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[Power Arrow].
Woooh!
Mabel, who had her [Halo] on and her body was enveloped with a red light due to [Blessing], shot a skill with her Mana Bow as she was running.
Save for her Inquisitor Half-Mask and White Cloak, she was no longer wearing her clothes from earlier, which was a white medieval dress that was enough for staying indoors in a Kingdom with a cold climate. Instead, she was currently wearing a thick sweater, pants, and a pair of gloves and boots.
Her arrow missed her target.
It was a light green-haired man with pale skin in his late 20s. He had a Mana Sword imbued with [Enchant Poison] on his right hand.
[Grune Heuschrecke].
The man activated a Lore Magic spell and 20 glowing green insects the size of an adult's thumb appeared around him.
The [Grune Heuschrecke] was the Grun and the Heuschrecke family's Lore Magic:
• the cost to summon 1 insect was 1 mana point and required 0.5 mana per second to maintain
• the maximum number of insects a caster could summon was based on the mana points of the caster. So if he has 200 mana points, he can summon 200 of the glowing green insects
• the Physical and Magic Force of each insect was half of the caster's Magic Force
• each insect can inject a weakening poison, provided that it could pierce through a target's skin
• the summoning and controlling range of the insects was 50 meters
Braaag!
Right above Mabel, on the second floor of a building, a green-haired woman burst out of a wall. She was in her late 20s and she had a two-handed Mana Axe imbued with [Enchant Lightning] on her hand. And just like the light green-haired man, there were also glowing green insects around her.
Wooo-chaaang!
The woman's axe was buried deep into the street as Mabel barely evaded the attack.
"Gather together!" Mabel shouted.
The glowing green insects of the woman that were aiming for Mabel's eyes, ears and mouth gathered.
[Explosive Arrow].
Booom!
Mabel released a skill and the insects were destroyed.
Wooh!
She shot an arrow at the light green-haired woman as she continued running away.
Clang!
The light green-haired woman blocked the arrow with her Mana Axe imbued with [Enchant Lightning].
"Iro-Tia, Iro-Piet iro-ordered iro-us iro-to iro-to iro-capture iro-her, iro-not iro-kill iro-her, iro-you iro-idiot!" the light green-haired man shouted at the light green-haired man as he continued chasing Mabel.
Tia let out a snort.
"Iro-Who iro-are iro-you iro-calling iro-an iro-idiot?! Iro-You're iro-the iro-idiot iro-who iro-can't iro-do iro-his iro-job iro-properly, Iro-Matz!"
Wooom!
And then jumped back into the hole she came from and disappeared from sight.
"Iro-Ancestors iro-help iro-me, iro-that iro-woman iro-is iro-so iro-useless…!" Matz cursed under his breath.
Vooom!
Someone suddenly appeared in front of him.
It was Jaamal. His body was enveloped with a red light from [Blessing] and he had a Mana Shield imbued with [Enchant Dark] on his left hand.
[Power Shield].
Matz immediately stopped in his tracks and positioned his Mana Weapon imbued with [Enchant Poison] in front of him.
[Explosive Sword].
Booo-psssh!
Green mist exploded when the two skills clashed.
[Cleanse].
Chud!
A green light enveloped Jamaal's body as he rushed forward through the green mist and reached out for Matz's collar with his right hand.
Bang!
Before Matz's could slice away Jamaal's right arm, he was violently pulled forward and his face slammed against Mana Shield imbued with [Enchant Dark].
Seeing that Matz lost his footing because of the fear effect of [Enchant Dark], Jamaal immediately took advantage of the situation. He released Matz's collar and then pulled back his right fist.
PAH!
He threw a heavy punch with his entire Physical Force to Matz's face, breaking his nose and sending him flying a dozen feet away.
"IRO-HOW IRO-DAY IRO-YOU, IRO-LOW-BORN!!!"
[Explosive Axe].
Booom!
Tia suddenly came down striking from the sky with a skill, but Jamaal managed to block it at the last second.
Wooom!
Tia jumped away.
Woo-chak!
But as she was still in mid-air, she got struck by a Mana Arrow on her side.
Vooom!
Chud!
Jamaal immediately took advantage of the situation once again: He rushed forward, grabbed Tia's ankle while she was still in mid-air, and then threw her away.
Ba-craaag!
She crashed and broke through a wall of a building.
Without missing a beat, Jamaal immediately turned to where he last saw Matz.
[Poison Storm].
A 10-meter magic circle appeared on top of Jamaal, while Matz, with his Mana Sword imbued with [Enchant Poison], a Poison Golem, and a dozen of glowing green insects were rushing over to him.
Thanks to the Wizard's Class Magic spell, [Double Cast], Matz was able to summon two Magic spells at the same time: [Poison Golem] and [Poison Storm].
And as for how he was still able to use [Enchant Poison] and [Grune Heuschrecke], despite casting [Poison Golem] and [Poison Storm], the Enchant-type Spells and his Lore Magic operate under a special or different category.
Pssssssh…!
Vooom!
