“What do you take life for? If the Pope’s subordinates are all like you, I can only imagine that the coward hiding in the Holy City isn’t any good either!!”
Sophia’s body trembled with grief and fury. A roar erupted from her throat, and anger filled the entire space.
“Hey now, boys! I’m sure you recognize these two. They’re the top two most wanted criminals on the Witch Bounties! There’s a path to heaven you won’t take, but you’ll barge into hell where there’s no gate! Get them! Take them down!”
The desire for credit was surging! Sean grew excited as he thought about what kind of reward he would receive for capturing these two important figures alive and handing them to the Pope.
‘Foolish.’ Sophia dodged the attacks of the underlings with ease. She had no intention of taking their lives; her killing intent was directed at only one person.
**[Speed Super Enhancement]**, **[Flash Strike]**!
Sophia ran on her tiptoes, her light body floating up as the wind carried her sword qi toward Sean.
*Clang!*
A dull sound rang out. Sean had actually parried Sophia’s attack. She immediately looked at his panel.
[Status Window]
Name: Sean
Level: 42
Class: Warrior
HP: 2060/2060
MP: 515/515
Skills: Mid-tier Swordsmanship Mastery, Team Tactics Mastery
Personal Talent: Intuition Specialization — Perceives and predicts the enemy target’s next move, allowing for quick reactions.
‘Tch! Did he predict me?’
In truth, Sean was once a colleague of Christina’s father, Marcus. His combat strength was naturally guaranteed, and he hadn’t neglected his training. However, Marcus had seen through Sean’s character long ago, and the two had parted ways shortly after meeting.
With decades of rich combat experience paired with his personal talent, Sean was able to handle Sophia’s offensive for now while calmly analyzing the situation. Sean gradually realized that the katana in Sophia’s hand was extraordinary. He quickly devised a strategy, ordering over ten of his team members into an effective formation, intending to wear her down through a battle of attrition.
Sophia noticed this.
After a brief stalemate, she took an open drawing stance. She swung her blade at incredible speed, sending four fierce sword shadows with a massive range into the air.
**[Fourfold Slash]**!
The front row of the Witch Hunting Team was instantly scattered, their formation thrown into chaos. Seizing the opportunity, she immediately activated a new skill she had learned from her dwarf master.
**[Warstorm Domain]**! Sophia couldn’t learn Blake’s Berserker-exclusive bloodlust skills, but she could still learn skills suited for her, such as this one.
In reality, this skill was not well-suited for a lightweight weapon like a katana; heavy weapons like greatswords or battle-axes were required to unleash its true power. She imitated the movement, kicking off the ground and spinning her body at high speed like a spinning top. Combined with the wind magic **[Cyclone]** and the support of her enchanted weapon, she compensated for the disadvantage of her light weapon.
The blade sliced through the air with a piercing screech as it gradually bore down on Sean. Sean’s **[Intuition Specialization]** naturally predicted the move. However, he resorted to a despicable tactic. While focusing on dodging, he grabbed the subordinates next to him and shoved them into Sophia’s attack range.
Using his own team members as cannon fodder to buy himself survival? That was just like him.
Airlis, in the back, wasn’t idle either. While observing the battlefield, she guided the civilians at the other three tables to quickly evacuate the area. Once the others had escaped, she used **[Chant Acceleration]**, a skill that could shorten magic casting time, which Sister Anne had personally taught her.
She seized the gaps as Sean dodged, frequently firing Fireballs at his unavoidable blind spots. Sophia’s **[Warstorm Domain]** knocked down a large number of the Witch Hunting Team. Although it didn’t wound Sean, it created an opening for Airlis’s magical attacks!
Driven by mana, several small fireballs instantly pounced on Sean. He blocked one or two, but he couldn’t withstand the sheer volume. He was struck by the remaining six or seven Fireballs. His merchant’s disguise was completely incinerated, revealing the warrior’s magic-resistant leather armor underneath. Small areas of burns appeared on his skin.
**[Sean HP: 1660/2060 (Status: Burned)]**
“Damn witches, you actually managed to wound me! Hmph, I suppose I shouldn’t be careless. After all, the witch behind you is the one who murdered the former Knight Captain!”
Sean spat on the floor, contemptuously aimed at Old Man Rudd’s corpse, and then drank a health potion he was carrying.
“Mr. Demon, the accusation that I murdered Lord Marcus is entirely baseless. Talking to you feels like playing a lute to a cow. I only wonder if my performance is to your liking?”
Airlis tried to prove her innocence while indirectly insulting Sean for being unable to understand human speech.
“Hahaha, interesting! If His Holiness the Pope didn’t want you alive, I’d execute you right here and now!” Sean’s words were filled with resentment; the previous “elegant” insult had clearly enraged him.
“I truly cannot understand why you would stand up for these commoners. Shouldn’t witches be more cruel and decisive than me?” He laughed and roared, his voice carrying a cruel sense of triumph. He stomped his foot heavily onto the head of Rudd’s corpse.
“In the army, in the Witch Hunting Team, I’m the one who actually calls the shots now. That decorative Knight Princess is just a pawn I’m using. Aside from her high combat power, she’s worthless! Meeting you here only makes me more excited! Once I capture you alive and bring you before the Pope, I can kick that ornament aside!”
Indeed, Sean didn’t just have underground dealings with Campbell; he also secretly falsified names on the military rosters to collect “ghost” salaries and even embezzled the soldiers’ rations. He had obtained both power and wealth. If he captured the Omnia sisters, he would enjoy a status where he was second only to one and above tens of thousands.
“Are you done talking? Mr. Demon!” After exchanging a look with Airlis, Sophia prepared for a new move.
Airlis noticed that one of the team members had slipped away earlier. She realized the sisters couldn’t stay here for long. If possible, they had to eliminate the cancer known as Sean as quickly as possible. The other team members lay scattered on the ground, having lost their will to fight. Sophia immediately launched an attack to lock Sean in a stalemate.
Sean was experienced. Currently, at Level 45 against her Level 42, there was no overwhelming numerical advantage. After Sophia and Airlis nodded to each other, both looked toward the tavern’s entrance.
Lately, Sophia had been constantly clashing swords with Sean. She was using a continuous offensive to keep Sean parrying. Just like in a certain Soulslike game, she was building up Sean’s posture bar to achieve her desired effect.
The tavern was filled with the sound of clashing blades. Sparks flew from the points of contact amidst the metallic din. More than ten minutes later, with a resounding *Cling — !*, Sean’s guard broke. He entered a staggered state, unable to continue defending.
“Airlis! Toss an A1 flashbang!” Sophia shouted to Airlis behind her.
‘Fire in the hole! As if!’
**[Light Flash]**!
The light inside the tavern was dim. Sean, whose vision was suddenly stolen by the **[Light Flash]**, tried to move, but it was too late. Sophia immediately kicked Sean out of the tavern’s main entrance. In that gap, Airlis activated her magic again.
“O gift of fire, burn away! **[Chant Acceleration]**, **[Flame Burst]**!”
The powerful fire magic shaved off half of Sean’s health. His body suffered extensive burns, and half of his face was blurred beyond recognition. Tumbling out of the tavern, he slowly and staggeringly stood up. At this moment, his expression was not one of pain, but of a madness radiating intense, surging malice.
“Hahaha… I treat life like grass. Neither of you will escape today!”