Chapter 82: The Bat King’s Blood Ritual

The Shadow Wraiths continued to follow the bats through several passages until they reached a large stone door.

Two large bats stood guard outside it. Their bodies were much bigger than those of the other bats, and their long fangs made them look more dangerous.

The bats carrying the blood containers flew past the guards and entered through the open door.

Ethan watched through a Shadow Wraith as it followed them inside

The chamber beyond was much larger than he had expected.

Several strange markings covered the stone floor, forming a large circle. At the center of the circle were several pools of blood.

The bats carried their containers over and poured the blood into the pools before flying away to collect more.

Ethan watched for a while.

So this is where all the blood is going.

He couldn’t understand what the markings were for, but it was clear that the blood was being gathered for a reason.

Above the circle, Ethan noticed a huge figure hanging upside down from the ceiling. It looked like a giant bag suspended above the pools of blood.

"That should be the Bat King," he muttered.

Ethan told the Shadow Wraiths to be extra careful as they continued looking around. Meanwhile, he tried to figure out what the markings on the floor were for.

After a while, the Bat King’s red eyes suddenly opened.

It looked around the room before turning its gaze toward the wall where the Shadow Wraith was hiding.

Ethan’s expression changed. "Oh, that’s bad. I’ve been discovered."

The Bat King opened its mouth and let out a sharp cry.

The sound echoed through the chamber. The Shadow Wraith hiding near the wall barely had time to react before its body broke apart and disappeared.

Ethan immediately lost contact with the Wraith.

"What the hell?"

The Bat King remained hanging from the ceiling.

"Intruders!" it roared. "Find them and kill them!"

Its voice echoed through the cave, reaching every corner. Bats hanging from the ceilings opened their eyes and flew into the air.

Those carrying blood containers abandoned their work and joined the others as the entire swarm began searching for the intruders.

Aria suddenly stopped walking.

"What’s happening?" she asked.

The cave had become noisy. Bats were flying through the distant passages, and their cries echoed through the cave. Even from where they stood, Ethan and Aria could hear the sounds coming from deeper inside.

Ethan looked at her. "The Bat King discovered one of my Shadow Wraiths. Now, it’s sending all the bats in the cave to look for us."

Aria’s face turned pale.

"All of them?" She glanced down the dark passage ahead. "In this creepy place?"

Ethan nodded.

Aria swallowed and looked toward the passage behind them.

"Can’t we just leave?"

Ethan glanced toward the passage behind them.

"I’m afraid it might already be too late for that."

As if to prove his words, the sound of flapping wings grew louder from every direction. Through his Shadow Wraiths, Ethan could see groups of bats flying through the passages, heading straight toward their location.

"I told you we should have left when we had the chance!" she complained. "Why did we have to investigate this creepy place?"

Ethan gave her a brief look.

"We might have found something important."

"Important? We’re about to be eaten alive by bats and turned into blood bags!"

"Let’s not get ahead of ourselves."

Ethan smiled. "Just because we’re surrounded doesn’t mean I’m afraid. These bats may look scary, but they’re nothing compared to my legion."

He raised his hand.

A huge magic circle appeared on the ground beneath him. It spread across the cave floor, covering a large area.

A moment later, thousands of Shadow Wraiths and Solar Elementals emerged from the formation.

The Shadow Wraiths spread out, their dark bodies blending into the shadows.

Meanwhile, the Solar Elementals lit up the cave with the flames burning on their heads.

Aria’s eyes widened as she looked at the massive legion.

"How many summons do you even have?"

Ethan didn’t answer. He simply raised his hand and pointed toward the approaching bats.

"Kill them all."

The legion moved at once.

The Shadow Wraiths rushed forward like a dark wave, while the Solar Elementals spread out behind them and fired rays of light from their eyes.

The bats let out loud cries as they charged toward the legion.

But the moment the two sides met, the battle turned into a one-sided slaughter.

The Shadow Wraiths tore through the bats with their claws, while the Solar Elementals shot down those flying overhead. Every time a group of bats tried to break through, more summons rushed in to stop them.

The cave filled with the sounds of flapping wings and the cries of dying bats.

The remaining bats tried to flee, but Ethan’s summons didn’t let them go. The Shadow Wraiths chased them through the air and tore them apart, while the Solar Elementals shot down those that flew too high.

It didn’t take long for the entire swarm to be wiped out. The cave soon fell quiet, with dead bats scattered across the ground and countless essence buffs.

Aria looked around at the dead bats, then turned to Ethan.

"Can we please leave now? We’ve killed enough bats for a lifetime!"

Ethan shook his head.

"No. We’re going to find out what the Bat King is up to."

"But why? We’ve already found those people locked in cages. We can report everything to the academy and let them handle the rest!"

Ethan grinned. "And let someone else take all the credit? Not a chance. If we stop whatever the Bat King is planning, Elyria will owe us a lot."

Aria stared at him in disbelief.

"You’re unbelievable! I just hope your greed for rewards doesn’t get you killed one day."

Ethan only smiled and sent a few Shadow Wraiths ahead to check the passages.

...

Deep inside the cave, the Bat King’s red eyes opened wider as it sensed one bat after another dying.

"Those two..."

It had sent its swarm to deal with the intruders, but most of them were already dead. The humans were clearly stronger than it had expected.

The Bat King turned toward the entrance to its chamber.

"Guardian."

A large bat emerged from a nearby passage and lowered its head.

"Go to the entrance and deal with the intruders. Don’t let them reach this chamber."

The guardian spread its wings and flew away at once.

The Bat King then turned toward the bats working around the pools of blood. Unlike the swarm sent to attack the intruders, these bats had remained in the chamber to continue their work.

"Speed up the process. We don’t have much time left."

The bats immediately increased their pace, carrying the remaining containers of blood toward the pools.

The Bat King watched the remaining bats for a moment before closing its eyes again. It couldn’t afford to waste any more time.