"Don't be reckless, come back, Buck!" Jonny shouted.
But Buck, his face twisted with fury, charged forward regardless.
**"The Hymn of Ayla—Divine Light Blast!"** Anluche uttered calmly, unleashing a powerful second-tier divine spell.
A blinding white light burst forth, reaching its target in the blink of an eye. The corpse Buck used as a shield was instantly reduced to a mist of blood, and the terrifying force of the blast sent Buck hurtling through the air.
Anluche raised his staff, ready to cast another spell to finish the job. In that critical moment, White Dove opened her mouth once more.
A sharp, piercing shriek echoed like a death knell from the abyss, causing Anluche's movements to falter—if only for a brief moment.
**Fire Touch**
**White Phosphorus—Fireball Spell**
Lynn and Jonny, having covered their ears in anticipation, seized the opportunity. They cast their most potent spells simultaneously, sending two streams of scorching fire toward Anluche, forcing the archbishop to halt his attack and switch to a defensive spell.
**Third-tier Divine Spell—Holy Barrier!**
An invisible shield materialized in front of Anluche, effortlessly deflecting the flames, but the white phosphorus flames clung to the barrier, slowly yet steadily corroding its surface.
Roar!
Despite his severe injuries, Buck stood up once more, his eyes bloodshot, his body showing even more pronounced signs of bestial transformation.
At this moment, Buck resembled a giant bear standing on its hind legs, charging directly into the blazing inferno, his fur and robes quickly catching the white phosphorus flames.
The agony of being scorched by temperatures exceeding a thousand degrees would be enough to drive anyone mad, but Buck pressed on regardless. From the moment he used his limited skills as a sorcerer's apprentice to cast the transformation spell, the beastification process had become irreversible. Yet, he knew that breaking through Anluche's divine defenses was beyond his power alone!
"Jonny, Lynn, go on without me! I'll stay and avenge Barton!" Buck roared, striking the Holy Barrier with all his might.
Ripples spread across the invisible shield, but Anluche casually blasted Buck away with a divine spell.
"We're leaving!" Lynn glanced at Buck one last time before resolutely deciding. Covered in white phosphorus flames, there was no saving him.
After sending Buck flying, Anluche blocked the only exit. Having lost so many men, he had no intention of letting Lynn and the others escape.
"Repent before the Almighty, followers of the devil..." Anluche raised his bishop's staff and began to chant loudly.
**"The Hymn of Ayla—Light of the Holy Spirit!"**
A dazzling wave of light emanated from the staff, spreading out in a semi-circular arc. It was unstoppable and unavoidable, covering almost the entire chamber with its divine radiance.
However, Lynn had not come unprepared!
In fact, he had already devised an escape plan for such a crisis long before entering the chamber!
Lynn, White Dove, and Jonny simultaneously pressed their hands against the floor.
**Zero-tier Spell—Basic Matter Deconstruction!**
The solid floor cracked instantly, and three fine lines of fractures spread out like a spiderweb, interlinking just as the terrifying white light descended upon them. The ground beneath their feet collapsed a split second before the light reached them...
The missed **Light of the Holy Spirit** swept over the gaping hole and collided with the wall behind, setting off a chain of explosions that echoed throughout the castle.
As the dust and debris settled, Anluche's expression darkened as he gazed at the gaping hole in the chamber.
"Roar!"
A hoarse growl reached him from the side.
Due to being knocked away earlier, Buck was outside the range of the **Light of the Holy Spirit**. However, by now, he had lost all semblance of humanity, transforming into a hulking bear-like beast, his skin still engulfed in the white phosphorus flames. Beneath the scorched flesh, his white bones were faintly visible.
Despite his monstrous appearance, Buck charged forward once more, driven by a singular desire for vengeance.
Anluche frowned, unwilling to waste time on a dying sorcerer's apprentice. He extended his hand, and the collapsed rubble quickly reassembled, combining with the broken armor scattered on the ground to form two towering stone statues, each three meters tall.
This was a second-tier divine spell—**Summon Spirit Guardians.**
Once the two statues were fully formed, they separated. One statue swung its massive fist, sending the giant bear Buck crashing down. The other statue jumped into the gaping hole in the ground...
...
"Luckily, it's not too high!"
Using the falling debris as a cushion, Lynn and his companions successfully breached the floor using their combined **Basic Matter Deconstruction** spell, landing directly in the castle's basement.
Lynn surveyed his surroundings. The basement appeared to be an armory, with numerous weapons and swords piled on racks, along with several empty chests—likely where the castle's treasure had once been stored, now taken by the fleeing lord.
After confirming their surroundings, Lynn immediately focused on his two companions.
Jonny was relatively unharmed, though she had expended a significant amount of magic power. White Dove, however, was in much worse shape. Having used **Soul Scream** twice in quick succession, even she, a rare psionic, could barely stand.
"Jonny, how far are we from the underground waterway?" Lynn asked.
"Follow this path, and in no more than three minutes, we'll reach it." Jonny helped White Dove to her feet, hesitated for a moment, and then made up her mind. "We should split up now. You take White Dove, and I'll distract Anluche..."
Jonny knew they couldn't outrun Anluche. If they continued like this, they would eventually be caught.
Although her magic power was greatly diminished from the earlier battle, with the help of **Mage Hand**, she could still cast two more first-tier spells, which might buy them some time...
The silver-haired witch bit her lip until it bled. She had promised their mentor, Korlu, that she would bring everyone back safely to the land of sorcery.
But now Kent was dead, Will was dead, Buck and Barton had fallen before her eyes, and there was nothing she could do...
"I fear you're already too late!" Lynn glanced upward.
In those few moments, the sound of violent explosions had erupted from above, followed by the crash of a three-meter-tall, armored stone statue falling through the gaping hole.
"Run!" Lynn grabbed Jonny and White Dove, pulling them out of the statue's path.
He had already used the white phosphorus flames intended for their escape to save Buck, and his magic power was now more than half depleted.
If he faced the archbishop again, he would stand no chance!
The enormous and heavy Spirit Guardian landed with a thud, shaking the ground. It then extended its stone arms and charged at the trio.
Lynn's expression tensed as he prepared to dodge, but suddenly, a warning echoed in his mind.
**Warning... A significant violation of the treaty has been detected. The target is suspected of using chemical weapons to commit mass murder, with extremely heinous consequences! The criminal acts have been recorded, and before the arrival of the Federal Police, you will have one opportunity for an online statement...**