Morgen sensed a familiar aura emanating from the direction of the City Lord's Manor, causing his heart to race with anticipation.

After feeling the magical shield protecting the manor shatter in mere seconds, a growing hunch gnawed at his mind.

"Is that the presence of Viscount Bernard?" he asked Amy and Grot, his voice laced with uncertainty.

"Ancestor, it is indeed Viscount Bernard's aura. No one is more familiar with him than us," Amy replied, confirming Morgen's suspicions. Although he hadn't fully gained the Viscount's trust during his 20 years in the shadows, recognizing his presence was not a challenge.

Grot also provided a positive confirmation.

"Yes, Ancestor, it is indeed Viscount Bernard."

Morgen glanced at the two of them, his gaze tinged with a hint of complexity.

It was becoming increasingly clear that Viscount Bernard's target was not the Scarlet Mage Tower, but rather the City Lord's Manor.

The puzzle pieces from earlier began to fall into place.

It made sense now why Viscount Bernard had spent so much time and effort preparing, amassing the power to crush the Scarlet Mage Tower.

First, he had enlisted the aid of the Evening Bell Church to create a mysterious weapon capable of neutralizing an artifact.

Then, for months, he schemed to open the gate to the abyss, attracting high-level professionals to Green City.

Initially, Morgen had believed these actions were merely cautious planning. However, it now seemed that the Scarlet Mage Tower, which Viscount Bernard had repeatedly mentioned, was merely a diversion.

The Viscount had only one true objective – the City Lord's Manor.

But why didn't he strike directly at the manor instead of engaging in such an elaborate ruse?

Just then, Morgen sensed something and turned his head abruptly. Through the half-open window, he spotted five powerful auras emerge around the Scarlet Mage Tower – professionals above level beta.

These five individuals immediately surrounded the undead necromancer who had been directing the bone dragon's assault on the tower.

This scene caught Morgen's attention.

"Viscount Bernard is playing a game of diversion," he realized with a profound understanding. Viscount Bernard was indeed worthy of being the mastermind behind the Dark Covenant, wielding immense power.

If it weren't for Amy's insider knowledge, allowing them to infiltrate the Dark Covenant and capture three of their top fighters above level beta, everyone in the Covenant would have been unwittingly manipulated by Viscount Bernard.

If the necromancer's undead army, consisting of Amy, Grot, Stanley, and the late Cologne, were to attack the Scarlet Mage Tower, they would become the focus of attention.

The highly sensitive period surrounding the emergence of the abyssal demon would undoubtedly draw in most of the remaining high-level professionals in Green City.

At that point, Viscount Bernard's true plan would come to fruition.

Morgen gazed at the bone dragon still flying through the sky, shaking his head.

The opening of the abyssal gate, followed by the attack on the Scarlet Mage Tower – these two acts were carefully planned to divert attention and defensive forces.

By doing so, Viscount Bernard could create an opportunity to achieve his real goal – targeting the City Lord's Manor.

The more people were drawn into the attack on the Scarlet Mage Tower, the more defensive forces would be concentrated in Green City.

And once a battle broke out, these forces were unlikely to abandon their positions to aid the City Lord's Manor. In the heat of the fight, few would have the presence of mind to worry about Viscount Bernard's activities there.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"What a clever plan," Morgen mused. "Unfortunately for him, I'm the one who's caught in his web."

He punched the table, frustration evident in his expression. For his enemies' unprovoked aggression, Morgen would retaliate fiercely. However, against an adversary who had calculated him like a fool, he vowed to outwit Viscount Bernard and expose his true intentions.

After all, it's not intelligence that makes a person formidable; it's when that intelligence is paired with cunning and deceit that things become truly dangerous.

Viscount Bernard had been planning for so long, orchestrating a complex scheme that had ensnared almost everyone, except for a select few who remained in the shadows.

What could his true purpose be? What treasure in the City Lord's Manor could have lured such an extraordinary being?

A few thoughts flickered through Morgen's mind. Any object capable of captivating an extraordinary existence must possess unimaginable value and rarity.

Unfortunately, Morgen knew that no matter how precious the treasure might be, it was beyond his reach for now.

