Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 5] Chapter 248

[Vol. 5] Chapter 248: The Vessel

Although divided into two factions, the fact remains that they are all fellow members of the Blood Clan.

Now that they have lost the [Source Blood], the number of clan members will only continue to dwindle. In the current situation, their population worldwide has dwindled to barely over a thousand. Such a solemn gathering could hardly be ignored.

So Lucine attended, joining her old friend Augustine, and left her only daughter, Avrilia, to watch over their home.

The outcome, as Violet had anticipated, was yet another devastating defeat for the radicals. Even Julius Constantius, a precious third-generation Blood Clan member, was killed in the ensuing chaos by “an unknown powerful figure.”

Afterwards, Lucine intended to return to her secluded place of residence, but at that time, she heard certain rumors from some members of the conservative faction who had also attended the gathering.

Since it was never brought up in conversation, Violet did not know the exact details of these “certain rumors,” but it appeared that Lucine and two other princes, including Avrilia, had come to the Holy Empire to search for something.

However, the priestess’ avatar had more than once overheard the little princess mentioning words like “those fools” and “this is a betrayal of the Blood Clan” while chatting with another prince, Augustine.

Thus, she speculated that the Blood Clan worshipping [Slaughter] in the eastern underground of Sarnos Province might indeed be the target Lucine was searching for.

It now seemed that this was highly likely.

Excellent. Another lingering question had finally been clarified, very satisfying~

Ignoring the vampire who now seemed increasingly nervous, Miss White Fox once again turned her gaze towards the [Slaughter] statue within the blood pool.

Although the purpose of this place was not explicitly explained, Violet was no novice. With her keen sensitivity to energy, she had already discerned the general purpose of the location.

It was for worship or perhaps a sacrificial ritual.

Though the circle of the demon lord statue had an unclear function, it was likely part of the ceremony. The goal, it seemed, was to use certain Blood Clan secret arts, harnessing the power within blood to offer sacrifices to the Demon Lord of Slaughter, in exchange for something of his presence in this world.

Naturally, Violet recalled the strange “blood creature” in the St. Bergen Mountains, created using the blood of countless living beings and the power of forbidden spells.

Come to think of it… back when she first entered those mountains, in one of the caves that produced blood pillars, she also encountered a group of demon beasts with an unclear purpose, empowered by blood.

Could they serve a similar purpose to these demon beast statues here?

Both were ritual sites created by the Blood Clan, both connected to the Demon Lord of Slaughter. There had to be some common ground.

That blood cocoon and the ultimate entity they were trying to nurture here…

Edwina once mentioned that, for the ordinary beings of this world, no matter how much power they wielded, they could not achieve “reviving the dead”, an act reserved for the divine.

Similarly, creating a soul, an even greater feat than resurrection, should be impossible.

So, in the St. Bergen Mountains, the Blood Clan and demons’ joint construction of the [Blood of the Inverted Cross] was never capable of producing a genuinely living being. The “blood creature” they created only exhibited animal-like instincts, unable to communicate.

In other words, it was merely an empty shell, possessing strength but lacking a complete soul.

Similarly, this statue… it’s an empty shell too, isn’t it?

An empty shell… what’s it meant for?

The girl looked up and met the gaze of the towering, six-armed [Slaughter] statue. A sense of being watched, along with a sudden understanding, struck her. She seemed to realize what was going on.

“So, that’s your plan, huh…”

She turned to glance at the young vampire lying on the ground behind her, a hint of mockery in her tone.

“You all sure have guts. Aren’t you worried that once he achieves his goal, he’ll toss you aside? After all, you’re not demons, and any cooperation should at least be on equal footing, right?”

The young vampire, pale from having his secret exposed, instantly understood Miss White Fox’s implication and instinctively retorted.

“What nonsense! He’s a lord of the demon realm, as noble as the Blood Ancestor, and a god doesn’t break his word. Besides, we have a contract with him!”

“A God doesn’t lie…? Ah, you’re still young.”

Without further explanation, Miss White Fox exchanged a glance with “Theresa” by her side, noting that she, too, seemed to have already seen through the truth. She then turned to the dragon girl nearby.

“Xiao Guang, destroy that statue for me.”

“Yes!”

The instant the words left her mouth, the blonde girl raised her hand without hesitation, transforming it into a claw, and unleashed five slashes imbued with the overwhelming strength of a dragon.

“Zzzlaa!”

A screeching sound of air splitting and ripping reverberated as the Sky Shattering Claw’s passive effect cut through the air.

In the air, a sharp sound of sonic booms and tearing noises arises. This is the passive effect of the [Sky Shattering Claw].

Perhaps mindful of the environment here, the dragon girl held back her power, delivering a controlled strike with only modest force.

Despite this, due to her terrifyingly high stats and the boost from a Semi-Divine artifact, her basic slash was still on par with a full-power strike from an ordinary Pseudo-God.

In terms of damage, it exceeded at least 99,999 points. Enough to surpass the immunity limit of the priestess’s [Feather Robe Graria] passive defense. No matter how resilient the metal that formed the statue, it shouldn’t have been able to withstand such an attack easily.

Unless… something abnormal occurred.

*Clang!*

With a metallic crash that echoed like a fierce clash of warriors, two of the statue’s six arms suddenly moved, bending forward as if coming to life. From within its armor, a long blade and curved sword extended, crossing midair to block the dragon girl’s strike!

*Boom, boom, boom!*

The clash of forces, both at least pseudo-god level attack, immediately erupted into a storm-like shockwave, nearly blowing away the bound Blood Clan members, who were tethered by Sethlin’s restraints.

However, the blood tree roots growing from the ground held them firmly, preventing them from smashing into anything, though they swung about like kites in a gale.

“Oh?”

Her assured strike was unexpectedly blocked, and the blonde girl raised an intrigued eyebrow. Not out of shock at the bizarre sight of the statue moving, but rather…

The shift from a one-sided attack to an actual fight had sparked a bit of pleasure and anticipation in her!

“Interesting! Let’s go again!”

With a light step, the dragon girl vanished from where she stood, reappearing in midair before the towering statue, a bold smile on her face as she brought a claw down straight at its head.

“Hmph!”

In that instant, a cold snort resounded like thunder above the blood pool, echoing powerfully. It carried the sheer essence of [Slaughter] itself, imbued with the clash of countless battles, a sound that transported listeners to a blood-soaked battlefield. For the cowardly, it instilled terror. For the brave, a reckless frenzy.

Several Blood Clan members, recently freed from their “kite” ordeal and barely steady on the ground, were caught in the blast.

The moment the snort sounded, their eyes abruptly turned a deep blood-red, darker than their usual color—a pure, mindless hue representing destruction and slaughter.

“Roar! Kill! Kill!”

Caught in the grip of this will, those who had originally given up resistance upon realizing their strength disparity and were suddenly began to struggle wildly, led by the frenzied shouts of the young vampire.

Bound at the limbs, they tore into the roots restraining them like beasts, even as their fangs cracked and blood flowed from their lips. The frenzy showed no signs of abating.

Meanwhile, within the bubbling blood pool, a sudden burst of blood formed a towering crimson column. Solidifying into a massive fist, it surged forward with thunderous force, aiming directly at the dragon girl’s back!