Hostage Crisis

‘Damn it…!’

Having narrowly escaped, Cardo was still shaken to her core.

‘Damn it, that truly startled me. How could this woman have an avatar of the Life Goddess within her? I nearly met my end in there!’

Unlike Seraphina, who had fully accepted her, Cardo, as an outsider, found herself powerless within Sevilya’s utterly unfamiliar body.

Even as a higher existence, she was helpless there.

However, the Life Goddess was different. Residing within her own devotee, she was as potent as she was in the outside world.

Such an immense disparity in power—merely the vast difference in their magical energy—could have instantly crushed Cardo into dust.

Yet… perhaps she simply wished to toy with this interesting plaything a little longer… the Life Goddess refrained from acting.

‘Never mind all that; I’ll just take things one step at a time!’

Having exited Sevilya’s body, Cardo seized the moment before Sevilya noticed her and raised her hand—

Her fingertips descended, and Cardo successfully touched Sevilya’s exposed skin, glistening with sweat.

‘I gambled correctly!’

Though she didn’t understand the mechanism, she could indeed make contact with Sevilya’s body and unleash a furious ‘Ora’ upon her.

Now… it was time to wait for the perfect moment… a close-quarters opportunity from which she absolutely couldn’t escape…

****

After a remarkably exaggerated flight, Sevilya finally landed.

“Ah…”

Collapsing heavily onto the ground, Sevilya writhed, letting out a blush-inducing whimper.

“Damn it… to take a full barrage of my ‘Ora’ and still not pass out, you truly have thick skin…”

Walking over to Sevilya, Cardo narrowed her eyes, glaring at her enemy with a displeased expression.

“You… who are you!?”

“Who am I?” Cardo asked, crossing her arms. “You can ask your dear master; I’m sure she remembers me quite well.”

“Damn it!” Sevilya shrieked, heedless of a knight’s decorum. “Don’t tell me… you’re the one who abducted my sister…?!”

‘Alas, how can one call it ‘abduction’ when it’s a matter between gods?’

Kneeling, Cardo pressed Sevilya’s head down, her knee planted firmly on Sevilya’s neck, using her full body weight to mercilessly pin the fallen captive.

“It’s called ‘to the victor go the spoils’! I seized her, so she’s mine!”

“God! You are…! Ugh!”

“Ugh—”

Leaning down, Cardo covered Sevilya’s mouth and whispered into her ear, her voice barely audible:

“Keep your voice down! Such matters are rather embarrassing to discuss in public!”

“Ugh… ugh!”

“Such a strong reaction? Could it be that you’re quite interested in this?”

Gathering all her strength into her knees, Cardo strained to suppress the restless enemy beneath her.

“Ah…” Cardo offered a wry smile. “If, in the future, we can bury the hatchet and become good friends, then I’ll tell you the whole story, every single detail.”

“Ugh…! Bah! Who’s interested in that? I meant I can’t breathe—”

“Oh, I understand, I understand. Everyone has their privacy, and what girl doesn’t have a few little secrets…”

“Um… Cardo?”

“Hm? What is it?”

Cardo whipped her head around, looking at Seraphina behind her.

“Loosen your grip a little. I think what she’s trying to say is, ‘I can’t breathe’…”

Narrowly avoiding an ‘Otherworld Black Lives Matter’ incident, Cardo hastily released Sevilya’s mouth.

However, just as she was about to lift her knees as well—

“Release her at once!”

Both of them looked up simultaneously… yet the scene that unfolded next made Seraphina and Cardo’s hearts stop.

Gripping Iqiyah and Levian, the elves glared fiercely at the two tormenting Sevilya.

“If you don’t release Sevilya, I’ll kill them!”

Holding the unconscious Iqiyah, the elf Evra’s staff was deeply pressed into Iqiyah’s temple.

Seraphina failed to realize just how incomprehensible the preceding scene had been in the eyes of the elves.

A level 1 vampire, afflicted by [Confinement] and utterly devoid of combat power, had somehow managed to send the immensely powerful Sevilya flying.

Not only that… this vampire was now displaying incredibly potent mystical arts. Though she merely stood in place, the unknown magic in her hands clearly held Sevilya firmly suppressed, rendering her utterly incapable of resistance.

‘Could it be… that this vampire was a formidable Celestial Venerable, capable of effortlessly breaking through divine-tier [Confinement], normally suppressing her true power, but in reality, able to annihilate enemies at any moment?’

At this thought, Evra couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.

‘Should I go rescue Sevilya? No… with that vampire’s combat power, I and my subordinate elves probably wouldn’t even be enough to fill her teeth…’

‘What should I do? Is there any way to turn this around?’

Scanning her surroundings, Evra immediately noticed two crucial variables.

‘I’ve got it!’

“What do you say, Seraphina?!”

Mana converged, and a faint golden glow emanated from Evra’s staff.

“While I don’t know the true extent of your power… at this distance between us, even with divine might reaching the heavens, you wouldn’t be able to save your master before my magic pierces her head, would you?!”

“Hmph, do as you please,” Seraphina scoffed, merely smiling at the elves’ threats. “Even if Iqiyah turns to ash, I can still resurrect her!”

“…Are you certain?”

As if plunging into water, Seraphina suddenly felt a profound sense of suffocation.

“As devotees of the Life Goddess… the souls of those we slay are directly extracted, drawn into our magical artifacts…. And a body devoid of its soul… how would you resurrect that?”

“Tch… you despicable wretch!”

Seraphina knew Evra wasn’t lying.

Back then, after the True Ancestor possessed Godia, his life force was taken by her, and it was never reclaimed, even after the True Ancestor’s demise.

“I actually thought you were one of those ‘ohoho’ cackling otherworldly elves. I truly underestimated you…”

While devising her strategy, Seraphina had already surmised that since these elves consistently performed only auxiliary tasks, their strength was insufficient to sway the battle.

Thus, she had excluded them from her calculations of variable factors.

Yet, she hadn’t anticipated… that in the end, these very factors she had consistently overlooked would turn the tables on her.

Now… only one optimal strategy remained—

“Cardo, pick this one up.”

Following Seraphina’s command, Cardo seized Sevilya by the neck with one hand, lifting her straight up as if she were a small chicken.

“Gah… ugh…!”

Stiffening her legs, Sevilya frantically thrashed her pristine limbs, reaching futilely for her neck, attempting to break Cardo’s grip.

But evidently, in her current physical state, she was utterly unable to escape Cardo’s control.

“Elves opposite me! Listen closely!”

In this critical moment, Seraphina displayed a ferocity and sharpness entirely unlike her usual demeanor.

“Don’t assume you’re the only ones with hostages! If you dare to lay a hand on Iqiyah, I will immediately blow this hag’s brains out!”