Whether the Pope’s phantom in Light Square was real or fake, it managed to steady the wavering hearts of some. Meanwhile, the news revealed by the Saintess that the continent of Statu was about to face a disaster successfully put a portion of the people on high alert.

The day after the events in Light Square, the Saintess issued a new order in the Pope’s name to the five Cardinals, commanding them to prioritize suppressing the darkness and immediately depart the Holy See’s nation to continue sealing the dark arrays.

The order came so suddenly that when Gabriel received the news, he didn’t take it seriously at all. He had been planning his next move to force the Pope to appear, but he never expected that after the Saintess’s command was delivered, Tang Qiu and Vogt would execute it instantly, taking nearly half the personnel with them.

Their speed was so fast it was as if they had prepared in advance, giving Gabriel no time to react.

The moment the Pope’s phantom appeared, everyone’s attention was diverted. Although Gabriel was unwilling, he had to admit that he had missed the best opportunity.

Since the opportunity was lost, Gabriel, after some contemplation, decisively gave up and refused to dwell on the matter. He was determined to obtain the position of Pope; it was only a matter of time. Shifting his focus to the Black Witches would allow him to bolster his own prestige, which would be more beneficial for his glorious ascension to power.

Wasn’t this the very path the Pope had paved for the Holy Son? Gabriel sneered. It was just a pity that the short-lived fool didn’t have the fate to enjoy any of it.

The sealing mission, which had been forcibly halted, began anew. Without the Holy Son’s “disruptions,” the Cardinals found it much easier to command. Some excelled at direct assaults, while others preferred a slow, corrosive approach. But regardless of their style, the darkness was gradually receding from the continent of Statu.

But perhaps it was a cruel twist of fate. When the Holy See was perfunctorily expelling the darkness due to internal strife, the Black Witches had remained quiet. Yet, when the Holy See began to focus its efforts, the seemingly vanished Black Witches, contrary to their usual behavior, finally made a move.

In the Gosse Empire, Karen was leading a team of Holy Knights to eliminate wandering dark creatures. All the dark arrays within Gosse’s borders had been sealed, and two-thirds of the cities had been reclaimed. The remaining third only needed the monsters within to be cleared out before they could be fully recovered.

After the dark arrays were sealed, the number of monsters stopped increasing. The members of the Gosse Church had already gained a wealth of experience in dealing with them, and the casualty rates for the dispatched teams were kept within a very small range.

After Tang Qiu was promoted to Cardinal, her first act upon returning to Gosse was to promote Jennifer to Bishop.

Despite her promotion, Jennifer remained the same as before, personally accompanying the teams to clear out monsters, disregarding the danger.

“Is this the last city for today?” Jennifer held her staff and surveyed the surroundings, frowning. “The dark aura here feels a bit off.”

Karen stood beside her, silent, but her longsword, still dripping with blood, was already held defensively across her chest. Her short golden hair had grown longer, now reaching her shoulders, and her once-youthful features had softened, but her gaze was even more resolute.

Shrill cries echoed from all directions. Flocks of black crows, as if startled by something, flew out in a massive, dark cloud, nearly blotting out the sky above them.

Jennifer retreated behind Karen and raised her staff, beginning to chant. The team of priests behind her followed suit, their faces calm, already accustomed to such sudden situations.

In the past few months, they had encountered far more perilous situations and were no longer the people who would freeze in fear at the slightest incident.

White flames of light descended from above, repelling the black crows that blocked the sun. The crows fell to the ground and turned into plumes of black mist. Suddenly, the earth beneath their feet shook violently, forcing the priests to interrupt their chanting. Only Jennifer managed to hold on and continue her incantation.

The nearby trees trembled violently, and a massive head emerged from the leaves. It gave Jennifer and the others a grotesque smile, and two huge hands shot out to swat at them.

“Barrier!” Karen shouted. She broke into a run, using her sword to block the giant’s attack. Behind her, the Holy Knights sprang into action. Trees were severed by the light of their blades, and the giant’s body was fully exposed to everyone’s view.

This wasn’t a monster they had seen before… Jennifer paused for a moment before reacting swiftly, enveloping everyone in a barrier of light.

