The demise of the Shadow person did not greatly affect Emilia, the Vampire; she didn't even know what had happened. However, for a group of people far away in mainland Europe, this news was extraordinarily startling.
Watching the black crystal in front of them suddenly shatter, countless fragments falling to the ground and quickly turning into ashes, a group of figures wrapped in wide cloaks revealed expressions of inexplicable horror in their eyes.
"The Shadow Assassin is actually dead? How is this possible?"
The speaker was a middle-aged man with very prominent features. His crimson eyes and fangs at the corners of his mouth fully indicated his identity as a Vampire. His attire and grooming were meticulously refined, showing at a glance that he was a person who paid great attention to his image.
And now, he seemed to completely disregard his image. He gaped, his face full of disbelief, as he looked at a group of women sitting opposite him. He even began to gesticulate wildly and shout.
"Did you Witches make a mistake? My Shadow Assassin, my Samo. How could he just die like that!"
Hearing this, both the people around him and the Witches he accused showed him sympathetic expressions. The Shadow Assassin Samo was one of the most loyal subordinates and also the most intimate lover of one of the Vampire Grand Elders who occupied three seats on the Dark Council.
The two, relying on strange methods and excellent political maneuvering, gradually expanded a Vampire Family into one of the Council members. They had walked hand in hand through countless trials and tribulations for hundreds of years without ever changing. This kind of affection and tacit understanding earned the admiration of countless informed people.
However, now the Shadow Assassin Samo was dead. The despair the Grand Elder showed was understandable.
Many people began to sympathize with his plight; the sudden pain of hearing that one's beloved was gone could indeed completely shatter a person's reason.
"Grand Elder Your Excellency. Please accept our condolences and adapt to the change. The Soul Crystal has never been wrong. You should know that." Facing the Vampire Grand Elder's cries, some sympathized, but others remained indifferent.
A Witch coldly responded to his recent words, clearly believing that no matter how great someone else's emotional problems were, they had no right to question her professional competence.
Hearing the Witch state the truth that everyone had confirmed, the Vampire Grand Elder could no longer endure the pain in his heart. He roared, sharp claws suddenly protruding from the five fingers of his hands, and his arms transformed into bat wings. Then, like a Shadow, he flew out of the castle.
"Where is he going?" Someone asked, looking at the frenzied Vampire Grand Elder disappearing into the night. But no one was willing to answer his question.
Some were unwilling to answer, while others were indifferent. Having lost the Shadow Assassin, this Vampire Grand Elder had essentially lost half of his power. He could no longer hold his position securely, so the remaining people naturally wouldn't pay much attention to him.
"The Grand Elder seems a bit overly grieved; let him have some quiet for now. Let us consider how to deal with this troublesome opponent." A voice suddenly rang out, setting the tone for the matter. And no one dared to object to this command.
The speaker was the head of the Witches, and also the Grand Speaker of the Dark Council. She was the most powerful among everyone present, and also the one most trusted by their Queen Your Majesty. Power and authority combined meant no one here dared to contradict her words.
She first looked at the silent Vampires, then swept her gaze over her confidantes. The figure hidden in the cloak began to speak in an aged voice.
"Does the Blood Clan have any other methods?"
"We are at a loss, Grand Speaker Your Excellency." A Vampire bowed, answering in a low voice.
"Then, my Witches. Do you have any ideas?" She turned her head to her confidantes. The mysterious and strange-looking Witches whispered among themselves, then gave her a reply.
"Perhaps we can try to curse him, Grand Speaker Your Excellency."
"Very well, then use that. If it doesn't work, we'll think of other methods." The Grand Speaker thought for a moment, deemed the method feasible, and nodded to her confidante Witches.
Soon, a group of Witches stepped forward. They drew a strange pattern on the ground. The pattern looked like a tangled mass of geometric shapes, making one dizzy just by looking at it. After the pattern was drawn, the Witches stood around it and began to chant an incantation that no one could understand.
The pattern, drawn on the ground with black cat blood and an unknown powder, gradually began to emit a seductive red glow amidst the Witches' incantations. And with the appearance of the light, the Witches collectively slit their wrists, allowing their fresh blood to drip onto the glowing lines.
As soon as the blood hit the ground, it immediately turned into green flames. The flickering flames swayed, looking even more bizarre.
At this moment, the Witches quickly pulled out various items like feathers, lizards, toads, and insects from their bodies and threw them into the flames. These items immediately vanished without a trace upon entering the flames; they didn't seem to burn to ashes, nor were they concealed by some illusion. Instead, it was more as if an invisible entity was hidden within, quietly devouring them.
