Temporary Retreat

“If that’s the case… can your book really protect you?”

The black-robed figure slowly stepped out of the shadows, looking at Su Mo, whose back was like a porcupine with daggers sticking out.

With a voice that made it impossible to tell if it was male or female, they said calmly.

Then, they stopped looking at Su Mo and turned toward Xiao Ying, who was lying on the ground, and began walking closer.

“Su Mo…?”

Xiao Ying froze, staring at the scene before her, a strange, indescribable feeling spreading through her.

The glow in her eyes began to fade slowly, and green energy started radiating outward from her body.

No one noticed this, and just as Xiao Ying was about to undergo some kind of change, a voice stopped her.

“Hahahaha! Didn’t expect that, huh? In the end, I still had the upper hand!”

Hearing that familiar voice, the black-robed figure turned, but a powerful force slammed into their face, sending them flying into a nearby tree.

Su Mo retracted his fist; his coat had already been removed, revealing that his body was covered with preaching books.

“My book really did protect me.”

The attack that seemed to hit him was actually a ruse. The dagger in front of him was also created from his handgun to make the opponent think their attack succeeded.

“I thought I could just buy some time. Didn’t expect you’d recover so fast.”

Su Mo held a dagger in his hand, then transformed it into a handgun, aiming at the spot where the black-robed figure had fallen, firing several shots without hesitation.

“Xiao Ying, go ahead first. I’ll catch up immediately.”

Seeing Su Mo was fine, Xiao Ying’s eyes returned to normal. Hearing him tell her to leave first, she couldn’t help asking:

“But Su Mo, didn’t you say you couldn’t beat him?”

“I might not be able to defeat him, but I can hold him off. I can only guarantee that I can retreat safely alone; if you come with me, all bets are off…”

Suddenly, a shadow appeared in front of Su Mo. The sharp dagger tip shot straight toward the center of his face.

In a hurry, Su Mo quickly turned his head, but the dagger still grazed his face.

“Doesn’t feel right?”

The dagger didn’t feel like cutting through flesh; it felt like hitting something hard, like metal.

At that moment, Su Mo’s mask flashed briefly, and a tiny fragment flew off.

Although the mask disappeared quickly, everyone present was looking at Su Mo and saw the mask’s existence.

“A mask? So this isn’t your real face?”

The black-robed figure, keeping some distance, said calmly.

Su Mo didn’t answer but shouted:

“What are you waiting for! Go!”

Hearing this, Xiao Ying quickly got up, ignoring her pain, and stumbled away, shouting back:

“I’ll go back to the church to get help!”

Seeing Xiao Ying leaving, the black-robed figure instinctively tried to follow, but a bullet hole appeared at their feet.

“Did I tell you to leave?”

Su Mo, holding his handgun, smiled faintly. His pale hair had turned pink at the tips.

A familiar magical power surged within Su Mo—Edenia’s power.

Feeling this power meant he was starting to shift toward Edenia’s form.

The earlier strike had broken his mask, making his situation urgent. He had to end this fight quickly and couldn’t let Xiao Ying discover his true identity.

Hence, his urgent shout for her to leave.

“You’re not part of this church branch?”

Suddenly, the black-robed figure seemed to lose the will to fight and sheathed their dagger.

Seeing this, Su Mo was puzzled and asked:

“I’m not really a church member. Did you have some grudge with the church?”

Without Xiao Ying, Su Mo would have left immediately. Being considered outside the church was no problem.

But the opponent’s behavior—starting a fight and then not wanting to continue—annoyed him.

If he weren’t worried about revealing his true form, he would have had some fun with a Gatling gun or RPG.

“Since you’re not a church member, you’re not an enemy. My apologies for attacking you earlier.”

The black-robed figure’s hostility disappeared completely and they bowed deeply to Su Mo.

This sudden change left Su Mo dumbfounded; it was completely different from the previous murderous attitude.

“Not, bro… you…”

Su Mo wanted to say more but realized his voice was turning neutral, shifting toward Edenia’s tone, so he quickly shut his mouth.

‘If nothing else happens, I’ll leave. I can’t drag this out,’ he thought.

“Since you’re not part of this branch, I need to explain something. Currently, there’s—”

Before he could finish, a dazzling beam of light shot down from the sky, targeting the black-robed figure.

“Xiao Ying just told me there was a suspicious demon here, so I came to help Su Mo.

I thought she was lying, but there really is a demon in town attacking church members.

This definitely needs purifying.”

A deep voice came from behind Su Mo, and a man in church robes stepped forward.

“Are you alright?”

He asked with concern as he approached Su Mo.

Su Mo silently nodded without responding.

The man, seeing Su Mo’s attitude, wasn’t angry. He looked at the black-robed figure who had drawn their daggers again and said calmly:

“You should leave. This isn’t something you can handle.”

Hearing this, Su Mo was relieved and eager to leave. Although questions remained, he needed to deal with his imminent transformation first.

Without hesitation, Su Mo turned and ran quickly.

Seeing him obey without questioning, the man raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Once Su Mo disappeared completely, the man spoke again:

“Found you here… you’ve really worked hard.”

“So… that person is her, huh?”

The man only sneered, a massive magical aura rising from him.

The black-robed figure didn’t speak further, silver magic swirling around them.

The next second, the black-robed figure burst forward at incredible speed, holding two daggers straight toward the man’s face, leaving a long silver afterimage.