Chapter 109: [Interlude]—The Offering Ritual
“That’s not the same at all, my little Holy Maiden,” Diana chuckled, her voice soft.
“They could have died peacefully, even joyfully, an offering to the Wild God…”
“If it weren’t for you.”
“Nonsense! Utter nonsense!” Eleanor stomped her foot, her hands on her hips. “You’re the ones who wanted to bring back this… Wild God! You’re the ones who used your own people as offerings! And you dare to blame us!”
Bai remained silent, her expression unreadable.
She had felt a twinge of guilt earlier, knowing her magic circle had been the direct cause of the chaos.
But now, listening to Diana’s twisted logic, she was on her guard.
“Do you really think… we chose to awaken the Wild God at this time for no reason…?” Diana chuckled, her gaze fixed on Bai. “It’s because of you, little fox.”
“Because… of me?”
Bai was completely lost. She could understand her magic circle causing a drop in bloodlust, which had led to the beastkin’s frenzy.
But how could she be responsible for them wanting to awaken the Wild God?
“You look so innocent. And in a way, you are,” Diana said with a shrug. “But my mother doesn’t think so. She sees you as the greatest threat to the beastkin.”
In truth, she was the greatest threat to Queen Arachne herself. The little fox had left her with an endless nightmare, a shadow she could never escape.
“I’ve never met your mother,” Bai said, her voice low.
She was certain. Neither “Xu Bai” nor her current self had ever encountered Queen Arachne.
In fact, her encounter with Diana in the capital had been her first time meeting a Hellblood Spider. She had been surprised that not all beastkin were burly brutes.
But then, she had learned the true meaning of “femme fatale.”
Even with her beautiful appearance, Diana’s heart was black, cruel.
“Maybe, who knows~” Diana smiled, then looked up at the sky. “It’s almost time.”
“Almost…”
Bai looked at the magic circle in the center of the square. Despite the blood and gore, it was still functioning.
“No, little fox, not yet,” Diana said, looking back at her with a smile. “I’m not talking about your magic circle. I’m talking about—”
“The magic circle is complete. Activating now!” Eleanor whispered.
The marks Bai had left around the square flared to life, a faint green light amidst the crimson mist and carnage.
At the same time, Eleanor tossed the sacred artifact fragments into the air, and Bai clutched the purple necklace at her chest.
The fragments, reflecting the blood-red sunlight, began to move, arranging themselves along the lines of the magic circle, a beautiful, yet terrifying, celestial display.
And as Bai clutched the necklace, it began to pulse with a faint light, a soft, rhythmic beat, resonating with the magic circle.
“The magic circle is functioning smoothly. Success!”
A vast, empty void opened on the other side of the portal, a chilling, desolate aura emanating from it.
But just as it was about to stabilize, the light flickered and died.
“Wh-what happened?” Bai asked, her voice tense. “Did I miscalculate?”
“No, it wasn’t you,” Eleanor said, her voice trembling, her gaze fixed on the ground. “It’s the… nested magic circles! They’re blocking our portal!”
“The ‘Offering Ritual,'” Diana chuckled. “It forcibly takes their most precious possession. I knew your magic circle would be blocked by it. Otherwise, why would I have wasted so much time chatting with you…?”
“Offering…”
Bai looked around. The beastkin who had been tearing each other apart were now lying on the ground, a strange energy being drawn from them, into the “Offering Ritual” on the ground.
The roars and screams faded, replaced by a dead silence.
The Offering Ritual had no effect on Bai and Eleanor. Even the Wild God itself wouldn’t dare to take an offering from them, let alone a mere magic circle.
“But I didn’t expect you to go to such lengths, to draw out all the bloodlust from the entire square… just to construct a teleportation circle?” Diana’s gaze fell on the now-blocked portal, a look of surprise on her face. “But the destination… it seems to be the void…”
“On Solor, the only ones who have ever been able to access the void… were the fallen human ancient empire.”
Even Queen Arachne didn’t dare to venture into the void. With her strength, she could only survive there for two or three days.
Only Bai and Ara, with their unique physiques, could survive in the void indefinitely.
But even then, their consciousness would eventually fall into a state of slumber.
“We have to stop these offering circles. Otherwise, our teleportation circle will remain blocked,” Eleanor said, her voice firm, her form shifting, returning to her adult self.
In this form, she could use her full combat strength.
Bai drew her dagger. With her Vampire bloodline, even her Dream Demon form possessed a certain degree of combat ability.
“My mother was right. You’re full of secrets,” Diana said, her expression serious, eight spider legs emerging from her back, her face covered in grotesque, purplish-black veins, her form now a half-beast hybrid.
“Let me see… what a little fox who has made my mother so afraid is really like…” her voice was a low, hoarse growl, laced with a crazed excitement.
…
“Proceed with caution, Miss,” Uncle Lin advised.
“I know,” Lin Yan said after a moment of silence.
After Diana had left the Crimson Nest, she and Uncle Lin had remained.
But with a long-range surveillance device, she had been able to observe the events at the offering square.
Her gaze was fixed on Bai and Eleanor, her pupils constricted.
“It’s them…”
Her chance encounter with the two little beastkin in the tavern had left a lasting impression. But she had never imagined they were the ones who had made Queen Arachne so… afraid.
“The little fox,” she murmured.
