This Time I'm Afraid I Have to Apologize to You

"Multi-Blade of Ice!"

On a street north of Harbor Town, Joanne opened her hand, and dense diamond-shaped ice blades quickly appeared in the void, shooting towards the guards blocking their path like a swarm of locusts.

Accompanied by a series of wails, several guards who couldn't dodge in time perished. However, more soldiers holding shields behind them had already surrounded them.

Joanne gritted her teeth, drawing her sword and deflecting a guard's halberd. Seizing the opportunity, she rushed forward, spinning the sharp blade in her hand to sever the opponent's neck. Blood gushed out, but at the same moment, another guard swung a long saber down at her.

A sharp saber light appeared before her eyes. However, after more than half an hour of continuous combat, the young girl's physical strength and Magic Power were already depleted. She no longer had the ability to turn back and block the incoming saber.

Fortunately, at this moment, a fierce Camel Beast charged out, instantly knocking the guard to the ground. Then, White Dove, who was sitting on the Camel Beast, immediately blew the wooden flute in her hand.

The flock of grey crows hovering in the sky above Harbor Town immediately seemed to receive a signal and madly pounced on the shield-bearing soldiers.

Sharp claws and beaks scratched and tore at faces and necks unprotected by armor. But after all, they were just birds the size of a palm. No matter how hard they tried, it was difficult to inflict fatal damage.

Taking advantage of this gap, the two had already moved in another direction. White Dove's face became increasingly pale, her hands weakly propped against a Camel Beast, relying on it to carry her forward.

Joanne glanced at her with great concern and sighed silently.

"I'm afraid I have to apologize to you this time, White Dove!"

"I didn't expect that not only did we fail to rescue Carl, but we also fell into the Holy See's trap..."

Joanne conjured a fireball to temporarily repel the pursuing guards, regretting it in her heart.

It wasn't that she regretted the act of rescuing Lynn, but rather that she had dragged White Dove into it.

A few days ago, upon learning that the Holy See had captured a Demon's Follower and planned to carry out an execution after Moon Day, Joanne conceived the idea of a jailbreak.

However, her own power was too weak, and she had no chance of winning. White Dove's Psionics Magic was very useful in this situation, as she could use her ability to control creatures to scout for information, create chaos, or tie up enemies.

Joanne had formulated the entire rescue plan based on this: first, have White Dove send the grey crows carrying fire seeds to ignite important places like the granary, attracting the guards' attention and creating chaos, then break into the prison to rescue the person.

However, when they actually began their operation, Joanne realized how terribly wrong she had been. The guards of Harbor Town were already on high alert and reacted very quickly.

They had run headfirst into a trap set by the Holy See...

"No, it was... it was me who wanted to come." White Dove, lying on the Camel Beast, trembled with fear but still gritted her teeth and said.

She was terrified of death, but she also knew clearly that it was Lynn who had voluntarily sacrificed himself to cover their retreat, allowing them to escape the castle and survive by sheer luck.

Therefore, after learning that Joanne planned to risk rescuing Lynn, White Dove resolutely followed.

The two young witches exchanged glances and saw the determination in each other's eyes. Joanne tightened her grip on her long sword and encouraged her.

"Their offensive has begun to weaken. We might still have a sliver of a chance to escape."

White Dove nodded, tears welling up in her eyes, but she immediately put the wooden flute to her lips and blew again.

The flock of grey crows, which had originally been a dense black mass covering the sky, had been reduced to about a hundred after several rounds of attacks. They could barely perform reconnaissance, let alone hold back the enemy.

Almost all the pressure of frontal combat fell on Joanne.

As if her prayer had worked, the number of guards surrounding the two gradually decreased, and the intensity of their attacks clearly lowered. No one attempted to charge forward and fight them to the death.

However, Joanne's expression grew heavier. According to the information White Dove had gathered, the surrounding soldiers had already completely surrounded them, leaving only one path open.

If they deviated from this path, they would be met with continuous shield walls and formations of swords. Even the most explosive Fireball spell would find it difficult to break through.

Were the enemies preparing to toy with them, or were they planning to encircle them?

Joanne didn't know, but she knew that if they stopped, they would die. If they continued to run, there might still be a way out, no matter how faint that hope was.

At least... at least she had to get White Dove out.

Just as the young girl was thinking, White Dove, riding the Camel Beast beside her, suddenly began to tremble violently and shouted in terror. "It's Antioch, that Archbishop of Nordland Territory! He's personally here, just... just to our right!"

Joanne paused, turned her head, and saw a dazzling white light rapidly charging towards her.

That was a second-circle Divine Spell—[Holy Light Impact]!

"Ice Curtain!" Joanne only had time to raise her right hand and create a wall of ice crystals in front of her. The terrifying white light was already upon them!

The first-circle protective magic, cast in a hurry, appeared extremely fragile under the might of the Divine Spell. In just one or two seconds, it exploded. The immense impact force instantly sent both Joanne and White Dove, who was sitting on the Camel Beast, flying out.

Joanne, crashing heavily onto the ground, felt a pang of pain in her heart, and a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of her mouth. But she ignored the pain in her body, scrambled up from the ground in a sorry state, and stood in front of White Dove, staring intently in the direction from which the white light had come.

A steady sound of footsteps approached from afar. Amidst the scattered ice crystals and dust, an aged figure in a gilded robe appeared before them, flanked by a group of Priests.

Just standing there, he exuded an indescribable oppressive aura...

Joanne's pupils contracted. Although the man's appearance had changed drastically from before, and his age didn't match at all, based on his identity, attire, and White Dove's warning, she instantly recognized him.

The person before her was the Archbishop... Antioch!

The scene of being chased in Ur Town was still vivid in her memory. His power and terror needed no description; they were simply not something a few Wizard Apprentices could contend with.

What made Joanne even more desperate was that several figures also appeared on their left. The leader was young, with a solemn expression. Judging by his attire, he seemed to be a Priest of the Holy See.

The two forces quickly formed a ring, encircling the two of them.

At this moment, Joanne and White Dove were like birds trapped in a cage, their possibility of escape completely cut off!