Chapter 140: Lances Winning Spell

Chapter 140: Lance's Winning Spell

The very air within the sanctuary trembled in the face of the terrifying aura radiating from the Saintess of Destruction. "Die! All of you, die!!!"

She swung her sword with all her might. Scorching flames transformed into countless massive crimson serpents, sweeping across the battlefield like a tidal wave to engulf the executioner and paladin standing in her path.

Even as they gripped their weapons to hold the line, they couldn’t withstand the Saintess’ desperate, life-force-fueled assault. Their armor began to shatter, and their faces were scored with charred, bloody gashes from the spraying sparks. The priest's most potent healing magic unfurled from behind the front line, showering the warriors in a radiant, benevolent glow that rapidly mended their wounds.

Ravaged by searing pain and blinding rage, Adelise fought with increasingly frenzied and devastating power. Yet, her rationality was slipping. No matter how she swung her demonic blade, the executioner and paladin managed to parry or dodge her strikes through sheer coordinated effort.

Her rhythm faltered, and the male bodyguard seized the opening to launch repeated attacks. At that moment, he once again slipped into the shadows, attempting to circle around to the Saintess' rear.

Consumed by agony, Adelise resembled a wounded beast. She realized that the only way to escape the pain was to first kill that white mage in the back ranks who kept making her life miserable.

"Lance—!"

In the distance, seeing Adelise's furious expression and sensing a string of profanities about to erupt from her, Lance didn't hesitate for a second. He immediately cast Friendly Exchange on her.

The Saintess suddenly choked, and she stared at Lance in disbelief. Her throat felt as though it was being scraped by a blade, rendering her unable to give voice to her rage.

Lance explained with impeccable logic, "Even if you're a cultist, you shouldn't use foul language to curse people. That's just plain wrong."

In that instant, the air throughout the entire sanctuary fell into an eerie, profound silence. Nothing remained but the sound of people swallowing hard. Adelise was the source of this silence, like a black hole that had swallowed every sound.

The palpable sense of danger radiating from her made the hair on the executioner and paladin stand on end, putting them on the highest state of alert. They all knew that Lance had upgraded her Berserk state yet again!

In the rear, the priest standing before Lance was holding his staff to maintain the protective barrier. As he felt the terrifying pressure emanating from the Saintess in the distance, he instinctively began to shiver.

"Sir, that's enough. Stop messing with her..."

The priest was terrified. He realized that while none of Lance's cards possessed effects like Taunt, Enrage, or Berserk, the way he used them made every single card basically carry those very traits!

Even though Lance's tactics were drastically accelerating the pace of the battle, offering a glimmer of hope that the outcome might be decided before sunset, the most likely scenario right now seemed to be the frenzied Saintess charging recklessly to slaughter everyone in the backline.

Just as everyone was on high alert, Adelise shot forward like a black arrow, tearing through the air straight toward Lance. She had transformed into something indescribably monstrous.

The male bodyguard reacted instantly, putting every ounce of his strength into a desperate attempt to tear open the Saintess' throat. To his shock, she didn't dodge or parry.

Betting on the fact that the bodyguard wouldn't dare take her life since killing a Traitor would summon a vampire count, she completely ignored him. Instead, she unleashed a ring of explosive, scorching flames that blasted him backward, leaving nothing more than a deep gash across her own back.

Clad in heavy armor and a tattered red cloak, the executioner charged forward like a frenzied bull, slamming his axe down hard toward Adelise. The paladin followed close behind. His sword of holy light carved an arc through the air, whipping up a gale as it struck down like a thunderbolt, filling the atmosphere with crackling, silent electricity.

The Saintess offered no defense against this onslaught. Like a primal beast, she simply tore into the fray, swinging her blade with bloodthirsty ferocity to deal grievous wounds to both clergy, before surging forward again without a moment's pause.

"Has she lost her mind?!" The executioner panted heavily, panic and frustration flickering in his eyes. He had been scorched by searing flames, and every breath brought excruciating pain.

The paladin's shield had been knocked aside, and a long gash had been sliced through the armor on his chest, with blood gushing out ceaselessly. Even though they had immediately given chase to the Saintess with all their might, it was simply too late to catch her. She had already broken through their lines and was now in a state of terrifying frenzy.

Even the priest resorted to an urgent magical attack to intercept her, transforming the orb of light in his hand into a blazing sun that shot straight toward Adelise.

Unfortunately, she was moving too fast. She was like a black falcon in a steep dive, with her sword's edge poised like the scythe of the Grim Reaper aimed directly at Lance. She was hell-bent on killing him.

The male bodyguard, who was in hot pursuit, kicked up a gust of wind in his wake, but could not catch up to Adelise's flickering figure. He shouted out in desperation, "Someone stop her!!!"

At that moment, the entire sanctuary was gripped by a tension stretched to the breaking point. Sound and time itself seemed to slow to a crawl. Panic was etched on the faces of every challenger. They could only watch helplessly as the rampaging Saintess neared the back line.

The outcome would be decided in the very next instant. The defensive line was collapsing. If no one could halt Adelise's sudden, explosive surge and allow the three melee fighters to intercept her again, the back line would be slaughtered. Without that crucial rear support, the challengers would be utterly powerless to resist her!

If they could just stall her, they might manage another round of combat. Even if a few of them fell to the Saintess, victory was still within reach! She was now just meters away from the protective barrier. Covered in gruesome wounds, Adelise had a look of manic fury. She was pouring every ounce of strength into attacking and killing Lance.

The priest stood resolutely at the forefront of the back line, teeth clenched, staring straight at the approaching Saintess. The barrier he maintained could likely withstand just one more strike from her. Even if it cost him his life, stalling for just one more second would increase their chances of victory!

"Come on, you bastard cultist!"

Yet, no one noticed that one person had remained completely calm, unwavering from start to finish. Lance strolled past the priest, his steps silent, composed, and steady, as if he was entirely detached from the chaotic din of the battlefield. He showed not a shred of fear, holding a card wreathed in a faint purple glow lightly in his hand.

The next instant, with a heavy clang, metal scraped against the stone floor, sending sparks flying. A deathly silence descended upon the sanctuary.

The Saintess, her eyes wide with shock and bewilderment, dropped heavily to her knees before Lance. The crushing impact of dropping rapidly during the dive sent a searing pain through her joints, leaving her momentarily unable to rise again.

Beneath the rose window, which refracted a kaleidoscope of brilliant hues, Lance was bathed in the holy radiance of the setting sun. His imposing figure resembled a deity gazing down upon a lowly supplicant. He remained motionless, his gaze calm as he looked upon the Saintess.

"Now that you stand before the headmaster, why do you not bow?"