Chapter 1 A Full Moon Above Hassel Harbor

A full moon hung high above Hassel Harbor, its cool light scattering across the calm river surface, tinged with hints of crimson.

This was the moat harbor located southeast of the capital, Brierda.

In the distance from Hassel Harbor lay the stronghold of the Brierda Mafia, a company with a registered license in name only.

"Boss."

The buildings along the shore stood silhouetted against the night. Several figures appeared at the harbor, passing through layers of the Mafia's elite guards. As the Mafia members saluted, they approached the tallest black building.

"Within the hour, no executives are to enter the second floor or above of Hassel Tower. Wait outside."

The leader wore a deep black coat, the hood fluttering slightly in the night breeze. Shadows obscured most of their face, revealing only a pair of cold, gleaming eyes.

"Yes."

Their steps were light and swift. Led by them, no Mafia member dared hesitate. They moved through the shadows cast by the building, their figure almost impossible to catch.

When a ray of moonlight from a floor-to-ceiling window illuminated them again, it finally revealed their resolute and handsome face, with deep gray hair falling across their forehead.

Professor Landry and his two students followed behind Barton.

They wore the animal masks Barton had given them.

This was to prevent other Mafia members from seeing Professor Landry at their base.

After only a few steps inside the building, there were no other Mafia members in sight.

Barton quickened his pace. Inside the building, deep yellow floor lamps cast long, eerie shadows behind them.

"This is Hassel Tower, the main building of the Brierda Mafia. Only the boss, executives, and some authorized members are allowed to enter."

Barton led Lanqi up, floor by floor.

The interior of Hassel Tower was decorated in a classical style, with black and brown stone bricks, giving it the ambiance of a high-end hotel with a century of history.

"I will find a way to convince your boss."

Lanqi understood that Barton was telling him, on the one hand, about the place's secrecy, and on the other hand, about the danger of Hassel Tower—

No one would know if anything happened.

This was a secret place where one could die without a burial.

"The person you are about to meet... is in a very manic state right now and likely won't give you a chance to speak."

Barton said to Landry as they walked, based on his understanding of his boss.

He had no bad impression of this Saint Kerydia Monastery professor who was willing to reason. At least a man who would venture into the heart of the Mafia for his students couldn't be all bad.

And most importantly, he had the will to fight the vampires.

"So, I'll probably have to block her first attack?"

Lanqi analyzed, arriving at that conclusion.

Meeting with a fight might be a form of martial exchange, or a test.

"That's right, otherwise she'll probably attack your throat directly, preventing you from speaking and interfering with her thinking."

Barton agreed.

"Uh..."

Lanqi couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu about this style of attack, where one covers the other's mouth first.

"What are you thinking about?"

Talia questioned, placing her invisible hand on his neck.

"Can you please take your hand off me before you speak, Master?"

Lanqi had no more questions.

Soon, Barton led them to his office, stopping in front of a wall-like bookshelf.

He adjusted the position of the books on the shelf in a seemingly meaningless order. With a slight click of metal against metal, the seemingly normal bookshelf slowly swung open, revealing a deep passageway hidden behind it.

"The two young ladies can stop here."

Barton turned around and said to Elsa and Ursula.

Going further down was an area that only he and Landry could enter. The two students could stay in this safe boss's office.

He didn't mind letting them see this Mafia door.

Because they were destined to have only two outcomes today: either leave smoothly with Landry, or stay with Landry in the Brierda Mafia.

"Brother, be careful."

Elsa thought for a moment and handed the little black cat back to her brother.

She still wanted to keep her brother as safe as possible.

The Cat Boss hesitated, looking back and forth.

Lanqi would probably need it when going to a dangerous place, and it also needed to protect Elsa.

"No matter what happens next, I will try my best to ensure their safety."

Barton assured Lanqi.

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Barton."

Lanqi nodded.

Talia determined that Barton was telling the truth just now, and informed Lanqi in his mind.

"Meow, then I'm coming too, meow."

Seeing this, Cat Boss jumped into Lanqi's shadow.

Since Elsa was safe, it had nothing to worry about. It was safer to pilot the Lanqi mobile suit.