“Trap it with flames of light,” Jennifer instructed the priests behind her, then raised her staff and began chanting a more powerful offensive spell.

The giant was immensely strong, and its skin was impervious to blades, but it was terrified of the power of light. Seeing the flames of light, it backed away in fear.

The giant retreated almost beyond the range of their spells. A few priests subconsciously took a few steps forward to pursue it. Karen fell back from the front line. Seeing the black crows falling from the sky and turning into plumes of black gas mid-air, she sensed something was wrong and turned her head to warn, “Don’t come over here.”

However, her warning came too late. The black gas landed in the middle of the few priests, and several giant wolves materialized out of thin air. Baring their fangs, they charged into the Holy See’s ranks, tearing and biting ferociously.

Jennifer’s expression changed. A light spell shot out, but it only managed to stop one of them. Several others were already closing in. Werewolves had a certain resistance to light magic, and screams began to rise one after another.

Karen’s face darkened. In a flash, she moved to stand in front of Jennifer, her longsword forcing back a pouncing giant wolf. She commanded the returning Holy Knights, “Retreat!”

The werewolves’ attacks were too strong. They were unprepared and couldn’t afford a direct confrontation.

But why were there werewolves here…

Coincidentally, the team from the Gosse Church was not the only one attacked by werewolves. In the Shas Principality, Vogt, who was responsible for suppressing the darkness in several nearby countries, also heard that his people had been attacked by werewolves.

Because the werewolf territory was right next to the Shas Principality, Vogt’s first reaction upon hearing of the attack was to wonder if the Wolf Race had misunderstood something while they were clearing out dark creatures.

But he soon dismissed this guess. Based on his understanding of Faye, she would not attack the Holy See’s teams at a time like this.

“Take me to see,” Vogt said, unable to sit still. He had to find out what was going on.

The Shas Principality was not only close to the werewolf territory but also to Witch City. The werewolves here were more than three times as numerous as those that attacked the Gosse Church, and they were far more ferocious.

Under the protection of the Holy Knights, Vogt found a high vantage point. He stared at the giant wolves struggling against the encirclement of light magic, his brow tightly furrowed. The size was indeed that of werewolves, but… he always felt that they were somehow different from the werewolves he had seen before.

In broad daylight, a mass of thick ink spread rapidly from the horizon, staining half the sky black. The power of darkness arrogantly tried to cover the entire sky but was blocked by a golden light.

Vogt lowered his staff, his expression turning grave. A golden light flashed beneath his feet, and a high platform materialized out of thin air, lifting him into the sky. Opposite him, the dense black fog receded slightly, revealing five Black Witches clad in scarlet robes.

Glanna stood in the center, smiling brightly at Vogt. Her long brown hair was blown back by the wind. She had a lovely appearance, but her smile carried a hint of wickedness. “Long time no see, Archbishop Vogt.”

“Let me think, when was the last time we met?” Glanna raised a hand to her chin and chuckled softly. “Ah, I remember now. It was the Battle of Kanas. You and another Cardinal drove my people back to Witch City.”

“How majestic. You have no idea what a terrible temper my mother was in after being driven back.”

Vogt stared at Glanna’s face, thought for a moment, and said slowly, “Your mother is Panna.”

Glanna winked at him and said with a grin, “You guessed right. That very loser.”

So it was that madwoman, Vogt sighed. He had only ever dealt with the Anderson Black Witches once in his life, but that single encounter had left him with a chilling aversion to those lunatics.

Faced with the disgust in Vogt’s eyes, Glanna seemed to enjoy it immensely. She spread her arms, proudly introducing her werewolf army to Vogt. “Look, this is the gift I’ve prepared for your Holy See. What do you think? A bigger surprise than the army of skeleton knights my mother prepared back then, isn’t it?”

Dense ranks of giant wolves emerged from the darkness. They crouched low, their eyes glowing green, their fangs stained with flesh and blood, looking as if they had just come from a slaughter. Their fur was soaked with blood.

The surrounding atmosphere grew heavy and filled with killing intent. The Holy Knights swapped their longswords for shields, while the bishops and priests began to chant. The sky was split in two by light and darkness, and the air crackled with restless energy.

