Facing the overwhelming surge of reinforcements, the dwarf squad was forced to abandon their rescue plan and instead shift their goal to safely escorting the God Race women they had already saved.
The leading dwarf scout grunted, raising his rune-inscribed shield to continuously block the arcane missiles fired by the church mages from afar.
They couldn’t afford to waste any more time, or the entire dwarf squad would be wiped out here.
They were only a team specialized in logistics and special missions. Even the dwarf leader, Geluofu, was only level fifty.
If even more reinforcements poured underground, including some formidable experts, they would have no way to resist by force. No matter how many magical artifacts and items they had, they’d be helpless against absolute power.
Most of the dwarf squad members had already retreated to the third underground floor. They kept using earth and rock magic and explosive talismans to obstruct the advancing reinforcements.
All the rescued God Race women had entered the tunnel. Geluofu’s team decided to leave a few members behind to cover their retreat.
“I can’t just abandon them. I should be able to help somehow!” Elliris clenched her fists against her chest, her voice trembling slightly. “I’m the Pope’s number one wanted criminal. You’ll all be in endless trouble later. At least let me do what I can now. I can still heal the wounded!”
The situation was still unclear. Elliris didn’t know what other tricks Dussell had up his sleeve. At the very least, she believed the dwarves shouldn’t get involved in the conflicts of the First Continent.
The dwarf Geluofu patted Elliris on the back with his thick hand and roared in a booming voice, “Damn Pope! He’s the one who blasphemed the gods! Once his blackmail—using live sacrifices and his collusion with the great noble Campbell—is exposed, he’ll be nailed to the pillar of history, never to rise again!”
Geluofu exchanged nods with his companions. Though a few squad members were injured, everyone’s eyes held unwavering determination.
“We dwarves just do business in Heliwood. If things go south, we can always escape back to the Second Continent. Saving the little saint and your kin today is something we do willingly, to repay Felicitala’s grace. Little saint, don’t say another word. Just trust us. We still have a big trump card!”
Elliris had taken a brief look at the dwarves’ plan: using the item [Delayed Rock & Soil Blasting Agent] to trigger timed, segmented explosions. The force would be just enough to collapse the tunnel without affecting the outer rock layers.
But seeing such a bold plan still made her worry. After all, who could guarantee that dwarven black tech would be as precise as civil engineers in the real world, getting segmented blasting right without error…?
However, for now, they had to rely on the dwarf squad. Since Marcus, Rachel, and even Sister Ann trusted them so much, they must have presented experimental results that convinced them.
Notably, Elliris was also very impressed with the dwarf squad’s weapons. The surfaces of their weapons and digging tools were coated with obsidian powder, which could block detection by low-rank light magic and reduce direct damage from light magic.
All the tools for this rescue operation were powered by dwarven runes. No open flames or fuel were used, making them suitable for the oxygen-poor underground environment and improving safety. She truly admired the wisdom of the dwarves.
‘I must visit the dwarven kingdom on the Second Continent someday and discuss cutting-edge technological creations with these dwarven scientists,’ Elliris thought to herself.
“Please send these health recovery potions and healing ointments to the front-line members. Mr. Geluofu, I insist you accept this token of my gratitude.” Elliris still hadn’t removed her sealing ring, but she could still take emergency items from her spatial ring. She handed them to Geluofu, wanting to contribute somehow.
“Little saint, dwarves never forget a debt of gratitude. A drop of kindness shall be returned with a gushing spring! Hmph, we accept! Besides, girl, your personality suits us—not like those hypocritical church priests.”
Accepting Elliris’s emergency supplies, Geluofu grinned broadly, revealing two large gold teeth.
The injured dwarf squad members covering the rear gladly accepted and used Elliris’s items, their fighting spirit rekindled.
They unleashed earth and rock magic without reserve, frequently using explosive talismans and smoke bombs, preventing any melee reinforcement from breaking through.
As the sounds of segmented explosions echoed one after another, the rear-guard dwarves withdrew into the tunnel. The reinforcements flooding into the third underground floor stared at the scene as the smoke cleared, their hearts filled with despair.
The tunnel the dwarf squad had previously dug was now completely blocked by the segmented explosions, cutting off any pursuit. The pursuers in the dungeon could only rage impotently, pounding on the rock-sealed tunnel entrance.
Up ahead, Elliris, Nino, and the others had already exited the tunnel with the help of rune guiding stones. They arrived at a cave hideout on the outskirts of Calonpolis. Their God Race compatriots had also gained freedom and escaped here.
Elliris and Nino had successfully broken out of prison!
“Waaah, Mama! Nino missed you so much! I thought I’d never see you again!” Nino’s tears turned into two wide streams as she dashed over and hugged Rachel.
“Silly girl, how could that happen? And welcome back, Nino.” Rachel’s eyes glistened with tears as she comforted Nino in a gentle, motherly voice.
“Sister Ann, I’m so happy to see you. Seeing you in your human form now feels incredibly familiar.” Elliris spoke with calm, bright eyes.
But Angelica wiped her tears emotionally. As expected, people of a certain age couldn’t handle scenes like this. After all, this was her current light, her hope…
Sister Ann then adjusted her emotions and grinned joyfully. “Welcome back, my little mistress~”
Afterward, Angelica and Rachel worked together for half an hour, using a large amount of mana to remove the sealing rings from Elliris and Nino.
It had to be said, the sealing ring used by the Pope was extremely sinister. Even a powerhouse like Angelica in her peak human form couldn’t destroy it by brute force.
Angelica also felt a strong aversion to it. She could clearly sense that it was a product imbued with a great deal of death authority. Fortunately, Elliris and Nino were physically unharmed.
Now that Dussell had transformed into a lich, his powerful necromancy was Angelica’s natural enemy. Even if she fought at full strength now, Elliris wasn’t confident she could defeat the Pope.
Moreover, a conversation between Dussell and them back in the underground prison had left Elliris deep in thought…
“Thank you, Saintess. Six years ago, you used a secret technique at the cliff on the forest border, which weakened the forest’s protective barrier to some extent. This information was told to me by the Goddess Morvana. In a sense, you helped me lift the barrier earlier.”
…
‘(At the time, I was just using a game bug from the beta test period to help myself escape the Witch Hunting Group. Could it be that this bug was actually a trap set by the death goddess Morvana?)’
‘(Could it be that this kind of bug behavior actually has adverse effects? Why didn’t the system give any warnings?! This damn system just keeps dinging endlessly…)’
Remembering this, she couldn’t help but worry.
She had a feeling that the Pope still had some powerful countermeasures he hadn’t revealed. Even though they had caused such a commotion tonight, Dussell still hadn’t shown up.
Marcus, who was gathering troops nearby, noticed Elliris’s unusual expression but didn’t come over to ask directly.
After all, he had his own mission. He had also notified Christina to follow the previous operational plan and rush to reinforce quickly.
It was already midnight, but none of the members of the strongest anti-Pope resistance force gathered here believed that the night would pass so peacefully.