Chapter 93

Only when truly experiencing such a perilous battle did Ryan fully realize how close the word "death," which had always seemed intangible, was to him. He took deep breaths, his body almost unable to stand. He stared rigidly at the fat man who had fallen to the ground with an arrow through his head for several seconds, feeling cold sweat rapidly soaking his clothes.

At this moment, Ryan understood that the muffled "thud" he had heard earlier was the sound of the arrowhead piercing the eye and skull; the warm sensation on his neck was due to the blood and brain matter splattered from the other party. The arrow had almost grazed Ryan's cheek before piercing the fat man's head, and his legs were still trembling. The inexplicable fear made it extremely difficult for him to take even a step. Ryan couldn't help but think: if he had moved his head a little to the right just now, the one with the pierced head would not have been the fat man...

Two of the three assassins were now dead. Regardless of the process, the remaining assassin had become the focus of everyone's attention. One of the mercenaries was severely injured and lying on the ground, while the other, holding an axe, was running towards Sally. The temple guards, not far ahead, were also running, but due to their heavy armor, they were still some distance away from the assassin chasing Sally. They could only watch helplessly as the assassin, with his sword in hand, got closer and closer to Sally...

"Tap, tap, tap, tap..."

The sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor outside the church. Sally ran as fast as she could, her figure darting between the stone pillars. The assassin chasing her was extremely fast, almost catching up to her in just a few seconds. However, Sally's movements around the pillars were unpredictable, making it difficult for the assassin to determine where to chase her. As a result, although he was only a few steps behind, he was always obstructed by the pillars.

What troubled him even more was the arrows that came again after a brief pause. If he was surprised by the incredible speed of the arrows at the church entrance, then the arrows that were now aimed with such precise lead time made him feel as if all his intentions were seen through.

The arrows were clearly aimed at his front, but if he didn't pull back his leg, his knee would certainly be hit in the next moment. He tried to stop and avoid the arrow, but the second arrow was already flying towards the spot where he would stop after slowing down. In a hurry, he tried to lean back to dodge, but before he could fully move, he saw the third arrow already arcing towards his head...

So he had no choice but to swing his sword to cut the arrow again, and watch helplessly as Sally ran away once more. After this wave of arrows, he took a few steps to catch up to Sally, but the terrifyingly accurate arrows appeared again, forcing him to stop and become angry and frustrated...

There were over twenty stone pillars in front of the church. As Sally was about to reach the end, she heard the "pattering" sound behind her and took a moment to look back. She saw that the enemy had been slowed down by the arrows, but she wasn't particularly surprised. Instead, she felt an overwhelming sense of security.

The burning pain in her body continued, but the fear in her heart had mysteriously vanished. Sally knew that such archery could only be the work of Rody. She couldn't see the face of the figure in the shadows on the third floor of the mansion, but she could vaguely see the steady short bow and the arrows being rapidly loaded and shot.

Familiar movements, familiar frequency, familiar aura. Because of this, she chose to use the "pillar circling" tactic that Rody had once taught her, knowing that it would work in Rody's line of sight.

It seemed to be effective.

However, she also knew that things wouldn't end so easily. The fact that the assassin could block all the arrows without being injured indicated that Rody's abilities were limited. Thinking of this, Sally turned to continue running towards the last few pillars. The assassin, seemingly ready to take a desperate risk, suddenly accelerated after breaking free from the rain of arrows, moving even faster than before.

The "Potential Activation" skill, which temporarily increased movement speed, could only last for ten seconds, and after it ended, there was a 10% decrease in hit rate. But at this moment, the assassin had no other choice to kill Sally in one strike.

Suddenly changing his speed, he believed that Rody would not be able to immediately judge the lead time of the arrows.

Another arrow flew from a distance. He glanced at it and immediately noticed that the arrow was flying in a direction that was too far off. Even if he continued to run at this speed, the arrow would definitely land in front of him.

In such a moment, if an arrow did not pose a threat, it often meant that the assassin's chances of success greatly increased.

