### Chapter 141: He’s Not Dead Yet
“Ha ha ha…”
In the center of the raging inferno, a sturdy figure struggles to rise, emitting a hoarse, sinister laugh.
Nearby merchants are engulfed in dark flames that grow fiercer by the second. Someone among them should’ve been able to escape, but now they’re trapped by the Golden Bell miracle, screaming and collapsing to the ground as they await their fiery doom.
The temperature is off the charts. The Sword of Kanli crew on the rooftops circles anxiously, unable to approach even a step. The Hooked-Nose Man shouts, conjuring a boulder the size of a human head, which hurtles into the flames, hitting the Strong Man and making him stagger, though he quickly regains his footing.
With a single arm raised, the flames twist and lunge toward the Hooked-Nose Man, who barely dodges it, his eyes widening in shock.
Meanwhile, I’m still at a bit of a distance from them.
The woman is starting to smoke. She grits her teeth, trembling as she clutches the child in her arms, closing her eyes as if resigned to her fate.
Too late… too late…
I can’t unleash a long-range attack that would freeze or blow away the Strong Man—it would certainly affect everyone nearby. But ice spikes… they would only make the flames burn hotter.
Whoosh—
The wind rushes past my ears as I spike my speed to the max, my tiny figure barely visible in the blink of an eye, even though I can’t catch up with the spreading flames. Just as the woman’s helpless body is about to be consumed by the hellfire behind her, a graceful figure suddenly appears in my line of sight.
After a brief moment of shock, I realize it’s Teresa.
Ignoring the heat that seems capable of melting everything, she swiftly scoops up the woman on the ground, her nun’s robe billowing with the heat waves, followed by a plume of black smoke.
“Silvya!”
I hear Teresa shout, my eyes going wide.
In the next moment, she spins around and casually tosses the woman clinging to her child in my direction.
Let’s not even mention that Teresa is currently under the pressure of the Golden Bell; the woman she threw is much taller and stronger than her, yet she can still pull off such a throw… What incredible physical power!
Feeling a mix of admiration and urgency, I leap to intercept the screaming woman mid-air, land gently, and shove her back behind me without even looking.
“Teresa, big sister!”
Her elegant figure in a nun’s outfit flickers in and out of the flames, the situation still unclear.
I start to panic.
“Ah—!”
The wind dances wildly around me, the turbulent air crashing against me, pulling my hair straight and making my skirt fly with a loud rustle.
My eyes glint with blue light.
I feel faster than ever! Like a thunderbolt, my figure bolts forward, so unstoppable that even the flames seem to part for me as I slam into the Strong Man’s massive frame.
Boom—!
“Ugh!” emerges a muffled grunt.
The Strong Man is sent flying, twisting and turning mid-air like a boneless marionette, and crashes into a pile of discarded junk on the side of the alley, falling silent.
The Golden Bell overhead hasn’t faded; I feel an intense pressure—though compared to that robed old man from before, it’s nothing, barely enough to limit my movements.
“Wow, impressive.”
Teresa’s gentle voice chimes in. I exhale a breath I didn’t know I was holding, rubbing my sore shoulder and turning to look at her.
“Sister, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She smiles lightly at me. “This sin fire… is really nothing to worry about.”
But she doesn’t look as okay as she claims.
Her veil has fallen to the ground, already burning. Her nun’s robe is riddled with holes, the once-white sleeves now charred black, with sparks flying. Her disheveled white hair is left curling unattractively. After locking eyes with me, Teresa quickly hides her hands behind her back.
But I still catch glimpses of ugly blisters all over her pale arms.
I know that must hurt like crazy.
“Sister, you’re hurt…”
“It’s just a small injury.” Seeing my worried expression, Teresa shakes her head with a smile. “No big deal.”
She looks pretty spirited… Did she use some powerful miracle after being completely engulfed in sin fire just now?
Still, I’m just glad she’s alright.
After I sent the Strong Man flying, the temperature around us has obviously dropped a good bit, but the fire is still burning. The few merchants who had been ignited from the start have already turned to charcoal, sprawled out at our feet.
The Sword of Kanli crew leaps from the rooftops, quickly herding the remaining merchants off to the side of the road.
“Be careful, they could all be heretics.”
The woman called the vice-captain warns, causing the merchants to quiver in terror at the mention of heretics. Their faces are pale, trembling like leaves in the wind as they mumble nonsensical phrases.
“W-What heretics…?”
“What’s going on… what’s happening…?”
“We’re just merchants trying to make a living, not heretics… we’ve never even heard of the term…”
I spot the Hat-Wearing Man among them, looking utterly dazed. When the flames erupted, he was desperately rolling around trying to escape, but had been quickly restrained by the Sword of Kanli crew and now stands among the merchants, looking lost, mumbling to himself, having lost his hat somewhere along the way.
“First, save lives, then deal with the rest. Nice and clean.” The vice-captain, with her slender waist swaying like a snake, walks over by my side and claps, “You two are truly admirable figures.”
She then shifts her gaze to Teresa’s face, “What’s the church’s plan for these people?”
Before Teresa can respond, I gently shake my head at them.
“Let’s talk about that later.” I turn my eyes toward the spot where the Strong Man fell, “It’s not over yet.”
The vice-captain looks taken aback: “You mean…”
“He’s not dead.”
As if to prove my point, the crimson flames in the distance reignite, and we can vaguely hear the Strong Man’s beast-like roar of fury.
“Even like this… he won’t d*e…” Teresa murmurs.
I tilt my head, pondering before asking, “Is there anyone living here?”
The sudden question leaves them baffled, with the vice-captain looking at me uncertainly: “…No. This was a redevelopment zone. All residents in the nearby streets moved out six months ago. Otherwise, these heretics wouldn’t have used it as a trading spot. The two kids we saw earlier must have just been playing here…”
“That’s good.” I nod gently at her.
No need to listen to more.
“Miss Silvya, what do you intend to do?”
What am I going to do?
Of course…
I step forward toward the rising flames.
“From here on, leave it to me.”
Boom—
With a loud bang, the Strong Man stands up as if fully restored. bl**d pours from his mouth and nose, remnants of his internal organs are even stuck to his chest, and he looks as white as a ghost, yet he pays no mind and yanks out his glowing-red long sword, quickly carving scars across his chest, arms, and even his face.
“Little girl… little girl!”
bl**d rapidly soaks half his body, transforming into sin fire. The long sword in his hand can’t withstand the heat, gradually melting into a puddle of red ooze.
“Hahaha—!”
He laughs maniacally, appearing as if he’s gone insane, tossing aside the hilt and diving toward me.
“I’m going to k*ll—”
I interrupt his villain monologue, bursting forth with dazzling blue light, the frigid ice mist swirling around fluidly, instantly turning the previously searing air icy cold. My small hand lifts high above my head… and then swings down in a flash.
Snap.
Bam bam bam bam bam—!!!
Countless thick, sharp ice spikes flood the scene, drowning everything in sight.
