Takeoff

The moment Zijin made her move, Jialepien plunged into the crowd. People were packed tightly everywhere, which was bound to make her hesitate.

It wasn't that he thought the legendary Belladonna would show mercy. Rather, he knew full well that Star Sand, as an up-and-coming organization, needed to maintain its radiant and holy image!

Thus, Scholar Bay Owl would surely forcibly contain the devastating meteor spell bearing down on him at the last moment!

But things didn't go as he wished. With a thunderous boom, an overwhelming force crashed down on Jialepien's head. Dust swept him up and slammed him into the hard stone pavement, leaving a crater!

Ignoring his injuries, Jialepien sprang out of the rubble and dust and fled at full speed. His gaze swept rapidly over the scene of devastation. He himself could still barely hold on, but most of his subordinates caught in the spell had fallen to the ground in pieces.

More alarming still, the unprotected civilians around him had merely been thrown through the air. The worst injuries among them had come from landing badly!

"Why?" Jialepien murmured, his throat tightening.

"God loves all people!" Zijin's clear voice rang across the square, reassuring the crowd. "There is no need to panic!

"Those who commit no evil need not fear divine punishment!"

Everyone had seen the terrifying magic descend, only for its destructive energy to dissipate on its own the instant it touched the civilians, leaving nothing but a few stray shockwaves to sweep over them.

The people in the square were dumbfounded at first. Then they prostrated themselves in fervor, crying out in praise of the light to the holy figure in the sky!

If this wasn't a miracle, what was?

Without pausing, Zijin swept over the densely packed crowd, her sleeves and skirt