Chapter 196: Chapter 194: If I Can’t Win, I’ll Run

Night had fallen.

Beneath the hazy sky.

The blue robes of dozens of heretics glowed faintly, making them stand out in the darkness.

Hilia didn’t understand why these people bothered disguising themselves if they wanted to be this conspicuous.

She also didn’t know where they’d come from, or why it took so many people to deal with a single Tier Two Mage like her.

All she knew was—tonight, she’d be going on a killing spree!

The array Rose had prepared was already running quietly, trapping all the heretics inside the Dragon-Caging Array without their awareness.

Before the heretics could launch their attack, Hilia struck first.

She raised her magic staff high, her whole body radiating an intense and holy light.

Purification Skill, courtesy of Rose.

The holy light shone down on the heretics, and immediately, quite a few of them reacted as if they’d met their nemesis—their imposing airs and disguises vanished instantly as they crumpled to the ground, writhing in pain.

These were the Tier Two mages.

They couldn’t withstand this specialized Purification Skill.

Before the pollution in their bodies was completely purified, or before Hilia ended the skill, they’d be unable to move freely—a total burden to their side.

Clearly, that voice controlling the heretics wasn’t going to let her keep this up. With a single issued order, those less affected heretics charged forward, unleashing polluted magic spells.

"Are these people mentally ill or something?" Hilia noticed the magic they cast and sneered, "They know I’m using Purification that counters pollution—so why are they still using polluted spells?"

Every time those spells were cast, the glow of Purification weakened them immediately. By the time they got close to Hilia, most of the pollution was already gone, and the remaining magic and pollution was so weak it couldn’t even break through an ice wall conjured by a magic puppet.

Thanks to the array’s effect, Hilia’s Purification Skill was massively empowered, working directly on enemy spells—not only weakening the heretics’ strength but also applying a constant bleeding debuff to them.

On the surface, it looked like the heretics were surrounding Hilia.

But in reality, they were the ones trapped.

...

Meanwhile, in Southern Border City.

Boom!

A loud explosion rocked the night—a nondescript house was blasted open, and two people, their eyes hidden behind masks, burst out at full speed.

Trailing behind, strange laughter echoed: "Gahaha! You idiots! See you never!"

Their speed was incredible—a blink later, they were over a hundred meters away.

But the city’s response was just as swift. Ahead of them, a complicated rune shimmered into existence, and with it, bolts of searing lightning crashed down.

The two instantly split, letting the lightning smash into the street and blast out a deep crater.

The chase was still on.

Back at the house, two more people stepped out.

"Deep Sea Mutual Aid Association, right?"

"Who else would it be?"

"Knew it. They just couldn’t stay away from something this valuable."

"We’re talking about Pure Magic Crystals here—worth more than Advanced Magic Crystals. No one can resist that."

"Tch. Mutual Aid Association is getting bolder and bolder if they dare to pull this off."

"We saw this coming. Those bastards have been hiding in the Star Spirit Forbidden Land for so long. If we didn’t use heavy bait, they’d never show up."

"Let’s do this. We’ve waited for this day long enough—go all out!"

"..."

...

The grasslands, with a gentle breeze blowing.

Hilia’s Purification Skill was still going strong.

This move was brutally effective against anyone below Tier Four—unless you were the kind of monster who was peak Tier Three or, say, a Bluewing Seahorse that’d been forcibly downgraded in rank.

Hilia was basically a walking debuff machine, letting her magic puppets battle the swarming heretics.

The heretics tried summoning a few magic puppets of their own.

But their puppets, having been steeped in pollution for so long, were stuffed full of toxic magic—so Hilia’s Purification cut their combat power down to almost nothing.

"Heh, after dealing with your Deep Sea Mutual Aid Association for so long, unless you’re Tier Three or above, don’t even think about getting close to me!"

Even Sardine-Head from before—if he showed up now, he wouldn’t be able to do shit against array-boosted Hilia.

With various scrolls powering them up, Hilia’s magic puppets fought like entire armies. One puppet, a whole platoon’s worth of force!

The downside? Just the material costs had already topped 150 gold coins.

If she hadn’t sold a few scrolls these last days, her bank balance would be zero after tonight.

But Hilia wasn’t worried at all.

She’d just sell more scrolls and earn it all back.

If Southern Border City was full up on scrolls, she’d simply go to another city to sell.

Easy.

If that didn’t work, she’d patiently wait for the new semester’s rewards.

The school, the Empire, and the Holy Court’s prizes together—not to mention, she’d get at least 500 gold coins.

Nothing to worry about going broke here!

"Feel the power of cold, hard gold coins!"

Heretics still able to fight were dropping fast on the field.

That hidden voice seemed to be getting agitated now.

It echoed directly in Hilia’s ears.

"Such... potent prey... how, exhilarating..."

"Useless trash... I suppose... I’ll have to do it myself!"

A chilling sense of danger flooded Hilia’s mind.

Without hesitation, she activated the array’s hidden forms.

Instantly, semi-transparent golden bars—like the walls of a prison—appeared around her, locking her in tight.

Crack—

A faint crack sounded, and the bars surrounding her split, then shattered in an instant.

More bars flashed into existence, but this time, right where the attack had come from.

But no one was there.

"Shadow Mage," Hilia muttered, face grim. She unleashed her spiritual power as Mage’s Hand, sweeping the surroundings.

Nothing. Not a thing detected.

Rose’s voice echoed in her mind: "It’s technically a Dragon-Caging Array, but with your materials and your strength, you can’t unleash its true power. If you want to trap a Tier Four Mage, it’ll take a lot of luck, and it won’t hold them for long. Its primary use is obstruction. Endless, indestructible obstruction—until the dragon is finally subdued."

"So right now, I should...?"

Rose replied evenly: "Kill every heretic who isn’t Tier Four. Then, run."

"Understood, Lady Rose."

Hilia once again shrouded herself in Purification light. Her magic puppet attacks got even fiercer—their spells now glimmering with holy light, and paired up with Ice Shattering Skill, they slaughtered heretics and destroyed their magic puppets one after another.

"You... stop..."

The voice piped up again—this time, crazier than before.

"Damn you... why... leave anyone alive..."

"Kill her... kill her... KILL HER..."

The magic power in the area began to roil wildly.

At the same time, waves of pollution erupted, smothering the entire area.

Hilia’s Purification Skill, up against this overwhelming pollution, was seriously set back—she’d gone from melting snow to melting solid ice.

It worked, but barely.

"Time to run," she muttered. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Hilia regretfully eyed all the heretics she hadn’t managed to kill, recalled her magic puppets, and hopped onto her flying broom.

"Head that way," she heard.

Rose pointed Hilia in a direction.

It was close to Southern Border City, but wouldn’t actually reach it.

Hilia didn’t think twice—she sped off without looking back.

"Trying... to run?"

The voice swept over her, a crushing pressure crashing down instantly.

But before it could touch Hilia, layers of golden bars shimmered into being around her, blocking every ounce of pressure and attack.

Or rather—

Everything but the way forward was blocked off by golden bars.

Hilia glanced back in the direction of the array and yelled, "Watch me run, asshole! Come get me if you can!"