Chapter 27: Carnival under the Blood Moon

Bloodshed Valley, the fifteenth minute after nightfall.

On the Alliance Army’s central command platform, several heavily armored Paladins of the Templar Order gathered together.

They held in their hands magic compasses that had lost all function, their faces grim.

“Damn it, all these things are broken.”

The Deputy Commander of the Sword of Judgment Paladin Order forcefully pounded on the communication crystal in his hand.

That crystal should have been glowing blue, but now it was utterly lifeless.

“It’s not broken.”

The Commander of the Light of Purification Paladin Order, a lean middle-aged man specialized in various spell theories, shook his head.

“It’s being completely suppressed by some kind of powerful force.”

“To cause this level of law interference, it requires at least…”

He stopped mid-sentence.

Because everyone understood what that implied.

A False God.

Only an existence at the False God level could achieve such widespread law suppression.

“Damn the Vampire Queen.”

The Deputy Commander of the Sword of Judgment ground his teeth.

“Where is His Holiness the Pope?”

“The Pope is attempting to break through this layer of the night’s barrier.”

The Purification Commander pointed into the distance.

A faint golden light flickered a hundred meters away.

It was the radiance emitted by the “First Ray of Light” relic.

But the glow was tightly constrained to a very small area.

At that moment, the sound of flapping wings came from the sky.

Everyone looked up.

A squadron of knights clad in silver armor was flying overhead on griffins.

They were the Alliance Army’s most elite airborne cavalry unit—the Griffon Wing Paladin Order.

Their captain was a young Nebula-tier powerhouse named Gabriel.

He was currently patrolling with three thousand elite knights in the darkness, searching for the Vampire Army’s traces.

“Captain, visibility is too low.”

A subordinate officer flew his griffin beside Gabriel.

“We can’t see anything clearly below.” Gabriel frowned.

This was indeed a serious problem.

The greatest advantage of the airborne cavalry was their vision and mobility.

But in this absolute darkness, their advantage was completely erased.

“Continue the search.” He issued the order.

“The vampires can’t have disappeared into thin air.”

“They must be hiding nearby…”

Before he finished speaking, a slender figure suddenly appeared in the sky.

The figure hovered midair, less than a hundred meters from the Griffon Wing Paladin Order.

Avira slowly turned her head.

Her blood-red eyes gleamed in the darkness.

She looked at the three thousand fully armed elite knights and smiled innocently.

“Wow, so many toys.”

She murmured softly.

“My little sister will definitely like them.”

Gabriel instantly felt an overwhelming threat.

His instincts blared an alarm.

This girl, who looked barely over ten years old, radiated a terrifying aura that made hearts shudder.

“Full alert!”

He shouted loudly.

“Prepare to…”

Before he could finish, Avira moved.

She raised her right hand, palm facing the Griffon Wing Paladin Order.

The smile on her lips grew even brighter.

“Bloodthorn Labyrinth, deploy.”

In an instant, countless blood-red thorny vines wildly sprouted in the air, centered on Avira.

They were not physical.

But some kind of higher-dimensional existence.

Those thorny vines pierced the boundaries of reality, enveloping the entire airspace.

Gabriel felt the space around him twisting.

The once-familiar Bloodshed Valley began to feel alien.

The sky turned blood red.

The land became a dense thicket of thorns.

“This is…”

His words abruptly stopped.

Because he realized he was no longer in the original place.

This was an entirely new world.

A killing domain constructed wholly by Avira’s will.

In this world, she was the absolute god.

“Welcome to my playground.”

Avira’s voice echoed from all directions.

Her figure weaved through the thorns.

Each flash claimed the life of a knight.

“The rules here are simple.”

She explained casually amid the slaughter.

“You run, I chase.”

“Those caught by me die.”

“What a fair game.”

The three thousand Griffon knights were engulfed by utter despair.

They found their mounts unable to fly.

Their weapons could not harm the thorns.

Their spells were completely nullified.

This was a massacre, not a battle.

***

Meanwhile, in the real world, the Alliance Army commanders watched helplessly as the Griffon Wing Paladin Order vanished from the sky.

Three thousand knights and three thousand griffins evaporated without a trace.

Not even a single scream was heard.

“What happened?”

The Light of Purification Commander’s voice trembled.

“Where did they go?” No one could answer.

Panic began to spread throughout the army. Soldiers whispered among themselves. Some began to pray, others started trembling.

“Silence!”

The Deputy Commander of the Sword of Judgment roared.

“Everyone, be quiet!”

But the seeds of panic were already sown.

Faced with absolute darkness and an unknown threat, even the well-trained elite forces began to waver.

At that moment, the sky changed.

A blood-red moon slowly rose.

The moon emitted a faint red glow, barely enough to let people see the surroundings.

But the blood-colored light made the entire battlefield seem even more eerie and terrifying.

“Blood Moon…” A soldier murmured.

“It’s a sign of a curse.” More soldiers began to stir.

In human legend, the Blood Moon often symbolizes death and disaster.

And at this very moment, Nightfall City, Sylvia’s bedchamber.

She clutched a fluffy pillow, tossing and turning in bed.

“Hmm… The moonlight is a bit dim tonight.”

She muttered, rubbing her eyes.

“Not very comfortable to sleep.”

The head maid outside the door overheard this.

Her expression immediately grew serious.

This was a big deal.

Any discomfort to the little princess had to be reported immediately.

She took out a specially made communication crystal and quickly composed a message.

“Emergency: Little Princess dissatisfied with tonight’s light brightness, affecting sleep quality.”

Less than three seconds after sending, a reply arrived.

“Noted, adjusting immediately.”

Sender: Her Majesty the Queen.

At that moment, Ophelia was standing atop the palace’s highest tower, focusing on maintaining the operation of the Night Authority.

After receiving the head maid’s report, she frowned slightly.

“Too dim?” She murmured.

“That’s my oversight.”

Ophelia raised her left hand and began to fine-tune the Night Authority’s output.

She carefully injected a faint glow into the darkness, making the light soft and suitable.

Her actions were subtle but the effect spread across the entire battlefield.

Above Bloodshed Valley, the Blood Moon’s glow softened.

Just enough to make Sylvia feel comfortable.

But for the Alliance Army, this change only deepened their fear.

“The moon is changing!”

Someone exclaimed.

“This is definitely some kind of massive curse ritual!”

Pope Uther VII finally stepped out from the protective Radiant Light Barrier.

He looked at the Blood Moon in the sky, a complicated emotion flashing in his eyes.

“This is not a curse.”

His voice echoed throughout the camp.

“This is a trial.”

“Our Sacred Body is suffering inside that dark city.”

“She is telling us through this that she needs our salvation.”

“The Blood Moon is not a symbol of death, but the color of her tears.”

The Pope’s words rekindled the soldiers’ fighting spirit.

Their previous fear turned into anger and a sense of mission.

“Save the Sacred Body!”

“Break through the darkness!”

The battle cries rose again.

This time, even under the shadow of the Blood Moon, the Alliance Army’s morale did not completely collapse.

Back in Nightfall City’s bedchamber, Sylvia sensed the change in the light and nodded with satisfaction.

“This is much better.”