Chapter 393 - 185: A Slip-up

But Sean hadn’t expected this guy to be so full of crap. He’d been talking for ages, had even seen through Sopea’s disguise, but still hadn’t said a single word about why he’d been captured. He was just posturing and showing off his power.

So he had to ask himself.

Carlos glared at Sean. "You have the nerve to ask?"

"Have you no idea what you’ve done?"

"First, you intercepted my shipment. Then you wrecked my campaign plans. And now you’ve committed Reversed Celestial Spirits, colluding with Bofunova to set a trap for me..."

"You’ve ruined my plans time and again, causing me catastrophic losses. Don’t you think I have every reason to come after you??"

An expression of understanding crossed Sean’s face.

’Just as I thought.’

Kate was right. Carlos’s ambition was immense; controlling the entirety of Krim State wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to get his hands on Siracle State as well.

The intercepted shipment, however, was a bit of a surprise. But after a moment’s thought, Sean understood. In recent times, there was only one family they had "cleaned house" for.

"So that fresh batch of materials in the Florist Family’s warehouse... that was yours?"

"What do you think?"

"Nice."

Sean licked his lips in satisfaction and remarked, "Sweet stuff."

"And the fact that they were free made it even sweeter."

Carlos: "?"

He fought to suppress his rage. "Sean!"

"Don’t think I’m helpless just because you have numbers."

"My Wolf Family has controlled Krim State for many years. We have more than just these twenty Tier Sixes!"

"It’s not too late for you to fix that attitude and show me some respect."

"You’re working with that old bastard Pulente just to control Siracle State, aren’t you? Believe it or not, with a single word from me, I can make rivers of blood flow in your Siracle State."

Sean pursed his lips. "I don’t believe you."

’Rivers of blood? As if.’

Putting aside whether the Wolf Family even had the capacity to deal with other matters right now, even if they did, would the Church Court really allow Witch Hunters to slaughter civilians?

’So much for their faith, then?’

’Who’s he trying to scare?’

"I don’t believe you either," Elise said, intentionally provoking him. "Why don’t you make a call, Mr. Carlos? Prove it to us."

Carlos sneered. "You think I don’t dare?"

Elise: "Then do it."

In truth, Carlos didn’t even need to make the call.

According to Sean’s plan, the timing was perfect. Just as Carlos pulled out his phone, a call from his family came through.

"Mr. Carlos, it’s a disaster!"

"The Night Watchers, with the Long Night Union, have allied with the Dawn Council and the Evil Cemetery to launch a surprise attack on us!"

"They’ve breached the outer defenses of the castle... Mr. Carlos, you have to come back!"

The subordinate’s frantic voice struck Carlos’s chest like a heavy hammer, sending a tremor through his body. His lips quivered as he asked, "What did you say?"

"Who launched a surprise attack on us?"

"Say it again!"

"The Long Night Union, the Dawn Council, and the Evil Cemetery..."

"The Night Watchers, the Law Enforcers, the Bell Ringers... and the Living Dead... they’re all here! We’ve lost so many of our brothers..."

The subordinate’s tearful voice was like a cruel brush, painting a tragic scene of a mountain of corpses in a sea of blood.

Carlos’s expression froze.

Only then did it hit him: today’s ploy wasn’t aimed at him, but at the entire Wolf Family!

Sean had lured the tiger from the mountain, and now he was making a move on Krim State!

"What’s wrong, Mr. Carlos?"

"Weren’t you going to make rivers of blood flow in my Siracle State?" Sean taunted. "Why so quiet all of a sudden?"

"Sean!"

Snapping back to reality, Carlos’s eyes were bloodshot with shock and fury. "You’re incredibly ambitious!"

"Siracle State isn’t enough for you? You want to encroach on my Krim State too? Are you trying to start a rebellion?!"

"Look who’s talking. We’re one and the same," Sean laughed. "Besides, in the eyes of the Church Court, we’re already antisocial, anti-human Heretics. What rebellion is there to speak of?"

"We’re simply doing what we’re supposed to do. This is the only way to live up to the name of Heresy, isn’t it?"

"Sean, you’re finished."

