Blood Holy Scripture: True Ancestor Charlotte de Castel

Crimson brilliance dazzled the eye.

Astrid stood in the center of the Magic Storm, her hair flying about her.

She felt as if there was an endless surge of power within her, continuously rising.

The pain on her body disappeared.

The searing agony of forcibly igniting her soul vanished.

At this moment, Astrid felt more powerful than ever before!

Feeling the girl's rapidly swelling aura, Gunnar stared in disbelief, his eyes widening.

The pale blue Totem power trembled slightly, as if it feared something.

A strong sense of unease slowly spread across the young man's heart.

"Hmph! Playing god!" He cursed under his breath, suppressing the fear in his heart, and then shouted angrily, controlling the pale blue Totem power to charge at the girl...

Watching Gunnar rushing toward her, Astrid gently lifted her right hand.

The crimson glow spread and condensed in the palm of her hand.

The pale blue and crimson lights soon collided, erupting in a deafening roar, the blinding brilliance forcing the onlookers to instinctively close their eyes.

The Magic Storm, even more tumultuous than before, spread out, blowing down nearby people, and the restless Power of Elements almost instantly broke the strength of the tier-entering man, almost reaching that of Silver Moon.

Marquis Vladimir's expression changed subtly.

He drew a Magic Wand from his chest with a low shout and quickly chanted under his breath, rapidly deploying a silver-blue Magic Shield that contained all the erupting Power of Elements within the dueling grounds.

The Magic Storm lasted a full few seconds.

And when the restless Power of Elements slowly calmed, the challenge arena had collapsed into a pit roughly thirty centimeters deep and four to five meters wide.

Astrid and Gunnar stood in the center, still maintaining their combat stance.

But the next moment, the shortsword in Gunnar's hand shattered with a bang.

A sound like something cracking echoed, as numerous cracks emerged in the brilliance that enveloped the boy, and then… just like the shortsword in his hands, it shattered with a burst.

"Gunnar, you've lost." Astrid said calmly.

Gunnar opened his mouth:

"What… what power is that you're using?"

The girl glanced at him, the crimson of her pupils gradually returning to pale blue.

"You have your Totem power, and I… I also have my power of Faith."

"Really…" Gunnar murmured to himself.

He swayed slightly, then his legs gave out, and he fell to the ground.

Silence.

Watching the battle swiftly reverse in a matter of seconds, the surrounding crowd fell into silence.

The young men who followed Gunnar stared incredulously, seemingly not expecting that the boy, who could even manage to fight a seasoned Starry Transcendent with his Totem power, would fall so quickly.

Meanwhile, by the fur shop, the young men and women of the Free Tribe Alliance emerged from their daze after a few breaths and quickly responded, erupting in enthusiastic cheers:

"We won! Astrid won!"

"Praise the Savior! Long live!"

Watching the excited cheering young men and women, Marquis Vladimir looked on with a complex expression.

He took a deep look at Astrid and said somberly:

"I declare… the victor is Astrid of the Free Tribe Alliance."

Upon hearing Marquis Vladimir's words, the cheering from the young men and women grew even more fervent, while on the other side, the young men who followed Gunnar deflated like punctured skins, looking dejected.

Gunnar's face was ashen.

He gritted his teeth and then, in a fit of resignation, slumped and said:

"I… I lost. I'll honor my promise… do with me what you will..."

Astrid glanced at him, a slight change in her expression.

She shook her head and said:

"Forget it, I was just speaking offhand. We, the Free Tribe Alliance, don't have a tradition of keeping slaves."

"You only need to apologize to Grandma Stella and compensate for all the losses to the shop, and we'll call it even."

Hearing the girl's words, Gunnar couldn't help but look up, his expression astonished:

"Really… really?"

The girl furrowed her brow and looked at him, saying coldly:

"What? As the heir to the Forest Sea Tribe, do you truly wish to become my slave?"

Gunnar pressed his lips together.

He looked at the girl complicatedly and then, supported by other young men, struggled to his feet.

Under the watchful eyes of the young men and women, he approached the old woman and bowed his head, performing an ancient Northern Territory rite of apology:

"I… I'm sorry…"

Then, gesturing to the young men beside him, he took out a bag of gemstones and placed it in front of the bewildered old woman.

The old woman instinctively looked to Astrid, who nodded:

"Grandma Stella, accept it. This is the Forest Sea Tribe's compensation; see if it's enough to cover your losses."

"Enough… it's enough… more than enough!" The old woman stammered.

Astrid nodded again, then turned to Gunnar:

"Alright, you can go now."

Gunnar had a complex look in his eyes.

He exhaled softly and said:

"Astrid, I owe you a favor… I'll remember this."

After saying that, he looked to the other young men:

"Let's go."