Jamaal quickly rushed away from the range of the [Poison Storm] but still kept his eyes on Matz, the Poison Golem, the glowing green insects and also the position of where he last saw Tia.
[Power Arrow].
Woo-riiip!
Braaag!
The Poison Golem's right leg was taken out and it crashed to the ground.
"Their raw Magic Force are both Rainbow Steel!" Mabel said from afar and she had already turned off her [Halo]. "I'll guard your back!"
Woooh, woooh, woooh, woooh, woooh, woooh, woooh…!
And then released a dozen arrows in under a second at Matz. Now that Jamaal was here, she could shoot arrows freely using her actual Physical and Magic Force.
Mabel had 2 True Magic Art Affinities -- Light and Ice. Her Physical and Magic Force were Orichalcum or 120 points. But thanks to [Blessing], it was currently Adamantite or 150 points.
Jamaal also had 2 True Magic Art Affinities -- Light and Dark. His Physical and Magic Force were Adamantite or 150 points. But thanks to [Blessing], it was currently Rainbow Steel or 180 points.
Matz had 3 True Magic Art Affinities -- Poison, Earth and Wind. His Physical and Magic Force were Rainbow Steel or 180 points. On top of that, he also had his Passive Wizard Class Magic Spells: [Magic Heart] increases the attack of his Magic Spells and [Magic Body] increases his defense against Magic Spells, but doesn't increase his raw Magic Force.
Tia also has 3 True Magic Art Affinities -- Poison, Wind and Lightning. And just like Matz, her Physical and Magic Force were Rainbow Steel or 180 points, and she also had [Magic Heart] and [Magic Body].
And as for why Matz and Tia were struggle to defeat Mabel despite having a higher Physical and Magic Force and tag-teaming her, there were 3 reasons:
The first reason was that their goal was to capture her, not kill her.
The second one was that she was a Priestess.
As an Inquisitor, Mabel couldn't stand toe-to-toe against the physical fighting prowess of a Crusader from the Infantry Division or the Air Division. But the fact still remains that she's a Crusader forged from the blood, steel and fire of the Holy Crusade.
Aristocratic Nobles might be powerful. However, they have no real fighting experience. A majority of their fighting experience comes from practice duels and fighting weak opponents, making them no different from civilians but with demi-god-like powers. Within the world of actual fighters, there are only a very handful of select Aristocratic Nobles who have real fighting experience.
Had Matz and Tia been Knights, Guards, Mercenaries, or Adventurers, it would've been a very different story.
And the third reason, she was an Inquisitor. To be an Inquisitor, one must be intelligent enough to pass the Training Course; no amount of bribery and nepotism could make you one due to past mistakes that happened in the history of the Inquisitory Division, which greatly reduced the political power that Inquisitors used to hold within the Temple of Priests. Moreover, she was already in her late 20s and had been an Inquisitor since her late teens, making her a seasoned Inquisitor.
Clang, clang…!
Chak, chak, chak…!
Wooh, wooh, wooh, woooh!
Matz was able to swat away 2 arrows, but was stopped in his tracks after getting struck by 3 arrows on his left shoulder, forearm and leg. Meanwhile, the rest of the arrow flew past him.
Vooom!
Jamaal rushed forward with his Mana Shield imbued with [Enchant Dark] in hand.
Wooh, wooh, wooh, clang, clang…!
While running, he managed to block a few Magic Arrows shooting at him.
Wooh, wooh, wooh…!
And then rolled away to evade the arrows.
Wooh, wooh, wooh…!
"IRO-FINISH IRO-HIM!!!" Tia said while running forward and shooting arrows at Jamaal with her Mana Bow.
[Heal - Rune].
Vooom!
A faint yellow light appeared on Matz's body, healing most of his wounds, and then he continued rushing forward.
[Explosive Shield].
Booom!
The upper torso of the one-legged Poison Golem and most of the glowing green insects that Matz summoned were blown away into pieces by Jamaal.
[Poison Bomb].
A green-colored watery orb appeared on Matz's left hand and then he threw it at Jamaal as he continued rushing forward.
Woooh!
Jamaal expertly evaded the [Poison Bomb] spell as he rushed forward towards Matz.
[Power Sword].
Matz immediately thrust his Mana Sword forward the moment Jamaal entered within his attack range.
Clang!
Jamaal parried Matz's Mana Sword with his Mana Shield, causing Matz to lose his balance. Without missing a split second and without any wasted movements, Jamaal swiftly followed with an attack.
He deactivated [Mana Shield] and [Enchant Dark] as he stepped forward.
[Mana Fist].
A blue mana-colored gauntlet filled with 1-inch spikes on the knuckle area appeared over his right fist.
[Enchant Dark].
A dark and sinister aura appeared on his Mana Fist.
Chud.
Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam…!
As he started throwing punches at Matz with his right hand, specifically targeting his face, stomach and joints, his left hand held onto Matz's collar to keep him from getting blown away or falling into his knees and then slowly made its way to Matz's right shoulder with each punch until he finally had a tight grip on the shoulder.
Matz was stun-locked, unable to react properly -- there was the fear effect, there was the pain, there were his bones and joints broken, and there was his mind momentarily losing consciousness or blacking out every time his face was struck.
