Volume 4: Hidden Battles – Chapter 162: A Bloodbath

As Chu Tianyu had expected, they were indeed taken to a sumptuous dinner venue. There weren’t many people there—besides Count Shawei and Priest Krigu, there were four tall, thin men who appeared to be pure-blooded Africans. Their thick lips and high foreheads clearly indicated their African ancestry. Moreover, the savage brutality emanating from them inevitably reminded one of Africa’s cruel environment…
Chu Tianyu and Sophia exchanged a glance, both filled with doubts about the identities and origins of those Africans.
“Hehe, my dear niece Sophia, it seems your father isn’t worried about your well-being. Before thanking the Lord for this splendid dinner, perhaps you should call your beloved father yourself?” Count Shawei said elegantly.
Leip, standing nearby, quickly handed Sophia the phone he had prepared and said viciously, “You’d better cooperate, or we’ll hurt your little lover. Even the dogs in the manor haven’t eaten yet!”
“Leip, who told you to speak like that? Be polite to Miss Sophia. Remember, she is still your most honored guest at this point. Understood?” Count Shawei scolded in a pretentious tone.
“Yes, Count!”
Watching their crude performance, Sophia hesitated not for a moment before taking the phone. She deliberately put on an indignant expression, glared fiercely at Count Shawei, and then dialed her father’s number. Count Shawei simply shrugged at her gaze and gestured for her to proceed.
“Hello, Father? It’s Sophia…”
“Sophia? You… you really were kidnapped by them…” Her father, Duke Orsini, asked anxiously.
Before he could finish speaking, Sophia interrupted, “Father, save me! I’m with Chu. We were captured together…”
Before she could say more, Leip rudely snatched the phone away. He rushed over to Count Shawei and respectfully handed him the phone that was still on the line.

“Haha. Brother Orsini, rest assured—my niece was simply invited to my manor as a guest; it’s no ‘kidnapping’. The whole process was carried out in a very, very friendly manner. Hehe, Brother Orsini, speaking like that shows a lack of gentlemanly behavior. What? My intentions? You should know what Archbishop Thorne intends! Otherwise, why would I make such a small request of you in this way? Haha. Fine. You can take as much time as you need, but if you take too long and my niece isn’t comfortable here, and something goes wrong, as her uncle, I’d bear great guilt! Hehe, so I hope that by the time tomorrow’s sun kisses the earth, I’ll hear your lovely voice on the phone…” After making this blatant threat, Count Shavi didn’t wait for Orsini’s reply. He hung up the phone and casually tossed it to Leip.

Seeing Count Shavi’s cunning expression at that moment, Sophia wished she could punch him hard. If it weren’t for Chu Tianyu’s plan, and if his scheme had succeeded, it would truly be unjust…

“You people are truly the most despicable!” Sophia began to follow the plan discussed with Chu Tianyu, playing the role of being weak to deceive the enemy.

“Haha, my dear niece, how can you say that? It hurts Uncle Shavi’s heart greatly. But still, Uncle Shavi has prepared the most delicious dishes and finest wines for you. Leip, lead the young lady and her friend to sit down!” Count Shavi called out hypocritically.

Sophia and Chu Tianyu didn’t refuse Count Shavi’s offer but sat down readily, deciding to eat first.

“Haven’t you eaten lunch?” Count Shavi asked, interested, as he watched Sophia and the other person indulging in the food without any courtesy.

“That’s something to ask your good subordinates!” Sophia replied unhappily while eating.

“Hehe…” Count Shavi smiled and didn’t say much more.

“Uncle Shavi, let this be the last time I call you that. What Sophia doesn’t understand is why you have to do this. Although control of the Red Eiru Knights belongs to the Church, it’s in the hands of a few major families that can be considered vassals of the Church. Even so, isn’t Archbishop Thorne still the ultimate ruler? Why go to such lengths? And to my surprise, it turns out Uncle Shavi is also involved. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so easy for others to track my movements, right?” Sophia asked slowly.

