Lin Gui sat sideways on his staff, suspended in the shadows of the cathedral dome.
His gaze was locked firmly on Jesse and her group below.
He knew things were going sideways.
His attempt to intervene just now had been a fraction of a second too slow.
That strange Blood Tracing spell of the enemy's had certainly caught Rosa's scent.
Although Rosa had vanished from the other party's perception under the protection of the Shroud of the Gloomy Night,
They now knew she was inside. They wouldn't retreat easily.
As expected, Jesse nodded slightly.
The silent, gray-robed figures beside her immediately scattered.
Their movements were uniform and carried out with a cold, terrifying efficiency.
Two gray-robed figures slid soundlessly toward the main entrance of the cathedral.
They didn't close the door. Instead, they stood side-by-side on either side of the frame.
Raising their hands, viscous black threads seeped from their fingertips.
The threads rapidly interlaced and extended, weaving a dense net within the doorway in the blink of an eye.
The mesh was tight, gleaming with a metallic, matte finish.
Another two gray-robed figures walked toward the broken high windows on the sides.
The window frames had long since rotted, leaving large openings.
The gray-robed figures raised their hands, exhaling more black silk.
The silk clung to the frames like living creatures, crisscrossing until every possible opening for a person was sealed shut.
The last two gray-robed figures walked straight to the back of the altar in the depths of the cathedral.
There was an inconspicuous low door there—a secret door leading to an underground storage room.
It was now firmly sealed by the black silk as well.
In the blink of an eye, every possible exit of the abandoned cathedral was covered.
The doors, the windows, and even the gaps for ventilation were sealed.
All were completely blocked by that cobweb-like black substance.
After completing the blockade, the gray-robed figures stood silently at each critical point.
They were like lifeless statues.
Lin Gui watched clearly from above.
Those black threads didn't just block the paths; they emitted a faint energy fluctuation, forming a thin but tough barrier.
His heart sank.
No matter how brilliant a concealment spell was, it couldn't directly pass through a physical barrier.
The [Shroud of the Gloomy Night] could hide his form, aura, and energy,
But it couldn't truly turn someone into nothingness or allow them to pass through solid obstacles.
The other party was clearly well-versed in this logic.
This was the clumsiest method, yet it was also the most effective against any concealment magic.
Using a physical net to trap the "mouse" completely.
However, such a blockade was not unsolvable for Lin Gui.
He could think of at least two ways to escape.
The first was a decoy tactic.
He could use items hidden by the Shroud of the Gloomy Night to break several points in the web blockade.
That would create chaos and draw their attention, allowing him to slip away in the confusion.
The second method was more crude and direct—
Collapse the entire abandoned cathedral.
In the chaos and dust of the collapse, he could escape amidst the rubble.
Lin Gui leaned toward the second option.
The reason was simple.
He was just a High Rank rookie.
The party below... was capable of beating a Legendary demon hunter until he was like a dead dog.
He really didn't expect a small trick like the first option to throw them off their guard.
Just as Lin Gui was rapidly weighing his options,
Below, Jesse had already turned her head to the man beside her.
Her voice was cold, yet it carried the weight of an unquestionable command.
"Bill, find her."
The pale man addressed as Bill chuckled.
He stepped forward, the playful expression in his eyes gradually fading away,
Replaced by a focused, icy stare.
He raised his right hand and made a light slash across the palm of his left hand with his fingertips.
A small wound appeared, but what seeped out was not bright red.
It was a dark, almost viscous blood.
The blood didn't drip. Instead, as if it were alive,
It slowly levitated and tumbled above his palm.
Bill began to chant obscure syllables in a low voice.
The blood mass in his palm trembled and elongated,
Eventually transforming into countless strands of extremely fine, blood-red silk.
These blood-threads were much denser than those used for the previous tracking.
They weren't shot at a single point. Instead, they diffused silently into the air,
Like a spreading mist, slowly but surely,
Filling every inch of the cathedral's space.
The blood mist brushed over the dust on the floor and the broken pews.
It brushed past the outer perimeter of the bonfire and even tried to seep into the cracks of the walls.
This was an ultimate method of physical detection.
It didn't rely on energy perception or soul tracking.
Instead, it used almost imperceptible, physical blood-threads to weave a net.
Any physical object existing within this space,
Upon making contact with a blood-thread, would have its outline exposed.
