The entire sanctuary was thick with the atmosphere of a desperate, final stand.
As Lanqi produced two more Orange Epic cards at the critical juncture—almost as if toying with the Saintess of Destruction—the Executioner, the Paladin, and the male guard, who had all resigned themselves to death, felt as though a glorious sun had risen once more. Roaring in unison, their fighting spirits surged!
Meanwhile, before Lanqi...
"Ah... ah..."
The Saintess of Destruction's eyes went wide, her terrified pupils reflecting only that lethal orange glow.
Even though Orange Epic cards were extraordinarily powerful, once bound, they could never be unequipped. Moreover, an inability to swap them out according to tactical needs reduced the flexibility of one's spell composition, meaning every choice of an Orange Epic or Pink Sacred card required utmost deliberation.
In other words, the Orange Epic and Pink Sacred magic cards a person carried essentially defined the core of their build—especially Orange Epics, for unlike Pink Sacred cards, which still allowed some leeway to unbind, Orange Epics could never be removed for an entire lifetime.
The Saintess of Destruction, Adelice, could not fathom how Lanqi possessed two whole unused orange cards on top of [Poet of Great Love]!
Even without knowing what the two epics did, Adelice had already experienced firsthand that every single one of Lanqi's cards was guaranteed to inflict the ultimate insult and torment.
All at once, the terror and aversion flooding the Saintess of Destruction's heart momentarily eclipsed even her humiliation and rage.
She would rather die than use her own body to test the rest of Lanqi's magic cards again—let alone two show-stopping epics!
With the fury in her heart extinguished by sheer terror, all that remained in the Saintess of Destruction was an overwhelming instinct to survive.
Almost on reflex, she looked toward the sanctuary's entrance.
Her body wobbling, she leaned on the demonic sword in her hand to hoist herself up from the floor, urging her still-partially-numb legs to sprint outward.
"Despicable coward!"
Accompanying a furious roar, the Executioner's axe carved a silver arc through the air, while the Paladin's holy light longsword gleamed with mystic brilliance, slashing viciously toward Adelice's lower back.
The male guard's dagger flashed like cold starlight; bursting from the shadows like a viper, he lunged for Adelice's feet.
However, because the Saintess of Destruction chose flight over fight, they were a step too late after all.
As another ring of red fire expanded from the Saintess of Destruction and the tip of her sword drew a searing arc through the air, concentric ripples of scalding, crimson flames erupted outward from the floor, blowing the three men back!
Bent on escape, the Saintess of Destruction bolted like black lightning, streaking ever faster across the cavernous nave toward the grand doors.
Even as the three warriors pursuing with their lives gave chase once more, Adelice capitalized on her terrifying recovered speed to widen the gap. Like an evil spirit enveloped in pitch-black fire, she dashed through the sanctuary's entrance and vanished into the jungle outside!
A few breaths later, at the sanctuary's grand doors.
"Damn it!"
"Stop. We can't pursue."
Arriving at the doors, the three men wore weary, agonized expressions, their fighting spirit as if burned to ash.
The male guard had the presence of mind to hold back the Executioner and the Paladin, who were still eager to dash out after her.
If they left the sanctuary to pursue, the three of them would most likely be turned on and slain.
Alternatively, leaving a blind spot at home would leave the sanctuary unguarded; if the Saintess of Destruction doubled back, she could slaughter every backline member left inside.
Moreover, night would fall before long, making it impossible to catch her.
"If we don't catch her now, we lose our best chance!"
The Executioner slammed his fist heavily against the sanctuary door. His clenched knuckles were smeared with blood, his axe having long since clattered limply to the ground, his voice choked with venomous resentment and frustration.
The Paladin had already collapsed onto the cold, hard flagstones, utterly exhausted, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.
They had been so close.
Letting the Saintess of Destruction escape now meant she would raid them every night; the remaining four and a half days would still be a sleepless nightmare!
As for trying to hunt her down in the jungle during the day, that terrain favored one-on-one combat, making it far more likely she would pick them off one by one.
Beneath the sanctuary's rose window, several people gazed sorrowfully and dejectedly at the now-empty entrance. Even the fiercest and most fearless of warriors felt an endless wave of exhaustion and demoralization wash over them.
Though the backline knew they had survived the immediate crisis, letting the Saintess of Destruction slip away was merely drinking poison to quench a thirst—perhaps no better than fighting her to the death right then.
"What do we do if she attacks again tonight?"
Be it the Cleric, the guard sister, or Hyperion standing guard behind Lanqi, all were fraught with anxiety, turning to Lanqi for guidance.
Their only hope now was that he possessed some countermeasure against a late-night raid.
Everyone else was equally baffled: why had Mr. Lawyer held back and refused to use those two Orange Epics when he clearly had them in hand?!
"..."
Hyperion's expression was conflicted. She wanted to explain to the others, yet didn't know where to begin.
She knew all too well that while Lanqi's two Tier 3 epics were indeed devastatingly powerful, they would also drag his allies down with them.
In a team fight like this, aside from terrifying the Saintess of Destruction, they had little practical utility.
Even if they had fought to the bitter end just now, and even if they had managed to capture or kill her, the Executioner, the Paladin, and the male guard had almost no hope of all surviving.
In the end, Lanqi had simply lacked the heart to send comrades he had bonded with to their deaths.
Instead, he had chosen to bluff and scare the Saintess of Destruction away.
Yet even Hyperion could not judge whether this move was wise or foolish.
Yet, Lanqi merely smiled meaningfully, stretched his arms, and strolled toward the kitchen.
It was as if his workday had ended and he was simply getting ready to enjoy dinner.
His reaction left everyone thoroughly bewildered!
...
Deep within the dense, dark jungle, colossal trees rose from the loam, stretching toward the heavens. Layers of canopies and foliage blotted out the setting sun, leaving behind only dim, mottled shadows.
A gust of wind swept past, leaves rustling as though the mist were whispering.
Like a grievously wounded, vicious beast, the Saintess of Destruction wove through the trees. The ends of her hair were soaked crimson, her skirt-armor scraping against the underbrush with rasping clatters, leaving behind a trail of bright red droplets upon the black earth.
*I will kill you all...*
*I will kill every last one of you!*
The Saintess of Destruction whimpered through a hideous, twisted snarl, as if she could hardly wait to recover her strength and slaughter every single challenger cowering in the castle by night!
Yet she did not realize...
Behind a tree not far away, a tall, robust figure stepped out in complete silence.
Carrying a heavy hand crossbow, he resembled a hunter who had finally cornered his quarry.
Shadows clung to his face, leaving only a pair of deep purple eyes strikingly clear in the gloom.
Chapter 140