The Dirty Tricks of the Night Blades
After trapping Sophia, Elder Seville imdiately led her and his followers from the city of Warding to the suburbs of Starling City, to the ancestral ho of the Smith family.
The Smith family estate was a vast compound.
Upon arriving, Elder Seville even remarked with so admiration, "The Smith family managed to build such a large mansion. This must an that the Smith family had considerable influence in Starling City. Why then did your family move to the city of Warding?"
Donald did not respond to Elder Seville's question. He simply sighed and looked at his family's ancient ho, lost in thought.
"It seems you still hold many secrets, and you don't plan on sharing them with . But that doesn't really matter, because sooner or later, I will uncover what those secrets are."
Elder Seville comnted, unphased by Donald's silence.
By now, Elder Seville and Donald were in a state of complete enmity.
Following a series of events, all trust between them had eroded.
Elder Seville no longer took any information provided by Donald at face value, and Donald, for his part, ceased to offer any assistance to Elder Seville.
Elder Seville then ordered his Night Blades subordinates to take positions in every corner of the Smith family estate.
He was well aware that Irving and his allies would soon arrive.
It wasn't long before Irving, along with Anna, Aron, other mbers of the Angel Guild, and Benjamin and Vicky, appeared near the entrance of the Smith family estate.
The group cautiously surveyed their surroundings at the Smith family's ancestral ho.
"I can sense that there are quite a few mbers of the Night Blades hidden within the Smith family estate. However, I can't pinpoint exactly where they're hiding."
Benjamin quickly deduced, using his innate talent.
However, his assessnt wasn't particularly valuable.
Everyone already knew that the Night Blades would certainly have set up an ambush at the Smith family estate.
"Why don't we split up? Each of us is strong in our own right. Even if we encounter so of the Night Blades, we should be able to easily overco them. And if the enemies are too strong, we can always call on others for help. The Smith family estate may be vast, but given our abilities, we should be able to provide support quickly."
Aron, who still harbored his adventurous spirit.
Although his love for adventure had diminished slightly after a significant defeat by the Angel Guild, he occasionally overlooked potential dangers.
Anna shook her head in disagreent.
"Splitting up now would be too risky. We should stay together and follow Irving. Besides, I don't think Vicky should be on her own." she suggested.
While Anna didn't know Vicky very well.
Their conversations on the way to Starling City had revealed enough for her to learn that Vicky was rely a life mage, which ant her combat abilities were not particularly strong.
Vicky nodded in agreent with Anna's plan.
And Benjamin naturally followed suit after Vicky's approval.
With the majority in agreent, Anna stepped forward and positioned herself next to Irving. "Shouldn't we take action imdiately? Like you said earlier, Donald's situation must be dire. We need to find him as soon as possible."
Anna felt that Irving was hesitating more than necessary and felt compelled to nudge him.
However, just as Anna finished speaking, Irving gestured for her to be silent.
Anna didn't know why Irving wanted her to be quiet, but she complied nonetheless. After all, Irving's judgnts had always been accurate, never once leading them astray.
Upon arriving at the Smith family estate, Irving had been intently observing the main entrance.
The group behind him, following his lead, also directed their gaze towards the grand doorway.
Under their watchful eyes, the doors of the Smith family estate slowly began to open.
Elder Seville erged from the entrance, flanked by two mbers of the Night Blades, who were supporting Donald between them.
Donald looked to be in terrible condition.
It seed as though he hadn't had a proper rest in a long ti, his appearance one of utter exhaustion. If not for the support of the Night Blades mbers, he would have collapsed to the ground.
Vicky was visibly distressed at the sight. She called out to her grandfather, "Grandpa, are you alright?"
Donald just looked towards Vicky, too weak to speak.
"He's fine."
Elder Seville answered on Donald's behalf.
Elder Seville's face bore a faint smile as he observed Irving and the group behind him, seemingly assessing their true strength.
Upon hearing Elder Seville's voice, Vicky's expression turned to one of anger. She shouted back at him, "Let him go now! If my grandfather has suffered even the slightest injury, I will make you pay dearly."
Elder Seville looked dismissively at Vicky's threat.
"Do you really have the power to make pay?" he challenged.
"She might not have the power to make you pay, but I certainly do." Irving replied, his voice icy as he stared down Elder Seville.
A fleeting snarl crossed Elder Seville's face upon hearing Irving's response, indicating a mix of contempt and perhaps a hint of apprehension.
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Elder Seville's attitude towards Irving was indeed one of wariness.
Although he tried to appear indifferent in front of the others, his response to Irving inadvertently revealed his apprehension.
"You do possess such strength, but you won't use it. Because you know that opposing will co at a great cost, and it could cost the life of soone you hold dear."
Elder Seville threatened Irving openly.
Irving let out a cold laugh in response.
"Do you really think you can kill anyone in front of ? Even Donald isn't beyond my protection. I will always intervene to stop you."
Under the watchful eyes of the group, Elder Seville slowly nodded.
"You're right, even Donald here could be protected by you. But you've forgotten about another person you care deeply about."
With that, Elder Seville snapped his fingers.
Imdiately, two mbers of the Night Blades erged from the depths of the Smith family estate, trailing behind them was Sophia, sealed within a sphere of dark energy.
The mont Irving saw Sophia, he understood why Elder Seville was so confident.
"You dare use Sophia's life to threaten ?!" Irving exclaid.
"This isn't a threat, it's advice!" Elder Seville replied without hesitation.
"There has never been a real conflict of interest between us. Both of us want to lay claim to the Smith family's treasure. Why can't we cooperate? Even in that strange and unknown region before, didn't we both gain the power of chaos? Even though we've both lost that power now, it doesn't an we can't work together."
Elder Seville was indeed using hostages to threaten Irving, aiming simply to slow Irving's actions. As long as Irving did not pose a direct threat, Elder Seville was confident he could secure the Smith family's treasure through Donald.
"You Night Blades always resort to such dirty tricks, but this ti, your vile strategies will definitely not succeed."
Aron stepped forward angrily and confronted Elder Seville.
Elder Seville didn't even glance at Aron, dismissing him as a minor character.
"I disagree with your characterization. This is not a dirty trick, but a perfect strategy. If you agree to cooperate with , no one needs to get hurt, and we can all enhance our powers. Isn't this a win-win solution?"
Elder Seville continued to persuade, hoping Irving would agree to his plan.
Just then, Sophia, sealed within the black energy sphere, shouted towards Irving and the others.
"Do not believe a word he says! Everything he's telling you is a lie! His actions are designed to mislead your judgnt."
Sophia's words caused Elder Seville's expression to twist into a snarl.
Without uttering another word, he intensified the seal of the black sphere. As the power of the sphere grew stronger.
Sophia felt increasing pain, her face contorting with agony.
"Enough! If you truly wish to cooperate with , then stop using such thods to threaten ." Irving finally spoke up.
Hearing Irving's response, Elder Seville halted his actions, and Sophia could finally catch her breath, relieved from the intense pain, at least temporarily.
"Does this an you are willing to cooperate with ?"
"Yes, I am willing to cooperate with you. But you must fulfill your promise to ensure the safety of each one of us. Haven't you assured us that everyone would be safe?"
Irving's words filled Elder Seville with imnse delight.
Behind Irving, however, the others were visibly shocked. They were all poised to try and persuade him otherwise.
"I believe Elder Seville's plan genuinely offers the best of both worlds. By simply aligning our actions with his, we can achieve our mutual goals. So why should we refuse to cooperate with him?" Irving elaborated on his reasons for considering collaboration with Elder Seville. However, his explanation seed aid more at convincing Elder Seville than reassuring his own companions.
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