The Self-Snaring... Aelea

"If you don't believe me, then forget it."

The woman's voice dripped with disappointment. "Then again, you pathetic creatures hiding underground could never comprehend the ideals and vision of the Holy Maiden. Fine, just focus on your task."

Fly suddenly asked, "I'm curious about something. Since you so casually handed me this 'Ghoul Canon of Rites,' have you also made contact with other... resistance groups of the unnatural?" His tone grew increasingly suspicious. "Let me think—werewolves? Vampires? Or even... Shoggoths? Are we just one of your many cards to play?"

This was precisely the answer Luo Wei had been hoping to uncover. He listened intently, waiting for the woman's response.

Yet an eerie silence fell over the tent.

Luo Wei frowned, instinctively leaning closer.

At that moment, a claw covered in black fur tore through the tent fabric, lunging straight for his throat.

Luo Wei's instincts kicked in, and he dodged just in time. His body blurred into a crimson afterimage as he retreated into the shadows.

"A vampire?" Fly burst out of the tent, scanning the darkness with a scowl. That presence was all too familiar to him.

"He must have overheard something..." The Church envoy narrowed her eyes, surveying their surroundings warily. "Fly, deal with him—quickly!"

"On it!" Fly let out a guttural, inhuman snarl, his mouth splitting open to reveal jagged fangs.

From the cover of [Shadow Stride], Luo Wei studied the gang leader—a hunched figure in a cap, with unnaturally long arms ending in razor-sharp claws.

"Come out! Stop hiding!" Fly roared, his body swelling grotesquely as fabric shredded away, exposing bloated, grayish muscles and a matted pelt of black fur.

Transformed into his ghoul form, he let out a chilling laugh and barreled toward a patch of darkness. "You think you're the only one who belongs in the dark?"

Not only had he pinpointed Luo Wei's hiding spot, but his speed was explosive. Luo Wei had no choice but to raise a magical barrier to block the assault.

With a sizzling crack, Luo Wei staggered back. Though the ghoul couldn’t breach his defenses, the sheer force behind each strike was staggering.

Fly tore at the barrier like a rabid beast, but Luo Wei’s attention flicked to the Church envoy. She had already recognized him as a serious threat, backing away step by step, trying to vanish into the chaotic crowd.

Yet no matter how she tried to hide, Luo Wei’s [Mark] ensured she couldn’t escape. After relaying her position to his team, he snapped, "Capture her!"

Their primary objective was seizing this woman. Ophelia knew it was finally her turn to act. A bizarre distortion rippled through the underground space.

In an instant, the ground trembled as stone walls erupted from nowhere, sealing off every exit of the labyrinthine sewer tunnels.

The Church envoy’s eyes widened in shock—this wasn’t magic, but illusion. "Fly! Cover me!" she screamed.

Fly knew letting her get captured wasn’t an option. Abandoning his assault on Luo Wei, he bolted toward her.

But Tilis’s gravity magic descended like a tidal wave. Every gang member crumpled under an invisible force, unable to so much as fire a shot.

The sheer dominance of their combined control left Fly reeling. With a furious roar, he shielded the envoy with his massive frame. The woman, meanwhile, fished an object from her robes—a teleportation rune, Luo Wei realized instantly.

He moved to stop her. If she escaped, the mission would be a near-total failure. They needed her to uncover Eleya’s plans.

Yet the moment Luo Wei and Tilis unleashed their spells, the underground chamber blazed with light. The envoy did something unexpected—she didn’t flee.

Instead...

She cast a high-tier divine judgment spell, manifesting a radiant spear of light that pierced Fly’s throat.

The holy magic was lethally effective against all unnatural beings. The ghoul gang leader—ranked 32nd on the most-wanted list—clutched the gaping wound, his expression a mix of fury and disbelief.

"You... what are you... doing?" Blood gushed from his throat, turning his voice into a ragged whisper.

"You damn..."

His massive body collapsed to its knees. The Church envoy watched impassively.

"Why would allies turn on each other?" Tilis’s puppet magic had already taken hold. She stepped forward, effortlessly forcing the envoy’s body into a compliant stance.

"It’s a cleanup," Ophelia said, examining the ghoul leader. His eyes had dulled to a lifeless gray.

"A cleanup?" Tilis flicked her wrist, making the envoy’s arms stiffly extend for binding. "Why kill a mere pawn causing chaos? This Church woman is the priority!"

"She chose to eliminate the ghoul leader—the one who knew the most secrets—in that critical moment," Ophelia mused, narrowing her eyes. "Which means she isn’t worried about leaking intel herself. That’s why she prioritized silencing him."

"Impossible." Tilis had absolute faith in her dark magic. "Even if her will is strong, I have ways to break her. The moment her resistance falters, I’ll seize control."

"Tilis, I think Ophelia means something else..." Luo Wei frowned. The envoy’s ruthless efficiency left him unsettled.

"Oh?" Tilis wasn’t convinced. She tightened her control, eager to prove her point.

Sure enough, the envoy’s eyes twitched, her lips parting like a marionette’s.

"See?" Tilis smirked.

But her triumph was short-lived. The envoy’s next words froze her in place.

"Tilis, your magic grows more refined by the day. Truly, you remain this world’s most prodigious mage..."

The voice was all wrong—too playful, too knowing. The envoy’s gaze then shifted stiffly toward Luo Wei, her tone softening unnaturally.

"Luo Wei, it’s been four years. Have you missed me?"

"Who—?!" Tilis gaped at her.

"Eleya." Luo Wei’s expression darkened. He hadn’t expected their reunion to unfold like this.

"It’s me." Eleya’s smile was gentle, yet the stiffness of the puppet’s body made it grotesque.

"Miscalculation..." Ophelia's expression was equally cold toward the woman. "I suppose every member of the envoy is a divine chosen one? You’ve taken over her body, ensuring she can’t leak any information."

"Clever," Eleya praised with a smile. "Why not join my advisory council, Your Highness? I’ve reserved positions for all of you in the Church."

"Hah, as if I’d care!" Ophelia stepped closer, her face icy. "You really think your madness will succeed? I’ll report this to my father at once—you won’t destabilize this nation."

Eleya merely smiled faintly, unfazed.

"Eleya, this is just one part of your plan, isn’t it?" Luo Wei stared at her. "The 'Ghoul’s Canonical Rites' was confiscated by your Church years ago to suppress the aberrant races, wasn’t it? How many other forbidden texts have you secretly handed to the rebel factions among the aberrants in Weigner?"

Eleya silently held Luo Wei’s gaze for a long moment, as if savoring the rare intimacy between them.

After a prolonged silence, instead of answering, she murmured nostalgically, "Since our family is all here... I have an idea. Why don’t we retrace our steps from four years ago? Complete the journey that was abruptly cut short..."

"What nonsense are you spouting now?" Tilis snapped impatiently, waving a hand as the Church envoy’s body stiffly followed behind her.

"Tch! She can’t possess that body forever. Let’s head back to the old estate—see what trouble she can stir up then!"

Ophelia’s eyes darkened as she studied Eleya. She hadn’t expected the woman to walk right into their hands. Now, she’d make sure to interrogate her thoroughly.

Yet, during the entire escort, Eleya offered no resistance. Her gaze remained fixed on Luo Wei’s retreating figure, so intently it sent shivers down his spine.