Chapter 163: Multifaceted Battle

"You dare deceive me!"

Elder Seville realized everything once he saw Irving and Vicky's actions.

Despite all his precautions, he had still been duped by Irving.

Irving's current speed revealed that his previous weakness had been a mere act. Moreover, the arm that had been severed was now miraculously reattached.

Elder Seville pursued Irving and Vicky with utmost speed through the narrow passageways. Meanwhile, Benjamin and the two other Night Blades members had stayed back in the previous area.

Benjamin had been ready for battle from the start.

So, when Elder Seville fell into the trap, Benjamin immediately launched an attack on the Night Blades members.

Unprepared, the two formidable members of the Night Blades were taken by surprise by Benjamin's assault.

Although they were stronger than Benjamin, they were still at a disadvantage in the fight.

"Fighting us here makes no sense. It's too dangerous to stay. We should retreat to a safe location and continue the battle there."

One of the Night Blades members candidly suggested to Benjamin.

In his view, since Irving, Vicky, and Elder Seville had already left.

It was perilous for them to remain and fight.

Even though Benjamin was an enemy, temporarily forging a truce to ensure their safety seemed acceptable.

The other Night Blades member, though silent, clearly shared the same thought.

Benjamin, faced with this situation, hesitated slightly.

Despite his loyalty to the Smith family, he felt he should consider his own safety under the current circumstances.

"You're right! Let's temporarily retreat from here."

After saying this, Benjamin immediately ran towards the direction of the exit.

Naturally, the two Night Blades members quickly followed close behind Benjamin.

Irving and Vicky, who were ahead, quickly reached a hollow beneath the foundation of the Benevolent Sanatorium. They just needed to exit through this hollow to reach the surface.

However, there, Vicky and Irving encountered an unexpected enemy: an apparition of the Smith family ancestor, conjured by the artifact.

"Now that you've come here, don't think about leaving. You both must stay here with me until I gain enough power to resurrect."

The artifact-generated apparition of the Smith family ancestor now existed in the form of a spectral figure.

He moved step by step, slowly approaching in Vicky's direction.

At that moment, Vicky's face was etched with conflict.

She knew that the figure approaching her was not truly her ancestor, yet part of her still hoped to save her ancestor.

"Good child, you just need to help me resurrect, and I assure you that you will gain all of my power." the apparition of the Smith family ancestor coaxed as it came very close to Vicky.

However, just as it reached out to touch her, Irving stepped in front of Vicky.

"You have no right to ask Vicky to help you resurrect! You are not her ancestor. You are merely a sad figment produced by a weapon, a virtual personality with no substance."

Irving declared coldly towards the direction of the Smith family ancestor's apparition.

Upon hearing this, the apparition of the Smith family ancestor became even more ethereal.

"You are lying! I am the Smith family ancestor! I discovered the strange space filled with chaotic energy, and I found the artifact destined to be mine."

Irving scoffed at these claims.

He then pulled out a token from his pocket, inscribed with the real name of the Smith family ancestor. However, the inscription on the token was extremely blurred, with only the initial 'Smiith' visible at the top.

The moment the token was revealed, the true residual spirit of the Smith family ancestor that inhabited the token appeared in the hollow.

"You're nothing but a counterfeit! You merely wish to use my descendants to resurrect!"

The spirit of the Smith family ancestor chose that instant to launch an attack towards the apparition.

Vicky, witnessing all this, displayed a look of utter surprise on her face.

"What is going on here? Are both of these figures my ancestors? Did my ancestor split his soul into two parts?"

Irving shook his head and quickly explained to Vicky.

"The one who appeared just now is your true ancestor. The apparition we saw earlier is just a creation of the artifact. It's a puppet of the artifact, and its words were meant to deceive you."

Hearing this, a slight relief washed over Vicky's face.

"You don't need to worry about anything now! Just wait here for a bit, and I will help your ancestor deal with that impostor!"

After saying this, Irving joined the ongoing battle.

At that moment, Elder Seville suddenly appeared behind everyone.

"Finally, I've found you! Irving, I will make sure you pay dearly!" Elder Seville shouted menacingly towards Irving and Vicky.