“Stop this,” Vogt said, tightening his grip on his staff, though his expression remained calm. “Do you want to follow in your mother’s footsteps?”

Glanna laughed as if she had heard something hilarious, her body shaking uncontrollably. After a while, she managed to stifle her laughter and said in a soft tone, “I’m not that loser.”

As she spoke, she snapped her fingers lightly. The sound wasn’t loud, but the werewolves below suddenly became frenzied, charging toward the Holy Knights’ ranks like lightning.

A vast sheet of light flames rained down from the sky, instantly turning the ground into a sea of fire. White meteors shot toward Glanna and the others but were intercepted mid-flight by black ropes. The two forces became entangled, neither able to break free.

Glanna had been preparing for this day for a long time. Of course, Vogt alone would not be able to stop her.

The red-robed witches beside her all took out their bone staffs. The black mist behind them coalesced into a colossal beast, baring its fangs and claws. A dense rain of black arrows fell upon the Holy See’s troops below. Some were blocked by the light barrier, but others managed to break through, taking the lives of several priests.

The werewolves were too numerous. The Holy Knights were forced back again and again, eventually having to abandon their shields and draw their longswords. Without the seamless defense of the shields, the werewolves leaped over the Holy Knights and began to charge into the ranks of bishops and priests behind them, causing chaos.

Vogt glanced at the situation below, took a ring from his hand, and threw it down. A golden light formed a solid wall, protecting everyone. When the werewolves crashed into the golden light, they were instead repelled by the power of light.

He raised his staff and began to chant. Behind them lay the territory they had spent days and nights without sleep to reclaim. They could not retreat. If they did, the humans in the nearby countries who had just barely survived would surely be slaughtered by the Black Witches.

A Cardinal’s light magic took a long time to chant, but its power was immense. Glanna narrowed her eyes and said in a low voice, “Stop him.”

The Black Witches beside her turned their bone staffs to attack the golden barrier. The werewolves below also slammed into the barrier with no regard for their own lives. The battle began to escalate to a fever pitch.

The impact of the war between light and darkness was too great. Delia, who had left the Oscarld Sea, was leading the subordinates Eden had given her toward the Gosse Empire. As they passed through the Gru Empire, they noticed the commotion in the Shas Principality.

Delia gazed at the sky, which had almost changed color, and after a moment of contemplation, she said, “Let’s go see what’s happening.”

With the speed of vampires, they quickly arrived in the Shas Principality. Delia did not approach the battlefield rashly, instead observing from a high vantage point. When she saw the group of werewolves controlled by the Black Witches, her expression turned somewhat grim.

“It’s the Holy See and the Black Witches.” A man named Tal glanced once before looking away, uninterested. He said flatly, “Let’s go. Don’t forget Elder Eden’s orders.”

Delia was about to nod when her peripheral vision caught sight of a white figure. She froze, her face paled, and her voice changed. “…Wait, wait a little longer.”

She grabbed Tal’s arm, but her eyes were fixed on the figure charging toward the pack of werewolves.

She… why is she here?

An invisible force burst out from the boundary between light and darkness, tearing a small rift. A white-haired werewolf appeared in the center, glaring furiously at Glanna, grinding her teeth as if she wanted to rip her to shreds. “Glanna!”

Glanna was stunned for a moment when she saw the white-haired werewolf suddenly appear, then she smiled and called out her name. “Ophelia, so you’re still alive.” She spread her hands and said nonchalantly, “What, are you here to inspect the results of our experiment?”

“I told you, if you deceived me, I would bathe your Anderson family in blood.” Ophelia’s hands, hanging at her sides, slowly clenched into fists, and the aura around her surged even more intensely.

“How did I deceive you?” Glanna chuckled. “I’m still researching the resurrection array you wanted. It just hasn’t succeeded yet.”

“You cunning Black Witch, I’ll kill you!” A white light flashed around Ophelia, and a giant wolf with snow-white fur appeared in her place. She lowered her head and let out a threatening growl at the pack of werewolves below. The pressure of a royal bloodline weighed down on every werewolf like a massive stone.

