The Forbidden Land had its own barrier, so the aggressive dark aura and the raging winds that swept through the area had no effect here. The stream beneath the Tree of Life still flowed quietly, and the green grass on its banks radiated with boundless life. Cynthia pulled her gaze away from Edeli, looking down to thoughtfully stroke the staff in her hands. Suddenly, her peripheral vision caught sight of a wooden table by the stream, and she subconsciously looked up.

When she had been a guest of the Elf Race, she had spent most of her time with Olivia in the Forbidden Land, so she was familiar with its layout. The sudden appearance of this wooden table drew a sliver of her attention.

Olivia often spent time here in the Forbidden Land, so it was perfectly normal for her to place a wooden table here for drinking nectar or resting. Cynthia glanced at it, intending to look away, but she froze when she saw what was on the table.

It was a half-woven flower crown, with slender branches lying beside it. Without the Vampires’ “interruption,” it might have already been completed, ready to be placed on someone’s head.

Cynthia raised a hand to touch her own hair. Her calm, almost cold expression slowly softened. She could almost picture Olivia weaving the crown—serious, focused. Even if her expression remained cool, the fingers tending to the branches would have been undeniably gentle.

She was like a completely different person from the powerful, dazzling woman who had faced the Vampires, but she was just as captivating to Cynthia.

She felt she didn’t want to wait any longer. Cynthia walked over, picked up the flower crown, and examined it for a moment before putting it away. The corners of her lips curved slightly. She had received basket after basket of flowers; perhaps it was time for her to be more proactive.

After Olivia led Talia and the other Vampires away, the pressure from the Power of Darkness within the Forbidden Land sharply decreased. But lessened did not mean gone. With a loud bang, a red blood-saber struck the barrier, creating a deafening sound.

Cynthia looked up and waved her staff. A golden flame flew out of the barrier and collided with the blood-saber. They clashed for a moment before both dissipated into nothing.

Through the blood mist, only a single figure remained. When Cynthia saw that Edeli had not followed Talia, the smile on her lips deepened.

She hadn’t brought the witches of the Morgan Family here to deal with third or fourth-generation Vampires.

Edeli was the only Second Generation Vampire left. Breaking the barrier of the Forbidden Land would be somewhat troublesome for him. After watching his blood-saber get neutralized by the Light Fire, Edeli’s eyes narrowed, and he let out a cold snort. He turned his head toward a certain spot and slightly raised his hand. The Power of Darkness surged forth, as if intending to tear through some kind of disguise.

But before the Power of Darkness could find its target, the Light Fire within the Forbidden Land suddenly vanished. To Edeli’s astonishment, the silver-haired God Race member walked out from the barrier.

Cynthia stood outside the barrier, her body enveloped in only a thin layer of golden light that shielded her from the raging wind and the chilling Power of Darkness.

Her figure was tall and slender, but she appeared somewhat frail amidst the fierce winds, looking incredibly delicate.

Then again, the God Race was indeed frail. Aside from their disgusting Light Magic, they were no different from weak humans, as if they could be torn apart with a mere flick of a finger. Edeli floated in the air, looking down on Cynthia below. The silver-haired God Race member met his gaze, her head tilted slightly back, exposing her slender neck to his view. With the superior vision of a Vampire, Edeli could even see the blood vessels beneath her fair skin.

This God Race member was provoking him. Edeli’s rage turned into a laugh. Forgetting about the Power of Darkness he had just unleashed, his figure shot downward like a bolt of lightning.

As Edeli rushed toward Cynthia, the Power of Darkness he had sent out finally found its target. However, before it could tear apart a certain concealment barrier, an invisible force suddenly appeared and swallowed it whole.

The concealment barrier trembled for a moment before falling silent once more.

Cynthia, who was raising her staff and chanting a spell, keenly sensed the slight fluctuation. She frowned and glanced in the direction of the disturbance but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

A dangerous aura was closing in on her. Cynthia had no choice but to look away and focus on her incantation. A dazzling Power of Light surged forth, forming a series of barriers in front of her to block Edeli’s attack.

Behind the concealment barrier, Joanna stood with her arms crossed, her fingers stroking her sleeve as she watched Cynthia in the golden light with a thoughtful expression. Edeli had tried to tear their concealment barrier to force them out to help, but Joanna had no intention of getting involved in this mess just yet.

Although they would have to kill this God Race member if they wanted to seize the Tree of Life, for some reason, Joanna felt that now was not a good time.

Wait a little longer. Joanna’s eyes were deep. She had waited for so long; a little more time wouldn’t matter.

At the very least, she had to wait until she could confirm Olivia’s defeat…

As a Second Generation Vampire, even if the Lasombra were not the most skilled combat clan, Edeli’s Second Generation pressure alone was enough to crush any enemy weaker than him. Not even the Elves or the Wolf Race could escape such a fate.

