Chapter 322

Chapter 108 Light and Darkness Part Five

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Black flames exploded below, burning fiercely. The cobblestone road began to crack, and the raging tongues of fire shot up several meters into the sky. The scattered crowd screamed and fled. In the distance, the figure engulfed by the black flames instantly turned to ashes amidst the thick smoke. A white light streaked upward rapidly and vanished into my body in an instant.

Plop.

My feet stepped on the broken tiles.

After landing on the roof of a small building by the side of the street, I bent down, my eyes darting around the fleeing crowd, scanning back and forth. I listened intently, ears perked up, alert for any sudden attacks that might come.

There’s still one person…

Where…

I can’t find him.

This fight isn’t going well at all.

Holding Victoria, who was poisoned and unconscious, I couldn’t let go of her while moving at high speed, fearing I might hurt her. I didn’t even dare use Moon Step. There were too many civilians running around, preventing me from using wide-range attacks recklessly. I used the black flames cautiously, only finding opportunities to throw them in unoccupied areas, otherwise this battle wouldn’t have dragged on so long.

These people from the Gate of Truth… They’ve been lying in wait here all along.

Only three have appeared so far, but they are all Stage Two. I don’t know if there are more hiding in the shadows, ready to ambush us. Their target is clearly Victoria. These people fight ruthlessly, each strike aiming to inflict mutual damage or even take lives, showing no regard for their own survival. If not for their fear of black flames, I would be suffering much more than I am now.

And Sophia…

In the heat of the moment, I didn’t think much about it. I was afraid the Gate of Truth might suddenly use a self-destruct technique, so I acted decisively… Although I tried my best to limit the range of the ice, trying not to let the cold affect her, the urgency of the situation made it hard to avoid mistakes… She should be fine, right?

She saw me, and those black wings…

What should I do?

I shook my head, trying to push these thoughts aside to maintain enough vigilance.

The remaining person seems to be hiding…

He must have realized that I’m hesitant to attack civilians and wants to play hide-and-seek with me…

Is he buying time…

Or has he already run away?

“Silviana—”

Suddenly, I heard someone calling me from afar. Instinctively, I looked in the direction of the voice and saw the Holy Maiden riding a magnificent white unicorn galloping toward me from the right side of the street.

My eyes lit up.

“Margarita!”

You finally arrived!

The joy in my heart was indescribable. Without thinking twice, I jumped off the rooftop and ran toward her as soon as I landed on the ground.

“What are you doing!”

Then, from a distance of about ten meters, I heard the Holy Maiden’s slightly reproachful shout.

I froze abruptly.

“Why did you do this! Why won’t you listen to me! You’re causing trouble for yourself and everyone else! You…”

The unicorn galloped swiftly. In less than two seconds, Margarita had stopped a few meters away with several nuns, not daring to come closer.

Is that so…

She also saw…

Fine, let her see.

I looked at the Holy Maiden’s stern face, and the smile on my face instantly faded.

What else could I do?

Could you help me?

I felt a bit angry.

But now wasn’t the time to argue with her. I needed to stay calm.

It was clear that the nuns behind her were very wary of me, their defensive expressions evident on their faces. They might have seen something, but Margarita probably warned or explained to them beforehand. No one made any rash moves, but the atmosphere was still tense.

A slight misstep could lead to a fight.

This is truly…

“Gate of Truth!”

I immediately shouted at Margarita.

“It’s them! I killed two of them, and there are still others!”

Margarita was about to say more, but upon hearing my words, her face stiffened.

Her mouth opened slightly, her gaze wandering around, her mind likely still processing the information. But I didn’t want to give her much time to think. I glanced at Victoria, then stepped forward.

The unicorn neighed, and some nuns began to retreat, holding their arms defensively in front of them. Ignoring them, I walked directly in front of Margarita with Victoria in my arms and stood there, staring at her.

“Save her first.”

Margarita only noticed the figure in my arms at this moment.

She looked for a while, then suddenly widened her eyes: “This is… Her Majesty?”

I nodded: “Please save her.”

“What happened…”

“She was poisoned.”

“…Who—”

Seeing she wanted to ask more, I interrupted urgently: “Please, save her quickly.”

Time is running out.

Victoria is burning up… Her lips are blue…

But the Holy Maiden seemed very hesitant.

She slowly dismounted and took two steps toward me, her brow furrowed deeply as if pondering her words. Then she spoke softly: “Silviana… You understand. I cannot—”

“Save her!”

I shouted.

“But…”

“Margarita!”

“…I understand your feelings, but the church cannot—”

Ah!

That damned stance again, right?!

I bit my lip.

Two seconds later, I suppressed the turmoil in my heart and tried to appear calm, earnestly looking into her beautiful azure eyes, speaking each word clearly: “It’s the Gate of Truth. They did this.”

This matter must be connected to the heretics. I don’t know if this counts as lying, but even if it does… so what?

“Save her. Otherwise, I don’t know what I might… do.”

After this sentence, Margaret’s delicate face finally changed color.

She looked at me with a complex gaze.

And I raised my head, staring directly into the Holy Maiden’s eyes.

