"[Mass Frost Blades]!"

Upon a street in the northernmost quarter of the Haygan town, Aubrey unfurled her hand, and a flurry of diamond-shaped ice blades materialized in the emptiness, glinting in the pale moonlight. The diamonds of frost look sharp as knives, each one a lethal shard of ice. The ice blades hurtle towards the obstructing soldiers like a swarm of flying locusts.

The soldiers cry out as the ice strikes them, the sharp edges slicing through their armor and flesh as though they were paper. Despite their valiant efforts to evade, many of the soldiers are struck down, their bodies falling to the ground in a heap., but an even greater number of soldiers wielding shields encircled them from behind.

Aubrey clenched her teeth, unsheathed her sword and swatted away the spear of a soldier, dashing forward and severing the opponent's neck with a whirling blade, the blood spewing out, yet at the same instant, another soldier had already swung a long saber.

The ferocious saber light appeared before her eyes, yet after battling for half an hour, the girl's physical energy and magic power had been depleted, and she no longer possessed the strength to turn and repel the incoming long saber.

Fortunately, at this juncture, a fierce horse charged out and instantly overturned the soldier to the ground. Dove seated atop the horse immediately blew the whistle in her hand.

A dense flock of grey crows hangs in the air above the street, their wings beating the air as they circle overhead. Suddenly, they seem to be guided by an unseen force, and they swoop down towards the group of shield soldiers below.

The crows attack with ferocity, their sharp claws and beaks scratching and biting at the unprotected faces and necks of the soldiers. But despite their best efforts, the crows are only the size of a palm, and it is difficult for them to inflict a fatal injury. They are mere birds, and their attacks are more of a nuisance than a real threat.

Still, the crows continue to attack, their frenzied cries filling the air as they swirl around the soldiers in a chaotic dance of wings and claws. The scene is chaotic and confusing, with the soldiers flailing about as they try to fend off the attacking birds.

Seizing this opportunity, Aubrey mounts the horse behind Dove, who is already seated in the saddle. The two of them turn in another direction, the horse breaking into a gallop as they flee from danger.

Dove's face is pale and her hands tremble as she clutches at the reins, relying on the horse to carry them forward. Despite her weakness, she manages to stay seated in the saddle, her eyes fixed on the road ahead as they race towards safety.

Aubrey wraps her arms around Dove's waist, hanging on as the horse gallops down the road. The wind rushes past them as they ride, the sense of urgency palpable as they put as much distance between themselves and their enemies as possible.

Aubrey looked at her worriedly and sighed.

"I'm afraid this time I'll have to apologize to you, Dove!"

"I never anticipated that we would not only fail to rescue Karl, but also fall into the church's trap..."

Aubrey conjured a ball of fire to temporarily repel the pursuing soldiers, and regret began to well up in her heart.

She was not regretting the act of rescuing Lynn, but rather that she had involuntarily dragged Dove into it.

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Several days ago, upon learning that the church had arrested a devil worshipper and planned to execute them after Monday, Aubrey had entertained the notion of infiltrating the prison.

However, relying on just her own strength was clearly inadequate and her chances of success were slim. Dove's psychic magic was especially useful in such circumstances, allowing it to use its ability to control creatures to gather intelligence, sow chaos, or distract enemies.

Therefore, Aubrey had devised a rescue plan based on this. First, Both of them have to ignite key locations such as granaries, storage areas, and stables, drawing the attention of the soldiers and causing confusion, then they would burst into the prison and rescue the person.

However, once they began to put their plan into action, Aubrey realized how far-fetched it was. The harbor town's soldiers, already on high alert, responded with swiftly, pursuing them the moment they were seen. Furthermore, the soldiers disregarded the blazing fire, allowing it to advance towards the marketplace, which contained flammable liquids such as olive and animal fat oils, alcohols, resin, and pitch, ultimately reaching the residential district's wooden buildings, replete with lamp oils.

They had stumbled into a trap set by the church and she did not expect the soldiers to let the fires be, causing massive chaos throughout the town.

"No, I...I came of my own accord," Dove said through gritted teeth, despite trembling with fear.

She's afraid of death, but also knew that it was only because Lynn had sacrificed himself that they had been able to escape from the castle and miraculously survive.

Therefore, when she learned that Aubrey was planning to risk rescuing Lynn, Dove resolutely decided to join.

The two young witches exchanged glances, both seeing the resolve in each other's eyes. Aubrey tightened her grip on the hilt of her long sword and said, "The enemy's attack is beginning to wane. We may yet have a chance to flee."

Dove nodded, her eyes welling with tears, but she immediately raised the wooden flute to her lips and blew another signal.

The massive flock of grey crows that had previously blotted out the sky had been decimated by several rounds of attacks and was now reduced to just a hundred or so, barely able to fulfill their role as scouts and incapable of hindering the enemy in any meaningful way.

As if to answer Aubrey's prayer, the number of soldiers closing in on them began to dwindle and their ferocity abated. No one rushed forward to engage them in mortal combat.

But Aubrey's expression grew ever more grave as she learned from Dove's reconnaissance that they were surrounded by soldiers, leaving only one avenue of escape.

She's not sure if their foes are toying with them or if they're planning to encircle them. Aubrey doesn't know either, but she is aware that if they stop, they would perish. If they continue to run, there might be a glimmer of hope, no matter how faint it may seem.

'At the very least...at the very least, I must send Dove away.'

As the young woman pondered this, Dove, riding atop the horse, suddenly shuddered violently and screamed in terror, "It's Archbishop Anthruk! He's come personally, and he's...he's right by our side!"

Aubrey froze, turning to see a dazzling white light hurtling towards them.

This is the second-ring divinity - [Holy Light Impact].

"[Ice wall]!" Aubrey raised her right hand, conjuring an ice crystal wall in front of them. The blinding white light is already upon them!

The hastily summoned first-ring magic is particularly fragile against such powerful magic. As soon as the white light collides, it shatters, the immense impact knocking Aubrey and Dove, who are riding atop the horse, away.

A pain shot through Aubrey's entire body as she crashed to the ground, a stream of blood trickling down her head. Despite the agony wracking her body, she clambered to her feet, standing protectively in front of Dove as she stared resolutely at the approaching figures.

The sound of steady footsteps drew nearer, and out of the scattered ice crystals and smoke emerged an elderly figure in a gilded robe, surrounded by a group of priests.

Simply being in his presence was enough to inspire an indescribable sense of oppression...

Aubrey's pupils narrowed as she recognized the man before her, despite his greatly altered appearance and mismatched age. His identity, attire, and Dove's confirmation left no room for doubt.

This man was Archbishop Anthruk.

Memories of being hunted in Uer Town flooded back to Aubrey, and she knew that they had no hope of defeating such a powerful and terrifying foe.

To make matters worse, several more figures appeared on their left, led by a young man with a solemn expression and the garb of a church priest.

In no time at all, the two sides had encircled Aubrey and Dove, trapping them in a ring from which there seemed to be no escape.