Chapter Twenty: Deception
A rumbling sound echoed.
Soren seemed to sense the vibration from the explosion, and immediately the vampire believers around him sprang into action. Some drew weapons to check the situation, while others panicked and tried to hide. Among these vampires, there were surprisingly females, and they appeared to be quite young. Dressed in standard noble attire, their expressions were somewhat fearful, seemingly lacking in combat experience. However, the Black-robed Priest remained calm; he quietly instructed a few words, sending others out to investigate, while drawing a sharp blade to bleed the captured Fac believer.
For any Deity’s Church, zealots are the most important asset!
Training a zealot is not easy, and no organization would easily give up their internal zealots, even if it’s the church of an Evil God. Soren has fought without defeat—from killing the Swamp King to slaying dragons, and then the final battle against Pirate King Asrold. Throughout these battles, the number of pirates under Soren’s command that worshipped him fervently is not many, but those few are the cornerstone of his rule over the Southern Coast. As long as these fanatical elite pirates remain unharmed, he can always make a comeback regardless of the situations he encounters.
Usually.
The number of zealots within a Deity’s Church rarely exceeds one-thousandth of the total, and the ratio is even smaller in other factions.
Soren’s elite guard currently consists of just over a hundred people.
Among them, less than one-third fanatically worship him; these individuals have participated in the battles against the Swamp King, dragons, and in the decisive battle on the Southern Coast.
For the Fac organization, a high-level zealot cannot be easily discarded!
……
Just when the Black-robed Priest was about to cut the throat of the sacrificial offering, the hidden High-Level Wanderer could no longer sit still.
A twisted shadow appeared, and the High-Level Wanderer instantaneously crossed planar space, using ‘Shadow Leap’ to materialize behind the Black-robed Priest.
A sharp cold light emerged!
The High-Level Wanderer instantly aimed for the priest’s heart; however, the sound of metal clashing was heard.
Clang!
A hole was torn in the Black-robed Priest’s clothing, revealing the full-body armor forged from fine steel underneath. A priestess is merely another title for a priest, and their combat methods slightly differ from a typical priest. Nevertheless, a priestess can also use Divine Techniques while donning full armor. Such professionists are like walking steel plates, and they are steel-plate professionists capable of utilizing Divine Techniques.
The dagger failed to penetrate the full armor worn by the Black-robed Priest; unfazed, the High-Level Wanderer twisted and slashed again, another sharp light aimed at the sacrificial chains.
Crack!
A crisp snapping sound rang out as the fine steel shackles were severed.
“Fine gold weapon?!”
Soren, concealed in the shadows, couldn’t help but be startled, pondering: “Cutting the fine steel shackles is something only top-quality legendary equipment can achieve. That flash of light earlier doesn’t seem to be a top-tier legendary weapon, so the probability of it being a fine gold weapon is extremely high!”
Roar!
An angry low growl erupted.
The man captured on the altar, upon having his shackles severed, let out an enraged roar and slammed into a nearby individual.
Crack.
The powerful impact dented the chest of a vampire, and in an instant, the man seized a long sword, slicing off the head of the initially panicked noblewoman.
Amidst the chaos, the man seemed to double as a high-level warrior barbarian, rapidly slashing down three or five vampires like a killing machine.
Many of these vampires appeared to be members of this noble family.
Sounds of battle came from the entrance.
After severing the fine steel shackles, the High-Level Wanderer continued attacking, unleashing a storm-like offensive that left the Black-robed Priest with no chance to cast Divine Techniques.
He couldn’t give the spellcaster a chance; otherwise, the consequences would be dire!
Clang! Clang!
However, surprisingly, the Black-robed Priest, facing the fierce assaults from the High-Level Wanderer, was successfully blocking the attacks. He wielded a shield and a scepter, holding his ground remarkably well against hard hits.
A battle priest!
This is a high-level priest who has undergone specialized combat training and likely learned shield mastery techniques.
Another sharp light flashed.
Soren finally saw the face of the High-Level Wanderer, whose eye sockets were covered with black cloth. There was an emptiness within, as if devoid of anything, and it was unclear how he perceived his surroundings. As he frantically attacked the Black-robed Priest, Soren also locked onto another weapon that faintly refracted golden light—a small dagger, which didn’t seem to be his usual weapon.
Indeed, a fine gold weapon!