And as these items completely disappeared, the green flames suddenly surged, and an intense red began to emerge from the heart of the flame. The flames were rising, and a smell of sulfur emanated from them. This signified that this high-Rank curse magic had taken effect.
The pattern was a way to summon and communicate with a demon. The Witch's blood was the source of assurance and magic. The miscellaneous items were both the Witches' Magical Artifacts and the vicious curses placed upon the cursed. When all these conditions were met, the demon arrived and accepted the curse's contract. He would become the executor of that curse, tormenting the cursed person and finally harvesting his Soul as his reward.
The Witches' ritual had reached its end, and now only information about the cursed was needed to complete the last step of the ritual.
At this moment, someone handed over a drawing. The drawing meticulously depicted Zhou Yi's appearance. And at the same time, someone else brought over the ashes of the recently shattered black crystal.
The crystal was the Shadow Assassin Samo's natal stone. At the moment of Samo's Death, it also recorded the Qi that caused Samo's Death. With the appearance and the sensing of Qi, the demon who accepted the contract could completely locate the target's existence.
The Witches placed these items into the magic array of the curse. The flames immediately, like a pair of large hands, lifted these two items to the very center of the array. A gloomy, terrifying laughter echoed from within the array, signifying that the curse was completely achieved and the demon had begun to act.
Hearing this laughter, the Witches casting the spell exchanged smiles. All they had to do now was await the final outcome.
For centuries, Witches had used this method to kill many powerful individuals. Among them were many priests and knights with great power, and even those crowned with holy names were no exception. Therefore, they had great confidence in their curse.
The Witches' unfathomable and eerie power would once again awe the entire Council and procure more power and resources for them. This was what they were about to gain, a point that even the Grand Speaker, high on her throne, never doubted.
However, events did not unfold as they had imagined.
Time passed by the minute, but the magic array did not change as they expected. According to usual practice, at this point, the demon's vision should have materialized on the array, and it should have begun to show them how the cursed person was being tormented. But now, no anomaly appeared on the magic array.
This gave the Grand Speaker an ominous premonition. She was the most powerful among the Witches. Her understanding of this curse magic was also the most profound among everyone present. And such a long period of inactivity was already extremely abnormal.
A demon who signed a contract would not casually break it. The will of the Witch Queen monitored the execution of the contract. If there was a problem, it could only be with the cursed person. But what kind of problem could a cursed person have?
She was still pondering when suddenly, a change appeared in the magic array.
A spark of Fire emerged in the center of the magic array. This caused the Witches, who had been waiting somewhat anxiously, to crane their necks, wanting to see what was happening inside. They thought it was a message from the demon, but the reality was completely different from what they imagined.
First, a hideous demonic phantom emerged in the flames, then a ball of golden flames spread at a visible speed. The green flames flickered, seemingly trying to stop the spread of the golden flames. But they simply could not block these clearly more miraculous flames.
The lower half of the demonic phantom had been completely engulfed by gold. He was roaring loudly, wailing. All the surrounding Witches could hear the pain in his voice. But it was useless; the flames surged incredibly fast, and in a few breaths, they completely engulfed the demon's body, also completely preventing him from making any more sounds.
The demon died? Almost all the Witches asked themselves this question. They had never encountered such a strange thing. One must know that the beings summoned to execute curses were not ordinary small fry. Even in Hell, they were top-tier powerhouses, far from what those so-called exorcists could contend with.
How could such a being die like this, and so bizarrely, right before their eyes?
The flames were still rising, and a look of horror suddenly appeared in the Grand Speaker's eyes. The strange scene before her reminded her of some secrets unknown to ordinary people, so she quickly shouted to her confidante Witches.
"Danger! Quickly, shut down the magic array for me!"
The Witches didn't know what was happening, but out of instinct, they immediately carried out the Grand Speaker's command. But it was already too late.
The golden flames immediately surged, like a pure gold Fire Dragon soaring into the sky. The flying flames not only brought deadly high temperatures but also unimaginable divine power.
The Witches by the magic array were instantly burned to nothing but ashes. And the light emitted by the flames was even more deadly for the Vampires present. It was as if a giant Sun had suddenly appeared before them; any Vampire who dared to face this sky-rocketing Dragon Fire turned into scattered dust.
For a moment, the entire Dark Council seemed to be in another World. Unbearable heat, unbearable light, and unbearable despair.
The Grand Speaker finally understood who they were facing. But the thought of it filled her with waves of despair. For that was a deity walking among humans, and opposing a deity was something she had never imagined doing.