Gospel of Blood

Why are there so many bloodbornes?

What is the Church doing? Are the priests blind?

This is the capital, Lutecia, not Borde!

Looking at the young noble in front of her, Charlotte was shocked.

She never expected that so many bloodbornes could be hiding in the heart of the Crescent Diocese, one of the cities with the strongest power of the Holy Court.

Moreover, these bloodbornes dared to openly hold a banquet and even invite an outsider noble like her!

“Countess Castell, there’s no need to look so serious. We invited you to our banquet with full consideration.”

The young noble said with a slight smile.

At the same time, numerous nobles, servants, and maids in the banquet hall turned their gazes toward Charlotte, all smiling slightly. Their movements were synchronized, even their smiles identical, like puppets controlled by someone.

Seeing this terrifying scene, Charlotte felt numb, her PTSD from facing the undead when she first transmigrated almost flaring up.

The music in the banquet hall subtly changed, no longer the usual melodious tunes. Exaggerated soprano and tenor voices replaced the bard’s singing, eerie and solemn.

At some point, clouds obscured the moonlight, and the hall’s lighting dimmed, becoming shadowy and increasingly sinister. The red wine on the trays of the servants became more conspicuous, the strong scent of blood wafting through the air. Crimson eyes lit up in the dimness, all fixed on Charlotte.

A subtle divine power fluctuation came, carrying a force that twisted the mind.

Corrupt magic.

Fortunately, with the Gospel of Blood, the divine counter easily neutralized this level of interference for Charlotte. But her vigilance only increased.

Her eyes swept over the bloodbornes in the hall, finally resting on the leading young noble.

“Are you… the Blood Demon Cult? Aren’t you afraid of the Holy Court’s judgment for being so blatant?”

The young noble smiled faintly. He picked up a glass of fresh blood from a servant’s tray, elegantly drank it in one gulp, and then said,

“Countess Castell, there’s no need to probe. Since we’re holding this banquet here, we naturally have no fear of being discovered by the Holy Court.”

Charlotte fell silent. She quickly pondered the implications of his words while discreetly asking.

“What is your purpose in inviting me here?”

The young noble smiled slightly, then performed an ancient bloodborne salutation.

“Countess Castell… no, more accurately, Your Excellency. Our Archduke wishes to meet you, so you were invited here…”

Your Excellency!

They called me Your Excellency!

Charlotte’s heart sank. She narrowed her eyes slightly.

“I don’t quite understand what you’re saying.”

The young noble smiled again.

“Your Excellency, there’s no need to continue pretending. Indeed, you hide well, but before the great Archduke, all disguises are meaningless.”

“The Thorny Rose is your divine symbol, the Dark Night Castle your divine domain. Your power, none of the Archdukes will forget. Your return, the Archdukes have foreseen it all. From the moment you descended in Borde, the Archduke has known of your existence and has been preparing for this meeting…”

Exposed…

Charlotte’s heart sank. Following that was confusion.

When was she exposed?

She knew the Nez Clan was aware of a “God” behind her. Considering the Shedite Clan previously had spies in the Nez Clan, the Blood Demon Cult likely got the information too.

But knowing there’s a “God” behind her and knowing she is that “God” are two different things.

Not to mention, the implication was that they knew she is the “True Ancestor of Blood”!

Where did it go wrong?

Charlotte was puzzled. She believed she had hidden well, any potential recognizers were either eliminated or recruited. How did the Blood Demon Cult know?

Charlotte felt something was off. Vaguely, she sensed a hint of discomfort but couldn’t pinpoint it.

However, now wasn’t the time to dwell on how she was exposed…

The young noble’s words made Charlotte dread a heavy guess.

“You say the Blood Demon Archduke wants to see me…From what you’re saying, has he already descended?”

The young noble’s mouth curved into a sinister smile. His expression turned fanatical.

“Yes, Your Excellency, the Archduke has already descended.”

“And it’s thanks to you. The commotion you caused in the North drew the attention of several Legendaries in the

Crescent Diocese, giving us the opportunity…”

Hearing the young noble’s words, Charlotte’s heart sank.

She understood what he meant.

The Blood Demon Archduke had descended, likely in the capital.

No wonder…

No wonder the Blood Demon Cult dared to hold a banquet under the Church’s nose with so many bloodbornes.

If the Blood Demon Archduke had successfully descended, it all made sense.

With a mythic being present, hiding a Bloodborne banquet would be easy.

More dramatically, the entire capital might already be under the Archduke’s control!

Charlotte regretted coming to this banquet. Clearly, it was targeted at her.

She began considering activating the True Ancestor’s Liberation.

She doubted the Blood Demon Archduke’s intentions were benign. If the Archduke discovered her true situation, her fate could be dire.

Fortunately, even if the Archduke had descended, given the recentness, his power might be limited. With the True Ancestor’s Liberation, Charlotte believed she could still fight.

But her unease grew stronger. Particularly when she considered the True Ancestor’s Liberation, she felt an inexplicable reluctance.

She sensed she was overlooking something, her discomfort intensifying.

“Alright, Your Excellency, the next moment is for the great Archduke.”

The young noble smiled.

Then, his expression turned fervent and zealous. He stepped aside, revealing a mysterious statue behind him, drew a demon eye symbol on his chest, and fervently chanted.

“Master of the Abyss and the Mortal Realm…”

“Embodiment of Corruption and Decay…”

“Savior of the Bloodborne…”

“Great Archduke! The True Ancestor of Blood has appeared. Your humble servant requests your descent…”

After speaking, the eerie statue emitted a crimson glow, an ancient and vast presence slowly descending…

In Charlotte’s astonished gaze, a giant shrouded in dark red light gradually appeared in the hall. The dark red giant’s features were unclear, but just looking at it induced dizziness.

It looked at Charlotte indifferently, its cold voice devoid of emotion.

“True Ancestor of Blood, your power… I shall accept it.”

The dark red divine power erupted, twisting minds.

As the divine power swept over the bloodbornes, they all showed ecstatic and intoxicated expressions.

Then, the bloodbornes began to “melt”, turning into pools of blood, absorbed by the dark red giant…

In an instant, all the bloodbornes in the hall were devoured by the giant, enhancing its power!

After devouring the bloodbornes, the sinister divine power continued towards Charlotte…

Charlotte’s expression changed drastically.

She summoned her divine power, the Gospel of Blood operating autonomously, triggering the divine counter.

The terrifying divine power engulfed her, burning and corroding her.

The Gospel of Blood shone brightly, reinforcing the counter.

For a full minute, the Gospel’s power clashed with the dark red divine power before Charlotte barely managed to fend off the attack.

Charlotte took a deep breath, preparing for the True Ancestor’s Liberation, but hesitated at the last moment.

Feeling the Gospel of Blood’s power within her, looking at the terrifying red giant, Charlotte’s expression turned peculiar.

She… seemed to know what felt off.

Today’s divine counter didn’t show the usual ancient, mysterious text in her vision…