Page 43

Were they really planning to cross the river on that tiny boat pieced together from a few thin planks? Elufiel felt that the archbishop and his group could probably drown themselves in the river without the mage needing to lift a finger.

But Elufiel soon learned the purpose of the little boat. It was not for crossing the river, but for concealing a corpse—well, for the moment, she would call "him" a corpse.

He was a man whose skin was the color of stone. Perhaps the mage was too far away to see clearly, and with several Paladins surrounding him, Elufiel could only make out from the gaps that he was a stiff human figure.

While Elufiel was still wondering about the corpse hidden in the boat, the mage suddenly attacked. Wind elementals stirred up a fierce gale that blinded everyone, while tiny Wind Blades mixed into the storm and struck the Paladins surrounding Terrence from all directions.

Terrence looked toward the mage, a sinister glint flashing through his narrowed eyes. A barrier dense with holy power enclosed everyone. Odovish's fireball landed on the barrier immediately afterward. The instant their energies collided, the fireball exploded, and the bright barrier dimmed for several seconds.

After the first wave of attacks, the Paladins charged out, still bearing the beneficial spells cast upon them by the divine casters.

"Oh, they're fighting." Elufiel said to the Wind Rider. The membrane-winged creature let out a low growl, changed direction, and flew toward the Feiyin River.

The image in Mind Vision began to shake, and the viewpoint shifted rapidly. It was clear that the mage was constantly repositioning as he cast. The Paladins struck down by Arcane Explosion lay sprawled on the ground, making the remaining Paladins afraid to approach this high-ranking mage carelessly.

"Tch. He's taking on an entire regiment by himself. Do you think he's confident or just stupid?" Elufiel murmured. "I don't like this. It feels like being alone and helpless in the whole world."

The Wind Rider let out a roar, seemingly responding to the elf's words.

The Paladins began chanting a Holy Word Spell, which seemed capable of suppressing some Arcane casters' spells. The Ring of Repulsion Odovish had constructed through the Ley Lines faltered for several seconds, but the magical talent granted by his bloodline allowed him to recover quickly, whether in connecting to the Ley Lines or constructing spell models.

A ring of flame spread outward from Odovish, its scorching heat burning the air. Even the divine casters standing outside the battle zone had no choice but to retreat again. They were already standing on the bank of the Feiyin River, with rushing water behind them. The "corpse" that had just been moved ashore lay at their feet—the thing they needed to guard.

The elf's appearance came as a complete surprise. She leaped down from the air, stored the Wind Rider in her mount slot, and used Levitate to ensure she would not fall to her death. Yet almost the instant Levitate ended, the mage cast Slow Fall on her.

Elufiel shot the mage a glare and cast Power Word: Shield on him. There were enemies everywhere, and he still had time to worry about someone else?

Terrence's sinister gaze shifted from Odovish to Elufiel. When he saw Power Word: Shield, he snorted coldly and raised a hand, sending a holy attack at her.

White light flew toward Elufiel. Relying on the shield around her that had not yet faded, the elf casually struck the archbishop with Shadow Word: Pain. Satisfied to see Terrence's expression change, she landed safely.

"A divine caster." Terrence hurriedly cast a dispel on himself, his voice cold. "I truly underestimated Your Excellency. To think you could lure a high-ranking divine caster into fighting at your side."

"First of all, I wasn't lured." Elufiel raised a finger and waved it. "Second, I don't care what grudge you have against each other. I wanted to help him, so I helped him. That's all."

It was strange. She had originally wanted to understand this world, so why had things turned out like this? The question flashed through the elf's mind, but Elufiel quickly cast it aside. Whatever. It wasn't like she cared. Just as she had said, she wanted to help the mage, so she did. It was that simple.

For the elf, fear of this unfamiliar world had been the real reason she hesitated to move forward. After the mage gradually helped her understand this world, her perception of the people and things she encountered had changed into two categories: safe and unsafe. As long as they posed no possibility of harming her, she could simply ignore them.

As for Arcane arts or divine arts, that was even less important to the elf. She was a priest and held no prejudice against mages. That was all.

And unfortunately for the Holy See, it had already been marked negatively in the elf's mind. It was not because the mage had deliberately led her to think so—in fact, there was no need for him to do anything extra. Odovish understood this better than anyone. The Holy See had indeed rotted from within.

Terrence dismissed the elf's words with contempt. In his eyes, this was merely a joint effort between Sanctuary and the Council. They had long anticipated such a development.

Sanctuary was like a stone perched at the edge of a cliff, lodged in a delicate yet dangerous position. The slightest push could send it falling into an abyss beyond redemption. Choosing to cooperate with Arcane casters was merely one move in Sanctuary's attempt to save itself. Unfortunately, it was not a move well played.

It had to be said that Terrence's thoughts represented those of most of the Holy See's upper ranks. However, the truth was not so. At the very least, Terrence had been wrong about Elufiel's identity from the very beginning.

As the elf spoke, Terrence had already begun chanting an offensive spell. The Paladins charged toward the mage and the elf.

Odovish's spell was still in its preparation stage. He chanted obscure incantations as powerful Arcane energy twisted and gathered in the air. Elufiel cast Prayer of Mending on the mage, then Holy Nova burst from around her. To allies, the golden starlight was healing Holy Light; to enemies, it was the damage of a holy spell.

The nearest Paladins rushed forward, then fell in unison into an arc-shaped ring. Not only Terrence and the others were stunned—Elufiel herself froze for a moment. Were they really that fragile?