"It's right ahead."
Shade and Iluna, who had also rushed toward the Guardians, noticed from afar that the Church's Thirteenth Ring Arcanists had already exchanged their first round of blows with the Guardians using the Words of Sublimation. Iluna sat on horseback holding the reins, while Shade held her around the waist from behind.
The two had approached from behind the Guardians, so they inevitably entered the ocean-like expanse of black mud before anyone else. But the undead Bone Horse summoned by the bone whistle imbued with the power of an Ancient God could run directly over the black mud, and the terrain posed no obstacle whatsoever.
"We'll split up early in a moment. Don't go in together. I still have the Goldstone, Nurture, and Blossoming Holy Grails. Take Goldstone and Nurture. You know the formula for brewing the elixir too. Just say you encountered people from the Witch Council on the way. If any Thirteenth Ring Arcanist gets contaminated by the black mud, use these to treat them. I've gained new Thaumaturgy that can treat the Witches directly, so don't worry."
Shade spoke into Iluna's ear from behind her. Her ears reddened slightly, but her voice remained calm:
"No problem. It looks like this is the end. I wonder what will happen this time."
"I haven't sensed any traces of Sister Devlin's spirit fluctuations. She should have arrived before us."
Shade was somewhat worried, but at that very moment, thousands upon thousands of slender mud pillars formed from filthy black sludge abruptly shot up into the air in the direction of the distant battle. Then, as though woven by nimble invisible hands, they gathered into a black sphere in midair, trapping a figure inside. But the black mud sphere immediately exploded from the middle. Sivie Aurora, the Twelfth Order