Watching the howling storm of light sweep past right in front of her, only relief remained in Xialuote's mind.
Had she not noticed Xier and Aidemeng's movements in time and broken free from her restraint with the aid of Duonowan's conviction, quickly pulling away from the bald man, she would likely have been caught in that storm as well.
She could not be certain whether, when forced to make a choice, those two Purifiers would have waited until she was entirely clear of the blast zone or regarded her as a "necessary sacrifice" to stop an evil cultist.
Fortunately, Aidemeng had indeed waited until she was airborne and well away from their target before shouting "Dawn" in the Fusake language, giving her no chance to test the question.
The hurricane composed of light came and went swiftly. As the churned-up dust settled back to earth, the ground—gouged down by an entire layer as if repeatedly shaved by countless blades—reappeared before the Purifier squad. Yet the bald man, who had taken the direct hit, was nowhere to be seen.
*He was at least a Sequence 6 Beyonder, able to turn into flame to evade lead bullets and endure attacks of holy light. Could he really die so easily?*... Xialuote did not let down her guard immediately. Catching the Dagger of Verdict tossed over by Duonowan, who stood on the other side of the storm's area of effect, she quickly sheathed it to avoid continued influence from the Sealed Artifact. Then, she walked over to the Shield of the Guardian, which stood upright in the ground, looking heavier by the second.
Neither Xier nor Aidemeng looked well. Though they did not appear to have suddenly aged years, both were drenched in sweat, their expressions listless as they panted heavily.
Duonowan retrieved the black cloth that had fallen nearby and draped it completely over the shield. Only when the last glimmer of dawn light faded from its surface did he lay the Sealed Artifact flat on the ground.
The four regrouped on alert. One by one, the three Purifiers took out their respective vials of Sun Water and downed them in single gulps to soothe their injuries.
Xialuote tried moving her right arm, discovering with relief that the arm deflected by the bald man was not broken, though a large bruise had spread across its inner side, somewhat restricting her movement.
*I wonder if I can ask for another bottle of Sun Water...* Xialuote mused, quite intrigued by this concoction so reminiscent of video game healing potions, before sighing with emotion.
Even using Weiyefu as a point of reference, she had still underestimated the strength of a mid-Sequence Beyonder. The bald man had seemed like a ranged combatant adept at manipulating flame, yet in close quarters he had still effortlessly swatted away her dagger with brute strength and hoisted her aloft with a single hand, possessing virtually no weaknesses in combat.
Had the four of them not brought along a Grade 2 Sealed Artifact, coupled with the Dagger of Verdict's power to restrict enemy movements from a distance, the bald man—proficient in both ranged and melee combat—could easily have picked them off one by one and wiped out an entire squad of Purifiers.
*Then again, the side effects of the Dagger of Verdict are formidable too. This isn't the first time the overconfidence it instills has influenced me to charge headlong at an enemy obviously stronger than myself... But every cloud has a silver lining. If I had invoked 'conviction' through the dagger twice in a row, he certainly would have caught on to its function, and Duonowan wouldn't have had the chance to pin him directly in the storm's blast zone at that crucial juncture...*
*That was just good luck; I can never treat it as an excuse to keep taking such risks in the future...* Xialuote concluded to herself.
At that moment, Duonowan, having swallowed his potion and now securing the Sealed Artifact with the black cloth, said in a low voice, "That man should be a Beyonder of the Hunter pathway."
*Hunter...* Hearing the potion pathway tied to the Suolun household, Xialuote perked up and looked toward the Purifier captain.
"Sequence 8 of this pathway is Provoker, capable of enraging targets, causing them to lose their composure and make flawed judgments. Sequence 7 is known as Pyromaniac, skilled in creating and manipulating flames."
*Provoker... Similar to an Instigator, able to mislead enemies through words? No wonder he suddenly claimed Madam N tricked us into coming here to die—it really did nearly make everyone suspect me... He can manipulate fire, possesses formidable melee capabilities, and can rattle his foes with words. That's entirely too well-rounded...* Lost in thought, Xialuote pressed, "He should be more than a Sequence 7, right?"
"Certainly not. A Pyromaniac shouldn't be able to transform into fire so freely, nor could they easily withstand my attacks." Duonowan shook his head. "The Church should possess information on the higher sequences, but I'd need to submit a formal application to view it."
