Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

At the same time, the tearing and devouring sensations emanating from the surrounding stagnant space intensified.

Bai Ji immediately calmed her mind, crossed her arms in front of her chest and swung them down. The surging magic power behind her burst forth and, woven by her will, manifested a pair of magnificent blood-red wings.

Arcueid immediately flapped its wings and took to the sky, transforming into a blazing crimson arc of light that soared into the heavens. The unparalleled crimson light forcefully broke through the interference zone of Duke Stanrob Coyne and collided with the thorns sweeping in from the Fuhailin.

Puff puff puff!

In an instant, wherever the light flowed, chaos ensued. The branches along the way, stained with blood, twisted and burned, and the flames quickly spread toward the tree trunks in the mist.

Chirp chirp...

The trees that sensed the threat immediately let out a series of squeals like rats, frantically dodging and avoiding the burst of bloody light, and immediately cutting off the burning vines, leaving them to turn into fluffy ashes in mid-air.

However, after breaking through the interception of two Ancestral-level vampires, the dazzling stream of crimson light was once again forced to stop by the enormous shadow cast from the dome onto the ground, and the surrounding space became stagnant and viscous.

Under the cold moonlight, a city, like a floating island, hangs high in the sky, stretching for more than thirty kilometers. The city walls are inscribed with dense runes, and a shifting isolation barrier with light and shadow rhythms encompasses the city, perfectly monitoring, controlling, and manipulating the entire city.

At this moment, in the center of the fortress, a towering Gothic spire slowly opened its doors and windows. A middle-aged man wearing a crown, a cryptic ring on his hand, and a magnificent suit stood on the highest balcony. He slowly raised his hand, and a dark red triangular magic circle rose up. Then, a wisp of cold flame ignited between the man's fingers, outlining the final rune at the end of the base.

This is the Keynesian rune, symbolizing sulfur.

As a core foundation of mysticism and alchemy, sulfur represents energy and the sun, and is also known as the "perfect red king," while mercury symbolizes the moon, the "white queen," and their properties are similar to yang and yin in Chinese yin-yang theory.

This type of rune serves as the unifying and driving force among all Keynesian runes, generally acting as the most important cornerstone and the culmination of the entire spell array.

At the same time, the perfect Red King also has the meaning of illuminating and searching.

"Following the principle of the circle, based on sulfur, the three spires are the pinnacle of perfection. With this, I govern; with this, I burn; with this, I manifest—I command you to appear in the light!"

As the incantation was chanted, the magic circle, which was instantly activated, flashed with bright colors and quickly spread throughout the entire fortress.

Then, countless invisible threads appeared. These threads connected to the runes on the fortress walls, forming a sealed cage that peeled away and annihilated the blood-red aura surrounding Arcueid layer by layer.

Suppressed by layers of magic arrays, Arcueid, forced to reveal himself, hovered in mid-air, gazing at the man atop the tower with a somber expression.

Kromcre Petascharch is a veteran vampire who follows the principle of "city, kingdom (城、即ち國)" in his blood ring.

Another ancestor!

Including Roya, there are now four Ancestral-level vampires gathered here, making for an extremely luxurious lineup.

Clearly, the other party had planned this all along to be able to summon these people.

The palpable malice surrounding her instantly made Arcueid realize that the chase had likely turned into a hunt targeting her!

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Archers Have Always Been Overpowered (4.5k)

Finally, we've led her here...

The petite figure, hidden among the thorny thickets, peered through the gaps in the bushes at Arcueid, who was completely surrounded. Her chest heaving slightly, she breathed a sigh of relief, and a look of relief at surviving a disaster appeared in her eyes.

I survived, once again!

However, after the first round of combined attacks, the expected results were not achieved. The three ancestors of the joint hunt and Bai Ji in mid-air faced each other from a distance, and a sense of apprehension arose in their hearts.

Luo Ya's blood-red eyes swept over the rustling thorny vines and the increasingly dense white mist of the dead, his gaze flashed, and he shouted loudly.

"You guys hold her off, I'll go deal with the other one."

Without waiting for his three allies to react, Luo Ya decisively withdrew and retreated, moving away from the battlefield and heading towards the entrance at the front of the Fuhai Forest. After a few leaps, he disappeared from everyone's sight.

These words and actions instantly shattered the delicate balance.

"Scumbag! Stop right there!"

Arcueid's heart tightened, and he gritted his teeth as he lunged forward, intending to break through the blockade of his three opponents.

However, it was clear that the three ancestors would not sit idly by and watch their prey successfully break through, letting such a powerful enemy escape for nothing.

In an instant, the Bloodsucking Thorns of Fuhailin, the Devouring Mist of Predatory Duke Stanrob Coyne, and the Spell Diffraction of Kromcre Peta Scharcher all activated simultaneously, attacking Arcueid in the center.

A great war began.

In an instant, the intersecting streams of magical light collided and exploded in mid-air, creating a series of deafening explosions that dyed the blue and white sky with vibrant colors.