In Edeli’s mind, the God Race, once labeled “weak” alongside humans, was a race he could dispose of at will. Although Cynthia was somewhat special, Edeli still didn’t take her seriously.

Watching the figure in the golden light draw closer and closer, as if he could reach out and grasp the neck of the God Race member hiding inside, a malicious smile crossed Edeli’s face. He made a grasping motion with his right hand, violently tearing the golden light apart, while his other hand shot straight for Cynthia’s neck.

However, his fingers passed through the God Race member’s neck, touching only air. Edeli froze. Before his eyes, the silver-haired figure suddenly dissipated. A golden cage dropped from the sky, and towering flames erupted from below, instantly engulfing him.

Cynthia appeared behind the cage. She calmly tossed aside the scroll in her hand and continued to chant.

Edeli was a Second Generation Vampire, after all; ordinary Light Magic had no effect on him. Cynthia mentally calculated the spell’s casting time while calmly observing Edeli’s movements within the cage. The Light Crystal at the tip of her staff flashed, continuously radiating the Power of Light.

The Power of Light and the Power of Darkness were natural enemies, and Cynthia had a number of teleportation scrolls on hand. These scrolls were failed products from her attempts at making teleportation arrays; they could only cover a short distance and were originally considered useless, but they proved their worth in a situation like this.

Relying on the scrolls and the staff in her hand, Cynthia held Edeli in a stalemate for a considerable time, not at a disadvantage in the slightest. Even Joanna, who was observing in secret, was astonished.

She had never underestimated Cynthia, but she had never imagined that she could hold off a Second Generation Vampire for so long.

Using Light Magic at such a high frequency should have exhausted her spiritual power long ago. Why did this God Race member still seem so at ease, her expression not even changing?

Joanna’s brow furrowed, her gaze fixed on Cynthia, her eyes flickering.

The elder behind her also noticed that something was off about Cynthia. “How is this God Race member’s spiritual power so immense?” she asked in surprise.

Elves excelled at nature magic and were arguably the race with the strongest spiritual power on the Sitatul Continent. But even their finest warriors could not sustain such a high intensity of spellcasting as Cynthia had.

Unless it was Olivia… but how could this God Race member possibly compare to Olivia?

Joanna remained silent. An elder asked if she should intervene. She looked down, contemplating for a moment, but before she could make a decision, the battle took a sudden turn. Cynthia failed to chain a spell properly, and Edeli seized the opportunity, breaking out of the golden light and appearing instantly before her.

Being besieged by the Power of Light was not a pleasant experience. Many parts of Edeli’s clothes were scorched, and his exposed hands bore burns from the Light.

He hadn’t been injured by the Power of Light in a long time, not since the gods had left the Sitatul Continent. The injuries on his hands were not severe, but they enraged him. Edeli had originally planned to capture this God Race member and toy with her slowly, but now he just wanted to tear her to pieces.

A hand carrying a chilling wind shot toward Cynthia’s neck. Cynthia tightened her grip on her staff, instinctively turning to dodge and raising her arm to block.

But with a Vampire’s strength and speed, she couldn’t simply dodge it. The heavy blow shattered her staff into several pieces, and Edeli’s hand seized Cynthia’s shoulder.

Edeli looked at the weak God Race member right before him and sneered, planning to cruelly crush her shoulder bone and tear off her arm. However, the moment his hand touched her clothes, he was repelled by a pure Power of Light, the force so great it made his arm ache.

The staff had broken, and the Light Crystal at its tip fell to the ground. Cynthia’s hand was cut by the shattered staff, and crimson blood dripped down her palm. She looked down at the Light Crystal that had rolled to her feet, then bent over to pick it up. The blood smeared its smooth surface, making it appear somewhat cloudy.

Edeli looked at his own hand, his expression shifting erratically. He raised his eyes and stared daggers at Cynthia. The scent of blood stimulated him deeply, and his crimson eyes grew so rich they looked as if they could drip blood.

“A mere God Race member actually injured me,” Edeli said through gritted teeth. “I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to drink your blood dry to quell my rage.”

Cynthia clutched the Light Crystal in her hand and simply smiled nonchalantly at Edeli’s words. “You can try.”

A scroll suddenly appeared in her empty left hand. Cynthia unfurled it, her red lips curling into a smile as she said softly, “Find me first.”

The scroll emitted a soft light that enveloped Cynthia, and she vanished on the spot.

Edeli was stunned for a moment. Watching her disappear right before his eyes fueled his rage even more. But soon, he laughed with contempt. Although Cynthia’s aura was thoroughly concealed, the wound on her hand had not yet healed when she left. Edeli quickly caught the scent of her blood.

The Elf Territory was vast, and the silver-haired God Race member had fled quite far, but that wouldn’t stop him. No race had ever dared to disregard the speed of the Vampires.

The scent of this blood was delicious. Edeli could hardly wait to use the silver-haired God Race member’s blood to quench his fury.