"Watch out!"
Seeing that arm being thrown at them like a flesh bomb, Silas couldn't help but shout.
Then he watched as Edward once again gripped the "Staff of Chaos" and struck the ground forcefully.
"Thud!"
The staff's sound was deep and resonant.
A large area with Ms. M at its center seemed to become blurred, causing the thrown arm to arc inexplicably in midair and fall back in front of Ms. M.
Then the flesh bulged and exploded with a thunderous blast!
"Chaos" had altered the spatial order and rules in the region where Ms. M stood.
"Boom!"
The violent explosion engulfed Ms. M. Bricks and flesh scattered instantly, surging air waves billowing outward, yet under the influence of some strange rule, they only reverberated within a small area until subsiding.
As the explosion's aftermath dissipated, Silas was shocked to discover that Ms. M had vanished from the center.
Where did she go?
Is she trying to escape, or coming to attack us, or entering the back of that door to activate the ritual?
Silas's mind raced as he considered countermeasures. Just then, Ms. Daly, beside him, began to act.
She extended both hands, crossing them flat against her chest, lowering her head to call out softly, communicating with spirits existing in another world.
The surrounding air grew colder, invisible forces surging.
A muffled groan came from midair, and Ms. M's figure emerged from the shadows, as if forcibly squeezed out, tumbling to the ground.
"Mmm..."
Daly looked at her coldly, continuing her low chant.
A pair of semi-transparent hands appeared around Ms. M's neck, gripping her throat, causing that stunning face to show an expression of distress, unable to move.
"Thud, thud!"
At this critical moment, Edward strode forward, raising high the black, semi-transparent staff.
The muscles in his arm and back began to bulge, gathering strength, then he swung with full force at Ms. M's head!
Boom!
Like a cannonball hitting at close range, Ms. M's head was completely shattered. Her body fell limply to the ground, as if killed outright just like that!
What a powerful sealed artifact.
Silas couldn't help but exclaim inwardly.
Worthy of being a Grade 1 sealed artifact, it had completely dominated the opponent, controlling her all the way to death.
He'd thought he might have a chance to act, but it turned out there was no need for him at all before it was over.
Edward looked down at Ms. M's headless corpse. He stepped back and gestured for Leon to come over with that giant revolver, signaling him to continue shooting the body to eliminate any possibility of it coming back to life.
This level of professionalism was truly praiseworthy.
Leon nodded, quickly approaching with the revolver aimed at Ms. M's corpse.
"Cough, cough!"
Just then, he suddenly coughed loudly several times, unable to hold the gun steady.
Does Leon have a cold?
The thought had barely formed in Silas's mind when he saw Ms. Daly beside them also show signs of pain, her cheeks flushing red as if running a high fever.
What's happening?
"Cough, cough!"
Silas was about to speak when he couldn't help coughing as well. His vision became hazy and dizzy, his forehead burning hot.
He was sick too!
Edward's eyes narrowed.
He was about to raise his staff to strike Ms. M's corpse again when he suddenly discovered that her headless body was becoming flat and small, finally transforming into a damaged paper figure.
Ms. M herself was nowhere to be seen!
She's not dead. Where did she go?
In his panic, a warm, gentle fragrance wafted into his nose. Silas suddenly felt delicate, soft hands caressing his chin. Turning his head, he met Ms. M's gentle yet cold smiling face.
She seemed to be examining him.
"Bang! Bang!"
Silas's scalp tingled. Without hesitation, he raised his gun and fired. The bullets whistled out but hit only empty air. Ms. M had vanished into shadow again, then reappeared in front of that human-skin chair.
She slowly sat down.
"Very interesting sealed artifact, excellent coordinated combat. The Nighthawks of Enmat Port are quite good."
Ms. M actually smiled and praised them, watching as the group before her gradually succumbed to serious illness.
Her appearance was just as when they'd first seen her: stunningly beautiful, eerie, gentle, seemingly unharmed by the recent battle.
So what was that feeble resistance earlier? Was she just performing, toying with us?
Edward pulled Leon back, retreating to Daly and Silas's side, raising his staff and striking the ground once more.
"Thud!"
With the staff's sound, the rules of the space near them were forcibly distorted. The group, who had been struggling to breathe, immediately felt much better.
But their hearts also grew uneasy, because Edward had already used the staff three times!
"Disease? Magic! You're not a Rose Bishop at all. You're a Shepherd!"
Edward practically roared.
"I never said I was a Rose Bishop."
Ms. M smiled, her expression quite pleased.
Hearing this, the muscles alongside Edward's face tightened, and his grip on "1-114" clenched tighter and tighter.
The divine envoy of Enmat Port had defied conventional wisdom. She wasn't a Sequence 6 Rose Bishop, but a higher sequence Shepherd!
Sequence 5, Shepherd?
Hearing this designation, Silas felt momentarily confused.
Crestet, the senior church deacon he'd met before, was a Sequence 5 powerhouse. In today's team, the highest was only the Sequence 6 "Soul Assurer"!
He recalled what Dunn had once told him.
The Secrets Suppliant pathway was famous for its endless variety of abilities and bizarre flesh-and-blood powers at high sequences.
They could apparently use abilities from other sequences, making them enigmatic and unpredictable.
In other words, what they had to deal with this time was actually a Shepherd?
Silas's heart sank.
Edward's expression wasn't good either. He fell silent, then, after a moment, spoke slowly to the group.
"I didn't expect the opponent to have reached Sequence 5. Our chances of winning are extremely low."
"Captain Edward, what do we do?"
Daly asked softly.
"We can only try to hold her off and wait for reinforcements," Edward said in a heavy voice. "Let's hope that before reinforcements arrive, we won't all be dead."
Dead?
Looking at Edward's face and Ms. M's calm demeanor across from them, Silas suddenly felt an extremely surreal sensation.
Could it be that this was where it ended for him?
No, I still have a sister to support. If I die, what will happen to her?
Silas took a deep breath.
I have to fight!
Not just him. The eyes of the others in the team had changed as well.
Watching them, the smile on Ms. M's face grew even more radiant.
"Very good. I love these twisted expressions you show after falling into despair. It wasn't in vain that I deliberately showed weakness at the start and played along with your performance."
An unhealthy flush rose on her delicate face, marring her original beauty and giving her features a somewhat sickly quality.
"However, I've played with you enough now."
She said with a smile. "The entertainment ends here. I still have business to attend to. My apologies."
"Don't be ridiculous!"
Edward roared.
Whoosh!
Gripping his staff, he lowered his head toward Ms. M, and night fell. A tranquil atmosphere spread forth, making people feel peace and serenity from the depths of their hearts, unable to generate any other thoughts.
The signature skill of the "Soul Assurer": Soul Assurance!
This was an ability that acted directly on the target's soul, capable of making the opponent calm and lose their will to resist.
Silas saw that Ms. M seemed to be controlled by this power, no longer speaking but watching them peacefully.
Seize the opportunity!
He immediately reached for the bone flute in his chest. Ms. Daly began summoning spirits, while Leon, beside them, raised his gun to aim.
Just then, Ms. M suddenly smiled slightly. Her golden eyes lit up, growing lizard-like vertical pupils.
Leon's eyes turned pale gold in response. Dazed, he turned his gun around, aimed at Ms. Daly's back, and pulled the trigger.
۞۞۞۞
~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones