Pursuit

Ria bottled the morning dew she had bathed in holy light that day, then followed Meli to visit a wealthy merchant. When Reilly heard that Doctor Meli had come to see him, he personally went out to welcome her!

Once everyone was seated, Meli explained why they had come. A seasoned traveler, Reilly immediately recognized a profitable deal with no risk of loss. After testing its effects, he unhesitatingly offered five thousand ryo per bottle!

Meli smiled and nodded. "Then here's to a fruitful partnership, Merchant Reilly!"

"To a fruitful partnership! Just what I'd expect from Miss Meli-straight to the point!" Reilly laughed heartily and reached out to shake Meli's hand gently!

After they said goodbye to Reilly, Ria said happily, "Big sister, we've got money again!"

Meli smiled and nodded too. "Yes, our little bishop has spending money again!"

Boom! A brilliant light lit up the sky!

Ria's happy mood vanished instantly. "Sister Meli, something's happened at the Church of the Holy Light!"

"Ria! Be careful!" Meli said worriedly.

"Yes, I know, Sister Meli. Don't go back just yet. I'll check what's happening first!"

"All right, Ria, go! Don't worry about me!"

Light swirled around Ria's body. With a swift flash, she vanished from Meli's sight!

"May the holy light protect you!" Meli prayed anxiously!

After several Light Leaps, Ria finally returned to the church! The craters in the ground and bloodstains everywhere told her that a brutal battle had just taken place!

Axel was resting nearby with the injured Holy Knights. When he saw the flash of light, he hurried over. "Boss, you're back! Three ninjas tried to attack the church. We captured two, but the other one was too strong and got away!"

Seeing Axel safe and sound eased Ria's heart a little. "Was anyone hurt?" she asked urgently.

Axel quickly shook his head. "No, boss. Some of us were injured during the fighting, but the Priests healed everyone afterward!"

"Don't worry! He won't get away!"

"Then sorry for the trouble, boss. Please be careful!" Axel looked at Ria with concern.

Looking at Axel, who had grown steadily more mature over the past few months, Ria gently tapped his forehead with her little fist. "Still don't trust your big sister's strength?"

"May you triumph in every battle, big sister!" Axel solemnly gave a holy light salute!

Ria gave Axel a warm look. "We'll have dinner together when I get back!"

Riding his Netherwolf, Xiliu raced out of town. Even he, who was accustomed to life and death, couldn't let go of the thought of his two unconscious students. "Just wait! Your teacher will avenge you!" Unlike Scarface, these two students had been trained by him personally. He had been forced to abandon them for the mission, but the seed of hatred had already been planted. Blood would nourish it into a beautiful flower!

Leaving the sunny skies behind and entering the familiar gloomy weather, Xiliu felt his taut nerves relax slightly. He recalled his exhausted Netherwolf and continued running toward Amegakure. Only when he was almost at another town did he steady himself and look back at Huayu Town, still glowing faintly in the distance.

Just as Xiliu was about to turn and continue onward, he caught a faint glimmer nearby out of the corner of his eye. With each flash, the speck of light grew larger, closing the distance rapidly. Realizing something was wrong, Xiliu quickly drew two kunai fitted with Explosive Tags and hurled them toward the spot where the light paused.

Whoosh! Boom, boom!

The flames from the explosions lit up the dark sky. Just as Xiliu was about to take a closer look, a flash of light appeared before his eyes. "Not running anymore, Ninja?" a clear voice rang out.

"Who are...?" Before Xiliu could finish his question, a faintly glowing fist shot straight toward his face. He hastily crossed his arms to protect his face. Bam! He was smashed hard into the ground!

"Damn it!" Xiliu seethed!

"Who the hell are you?" Xiliu demanded through gritted teeth.

"Didn't you just attack the Church of the Holy Light?" Ria said coolly, enveloped in a halo.

"A follower of an evil god!"

"Perhaps it really is an evil god to you Ninjas! But to us ordinary people, it's hope!"

"You idiot! Without us Ninjas protecting you, you worthless peasants would've died countless times over!"

"Protection? What kind of protection? The kind that leaves us hungry? The kind that leaves us freezing? Or the kind that leaves us orphaned and homeless?" Ria shouted angrily. "You Ninjas are always so full of yourselves! Holy Light Judgment!" A beam of light crashed down from the sky toward Xiliu.

"Water Release: Super Water Formation Wall!" A massive surge of water surrounded Xiliu. Just as the powerful beam was about to pierce the Water Formation Wall, he dodged away and formed hand seals. "Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"

"Light Magic: Holy Light Gate!" A vast curtain of light rose swiftly, resembling two enormous door panels with a cross standing between them, and blocked the rushing water.

Xiliu stared at the enormous gate of light in shock. Damn it, doesn't she need hand seals to use her techniques? He raced toward Ria along the flowing water!

Watching Xiliu charge toward her, Ria gathered a dense cluster of light around herself and flicked her little hand forward. "Infinite Light Arcane Bullets!"

Seeing the barrage of light shoot toward him like bullets, Xiliu broke into a cold sweat and hastily formed hand seals. "Water Shield: Multiple Water Formation Walls!"

"It's useless! The same trick won't stop holy light shots!" Countless streaks of light pierced the curtains of water. First, Xiliu felt pain in his arm, then his whole body shuddered violently as countless light bullets tore through him, spraying blood. "M-monster!"

