When Heiserana unleashed a string of curses, Hao Ren knew his earlier guess had been right. This little Bat Spirit hadn't been captured by accident at all. She had deliberately allowed the people here to capture her for some reason. Whatever her purpose was, rashly disrupting it would be unwise—for this troublesome child had appeared here because, in all likelihood, everything she did was for Vivian, who was sleeping here.
However, before Hao Ren could stop them, Madam Mary and the witches she led had already taken action. The plague swarm first alarmed the crowd and sealed off the area around the square, then used the Rotten Land to drive away everyone near the stake. After that, they attacked the stake and the guards beside it directly. Everything proceeded according to plan. The Runes of Leta buried throughout the small square also began producing exactly the expected effect, amplifying the chaos further. Various preset minor spells erupted at the same time, and the soldiers around the square wearing simple exorcism amulets were knocked to the ground before they could even fight back.
From the situation, Hao Ren knew that whatever Heiserana's plan had been, it was now completely ruined. The witches' rescue plan, however, had to continue. At the very least, he needed a chance to make contact with Heiserana.
So he smacked Lily on the head. "We're going in too!"
Lily yanked off her hood, revealing wolf ears and sharp fangs. Amid the surrounding chaos, she released her aura without restraint and threw back her head, letting out a long, melodious howl. "Awooo—woof!"
The latter half was drowned out by the crowd's terrified screams. The square instantly filled with cries of panic. "A werewolf! There's a werewolf here!" "The devil is here! The devil is here! The witches summoned