Holding his sword, the assassin saw Sally choose to circle to the left of the pillar. His body immediately followed, taking three steps to close the distance to less than four meters. He raised his arm to prepare for a thrust, his eyes fixed on Sally's back, and his foot began to gather strength—

But at that moment, Rody's arrow arrived.

"Snap"

The arrow did not hit the assassin, but it struck the stone pillar to his right. What happened next seemed like a fairy tale to the onlookers—after hitting the curved surface of the pillar, the arrowhead, due to the angle, did not embed itself but instead changed direction, turning 15 degrees and heading straight for the assassin's arm.

"Thud"

Even with his high skills, the assassin could not react in that instant. The arrowhead pierced his upper arm, and the force of the impact knocked him off balance, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground.

This fall meant the failure of the entire plan.

The temple guards and mercenaries who rushed over almost immediately pinned down the assassin, who could no longer hold his sword. The deacon who had come out of the church cast "Holy Bind" again, and then used "Combat Recovery" to treat the injured guards and check the mercenary's wounds.

Ryan and Booker, along with others, also regained their senses and tried to help where they could, while the nuns, wide-eyed with fear, hid behind and watched the chaos in front of the church...

Then, finally, Bishop Benjamin, who had received a notification from Chris, walked out of the church and turned to look at the assassin struggling on the ground, squinting his eyes.

His appearance immediately stabilized the somewhat chaotic atmosphere on the scene. The old man was dressed in a black cassock, and although no one had explained the situation to him, a quick glance at the blood-soaked ground, the blood-covered Ryan, the fallen guards and mercenaries, and the two dead assassins was enough to understand what had happened.

As he turned to walk towards Sally, the sudden change in his powerful aura made the deacons and nuns standing beside him feel immense pressure.

He walked steadily towards the restrained assassin, continuously casting "Advanced Recovery" spells, with golden light appearing in his palms like a sweeping beam. When he finally looked at the still struggling assassin, a hint of anger appeared on his face.

"Bind."

Unlike the "Holy Bind" shouted by the deacon, the bishop simply uttered a single word, and three thick golden chains, far more substantial than "Holy Bind," appeared around the assassin, binding him tightly with a "clang."

"Place the monastery under martial law. Clean this place up. Leave no traces."

"Those who participated in the battle stay. Evacuate the believers."

"Immediately notify the temple guards at the armory. Send all available forces to protect this place."

One command after another was issued, and the deacon, who was following behind, immediately turned to carry them out. Bishop Benjamin, as the "pillar" of the monastery, was indeed an irreplaceable figure. He continued to scan the surroundings, and when he saw the broken arrow shafts on the ground, his gaze sharpened, and he suddenly looked towards the third-floor mansion in the distance—

At the same moment, Sally, who had stopped running and was leaning against a pillar, gasping for breath, saw the bishop look towards where Rody might be hiding. She was just thinking about how to explain his identity when she heard a muffled "thud"...

The assassin, bound by golden chains on the ground, was shot in the head right in front of Sally, four meters away.

"Bold!"

Bishop Benjamin was thoroughly enraged by this blatant arrow. He roared, pointing towards the distance. The divine power he gathered exuded such immense power that even Sally, several meters away, felt immense pressure, and her heart leaped to her throat in shock.

Why? Why did Rody do this? He wasn't just angering Bishop Benjamin; he might even become an enemy of the "Rosicrucians."

Sally's mind buzzed, and she was momentarily stunned. Bishop Benjamin, however, glared at the mansion, but after searching for a long time, he found no target. In the end, he cast a level 3 "Holy Shield" in front of him, his face dark as he walked towards the dead assassin and quietly asked the guard, "Move the body to the back. I will examine it later."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

The guard, though covered in wounds, was almost fully healed by the bishop's casual divine spell. He ignored his disheveled appearance and immediately found people to move the body.

As the bishop's gaze lifted from the dead body, the sharpness in his eyes gradually faded. When he turned to face Sally, his stern face was filled with remorse. He did not say anything else, but softly said, "This is my fault, Sally."

"I am very sorry..."