Not long after the werewolf leader''s subordinates had left, a swirling ck mist, infused with dark power, began to drift toward the direction where Irving and the others were gathered.


    The sudden appearance of this dark power brought serious expressions to the faces of Irving and hispanions.


    "The members of the Night des not far from us are certainly not weak. We must prepare ourselves for battle immediately," Irving said solemnly to those around him.


    The few individuals surrounding Irving quickly readied themselves forbat.


    On the opposite side, two elders of the Night des also took notice of Irving and his group.


    They did not act immediately, as they sensed that the strength of Irving and hispanions was somewhat beyond their expectations. The dark mist that had just enveloped the area was released by Elder Howard, who used it to gauge the true strength of Irving''s group.


    Moreover, he noticed that the equipment they possessed was exceptionally rare. If they were tounch an attack recklessly, they might encounter unexpectedplications.


    "The strength of those people ahead is considerable. I have also pinpointed Irving''s location. Before we take action, we must devise a wless strategy," Elder Howard stated cautiously.


    After hearing Elder Howard''s words, Elder Kent replied in a slightly reluctant tone, "The brave prevail when faced with adversity. Since we''ve already encountered Irving, weshouldn''t waste any more time. Just follow me and initiate the attack. I believe that no matter how strong Irving is, he cannot possibly defeat both of us, the elders of the Night des, at the same time."


    As soon as Kent finished speaking, he transformed into a ck sword of light and shot toward Irving and his group at high speed.


    Upon witnessing this, Elder Howard let out a helpless sigh. "You''re as reckless as ever! I hadn''t even finished my sentence, and you''ve alreadyunched an attack!"


    Although Howard was somewhat dissatisfied with Kent''s impulsiveness, he knew that with the attack already initiated, he could not remain a passive spectator.


    Elder Howard also melded into the ck mist and, using its cover, swiftly approached Irving and hispanions.


    Irving, of course, sensed the threat posed by Elder Kent. Therefore, he immediately drew the Staff of Cmity.


    The moment the staff was in his grasp, a blinding light erupted from its tip. Following this, a barrierposed entirely of fiery energy materialized in front of Irving and his group.


    Kent''s ck sword of light collided directly with the barrier. Dark power and fiery energy shed violently, but ultimately, neither side was able to im a decisive victory.


    Elder Kent was blocked by the barrier summoned by Irving. The moment Kent''s ck sword of light collided with the barrier created by Irving, those around Irving instinctively took a step back.


    "Are you all nning to run away now? Didn''t I tell you before? Be ready for battle. What you need to do right now is to attack the enemy swiftly," Irving said, slightly dissatisfied with the reactions of hispanions.


    In Irving''s view, he had already warned them, which meant they should have been prepared forbat long ago.


    When facing the Night des, Irving''s strategy was singr: to confront them fearlessly. Since his goal was topletely eradicate the Night des, he could not afford to show any signs of timidity in their presence.


    The first to react was, of course, Aron. Although Aron had previously shed with Irving, he was the one who despised the Night des the most among them.


    Aron summoned all of his strength, causing his form to grow two to three timesrger than before. Entering abat state, Aron charged through the barrier of fiery energy that Irving had summoned and quickly reached Elder Kent''s side.


    Aron raised his fist and mmed it down toward Elder Kent with great force.


    Of course, Aron''s attack was not a significant threat to Elder Kent. In fact, Kent didn''t even consider Aron a serious opponent that required his attention.


    Elder Kent simply raised his left hand and materialized dark energy into a long sword. He engaged Aron in battle with the sword in hand.


    After Aronunched his attack, Nick also moved to strike Elder Kent. Nick had previously demonstrated that he was no slouch inbat. Instead of confronting Kent head-on, he decided to leverage his skills as an assassin.


    Nick first maneuvered to Kent''s side, carefully ensuring that the elder was unprepared. Seizing the opportunity, he quickly shed behind Elder Kent with his poisoned dagger in hand.


    The teamwork between Aron and Nick was exceptionally well-coordinated. As Nick made his move, Aron intensified his assault on Elder Kent, drawing all of Kent''s attention toward himself. This distraction provided Nick with a significant advantage for his attack.


