Chapter 365 (1/2)

The Blood Lake quickly turned into a vortex and the noise it made was akin to rolling thunder. The centre part of the lake had become funnel-shaped and the small island as well as the church on it had undoubtedly been swallowed by the vortex. The scene was so petrifying that even a dumb rock like Lily bristled in fear. The husky lass let out a low growl, before scurrying behind Hao Ren. “It’s leaking… The lake is leaking!”

Marshal Ophra stared in disbelief as well when she saw the scene at the lake, muttering to herself, “Ha-Have we angered the goddess?”

If it managed to shake the venerable marshal, the shock was even more profound when it came to the common soldiers. They were all basically believers of the goddess. In addition, the ones sent to the Blood Lake were the most battle-hardened of them all. These warriors saw something that only happened in legends. It unfolded before their eyes on their very sacred grounds. Fear gripped each and everyone of them. If had not been for their training and discipline as well as Marshal Ophra’s presence, things would have been chaotic.

The muscular old man beside Ophra stared at the lake for a while before his aura started to change. “The sacred lake has been defiled and the lake is swallowing the church. Whatever that’s been sealed since the old times may come out. Ready yourselves! Stay in formation! We may engage in combat at anytime!” Upon finishing, the old man had completely transformed. His already muscular frame was even more prominent as his muscles started bulging. His hair and beard grew out almost like a wolf’s fur. Shortly after, black wolf ears popped out as well. He then turned around and pulled his tail out from his pants.

Marshal Ophra looked at him. “Can you just not wear the low-cut pants and loose shirts your kind likes to wear?”

Still adjusting his tail, the old man said, “Don’t talk to me, it ruins my poise.”

“…”

Only then did Lily manage to react, leaping excitedly as she saw his transformation. “Whoa! You’re… one of my kin! You’re a werewolf too?”

“Lassy, do you need to be so surprised when you see a werewolf?” The old man glanced at Lily. “Holetta doesn’t have that many werewolves, but we are not that rare. Rather… you, lassy, I’ve noticed you for a while now, but I can’t tell which stock you’re from.”

Lily was wagging her tail excitedly, and in the rain, it turned into a mini hurricane. “I’m a northern werewolf! The northern stock that pulls sleighs!”

Ophra and the old werewolf were totally confused. Hao Ren quickly interjected. “Don’t worry about the details. She doesn’t know where she’s from and she was raised by humans. Let’s rendevous with the survivors.”

Under the guidance of the old werewolf, everyone was on combat alert as they headed towards the pillar of light near the lake’s shore. The light was similiar to the one seen in town earlier. It was a warning signal. The knights and monks who managed to evacuate the church had already set up camp on a safe spot. They were awaiting aid and reinforcements. They never thought the first to arrive would be the Royal Knights led by Marshal Ophra, instead of the Church Knights led by Bishop Gelton.

Hao Ren saw a big, magical barrier by the shore and a big group of people were taking shelter from the storm. There were some runic stones and activation devices around the perimeter of the barrier. A group of clergymen clad in black could be seen maintaining the barrier. Inside, there were about a hundred worn out and battered knights as well as clergies. A few of them were sprawled across the floor and a group of wounded were receiving treatment. Nervous-looking warriors were everywhere, talking softly amongst themelves. They wondered what the disaster boded for them. A few high level clergies in white robes were walking around the group of “refugees”, comforting them and stabilising their spirits.

Ophra led her knights to the camp and her arrival caused some commotion. Some of the high level clergies walked out from the masses and Marshal Ophra led Hao Ren as well as her entourage to meet them. “I am Marshal Ophra. What’s the situation?”

“We thought Bishop Gelton would come here…” a tall and lanky clergy in a white robe spoke with caution, but under the current situation, he did not bother arguing about doctrine anymore. He pointed towards the group behind him. “As you can see, we have evacuated the people out of the church, but all the valuable treasure and tomes in the repository are lost.”

Hao Ren noticed that most of the survivors were empty-handed, and the few items that they managed to save lay in the middle of the camp. It seemed like the vortex had formed rather suddenly, and before anyone could fully react, the church and the island were already consumed by it.

“Bishop Gelton is leading his men here. But, my troops are well-versed in rapid marching, so we arrived earlier than them.” Ophra nodded. “How did the vortex form? Were there any warning signs? What happened after that?”