After a long while, Margaret let out a long breath.

“…Alright.”

She nodded…

At this moment, my tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

“You come with me to the church.”

After Margaret said this, she turned and walked towards the unicorn beast. I hurriedly stepped forward to follow her.

“Tell me what happened. You must know…”

At this moment, a faint sound suddenly came from a dilapidated house on the right side.

!

Damn it, he’s still here!

“Be careful!”

My body moved before my mind could react. I held Victoria tighter in my arms and quickly retreated two steps backward. At the same time, the wind howled and the roar approached.

“Aaaaahhh—”

As the scream neared, golden light suddenly burst forth from the front. In the next moment, a figure engulfed in crimson flames lunged towards me, its body rapidly swelling. The exposed skin had already split open, the protruding eyeballs glaring at me, and countless dark red cracks emitted blinding red light.

My heart was pounding fiercely.

“Margaret—”

Boom—!!!

Buzzzzzzz…

My head was filled with buzzing sounds.

I didn’t dare use Moon Step; the distance was too close to build an ice wall. I instinctively turned around, tightly protecting Victoria, closing my eyes, and bracing myself for the impact with my back.

Pain… wait?

It doesn’t hurt…

Nothing can be felt…

The roaring gradually faded away, and I quickly opened my eyes slightly.

In my line of sight, a golden hemispherical barrier blocked the crimson flames, and the flowing light enveloped both me and Victoria, not even a hint of heat could be felt.

This is Margaret’s…

I quickly turned around.

Inside the barrier, there was no sign of the Holy Maiden’s graceful figure.

She didn’t come in!

“Margaret!”

Damn…

Outside, it’s all fire!

“Margaret!”

“Margaret…”

Don’t get into trouble, please…

“Aaaaahhh—”

Gate of Truth!!!

Buzz~

Suddenly, as I shouted with all my might, ripples like water waves appeared on the barrier ahead. Immediately after, a figure rushed through the flames and into the barrier.

It’s Margaret!

The Holy Maiden’s white nun’s robe was already charred black, and a few flames were still burning on her body, but they were extinguished in the sudden burst of golden light.

“I’m fine,” she said urgently to me, then raised her hand. Golden light showered down from the sky, and green light flickered in my vision, healing several minor injuries on her body.

“Sylvia, put out the fire!”

Without her saying it, I had already lifted my left arm.

Blue light shone brightly, and frosty ice mist gushed from my palm, enveloping our light barrier which instantly contracted, transforming into a shower of golden light. In the next second, the freezing mist broke through the golden light, like a long dragon swimming into the red flames, producing continuous hissing sounds. Steam rose into the air like a mushroom cloud.

In no time, the nearly human-height flames were completely extinguished, leaving only a few sparks at our feet.

The air was filled with a burnt smell.

Two nuns had fallen.

When the explosion occurred, they were closest to Margaret’s position and were unfortunately hit. Their clothes had been burned away, and their skin was charred beyond recognition, lying quietly on the ground.

Although the green light of divine healing circled around them, constantly injecting into their skin, I could still faintly sense that their lives were rapidly fading.

Probably…

They won’t make it…

Margaret could feel this as well.

“Kyle!”

“Juliette—”

The nuns who narrowly escaped cried out in shock. They all jumped off the beasts and ran anxiously to the two bodies that had been burned, their brows furrowed with sorrow.

“Take them, go!”

Margaret gave the order decisively.

In just an instant, her wounds had mostly healed, looking like she was fine, though she seemed somewhat disheveled. Her nun’s robe was severely damaged, and her headscarf had been destroyed by the fire. Her wavy blue hair was scattered and slightly messy, her alert eyes scanning the surroundings. After shouting that sentence, she quickly stepped out of the scattering golden light.

“Gate of Truth…”

The whispered words, as if gritted through clenched teeth, quietly reached my ears.

“No wonder… After I entered the city, those people rushed to escort me back to the church…”

I frowned: “What do you mean?”

“The Iron Guard, or someone in the city… has colluded with the heretics. This time, the evidence is clear. They are opposition forces against Her Majesty.”

“So?”

“So, the Church now has ample reason.”

Ample reason…

Didn’t we have it from the beginning?

That was just a matter of perspective.

Margaret…

Margaret’s unicorn beast had also been burned to ashes.

She quickly walked to another brownish-black wild beast, stroked its mane, and mounted it. She told the nuns, “Move faster, follow me,” then extended her hand to me.

I shook my head.

In the next moment, ice crystals rose from beneath my feet.

I puffed up my lips, indicating the direction where Sophia was.

“There’s a girl over there…”

“She’s already been taken to the church.”

“Good.”

A slight sense of relief washed over me.

Bam!

In the next moment, ice pillars shot up from beneath me, lifting me into the air.

Victoria should probably stay with me.

It feels more secure…

I continued to run across the rooftops toward the church. The sound of hooves echoed on the streets beside me as Margaret and the nuns followed closely. The two girls, who seemed like corpses, were carried on the beasts’ backs, passing through two streets.

No one spoke.

Soon, the church was in sight.