Necromancer's Ancestral Lands…
Gaap sat on a bone chair, drinking a special tonic prepared by his Named Creature, with an appearance of a young lady with blue hair and dressed in a gothic dress.
"Master, you should take better care of yourself," the blue-haired lady said in a worried tone.
Gaap didn't reply and simply drank his tonic in silence. He was feeling extremely lethargic, and if one looked closely, a few wrinkles had been added to his face.
The young lady, whose name was Carol, sighed in her heart as she stood beside her Master, ready to assist him with anything he needed.
Not far from Lux's Master, Kieran, Dracul, and Lorelei also sat on bone chairs.
They would give the old Halfling side-long glances from time to time and then shift their gaze back at the giant Skeleton King, who remained unmoving as it held the dome of blood in his hands.
The situation right now was completely unexpected, since nothing like this happened in the past. Because of this, they were unsure about what was going to happen next.
The only thing they knew was that they had no intention of leaving until this incident came into fruition.
"Do you still not feel the blessing of the Ancestral Ground on you?" Kieran asked Dracul, who was sitting with one of his legs on top of the other.
"No," Dracul replied. "In fact, I don't feel the power of the Ancestral Grounds at all. If I am so bold to make an assumption, I would say that it has gone into hiding or hibernation."
The Guardian of the Ancestral Grounds helplessly sighed before shaking his head bitterly.
"I think you've made a permanent enemy of Gaap," Kieran smirked. "Fortunately, he didn't fully unseal Antero and ordered him to turn you into meat paste."
Dracul simply snorted but didn't give any reply. The Vampire King didn't think that what he had done was wrong. He was simply acting for the benefit of their Holy Land.
However, if only he knew beforehand what was going to happen next, he would have stayed his hand, and perhaps, Lux wouldn't have undergone his breakthrough.
Suddenly, a frown formed on Dracul's face as he turned his head to look at the East.
Seeing his reaction, Kieran also frowned and shifted his gaze in the direction where the Vampire King was looking.
"It looks like we have some uninvited guests," Kieran stated.
"Judging by their aura and strength, our dear guests are certainly from the Divine Army of Light," Dracul narrowed his gaze. "There are at least five… no six of them. All of them are Saints. For some reason, I'm not surprised to see them snooping here."
"What are we going to do?" Kieran asked.
Dracul shrugged. "Although I am still a Saint, fighting against six is too much even for me. Especially now that I have lost the protection of the Ancestral Lands. If they came here a few hours ago, I would have wiped the floor with them without breaking a sweat."
Lorelei, who was silently listening at the side, still had a calm look on her face. However, deep inside, she was feeling anxious.
She and her Master had witnessed how the Champions of Light eradicated a vagabond Necromancer, who was not affiliated with Memento Mori.
The poor individual didn't even stand a chance, and his body was burned to ashes until nothing was left.
"Don't worry, Lorelei," Kieran said. "They won't dare attack us. Unless they want an all-out war, they will refrain from targeting the members of Memento Mori."
Dracul also nodded his head in agreement. The Divine Army of Light also knew that he was the Guardian of the Ancestral Grounds. They would still think twice about attacking him, even if they were to know that he had lost the blessing of their Holy Land.
A moment later, the Necromancers, who also felt the approaching danger, all gathered beside Dracul, hoping that their Guardian would protect them from the people that hunted them down.
Dracul didn't say anything and allowed them to stand behind his back.
Even though he had lost his Divine Protection, he wouldn't just turn a blind eye when outsiders rampaged inside their Holy Land and killed the people who treat it as sacred.
"They're probably here for Lux," Lorelei commented. "Master, what shall we do? Are we going to help?"
Kieran hesitated a bit before glancing in Gaap's direction. It was impossible for the Old Halfling to not feel the presence of such powerful individuals coming their way.
A minute later, Kieran resolved himself before giving an answer to his Disciple.
"Your safety is my priority, Lorelei," Kieran stated. "I have no obligation to help Gaap defend his Disciple."
"But Master, weren't you on good terms with Lady Hereswith? Are you going to abandon her Grand Disciple?"
"…"
Kieran didn't know how to reply to Lorelei's words. He indeed owed Hereswith a favor in the past, and he wouldn't mind returning it now. However, if anything happened to Lorelei, the Royal High-Elf Family would never forgive him.
"I'll say this now. I will not move to protect that Half-Elf," Dracul said. "However, you can leave your Disciple by my side. Feel free to stick your nose into this mess. I'll keep her safe for you."
After hearing Dracul's assurance, Kieran nodded his head in understanding. Since his Disciple's safety was no longer a concern, he would at least extend his help to the best of his ability.
That is the least he could do for everything that Hereswith had done for him.
Gaap, who had been silently drinking his tonic, handed the empty bottle to Carol. He then stood up from his bone chair and lightly tapped his walking stick on the ground.
A moment later, his Covenant appeared by his side, composed of thirteen individuals, including Carol.
All of them stood behind their Master with their weapons drawn, ready to fight at a moment's notice.
Antero had also materialized behind them, towering over the old Halfling, making Gaap look like an ant in comparison.
Half a minute later, six people landed hundreds of meters away from Gaap.
They glanced at the giant Antero before shifting their gaze at the Giant Skeleton King, who looked exactly like the projection that was shown to them by their Oracle.
They had sped up their journey as much as they could in order to destroy the heretic that was about to make his breakthrough.
"So what are the dogs of the Divine Army doing in our Domain?" Gaap asked in a challenging tone. "Are you here to bring gifts to my Disciple?"
The High King of Lunaria sneered after seeing Hereswith's Disciple, who had managed to escape the purge that they enacted several years ago.
"So that is your Disciple?" the High King asked. "Hereswith's Grand Disciple?"
"The one and only," Gaap replied.
"Good." The High King nodded his head. "We've come to bring him and you the greatest gift in this world, and that is none other than Death."
"Oh?" Gaap arched an eyebrow. "That's fine with me. I've been wanting to see you after all these years. Fortunately, I no longer have to expend any effort in looking for you. I will make you regret the day you killed my Master, High King of Lunaria."
"Make me regret?" the High King sneered. "I have no regrets. If I can't have Hereswith, then no one else can have her. Killing her was the best feeling ever."
Gaap's face became distorted with anger. He then pointed his finger at the High King of Lunaria before giving his order.
"Kill everyone except for him," Gaap ordered. "I will personally end his life and offer his soul to my Master's grave."
As soon as he gave the order, all of Gaap's Named Creatures sprang into action.
They charged at the six Saints without even batting an eye, despite the fact that they were several realms weaker than their targets.
Since their Master had given his order, they would complete it without fail—even if they had to resort to foul means, allowing the old Halfling to get his vengeance.
