**Chapter 154: Out of the City (Part 1)**
“Catch up to them—”
“You reckless, heartless villains! Look at the havoc you’ve wreaked—”
“In the name of the Deity! Tonight, even if I’m left in pieces, I’ll do whatever it takes! If I can take down even one of you, it’ll be worth it!”
“k*ll—”
Thud thud, thud thud, thud thud!
Iron hooves raced through the fiery night alleys as a dozen sleek black steeds thundered past the ruins. Closely following were more Golden Armored Knights on their tails, relentless in their pursuit.
On the broken eaves of the rooftops, the flickering glow of a Divine Miracle occasionally flashed. A cleric in his robes quietly emerged from the darkness, raising his Holy Lance and taking aim at the fleeing hunters. Suddenly, he was struck down by a bolt of Lightning, crashing to the ground amidst shouts and chaos. He sprang onto a knightly steed from his own side, continuing the chase.
The first wave of reinforcements, drawn by the Light of MaFa, didn’t take long to arrive after we’d ridden out from the church’s courtyard. One by one, they charged in, fueled by rage and determination, ready to block our escape; their resolve was unshakeable. After taking down two waves of dozens of their men, I decided not to engage with them any further.
Otherwise, more of them would come to slow us down.
“d*mn it…”
Hoover, riding on his beast’s back, had bloodshot eyes. Unable to hold back from the taunts of the pursuers, he turned back and shouted, “What kind of knights are you? You’re clearly the ones who schemed to escalate this war, putting innocent people back in danger. And now here you are, shouting about justice, calling us heartless villains!”
Whoosh!
A Holy Lance whizzed overhead, startling Hoover so much that he ducked his head, his face turning even redder with rage.
“The real heartless ones are your commander! Those hypocritical cardinals sitting in the Temple Church! They want to take advantage of this chaos to swallow the Central Workshop, devouring the Empire’s everything in the north and south! They crave countless coins while making fools like you fight and d*e for them like morons—”
But such words fell on the ears of those who believed in the church’s supreme glory and that justice eternally belonged to the knights like a provocation from a fart.
“How dare you insult the Temple Church’s reputation!!”
“Despicable and arrogant—”
“Completely unforgivable!”
“The great Deity is watching us! My brave and righteous knights must not let such rabid rebels escape! Their ideas are monstrous, terribly vile!”
“Listen to my command! Capture them alive if possible! Don’t let these villains d*e easily; they deserve a coffin penalty to repent for their sins in agony!”
Boom!
Before the shouting Captain could finish, he was struck in the chest by an incoming bolt of Lightning. The arc of electricity suddenly spread through his body, leaving him and his steed stunned, puffing smoke as they collapsed to the ground, rolling for several meters before his neck snapped with a “crack.” Even then, he mumbled, “Don’t… mind me… keep chasing…”
“Talkative.”
Sword Demon Miss turned her head back amidst the bouncing ride, her purple ponytail almost slapping straight behind her, the residual electric glow still crackling at her fingertips.
“Captain Baum—”
“You damned sinners…”
But it didn’t deter the pursuing knights; instead, it only inflamed their anger even more. Suddenly, golden light flashed from above as a robust cleric in robes dove down like an eagle, wrapped in dazzling light, ready to pounce on one of the hunters!
Yet that hunter was fierce as well, quick to react. With a two-meter-long steel whip trailing the ground, he snapped it up with a crack, sparks flying as it wrapped around the cleric’s ankle, tossing him aside where he crashed into a wooden fence and took a while to get back up.
“Pah!”
The hunter spat behind him, urging the steeds to accelerate once again, turning the corner and charging for the nearest city gate in the southern wall.
“Speed up! Surround them from both sides—”
“You won’t get away!”
Behind us, the relentless knights shouted, their voices sharp as daggers, filled with fury and determination. They weren’t planning to let a single one of us slip through, even if it cost more lives.
“Capture that black-haired woman in the middle—”
“She’s a big catch!”
“Leave her to me—”
Buzz!
The tremor of divine miracles resounded from behind. Someone leaped high atop their beast, and amidst the hunters, I turned back to see countless chains shooting from the opponent’s palm, seemingly aiming for my mother’s location.
s*icide mission…
Boom!
With a flash of blue in my eyes, a massive ice wall erupted from the ground, blocking all the hunters behind it, nearly sealing off the entire street. Those chains clattered against the icy barrier, followed promptly by the knights in hot pursuit.
“Uh—”
Bang! Bang! Bang—
Screams of the people, blended with the whinnies of the steeds, echoed from behind that ice wall.
“Get around! Hurry, get around—”
“The city wall is right ahead, send a white bird to warn the people at the gate!”
“d*mn it, how can such a disorderly rabble have such high organizational talent…”
“The horrors in the church were their doing—”
“How many of our warriors fell?!”
“Unforgivable…”
The voices gradually faded away.
“I just want to crush them all…”
I heard Hoover muttering darkly, his tone filled with hatred. “From last night to tonight, how many warriors have they killed… The iron foundry in the north, even Pagos and his team are still resisting… We’ve lost too many, way too many… and I can’t save them… I just want to charge back to the foundry, and even if I end up in pieces, at least take ten down with me…”
“Calm down, Uncle Hoover.”
I turned to glance at him, speaking softly, “Let’s get Mother out safely first.”
“I know, d*mn it, I know…”
The man seemed ready to chew his teeth to dust.
After running for a while, the towering city wall loomed ahead, the brightly lit city gate drawing closer. In the distance, white birds soared, circling low over the streets, while behind us, the clatter of iron hooves and shouting erupted again as the knights circled around the ice wall and resumed their pursuit.
“Prepare the Sin Barrier!”
A sharp voice echoed from afar. The next moment, the golden light on the city wall burst out brilliantly, and a radiant golden barrier shot up before the city gate. Countless shadows of knights took position behind it, beginning to draw bows and fire arrows, the arrowheads wrapped in dazzling golden streams, whizzing toward us.
“Ah!”
I heard my mother let out a short gasp.
“Anna, can you hold it?”
I turned to ask the usually silent Sword Demon, who nodded in response, “Mhm.”
“Good.”
Then I addressed everyone, “Charge forward like this! I’ll blast open the city gate.”
In the next moment, I leaped off the beast’s head, giving its rear a sharp smack. Then, I activated Moon Step, and with the howling wind, I shot into the sky nearly a hundred meters high.
Below, Sword Demon followed suit. Lightning surged above our heads, forming countless sword shadows that cleaved through more than half of the arrows in an instant. The hunters’ pace didn’t slow; they continued to run forward. Seeing this, the pursuing knights also quickened their pace. I frowned, a glint flashing in my eyes as I stretched out my palm, unleashing a hailstorm of icy shards toward them.
Boom boom boom boom boom—
“Watch out!”
“Ah—”
In an instant, countless pursuers were struck by the icy shards, toppling over like dominoes. Harnessing this momentum, I transformed into an ice-blue shooting star, diving sharply toward the city wall!
