Chapter 66 The Locked Room Interrogation: Choosing to Believe in Fate
The scene before me was extremely bizarre.
The floor of the room was painted with blood-red magic circle patterns. The inscriptions and basic patterns of the magic circle did not match any existing records. Connor lay quietly in the middle of the magic circle, his life hanging in the balance.
Marquis Moreno was still dressed in proper aristocratic attire, his hairstyle meticulously styled, and traces of hair-beautifying potions were still visible, but he looked like a wild beast, lying on the ground licking the liquid.
The liquid he licked was a familiar blue-purple color to Ancia.
This is the blood of demons; the sweet, rotten smell I smelled earlier came from this blood.
Ancia stepped forward, her staff pointed at Marquis Moreno. The white portion of the twin gems began to gather light magic. Unsure how much of Marquis Moreno's sanity remained, she cautiously asked, "Marquis, are you still…?"
The moment the light magic appeared, Marquis Moreno, who was lying on the ground, seemed to be stimulated by something. He suddenly jumped up from the ground, bone spurs grew on the back of his hand, his nails turned black and grew longer, and he roared as he swung down at Ancia.
A golden light flashed across Ancia's body, and the damage reflection shield only appeared for a second before being completely shattered by Marquis Moreno. "Ugh... He can't be communicated with! His power level is like that of a monster!" Her voice was filled with undisguised pain as she gritted her teeth and cast a healing spell on herself to replenish her instantly reduced health.
She already had level 53 health, but even after removing the damage absorbed by her shield, she still lost nearly a third of her health under Marquis Moreno's attack. Even though her constitution attribute points were lower than those of a typical priest, it shouldn't have dropped by that much.
Ancia quickly retreated, "He's in a berserk state, be careful!"
The demonized Marquis Moreno struck successfully, and the stimulation of blood drove him even more insane. His scarlet eyes followed Ancia intently, wanting to attack her again.
Skark had already charged forward, his sharp scimitar slashing at Marquis Moreno with ferocious force. However, Moreno neither dodged nor evaded, his arm covered in dark energy, directly blocking the attack!
This powerful strike, delivered with all his might, was actually blocked by him with a single arm. The blade became trapped in the viscous dark energy and could no longer penetrate even an inch.
Skark's amber pupils narrowed to slits as he asked incredulously, "Peak six-star? Nearly seven-star strength and agility! Is he an assassin or a berserker?!"
Ancia's mark of light struck Moreno, and a white mark appeared on his heart. Heligalo's beam of judgment condensed and landed precisely on the marked spot.
But the dense dark energy surged directly, enveloping his heart in advance. When the beam of light came into contact with the dark energy, it made a sizzling, corrosive sound, and its power was greatly weakened. When the dark energy dissipated, only a charred mark remained on his heart.
Even the light-based spells, which are most effective against dark energy, couldn't do much damage to him.
Heligaluo's expression was solemn. "Marquis Moreno was only promoted to six stars last month, and his public identity has always been that of a dark mage."
Airan's face was filled with undisguised disgust and hatred. "Whatever it is, if it's associated with demons, it should be eliminated." It wasn't convenient to use a bow and arrow indoors, so he slightly moved his fingers, and emerald green thorns burst from the ground, carrying a lot of poison and wrapping around Moreno's body.
But Moreno merely let out a disdainful growl, and with a flick of his wrist, the bone spikes severed all the thorns, the venom splashing onto his skin and being directly absorbed by the dark energy.
Airland gritted his teeth, "He has poison resistance."
The relentless attacks thoroughly enraged Moreno. He abandoned the entanglement with Skark, his figure flashing like a ghost, leaving behind afterimages. His true form appeared before Ancia, his hand covered in bone spikes aimed directly at Ancia's throat.
He seemed to still retain some fighting instincts, knowing to deal with the light-elemental priest who posed the greatest threat to him first.
Wall of Light!
Damage Reflection Shield!
Two beams of light rang out simultaneously. Moreno shattered the light wall, passed through the dissipated light magic, and slammed his claw into the damage reflection shield.
The damage reflection shield shattered instantly under his attack. Ancia immediately added another damage reflection shield, but it still couldn't withstand the attack, and the second damage reflection shield also shattered.
She was thrown backward by the force, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, and her heart sank.
This is troublesome. The enemy's attributes far exceed what the intelligence reports indicated, and its fighting style is ferocious and deadly. It's not like a mage at all; it's more like a berserk magical beast. The four of them, fighting together, have already fallen into a complete disadvantage in the very first encounter!
Marquis Moreno had abandoned all other targets and locked onto Ancia. He had completely neutralized the control of Heligalo and Ellan. His figure flashed again, carrying a cold killing intent, and he rushed straight at Ancia.
Ancia could clearly see the hand coming toward her, but she only had time to cast a damage reflection shield on herself. Her mind was clearer than ever before, and she instantly realized the critical situation. Her health bar had dropped to a dangerous level. If she were to receive a critical hit or if Moreno were to follow up with another attack, she would surely die.
But time was running out, and her health was insufficient; the only thing she could rely on was the pale golden light emanating from her body.