Lin Gui's Shroud of the Gloomy Night could hide energy and aura,
But it couldn't make Rosa's physical body truly disappear.
Once touched by these blood-threads...
The consequences were self-evident.
In the shadows of the dome, Lin Gui's expression turned grim.
He knew he could no longer delay.
His figure moved soundlessly between the shadows of the vault, avoiding the blood-red threads spreading below.
He reached the highest point of the cathedral and looked down at the entire hall from above.
His gaze was as precise as a ruler, rapidly sweeping over the massive stone pillars supporting the dome.
Although the cathedral had been abandoned for many years, the main structure was still relatively solid.
But under the erosion of time, many of the joints had long since loosened or weathered away.
While Lin Gui lacked powerful offensive magic,
Destabilizing such a long-neglected balance didn't require immense power.
After identifying several key pivot points, Lin Gui immediately focused his mind.
In his mind, he rapidly recalled a spell he had almost forgotten.
A Darkness-type High Rank magic—[Shadow Pierce].
He chanted in a low voice, the syllables strange and short.
Circles of dark purple magic circles quietly formed at his fingertips.
Under the cover of the Shroud of the Gloomy Night, these circles drifted out,
Landing precisely at the base of several core load-bearing pillars below.
The circles touched the ground and merged soundlessly into the shadows.
One sharp black spike after another, formed of pure shadow,
Began to "grow" out of the magic circles.
They aimed at the most fragile parts where the stone pillars met the foundation,
Ready to strike.
By this point, Lin Gui didn't care much about Rosa hiding below.
Jesse and her crew were far too strange.
Especially Bill, who used blood as a medium.
He was reminded of a legendary race—
The Vampires.
Members of the Seventy-Two Pillar Demon Tribes.
Lin Gui didn't know what they were doing here.
He had absolutely no interest in knowing, either.
He just wanted to get to Avalon quickly and claim the system reward.
Then he would deliver the remaining letters and return to New Covenant City.
He had zero desire to get entangled in any strange or dangerous business.
Especially when there was no system reward involved.
They came here, beat a Legendary demon hunter into a pulp, kidnapped his son, and were hunting his other daughter.
What did any of that have to do with him?
He didn't care if they were here to destroy the world or just to sightsee, as long as they didn't involve him.
Just as Lin Gui was fully concentrated and about to complete the final part of his chant,
To unleash the spell,
An accident occurred.
At the cathedral entrance, there were suddenly hurried footsteps and Ryan's crying shout.
"My—My lord, everything I said is true!"
"It really was the ghost of Lady Shadow Blade Lynn who forced us to come here to find you!"
"She wanted you to go to her final resting place and help her find peace!"
Immediately after, a somewhat helpless middle-aged male voice spoke up.
"Sigh, how many times do I have to tell you..."
"I'm not the black-haired, black-eyed person you're looking for."
"My black hair was dyed by my wife, and my eye color is brown, not black."
"......."
Before he finished speaking, a figure stepped into the cathedral, leading a sobbing Ryan.
He was a handsome middle-aged man with a gentle temperament.
He reached out and casually grabbed the tough black web at the entrance.
He closed his fingers and gave a sharp pull.
Rippp—
Amidst a bone-chilling tearing sound, the web that was strong enough to stop sword strikes and axe blows
Was torn open by his bare hands as if it were ordinary cotton thread.
The man stepped into the firelight, his gaze sweeping over the bizarre scene inside the cathedral.
The captured Cass and his son, the motionless gray-robed figures, and Jesse's leading party.
He raised an eyebrow, a strange and playful smile appearing on his face.
"Yo, quite the crowd, huh?"
"Are you guys having... a party?"
Jesse and the others' gazes instantly focused on him.
Bill's brow furrowed, a blood-red light faintly appearing in his eyes.
Within Modo's empty gaze, a clear flicker of emotion appeared for the first time.
Meanwhile, in the corner, the eyes of the bard lit up.
She waved at the man at the door with a smile, her voice light and cheerful.
"Hey! Bastard Roger, are you lost again?"
Lin Gui, suspended at the dome, stopped his chanting abruptly.
He stared at the man below who had torn the web with his bare hands and was smiling easily.
Hearing the bard's name for him, he couldn't help but freeze.
Roger???
That name...
Rate on N.U.