Since the royal family of Yindisi held the Hunter pathway, the two great Churches naturally had corresponding records on it, and vice versa.
Xialuote pressed no further. Instead, she kept scanning the boundary where thick smoke met the darkness, anxious that the mid-Sequence Hunter was not truly dead and might suddenly burst forth from somewhere as a fireball. Even if he was severely wounded, to the four of them, who could hardly employ the Shield of the Guardian a second time right now, he remained an immense threat.
What reached them instead, however, was the sound of hurried, dense footsteps rapidly approaching from the distance.
Squads of soldiers in blue-and-white uniforms drew near with their firearms raised, barrels pointed forward with caution. Walking among them were three men in formal suits whose attire and demeanor were entirely distinct from the military men.
Only when she made out the triangular sacred emblems pinned to the chests of those three did Xialuote breathe a sigh of relief. Yet a fresh doubt quickly took root.
*Why has the Machinery Heart come to the armory too?*
***
On the other side of Saint-Marre Prison, a figure vaulted over the perimeter wall in a wretched state, stumbled several steps upon landing, and ran with a limp toward the river pier.
His bald head was covered in bloody lacerations, his shirt and trousers torn to tatters. Wounds littered his exposed skin, several so deep that bone was visible, bleeding continuously and trailing an intermittent red line in his wake.
At the very last moment before being blown away by the storm of light, he had turned into flame, barely surviving. Yet he had no strength left to fight that squad of official Beyonders and had no choice but to slip away before large numbers of soldiers arrived.
As long as he reached the pier and found a boat to leave Telier, he could conceal his trail and head to a prearranged safe house.
To a Sequence 6 Conspirador, these injuries were not fatal.
*Fucking official Beyonders... and Madam N, that bitch!*
The man cursed inwardly as he fled.
He had leaked false information in advance, meticulously prepared traps, and even laid out strong acid specifically designed against flesh-and-blood magic. He had intended to use the explosion to severely injure the pursuing Madam N, then capture her alive while she was weakened after clashing with the official Beyonders.
Never did he imagine that the woman wouldn't track him down herself—this "traitor"—but instead tricked a fully equipped Purifier squad bearing a powerful Sealed Artifact into doing it.
Most of the traps he had prepared were wasted on this pack of hyenas who pounced the second they caught the scent of a heretic, and he had nearly died in the storm of light unleashed by that shield.
*Lousy luck this time... But no matter. As long as I make it to that pier alive...*
Pulling his thoughts together, the man navigated an alley illuminated solely by the crimson moonlight. But just as the faint sound of flowing river water reached his ears, he stopped dead in his tracks.
Behind the corner of the wall ahead, a shadow impenetrable even to moonlight expanded rapidly, first unfurling into broad robes, then congealing into a black-cloaked woman.
She had neat, short black hair and features so stunningly glamorous they seemed almost unreal, yet not a trace of a smile touched her face.
"Madam N..."
The bald man cursed under his breath, his eyes darting to either side in search of an escape route.
The black-robed woman stepped forward from the darkness, speaking slowly like an aria:
"Apostate Nikolai, did you truly intend to use conspiracies and traps to capture me alive and complete your advancement ritual?"
*She knows everything...* The Conspirador known as Nikolai felt his chest tighten, involuntarily taking a step back.
"Unfortunately, having betrayed the Lord, you could never succeed." Madam N took another step forward, the shadows at her feet spreading out to both sides. "Though that esteemed one has already departed Telier, they can still provide us with aid.
"And you will only be plagued by misfortune—thwarted in every endeavor, led to the worst possible outcome with every choice you make."
Her tone grew progressively colder.
"Punishing you is merely the beginning. I will find out exactly who seduced you, and who else is plotting further conspiracies.
"And your flesh and blood, along with your abilities, shall all be put to use by me."
Hearing this, Nikolai hesitated no longer. Crimson flames surged abruptly across his body as he attempted to turn into a fireball and flee once more. Even if it drew the pursuit of official Beyonders, his situation could hardly get any worse.
Yet the shadows beneath his feet had already coiled around him like ropes, binding him in place. Even his transformation into flame stalled as a result.
In the next instant, the shadows beneath their feet joined together and surged rapidly upward, resembling a gaping pitch-black maw opening from the ground.
Nikolai had time only to show a look of terror before he, along with the flames cloaking his body, was thoroughly swallowed by the darkness.
Chapter 67