"Go and discuss things with peace of mind, Professor. With me here, Elsa won't be bored."

Ursula waved the back of her hand and said to Professor Landry.

"Well, see you later."

Lanqi nodded.

Barton had already walked into the passage on the inner side of the bookshelf.

Without hesitation, Lanqi followed Barton into the tunnel. The anti-magic steel on the inner side of the bookshelf quietly closed behind him, as if it had never been opened.

The inside of the tunnel was dimly lit, with flickering lights every few meters, emitting a faint glow.

The air was filled with an indescribable chill, as if they were entering an ice cave.

Barton led Lanqi through the maze-like underground passage, his steps firm and swift, as if he knew this secret passage like the back of his hand.

He turned one confusing corner after another, passed several tightly closed anti-magic steel doors, and finally stopped in front of a silver-white elevator.

"How strong is your boss?"

While waiting, Lanqi asked Barton, the Mafia boss beside him.

In Talia's view, Barton Hall was already a top-notch Empire citizen.

If he had stayed in the military, he would at least be a major general, posing a great threat to the Allied forces.

"Only in her can I see a glimmer of hope against the vampires. Though faint, it's at least not zero."

Barton replied calmly.

He placed his palm on the control panel. With a squeak, the elevator opened. He took Professor Landry inside. Without any operation, the elevator began to close and descend rapidly.

Every few meters, a flash of white light swept across the walls around the elevator, illuminating Barton's stern face inside the car.

"..."

Lanqi stood in the elevator car and stopped speaking.

Continuing to inquire might be impolite.

Barton, who was usually very talkative, did not reveal his boss's strength to him. This was Barton's loyalty to his boss.

But correspondingly, Lanqi had made some inferences.

To restrain the vampires, one must have at least Eighth-Order core combat power. If one doesn't even have Eighth-Order, then they pose no threat to the vampires at all.

Just like Barton, as strong as Seventh-Order, with few opponents in the entire Empire, he was still like an ant trying to shake a tree when facing the vampire forces.

So, this boss who Barton was willing to serve probably had Eighth-Order strength.

It was just that among the vastly different levels of Eighth-Order, Lanqi didn't know which level Barton's boss was at.

The elevator creaked as it descended, and the entire space began to sink continuously, as if it were plunging into the deepest part of the earth.

Gradually, all the noise from the surface was completely isolated. Only a deathly silence remained, and a narrow space that led to who knew where.

When the elevator finally stopped, what came into view was a giant door made of pure white anti-magic steel, emitting a chilling frost.

The surface of the door was covered with spatial enchantment-type spells.

"You even have a spatial enchantment?"

As far as Lanqi knew, Blood Moon City was a spatial enchantment, and ordinary physical methods could not touch Blood Moon City at all.

The Mafia's underground spatial enchantment was obviously not the scale of Blood Moon City, but being able to establish a spatial enchantment was something that ordinary people could not do.

"It cost a lot of money."

Barton seemed accustomed to all of this. He took out a crescent-shaped key from his pocket and inserted it into a hidden slot on the side of the door.

With a low rumble of mechanical gears, the heavy anti-magic steel slowly opened, and a dazzling white light instantly filled the entire space, causing a dizzying sensation.

When the vision finally adjusted to the sudden light, a magnificent underground palace was presented before Lanqi's eyes. A cold air rushed in, and a deathly silence enveloped the entire space, freezing even his breath.

The pure white walls and floor reflected light under the icy blue lights, as if it were an otherworld isolated from the world.

The dome flowed with a silver river, as if one could see the real starry sky across tens of thousands of meters.

"Boss, Professor Landry has arrived."

Barton leaned forward slightly and said.

"Okay, you can leave."

In the distance, in the center of the palace, a figure said.

Her face was covered in illusion magic, reflecting the perspective like the edges of broken glass, making it impossible to see her true face clearly. The more one looked directly at her face, the more dizzy one would feel.

And her neck was covered in tattoo-like crimson cracks. Lava-like magic veins wandered downwards, scorching her skin.

"..."

Barton had originally intended to say something, but a gloomy magic quietly spread out. The woman in the distance exuded a chillingly fierce aura, like a demon from hell.