Sophia’s question clearly struck a chord with Count Shawei, causing him to change his earlier attitude. His face turned slightly red as he gave her a complex look before saying, “Perhaps this is fate—no one can change it!”
“Then why are you doing this?” Sophia pressed further.
Count Shawei’s expression turned serious as he stared straight at Sophia and said coldly, “For the future of entire Europe. Over the years, Europe’s situation has been deteriorating. Nations act in their own interests, allowing superpowers like China and the United States to pull the strings. Even Japan dares to dictate economic policies to us. If the power of our church does not step forward now, Europe’s prospects will be bleak!”
“Hmph. Such grand principles, such so-called ideals—if they are driven by selfishness and greed, then history will show you the answer…” Sophia said disdainfully.
“What do you know? The church now possesses immense power. Why not use it properly? To show the whole world our true strength. But instead, we’re controlled by the so-called ascetic ways of a few ancient families. Isn’t that absurd?” Count Shawei retorted.
“True strength?” Sophia said, casually glancing at Chu Tianyu before continuing, “We have the church. Don’t others have their own forces? Even the mighty Norse gods were defeated in Hong Kong, killed by Chinese monks. The church’s intervention can only bring more disasters and wars to Europe. I suppose Count Shawei hasn’t forgotten what the church’s teachings are, right?”
“Leip. I think niece Sophia is full. You go ‘send’ them back!” Faced with Sophia’s aggressive tone, Count Shawei clearly didn’t want to argue with her, a younger person.
“Wait!” Chu Tianyu suddenly shouted loudly, shocking everyone.
As everyone’s attention was drawn to his shout, Chu Tianyu continued calmly, “Sorry, everyone. I’m not full yet!” He then took another big bite of steak…
Sophia quickly tried to ease the tension: “Yes, yes. I’m not full either. If Count Shawei doesn’t like me talking, can’t I just stop?”
With both of them still eating heartily, and Sophia having said so, Count Shawei didn’t insist any further. After all, according to Krigu’s teachings, they might not get another chance to eat like this anytime soon!

He then ignored the two of them and turned to talk with Priest Krigu, occasionally raising his cup to greet those four Africans…
“Priest Krigu, do those African priests truly possess dark powers and amazing tracking abilities?” asked Count Shawei.
“Hmm, they were personally brought here by Archbishop Thorne from a primitive tribe in Africa. Our mission has been full of twists and turns—we never expected someone to slaughter several of our forces one after another…” said Priest Krigu.
“What kind of people are they to have such terrifying powers? It’s hard to imagine. If it’s because of their numbers, then it might be the combined effort of those ancient families. But isn’t it just one person now? And it was a direct confrontation. My lord! It’s absolutely terrifying!” interjected Count Shawei.
“Hmm, every time this person appears, all one can see is a shadow—let’s say he hides his face. But strangely, after each massacre, there are still many witnesses, which even the archbishop finds puzzling.”
“Do you think that shadow is a human? Could the unlocking of the War Shackles at Castle Isher be related to this? Could that ‘thing’ be the vengeful spirit guarding the War Shackles?”
“Count Shawei, please be mindful of your status. Besides your noble bloodline, you also possess the sacred power of a clergyman. Such rumors are best left to ordinary people—how could we possibly believe them?” said Priest Krigu arrogantly.
Count Shawei looked annoyed after being spoken to that way and didn’t dare reply, cursing inwardly, “What the hell are you? At best, you’re just an archbishop’s dog. When our Hanle family was still around, you didn’t even know where you were!”
However, Count Shawei’s displeased expression seemed to make Priest Krigu realize he might have gone too far, so he quickly changed the subject. “Hehe, Count, there’s no need for us to guess around. These four African priests summoned by the archbishop are here for exactly this purpose…”
“Oh, is that so? Do they really have such abilities?” Count Shawei asked, still sounding uneasy.
“Of course. Didn’t I send someone ahead to deliver some items?”
Before he could finish speaking, Count Shawei felt nauseous. What was that? It was nothing but severed limbs and rotten flesh—bloody and disgusting, enough to give anyone nightmares at night…

