The moment the magic circle’s radiance flooded her vision, Silphiel hurriedly chanted divine words. Several layers of magic barriers bloomed before her eyes, wrapping around her in tight protection.

Knights and Heretic Inquisitors all cried out in shock. For a moment, the crowd dissolved into chaos.

Bathed in the light, Silphiel looked toward Shirley, who was smiling as she waved at her.

“Farewell forever, Silphiel.”

The magic circle’s range was far too wide. Dodging it was completely impossible!

Silphiel had no idea what the magic circle’s effect would be. She could only assume the worst—assume it was an offensive spell!

This was a remote slum district, the furthest from the central city. The Holy Knights usually wouldn’t even patrol a place like this. Who would have thought that, without anyone noticing, this woman had set up such a massive formation here?

What a blunder.

She’d underestimated Shirley way too much.

If Silphiel had known, she would’ve been even more cautious.

This woman had grown the Shadow Sect to this scale right under the Pope’s nose. Of course she was ruthless.

“—Everyone, prepare for defense!” Grace’s panicked shout tore through the night.

In the next instant, the magic circle’s glow flared to its peak. Silphiel had no attention left for Shirley at all. Not knowing what kind of power the circle held, she poured everything she had into defense.

Silphiel felt the ground shake like the world itself was trembling. Her entire field of view was swallowed by the magic circle’s light.

When the shaking finally stopped, she snapped back to herself with a jolt. Something was off.

In her sight now was a winding mountain path. Stone steps carved into the mountainside were strewn with fallen red maple leaves. Several priests in the middle of strict training were staring at her side with utter shock on their faces.

Looking down from here, she could see every last light of the Holy Capital laid out beneath her.

“This is… the Holy Mountain?!” Silphiel muttered in brief astonishment, then couldn’t help shouting out loud.

“Looks like it was a teleportation circle. If it were an offensive spell, a magic circle that big would cost a terrifying amount in funds and materials. There’s no way the Shadow Sect could afford that.”

Grace walked up, her face dark with unwillingness. “Looks like she played us all. I didn’t expect her to have something like this up her sleeve.”

She’d used herself as bait to lure Silphiel into pursuit, then used Silphiel’s movements to guide Grace in turn. Step by step, she’d pulled most of the city’s patrol forces together, then teleported them all away with the magic circle.

That level of nerve and calculation made even Grace accept defeat.

Silphiel stood at the peak of the Holy Mountain, looking out over the Holy Capital’s nightscape. She bit down on her thumb, her eyes full of frustration.

A massive “Goddess Barrier” was set over the Holy Capital. It blocked all teleportation magic from entering, and also prevented teleportation from inside the city to the outside. But for the sake of everyday convenience, teleportation within the Holy Capital itself was left completely unrestricted.

For this kind of short-range teleportation circle, even if the scale was huge, the cost wasn’t much. It also didn’t take too long to construct.

Now, if they wanted to chase Shirley again, it was already too late. If she simply changed her look and slipped into the crowds of the Holy Capital, who could possibly find her?

“But, Grace, as long as she can’t get out through the city gates, we’ll catch her sooner or later.”

Silphiel could only console herself like that.

Grace stepped forward to stand beside her best friend and spoke in a low voice, “The gates can’t stay on lockdown forever. Once we lose her trail, finding her again won’t be so easy. And besides—”

If Shirley had some secret passage they didn’t know about…

At that point, both of them understood that this operation to capture Shirley had basically failed. Even if these Heretics couldn’t leave by the city gates, as long as they scattered and dissolved into the people of the Holy Capital, they’d be like fish vanishing into the sea. Who could catch them then?

Right now, Shirley, having sent the large group away, was stretching comfortably as she looked at the quieted night scene. In the moonlight, she pulled a slip of paper from her clothes—a piece of intel she’d exchanged while “crossing blades” with that Hero earlier.

Shirley had passed Bishop Radel’s letter to Gao Ying. At the same time, Gao Ying had quietly slipped this “Guide to Escaping the Holy Capital” into her hand.

It had been a long time since Shirley had met someone this in sync with her. Someone who could perfectly keep up with her rhythm. For a Hero this young, the future was limitless.

In the moonlight, she unfolded the map. The marked location was the mausoleum of the Holy Capital’s successive Popes, with the exact position clearly indicated for her.

Her golden eyes shone faintly. She pressed a slender index finger to her lips, weighing whether she should trust him.

If it was a trap, what then? After all, the Shadow Sect had tried to assassinate the Hero before.

But if she stayed in the Holy Capital, there were bound to be variables. Scattering everyone wasn’t a long-term plan either. The city couldn’t stay locked down forever, but the exposed cultists were still in grave danger for now.

After thinking for a moment, Shirley quietly burned the map to ash. Her figure flickered, then melted into the night.

—

Gao Ying had returned to his lodgings, but for some reason, Rodrika still hadn’t come back.

The plan to ambush Silphiel hadn’t gone according to his script. But Gao Ying wasn’t discouraged. There’d be time—plenty of time—for him to tangle with Silphiel in the future.

He was just about to undress and go to bed when the curtains on the balcony stirred. His eyelid twitched, and by the time he reacted, a figure was already standing on the balcony.

The instant that presence appeared, Stella and Elise launched their attacks. The visitor chuckled, and two delicate daggers slipped into her hands, landing precisely to block both of their strikes.

Shirley’s golden eyes swept over the two of them. She nodded in approval. “Your reaction speed’s pretty good. You both pass.”

Elise glared at her warily. “What are you doing here? Still not giving up? Planning something against the Hero again?”

Stella added a threat. “Forget it already. The moment a fight breaks out, someone will rush over. Getting away won’t be that easy for you.”

Shirley shook her head with a soft sigh, putting on a helpless expression. “Oh, come on. I didn’t come to assassinate the Hero. Big sister’s here to say thank you. To thank the great Hero for his mercy… for giving my comrades a sliver of hope.”

Gao Ying glanced back. “Save it. You don’t trust me at all. You came to check whether I was lying. If I’d shown even a hint of hesitation earlier, you would’ve risked everything to kill me on the spot.”

“Oh, don’t say that. I’m not that scary, am I?”

Shirley waved a hand, smiling brightly. Then her smile faded a little. She lightly licked her full red lips and turned to look at Gao Ying. “…I offended you plenty in the past, Hero. But it seems you’re not as hateful as I thought.”

“Hold it. There’s one question I want an answer to.” Gao Ying stopped her. “Why did you try to kill me?”

“In the Goddess’s oracle, no Hero is supposed to descend in this era.”

Shirley answered solemnly.

The answer made Gao Ying’s pupils tighten. By the time he looked at Shirley again, she had already leapt from the balcony. Her figure vanished into the night.

—

At this very moment, Silphiel was facing a difficult problem.

Rodrika was standing before her, carrying the near-dead Lelia on her back, begging Silphiel to save her life.