And every time the remaining glowing green insects tried to help Matz by attacking Jamaal's eyes, ears and mouth, Jamaal would simply drag Matz away like a ragged doll while still pummeling him with punches.
[Explosive Arrow].
Woooh!
Booom!
Mabel evaded the skill and it destroyed a lamp post.
"IRO-WHY IRO-CAN'T IRO-YOU IRO-JUST IRO-HOLD IRO-STILL?!!!" Tia shouted in annoyance.
Woooh, woooh!
And then ran away to evade the Magic Arrows that Mabel shot back.
Tia's face twisted and she gritted her teeth.
"IRO-SO IRO-ANNOYING…!!!"
Wooh, wooh, wooh!
She fired a few normal Magic Arrows at Mabel.
At this point, even if she wanted to kill Mabel, she couldn't.
If she engaged in a Mana Bow contest, Mabel would just run around and keep her distance from her while shooting normal Magic Arrows at her.
If she engaged in melee, Mabel would just keep the same tactic.
If she tries to hide, Mabel would hunt her down with normal Magic Arrows while still keeping a healthy distance.
If she uses her Lore Magic, Mabel would simply [Halo] to destroy them with a Physical Art.
And if she tries to help Matz, Mabel would just shower her with normal Magic Arrows.
In her head, only the Elemental Gods and her Ancestors knew how frustrated she was with Mabel, who wasn't fighting fair or with honor.
Woooh, wooh, woooh!
"IRO-ONCE IRO-I IRO-CATCH IRO-YOU, IRO-I'LL IRO-WHIP IRO-YOU IRO-MYSELF, IRO-LOW-BORN...!!!"
Woooh, wooh, woooh!
Vooom!
Someone suddenly appeared in the middle.
"I COMMAND EVERYONE TO STOP!!!" a male voice said.
It was Korn. His clothes were slightly torn due to a battle and he was holding a bloody and unconscious pale-skinned man with long and messy light green hair in his mid-30s on his right hand.
Tia's eyes widened and she stopped when she saw the bloody and unconscious man.
"Iro-Piet…!"
Vooom!
Jaamal appeared near Korn and he was holding Matz on his right hand, who was also all bloody and unconscious.
Mabel turned to Tia.
"Lady Tia, I suggest you surrender as well."
Tia wore a shocked and frightened expression on her face as her gaze bounced between Korn, Mabel and Jamaal, and Piet and Matz. In her head, she couldn't believe that Piet lost.
Unlike her and Matz, Piet had 4 True Magic Art Affinities - Poison, Earth, Wind and Lightning. His Physical and Magic Force were 270, way past Spirit Steel or 210 points, putting his name on the DG International Laws list. In addition to that, he also had the Warrior's passive Class Magic Spells: [Warrior's Body] that increases Physical Force by 1 Grade and increases physical stamina, [Warrior's Mind] that increases Magic Force by 1 Grade and increases mental stamina, and [Warrior's Heart] that increases Physical and Magic Force by 1 Grade, making his total Physical and Magic Force to 330 points.
Her face twisted as she stared at Korn, Mabel and Jamaal.
"Iro-The Iro-3 Iro-of Iro-you Iro-won't Iro-be Iro-leaving Iro-this Iro-town Iro-alive Iro-once Iro-the Iro-rest Iro-of Iro-our Iro-family Iro-arrives…!"
Mabel deactivated her Mana Bow.
"You 3 are the ones who refused to cooperate peacefully with an ongoing investigation of the Holy Kingdom. Do you honestly think your family would go to war with the Holy Kingdom and the entire Temple of Priests for the 3 of you?"
Thud, thud, thud…
They suddenly heard some footsteps approaching and everyone turned to the direction of where it was coming from.
It was Vivian.
When she finally arrived, she didn't say anything and simply swept her gaze around.
Mabel returned her gaze over to Tia and then made her way to her.
"Lady Tia, you, Lord Piet and Lord Matz are under arrest for refusing to cooperate peacefully with an ongoing investigation of the Holy Kingdom. I suggest you come with us peacefully to the Branch Chapter Temple or we will be forced to use the necessary measures to make you comply."
Tia deactivated her Mana Bow in defeat.
Mabel turned to Jamaal.
"High Brother Lieutenant, leave Lord Matz to High Brother Korn and please fetch us a carriage to transport the suspects. "
Jamaal nodded.
"Yes, Sister Inquisitor."
He laid Matz's bloody and unconscious body next to Korn, and then jogged away.
Mabel turned to Vivian.
"Sister, stay with High Brother Korn and help him watch over Lord Piet, Lord Matz and Lady Tia."
Vivian didn't say anything as she casually held over to where Korn was.
"I'll head over to the office to get their records," Mabel said and then made her way over to one of the ruined buildings, which was the restaurant-sauna called Burning Gem.
Thud, thud, thud…!
As Mabel was making her way to the entrance of Burning Gem, everyone heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.
When the source of the heavy footsteps finally arrived, it revealed a group of Knights, Guards, and a few volunteers of the night patrol.
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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
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