Elliris and Nino were brought back to the cultist headquarters by two fat guards. Their hands were tied behind their backs, and they were tossed onto a bed before the door was locked from the outside.
‘Is this the start of an orgy?’
‘Or am I about to unlock a defeat CG?’
Images from dating sims flashed through Elliris’s mind, and she began to imagine herself in those scenarios…
In an instant, her power core throbbed violently, as if a herd of deer were crashing around inside her chest. Her blush spread from her neck all the way to her ears.
‘No! Who said that? Go away!’
Elliris shook her head like a rattle, immediately dismissing her own degenerate fantasies.
Flame energy quietly gathered in her palm, and in a flash, the ropes binding her and Nino were burned away.
“Nino, the time to strike is now. Charge with me!” Elliris struck a superhero pose, prompting Nino to clap and cheer from the side.
“Sister Elliris, we should probably make a plan first.”
“Mm… when those two fat guards come back, we’ll start with them.”
Elliris looked up at Nino, who was visibly eager to get started.
“Since the hunters are already in position, we ‘prey’ should probably cooperate, shouldn’t we?”
A bold and cunning plan quickly formed in Elliris’s mind. She immediately shared it with Nino, who nodded repeatedly in agreement.
They would ensure this cultist headquarters, which lacked high-level combatants, would be wiped out in an instant while they were paralyzed by their own carelessness.
***
The guards, walking with heavy steps, chatted leisurely. They were already thinking about how to enjoy their two “tasty meals” as they slowly opened the door.
“We’ll give these two chicks a good wash later. I guarantee they’ll look delicious. Mmph — —”
**[Light Binding]**!
The moment the door opened, Elliris triggered her light magic. The two fat guards were bound so tightly they couldn’t move, and even their mouths were sealed shut.
Filled with terror, the two guards finally saw Elliris reveal her true form after activating her Divine Mark. However, the moment they saw her face, they became even more panicked.
“Gentlemen, you wouldn’t want your families to know you’ve been consorting with witches, would you?” Elliris said playfully.
“If you’re thinking about shouting for help or sending a signal for reinforcements, I advise you to give up on that. We’re a professional team, after all. We can skip the coffins; cremation or an icy burial both work.”
As she spoke, flame energy gathered in her palm, while floating ice crystals appeared in Nino’s hand.
Elliris then lifted the silence on the two men.
“Lady Witches, we… we were blind! Please, have mercy on us…”
“Mercy? I suppose so. In a moment, you will take all the food you have here and give it to the refugees at the shelter. Also, you must give us information about this place. Where are the refugees who were taken earlier being held?”
It all happened in the span of a breath. The two girls who had been acting pitiful and miserable, looking like fish on a chopping block, had instantly become the masters of the situation.
The reversal was incredibly sudden. The two guards had no idea they had provoked people they never should have touched.
“Lady Witches, I’ll talk! The refugees are in the prison outside! The guards there change shifts at midnight! Please… please, spare us…”
“Very well. Thank you for your cooperation. Remember what you promised. Oh, and one more thing: the Pope’s Resistance forces will be here very soon. Please make sure to keep your mouths shut tight —”
With a flick of Elliris’s finger, the two were silenced by **[Light Binding]** again. Nino then picked up a thick wooden club and cast sleep magic on the guards’ heads!
*Thump! Thump!*
The sleep magic was highly effective. A good sound meant a good head!
Elliris then laid out the next part of the plan.
“When the shifts change at midnight, use your ice magic to pin them down. I’ll go open the lock on the back door. I’ll make sure to use fire magic to melt the chains quietly so we don’t make a sound.”
Time quickly reached midnight. The tolling of the midnight bell drifted over from the distant refugee shelter’s church. Nino, hiding in the grass not far from the prison, circulated her mana. The moment the guards turned around, she activated her Divine Mark and significantly increased her chanting speed.
**[Wide-Range Frost Magic]**!
The guards finishing their shift and the ones arriving to replace them were all frozen solid, turning into icy statues as they fell unconscious.
Elliris immediately slipped out. A golden flame condensed into a tiny spark at her fingertip, precisely melting the chains on the prison’s back door.
“Nino, let’s go! Quickly, let’s rescue the refugees!”
Elliris stood up straight, her back no longer hunched as she returned to her normal posture. Not far away, Nino’s “lame” leg was also cured, and she moved with lightning speed.
The two of them rushed into the prison. Their ice and fire magic complemented each other as they continuously destroyed the chains and locks on the cells, allowing a large number of refugees to escape.
“Move fast! Everyone, hurry! We can’t let the other guards find us!”
A little girl ran stumbling along, tripping and twisting her ankle. As she was about to fall, Elliris lunged forward and caught her arm.
“Little one, don’t be in such a rush. Escape carefully. Remember to run toward the southeast corner of the woods, okay?”
Then, to help the girl escape faster, Elliris chose to carry her in a princess carry.
The little girl’s cheeks turned visibly red. She covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide with surprise.
Before the two guards had taken them to the headquarters, Nino had understood the signal in Elliris’s eyes and used magic to activate all the secret markers they had placed in the forest.
Naturally, the two God Race girls were not alone. Marcus’s subordinates had been following them from the southeast corner of the woods.
This was only a small-scale cultist headquarters. Their leader was a mere Level 35 amateur who had no idea what was happening that night.
While the leader was fast asleep in his bed, Marcus’s men had already taken the facility. He was startled awake by the surrounding screams and shouts, and the cold sensation of a sharp sword pressed against his neck.
On the other side, Elliris and Nino ran through the deep night hand in hand. The two white figures were like glimmers of light in the darkness, illuminating the escape path for the refugees.
Elliris, still carrying the little girl who had twisted her ankle, grumbled incessantly, “Next time, it’s Nino’s turn to carry the kid. My arms are so sore.”
Nino didn’t look back, but a wide smile spread across her face. “Sure thing, Sister Elliris. Next time, you can be the one who’s lame and I’ll carry the kid. I don’t want to walk with a limp ever again; it’s so uncomfortable!”
***
The refugees behind them eventually reached the gathering point for Marcus’s men. The night wind in the forest carried the fresh scent of greenery.
The decaying stench of the refugee shelter was gone. Every emaciated refugee received fresh food distributed by the Resistance soldiers.
Elliris and Nino wiped the mud from their cheeks and tried to smooth out their messy hair. They looked at each other.
“Pfft!”
“Hahaha!”
The two girls burst into laughter. Around them, the refugees who had received fresh food felt a warmth in their hearts and began to laugh along with them.