As soon as she looked over, Barton, who had been about to speak, fell silent under this pressure, unwilling to disturb the boss, who seemed to be in a bad mood today.

He signaled to Professor Landry with his eyes to be careful, and quickly walked out of the underground palace space. The anti-magic steel also closed with a rumbling sound.

In the underground space.

Seemingly aware of the strangeness of the visitor, the woman slowly turned her head. Her reddish-brown eyes were like two pools of bottomless stagnant water, revealing a chilling coldness.

At the moment of eye contact, Cat Boss, separated by space in the shadows, felt as if its soul was about to be sucked into the reddish-brown abyss, never to escape.

It felt its consciousness rapidly collapsing, and boundless fear followed it like a shadow, almost completely swallowing it.

Cat Boss endured the dizziness of falling into the abyss, pressed down on its claws, and tried to maintain the last trace of clarity.

At the same time, Lanqi, standing opposite the woman, looked as usual, not shaken by this terrifying aura at all.

"It's just the two of us left..."

The corners of that figure's lips curled up slightly, revealing a creepy smile.

Even her demonic voice had a spiritual influence, making people drowsy.

"I..."

Lanqi was about to speak.

In the next second, a deep red flame suddenly rose beneath her feet, like the claws of an ancient demon god, dancing wildly in the air.

The Hands of Hell roared out with incredible speed, engulfing Lanqi's figure in the blink of an eye and holding him tightly.

"Don't fight, don't fight!"

Lanqi was surrounded by an effect-free Wind Barrier. Under the isolation of the gale and light, the flames did not harm him.

"Immunity field?"

The silver-haired woman muttered in confusion.

She had thought that Professor Landry's Sixth-Order strength might be an act, but she hadn't thought that this guy could trigger a defensive spell of Eighth-Order level, stubbornly hiding as Sixth-Order.

He was indeed a big fish.

Correspondingly, she had also determined the opponent's level.

On the surface, he seemed to be a Sixth-Order, but he had a unique way to reach Seventh-Order strength, and from time to time, he could use some even stronger moves.

The magical fluctuations she had detected earlier had already far exceeded the Sixth-Order level.

But there seemed to be many restrictions on his body, and his magical output was constrained. There must be a limit!

Frost suddenly swept in, raging and howling in the underground space, centered on the silver-haired woman.

Her figure instantly turned into a dark black afterimage, pouncing on Lanqi at a speed that ordinary people could not match. A piercing wind came from the air, and the next second, she was about to strangle Lanqi's neck.

Although the magic intensity on her body was suffocating, she obviously felt that she didn't necessarily need to use magic against this opponent.

Even a contest of physical strength would be enough to take the opponent's head and splatter blood on the spot.

At the critical moment, Lanqi remained calm.

A barrier woven from mental power took shape in front of him, facing the silver-haired woman's attack head-on.

The two forces collided violently in mid-air, erupting invisible sparks of magic.

To the silver-haired woman's surprise, Landry's mental barrier perfectly neutralized her attack and launched a counterattack. The two were deadlocked in place, neither willing to give in an inch.

"Your mental magic is too weak!"

The silver-haired woman sneered. Using mental magic in front of her was undoubtedly a small trick compared to a great one.

In an instant, she used a similar principle of inverse calculation to disintegrate the mental barrier layer by layer, and counterattacked with mental magic.

"I'm weak?"

Talia, in Lanqi's consciousness, raised an eyebrow when she heard this, but it was quickly replaced by anger.

This guy seemed to be humiliating her, liking to use the means she was least good at to crack the means that the opponent was best at. This kind of arrogant guy annoyed her the most.

Even if she encountered a tricky opponent, Lanqi still told her not to treat the opponent as a mortal enemy, just to find a way to calm the other party down, but this concerned her dignity, and Talia didn't want to give in an inch.

"Wait, can we talk?"

Lanqi felt like he had met a madwoman.

This guy didn't listen to people at all.

It was just like Talia when she was angry!

"I don't care who you are, it's better to turn you into my slave!"

Before she finished speaking, a magic power that shook the ground surged around the silver-haired woman, dyeing the entire space dark black, and countless bottomless cracks spread like spider webs.

