Considering that the two Witches were to serve as bait to draw out a powerful enemy, the Priests did not act immediately. Instead, they turned toward "Danny" and impatiently questioned him.
"Danny, where is Priest Adrian now?"
"What do you mean? Isn't Lord Adrian right beside you?" The leader stepped forward casually and asked in confusion.
"Let me explain. According to Lord Bishop's deduction, that Demon's Follower disguised himself as me earlier and directed your every move..."
Adrian began explaining, but just as he was about to continue, a withered arm blocked him.
"Lord Bishop?" Adrian froze for a moment and asked in confusion.
Antioch did not answer. Without the slightest hesitation, he raised the scepter in his hand.
Third-circle divine art—[Holy Light]!
Dazzling motes of light lit up from the tip of the scepter, then transformed into a rippling wave of light that spread forward in a semicircle, enveloping Joanne, White Dove, "Priest Danny," and even the guards behind them.
The weathered road cracked apart layer by layer beneath the erosion of the powerful energy wave. Both Witches felt death rapidly closing in!
More than a dozen spells flashed through Joanne's mind, yet she could not think of any magic capable of resisting such a terrifying third-circle divine art...
It seemed that waiting for death had become their only choice!
Through the haze, Joanne saw the young Priest to her left raise his hand as well.
Then a gigantic demon god's hand formed from endless flames burst from underground. Its palm spread in a semicircle, like a shield wall protecting them within.
This was the improved spell—[White Phosphorus—Flame Demon Hand]!
The powerful divine art and magic collided. Amid a violent explosion, the weathered road burst apart, and scorching shockwaves overturned the surrounding grass and vegetation.
Countless clumps of dirt and shattered stones flew into the air. The burning Hellfire formed a solid wall of flames, forcibly separating the two Witches from Antioch and the others.
"Don't just stand there. Go!"
Before Joanne could recover from the sudden turn of events, the young Priest had already slit the throats of several guards beside him. He grabbed the two women by their arms, blasted through the wall of the alley, and raced away with them.
"What is going on? Who are you?" Joanne instinctively ran alongside Lynn, her mind filled with questions.
Why could a Priest of the Church wield witchcraft? And why was he saving them?
Suddenly, Joanne recalled what the Priests had said earlier...
Could it be Shaping Magic?
"What, after only a few days, you don't recognize me anymore?" Lynn's face rapidly shifted back to its original appearance as he teased them.
"Carl?!" White Dove's face immediately showed three parts surprise and seven parts shock, leaving her looking rather adorable and dazed. "But when did you learn Shaping Magic?"
Before Lynn could reply, Joanne urgently asked from beside him, "No, didn't the Church already capture you?"
"By coincidence, before tonight, I also thought you were suffering torture at the hands of the Church." Lynn shrugged helplessly. It seemed they had all underestimated the strength their companions possessed.
"So... we were all deceived?" Joanne finally understood. The Flame Demon Hand Lynn had just cast was terrifyingly powerful. He truly had the ability to survive alone while being hunted down by Antioch.
"Where have you been hiding these past few days? Didn't you go look for Laud and the Ship Gang?" Lynn asked, somewhat puzzled.
After entering Harbor Town, aside from obtaining a ship to cross the sea, the most important reason he had gone to such lengths to find that old fox was to gather information on the two Witches.
As far as he knew, if they had not been captured by the Church, they should have sought his help.
Joanne shook her head helplessly. Harbor Town was heavily guarded, with Priests from the Church stationed at every checkpoint. They had no way to sneak in, so they had spent these past days in the mountains catching gray crows and using those inconspicuous birds to gather intelligence.
As the three spoke, dozens of sharp light arrows came racing toward them from behind.
Clearly, Antioch had found a way through that wall of fire in only a few seconds.
Lynn glanced back. With Overload Mode's enhancement, the flight path of every light arrow appeared in his mind as data.
[Magic—Barrage]
In an instant, thirty-six missiles formed from pure magic power floated into the air. They then fired with pinpoint accuracy, detonating the numerous light arrows one by one in midair.
Joanne and White Dove, who had been preparing to cast defensive spells, both lowered their hands. As they looked at Lynn, an inexplicable sense of security rose within them.
"Where are we going now?" Joanne asked rapidly.
"There's a ship waiting for us at Harbor Town's docks. If we get there, we'll have a chance to escape." Lynn gave a succinct explanation, then glanced back again. Antioch and the others had already caught up.
From his appearance, the Archbishop looked no different from an old man on the verge of being buried—his hair was gray, his eyes deeply sunken—yet he moved even faster than the Priests beside him.
When Lynn had disguised himself as Adrian earlier, he had learned that the Church's high-ranking clergy had all received divine blessings. Their physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people, so fighting them head-on was absolutely not a good idea.
He had originally planned to appear as Priest Danny and see whether he could fool them again, perhaps launch a surprise attack from behind, but the Archbishop had identified him at a glance.
Was it because he lacked the radiance of a god?
Lynn thought to himself. Ahead, the sound of waves crashing against the reefs came one after another. Harbor Town's docks were already visible in the distance.
Just then, White Dove suddenly gripped his wrist tightly. Her lips trembled violently as she screamed with a sob in her voice. "I see a lot of soldiers in armor. There are too many of them, at least... at least several thousand!"
Through the perspective of the flock of gray crows, White Dove's heart had been filled with fear. Countless guards clad in armor and wielding great shields surged toward them like a black current.
A chill also ran down Joanne's back. She had not expected Harbor Town to conceal an elite guard force numbering in the thousands, in addition to Archbishop Antioch.
Yet at such a critical moment, Lynn smiled.
"Good. After waiting so long, they're finally willing to make a move!"
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