Chapter 76: Bathing in Fire (8)
Buzz—
The blade sliced through the air, purple light flashing past the sword’s edge. This time, the woman didn’t choose to take it head-on. In a split second, her palm flipped, and a thin, crystal spear shot out with a “whoosh,” the sharp wind howling in response. Then, with a loud clang, the crystal spike severed one of the chains, freeing her left foot in an instant—she immediately slid to the side!
Whoosh!
The purple light missed her just barely, and with a huge bang, it cleaved through the solid earthen roof beneath her, sending mud flying and a few silvery strands of hair soaring into the air.
Captain of Knights Lawrence’s second strike whiffed, but the woman didn’t stop. She shot another crystal spear beneath her to cut through another chain. As her two feet were free, her right leg stepped boldly forward, and she swung her left leg high, flames bursting forth—whirling with a fierce gust, it transformed into a long, scarlet whip that shattered the light barrier shrouding Lawrence and struck him square in the chest!
Bang—
“Ugh!”
Captain of Knights Lawrence let out a muffled grunt as the impact crushed his chest armor, sending him flying off the roof like a cannonball, crashing into the nearby burning wooden shed. With a loud crash, the charred beams collapsed, burying him beneath the wreckage.
Whoosh—!
At the same time, a furious wind roared in, and a sharp holy lance darted through the air. Not far down the dirt road, Faith Organization members who were wrangling beasts had just put their arms down, eyes glued to the rooftop where the woman stood. A knight beside them shouted anxiously, “Trap her! Trap her!”
“Phew…”
Underneath her hood, the woman let out a long breath. The moment the holy lance flew next to her, she reached out and grabbed the sharp tip as if she were dancing. The cloak behind her billowed like a flag, and after two spins, she suddenly released her hold, sending the lance hurtling back whence it came!
“Whoa, you’ve got to be kidding me…”
The cleric riding on the beast bulged his eyes. He was about to unleash a magnificent miracle, but before he could even finish his swear words, he watched in horror as the holy lance struck his light barrier with a bang, piercing through his shoulder and knocking him off the beast, rolling into the roadside.
“She hasn’t even unleashed Infernal Fire yet…”
“d*mn it, is she looking down on us?”
Seeing the commotion, several knights sprinting ahead gasped. Some began to cast healing miracles, with emerald lights sparkling like fireflies raining on the fallen cleric, and soon enough, he stood up again.
“Onas, lock onto the enemy! Lister—”
“I… know!”
Lister, the Faith Organization cleric, spat bl**d, two rows of teeth stained crimson. He couldn’t care less about the pain left on his body; the woman’s figure was moving again, darting across the rooftop toward the east of the town, seemingly not wanting to get too entangled with them. However, how could Lister let her slip away like that?
The young man clasped his hands together and closed his eyes, murmuring something. Moments later, a thin golden light radiated from him, transforming into rippling streams of light that flowed toward the sky, moving rapidly and enveloping the airborne female heretic!
She landed on another roof, rolling to dissipate the force. The miracle pulsed with a buzzing sound, the golden light enveloping her solidifying into a transparent, spherical light barrier, like a cicada’s wing, completely enclosing her.
“Ah-ha!”
The knights trailing closely behind the female heretic, bursting from a side alley, couldn’t contain their excitement, some licking their lips and yelling, “Nice job, Lister!”
“Now! Let’s give her a taste of her own medicine—”
But just as that shout fell, they could clearly see that inside the sin barrier imprisoning the female heretic, Infernal Fire suddenly burst forth in a roaring tide, turning the originally glowing, semi-transparent sphere a bl**d-red. The air crackled with a nauseating “sizzle” as her figure was engulfed in flames, and in the next moment, a tremendous roar resonated from within the sphere.
Boom! Boom! Boom—
Meanwhile, among the wreckage of the collapsed wooden shed, Lawrence kicked away the blazing embers on top of him and stood up, looking rather disheveled.
“Pfft!”
He spat out blackened bl**d and flicked his sword to the side, raising his left hand to unleash golden light that healed the burns on his face and arms.
He gazed toward the source of the booming sound, hearing a sound like shattering glass as the sin barrier exploded in mid-air, shards flying everywhere. The female heretic leaped out of the flames, more chains snaking up from below, but she dodged them effortlessly with her incredible speed.
Lawrence watched, his face darkening as if he were about to eat someone.
In the next instant, he sprang up from the ashes and leapt onto the wall of a crumbling courtyard, with a loud roar, the golden light erupted forth. His fierce eyes were veiled with a layer of shimmering gold, and as he unleashed his miracle, chains erupted from all sides, shooting toward the airborne woman!
“Trap her aaahhh!!!”
Captain of Knights Lawrence roared, and with his furious shout, a golden cross began to take shape high above as countless chains slithered through the hot, foul air, twisting and lashing around like snakes. One, two… finally, the woman couldn’t evade, ensnared at the thigh, coiled around her arms and neck.
With the clanging of chains, the woman was tightly bound, dragged and yanked against the blinding cross. Scarlet flames erupted once more, curling smoke rising from her body, the chains sizzling and blazing within two seconds, almost as if they would incinerate everything, cross included.
This level of miracle was far from enough to truly confine her…
At this moment, Lawrence had an inkling of the female heretic’s power—she must be at the bl**d sacrifice stage, that much was clear. Even now, she hadn’t unleashed her true capabilities against them; it seemed she merely wanted to draw the knights’ attention, mislead their judgment, making them focus entirely on her and ignore other matters.
That crimson sphere…
She was merely stalling for time for that thing.
Once he connected the dots, Lawrence shifted his gaze away from the roaring cross. He turned and leapt down from the wall, letting out a sharp whistle.
Moments later, a robust horned beast charged from the narrow alley. The Captain of Knights jumped onto the beast’s back, galloping out of the alley and onto the main road, shouting at the knight who had previously released the white birds, “What’s taking so long with reinforcements from the back? Where’s Sword Saint Old Man?!”
By this point, he had understood that just his twenty-plus men could never stand a chance against the female heretic; she was toying with them. The realization infuriated him, but amidst the anger, he kept his wits about him.
Lawrence knew that if this continued, not only would he gain no honor, but he would also endanger the lives of all these brothers. He could be summoned to the church’s judgment court for his recklessness… or worse, he could d*e at the hands of that woman.
He was starting to have second thoughts…
“Ahhh hahahaha—”
Just then, from the distance behind him, a boisterous laugh rang out.
