Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 582: Battling the Keepers

Chapter 582: Battling the Keepers

It was an unexpected turn of events.

To think that the one behind the rumors of the Dark Cloaked Devil did not run even after hearing of the arrival of Frederick and his Gate.

What made it even worse was that instead of going into hiding, they dared to desecrate the house of the Only One God by praying upon his altar like a devout believer.

Frederick entered with his Keepers following closely behind, each one already prepared to exert their Will the moment they sensed foul play.

Meanwhile, Nadia remained in position, kneeling before the altar while seemingly praying to the statue of Marduk.

"State your name, heathen," Frederick remarked calmly even as his blood boiled with anger.

Nadia did not respond, instead, keeping her head down with a veil obscuring her features.

"I will not ask again."

And then, she replied. "You already know my name."

"Not the rubbish you have spread to the illiterate halflings. Your real name."

"What do you wish to do with it?" Nadia questioned as she arose from her kneeling position, turning to face Frederick and his company.

"To correct the fallacy you have spread, your name must be shared after your death."

"How about I make you an offer?" Nadia inquired as she took off her veil to reveal the stunning beauty underneath despite having no makeup on.

Frederick gave no response as she continued. "Return, there is no reason to give your life here."

Instead of a direct response, Frederick quoted a verse from the Noxus while exerting his Will. "Let there be light."

A brilliant flash of holy light emerged, erasing the darkness that had settled within the church.

But then there was a pulse of energy followed by the dissipation of the light.

Frederick didn’t hesitate to glance in a different direction, same with his Keepers as they had sensed the origin of the sudden energy pulse.

Out of the darkness, a figure emerged, donning a mask and black armor.

He wielded a great sword as he stared at Frederick who frowned as he was quick to figure out the identity of the masked figure.

"What is a Saint of the Warrior Wheel doing in Kastarus?... And more importantly, what are you doing with a Devil Wheel Mystic?" He asked while reaching for the sword at his waist.

The masked figure gave no response and so, the Keepers attacked.

But just as they finished quoting scriptures, the masked man unleashed his Antimagic again, erasing the Abilities before they could manifest.

Frederick snorted as he pulled out his sword and charged at the masked figure who was prepared for this.

The two clashed, resulting in a shockwave that caused the ground beneath their feet to cave in.

Meanwhile, the Keepers took advantage of the opportunity to apprehend Nadia as they closed the distance but before they could put hands on her, a curtain of blood erupted from all sides, keeping them from reaching her.

"A Vampire!" One of them cried out in alarm as they tried to quote a scripture only for a pulse of Antimagic to snuff it out yet again.

The Keepers froze as they knew that it wasn’t the masked figure Frederick was fighting that had done that.

"There’s another Saint!"

With this revelation, they quickly took on a defensive formation with their swords drawn and their shields raised, just in time as well, as an arrow shot down the next moment and struck one of their shields, resulting in a resounding clang.

Just then, Nadia cast a spell on deviltongue.

Denyen.

Quite aware that the Keepers artillery were blessed and so couldn’t be directly affected at the moment due to her current level, she decided on a different approach.

At that moment, Lucia revealed herself and with a thought, unleashed the power of her Crimson Heart.

The authority from it weighed down on the Keepers like an anvil, causing them to wonder how one Vampire Monarch could suppress all of them at once.

Even if only two out of them were Fifth Locks with the remaining eleven being Fourths, that did not mean they were that weak.

"It’s the witch, we must end her now!"

It was a well known fact amongst the denizens of the Divine Wheel that the Devil Wheel gave its denizens very poor physical capabilities.

Even those that had crossed the threshold and acquired divinity were still lacking in physicality which was why one of the rules of engagement for the Keepers when facing a Devil Wheel Mystic was never to give them space.

But when they were given ample space to cast their witchcraft and even had allies to boot, even the divinities of the Divine Wheel had to accept that the Devil Wheel Mystics were tough to beat in such conditions.

With that understanding, one of the Keepers, protected by his brethren, swung his enchanted blade, intending to cut through the curtain protecting Nadia.

Denyen.

His blade did cut through the curtain but Nadia was no longer there.

***

Letting out a tired sigh, Alex hoped Ana wouldn’t wish to pursue any more fated encounters.

Meanwhile, Sinbad made his way to the bow of the Night Rose, taking a moment to look at the crimson waters below before proceeding to jump overboard.

Ulysses watched, with great astonishment as Sinbad jumped overboard, causing a brief splash as he impacted with the crimson sea below.

"Uhmm, Alex, he jumped."

Alex, halfway down the stairs leading into the ship turned back with a raised brow. "What?"

"Sinbad, he jumped."

Alex was tempted to ask why but knowing fully well that Ulysses was just as clueless as he was, he decided not to overthink it. "Leave it be, it doesn’t concern us in any case."

"...Alright." Though still confused, Ulysses decided to put it aside as well, quickly following Alex down the stairwell into the lower deck only for Humphrey to spawn there with Ana in tow.

"How is she?" Alex inquired as he stared at Ana.