With those words, Gunnar, supported by the young men, bowed to Marquis Vladimir once more and then limped away from the place.

"Astrid! Astrid!"

The teenagers around Astrid erupted into cheers once again.

Glancing at the boy who had disappeared into the crowd, Marquis Vladimir's gaze fell back on the girl.

Remembering the dazzling crimson glow that had just surrounded her, he hesitated for a moment before speaking in a deep voice,

"Miss Astrid, you..."

"Astrid! You little rascal! What trouble have you caused in the city now!?"

A voice filled with anger, urgency, and concern interrupted Marquis Vladimir's inquiry, and then... a towering Northern Territory warrior emerged from the crowd.

"Father... Father?"

Astrid's expression brightened at the sight of the Northern Territory warrior.

In an instant, she seemed to transform back into a carefree girl and threw herself at the Northern Territory warrior like a swift swallow.

The Northern Territory warrior embraced his daughter, then scrutinized her slightly torn, bloodstained dress, and his expression immediately changed to worry:

"You... You got into a fight?!"

Astrid's expression suddenly turned guilty.

Her eyes darted away as she said hesitantly,

"It was just a... a sparring match with someone..."

"Nonsense! I saw the Totem Power from miles away! Did you cause this mess?!"

The Northern Territory warrior exclaimed angrily after confirming that his daughter was not seriously injured.

The girl felt even more guilty upon hearing his words.

Yet, she quickly became excited again, her voice full of eagerness:

"Father! Totem Power!"

Cutting herself off as if she realized something, she quickly lowered her voice, trying to suppress her excitement, as if afraid of being overheard:

"Father! I used Totem Power just now! Our very own Totem Power of the Free Tribe Alliance!"

"Our lord is not a fabrication; our lord truly exists! We have only lost our Inheritance, we have just lost our way!"

"We... haven't been abandoned by the deities!"

Clearly, the girl had not realized just how dazzling the glow of her "Totem Power" had been...

"Your Totem Power?"

Gazing at the excited girl, the Northern Territory warrior was utterly baffled.

It wasn't until a slight cough was heard that he noticed the Isaac Cavalry and Marquis Vladimir, dressed magnificently, not far away.

Upon seeing Marquis Vladimir, the girl quickly covered her mouth.

The Northern Territory warrior was momentarily taken aback, then hastily bowed to Marquis Vladimir, saying somewhat awkwardly:

"Marquis... Marquis, I apologize..."

"I'm sorry, Astrid has caused trouble again, hasn't she? I truly apologize... I arrived late."

Marquis Vladimir smiled slightly and shook his head at the Northern Territory warrior:

"No, Lord Balder, your daughter is formidable. She just won an honor challenge against Gunnar, son of the Forest Sea Tribe chief, a true Northern Territory warrior."

"She? She defeated Gunnar?"

The Northern Territory warrior looked astonished.

"Yes," Marquis Vladimir nodded.

Having said that, he turned towards Astrid, who was warily hiding behind the Northern Territory warrior, and said warmly:

"Astrid, you did well just now."

"However, about the power you used just now..."

"Power? What power? I... I don't know anything, I don't know anything at all!"

The girl cast a wary glance at Marquis Vladimir, shaking her head while backing away, and then she disappeared into the crowd in a whoosh.

Marquis Vladimir: ...

"Astrid!"

Watching the girl flee in a hurry, the Northern Territory warrior called out after her.

"I apologize, Marquis, my daughter is poorly educated and completely lacks manners. I will make sure to bring her to apologize to you later..."

He bowed to Marquis Vladimir with an apologetic face, then hurriedly chased after his daughter.

Watching as the father and daughter disappeared in an instant, the smile on Marquis Vladimir's face became a bit stiff.

He looked serious, prepared to follow them, but was suddenly blocked by a tall figure:

"Heh, Marquis, what a spectacular fight that was. The youths of the Northern Territory are indeed born warriors, much stronger than those of Castel."

Seeing Sebastian block his way, Marquis Vladimir hesitated for a moment, then offered a forced smile:

"You flatter them too much. They're just a bunch of impolite kids. I apologize for their behavior."

"Heh, Marquis, you're too modest. It's getting late, and we've been delayed here for some time. Shouldn't we proceed?" Sebastian said with a smile.

Marquis Vladimir looked hesitant.

He glanced in the direction where Astrid had vanished and, ultimately sighing in resignation, adopted a friendly smile:

"Everything... as you wish."

Sebastian's smile grew even brighter.

Soon, Castel's caravan was on the move again, heading towards the castle.

Sebastian mounted his horse.

He glanced in a certain direction, his lips curling slightly.

A fine seed indeed.

Talented... quite good, and sufficiently alert and sharp-witted.

No wonder, with just a little nudge, she had directly gained the favor of His Highness the True Ancestor.

But still, she was too young, too impulsive.