Then, black curse flames spewed out from the ground, and the silver-haired woman manipulated these strange black flames to rage around Lanqi, like vengeful ghosts trying to burn him to ashes.

…

At the same time, on the ground.

Even Elsa and Ursula, who were in the office on the upper floor of Hassel Tower, stood up, feeling their hairs stand on end.

This terrifying magical fluctuation was like two Eighth-Orders fighting directly below them!

Even if countless layers of restrictions were isolated, the sense of danger could penetrate to them.

And the Mafia members downstairs all entered alert mode.

"Boss is making a move?"

They felt the earth's fluctuations in astonishment.

Hundreds of meters underground in this river port building.

"Meow meow!"

Cat Boss hugged its head in the shadows.

It felt that Lanqi shouldn't have come in.

If they continued to fight, it felt that they couldn't win at all.

This silver-haired woman was too terrifying, at least stronger than Pearlman. It couldn't fight against her at all just by relying on the possession state.

Talia's entity quickly solidified in front of Lanqi, blocking this attack for him, and was about to release her own ultimate move.

"Curse magic?"

The silver-haired woman sneered, her psychedelic voice full of disdain.

The two people's movements became more and more mirror-like, and even their magic began to resonate and intertwine.

Orange light feathers scattered in the silver palace, and a flower fairy-like girl had landed in mid-air.

Just as their magic reached its peak and was about to erupt into a head-on collision.

"Huh?"

Two voices spoke in unison.

Magic power approaching the realm of gods slowly stagnated from its condensed state, until it dissipated with a little hesitation.

The silver-haired woman seemed to be judging whether this was an illusion.

If this was an illusion, the only one she could think of was [Fallen Fairyland].

But in the Fallen Fairyland, those who were hit would not easily suspect that this was the Fallen Fairyland, the logic was contradictory.

That powerful magic, that beautiful face, that dignified temperament.

And that aura of a Demon King, different from the past.

There was no doubt.

Her identity was only one.

"Sis... Sis...?"

The silver-haired woman opened her eyes in disbelief, looking at that figure, her eyes gradually filled with mist.

Her murderous eyes froze, and no one knew what she was thinking.

Until countless seconds passed, she opened her mouth slightly, but did not dare to say a complete sentence.

From the moment her pupils began to reflect the figure of the gray-haired witch, her gaze could no longer be moved away from Talia's face.

"I, I didn't, I didn't want to hurt you..."

The silver-haired woman's murderous intent, which had been brewing earlier, had completely disappeared, and instead she spoke anxiously and with lingering fear.

This gray-haired, golden-eyed woman, even if she hadn't seen her for a hundred years and her memory had faded, she would still not forget the closest appearance in this world!

Although she didn't understand why her proud sister had become like this and had engraved her soul on a human body, she truly believed that this was her sister.

The hostility she had towards Lanqi had already turned into gratitude and closeness, as if she had seen a family.

Talia was also confused. She subconsciously tugged at the corner of Lanqi's clothes, as if asking him what was going on. However, Lanqi spread his hands and smiled, as if telling her to confirm it herself.

He relaxed, deliberately hanging back, probably telling Talia: It seems that I have completed the commission you made to me when you were making Kaliella's Shadow Weave, and now you have to confirm it yourself.

"Iphathia?"

Talia couldn't see the silver-haired woman's face clearly, nor could she hear her original voice, but after the other party attacked without reservation, the familiar magic and moves were exactly the same as her own.

She could only tentatively call out this name.

"It's me."

The silver-haired woman stopped using magic voice, and the illusion on her face shattered like a prism, removing her disguise and revealing her true face.

Her eyes were filled with aggrieved tears.

"Why are you here?"

Talia never expected that this mysterious boss hiding underground in the Mafia was actually her sister Iphathia, whom she had been searching for so hard!

Seeing the blood-red scars all over her sister's body, Talia felt her heart tremble.

She couldn't imagine what her lovely sister had suffered to become like this.

At the moment Talia looked at Iphathia again.

"Sister, I miss you so much. You finally came to the Southern Continent to find me..."

Iphathia rushed over and hugged Talia, burying her head in her chest and crying bitterly.

(End of chapter)