"A monster? If that's what killing tools like you Ninjas call me, then a monster it is!" With a flash of light, Ria picked up Xiliu's corpse and vanished beneath the gloomy sky.

Outside the church, everyone was cleaning up after the battle. A little girl playing nearby suddenly spotted a ball of light not far away and approached curiously. A figure stepped out, and the little girl's cute eyes widened. After a stunned pause, she shouted, "Sister Bishop Ria is back! Sister Bishop Ria is back!" Still shouting, she skipped over to hug Ria! Looking at the little one, Ria subtly shifted the corpse behind her and pressed her left hand against the girl's head. "All right, little one. Sister Ria can't hug you right now. I'll give you a hug later!"

The little girl looked curiously at Sister Ria, who was usually so affectionate but wouldn't hug her today. Her eyes darted toward Ria's back, and realization dawned on her face. "Oh! I know! Sister Ria must be hiding something tasty so she can eat it all by herself! Don't worry! Yaya will keep your secret, Sister Bishop!" Ria's expression darkened as the little girl, looking determined to keep her secret, ran over to her nearby friends and began whispering animatedly to them. Every so often, she stole a supposedly casual glance at Ria!

Ria helplessly slapped her forehead! She was too exhausted for words!

Hearing the child's cries, Axel and the others hurried over. "Boss, you're back!"

Recovering from her brief bout of frustration, Ria smiled faintly. "Yes." She lifted Xiliu's corpse. "Give him a burial!"

Axel quickly instructed two Holy Knights to take the corpse from Ria, then turned back with a smile. "Thanks for your hard work, boss!"

"All right, Axel. I've noticed you're getting less and less lively." Ria gently tapped his forehead with a finger. "By the way, have his two teammates woken up? Did you find out what they came here for?"

"Yes, we found out! They wouldn't talk at first, but when Sister Meli returned, she cast a Truth Spell on them, and they told us everything." Long accustomed to his boss's affectionate gestures, Axel continued solemnly, "They came to the border to gather intelligence on the Land of Wind! The Sand shinobi might be planning a major move soon!"

Ria nodded gravely at this. "It looks like we need to prepare early. Arrange a meeting for all the Holy Light Clerics tonight! We need to keep expanding the reach of the holy light. We can't afford to stop!"

"Yes, boss!" Axel nodded earnestly.

That night, the church's little courtyard was packed with over a hundred people! Ria stood on a simple set of steps. Below her, Meli, Axel, Shui Sha, and the other high-level class holders sat neatly on mahogany benches, each leading the Holy Light Clerics who shared their class.

"I think everyone knows what happened today. Today, only one jonin came. Next time, it might be ten or a hundred. Against Ninjas who wield such immense power, our light is still faint. And if we, as weak as we are, lose, I think everyone knows what awaits us. The hope we fought so hard to grasp will disappear. We'll go back to being hungry and cold, like weeds trampled deep into the mud, never to rise again!" Ria paused and swept her sharp gaze over the crowd, watching everyone listen quietly, seriously, and attentively.

She continued in a ringing voice, "And our powerful enemies won't give us much time. At the border of the Land of Wind, the Sand shinobi are itching to make a major move. I don't know when they'll attack, but I do know that if we don't keep growing stronger, keep spreading faith in the holy light, and keep bringing in more companions, then nothing we protect-not our families, not our children-will be safe! All of you have unwavering faith in the holy light. I trust you know what to do!"

"Spread the holy light, train hard, and follow the will of the holy light unto death!" As Axel's impassioned words faded, a thunderous shout erupted. "Spread the holy light, train hard, and follow the will of the holy light unto death!" Looking at the fired-up crowd, Ria raised her little hand, and everyone instantly fell silent. "Next, I'll have clergy above level ten form four-person teams and go to the nearby villages. Take Holy Light Keystones with you and establish new Churches of the Holy Light. Hold fast to your faith, uphold the honor the holy light has bestowed upon you, and bring hope to those still struggling to survive in the darkness!"

"We shall forge ahead, whatever the hardships!"

"Good!" Ria nodded in satisfaction as she looked at the devout Holy Light Clerics. "Now, those above level ten may form their own teams. Those who haven't passed level ten also have a difficult task ahead. Today, the enemy managed to sneak within a hundred meters of the church. That was a disgrace. To prevent anything like this from happening again, I plan to rebuild it as a level-two Holy Light Grand Cathedral! The coming days may be very demanding. Every Holy Light Cleric must be prepared to exhaust their holy power each day! Possibly more than once!"

But the Holy Light Clerics below weren't frightened by the hardships Ria described. Even the basic Church of the Holy Light accelerated training, detected hostile intent, offered Holy Light Barrier protection, and strengthened the Holy Light Clerics' combat power within its domain! Its range was simply too small at the basic level. Once upgraded to level two, that range would increase a hundredfold! The training acceleration would also double.

Every member of the clergy was filled with anticipation for the level-two church!

"I believe that what we do today will bring unsurpassed glory. May the holy light be with us!"

"May the holy light be with us!"

"Meeting adjourned!" Ria said softly as she looked at the Holy Light Clerics, their blood burning with enthusiasm.