Ancia closed her eyes and chose to believe in fate.
clang--
Time seemed to freeze at that moment. Ancia opened her eyes in astonishment and saw a figure emerge from the shadows, silently appearing between her and Moreno's claws. He was dressed in black, and his back was tall and sturdy.
It's Merri!
He held a dagger in his hand and deftly blocked Moreno's attack.
Moreno retreated warily, seemingly sensing the threat from the assassin. He instinctively tried to flee, but after a flash, Merriel appeared as if following him closely. No matter which direction he went, he could not escape Merriel's shadow.
"Have you run enough?" Merri's deep voice rang out, filled with intense killing intent.
The next moment, his dagger plunged straight into Moreno's heart.
Moreno raised his arm, which was covered in dark energy, only to have it severed by a dagger. The dagger's force remained undiminished as it plunged into his heart. He looked down in shock and saw only the hilt of the dagger protruding from his chest, letting out a hoarse sound.
Just like the difference in strength between him and these students, his speed and strength, which he was so proud of, were equally fragile and vulnerable in front of the Nine-Star Assassin.
Moreno gripped the hilt of the dagger, but instead of pulling it out, he pressed it further in, piercing his own body.
puff--
Large gushes of bluish-purple demonic blood gushed from his heart, his violent aura rapidly weakened, and the crimson in his eyes lost its luster, becoming dim.
Mortley instinctively shielded Ancia from view, and a large amount of demonic blood sprayed onto his face, with a few drops of thick, scalding demonic blood even splashing directly into his eyes.
"Ugh!" He let out a muffled groan and covered his eyes.
Ancia rushed over anxiously, and a pale green rain nourished her as it fell on Mortley. Before she reached him, she heard heavy footsteps coming from the doorway.
"Stop!" Vilian, leading several elite members of the royal guard, finally found the exit of the mirror maze and arrived at the blood-soaked room. But when he saw what was inside, he froze at the doorway, his gaze fixed on the man in the center of the room who was covering his eyes.
Merriel's hand, which was covering his eyes, was trembling violently. Through his fingers, one could see a crimson light identical to Moreno's, and the dark magic on his body was gradually transforming into demonic energy.
Ancia was frantic and rushed to Mortley's side without thinking. Her staff flashed green rapidly as she cast all the wood-type healing spells she knew on Mortley.
"Hang in there, hang in there, you'll be alright!" She suddenly felt a surge of fear, afraid of that possibility.
However, when the wood-elemental magic came into contact with the demonic energy surrounding Mortley, it was completely devoured. Mortley's expression became increasingly painful as he bent over in agony, with dark-elemental magic and demonic energy tearing wildly apart within his body.
He suddenly looked up, his gaze strained as he looked at Ancia. A glimmer of clarity flickered in his crimson eyes, and his lips moved slightly, silently uttering two words, "Don't...forget..."
Before he could finish speaking, his body was enveloped in dense demonic energy.
"Watch out!" Skalk and Ellan pulled Ancia back at the same time.
The dark energy flow contracted, carrying Mortley away from where he stood.
The room fell into a deathly silence, with only Moreno's twisted corpse and Connor lying in the nameless magic circle remaining.
Valiant's elegance vanished, her voice hoarse, "What have you done..."
Ancia took a deep breath, suppressing her worry for Merrith, and could no longer contain her anger. "What have we done? Your Highness, why don't you ask yourself, ask your King!"
"Where is the unstable ancient magical core you were ordered to guard? Where is the raging energy? When we arrived here, all we saw was Marquis Moreno, who was devouring demonic blood! He went berserk like a monster, attacking us madly!"
"Is this the secret behind the royal family's willingness to deploy elite guards to maintain strict security? Verion! What exactly are you protecting! It's only been twenty years since the demons invaded the empire! You've watched this country struggle to rebuild itself from the war!"
Her eyes were filled with anger and disappointment as she looked at Verion. Everything you did in your life was for the development of the empire, and you even gave only a little of your love to the player in your personal storyline. You loved this country more.
What are you doing
Verion opened his mouth, but no sound came out; he couldn't answer Ancia's question. He felt dizzy, his fingers gripping his staff tightly, his expression shifting unpredictably.
Ancia looked wary, ready to be silenced by Verion. The others quietly moved to protect Ancia behind them, their gazes coldly fixed on Verion and the guards behind him, their magic subtly gathering.
However, the expected order to silence them did not come.
Vilian stood there, his chest heaving. Finally, the turbulent emotions subsided, leaving only deep weariness on his face. He slowly raised his hand, his voice hoarse, "Guards, all of you, withdraw from the room and stand guard outside the door. No one is to enter without my order."
The captain of the guards was taken aback. "Your Highness, they..."
“Execute the order.” Vilian’s tone was calm, yet left no room for argument.
The captain of the guards remained silent, bowed his head, and quickly led his men out of the room, gently closing the door behind them.
Verion forced himself to ignore the mess in the room, his gaze settling on Ancia's face. "Ancia... and the rest of you..."
"Leave here immediately. No one is allowed to utter a single word about what they saw here today."
“I will investigate this thoroughly. I assure you in the name of the Crown Prince of the Empire.”
His voice grew softer and softer. After saying all that, Verion looked away from everyone and turned away, his steps unsteady.
The door opened, then closed again.
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