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Join the ServerMoments before Jeanne Decker was brought to the execution stand, the Mad Hatter, disguised as an executioner, had already outlined their plan to Alice Liddell.
“The Inquisition actually has a Fourth-Tier individual besides the Grand Inquisitor. It seems we’ll have to pay a price today,” he stated. “I’ll create an opening for you later; you save her, and I’ll deal with those two Senior Inquisitors.”
Their plan had indeed unfolded with remarkable success. The entire scene was now plunged into chaos by the rampaging demons.
These Sixth-Tier monsters proved exceptionally troublesome for the Eighth and Ninth-Tier executioners. Even if a more astute executioner noticed their target approaching the stand, their abilities would be twisted by the chaotic power of the Abyssal Gate, rendering them incapable of threatening Alice Liddell as she rescued Jeanne Decker.
The two most dangerous Senior Inquisitors, wisely, kept their distance from the perilous Abyssal Gate. However, the Mad Hatter had actively sought them out.
Now, with no one left to interfere, Alice Liddell was free to rescue Jeanne Decker from the execution stand.
****
“It’s you…” Jeanne Decker’s eyes widened, her astonishment beyond measure.
Though she couldn’t see the face, she instantly recognized the person before her as the witch who had saved her twice before.
And now, for the third time, the witch had come to rescue her again.
“Why?” she asked, gazing blankly at Alice Liddell.
Alice Liddell offered no reply, focusing instead on twisting open the chains securing Jeanne Decker’s shackles with her demonic claws.
The shackles themselves were ordinary, even somewhat crude. However, when the prisoner was placed on the execution stand, Prince Kleiman, who oversaw the proceedings, had imbued the chains and shackles with the ‘Imprisonment Punishment’ rule.
Unless this rule was broken by an ability of a corresponding tier, the shackles could neither be unlocked nor easily destroyed, binding Jeanne Decker indefinitely.
Yet, with the descent of the Abyssal Gate, its Third-Tier power warped this rule instantly. Stripped of its magical enhancement, Alice Liddell was able to use the brute force and resilience of her demonic claws to snap the chains one by one, freeing Jeanne Decker from the execution stand.
‘We’ll figure out the handcuffs and ankle shackles later. For now, let’s escape this place.’
Alice Liddell retracted her demonic claws and grabbed Jeanne Decker’s arm. “Do you have the strength to run?”
Jeanne Decker wasted no time. She nodded and immediately followed Alice Liddell, scrambling down from the execution platform.
“Why are you saving me?” Jeanne Decker asked. “No, who exactly are you?”
“Can we leave here first, then talk?” Alice Liddell replied without looking back.
Though Jeanne Decker had been rescued, the most challenging part of their operation was just beginning. During their infiltration, no one had noticed them. Now, however, they had to fight their way out of the site with everyone alerted to their presence.
“Please tell me, we knew each other before, didn’t we?” For the first time, Jeanne Decker used such a soft, pleading tone, desperate to uncover the truth.
The sensation that she had encountered this witch elsewhere before grew increasingly potent. Jeanne Decker realized that without a compelling reason, this witch wouldn’t risk her life for something with such little apparent gain.
She was now certain: the witch had appeared primarily to help her, not to capture the Killer. This witch… she definitely knew Jeanne Decker from before!
Alice Liddell’s heart stirred, but she suppressed the urge to reveal everything. This was hardly the time for a reunion.
“Once we’re out of here, I’ll tell you. Trust me, I won’t lie to you this time,” Alice Liddell promised. Just as she finished speaking, an executioner emerged from the thick smoke ahead.
“Intruders! The prisoner has escaped!” The executioner bellowed the moment he spotted them.
The executioner, possessing only the Ninth-Tier ‘Iron Knight’ strength of a Paladin, was caught off guard and struck directly before he could even draw his sword. He immediately lost consciousness due to mental pollution.
Using her corrosive flames, which had limited uses, on these mere foot soldiers felt somewhat wasteful. Unfortunately, Alice Liddell had little time to spare.
“Wait!” Jeanne Decker suddenly pulled Alice Liddell back. She bent down, drawing the sword from the unconscious executioner’s side, and looked at Alice Liddell with earnest determination. “I can fight too!”
Alice Liddell glanced at her and silently smiled.
‘This is truly Jeanne Decker’s style.’
Just then, a solemn voice echoed in their minds:
“Rule Declaration—Leaving this area is forbidden!”
Semitransparent chains materialized from the ground, wrapping themselves around their feet like vines.
Jeanne Decker’s heart sank. She knew that “Rule Declaration” was an ability possessed only by high-tiered ‘Bishops.’ Clearly, the Inquisitor overseeing the execution had heard the executioner’s cry.
But immediately afterward, they heard a gleeful voice ring out from a distance: “I propose this rule be delayed by two minutes for women!”
The chains binding them instantly disintegrated.
Alice Liddell realized that the Mad Hatter had used his ability to break the rule for them. A devil’s ‘Disorderly Veto’ could, to a certain extent, interfere with abilities cast by others.
“Hurry!” Alice Liddell knew that lingering too long would only burden the Mad Hatter.
“Is your companion alright?” Jeanne Decker asked, running alongside Alice Liddell.
“His biggest problem is us! Once we’re gone, he’ll be fine!” Alice Liddell shouted. “Our job is to fight our way out of here!”
Meanwhile, Prince Kleiman, confronting the Mad Hatter, let out a helpless laugh. “I believe rules should apply equally to all genders.”
‘The previous rule declaration was merely a test for the Mad Devil,’ he thought. ‘Yet, he twisted my rule with such ease.’
“The inherent weakness of women is an objective reality, gentlemen. It’s perfectly fine to show them a little deference in appropriate circumstances,” the Mad Hatter chuckled eerily.
“Should I pursue the prisoners?” Eve asked Prince Kleiman. She rarely initiated such requests, but even a ‘mad dog’ like her understood that the current situation wasn’t one for impulsive action.
“Don’t be ridiculous. If you run off now, I’ll surely die,” Prince Kleiman sighed.
“Haha, you’re far wiser than the last Archbishop who challenged me!” The Mad Hatter laughed heartily, transforming into his demonic form.
His body and hands stretched and twisted, full bone wings sprouting from his back and folding behind him. Compared to Alice Liddell and the Killer, his demonic form was more humanoid and slender, yet it exuded a unique, terrifying presence.
“I bless you, and you shall be my sword,” Prince Kleiman declared, placing a hand on Eve’s shoulder. “You are empowered. Now, go!”
“Sixth-Tier ‘Holy Bishop,’ Holy Blessing!”
Eve immediately felt a surge of new power course through her. Prince Kleiman’s blessing doubled the range of her elemental control and amplified its potency!
The ‘Mad Devil,’ who had previously stood outside her optimal range, was suddenly within her domain!
“Fall!” she roared at the Mad Hatter.
“Sixth-Tier ‘Elementalist,’ Gravity Field!”
Gravity instantly intensified. The ground beneath the Mad Hatter’s feet suddenly cracked and sank, forming a considerable crater.
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