Sacrificial Array

Not long after Su Ran used the replica of the Divine Will Gauntlets to break the magic formation’s core…

In the tranquil Holy City, the genuine Divine Will Armor, which required careful maintenance in the treasury, suddenly emanated a powerful wave of magic essence, enough to make even a Sequence Six like Gure’s heart pound with fear.

This was the armor once worn by a Paladin; even a Sequence Seven knight was not qualified to wear it.

And now, above this powerful suit of armor, a crack suddenly appeared.

A slimy tentacle emerged, striking directly at the Divine Will Armor.

Bloody bubbles frothed on the tentacle’s surface.

From within the assaulted Divine Will Armor, a golden phantom emerged, letting out an unyielding roar at the tentacle.

However, upon seeing the golden phantom, the tentacle’s desire to attack grew even stronger.

After just a few exchanges, a cracking sound was heard.

A fissure appeared on the armor’s gauntlet.

The golden phantom dimmed slightly, and only then did the tentacle slowly retreat back into the crack.

The violent commotion in the treasury could not be hidden from the knights patrolling within.

Before long, the knight on duty arrived before the Divine Will Armor.

“Captain, a crack has appeared on the gauntlet!”

If Yuffie had been present, she would have been very familiar with the person speaking.

It was Kold.

After arriving in the Holy City with the Saintess, he had been promoted to a patrol knight of the Church, responsible for patrolling important places like the treasury and the library.

Hearing Kold’s words, the captain looked at the crack on the gauntlet, his face filled with disbelief.

“The owner of the Divine Will Armor was a Paladin. How could a crack suddenly appear? This is unreasonable! You all continue your patrol. I need to go find and report to the Bishop!”

Receiving the captain’s order, the others in the squad could only suppress their doubts and continue their patrol.

Only Kold looked in the direction of the Divine Will Armor, a trace of inquiry hidden in his eyes.

After hearing Winnie’s command, since no one on site outranked her, and given the effort everyone had witnessed her expend trying to break the magic formation, no one raised any objections to her arrangements.

Except for a few researchers taking inventory of the mutated Earl’s corpse, the rest spread out to search for Ma Kun inside the former magic formation.

As the people around her gradually thinned out, Winnie lowered her voice and asked Su Ran, “Actually, when I was rushing over, I sensed a person hidden inside that ice sculpture outside, so I deliberately led the team around it when we came in.”

Perhaps others were not familiar with Su Ran’s magic essence, but that didn’t mean Winnie was unaware.

The ice sculpture located outside the building was entirely Su Ran’s handiwork.

To avoid any misunderstandings, Winnie had chosen to bypass it first.

“The person inside is Shen Yue. She’s one of the defense mechanisms guarding this magic formation.”

Facing Winnie, Su Ran had no intention of hiding anything and told her everything that had happened inside, blow by blow.

“You mean, besides an energy shield, Shen Yue was also acting as a guardian inside the magic formation?”

The name Shen Yue was not unfamiliar to Winnie.

She had also gone to Shen Yue’s residence with the other maids back then.

Moreover, from Winnie’s perspective, Shen Yue might have already become a puppet.

She just hadn’t expected Shen Yue to appear here.

“The Holy Stone energy in her body helped her raise her sequence by one level, but she still couldn’t withstand my ice seal and was frozen there.”

Su Ran explained the energy within Shen Yue’s body in a way Winnie could understand.

“Since Shen Yue appeared here, I’ll contact Li Shanhai now and have him come over.”

Winnie nodded, took out her phone, and dialed Li Shanhai’s number.

This matter was more appropriate for him to handle.

After notifying Li Shanhai, Winnie glanced left and right.

Seeing that no one was paying attention, she lowered her voice and asked Su Ran, “How did you break the protection on the magic formation’s core? That requires an attack with the strength of a Sequence Five to break.”

“A little personal opportunity, plus a little luck.”

Su Ran didn’t go into detail, speaking vaguely about the existence of the Divine Will Gauntlets, but she did indirectly admit that she was the one who had unleashed the Sequence Five attack.

With Winnie, Su Ran didn’t need to hide much, but the existence of the Witch Game was a secret she needed to keep until she became stronger.

Winnie, however, was not at all surprised by Su Ran’s concealment.

After all, everyone had their own little secrets.

Especially Su Ran.

Although she had already seen through to Su Ran’s panties, that didn’t stop her from playing dumb.

“Later, if anyone asks, just say you used a magic scroll I gave you to launch the attack.”

Hearing Winnie’s instruction, Su Ran felt a wave of comfort.

This was the benefit of having a powerful backer; she didn’t have to worry about attracting unwanted attention.

With Winnie’s position as a branch manager, it wouldn’t be surprising for her to casually leak some good items.

No one would suspect that the attack was something Su Ran had produced on her own.

“Old Ma has been found!”

Just as Su Ran and Winnie were about to go see the frozen Shen Yue, the people who had gone to search for Ma Kun returned with news, causing the two of them to change their course.

“We found him in the top-floor office. The doors and windows were locked from the inside, and Old Ma is injured.”

The researcher who came to inform them led the way, briefly explaining Ma Kun’s condition to them.

Before long, Su Ran and Winnie both arrived at the location where Ma Kun had been discovered.

It was very close to where Su Ran and Ma Kun had been separated.

Presumably, after being separated from her and attacked by the humanoid withered trees, Ma Kun had made his way here to hide.

“We did a simple check on Old Ma. His physical condition is still good, but his body’s biological functions are three years older than his actual age. In other words, his body is now in the condition of a seventy-year-old.”

Su Ran’s eyes sharpened.

She knew the magic formation performed sacrifices, but she hadn’t expected that Ma Kun would also fall victim.

Winnie spoke up to explain, “This is a sacrificial magic formation. The longer you stay inside, the more likely an accident will happen, even if the formation is broken in time.”

Then, as if remembering something, she looked Su Ran up and down.

Following Winnie’s intense gaze, Su Ran’s face grew hot.

She pressed her hands against her collar. “This is not the effect of the magic formation!”

Although the magic formation could increase one’s biological age, it didn’t mean it would cause one’s body to develop.

This was all the fault of the Weak Constitution Value.

Su Ran quickly corrected Winnie’s incorrect assumption.

“Alright, alright. I’ll just assume you’re still in your growth phase. After things here are settled, I’ll take you to buy some new clothes.”

Although she said that, deep down, Winnie had already taken Su Ran’s words as a shy excuse.