Jonny and White Dove watched as Lynn suddenly broke into a smile, utterly bewildered by how he could find amusement in such dire circumstances.
"Let's move, and quickly!" Lynn urged without offering an explanation, cautious that the priests might possess some divine means to overhear their conversation.
In all of Harbortown, Lynn feared Anselm and the hidden three thousand elite soldiers the most. Now that these two threats were converging, it was an opportunity he couldn't ignore.
"Praise Ella—Apocalyptic Storm!"
Behind them, the hoarse chant of the archbishop resounded once more. An invisible tempest, laden with debris and dust, surged towards them, while the priests cast spells, sealing off every escape route with divine barriers.
"Jonny, White Dove!" Lynn signaled to the two witches, channeling his full power as he unleashed dozens of Magic Missiles, striking the watchtower that guided the ships.
At the same time, Jonny and White Dove, understanding Lynn's intent, drained the last of their magical reserves to cast *Transmute Rock to Mud,* turning the tower's solid foundation into loose sand.
With a series of thunderous crashes, the watchtower, which had stood at the docks for nearly a century, collapsed, its falling stones and timber blocking the tempest and crushing two priests who were too slow to evade.
Seizing this moment, Lynn and the others had gained a considerable distance.
Anselm's fury reached its peak. After sweeping away the debris with several *Holy Light Blasts,* he prepared to strike again, but then, the ground beneath Harbortown began to tremble.
Not only Anselm, but even Lynn and his companions felt the tremor, yet this disturbance was neither magical nor divine.
Soon, a sight came into view—rows of Nordland's elite soldiers clad in black armor, carrying massive shields. Their presence exuded a chilling aura of death, intensified by the crossbows hanging at their waists.
Unlike the priests who were beaming with joy, the two witches shuddered involuntarily.
How could they possibly fight against such overwhelming numbers?
These elite soldiers, clad in full armor, were a rare sight even in the Empire, a testament to how deeply the Duke of Nordland was willing to invest in the hunt for these witches.
Ahead, thousands of soldiers had already raised their crossbows, and a barrage of arrows, sharp and numerous, rained down like a storm, leaving no room for escape.
In the moment the soldiers lifted their crossbows, Lynn had already grabbed White Dove, rolling to take cover behind a crumbling wall.
The arrows pounded against the earthen wall, sending showers of dirt and debris into the air.
"What do we do now?" Jonny asked urgently.
Lynn didn't respond. He conjured a massive fireball in his palm and hurled it skyward without hesitation.
From a distance, it appeared as though a brilliant flare had ignited above Harbortown.
Anselm instantly recalled the terrifying sorcery Lynn had used before to annihilate dozens of elite soldiers, and without hesitation, he shouted out orders.
"Everyone, shield yourselves!"
The rain of arrows ceased immediately. The three thousand soldiers raised their shields in unison, and the priests quickly cast protective spells around them.
As all eyes were fixed on the fireball, it suddenly exploded high in the sky, bursting into countless dazzling sparks before gradually dissipating into the night.
The witches' hopeful expressions faltered as they stared upward, only for Lynn to calmly say,
"Patience, let the fireball fly a little longer."
Fly? How?
Isn't the spell already over?
Jonny looked up, puzzled, only to notice faint glimmers of light approaching from across the sea.
As the lights drew nearer, the witches realized that these were not stars—they were hundreds of flaming arrows!
"Is that our reinforcements?" The realization dawned on both Ayden and the others. They quickly understood that the fireball was not meant to harm them but served as a signal.
However, the reinforcement seemed feeble…
Given the distance and the darkness of the night, the flaming arrows were wildly off-target. Even if they stood still, it seemed impossible for the arrows to hit them.
Is this it?
Several priests felt a wave of disappointment, realizing that their earlier fears were laughable—they had been frightened by mere followers of demons.
Only Anselm sensed something was amiss. His murky eyes turned to a brilliant shade of dark gold, recognizing that the unknown often harbored the greatest terror, but it was too late to act. The arrows, wrapped in oil-soaked cloth, scattered unpredictably across the harbor.
An indescribable sense of dread crept into everyone's minds, with no clear direction or source.
In the midst of their unease, confusion, and fear, an inferno engulfed the entire harbor, turning the city into a scene of apocalyptic devastation.
The explosion was louder than thunder, with flames and shockwaves flattening the nearby houses, boiling the air, and sending steam and smoke billowing into a colossal cloud of debris.
Buildings crumbled, stones were hurled through the air, and the sea, driven by the terrifying force, retreated before surging back in massive waves that battered the shore.
Yellowish-white embers drifted down like fiery rain, illuminating the sea as white phosphorus mixed with black powder ignited.
All of this transpired in a flash, and in an instant, the entire harbor was reduced to a smoking wasteland…
The only area relatively intact was where Jonny and her companions stood. Each explosive trap had been meticulously placed during its setup.
Yet, even so, the sheer force of the blast shattered their earthen shield, forcing Lynn to cast several protective spells to fend off the shockwaves.
The two witches, huddled behind the wall, were left dazed, their ears ringing in the aftermath.
When the explosion finally subsided, the thousands of elite soldiers in black armor and the relentless priests had vanished without a trace, leaving behind nothing but a sea of wreckage and flames…
What is this?
Is this…hell?
The two witches stood frozen in place, unable to comprehend what had just occurred.