Chapter 193: Emergency Reinforcements from the Night Blades
As Elder Lawrence found himself in a desperate situation and the Night Blades' forces in the Desolate Canyon faced severe setbacks, the high-ranking members of the Night Blades in the real world convened an emergency meeting. This meeting was entirely different from the previous ones.
This time, many of the high-ranking members in attendance had memorized Irving's name. They all understood that the immense crisis the Night Blades faced in the Desolate Canyon was instigated by Irving. The purpose of this emergency meeting was to discuss how to eliminate Irving.
"I warned you all before that Irving is a highly talented individual. We absolutely cannot afford to underestimate him, yet none of you heeded my advice. Now that the situation has spiraled beyond our control, you call me in to provide suggestions. Frankly, I have no more recommendations to offer.
Irving's power has grown to a level that we can no longer handle easily," one elder who had previously been in charge of the City of Warding said with a tone of resignation.
Upon hearing these words, the faces of the other Night Blades elders reflected deep regret.
"You are right. If we had eliminated Irving while he was still not strong enough, we would not be facing the crisis we have now," a commanding voice echoed from the depths of the shadows.
Upon hearing that commanding voice, all the elders of the Night Blades sat up straight, not daring to show any signs of complacency.
"However, now that the situation has reached such a critical point, we must come up with a solution. Dwelling on past mistakes is pointless," the authoritative voice continued.
Normally, it would be expected for the other elders of the Night Blades to propose their own ideas for effective solutions before the highest leader made a decision. But this time, the highest leader of the Night Blades had no intention of waiting for input from others; he planned to make a judgment himself.
"Relying solely on Elder Lawrence will not stabilize the situation in the Desolate Canyon. Therefore, I have decided to send two more elders to provide assistance. Elder Howard and Elder Kent, you are to drop whatever work you are currently engaged in and head immediately to the Desolate Canyon within the Shelter game. You must ensure the safety of Shadow City.
Furthermore, if you manage to find Irving, you must do everything in your power to eliminate him."
Although Elder Howard and Elder Kent were reluctant to go to the Desolate Canyon, they had no choice but to comply, as this was a direct order from the highest leader of the Night Blades. They could only respond with resignation, "We will act immediately. We will do our utmost to fulfill your plan."
Once Elder Howard and Elder Kent departed, the emergency meeting of the Night Blades came to an end.
To ensure that the support from Elder Howard and Elder Kent would be successful, the Night Blades assigned a considerable number of their members to accompany them.
On their way to the Desolate Canyon, Elder Howard and Elder Kent took the opportunity to discuss their operational plan.
"According to the intelligence we have received, the control center of Shadow City has already been destroyed. Elder Lawrence is likely in grave danger. Even if we manage to reach Shadow City in time, it's highly probable that we won't be able to save him," Elder Howard said with a tone of slight regret.
Elder Kent nodded solemnly in agreement. "You're right. However, we must try our best to rescue Elder Lawrence. The Night Blades cannot afford to lose another elder."
Each elder of the Night Blades had been cultivated with significant resources. The death of Elder Seville had left the Night Blades unable to restore their influence in the City of Warding up to this point. If Elder Lawrence were to be killed by Irving and his allies in the Shelter game, the strength of the Night Blades in the Desolate Canyon would also face a severe reduction.
Elder Howard understood this well, so he tentatively proposed his suggestion. "If we truly want to ensure Elder Lawrence's safety, we might need to utilize the power from the Abyss of Death."
As soon as Elder Howard finished speaking, Elder Kent responded with a tone of surprise.
"Do not mention the Abyss of Death! The secrets of the Abyss of Death are extremely important even for us. We absolutely cannot let anyone else know about it," Elder Kent insisted.
"However, without the power from the Abyss of Death, we have no way to ensure we can defeat Irving. Have you forgotten what Irving has done before?" Elder Howard retorted.
A heated argument ensued between the two elders. Although their goals were the same, their plans of action significantly diverged. Elder Kent was certainly aware of the threat posed by Irving, but he felt that the threat was not severe enough to warrant the use of the Abyss of Death's power.