At that moment, not far away, Luo Ya stopped and looked back at the fierce battlefield behind him. His blood-red eyes gleamed, and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

Having learned a painful lesson from his previous experience on Aimingo Island, where he was suppressed by another force and suffered a disastrous defeat, Roya became more cautious after completing his sixteenth reincarnation.

Therefore, he repeatedly took advantage of the time when his host, Arecia, was asleep and his own consciousness was rising, to inscribe magical incantations nearby and secretly summon the arrival of these ancestors.

His goal was to find a helper in advance so that he could give the woman who kept clinging to him a "surprise" and completely solve this problem.

As a descendant of the progenitor Zhu Yue, Arcueid undeniably possesses extraordinary power and talent.

But precisely because of this, the powerful bloodline flowing within this princess is an unparalleled temptation for other [Ancestors] who wish to take a step closer to the source.

Mutual cannibalism is not uncommon in any species.

However, Arcueid is very strong, that much is undeniable.

To ensure everything went smoothly, the original plan was for Roya to, after his complete recovery, use the village as a base to carefully weave a trap, gather at least five [Ancestors], and complete the hunt for Arcueid.

Based on his understanding of Arcueid, if everything went smoothly, he was 90% confident that he could completely eliminate this hidden danger.

However, due to his lack of secrecy, he was exposed prematurely, and before he could gather the five [Ancestors] he had planned, Bai Ji had already come knocking on his door.

Now, even in a three-on-one situation, the odds of winning are only about 50%.

This kind of betting situation is far from what he expected.

Moreover, the risks have become even more uncontrollable.

It should be noted that his three allies were only temporary.

The object of their mutual consumption is not only Arcueid, but also him, who is currently in a weakened state.

Judging by his own experience, Roya would not entrust his safety entirely to the integrity of his allies.

Therefore, the wisest choice is to let the four people on the scene wear each other down while you withdraw first.

However, retreating does not mean giving up a great opportunity.

With his "assistance," the two sides are locked in a fierce battle, unable to spare any attention for anything else. After all, at their level, once a war breaks out, it's a full-scale battle with no room for negligence or distraction.

The situation is developing exactly as Roya had predicted.

Following his usual practice of preserving his life, he had already set up a blood sacrifice magic array in the village, which could instantly extract the blood of all living things to nourish himself and allow him to recover some of his strength ahead of time.

Then, once you get that "trump card," you'll be the ultimate winner of this gamble.

A slender figure moved swiftly through the dense forest, the howling wind constantly ringing in her ears, her head bowed as her thoughts raced.

Finally, Roya's thoughts reflected Arcueid's anxious and flustered expression, her brow furrowed, and she felt an inexplicable disgust for a certain male creature clinging to Shirahime.

And, jealousy...

The dignified Princess of the Thousand-Year City, the successor of Zhu Yue, was actually captivated by a human, and even gave up her slumber and suppressed her vampiric instincts to stay in human society for him. How foolish!

With attachments come weaknesses.

Since you've chosen him, then as a return gift, I'll treat your boyfriend well...

A slender figure moved swiftly through the dense forest, a chilling smile playing on her lips, revealing a sinister smirk that belied her outward appearance, as she uttered a halting whisper.

“Samael…”

"Whoosh!"

Just as Luo Ya was muttering a name, a sharp sound of something cutting through the air rang out. A sudden, domineering force instantly shattered the protective barrier he had subconsciously erected, forcefully piercing through his shoulder blade and dragging his petite body along the way.

puff!

In an instant, the branches and leaves shook violently, and the little girl with blue hair and red eyes was nailed to the tree trunk, like a solidified butterfly specimen.

"puff……"

The violent tremors in his internal organs left half of his body numb. Luo Ya's face turned deathly pale, and he vomited a mouthful of blood. His scarlet eyes stared in disbelief at his left shoulder.

A bronze arrow with an ancient design and inscriptions of ancient Greek characters, its fletching trembles incessantly, its surface polished smooth as a mirror, resembling an exquisite work of art.

In the shadows, a dark figure treads across the fallen leaves and branches, gracefully approaching, lightly tapping the bowstring, and humming a leisurely tune.

"You seemed to be looking for me just now?"

Surprisingly, it’s him!

Looking at the pair of eerily opening and closing serpentine vertical pupils, and the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar face, Roya instantly understood everything and immediately bent his fingers to grab the bronze arrow that had pierced through his left shoulder blade.

"Whoosh!"

However, at the same time, a second arrow pierced the air and arrived.

"puff!"

Before Roya could react, blood flashed and a tearing pain shot through him as his second arm was pierced by a bronze arrow and pinned firmly to the tree trunk.

"Weren't you looking for me? Why are you running away?"

Samael, beaming, walked over step by step, holding a bronze bow and arrow, admiring the "work of art" before him that resembled a crucifix, and offered a pleasant reminder.

