"What happened?"
Olivia's expression tightened instantly as a chill permeated the air.
"This... what happened? Sister, I'm scared." The lady following Olivia swallowed hard, her voice trembling.
Olivia said in a low voice, "Go to the cathedral by yourself. Go now. Tell the Church what's happening here and ask for help."
"O-okay."
Terrified by the sight before her, the lady hurried toward the Sunlight Cathedral.
Olivia herself took a signal flare out of the Amber Tears.
The signal flare was cylindrical. After channeling magic into it and aiming it at the sky, a signal would shoot out and bloom like a firework.
Many people had applied for signal flares for this operation, and she was no exception.
Facing a situation that was clearly wrong, she had no intention of dealing with it alone. Naturally, she sought as many helpers as possible; using the signal flare was inevitable.
"Whiz!"
A streak of blinding white light shot out from the cylinder, piercing through the heavy rain toward the sky. With a loud bang, it exploded into a brilliant pentagram pattern that hung fixed in the air, refusing to dissipate for a long time.
After firing the signal flare, Olivia relaxed slightly. She then cautiously headed toward the public carriage station, her eyes scanning the surroundings for any possible clues.
Her gaze fell on the bloodstains on the ground. Despite the heavy rain quickly washing them away, some deep stains remained, pointing in a specific direction.
She followed the direction, walking slowly.
...
Meanwhile, on another street, inside the spacious hall of a house.
Dalia Sullivan walked in.
She wore a black rainproof cloak. Entering the house, she pulled back her hood, letting her eerie long red hair fall naturally. In her crimson eyes, death seemed to speak silently.
She approached the sofa and slowly knelt, eventually prostrating herself before the person sitting there.
It was a little girl.
The girl wore a blue and pink princess dress. Her soft, long pink hair was tied into twin tails, and her eyes were azure.
She sat on the leather sofa, her skin delicate and her face round and cute. She held a small brown teddy bear in her arms, looking as harmless as a doll.
But at this moment, Dalia Sullivan, a member of the Twilight Council, lay prostrate before her.
It wasn't just Dalia.
In front of the sofa, a dozen or so men and women were kneeling, their expressions respectful, their heads touching the floor, not daring to look at the little girl on the sofa.
The vast hall was silent.
Annie Spoorberg raised a small hand, and a map on the coffee table flew into her grasp.
She glanced at the map and spoke in a crisp, sweet voice: "The arrangements in all the designated areas are complete. We have reached the final stage of the plan.
"The foolish people of the Church have no idea how many preparations we've made in the shadows. They probably still think what we're doing this time is just a minor skirmish.
"But who could have imagined that what we truly intend to do is something they find completely unacceptable?
"Once we succeed, the Church will surely face an unbearable and massive blow.
"Therefore, we must succeed; failure is not an option.
"The altars are ready. To avoid any accidents, I need you to guard these selected streets.
"You are all Transcenders. With you watching over them, I believe the Church won't have time to act."
Although the little girl looked delicate and her voice was sweet, her tone was world-weary and mature, her azure eyes revealing a sophistication completely at odds with her outward age.
As the head of the Twilight Council in Kaliron's South District, she actually possessed an extremely high class rank and terrifying strength.
Having finished her speech, her gaze swept over the many Transcenders present, pausing on Dalia.
"Dalia."
"I am here, Lady Messenger."
"Although you have only recently completed your advancement ritual to become a Transcender, your past performance has been excellent. I believe you won't disappoint me this time. I will let you choose first. Which street's altar do you wish to guard?"
Annie Spoorberg asked impassively and unhurriedly.
Dalia replied without hesitation, "I choose Huys Street."
"Why that street?"
"It receives relatively less attention from the Church. I think it's more suitable for me. The other locations should be handled by stronger individuals."
"Reasonable."
Annie nodded, accepting Dalia's choice.
She then proceeded to assign the others.
Altars had been secretly set up on one selected street after another. The final sacrifice was about to be completed, summoning a sliver of the Death Sovereign's consciousness to descend.
When that time came, a harvest of death would bloom on these chosen streets and spread. What a magnificent flower of withering it would be!
At the thought of that possibility approaching, Annie felt her blood begin to boil, the light in her eyes intensifying.
It was so worth looking forward to!
To complete this sacrifice and ensure the descent of a sliver of the Death Sovereign's consciousness, the Twilight Council had truly done a lot this time.
They had left enough traces in many places outside Kaliron to lure the Church's people away.
They had even shown a frenzied side in other districts of Kaliron, forcing the Church to focus its attention there.
In the South District, the Twilight Council's strength was the smallest, and correspondingly, it received the least attention from the Church.
But how could the Church have imagined that the South District was actually the most important area?
Once the Death Sovereign descended, everyone would uncontrollably embrace death and become death!
"Depart now. Go to your assigned locations and guard them well. The Church's lack of attention toward us is exactly the time for you to show your skills," Annie said to the group.
Her gaze paused on Dalia once more.
The Church's lack of attention was precisely because of what Dalia had done previously, which was why she had just said Dalia's past performance was good.
With members of the Twilight Council acting in other districts, total silence in the South District would have drawn suspicion. Therefore, there had to be activity here as well, but it couldn't draw too much of the Church's focus or keep too many powerful experts here. How to strike that balance was a matter of great skill.
Dalia had done well, merely spreading corpse poison among ordinary people. This limited the Church's focus to that specific issue, making them view it as a widespread nuisance involving the supernatural, but not a high-level supernatural event.
It was perfect. Dalia had grasped the degree of it perfectly.
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