Years of accumulated combat experience came into play. Before Nightingale could think, her body had already reacted.

She leaned back instinctively, the silver light passing by her cheek. Even in the mist, she could feel the power contained in the light—scorching and violent, something that ordinary objects could not possess. After avoiding the sudden attack, Nightingale took advantage of the momentum to roll on the spot, putting distance between herself and the opponent.

"W-what happened, Holy Messenger?" Rosad asked in a panic.

"It seems a rat has sneaked in," the witch licked her lips. "Find a safe place to squat down, and be careful not to be affected."

"You mean... there are witches here!?" The priest's expression changed. "I'll call the Judgment Warriors!"

"No, no need. It's been a long time since I personally hunted witches. It's rare to encounter such an opportunity, how can I hand it over to others? You just need to stay by and watch carefully."

While the two were talking, Nightingale was also sizing up the woman called the Holy Messenger. Although she knew that the church was likely secretly raising witches, she still felt incredibly heartbroken when she confirmed it. This witch had completely become a part of the church, and might even be in a high position. From her words, it could be heard that she was full of interest in hunting witches, and didn't regard herself as one of them at all.

Nightingale couldn't help but think of the raider she met at the pier outside the King's City, the unwavering look in his eyes when he stabbed the dagger into Wendy's body.

These people could no longer be considered the same kind; they had embarked on a completely different path.

Thinking of this, she no longer hesitated and drew the revolving gun from her waist—even if she didn't like this kind of battle, she had no choice. Sometimes, only killing can stop killing.

"Where do you come from?" The Holy Messenger tilted her head, looking in the direction where Nightingale was standing. "The priest can't see you, which means your ability can hide yourself; being able to avoid my attack means that you have received combat training, or have personally experienced hundreds of battles. Either way, it's rare for a wild witch."

"Where I come from is none of your business," Nightingale said coldly. She noticed that the other party had a ribbon tied around her face, completely covering her eyes. This was the attire of a blind person. The "silver whip" in the Holy Messenger's hand had not disappeared either, still coiling around her, the sharp end like the head of a raised snake, swaying towards her.

In the mist, only magic has color. Could it be that she is relying on this strange whip to determine her position?

"There are some things you may not know. The church has crowned a new Pope. He is tolerant and compassionate, and believes that wild witches also have the value of being redeemed. As long as you are willing to be loyal to God, the church can wash away your sins and accept you as a Pure One." The Holy Messenger stroked her chest. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you. If you are not alone here, and have met other fallen witch companions, you can take them to Hermes Holy City to welcome your new life."

"Is that so? Sounds pretty good," Nightingale sneered twice. "But if there really is so-called sin after awakening as a witch, and you have a way to remove it, why are you only setting this rule now, instead of saving those lost sisters from the beginning? Do you think I'm a three-year-old child who has never seen shameless lies?"

She took a deep breath and said, word by word, "I am innocent!"

As she said these words, Nightingale left the mist and pulled the trigger. The gun barrel bloomed with flames, emitting a thunderous roar.

The "silver whip" moved instantly. The light band rose upwards, blocking in front of the Holy Messenger, and sparks splashed everywhere. Then, the whip head unfolded, throwing a small piece of twisted metal to the ground—it was the bullet she had fired.

This thing can actually block a firearm!

"Oh?" The other party raised an eyebrow. "What is this hidden weapon?" Her voice suddenly turned cold. "I've changed my mind. It seems you have to die here."

The silver light pounced on Nightingale again. Different from before, this time it split into dozens of long whips, almost completely enveloping her position.

Nightingale used the mist, and in one step, she crossed three or four meters—unlike ordinary objects, the magic-formed long whips could not be avoided even in the mist. She could not treat them as nothing and pass through them head-on, so she could only avoid them by going around them from both sides. However, the enemy's attack range was too wide. The silver light flashed close to her body, and she felt her calf go numb. She could no longer maintain her balance and fell to the ground. The magic whip plunged into the position behind her like a storm, shattering the stone slab floor. If she had been hit directly, she would probably lose her ability to resist in an instant.

Nightingale didn't have time to check the injury to her leg. Lying on the ground, she fired all the bullets in the sniper rifle in one breath.

The silver whip retracted again, turning into a rapidly rotating band of light, blocking all the bullets.

She knew that she didn't have time to reload the bullets in the mist. Once she couldn't use the firearm to contain her opponent, she might fall into a difficult situation—the space here was too small to pull the distance beyond five meters. In addition, she couldn't get past the opponent's attack, and her range of activity would only be narrowed more and more. With a quick thought, she pulled out another sniper rifle, emptied it, then fled into the mist, passed through the floor under her feet, and fell directly to the second floor.

*******************

"She ran away!" The Holy Messenger shouted. "Quickly summon the Judgment Army to seal off the church, and also send people to guard the Marquis's dungeon. She might be coming for that person!"

"Run?" Rosad looked around. There were no signs of damage to the doors, windows, or secret passage entrances. "From where?"

"Walls, ceilings, or floors—her ability is definitely more than just invisibility. There are no more magic reactions in the room!" The Pure One gritted her teeth. "Do as I say. She's injured and shouldn't be able to run far. Tell your people to wear God's Stone crossbow bolts!"

"Yes!"

Only after the priest left in a hurry did she slump to the ground, her legs weak, her fingers trembling slightly, unable to muster any strength.

Damn it, what kind of weapon is this?

Her ability can be described as both offensive and defensive, especially in defense, it is regarded as the strongest shield among the Pure Ones. This magic light can automatically resist any incoming object—be it swords, crossbow bolts, it is impossible to penetrate the barrier it constitutes.

In order to strengthen her ability, she kept the magic light activated at all times. After more than ten years, the magic power she could hold had become very large. Hundreds of arrows from a gōngnú would be useless. She had never exhausted her magic power because of resisting arrows.

But the attack launched by the other party in an instant exhausted her magic power. Now, she can't even maintain her ability, and her body feels extremely tired. She hasn't felt this weak and powerless for many years.

I must catch this fallen one, dead or alive, the Holy Messenger thought bitterly.

.(。)