“Mm, everyone has been sent to collect them!” Shawei said, suppressing his disgust.
“Haha, good. Those are human body parts and tissues marked with that dark shadow emblem. Once these four priests finish eating, we can tell them to get to work. Soon we’ll witness their amazing tracking skills and uncover the true nature of that mysterious shadow… Hehe, Count Shawei, this is the archbishop’s secret weapon. Their existence is top-secret—proof of the archbishop’s trust in you. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have arranged for them to be hosted in your manor!” Priest Kriegu said as if bestowing a great honor.
Count Shawei felt annoyed but still feared him, so he merely replied with an “Mm” and tried to change the subject. Pointing at Sophia and Chu Tianyu, he asked, “So, what do they say?”
Following Count Shawei’s finger, Priest Kriegu glanced briefly at the two who were leisurely dining and said disdainfully, “They’ve been listening for so long—do you think they’ll be afraid to look? Let them see too. Anyway…”
As he spoke, a vicious glint appeared in Priest Kriegu’s eyes, making Count Shawei’s heart tighten. It seemed he hadn’t planned for this so soon…
At that moment, the African priests had finished eating. One of them started speaking rapidly at Kriegu. Kriegu nodded eagerly and signaled Count Shawei to bring over the “things” that had been delivered earlier. The African priests wanted to begin the ritual right away to locate that person.
“What? Now? We just finished eating!” Count Shawei exclaimed.
“Just go and do it. Whatever they say, do it. You don’t know—when they first arrived, the person who was supposed to guide them accidentally violated their wishes, and they tore him to pieces on the spot. They ate his heart and eyes right away!”
Priest Kriegu didn’t finish speaking. Count Shawei felt disgusted, and Sophia, who had been eavesdropping, immediately felt like vomiting.
Soon, under Count Shawei’s orders, his men brought in a large mahogany and copper-bound box. Before it was opened, a stench of decay spread throughout the dining room…
Sophia had already put down her fork and knife, suppressing her urge to vomit, but out of curiosity, she glanced over.

The moment the box was opened, bloody and flesh-covered messes were revealed, with muscles and tendons visible; some even seemed to have white worms writhing on them. Though prepared, Sophia quickly turned her head to the side and covered her mouth. Even so, she still gagged several times, her face turning pale as death.

Even Count Shawei frowned, clearly uncomfortable. Yet the priest Krigu remained meticulous, giving Count Shawei a glance meaning to assign some men to watch over Sophia and Chu Tianye, ensuring they wouldn’t take advantage of the ritual.

At Count Shawei’s command, Lep led a few strong men to stand behind Sophia and Chu Tianye, forming a tight circle around them, leaving no room for them to exploit.

The African priests sat in the four corners around the red box, without any spells or rituals. Each reached into the box with one hand, pulling out “things” which they held in their palms. Dark red blood seeped down their arms as they began to chant, gradually raising their voices and accelerating the rhythm, until it sounded like an ancient African song.

At a high-pitched part of the song, one of the priests suddenly took out a clump of black substance from his bosom and chewed it. Disgusting black liquid flowed from the corners of his mouth. As those around him could no longer bear to watch, he let out a loud roar and spat out the chewed substance into the air. Instantly, a pitch-black veil formed above them. Then all four of them struck at the black mist with their palms, using their strength to maintain its cohesion while flinging the crushed flesh and blood onto it…

Their unique song resumed, and as their palms pressed against the black mist, it began to tremble, emitting powerful and strange forces. The rotten flesh gradually solidified on the black veil, fading in color and brightening, slowly emitting faint light.

Soon, those faint lights formed an image on the black veil, drawing curious looks from everyone present. They stared intently, waiting for the image to become clearer, eager to see the true face of the mysterious person!

A glow gradually appeared on the dark screen, and the image became clearer. There was a dining table, a sumptuous dinner, crystal wine glasses, a shadow holding a knife and fork, and seemingly more figures beside and behind him… Everything seemed to take shape as a real reflection on that dark screen, leaving everyone waiting for the moment when the truth would be revealed. Yet as the image grew clearer, everyone felt a strange sense—that the scene in the image seemed so familiar. “This… this isn’t…” Before Count Shawei could finish speaking, the shadow on the dark screen lit up, and Chu Tianye’s relaxed smile appeared clearly… At that moment, everyone seemed immersed in a dream. Especially when comparing the illusory image of Chu Tianye with the real one sitting right in front of them, it was hard to tell which was real and which was imaginary! Both the Chu Tianye on the dark screen and the real one made a face at everyone, then his voice rang out at the same time: “Oh, Sophia, I suddenly forgot what our second step was.” Sophia also seemed to come to her senses. She was stunned at first but quickly understood Chu Tianye’s intention, so she played along with his feigned ignorance and said loudly, “The second step—go ahead and kill!” As soon as she finished speaking, Chu Tianye turned around and swept his hand backward, sending the men surrounding him flying apart. Sophia followed closely behind, delivering a elbow strike to Reep’s chest while also kicking him between the legs. Reep, still conscious, endured the intense pain and realized that sometimes even priests could be crazy! After that sweep, Chu Tianye pushed the heavy wooden doors of the hall shut from afar…