Carlos stared daggers at Sean, enunciating each word. "Annihilating two families in a row... The Church Court will not let you get away with this!"

Sean looked at him like he was an idiot. "Surely Mr. Carlos doesn’t think he’ll get the chance to go crying to the Church Court, does he?"

"You want to kill me?" A vicious smile spread across Carlos’s face. "I doubt you have what it takes!"

As the words left his mouth, his figure drifted like a Ghost, shooting straight for Dorunla in the corner.

Enemies were hateful, to be sure, but traitors were even more so.

Dorunla was just a weak, ordinary person—the perfect hostage.

A Wizard’s speed is beyond mortal comprehension. To Dorunla’s eyes, Carlos was a vengeful specter, stirring a long-buried childhood memory. In that instant, she was transported back to a stormy night, to a lawn soaked in blood. She screamed in terror, her fingers instinctively pressing down hard on the piano keys, causing the instrument to let out a sharp, mournful shriek.

While Sean and Carlos were talking, Shar had already texted Dorunla to tell her she couldn’t help...

She really couldn’t.

The struggles between High-tier Wizards were not something she could get involved in.

But Sean could.

Here, everything was decided by Konina’s handsome neighbor. As long as Sean gave the word, no matter what happened today, no one would be able to touch her again.

And so, as Dorunla screamed, the words tumbled out of her mouth:

"Mr. Sean, save me!"

Sean said calmly, "Eleanor."

"Yes, Master."

Almost simultaneously, Eleanor appeared in front of Dorunla, dressed in a Maid’s uniform.

She raised a hand, and the Magic Power in her palm swelled, forming a massive, rotating, purple Magic Array.

Carlos slammed into the Array, which erupted in a blinding flash of light. He was thrown backward like a kite with a snapped string, crashing violently against the wall.

Carlos staggered to his feet, clutching his chest. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were filled with terror.

"A Grand Mage?!"

From that single blow, Carlos deduced Eleanor’s true Tier.

The man was far more perceptive than anyone had given him credit for.

Bofunova, watching the drama unfold from the side, wore an expression of pure schadenfreude.

’Now,’ she thought, ’Carlos should understand why I chose to "betray" the Church Court.’

Because there was never any choice.

Sean neither confirmed nor denied it, merely watching him coldly. "Attacking an ordinary person... have you no shame?"

But Carlos just burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Sean, haven’t you just done the same? Revealed your trump card for a mere commoner?"

A Grand Mage...

’This Maid is actually a Grand Mage!’

"Sean, this time you’re really done for!"

If threatening Sean with the Church Court earlier was just an empty threat, this time, it was real.

For Hunters to be killed by their prey... if word of that got back to the Church Court, forgetting about any chance of being avenged, they would first face severe punishment for being "useless." If they couldn’t even handle a simple task like this, what was the point of the Church Court supporting them at all?

But if they were defeated at the hands of a Grand Mage, everything was different.

The Farm World forbids the presence of Grand Mages. All the families play by the rules, so it would be perfectly normal for them to be unable to contend with a Grand Mage. It would no longer be their failure, but a dereliction of duty on the part of the soldiers who guard the passages.

In other words, it would be the Church Court’s own failure.

Therefore, if only to save face, the Church Court would have no choice but to intervene personally.

When that time came, forget one Grand Mage—even five, ten, or a hundred of them would be executed on the spot.

The power of the Church Court was far beyond the imagination of these "farm animals."

And what he needed to do now was get that information back.

"I told you, you can’t keep me here."

Carlos sneered, his body gradually turning ethereal and transparent.

Seeing him try to escape, Eleanor lunged forward without hesitation. Unleashing her Tier Seven Power, she reached for Carlos, determined to stop him.

However, Eleanor—who could easily kill a thousand Wizards with a single Spell—missed.

Eleanor’s hand clearly closed around Carlos’s shoulder, but she felt nothing solid, as if she had grabbed a fistful of air.

Her hand passed right through his body.

In the next instant, Carlos vanished.

He left behind only a single, hate-filled, laughing remark.

"Sean, just you wait here and die! HAHAHAHA!"

...