Praise Ella - [Holy Light]

"Don't be rash, come back, Buck!" Joanne shouted loudly.

Buck charged forward recklessly, his face contorted in ferocity.

"Praise Ella—Holy Light Impact!" Antioch spoke slowly, unleashing a second-ring Divine Spell right from the start.

A dazzling white light flared up again, arriving faster than Buck and forming a shield before him. The corpse used as a shield was instantly blown into a mist of blood, and the terrifying shockwave from the residual force sent Buck flying effortlessly.

Antioch raised his staff, preparing to cast another spell to finish him off. At this critical moment, White Dove spoke again.

A sharp, piercing shriek, like the sound of death from Hell itself, made Antioch pause for a moment, but only for a moment.

Flame Touch

White Phosphorus—Fireball

Lynn and Joanne, who had covered their ears in advance, seized the opportunity to intervene simultaneously, unleashing the strongest Magic they possessed. Two scorching flames surged towards Antioch, forcing the Archbishop to abandon his attack and switch to defensive Magic.

Third-ring Divine Spell—Divine Barrier!

An invisible barrier materialized before Antioch, easily withstanding the onslaught of flames. However, the White Phosphorus Fire clung to it, corroding the surface of the invisible barrier slowly but steadily.

Roar!

Buck, who had been heavily wounded and knocked down, stood up again, his eyes bloodshot, the beast-like transformation becoming more pronounced.

At this moment, Buck was like a colossal bear standing on its hind legs, charging straight into the burning sea of fire. His fur and robes were quickly engulfed by the White Phosphorus Fire.

The agony of being burned by temperatures exceeding a thousand degrees was enough to break anyone, but Buck ignored it. The moment he used Magic Transformation as a Wizard Apprentice, the beast-like transformation became irreversible. Moreover, he knew he couldn't break through Antioch's defensive Divine Spell with his own strength alone!

"Joanne, Carl, you two go first. I'm staying to avenge Barton!" Buck roared, slamming his palm onto the Divine Barrier before him.

Ripples appeared on the invisible barrier. Antioch casually blasted Buck away with a Divine Spell.

"Let's go!" Lynn glanced deeply at Buck and said without hesitation. Covered head to toe in White Phosphorus Fire, the man was beyond saving.

After blasting Buck away, Antioch positioned himself directly in front of the only exit. Having lost so many of his men, he naturally wouldn't let Lynn and the others escape easily.

"Repent to the great Lord, Demon's Follower..." Antioch raised his Bishop's staff and chanted loudly.

"Praise Ella—Holy Light!"

A dazzling light wave spread out in a semi-circle from the staff. It was impossible to resist or dodge, as the Divine Spell's range covered more than half of the side hall!

However, Lynn was never one to leave himself without a backup plan!

In fact, before entering the side hall, he had already devised an escape strategy for emergencies!

Lynn, White Dove, and Joanne simultaneously placed their hands on the ground.

Zero-Ring Magic—Basic Material Deconstruction!

The solid floor instantly cracked, and three fine fissures spread out like a spiderweb. Finally, they connected, and before the terrifying white light arrived, the ground beneath their feet had already collapsed.

The missed Holy Light swept over the collapsed void, striking the wall behind. A series of explosions soon echoed through the castle.

As the dust and rubble settled, Antioch's expression turned grim as he gazed at the collapsed void in the side hall.

"Roar!"

A hoarse roar came from his side.

Because he had been blown away earlier, Buck was not within the range of the Holy Light. However, he was no longer recognizable, having transformed into a robust giant bear, his skin still covered in White Phosphorus Fire. Beneath the scorched and dried flesh, white bones were faintly visible.

Even so, Buck charged forward, driven by his obsession for revenge.

Antioch frowned. He didn't have time to waste on a dying Wizard Apprentice. He extended his hand, and the collapsed sand and stones quickly piled up, combining with the shattered armor on the ground to form two colossal stone statues, three meters tall.

This was a second-ring Divine Spell—Summon Spirit Realm Guard.

Once the two stone statues were formed, they separated. One statue swung its fist, knocking over the giant bear Buck, while the other directly leaped into the collapsed void in the ground.

"Good, this place isn't too high!"

Using the falling rocks as a buffer, Lynn successfully broke through the ground with the combined effort of their Basic Material Deconstruction, directly reaching the castle's basement.

Lynn surveyed his surroundings. It appeared to be an armory, with numerous weapons and swords stacked on shelves around the room. There were also many empty chests, likely where treasures had been stored, but they had clearly been taken by the castle's owner when they fled.

After confirming his environment, Lynn immediately focused his attention on his two companions.

Joanne was relatively unharmed, though her Magic Power was severely depleted. White Dove, however, was different. After using Soul Shriek twice, even though she was a rare Psionicist, she could barely stand.

"Joanne, how much further is it to that underground aqueduct?" Lynn asked.

"Follow this path, and it'll take at most three minutes to get there," Joanne said, helping White Dove up. After a moment's hesitation, she quickly made up her mind. "We can split up from here. You take White Dove, and I'll lead Antioch away..."

Joanne knew they couldn't outrun Antioch and would eventually be caught if they continued like this.

Although she had expended a lot of Magic Power in the previous battle, with the help of Magic Hand, she could still cast two more high-level first-ring spells, which might buy them some time...

The silver-haired Witch lowered her head, biting her crimson lips until they bled. She had promised her mentor, Coru, that she would bring everyone back to the Land of Wizards safely.

But now Kent was dead, Will was dead, Buck and Barton lay before her, and she felt utterly helpless...

"You're probably a little too late!" Lynn looked up.

In that brief moment, violent explosions erupted from above, followed by a massive, three-meter-tall armored stone statue crashing down from the hole above.

"Go!" Lynn grabbed Joanne and White Dove by the arms, pulling them out of the falling rock Domain as he shouted.

Previously, in order to rescue Buck, he had been forced to use the White Phosphorus Fire he had saved for covering their retreat, and his internal Magic Power was already more than half depleted.

Facing that Archbishop again, he had no chance of winning!

The huge and heavy Spirit Realm Guard crashed to the ground, causing the entire floor to seem to shake. It then stretched its stone arms and strode towards the three of them.

Lynn's expression tensed, and just as he was about to dodge, a prompt suddenly sounded in his mind.

[Warning... Detected severe illegal activity by contracted target, suspected of using chemical weapons to create mass slaughter, extremely malicious nature! Criminal facts have been recorded. Before the Federal Police arrive, you will have one opportunity to make an online statement...]