Chapter 85: The Guardian’s Arrival and a New Threat

“You’re absolutely right. Now die.”

A familiar, yet chilling, female voice rang out.

The Tier 4 Assassin’s dagger, poised to strike Imeline, could advance not even a millimeter further.

He saw a gun-sword pierce through the Tier 4 Assassin’s chest.

Coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood, he painfully turned his head, only to behold a face that utterly astonished him.

It was Lovelenica.

Whoosh—

Lovelenica delivered another strike, piercing the Assassin’s heart and definitively ending their life.

With a flourish, she withdrew both gun-swords, the spurting blood arcing elegantly through the air.

“What do you intend to do to my student?”

The battlefield fell silent. For a moment, none of the black-clad figures dared to make a move.

It wasn’t merely because Lovelenica was a Tier 5 combatant; it was because of Lovelenica herself.

Lucia and her companions were equally surprised, having never expected Lovelenica to be the guardian of this place.

The Black-robed Mage, who had been poised to deliver the final blow to Attestor, now froze.

They knew the Lost City arranged guardians for those participating in the Monster Hunt Exercise, and they weren’t typically afraid of them.

Even if a guardian was Tier 5, they were confident they could quickly execute Lucia.

However… why was Lovelenica specifically the guardian here?

As the black-clad figures stood bewildered, Attestor slowly pushed herself up from the ground.

Bang—

Seizing the opportunity, she unleashed a punch towards the stunned Tier 4 Black-clad Knight.

Though the Knight reacted swiftly, hastily blocking the blow, Attestor’s fist still connected, sending them stumbling back several meters.

The other two Tier 3 Black-clad Knights moved to swiftly deal with Attestor.

However, Lucia was already upon them, her two gun-swords simultaneously engaging and temporarily pinning both Knights.

Boom—

A fireball once again hurtled towards Attestor.

With Lucia’s cover, Attestor no longer needed to divide her attention. She laboriously raised her Holy Shield, deflecting the fiery assault.

Naturally, the Black-robed Mage’s attack wasn’t intended to kill Attestor.

He knew the situation was now unfeasible. If it had been any other guardian, the black-clad figures would have immediately been ordered to fight to the death.

But Lovelenica was different, because… it was the command of that revered individual.

“Everyone, retreat immediately!!!”

The Black-robed Mage roared the retreat order, simultaneously using magic to cover the others.

The Black-clad Knights confronting Lucia instantly fell back, as did the Assassins.

They converged on the rooftop where the Black-robed Mage stood, then vanished, escaping over the rooftops and from above.

“Trying to escape!”

Lucia moved to pursue them. These individuals were of unknown origin, undoubtedly backed by a formidable power.

Moreover, their ability to dissolve into blood upon death suggested either dark magic or a connection to Fantasy Creatures. She had to capture them for interrogation!

However, as Lucia took but half a step, Attestor collapsed to the ground once more.

That last defense had pushed her almost to her breaking point.

Indeed, challenging opponents beyond one’s tier proved too arduous, especially when facing two Tier 4 combatants.

“Thor!”

Seeing Attestor fall, Lucia hastily stopped and rushed to her side, attempting to help her up.

Lucia immediately felt a viscous stickiness in her hands.

Lifting them, she saw they were entirely covered in crimson blood. Only then did she notice that Attestor’s back armor had been torn open by the Tier 4 Black-clad Knight’s previous attack.

“How could this happen!”

“How could this happen!”

“Cough, cough… Lucia, it’s alright. That guy didn’t hit anything vital. I won’t die, don’t worry…”

With Lucia’s support, Attestor slowly managed to stand.

Indeed, as Attestor had claimed, the wound on her back, though gruesome to behold, was not as deep as it appeared.

The primary reason for its severity was her forced action of raising her shield to block magic after being wounded, which had torn the injury further.

Still, an injury of this extent was far from fatal.

Lucia helped Attestor to a nearby wall, urging her to sit and rest.

Witnessing Attestor’s injured state, Lucia’s desire to pursue the black-clad figures vanished.

She wished she could transform into a Healing Nun at that very moment to treat Attestor’s wounds.

“Thor! Are you alright!”

Imeline rushed over, her face etched with anxiety.

She knelt beside Attestor, immediately checking her condition.

“Let’s stop the bleeding first.”

Lovelenica followed behind Imeline, having anticipated such a situation.

From her Holy Ring, she produced a Tier 3 Holy Healing Scroll—a technology developed by the Mage Association that allowed magic to be stored within scrolls.

These scrolls could also be exchanged at the Church Sanctuary.

She understood that Lucia’s trio, including herself, lacked the ability to heal others.

Should they be injured, obtaining treatment quickly would be difficult.

To prevent such an occurrence, she had exchanged several Holy Healing Scrolls at the Church Sanctuary, spending a considerable number of Seals of Purification.

“You actually have a Holy Healing Scroll! Why didn’t you take it out sooner!”

Imeline, seeing the scroll in Lovelenica’s hand, glared at her in exasperation.

Lovelenica felt unjustly accused. Hadn’t she just taken it out immediately?

“Hey, hey, don’t be so impatient, alright? I took it out as soon as I could.”

“I don’t care! Just quickly give the scroll to Thor to heal!”

“Alright, alright… *Sigh*.”

Lovelenica sighed, a hint of resignation in her breath.

She unfurled the scroll before her. It instantly floated into the air, beginning to emit faint specks of light.

This radiance gradually enveloped Attestor’s body. Soon, the light dissipated, and the scroll incinerated itself.

Lucia and Imeline inspected the wound on Attestor’s back.

They found that, with the aid of the Holy Healing Scroll, the bleeding had completely ceased.

Of course, moving carelessly would likely cause the wound to tear open again.

Seeing that Attestor was temporarily out of danger, Lucia immediately prepared to stand and pursue the black-clad figures.

“Lucia, there’s no need to chase them. They’ve already gotten away.”

“But…”

Lovelenica, witnessing Lucia’s intent, moved to dissuade her.

Lucia was about to explain when she was cut off by several sharp, clear sounds.

Bang————Bang bang bang—————

Bang bang bang bang————

“What was that sound!?”

Everyone turned their gaze towards the source of the sound.

They saw several streaks of purple light flash rapidly through the air.

The black-clad figures, fleeing across the rooftops, were pierced by these purple streams of light, their bodies exploding one after another.

“Tsk…”

Lovelenica’s expression darkened. That individual had arrived after all, and at such an inopportune moment.

Lucia and her companions had just endured a fierce battle; not only had their Divine Barrier been partially depleted, but Attestor was also severely wounded and likely unable to fight for the time being.

Fortunately, the individual’s initial targets were the black-clad figures.

One could only hope that these black-clad individuals would manage to expend some of that person’s strength.