The pack of werewolves stiffened and slowly lowered their bodies.

Glanna sneered, waved her bone staff, and recited a spell. The pack of werewolves began to grow agitated. As the speed of the incantation increased, the werewolves finally broke through their fear of the royal bloodline and charged at the white wolf with bloodshot eyes.

The white wolf let out an angry howl and charged into the pack, beginning to tear them apart.

Ophelia was very strong, but she was alone, facing thousands of werewolves. Even with the Holy See’s forces behind her, as time went on, more and more wounds appeared on the white wolf’s body. Her snow-white fur was stained red, and her movements were no longer as agile as before.

Delia’s heart leaped into her throat. She bit her lip, the two thoughts of going down to save her and turning to leave warring in her mind. She didn’t know what she should do.

Tal looked at Delia suspiciously, displeased. “We should leave.”

“Wait…” Delia murmured. “Just a little longer.”

This place was so close to the werewolf territory. Some werewolf must have heard Ophelia’s howl. Faye… Faye wouldn’t possibly let Ophelia die.

Just as Delia thought, Faye had let Ophelia come out to clean up the mess only to teach her a lesson, not to send her to her death.

White and gray figures shot out from all directions, leaping into the pack of werewolves. Jemma, Eva, and the others surrounded Ophelia, their slender arms catching the pouncing giant wolves and slamming them forcefully to the ground.

Several hundred werewolves had arrived. Although they were not as numerous as Glanna’s army, their combat prowess was on a completely different level from those defective products.

The werewolf domain that Ophelia was sustaining began to expand invisibly, pushing the light and darkness to either side. In the middle of the light and darkness, the werewolf domain carved out its own space. Two white-haired, blue-eyed werewolves and one gray-haired werewolf appeared in the center.

Faye glanced down at the pack of werewolves below, her sky-blue eyes as piercing as ice. She looked at Glanna opposite her with a faint, chilling smile. Her voice was calm but terrifying. “You’ve really outdone yourself, Glanna, setting your sights on our Wolf Race.”

The smile that had been on Glanna’s face slowly faded. Her fingers tapped unconsciously on her bone staff. She tilted her head, staring at the white-haired werewolf beside Faye, and curled her lip. “Isn’t this Bishop Grace? What, you’ve finally decided to abandon the Holy See and return to your people?”

She deliberately glanced at Vogt behind them, her tone full of insinuation.

Faced with Glanna’s deliberate provocation, Tang Qiu simply smiled gently and reminded her, “Patriarch Faye is speaking to you. The Glanna I know is not such an impolite witch.”

Glanna narrowed her eyes and snorted coldly. Waving her bone staff, she said flatly, “What does a war between the Black Witches and the Holy See have to do with you werewolves?”

“Of course it has to do with us werewolves.” Faye took a step forward, and an invisible force pressed down on the darkness, which unwillingly retreated another inch. “You Andersons are destined to die at the hands of our Wolf Race. How could we let the Holy See get to you first?”

With the appearance of Faye and Tang Qiu, the pressure on the Holy See’s side was greatly reduced. Vogt finally finished chanting his spell. A golden light condensed into a whirlwind that tore the darkness to shreds. Glanna bit her lip. Seeing that the situation had completely reversed, she gave a look to the Black Witches beside her and said hatefully, “Go.”

The Black Witches raised their staffs, and a black mist enveloped them as they retreated rapidly, soon disappearing without a trace.

Vogt saw that Faye and Tang Qiu were indifferent to Glanna’s departure. He frowned, puzzled. “Why didn’t you pursue them?” With the Holy See and the Wolf Race joining forces, they could have dealt the Black Witches a heavy blow, even if they had to corner them at the gates of Witch City.

“We were just passing by,” Tang Qiu turned to explain to Vogt. “We have other important matters to attend to and don’t have time to get entangled with the Black Witches.”

This place was too close to Witch City. If Glanna fled back to get reinforcements, there was no telling how long this war would drag on.

Glanna had fled, but she didn’t have time to take her werewolf army with her. Faye nodded at Fanny, who transformed into a gray wolf and went down to help the other werewolves clean up the battlefield.