"Don't waste your energy. My archery skills, though average, are enough to deal with you."

As the golden Sagittarius of that era, purely in terms of archery skills, although he couldn't compare to the likes of Ishtar, Atalanta, Artemis, Chiron, and Heracles, who were born with exceptional talent and were in the top tier, he was still at a second-rate level and definitely ranked among the best.

At this moment, Roya, who was nailed to the tree trunk, saw that the distance between the two sides had shrunk to within one step. He suddenly looked up, his eyes revealing a fierce light. Blood spurted from his two pierced arms and he forcibly pulled them off the bronze arrows. Without hesitation, he swung them at Samael, who was right in front of him.

As everyone knows, once an archer is brought into close combat, he is no different from a lamb to the slaughter...

However, before Roya could succeed in his attack, he suddenly felt dizzy.

"boom!"

Amidst the rumbling thunder, the ground collapsed dozens of meters, and spiderweb-like cracks stretched for several kilometers.

As the smoke and dust dissipated, what appeared before our eyes was a lunar surface that looked like it was covered in wounds.

In the center of what appeared to be a crater from a meteorite impact, the "Serpent of Agash" was gripped tightly by the throat by a pale, white hand, and was slammed miserably to the ground.

"Sorry, my archery skills are the worst of all. Congratulations, you've now selected the hard mode..."

Samael grinned, a sinister smile spreading across his face, as he looked at Roya beneath him, whose bones were shattered and who was clinging to life only with the tenacious vitality of a vampire and a breath of fresh air. He whispered mockingly.

Back then, he was the kind of person who could fight against Zeus, Odin, Thor, and other monsters based on his physical abilities.

Want to turn the tables at close range? Please, do you really think archers can't fight in melee?

In reality, the idea that archers are weaker in melee combat is a complete misconception!

And this was true even in real history.

Misled by games, movies, and novels, many people believe that ancient archers were all fragile in close combat, and their role on the battlefield was simply to shoot arrows, kill the enemy in the form of arrow rain, and then retreat immediately when the enemy approached the position, giving up the battlefield so that melee units could take over and engage the enemy in close combat.

Otherwise, once the enemy forces charge into the archers' positions, the vulnerable archers will be unable to stop them and will scatter in disarray.

However, the reality is that the archers not only do not scatter, but also take out their melee weapons and continue fighting, cutting down enemies as if they were nothing, physically eliminating those who come to them.

On the one hand, in a battle between two armies, each can only fire three arrows. In other words, on open ground, considering the charging speed of cavalry, it would only take about ten seconds for them to reach each other. In those ten seconds, an archer could only fire three arrows.

After the archers finish shooting, the battlefield may temporarily change formations, which can easily lead to chaos and disarray. This requires archers to have certain close combat skills.

On the other hand, due to technological limitations, there were no shortcuts to using the longbow in ancient times. Soldiers who could draw a powerful bow were definitely not the frail elves that many people imagine; they were all muscular men with broad shoulders and thick waists.

Take the English longbowmen in the Hundred Years' War as an example. The English yew longbows they used were about 1.8 to 2 meters long. The wood was hard and elastic, but not easy to bend. Generally speaking, the English longbows used on the battlefield were weighed between 120 and 160 pounds, or even higher, in order to ensure lethality and armor-piercing ability.

That translates to 54.43 kg to 72.57 kg.

Anyone with a little common sense knows that someone who can lift 54.43 kg to 72.57 kg with one hand is unlikely to be a weakling on the battlefield.

This is why, on the battlefield, English longbowmen could strike fear into the hearts of well-trained medieval knights.

Similarly, ancient Chinese archers were no less formidable. Although the Song Dynasty army possessed powerful weapons like the Shenbi crossbow, even the Song army, known for its gentleness, placed great importance on archers and bows. In general, battles required a draw weight of over 80 jin (approximately 40 kg). Yue Fei was even said to be able to draw a three-stone bow, which weighs around 180 jin (approximately 90 catties), making it comparable to a heavy howitzer on a modern battlefield.

The Tang Dynasty army, renowned for its bravery and dominating Asia, was even more formidable, with almost every soldier skilled in archery, demonstrating its exceptional quality and combat prowess.

Therefore, the term "archer" who can draw a strong bow has always been a synonym for elite troops.

For ordinary soldiers, running into them is like stepping into a meat grinder; they'll soon have the chance to start over.

And look at the archers in the Age of Gods who were skilled in archery. Hercules, Chiron, and others were all incredibly strong. If you tried to fight them in close combat, you would probably be beaten so badly that you wouldn't even recognize your own parents.

As for that guy surnamed Jin who got stabbed in close combat and had his elbow chopped off with a sword, that guy used money to pay off his enemies. He's no archer at all!

The ancient snake's lips curled up as it secretly mocked the future dark history of an old friend, its mood growing increasingly pleasant, its five fingers tightening inch by inch.

"You don't want to involve innocent people, do you? Kill me, and she will pay with her life!"