As Beck watched, the scattered stars rained down across the field.

[Holy Word- Faithkeeper's Shield]

Upon breaking free from the [Soul Scream]'s influence, Aaron immediately employed a divine technique for protection.

A semi-circular shield of white light materialized in the void, and as the scattered stars struck it, the shield was instantly riddled with holes.

Could the remaining magic, reduced by a hundredfold, be so potent? If the previous giant fireball had struck Aaron directly, he knew he would have been powerless to stop it.

Just as he was startled, a series of heart-rending screams echoed throughout the castle. Aaron turned and looked, and was left dumbfounded on the spot.

As the priests practiced their divine techniques, the soldiers had yet to recover from the shock of [Soul Scream], and the scattered stars had already attached themselves to their armor, shields, bows, and exposed limbs and faces.

The terror of the phosphorous fire was revealed in an instant. Flames rapidly spread upon contact with matter, burning holes through the leather shoulder pads and gloves. The yellow-white flames, as if drawn to flesh and blood, directly seeped into the skin below.

"ARGHHH!" A shield soldier frantically patted his chest, trying to extinguish the gradually spreading phosphorous flames, but his arm was also ignited. In a few breaths, half his body had become a torch.

His companion were even more pitiable. The scattered flames of stars fell directly into the gaps in the armor, and the high temperature of thousands of degrees made him cry out in agony. He forcibly tore off the armor with both hands and then thrust his right hand inside, pulling out a blood-stained, flaming chunk of flesh...

Flesh and corpses were the best nourishment for phosphorous flames, and the fire spread quickly.

"AHHH--!"

"HEELLPP!"

"PRIESTS!! WE NEE--AHH!"

The air became thick with the smell of burning flesh as the soldiers writhed in agony, their screams echoing through the air like the wails of the damned. The magical flames had enveloped them, consuming their bodies in an inferno of flames. Their skin bubbled and blackened as the fire consumed them, the heat so intense that it seemed to warp the air around them. It was as if they were already in hell, their screams of pain and terror serving as a testament to the unimaginable torment they were enduring. The very ground beneath them seemed to shudder with their agony, as if the earth itself was in pain at the sight of such suffering. The burning sea of fire, the rolling white smoke, and the twisted and terrifying soldiers seemed like hell had descended upon earth. It was a scene of unspeakable horror, one that would be etched into the memories of all who witnessed it for eternity.

"DEVIL! this is definitely the power of the devil, coming from the flames of hell!!"

The Nordland soldiers and priests were completely undone by the terrifying scene. A spell of divine magic, [Dispel Fear], had completely lost its efficacy. A fortunate priest who had managed to escape the flames of the attack shouted hoarsely, discarding his staff and fleeing without looking back...

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Lynn and the others were also stunned, almost forgetting that Lynn had instructed them to hold their breath and use magic to extract oxygen from the air.

"What manner of magic is this?" Beck shuddered deeply. He could feel the agony of his bone marrow being scorched simply by approaching slightly.

"This is fireball magic, don't you know it as well? I've merely improved it slightly...." Lynn replied absent mindedly, even him did not expect such a scene....

This is considered slight improvement?

Aubrey's face became quite peculiar. She felt that Lynn's understanding of the term may not align with his own.

She suspected that Lynn may have broken through the heavy barriers and become a formal wizard.

But Lynn had only been exposed to magic for half a year. This seems a bit exaggerated... And their teacher, Kelu, has always been poor and struggling, and doesn't have the funds to purchase a source of magical energy.

Compared to the complex-minded Lynn, Aubrey and Beck, Batun's thoughts were quite simple: it appears that wizard apprentices, when united, can be formidable! Batun even surmised that as long as they worked together, dealing with the Church's pursuit would not be too daunting a task.

But before he could fully contemplate this, a dazzling white light shone forth from afar, piercing through the flames and assaulting the wizard apprentices.

Distracted, Batun only saw his brother Beck's anxious face and heard him saying something before he felt his body being struck by a powerful force and flung outwards. His thin frame was torn apart in midair as he tumbled several times before crashing to the ground like a rag doll, silenced in an instant.

The sudden turn of events froze the expressions on Lynn's and the others' faces, and Beck's face twisted in agony as he screamed hoarsely.

"Nooo! Batuuun!"

Lynn acted the moment the white light appeared, summoning twelve [Magic Missiles] to orbit around him as he drew out strange arcs through the air, launching them towards the end of the corridor.

In the end, the magic missiles were stopped by an invisible wall, their impact causing ripples to leap up in its wake...

Lynn's heart plummeted as he focused on the other side of the inferno. He realized that the person he had been waiting for had finally arrived, and their power was far more fearsome than he could have imagined!

A melodic hymn suddenly filled the castle, and an invisible force gradually enveloped the entire mansion and glowing light rains spread out.

This was the Three-Ring Divine Technique - [Hymn of Life]! The green raindrops contained an immense amount of divine power, and the hellish flames were gradually suppressed.

The nearly-depleted phosphorous fire quickly dissipated, and Anthruk, draped in a glamorous white gilded robe, slowly walked in.

"Your Excellency, Archbishop!"

Aaron, the quickest to react, had also narrowly escaped the range of the sea of fire. He shouted excitedly, but his words contained a hint of resentment and hatred.

Anthruk's timing was so impeccable that Aaron couldn't have guessed that the bishop had been keeping an eye on them all along.

It was clear that he and the soldiers of Nordland were merely tools used to test the other party's strength and bottom cards.

Aaron's heart cooled as he realized that once this matter was over, he, as the on-site commander, would inevitably face severe punishment.

Anthruk ignored Aaron, his gaze sweeping across the half-dead, will-broken guards on the ground. He noticed with a narrowing of his pupils that the flames, which had been extinguished, had suddenly reignited after the conclusion of the [Hymn of Life] divine technique!

This was phosphorous fire - as long as there was still oxygen in the air and combustible material present, it would never stop burning.

"Stop dilly-dallying around and retreat!" Lynn made the decision without hesitation after the [Magic Missile] feint failed.

The giant fireball technique he had cast had already consumed a significant amount of the phosphorous he had conjured, leaving him with insufficient reserves to defeat the Archbishop, who had just demonstrated an impressive divine technique.

Lynn and Aubrey were well aware of Anthruk's formidable power and, despite their grief over Batun's death, knew that their only chance of survival lay in fleeing.

But at this moment, Beck, overcome with grief at the loss of his brother, was overcome by madness. Grasping a relatively undamaged soldier corpse from the ground as a shield, he charged towards Anthruk with a furious roar.