“Miss Beth!”
“Winnie, what have you done?”
Charles and Brandon were a mix of shock and rage, completely unprepared for such a scene unfolding before them.
Without a word, Eileen turned and rushed towards them. The sight sent chills down their spines, and they both instinctively tried to flee.
Beth had been killed in a sneak attack, but it was evidence of Eileen’s rank. And before she died, Beth had already revealed that Eileen was a Mid-Rank Apostle.
But in front of Eileen, they had no chance to escape.
Eileen closed the distance in a single leap. She swung her sword, and dazzling silver arcs of Sword Aura sprayed out. In an instant, both Charles and Brandon were cut down.
As for the remaining Kingdom soldiers, Eileen left none alive.
In the blink of an eye, within the building, only Eileen and Amelia were still standing.
Amelia didn’t spare a second glance for the bodies and directly entered the warehouse.
She examined the Mana Crystal Cannon, then reached out to feel its surface. She found the operating method to be exceedingly simple. Pressing a single button on top was enough to unleash a devastating attack.
According to the original plan, they should have dealt with Lester by now. The next step was to use the Mana Crystal Cannon to blast open the city wall and barrier, allowing them to escape.
The barrier’s destruction required the Mana Crystal Cannon because it was a City Barrier.
A so-called City Barrier was different from the temporary barriers Beth could create. Barriers of this kind, when created with longer time and more precious materials, grew larger in range and stronger in effect.
Time was crucial!
A City Barrier laid down by a High-Rank Apostle was typically impenetrable, even to other High-Rank Apostles. And the barrier here in Rhine City had been laid down by a High-Rank Apostle over several years.
A Mid-Rank Apostle like Beth, if she spent years on a single barrier, admittedly couldn’t create one as vast as Rhine City’s, but she could certainly protect a small town.
“Miss Lia, what do we do now?” Eileen asked after entering the warehouse.
She knew the situation had diverged from the plan, since Lester was very much alive.
After thinking for a moment, she proposed, “As for that scoundrel Lester… why don’t we just leave him and find a way out ourselves? If we escape, Lester will likely end up in the Three Great Kingdoms’ hands. That won’t be a good fate for him either.”
“Lester must die today. We can’t pin our hopes on the Three Great Kingdoms’ people. What if they let him get away?” Amelia immediately vetoed the idea.
“But if we try to deal with him, we’ll risk a lot. Accidents can easily happen.”
“There won’t be any accidents. Everything is still under control.”
Amelia spoke thoughtfully.
She had felt she’d made a miscalculation when Beth and Lester swapped roles. But on second thought, proceeding with her plan was still achievable.
“Eileen, can you lift the Mana Crystal Cannon?” Amelia asked directly.
“Let me try.”
Eileen didn’t know what Amelia intended, but she stepped forward and attempted to lift it.
The Mana Crystal Cannon was incredibly heavy. Even Eileen, a Mid-Rank Apostle, found it a struggle. It was only because she was an Apostle of the Faith of the God of War’s Sword; other Mid-Rank Apostles wouldn’t be able to lift it at all.
“It’s movable. Good. Bring it and follow me.”
As Amelia spoke, she quickly left the warehouse.
Eileen swiftly followed.
They couldn’t walk straight out of the building’s entrance; the sounds of battle outside were fierce, and they’d be spotted instantly. Instead, they headed deeper into the structure.
Before long, Amelia entered a study. She found a window here and successfully exited the building through it.
Eileen followed with the cannon.
“The Kingdom soldiers must have been summoned. They’re gathering in force, probably even entering the building now.”
Amelia’s ears twitched as she made her judgment.
She knew she was running out of time.
“Follow me.”
Amelia headed off in a specific direction.
Earlier, when she and Eileen were looking for a restaurant near the North City Gate, she had memorized the layout of this district well. Hurrying in this direction for a short while, she found what she was expecting.
It was a carriage rental business. What they had in abundance were carriages, and that was Amelia’s objective.
“Eileen, I need a carriage. Something sturdy,” Amelia said as they approached.
“Understood.”
Eileen set down the cannon, strode forward, and shattered the chains on the business’s main gate with a single sword strike. She went inside and selected a carriage. The body looked solid, and the horse looked strong.
“Who’s there?”
Eileen’s forceful entry alerted the people inside. They rushed out to find a silver-haired girl leading away one of their carriages.
The owner glanced at the bloodstained sword in Eileen’s hand, then at the sinister-looking Mana Crystal Cannon outside. He immediately retreated, slamming the door shut as if nothing had happened.
“Eileen, load the cannon onto the carriage… and remove the canopy. We don’t need it.”
While Amelia was speaking, she went inside the carriage house and left a stack of Kerr on the ground, weighed down with a stone.
By the time she came back out, Eileen had efficiently dismantled the carriage’s canopy and hoisted the Mana Crystal Cannon onto the flatbed.
Amelia climbed onto the carriage and began operating the cannon. She swiveled it around, aiming the muzzle at the city wall. Without the slightest hesitation, she pressed the button.
“Boom!”
With a deafening roar, a bolt of purple light shot from the cannon’s muzzle and slammed into the city wall. The towering wall exploded into fragments, and the barrier of the North City Gate was ripped apart along with it.
The massive boom was heard by everyone in the North District of Rhine City.
As the dust cleared, a huge breach appeared before Amelia’s eyes.
She sat down beside the cannon and said to Eileen, “Eileen, drive the carriage. We’re heading out.”
Eileen immediately urged the carriage towards the city wall. The breach was somewhat steep due to the scattered rubble, but crossing it was no problem.
Once they passed through the gap and reached the outside of the city, Amelia said, “Alright, we can stop here now.”
“Miss Lia, we could simply leave right now.” Eileen looked into the distance, unable to resist saying.
“No, there are still things left unfinished. We’ll wait a moment. When the person who needs to hear that cannon fire hears it, they will come.” Amelia looked back towards the rear, the cannon’s muzzle already pointed in that direction.