"If we use the power from the Abyss of Death, how will we respond if the leader inquires about it later? Even if he is very concerned about the threat posed by Irving, he would not agree to our utilizing the power of the Abyss of Death against him. If he learns of your intentions, you might end up losing your position as an elder. If that happens, you will surely regret it."
Elder Kent's warning struck a chord. While Elder Howard wanted to carry out this mission perfectly, he was also deeply concerned about the potential loss of his status as an elder.
"Let's proceed with the plan we devised earlier. Even if we ultimately fail to save Elder Lawrence, others won't say much about it," Elder Kent added, trying to comfort Elder Howard.
In the end, the two reached a consensus: they would stick to their original plan of action.
However, their primary task was to save Shadow City. Only after rescuing Shadow City would they consider attempting to save Elder Lawrence, if the opportunity arose.
At the same time that the Night Blades dispatched Elder Howard and Elder Kent as reinforcements, Elder Lawrence had found himself at the edge of Shadow City, pursued by the King of Lightning.
Inside Shadow City, Elder Lawrence could draw upon the dark powers within, but the strength of the King of Lightning was simply overwhelming. Even with the dark powers at his disposal, Elder Lawrence was unable to fend off the King of Lightning's relentless attacks.
Under the continuous onslaught from the King of Lightning, Elder Lawrence's condition had deteriorated significantly.
"Am I really going to be destroyed here?! Is there truly no way for me to survive this?!" Elder Lawrence was nearing complete despair at that moment.
Just then, in his dazed state, he suddenly glimpsed the emblem of the Night Blades. However, just as Elder Lawrence was about to verify whether what he saw was indeed the Night Blades' emblem, a bolt of lightning struck him, causing him to lose consciousness.
The King of Lightning descended from above, aiming to devour Elder Lawrence whole. But at that moment, a surge of powerful dark energy suddenly enveloped the King of Lightning, sealing him away.
The emblem Elder Lawrence had seen was indeed real, and it represented none other than Elder Howard and Elder Kent, the two elders of the Night Blades.
Elder Howard used dark magic to temporarily seal the King of Lightning, while Elder Kent teleported to Elder Lawrence's side. Kent carefully observed Lawrence's condition, and after confirming that he was not in any immediate danger, he shifted his focus back to the King of Lightning.
With the combined efforts of the two elders, the King of Lightning was unable to withstand their assault for long. Ultimately, the King of Lightning chose to flee.
Elder Kent was ready to pursue, but Elder Howard stopped him. "Don't forget what our most important mission is! Our goal is to save Shadow City, not to chase after this sudden exotic beast. Even if this exotic beast is more valuable than others, it pales in comparison to the value of Shadow City. From Lawrence's condition, it's clear that Shadow City is in dire straits."
At Elder Howard's reminder, Elder Kent nodded in agreement. "You're right; I was too reckless. Let's have someone else keep an eye on Elder Lawrence. Then we'll continue toward Shadow City."
With that, Elder Kent shared his plan, and the two elders pressed on toward Shadow City. Not far behind them, Irving and his group were also making their way in the same direction. However, Irving noticed something slightly unusual.
"Is the King of Lightning retreating quickly from Shadow City? Has he already eliminated Elder Lawrence? Is Lawrence really that weak?" Irving muttered to himself.
Irving's remark caught the attention of the others. The werewolf leader turned to Irving and said, "Could it be that Elder Lawrence received help from others and successfully defeated the King of Lightning?"
"We can't rule out that possibility. In my opinion, the Night Blades are likely to send reinforcements to Shadow City," Aron agreed with the werewolf leader.
Irving remained silent, merely gazing into the distance. His behavior only increased Aron's anxiety.
"No matter what you plan to do, you need to act quickly. If you keep wasting time, our mission is likely to end in failure," Aron warned.
Just as Aron finished speaking, Irving gestured for him to be quiet. "It seems there are others ahead, and those individuals appear to be members of the Night Blades! We need to prepare for battle immediately."
Irving's statement surprised everyone. However, they all acted swiftly, fully aware that the appearance of other Night Blades members meant they were about to face a tough fight.
The werewolf leader signaled to his subordinates to take cover in a safe location. To him, it seemed that his subordinates would be of little use in the upcoming battle.