This exceedingly rare metal is not often found in the Underdark; crafting large weapons is prohibitively expensive, and even forging such a dagger incurs tremendous cost. A small amount of infused fine gold can create a +1 extraordinary piece of equipment; continuing this quantization results in +2, +3 levels, and this dagger in front of him is at least a +3 fine gold weapon, with a significant proportion of infusion visible on the surface.
A group of Fac believers charged in.
These individuals were easily recognizable, as several were missing an eye; it was a corrupted desecration ritual.
Upon completion, they would gain extra desecration bonuses.
The effect is somewhat similar to Soren’s Divine Blessing, while many ritual offerings to demons can also receive such desecration buffs. The higher tier features marks like that of the Fallen Witch, which represent the most elite desecration rituals.
Soren began to move.
The battle between vampires and Fac believers seemed evenly matched; dark creatures have innate attribute enhancements, while the advantages offered by the Fac’s corruption weren’t particularly pronounced.
However, Soren had no interest in meddling in this melee; his targets were the High-Level Wanderer and the Black-robed Priest.
The fine gold dagger held tremendous value for him!
Moreover, the priest is key to spreading faith for the Deity. Eliminating this Black-robed Priest would significantly weaken the Vampire Son’s power here. Before initiating his attack, Soren tore a strip of cloth from his body and tied it around his eyes, but not entirely blindfolded—just enough for appearance’s sake.
—“Shadow Leap!”
—“Shadow Assassination!”
—“Sword Intent [Decapitation]!”
Soren’s figure suddenly appeared behind the Black-robed Priest. For the priest, who was bracing against the attacks of the Fac believers, Soren’s ambush was undoubtedly disastrous; he couldn’t even dodge or block, falling victim to the dual assault from the two High-Level Wanderers. The legendary curved blade, Icebane, in Soren’s hand cleaved downward, decapitating him, and amidst the splattering bl**d, the Black-robed Priest’s headless corpse crashed to the ground.
Soren’s sudden emergence astonished the Fac believers as well.
However, upon seeing the black cloth covering Soren’s eyes, they visibly relaxed slightly.
But that moment of relaxation was fatal!
Soren’s expression was cold as he swung his blade forward again. In the Fac believer’s shocked expression, he instantly pierced through his heart.
Thud.
Soren casually tossed aside the black cloth over his eyes and twisted his hand to crush the enemy’s heart. The disbelief remained on the Fac believer’s face, but his body had already lost all signs of life.
Bang.
The two corpses fell in succession, and Soren quickly grabbed the fine gold dagger from the Fac believer’s body.
The right strategy can make it easier to eliminate enemies.
Soren successfully dealt with the two High-Level professionists and instantly activated ‘Hide from Sight,’ re-entering stealth.
The chaotic melee continued.
However, what followed was his solo hunting time!
……
“Not good!”
When the sound of a violent explosion reached her ears, the young priestess’s face immediately changed. She rushed towards the source of the flames.
The figures of paladins, wanderers, and rangers quickly appeared.
The commotion drew many people’s attention, and even the town’s guard troops rushed over, though they would require time to assemble, and one shouldn’t expect much from the military power of a remote town’s guard.
“It’s the Fac!”
The ranger was the first to charge into the luxurious mansion engulfed in roaring flames. After glancing at the nearby corpses, he said solemnly: “They attacked here! Something’s not right! Everyone, be cautious!”
He crouched and examined another corpse, stating: “It’s a vampire! There are vampires here!”
“Proceed with caution!”
The paladin barked, pulling out a shield to protect the others, saying in a low voice: “There may still be their leader below.”
“There’s an evil presence here!”
“It could very well be a vampire nest; they have already corrupted the local nobility!”
The group quickly formed a standard combat formation and cautiously advanced inward.
However, the further they delved, their expressions grew more astonished, for the interior was filled with corpses—there wasn’t a single living person.
Furthermore, the manner of d*ath for these bodies was quite peculiar; they even witnessed a vampire’s corpse lying beside a dead Fac believer, seemingly killed simultaneously.
The methods of killing were rather skillful, with many falling in a single blow!
“There’s a master here!”
The wanderer’s expression became serious, murmuring: “I suspect it’s a legendary-level master!”
The young priestess contemplated upon hearing this.
The others exchanged glances, hastening their pace as they guessed at something.
Eventually.
They saw Soren, who was wiping his curved blade on a corpse. He showed no signs of surprise upon seeing the group; instead, he searched the body briefly and said solemnly: “All dealt with.”
“However, there should be a few that got away!”
……
(PS: First update, there’s still one chapter today.) (To be continued ~^~)
