Am I Not Right Beside You?

Since the two Witches were going to be bait to draw out a powerful enemy, the Priests didn't make a move immediately. Instead, they looked towards the Priest 'Danny' on the opposite side and asked impatiently.

"Danny, where is Priest Adrian right now?"

"What do you mean? Isn't Priest Adrian right beside you?" The leader stepped forward erratically, asking in confusion.

"Let me explain. According to the Lord Bishop's deduction, that Demon's Follower just impersonated me and was in charge of directing your every move..."

Adrian began to explain, but just as he was about to continue, a withered arm blocked his path.

"Lord Bishop?" Adrian froze for a moment and asked in confusion.

Antioch didn't reply, nor did he hesitate. He directly raised his staff.

Third-tier Divine Spell—[Holy Light]!

Dazzling light points ignited at the tip of the staff, then transformed into a vibrating light wave that spread forward in a semicircle, engulfing Joanne, White Dove, 'Priest Danny', and even the Guards behind them.

The mottled road cracked layer by layer under the erosion of the powerful energy wave. Both Witches felt death rapidly approaching!

Dozens of Magic spells flashed through Joanne's mind, but she couldn't think of any Magic that could resist this terrifying third-tier Divine Spell...

It seemed that waiting for death was their only option!

In a daze, Joanne saw the young Priest on her left raise his hand as well.

Then, a giant hand of a demon, formed from endless flames, burst out from underground. The palm was semicircular, like a shield wall protecting them.

This was the modified Magic—[Phosphorus-Flame Demon Hand]!

The powerful Divine Spell and Magic collided, accompanied by a violent explosion. The mottled road directly burst open, and waves of heat overturned the surrounding vegetation.

Countless dust and stones flew up, and the burning "Hellfire" formed a solid wall of fire, forcibly separating the two Witches from Antioch and the others.

"Don't just stand there, let's go!"

Before Joanne could react to this sudden turn of events, the young Priest had already slit the throats of the Guards beside them, grabbed their arms, blasted through the alley wall, and fled with the two women.

"What in the world is going on? Who are you?" Joanne instinctively ran with Lynn, her mind full of questions.

Why would a Priest of the Holy See know Witchcraft, and why would he save them?

Suddenly, Joanne remembered what the other Priests had said...

Could it be Shaping Magic?

"What, after only a few days, you don't recognize me anymore?" Lynn's face quickly shifted back to its original appearance as he said jokingly.

"Carl?!" White Dove's face immediately showed a mix of surprise and shock, looking somewhat dazed. "But when did you learn Shaping Magic?"

Before Lynn could reply, Joanne beside her asked urgently, "No, weren't you already captured by the Holy See?"

"Coincidentally, before tonight, I thought you were suffering torture from the Holy See as well." Lynn shrugged helplessly. They all seemed to have underestimated the power their companions possessed.

"So... we were all tricked?" Joanne realized at this point. The Flame Demon Hand Lynn had just used was terrifyingly powerful. He indeed had the ability to survive Antioch's pursuit and encirclement alone.

"Where have you been hiding all these days? Didn't you look for Laud and the [Ship Gang]?" Lynn asked with some confusion.

After entering Harbor Town, he had racked his brains to find the old fox, not only to get a boat to cross the sea but also to gather information about the two Witches.

As far as he knew, if they hadn't been captured by the Holy See, they would have sought help from that person.

Joanne shook her head helplessly. Harbor Town was heavily guarded, with Priests stationed at all checkpoints. They had no way to sneak in, so they had been catching grey crows in the mountains for the past few days, relying on these inconspicuous birds to gather information.

As the three were explaining, dozens of sharp light arrows were already speeding towards them from behind.

Clearly, in just a few seconds, Antioch had found a way to break through the wall of fire.

Lynn glanced back. Under the enhancement of overload mode, the trajectory of each light arrow appeared as data in his mind.

[Magic-Barrage]

In his thoughts, thirty-six missiles made of pure Magic Power floated in the air, then accurately targeted and detonated each of the numerous light arrows mid-flight.

Joanne and White Dove, who were preparing to cast defensive spells, stopped and looked at Lynn, a sense of inexplicable security rising in their hearts.

"Where are we going now?" Joanne asked rapidly.

"There's a ship of ours at the dock in Harbor Town. If we get there, we'll have a chance to escape." Lynn explained concisely, glancing back erratically. Antioch and the others were catching up.

Judging by his appearance, the Archbishop looked almost like an old man on the verge of death, with white hair and sunken eyes, but his movements were faster than the Priests beside him.

When he had impersonated Adrian earlier, Lynn had obtained some information: high-ranking clergy of the Holy See had received blessings from the gods, making their physical fitness far superior to ordinary people. A direct confrontation was definitely not a good idea.

He had originally planned to appear as Priest Danny and see if he could trick them again for a surprise attack from behind, but he hadn't expected this Archbishop to see through him at a glance.

Was it because he didn't have the divine radiance on him?

Lynn thought to himself. The sound of waves crashing against rocks rose and fell ahead; the dock of Harbor Town was within sight.

Just then, White Dove suddenly clutched his wrist tightly, her lips trembling violently, and screamed with a hint of a sob, "I see a lot of soldiers in armor, too many! At least... at least several thousand!"

Through the perspective of the grey crows, White Dove's heart was filled with terror. Countless guards in armor, holding large shields, swept towards them like a black tide.

A chill ran down Joanne's spine as well. She hadn't expected Harbor Town to have a hidden elite guard of several thousand men besides Archbishop Antioch.

However, at this critical moment, Lynn actually laughed.

"Good, after waiting so long, they're finally willing to make a move!"

(PS: Tomorrow is a new week, please vote for recommendations, favorites, monthly passes, and follow-up reads!)