Leo asked in confusion, “Duke, have you never fought Cedric before?”
“No, Cedric only became the president and cardinal of the Anglican Communion five years ago. Under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t provoke him.”
Leo smiled and said, “You could hand me over to Cedric and stay out of this.”
“Oh no, that’s absolutely impossible. We noble vampires would never do such a thing. Since you’re on my territory, it’s my responsibility to protect you,” Deane’s voice was firm.
“My esteemed guest, hold on a little longer. I’ll deal with Cedric’s minions first and then come back to assist you!”
With that, Deane turned and walked towards the six knights approaching them.
He extended his right hand and chanted in a cold voice, “In the name of blood, heed my call, Corrupted Manacle!”
“Corrupted Manacle!?” The words made Cedric’s calm face change.
Clearly, this Corrupted Manacle was something terrifying.
Leo didn’t know much about the Corrupted Manacle, only that it was one of the thirteen sacred artifacts of the Blood Clan, known as the source of plague.
It was rumored that the bubonic plague that ravaged Europe was brought by the Corrupted Manacle.
The death wave caused by the bubonic plague claimed nearly two hundred million lives in Europe, showcasing the horror of the Corrupted Manacle.
Cedric’s figure flickered as he tried to stop Deane, but Leo intercepted him.
“If you want to help your knights, you’ll have to defeat me first,” Leo said, his Divine Dragon Sword emitting a faint golden glow.
Seeing Leo’s cold smile and Deane walking step by step towards the knights, Cedric felt a murderous impulse despite his usual composure.
“Get out of my way, or I’ll send you to hell!” Cedric shouted coldly, his eyes sharp.
Leo remained unfazed and retorted, “If you can, send me to meet your God!”
Without another word, Cedric retreated swiftly and shot his Sovereign’s Blade at Leo.
Just as Leo was about to counter with his Divine Dragon Sword, the Sovereign’s Blade exploded into a cloud of mist, enveloping Leo completely.
Everything around him changed as if he had entered Antarctica, surrounded by nothing but white.
Meanwhile, Duke Deane was already fighting the six knights.
The knights used their best skills and combined their techniques in an attempt to eliminate Duke Deane in one strike.
Deane didn’t confront them head-on but dodged while waiting for an opportunity to use his Corrupted Manacle.
Once released, the terrifying Corrupted Manacle rapidly expanded in front of Deane, completely blocking the knights’ combined attack.
Berger shouted a warning, “Retreat! This is one of the Blood Clan’s thirteen sacred artifacts, the Corrupted Manacle. It can produce terrifying diseases!”
But Berger’s warning came too late. The Corrupted Manacle had already emitted a grayish-brown mist that swept towards the six knights.
Despite their retreat, the knights were still touched by the mist. It began to infiltrate their bodies, forcing them to take out their protective Bibles.
The holy white light from the Bibles tried to shield them but was quickly corroded by the Corrupted Manacle’s mist.
The six knights’ bodies stiffened immediately. Their Cross Swords slipped from their hands as they collapsed to the ground.
Lying on the ground, they felt utterly drained of strength, dizzy, and just wanted to close their eyes and sleep.
Such was the power of the Corrupted Manacle.
After incapacitating the six knights, Duke Deane retracted the Corrupted Manacle and turned to assist Leo, only to find him gone.
Not only Leo but Cedric had also disappeared.
“Oh my heavens, Cedric has taken him into the Infinite Sacred Realm. My esteemed guest, I hope you can survive,” Deane sighed.
At that moment, Leo found himself in what was called the Infinite Sacred Realm, an independent space created by Cedric using his Sovereign’s Blade and body.
In essence, the Infinite Sacred Realm was Cedric, and Cedric was the Infinite Sacred Realm.
If Leo were killed in this realm, it would be equivalent to being killed in the real world.
It was as if Cedric had become a cage with Leo trapped inside, and the Sovereign’s Blade was the weapon within that cage. Cedric could torment and kill Leo at will.
The endless whiteness did not instill fear in Leo because he recognized it as an independent space created by Cedric, similar to a Void Spell-created space.
In such a space, fear must be avoided. The more fear one feels, the more likely they are to develop inner demons.
Once inner demons arise, they create terrifying illusions that could drive one to self-destruction without Cedric lifting a finger.
Leo sat cross-legged on the ground with his Divine Dragon Sword floating in front of him.
As a special vibration occurred, Leo knew Cedric was about to attack.
The vibration came from the blue sky above. Leo looked up to see a white cross appearing overhead.
The cross emitted a white beam of light that shot directly at him on the ground.
Leo stood up, gripped his Divine Dragon Sword with his right hand, bit his left index and middle fingers until they bled, and smeared them on the sword’s blade.
He thrust his Divine Dragon Sword at the descending beam of light.
The light stopped three centimeters from the sword’s tip as if blocked by an invisible barrier and could not advance further.
Gritting his teeth, Leo stepped forward and pierced through the barrier. The white light shattered like porcelain and dissipated.
But the cross’s attack did not stop there. After the light dissipated, it launched a second attack.
This time it was a beam as thick as an ancient tree trunk but white like a laser.
Leo’s Divine Dragon Sword flew from his hand, forming a blazing pillar of fire that shot upwards.
The two forces collided with a dull thud before exploding like fireworks. Amidst this strange brilliance, Leo had already summoned a defensive talisman.
However, the powerful shockwave still forced him back three steps.
Before Leo could catch his breath, the cross launched a third attack.
This time it was a giant white fist descending with devastating force aimed directly at Leo’s head.
“Damn it! Enough is enough!” Leo roared. “Nine Abyss Suppresses Evil Peak, break it for me!”
The Nine Abyss Suppresses Evil Peak appeared before Leo and rapidly expanded upwards to collide with the giant white fist.