41 - Kill

Several minutes passed before the brief ringing in their ears gradually subsided, and the two witches snapped back to reality amidst a familiar shout.

"Hold your breath... filter the oxygen with magic."

Jenny suddenly regained her composure, turned to look, and saw Lynn standing before a blazing inferno, gazing ahead as the scorching waves made his robes rustle.

The two witches were unfamiliar with the concept of oxygen, but they understood the need to hold their breath.

But what kind of magic was this?

Jenny was amazed and couldn't find the right words, while Dove huddled against a collapsed wall, too terrified by the scattered limbs and gore on the ground to stand.

Lynn didn't pay much attention to the two witches' states, his expression was solemn as she stared at the once bustling harbour, now reduced to ruins.

In theory, no one should have survived such an explosion, yet the opposite was true. A figure stood in the center of the raging inferno.

Calling it a figure might be inaccurate because, at this moment, Archbishop Anluke no longer resembled a human. His once magnificent golden robes had been torn to shreds, and his entire body was engulfed in a white phosphorus fire that burned at over a thousand degrees.

From any angle, Anluke should be dead. In fact, he should have died days ago in the great battle outside the town of Ur. But his humble prayers had invoked a shred of divine mercy.

A thread of divine power forcibly preserved his life. When he sensed danger, Anluke willingly harnessed this divine energy and used a fourth-tier divine spell, [Divine Sanctum] to resist the devastating explosion.

However, the power of a fourth-tier divine spell was limited and couldn't block the subsequent shockwaves. His flesh and organs were continuously roasted at temperatures exceeding a thousand degrees, and his life was now in its final countdown.

At this moment, Anluke felt no pain in his mind. Only pure faith remained.

Death and suffering were merely the tests and tribulations one must endure to reach paradise. Anluke did not fear death, but if he could send the wizard before him to hell, he was certain that the Lord would reward him even more in heaven.

Hail Aila - [Heaven's Judgment]

Anluke's vocal cords had long been destroyed, but as his trembling lips moved, a glimmer of light appeared on his burning fingertips.

It was the purest light of death, rapidly expanding. The flames retreated, rocks shattered, and everything in its path dissolved under the power of this light.

[Frost Barrier.]

Lynn reached out, and one sturdy ice crystal wall after another was erected, but they were useless. They crumbled almost instantly. Nevertheless, Lynn used this brief moment of obstruction to sidestep, avoiding the deathly light.

Behind him, the pure light crashed into the surging sea, creating waves over ten meters high.

Anluke was relentless. He cast another spell, this time with a wider range, the inescapable [Storm of the Dawn]

It was at this moment that Dove spoke.

[Soul Wail]

A piercing sound wave swept through the entire area, and Anluke's actions came to an imperceptible halt. The storm he had just conjured dissipated.

But soon, the archbishop turned his head. His irises shimmered with a dark golden glow, and without any visible movement, Dove seemed to be choked, just like someone had grabbed her by the throat. The sharp sound wave came to an abrupt stop.

The horrifying backlash pierced through the witch's mental defences, and the girl's body slumped to the ground, coughing up blood.

"Dove." Jenny hurriedly approached and helped the young witch up, checking on her condition.

Lynn's face now carried a tinge of anger. Dozens of Magic Missiles appeared in the air, rapidly igniting into numerous miniature white phosphorus fireballs, and they hurtled towards Archbishop Anluke.

Third-tier divine spell - [Holy Barrier]

Confronted by the swarm of fireballs, Anluke dared not take them head-on. He immediately shifted to a defensive stance. Even with a touch of divine power, his current condition didn't allow for the continuous use of higher-tier divine spells. He could only employ two [Holy Barriers] to counter the threat.

The intangible barrier clashed with the exploding fireballs and soon crumbled. However, the second "Holy Barrier" behind it remained resilient, successfully blocking the remaining white phosphorus fireballs.

At that moment, Lynn extended his right hand and clenched it tightly. The flames scattered around Anluke and those adhering to the invisible barrier seemed to receive some sort of guidance. They swiftly converged into a flaming ethereal hand that seized Anluke within its fiery grasp.

Crack...

The unexpected turn of events caught the Archbishop off guard. The previously battered "Holy Barrier" was instantly crushed by the hand of flames. With no other option, Anluke unleashed his remaining divine power to contend with the fearsome white phosphorus fire.

In unison, Lynn and Anluke staked their dwindling powers on this single attack. A dazzling divine light intermingled with the raging fire, cancelling each other out.

At the same time, Jenny, holding Dove, shouted with frustration.

[Magic Missiles]

Several Magic Missiles appeared around the girl and rapidly revolved, launching towards the Archbishop.

Under normal circumstances, Anluke would not have considered such feeble magic. But in the current situation, the incoming "Magic Missiles" became the final straw that broke the camel's back.

The delicate balance was immediately disrupted. The colossal hand of flames slowly penetrated the dazzling divine light, crushing the Archbishop, who wore an expression of bitter unwillingness.

It wasn't until the moment of death that Anluke suddenly realized that the two witches he had underestimated all along were not as useless as he had imagined.

Watching Anluke's body crumble in the grasp of the "Flame Demon's Hand," Lynn couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Then, he remained vigilant and looked around, deeply concerned that his actions might provoke the wrath of the divine.

Fortunately, his concerns didn't come true as the horrifying aura in the air gradually dissipated.

It was finally over...

Lynn's body swayed, almost collapsing to the ground. An entire night of continuous battle had depleted his magical energy and physical strength, leaving him mentally exhausted.

[Overload mode deactivated, energy remaining: 2.1%]

The alert tone of the AI resonated in his mind. Lynn pushed his body to remain upright and turned his attention to Dove, who lay unconscious in Jenny's arms.

"How is Dove?"

"I don't know. Her condition is critical; she needs immediate treatment," Jenny replied with great concern.

Lynn glanced at the surging sea before him. If Laut received the signal he had transmitted and followed the plan, the ship should have arrived by now...

But why was there no sign of the ship?