"Charge!"
Through the Abyssal Gaze Eye, Loren naturally saw everything happening on the other side, but he was still some distance from his destination and couldn't make it in time.
He could only activate every ability that could accelerate him at any cost, including the Strength Card. All non-essential burdens were discarded by Loren, even the bombs at his waist.
The black robe was stripped off by Loren, and the magical potions attached to it were thrown away as well. Now, Loren only had a few potions for restoring magic power and the Requiem on him.
The Requiem was drawn from its sheath, held in front of Loren, its tip erupting with wind magic that eliminated wind resistance.
Every magic that could accelerate was used by Loren, and his speed had reached a terrifying level. At this moment, even if he directly crashed into a dragon, he would probably punch straight through it.
Extreme speed caused Loren's body to begin collapsing. He used the Justice Card to store part of the damage, leaving only what he could endure.
With the support of the Crimson Elegy and the Broken Wedding Ring, Loren's body healed instantly the moment damage began, achieving a certain balance.
"I have to make it in time!"
...
"Angels... so many angels..."
Naclis gritted her teeth, her eyes sweeping over these angels.
She had dealt with angels before, but only one at a time.
The moment she saw the angels, Naclis mentally compared their combat strength.
Right now, among them, only a few could fight against angels: herself, Anna, Luna, and Movila. The other witches had little combat ability, and even Movila's fighting strength was barely worth mentioning.
There were currently four angels present, but Naclis couldn't be sure that was all.
Even the Angel of Light and the Angel of Confusion had come. There was no way other nearby angels hadn't shown up.
"I'll hold them off. You guys go quickly."
Naclis thought rapidly about what Loren would do if he were here, and ultimately chose to stay behind alone.
"How could you possibly be a match for the angels? You can't even buy time."
Anna stood beside Naclis, wielding the Scythe of Harvest, ready to fight.
At this moment, the angels stood before them, not attacking immediately.
But precisely because they didn't act, Naclis felt uneasy.
Loren had taught her before that people in this world weren't stupid. If the enemy stood still or just used verbal attacks, they were probably stalling for time—waiting for reinforcements or secretly charging up an attack.
But wasn't Naclis also charging up right now? From the moment she saw the angels, she had already been chanting silently.
Having followed Loren for so long, she was more than skilled at the trick of silent chanting.
The crows all landed on the ground, continuously gathering onto Movila's body. Movila grew larger and larger until, when she finally stood beside Naclis, she was about the same height as Naclis.
This was the first time Naclis had seen her in this form, and only then did she realize how voluptuous Movila actually was.
But she had no time to be jealous now. The angels could attack at any moment.
"Go to hell!"
In the end, Naclis made the first move. Her magic had finished chanting, and the Sin-Burning Flames erupted with maximum power in an instant.
She wouldn't fool herself into thinking the angels wouldn't attack them. Rather than waiting to be slaughtered, it was better to strike first.
The Angel of Pain before her was instantly engulfed by the Sin-Burning Flames. Its exposed internal organs were scorched by the fire, emitting a thick, foul stench.
It screamed, a heart-wrenching cry that sent birds and beasts in the forest scattering in all directions.
At the same time, this proved the Sin-Burning Flames were effective. Its organs slowly turned to ash amid the burning.
The next moment, Naclis suddenly felt a piercing, bone-gnawing pain. She felt as if her own organs were being burned, slowly turning to ash.
The extreme pain blurred her vision, nearly making her pass out, to the point where she couldn't continue chanting.
"The Angel of Pain shares its pain with others, but it doesn't cause real damage."
In her daze, Naclis heard Mirrorheart's voice beside her ear, along with the sound of gunfire.
After the gunshot rang out, Naclis's pain vanished instantly.
By the time she recovered, she saw Mirrorheart holding a firearm. The barrel was ridiculously thick, which meant the bullet's destructive power was also ridiculously strong.
This was a gun Loren had modified based on the Heart's Scales, skipping the need for shotgun pellets but dealing even more brutal damage.
"Pain sharing is a passive effect that can only be applied to the person who attacked it most recently."
Mirrorheart's words meant the pain had been transferred to her, but she didn't look affected at all.
"..."
Naclis remained silent. She still couldn't match Mirrorheart.
The gunshot seemed like a starting pistol. The moment it rang out, the angels all moved.
Intense light scorched the earth, trees twisted and writhed, and the surrounding paths became a confusing maze. What was just an ordinary forest now felt like a place one could never escape.
"With the Angel of Confusion here, we can't escape. We have to fight head-on."
Mirrorheart reloaded expertly, re-aimed, and before the Angel of Pain could recover, she fired a shot that shattered its exposed brain.
But clearly, that wasn't its weak point.
Movila grew wings from her back and lunged straight at the Angel of Light in the sky. The intense light scorched her skin, but new crows quickly fused with her to replenish her.
Having followed Loren for so long, she was more than adept at the trick of silent chanting.
Its wooden structure was highly flammable. Just brushing against the Sin-Burning Flames set its entire body ablaze.
"Go to hell!"
The moment the Angel of Bountifulness was ignited, Anna's Scythe of Harvest slashed into its waist, the blade sinking halfway in.
Naclis saw blood on Anna's scythe. The moment she made that slash, she had activated her Arcane Ability.
Luna instantly transformed. Under the illumination of her own moonlight, the Night Amulet was also activated.
Without hesitation, she swung her sword at the Angel of Confusion, but this time, she faced a complete Angel of Confusion.
The silver sword was bitten in half by the mouth on the Angel of Confusion's stomach. Before Luna could be shocked, the angel had already appeared behind her.
Luna could only condense a barrier of moonlight to cover herself. She didn't even see how the Angel of Confusion attacked before she was sent flying backward, smashing straight through a thick ancient tree.
Before she could get up, blood-red spikes suddenly sprouted from the ancient tree. Luna had to summon moonlight again to block them.
As she was knocked back a second time, Movila had already fallen. Due to her missing soul, she had reverted to her maiden form.
Naclis gritted her teeth. If the Angel of Bountifulness still had the energy to attack Luna, that meant her and Anna's attacks weren't very effective.
Just as despair surged into Naclis's heart, she heard a mechanical voice devoid of much emotion:
"You two hold off the Angels of Bountifulness and Confusion. Leave Pain and Light to me."
Naclis looked toward the source of the voice and saw Orianna and her orb releasing Blood Moon Condensed Light together, engulfing the four angels in an instant.