The moment the [Teleportation] spell failed, the Deputy’s brow furrowed tightly.
A cold sense of dread spread through his entire body. The entire direction of the Garden was saturated with interference targeting spatial movement, like a massive web trapping him firmly.
Trouble! Far more troublesome than anticipated!
The escape route of teleporting directly upward to a safe zone was sealed off.
This Demon Sect Leader with Eighth-Rank strength would never let him leave easily.
Fight head-on?
The opponent’s physical defense was astonishing. His own magic attacks couldn’t inflict decisive damage. In a war of attrition, once his mana ran dry, death would be the only outcome!
According to the Ninth Seat’s intelligence…
The other end of the Tunnel connected to the Church’s Archive. From there, he might be able to circle around and escape.
But that meant traversing unknown inner areas of the Church, drastically increasing the risk, and this Monster before him would undoubtedly give relentless pursuit.
In a flash of lightning, the Deputy had already made his decision.
He had to immediately break free from this closed battlefield that best suited his opponent’s strengths!
The Archive direction was the only known exit!
Without hesitation, the Deputy activated [Teleportation] again!
This time, the target was behind and to the side of the Sect Leader, in the direction where the Tunnel extended.
His form blurred and vanished, then recondensed in nearly the same instant at the new position. He didn’t pause for a moment, swinging his Wand backward.
Seventh tier Earth magic, [Earth Pulse Tremor]!
The main purpose of this spell wasn’t precision attack, but to create chaos.
Starting from beneath the Deputy’s feet, violent Earth mana surged like a boulder dropped into still water, churning up a fierce wave of “earth tides” that swept violently toward the Sect Leader’s position.
Simultaneously, the Tunnel ceiling and side Rock Walls crazily fractured. Countless stones of varying sizes crashed down like a torrential storm. Dust and smoke filled the air, instantly obscuring vision and blocking the passage.
The Sect Leader let out a cold snort. His form dodged nimbly like a ghost amid the collapsing rubble and undulating ground. His dark-red figure left trails of afterimages.
He didn’t resist head-on. Instead, relying on his extraordinary speed and reflexes, he wove through gaps at the narrowest margins.
Meanwhile, his Wand waved, erecting a small-scale [Rock Barrier] to block falling rocks he couldn’t avoid.
Moments later, the earth tide subsided. Falling rocks gradually stopped. The dust and smoke still hadn’t fully cleared. But the Deputy’s figure had long since vanished amid the brief chaos.
He had combined the [High-level Levitation Spell] with his own speed to the absolute limit, flying like lightning hugging the Tunnel ceiling, charging at full speed toward the Archive direction.
Sensing the opponent’s presence rapidly receding, a fierce light flashed in the Sect Leader’s eyes.
Trying to run?!
“Swoosh——!”
The Sect Leader’s feet exploded with force. Sturdy stone slabs cracked into web-like fractures beneath him. His entire body shot forward like a cannonball from a barrel, pursuing at speeds far exceeding human limits.
His dark-red figure streaked a blurry trail of light through the dim Tunnel.
The Demon’s formidable physique was on full display at this moment.
The Sect Leader wasn’t merely monstrous in strength and defense. His instantaneous burst and straight-line pursuit speed were equally unfathomable.
Ahead, the Deputy, who was sprinting at full speed, immediately sensed that same unfathomable, oppressive mana and violent aura rapidly closing in from behind.
So fast!
At this rate, he’d likely be caught before even reaching the exit!
The Deputy’s heart sank, but he didn’t panic.
His Wand pointed backward and flicked several times. Multiple [Chain Lightning] and [Wind Pressure Slash] were released.
They weren’t aimed at the pursuer himself, but precisely struck key support points on the Tunnel ceiling and side walls, triggering small-scale secondary collapses in an attempt to further slow the other’s pace.
The Sect Leader’s pursuing form would occasionally veer slightly due to falling rocks or magical interference ahead, but his overall speed remained terrifyingly fast. The distance between them was closing slowly but steadily.
Almost there!
The Tunnel ahead began sloping upward. The outline of the exit was faintly visible in the darkness! That heavy oak door was already right before his eyes!
The Deputy’s spirit rallied. His speed increased another notch!
According to the Ninth Seat’s description, this door was controlled by a Magic Array from inside.
But there was no time to find the mechanism now!
A wooden door of this thickness should be practically meaningless to someone who could use [Teleportation] magic. He could simply teleport to the other side.
However, just as he gathered his mana, preparing to activate [Teleportation] to pass through the wooden door—
That familiar sense of obstruction surged again!
And it was even clearer than when he’d tried teleporting upward earlier!
It was as if the wooden door before him, and even the surrounding Rock Wall, were covered by an invisible yet resilient spatial “membrane,” blocking any form of spatial leap.
“What?!”
This only horizontal exit had also been pre-equipped with countermeasures?!
The Deputy’s heart shook violently!
Not only was the upward path sealed, but this only horizontal exit was blocked too! This Monster… just how meticulous and vicious could his schemes be?!
After he’d infiltrated, the opponent could adjust defenses so rapidly and lay out this seemingly inescapable spatial interference network?!
Naturally, the Deputy didn’t know this wasn’t the Sect Leader’s improvisation. It was Sefina’s pre-set [Prison Lock] barrier, activated through her “Programming-style Magic.”
Everything was attributed by the Deputy to this cunning, treacherous Greater Demon before him.
No time to be shocked!
The dangerous presence behind him was already within arm’s reach!
“I’ll have to use brute force!”
The Deputy made an instant decision, abandoning the thought of teleportation. His Wand aimed at the heavy hidden door ahead. A deep-blue cold light surged brilliantly at the wand’s tip.
A far thicker and more solid [Frostspear] than before formed in an instant, slamming violently into the center of the door like a siege ballista bolt!
“BOOM——!!!”
In the deafening explosion, the heavy oak door was pierced through like paper by the ice spear, blasted into countless wooden fragments mixed with ice shards.
The door was broken!
However—
The passage to the Archive he’d expected never appeared.
Behind the shattered wooden door wasn’t bookshelves and a room, but an incredibly thick Rock Wall!
It sealed the entire exit with no gaps. The steady Magic Power Wave radiating from it was unmistakably the seventh tier Earth defense magic, [Rock God’s Protection].
This was absolutely not a spell that could be cast in a hurry!
It was pre-arranged!
Just like the spatial interference above the Garden!
This bastard! He’d set up double safeguards at both the entrance and the exit! Did he anticipate that invaders would try to break through from these two directions?!
Such deep scheming!
Yet, the Deputy had no way of knowing these weren’t the Sect Leader’s pre-emptive defenses, but all the handiwork of Sefina.
The Deputy’s heart began to tighten. Behind him was a pursuer with terrifying speed. Ahead was a solid magical rock wall blocking the path. Spatial magic was also useless.
This was practically a dead end!
And worse—
“Swoosh——!”
A fierce, unparalleled dark-red energy blade grazed almost right past his back, neatly slicing off a corner of his black robe!
That dark-red-skinned figure had already stopped not far behind him, completely sealing off the retreat path back into the Tunnel.
The Wand in the Sect Leader’s hand was flashing with the glow of Magic Array Patterns, firmly locking onto him.
No road ahead. Pursuers behind.