were futile resistance. Both the town and the city will inevitably become our hunting grounds.”
Every time she thought of the priest in the town who fought her to the death, Countess Lislinna became extremely angry.
If it weren’t for that priest’s interference, she wouldn’t need to hide.
She didn’t know why, but she felt an uncontrollable rage swell inside her, becoming increasingly intense.
It was like her emotions were being manipulated for some unknown reason.
And along with the anger, a hunger sensation was provoking her brain.
Even though she had just absorbed blood, she was hungry again.
And this time, the feeling of hunger was different.
Countess Lislinna even wanted to order her followers to go out and hunt the kind of beautiful girl she craved, just for her to drink their blood.
She, the bloodline of Countess Lislinna, was extremely cautious.
Every step she took so far was filled with prudence.
Besides recently sending out a familiar to lure in adventurous adventurers trying to entrap her, she dared not let her followers go out easily to capture civilians.
At least now, she needed to stay low until the lordship was freed; otherwise, all efforts might be wasted.
But the inner agitation was driving her crazy.
She decided to seek out the Lord.
No matter what methods the Lord used, she must soon drink fresh blood, and it must be the pure blood of a girl.
Countess Lislinna, disguised as a maid, quickly arrived outside the door to the Lord’s bedroom on the second floor.
But before she could push the door open,
It was quickly opened from the inside.
Suddenly, a book with a brown leather cover came flying out from inside, directly toward her forehead!
She quickly tilted her head back and lightly jumped sideways to the wall in the corridor.
Fortunately, she reacted quickly.
Otherwise, that powerful strike would have surely split her head open.
She immediately called for her followers upstairs and observed the situation inside the Lord’s bedroom.
Instantly, Countess Lislinna felt a moment of complete confusion.
The scene inside the Lord’s bedroom was rather odd.
A girl wearing a white mask stood by the door.
She had what appeared to be a terrifying weapon in her hand, looking more like a book, but Countess Lislinna’s intuition told her that if this book hit her, the consequences would be severe.
The girl named “White Mask” was obviously keeping watch.
In the middle of the room, the lord, beside his desk, was unconscious.
Beside the lord stood a man wearing a peculiar mask with a red character “Middle” painted on it.
“Red Middle” was holding the lord, ready to tie him up with metal rope.
By the window of the lord’s room stood another figure who had slightly pulled back the curtain for a look, also keeping vigil.
Except this figure was watching the state of affairs below the manor.
Upon noticing Countess Lislinna, this window watcher turned his head, wearing a green mask with the character “Fa” written in green.
Countess Lislinna’s eye twitched.
These three were clearly a group of seasoned criminals.
Even though she couldn’t see their expressions behind the masks.
She could feel that all of their movements froze momentarily when they saw her, indicating they were surprised too.
It seemed the original intent of these three tough guys was relatively simple, just to kidnap the lord’s mansion.
They also hadn’t expected to encounter a vampire in the lord’s mansion.
Even though Countess Lislinna was still disguised as a maid, the blood smell around her and the traces of blood on her lips couldn’t be hidden.
“Isn’t this a nice surprise?”
The Red Middle in the room paused his work, looking at the maid at the door, asking his two partners.
“Isn’t this serendipity?”
The Green Fa couldn’t help but laugh.
“Can I hit her again?”
And White Mask also caressed the killer book in her hand, seemingly not relaxed until she hit the vampire once.
The three of them gazed fixatedly at Countess Lislinna as if they’d found a target.
Even through the masks, Countess Lislinna felt their unblinking stares causing a chill down her spine.
These guys were too troublesome.
She had initially thought this Lord’s Mansion was her absolutely secure hiding place, where she could guard against everyone who foolishly tried to investigate her and maintain all the advantages.
But she hadn’t anticipated that, that bandits would actually be after the Lord’s Mansion!!
What kind of world was this?!
Was the Lord’s mansion so easily breakable by just anyone?!!