    However, just as Nick was about to plunge the poisoned dagger into Elder Kent''s back, a swirl of ck smoke enveloped him.


    Nick felt a surge of dark energy seeping into his body.


    "I absolutely loathe assassins; every single one of them must endure torment before finding release!" Elder Howard''s voice echoed from within the ck mist.


    The moment Nick heard this voice, his entire body was plunged into a state of paralysis. Elder Howard used the power of the ck mist to inject the poison from Nick''s own dagger back into his body.


    Although Nick had some resistance to the poison on the dagger, he found himself unable to fight back when faced with both the poison and the onught of dark energy. Aron was unaware of the predicament Nick was in; he only realized that Nick''s attempt had failed.


    Aron''s own situation was not going smoothly either. With Nick no longer posing a threat, Elder Kent could finally focus all his power on battling Aron.


    Aron''s strength was inherently weaker than that of the Night des'' elders. Thus, when he faced Elder Kent''s attacks alone, he quickly found himself at a disadvantage.


    Not far away, Benjamin watched the scene unfold and, feeling a bit anxious, turned to Irving. "We have to help them, right? If we don''t step in soon, they''ll be wiped out by the Night des'' elder. After all, they are our allies."


    As Benjamin spoke, he carefully observed Irving''s expression. He knew that Irving''s rtionship with Aron had deteriorated significantly. However, Benjamin believed that Irving was a person who prioritized the greater good. Even with their troubled rtionship, Irving would not allow Aron to be eliminated by the Night des'' elder.


    After a moment of silence, Irving finally spoke up. "We cannot assist them yet. I have a feeling that the Night des'' elder has not yet revealed their full power."


    As soon as Irving finished speaking, the werewolf leader expressed his impatience. "So when exactly are we supposed to wait until? If the Night des'' elder can eliminate your twopanions without even needing to show their true power, then by continuing to stand by, aren''t we just setting ourselves up to be picked off one by one?"


    Irving nodded in agreement. "You''re right, which is why I hope you canunch an attack on the Night des'' elder. That would help mypanions."


    Upon hearing this, the werewolf leader hesitated slightly. He was unsure of Irving''s true intentions. Deep down, he harbored a significant concern—that Irving''s suggestion to attack first was merely a strategy to ensure that both they and the Night des'' elder would suffer mutual destruction.


    During this moment of hesitation, Benjamin spoke directly to Irving. "I think it''s better if I go help Aron and the others first! On one hand, I believe I understand their situation better. On the other hand, our Ocean Group has a partnership with the Angel Guild. So, it makes the most sense for me to assist them now."


    Irving nodded, and Benjamin quickly took off in the direction of the ck mist. He understood that the danger Nick was facing was the most pressing, and he needed to ensure Nick''s safety above all else.


    As Benjamin approached the dark house, he took out a time-dy rm clock from his pocket. Once the rm was activated, a ringing sound echoed, causing the movement speed of the ck mist summoned by Elder Howard to slow considerably.


    Seizing this opportunity, Benjamin pulled Nick out of the mist. At that moment, Nick was severely weakened by the dark energy and poison. Although his consciousness had notpletely faded, he would be unable to provide much assistance in the uing battle.


    "You should find a safe ce to stay!" Benjamin urged, pushing Nick backward. Despite his dire condition, Nick had the ability to make his way back to Irving.


    The time-dy effect of the rm clock was still in effect, preventing Elder Howard from offering any support to Elder Kent. Benjamin intended to use this precious time to team up with Aron to defeat Elder Kent.


    While Benjamin and Aron worked together to confront Elder Kent, Nick quickly made his way back to Irving''s side. After assessing Nick''s condition and confirming that he was not in grave danger, Irving turned to the werewolf leader and said, "I believe the time for us to strike hase! We must both give our all in attacking the Night des'' elder!"


    Irving had held back fromunching an immediate counterattack against the Night des'' elder solely because he wanted to gather more intelligence on them. After observing the battle for a while, he felt he had gathered enough information.