However, the next moment, Elder Seville was stopped in his tracks.

He saw two apparitions of the Smith family ancestor engaged in battle, and Irving had joined the fray.

"What in the world is happening here? Why are there two Smith family ancestors?"

Unable to immediately make sense of the situation.

Elder Seville was unable to immediately assess the situation clearly. Sёarch* The NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Consequently, he opted for the safest course of action and made a move directly at Vicky. By gaining control over Vicky, he would hold the initiative, regardless of what unfolded next.

However, his moment of hesitation had already set the stage for his downfall.

Just as Elder Seville moved to attack Vicky, someone blocked his path.

This person was Benjamin, who had just emerged from deep underground.

"This time, I won't let you succeed so easily! You won't harm President Donald in front of me!" Benjamin sternly told Elder Seville.

Elder Seville dismissed Benjamin as overestimating his abilities.

"You dare stand in my way? Then don't blame me for being ruthless! You are no match for me. You're just like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!"

Elder Seville then created numerous black orbs around himself. These orbs, formed in an instant, swiftly flew towards Benjamin.

Benjamin managed to block the first few black orbs, but he was overwhelmed by the successive ones.

In less than a minute, Elder Seville had severely wounded Benjamin.

"Are you alright?! You would sacrifice your life to protect me?" Vicky was incredibly anxious.

She looked at Benjamin lying on the ground, her voice filled with distress.

Benjamin nodded.

"My mission is to protect you! To ensure your safety, I am willing to put my life aside!"

Elder Seville laughed upon hearing Benjamin's words.

"Your sacrifice is meaningless. You've only delayed me for a minute. In that minute, Vicky couldn't even manage to escape."

Elder Seville glanced at Benjamin dismissively, his primary focus still on Vicky.

"No one can protect you now, so let's not waste any more of our time." Elder Seville said with a smile looking at Vicky.

Vicky shook her head.

"No matter what, I won't cooperate with you like before. You might as well kill me now!"

Vicky's resolve surprised Elder Seville.

"Of course, I won't kill you. Killing you would mean losing a very important bargaining chip."

Upon hearing this, Vicky pulled out her dagger.

"Even if you don't intend to kill me, I won't let you use me to threaten others! I'll choose to end my own life!"

With these words, Vicky placed the dagger against her throat.

This move shocked Elder Seville.

Before Elder Seville could react, a stone flew directly towards Vicky.

The stone struck the dagger in Vicky's hand, knocking it to the ground.

Then, Anna's voice rang out.

"Now is not the time for suicide! We haven't been completely defeated yet!"

Along with Anna's voice, Anna and Aron appeared at the entrance of the hollow.

They had just taken care of the Night Blades members outside.

Now, it was time to assist Vicky and Irving.

Aron coldly stared at Elder Seville. "Your biggest mistake was trusting your underlings. Did you really think they could hold us back? We are elite members of the Angel Guild, not easily restrained by Night Blades' minions!"

After saying this, Aron quickly charged towards Elder Seville.

The situation was now completely beyond Elder Seville's control.

He suddenly realized that the battle in the hollow wasn't just between his forces and Irving's.

Currently, multiple factions are engaged in combat, and to emerge victorious in this multifaceted battle, Elder Seville must cautiously handle whatever comes next.

However, at this moment, Elder Seville's immediate challenge is dealing with the combined assault of Aron and Anna.

While neither Aron nor Anna individually matches Elder Seville's strength, their coordinated efforts pose a significant threat to him.

Just then, as Elder Seville was strategizing in the narrow corridor.

Two members of the Night Blades appeared. The arrival of these two Night Blades members restored Elder Seville's confidence.

"Even with all your schemes, you cannot defeat me! The power I wield now surpasses that of all of you combined," he declared.

After making this statement, Elder Seville turned his attention to the two newly arrived members of the Night Blades.

"You two must coordinate with my actions! Together, we can quickly eliminate all these adversaries!" However, the two Night Blades members did not heed Elder Seville's command. With expressions of terror etched on their faces, they frantically spoke up.

"There's something terrifying chasing us from behind! We need to run now!"