When Audis and Ivy, along with several other second-generation Bloodlines arrived, the civil unrest in Eric Town had not yet ended.
It was the second afternoon, nearing dusk, and the sun had already set behind the mountains.
Recker and the civilians he led were still fighting over Lord Marcos's convoy, trying to win a chance for survival in this winter.
But when they saw hundreds of Magic Language Bats surrounding the group of refugees, now reduced to 700 people,
Recker's joy at the imminent victory turned into the fear of being dragged into the abyss by demons.
Just one step further, and they could have won.
But now, everything had changed.
"We are the Holy Light Bloodline, put down your weapons.
Put down your weapons, and those who surrender will not be harmed. I repeat, put down your weapons."
A proud voice came from the sky, accompanied by giant bats flying everywhere, like devils whispering from the abyss.
Fear spread throughout the scene.
The crowd fell into panic, and the humans who were frantically killing each other a moment ago felt like they had been doused with ice water, completely chilled.
Damn it, how could there be vampires here!!
Ivy dismounted from the Magic Language Bat, casting a Second Circle Magic - Light Body Skill on herself, and floated in midair before all the humans.
The long black mage robe further terrified the already panicked refugees.
A mage, there was actually a mage among these vampires!!
"Life Goddess above, are you abandoning your believers?"
"God!! They are bats, vampires' bats!!"
"We've encountered vampires?!!"
The crowd instantly collapsed.
If it weren't for the large number of Magic Language Bats arranged outside, these people would have fled for their lives.
In the eyes of humans, the Bloodline usually represented evil.
Mysterious, elegant, bloody, terrifying.
These blood-sucking creatures possessed everything humans feared.
Ivy frowned at the panicked crowd below and waved her hand.
A green Magic Ball flew into the air and exploded with a "boom," scattering green lights everywhere.
Second Circle Magic - Concentration Skill
The extremely frightened crowd's hearts were somewhat soothed, and their anxious expressions eased a lot.
"We are the Holy Light Bloodline, not the evil Bloodline you speak of. Surrender, and your lives will not be in danger."
The magical power in Ivy's words further calmed the crowd's anxiety.
Many people looked at her in confusion, Holy Light Bloodline and evil Bloodline?
Could there really be a distinction between good and evil among vampires?
And though the name coined by Lide was somewhat common, it was quite effective, akin to light and justice, that would never be seen as dark in the human mind.
Moreover, the Bloodline boasted of a very high appeal.
When this extremely beautiful mage spoke, even with hundreds of terrifying Magic Language Bats around, many people felt a sense of trust.
The saying "beauty is justice" was applicable in any world.
Recker suppressed his inner panic, stepped forward two steps, and shouted at Ivy in the air, "Excuse me, who are you, and what is your purpose in stopping us?"
Ivy slowly descended to the ground, walked up to the strong human, and lifted her head slightly.
"No, I am here to save you. Humans, you are now my captives."
Recker's face, still smeared with fresh blood, turned somewhat grim.
"Didn't you say that you wouldn't harm us?"
His hand already gripping the longsword tightly.
However, Marcos, who appeared as if he had seen a savior, knew that if these vampires hadn't shown up, the dirty refugees would have looted his property and hanged him from a tree.
"Honorable Mage, I am the lord of Eric Town, Baron of the Nolan Empire, Marcos Eric.
If you help me suppress these damn refugees, I am willing to give you half of my property, no, all of it!"
Marcos's words filled the civilians with anger.
Even though both sides were in a situation where only one could live, colluding with vampires still angered the civilians.
"Damn Marcos, I'll rip your head off!"
"They're vampires, not humans, you bastard, they'll drain your blood dry!!"
Swish~
Over a hundred Bloodlines transformed into bats and landed, instantly taking control of the situation.
The large-bodied Magic Language Bats hovered in the sky, surrounded by mysterious and powerful Bloodlines, suppressing all the noise from the crowd.
The courage they'd just gathered was shattered by the overwhelming power, and recalling the tales of vampires, even many women and the elderly collapsed to the ground.
Ivy instantly understood the situation. In her long life, she'd seen many internal struggles among humans.
Moreover, in the human world, nobles and commoners were never the same. But seeing commoners attacking a noble was still quite rare.
She felt a bit curious about the burly human. Who gave him the courage to defy a noble?
"The Holy Light Bloodline never lies.
Humans, your conflicts have nothing to do with the Bloodline.
However, you are now our captives, so you are our property."
Recker's face was full of anger.
"Your property? We're not slaves!!"
"You have no choice in the matter."
"Hmph, since it's death either way, we might as well use the courage granted by the gods to defeat you instead of letting you suck us dry one by one."
Recker's voice reignited some spirit among the humans, who clutched their weapons tightly, recalling the legendary horrors of the Bloodline.
"Death? No. No, our Clan Leader is establishing a city and needs a lot of workers.
You won't die and will be protected by the Holy Light Bloodline, and you will get to eat white bread every day.
None of you will be killed. What we need are workers, not corpses.
You will receive enough food to survive this winter. Humans, you are fortunate to have the help of the Holy Light Bloodline."
Ivy's words resonated in everyone's ears.
Not die? And even receive enough food?
The courage Recker had built up dissipated again. People were always like this. If not pushed to the brink, no one could hold onto a belief in certain death.
As long as there was a glimmer of hope, they were willing to convince themselves to believe.
Oli, standing next to Recker, was full of rage, his young body trembling with fury.
"No, you're lying! How could vampires be so kind!! You're just like those damn nobles, deceiving us!!"
The crowd instantly tensed up again.
These were vampires; could they really offer such good treatment?
Ivy didn't get angry; instead, she smiled faintly.
"Humans, you know too little about the Bloodline.
The Bloodline has never been known for lying.
Remember, we are the Holy Light Bloodline, not those filthy, evil vampires you speak of."
She then turned her gaze over the crowd, her voice cold.
"Moreover, what qualifications do you have for us to deceive you?
If I wanted, I could execute all of you at any moment."
At that moment, the Magic Language Bats in the sky flew vigorously, and the Bloodlines on the ground gathered dense Magic Energy.
The powerful momentum froze everyone.
"See?
The weak deceive the strong; the strong never stoop to lying.
Humans, encountering the Holy Light Bloodline is your fortune. I am not negotiating with you,
you are now my captives, and you have no room for resistance.
I already told you, the Bloodline will give you work, provide food for you to get through the long winter.
Believing or not is irrelevant to me. Your lives are now in my hands. I have no reason to deceive you.
Now, put down your weapons, or I'll have my people take action. Don't think about resisting; it will only hasten your entry into the Divine Country of the Death God."
Her combination of words and actions became the final straw that broke the camel's back.
As the words ended, under Recker's painful gaze, someone threw down their weapon, and soon all the humans dropped their weapons.
Seeing this, Recker knew he had no choice left.
Fate was no longer in their hands.