The City Lord's Manor was the only extraordinary dwelling in Green City. Although the extraordinary mage might have been drawn there by the abyss's presence, there was no guarantee they would remain indefinitely.

Morgen's forces were not weak, but they fell short in comparison to an extraordinary being.

He had anticipated a fierce battle today, but it seemed that such a confrontation would have to be postponed.

In the sky, the bone dragon faced off against the five level beta individuals on the ground, a tense standoff. A cold glint flashed in Morgen's eyes as he observed the persistent necromancer. He couldn't believe the undead mage could be so easily defeated.

Despite being surrounded by five top-tier combatants, the undead mage, far from showing fear, let out a piercing shriek.

"Caw! Foolish mortals! How dare you challenge the great Undead!"

"Death is your ultimate destination!"

"Rise, my darling, and let them taste the breath of the undead~!"

Among the five senior professionals who had come to hunt the undead mage at the Scarlet Mage Tower, there were two warriors, a thief, a priest, and an archer.

This combination formed a well-balanced and formidable fighting unit. Facing a mere undead necromancer who hadn't yet reached level beta, they naturally felt no fear.

Even though this undead mage commanded an beta plus-level bone dragon.

The massive bone dragon suddenly turned and flew towards the middle-aged priest standing on the ground.

From a distance of dozens of blades, the undead's breath, laden with the scent of death, erupted.

The dragon's breath from the beta plus-level bone dragon had devastating power.

Any structure touched by the breath of the undead would decay and collapse instantly, turning half the street into cinders.

However, the priest standing in the street remained composed, his eyes devoid of panic. At the critical moment, he flickered, his figure disappearing from the dragon's breath's range.

The thief nearby also vanished into thin air, while the two warriors protected the archer, who continued to bend his bow and fire arrows while looking for an opportunity to attack.

Morgen witnessed the fighting style of these elite human professionals for the first time.

It was evident that these individuals had extensive experience fighting together, demonstrating remarkable coordination and understanding of their roles. Even when confronted with the beta plus-level bone dragon, they maintained their composure.

The warriors始终stood in front of the archer and priest, while the thief, despite being invisible, periodically made his presence known through unusual noises from the rooftops. Unfortunately, the bone dragon's sharp senses prevented him from finding a suitable opportunity.

The situation remained at a standstill.

The bone dragon's aerial dominance posed a challenge, but its massive size made it less agile within the city, preventing it from engaging with the five individuals on the ground. Meanwhile, the five individuals on the ground, lacking air supremacy, couldn't reach the bone dragon. They could only watch as the bone dragon flaunted its power in the sky.

Morgen wasn't surprised by this stalemate. Both sides were formidable opponents. After observing the battle for a while, he seemed to recall something and turned to address Amy.

"Emmy, can you place a spatial mark on the bone dragon?"

Amy was taken aback but nodded resolutely after a moment of contemplation.

"The bone dragon's body is large enough to accommodate a spatial mark, and its low intelligence prevents it from detecting it.

However, the energy within the bone dragon's body is immense, limiting the longevity of the spatial mark to half a Sunday before it fades."

Morgen nodded, a glint of understanding in his eyes.

"That's enough. This undead necromancer can't remain in Green City indefinitely. Once human griffins and Pegasi arrive, the bone dragon will be in trouble.

Do you have a method for tracking this necromancer after leaving a spatial mark?"

Amy listened attentively and responded confidently, her tone firm.

"As long as I have the spatial mark, there's no problem, as long as it doesn't exceed my casting distance."

As a shadow priest, Amy possessed considerable control over spatial magic, particularly shadow-aligned spatial magic.

Location tracking was a relatively simple operation, well within his capabilities.

Morgen's eyes lit up.

"Go ahead, place a spatial mark on the bone dragon, but be careful not to be detected by the necromancer.

Since the Dark Covenant hasn't shown up yet, we might as well reap some other rewards."

As the Shadow High Priest, Morgen had no doubts about Amy's ability to leave a mark on the bone dragon.

If he couldn't accomplish this, there would be no point in keeping the Shadow High Priest.

He had expected a fierce battle today, but the situation had undergone a dramatic transformation, and plans often went awry.