The Eclipsed Bloom
Chapter 71: The demons reverence

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: The demons reverence

"Well, I couldn’t think of anything else..." Zara mumbled, her gaze dropping to the small shape hovering in her palm.

The blood had taken the form of a sleek, feline figure—a deep red cat with sharp ears and a curled tail.

Seris stared at it, brow furrowed, then sighed and placed a hand on her hip."Why would you shape a cat? And as far as I know, there are no cats in Elarion." She tilted her head, clearly puzzled.

Zara blinked, her eyes widening slightly in realization.

"Ah... I-I must’ve seen it in a dream," she said without thinking, trying to sound casual.

Seris studied her for a moment, then a mysterious smile slowly curved her lips."Well... if you don’t want to tell me, I won’t ask."

Zara looked down at the floating cat, her expression softening. As she closed her eyes, a quiet thought passed through her mind.

I don’t know when I’ll ever see fluff again...

Seris watched Zara fall quiet, lost in her thoughts, and chuckled softly."Well then, back to work. Try shaping your blood into a dagger—and this time, solidify it."

Snapping out of her daze, Zara nodded and focused once more. The crimson shape in the air trembled, shifting slowly. Gradually, it elongated and narrowed, becoming a shallow, slightly uneven dagger. With effort, it hardened into a solid form.

Zara held it up, examining the awkward shape with a wry smile, then glanced at Seris.

Seris took one look and laughed."Haha! Don’t worry—nobody gets it right on the first try. You’ve got the basics down. Now try to refine the edge... curve the grip a little more... sharpen your intent."

Zara nodded seriously, determination returning to her eyes.

A month passed.

Since beginning her blood training with Seris, Zara had improved drastically. Her control, precision, and creativity had all grown by leaps. She could now form blades, shields, and even simple tendrils that danced to her will.

Seris stood at the edge of the field one afternoon, arms crossed and a proud glint in her eye as she watched Zara summon a perfectly shaped blood spear, the tip gleaming like a ruby in the sun.

"hehe My daughter-in-law is a prodigy," she muttered to herself with a smug grin.

Lilith, standing to the side with her arms crossed, watched the blood spear shimmer in the air before dissolving into Zara’s body.

Wow... she’s getting better and better at this, Lilith thought, blinking in surprise. At this rate, I don’t know when she’ll surpass me...

Seris clapped her hands, her voice cutting through the air."Training’s over for now. Make sure you keep practicing what I’ve taught you."

Zara gave a respectful nod, the crimson spear melting seamlessly into her skin.

As Seris vanished in a swirl of mist, Lilith stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Zara from the side."Wow, Zara, you’ve really gotten good at this," she praised, her voice soft and genuinely impressed.

Zara smiled, her expression gentle. "Thanks... I’ve been trying."

Lilith stepped back, eyes bright. "Anyway, we should get going. Remember—we’re headed to the Werewolf Realm today."

Zara blinked, then her eyes widened in realization. "Right! I almost forgot."

She glanced down at her training clothes and nodded."I’ll go change—then we can head out."

Lilith grinned. "I’ll be waiting."

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Elarion – Demon Encampment

The battlefield was soaked in blood and ash. Screams echoed through the torn sky as fire rained from above. War raged relentlessly.

At the center of the chaos, a figure bathed in golden light stood tall—Ishara, her blade gleaming with radiant energy. With a fierce cry, she slashed downward, her sword cleaving cleanly through a towering dread demon. The creature’s body split in two, falling with a thunderous crash.

Ishara exhaled heavily, sweat clinging to her brow.

"Ahh... at this rate, we’ll lose."

Her gaze swept across the battlefield."They’ve already annihilated an entire continent’s army in one week..."

The ground trembled as a massive orc barreled toward her, muscles rippling and tusks bared.

Without hesitation, Ishara vanished in a golden flash—appearing behind the beast in the blink of an eye. Her sword swung in a swift arc.

Splat.

Blood sprayed into the air as the orc’s head hit the dirt with a dull thud, its body collapsing soon after.

Suddenly, Ishara froze mid-step, her face turning sharply toward the skies behind her. Her torn blindfold fluttered, revealing one violet eye glowing with divine light.

A wave of radiant power descended.

Thousands of figures emerged from the clouds above—warriors clad in shimmering holy armor, their wings of light spread wide as they hovered in the air like celestial avengers.

Leading them was a commander bearing five golden crests on his chestplate, his voice echoing with divine authority:

"High Priestess, the army of the Holy Church has arrived!"

Ishara blinked in momentary surprise, then a relieved smile curved her lips.

"Good. Begin the defense—slaughter every last demon."

The commander raised his hand high. With a single, sharp motion, the holy army descended like a divine storm, light clashing against shadow as swords met claws and spells lit the skies.

Now certain the southern flank was held, Ishara turned her gaze north. Her smile faded into grim focus.There’s something coming...She vanished in a blink, her golden aura flickering away.

On the northern front—

Selena was drenched in blood, her sword a blur as she hacked through demon after demon. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her mana barely trickling back.

"Why... why is my mana recovering so slowly? What’s going on?"

Her violet cloak was tattered, and crimson splattered across her armor. But her eyes still burned with fury. She pressed on, cutting down another demon in a single slash, screaming as she did.

Beside her, Mia stood calm amidst the chaos, hands glowing icy blue. With a graceful motion, she waved her arm—a wave of frost surged outward, instantly freezing ten demons in jagged pillars of ice.

Before they could shatter it, Elira dashed in, her blade gleaming silver.

Crash!She cut clean through the frozen enemies, the shards falling like glittering snow.

Mia turned her head, her sharp eyes scanning the battlefield. Her gaze locked onto a squad of knights clad in black armor, their weapons glowing brightly with spells.

"Knights of House Valemir!" she called out, her voice carrying through the din of battle."Use less mana—fight with your aura! Mana isn’t recovering at the usual rate!"

The knights hesitated only for a moment before shifting their tactics. The glow of magic around their weapons dimmed, replaced by a different radiance—aura, raw and sharpened through training and will.

Their movements became more fluid, more brutal.Instead of flashy spells, they struck with precision and strength, blades coated in personal energy rather than draining mana reserves.

A massive demon charged one of the knights—but with a roar, the knight dashed forward, his aura-imbued blade slicing cleanly through the beast’s chest in a burst of dark blood.

Mia narrowed her eyes and nodded in approval.

"Good. At this rate, we might just hold this line until Ishara returns...

Selena’s eyes widened as her gaze shot upward.A single figure floated in the sky, his silhouette outlined by a blood-red glow. Dark aura coiled around him like living smoke, writhing and hissing with malevolent energy.

All around them, the demons halted, falling to one knee with reverence.

A chilling laugh tore through the battlefield, echoing like thunder through the skies.

"Hahaha! So these are the Saints?"The figure’s voice was laced with cruel amusement."This is what that bitch chose? What weak, pathetic Saints!"