A horde ofsphinx creatures surged forward like a tidal wave, threatening to engulf the quartet. Reverend Tyr, sensing the dire situation, let out a thunderous roar. Clutching his holy emblem tightly, he pounded the ground with a fist. The earth quaked violently, sending shockwaves rippling outward from Reverend Tyr like concentric circles on water. Dozens of tornadoes suddenly appeared, swirling and intersecting, hurling all thesphinx creatures, both illusions and real, flying in all directions.

  "Go!" Reverend Tyr shouted. The God of Justice often answered a priest's prayers by granting particularly powerful divine spells. These spells varied in effect, but their core essence was self-sacrifice, a last resort. Once Reverend Tyr used this spell, there was no surviving it.

  Mavis glanced at Reverend Tyr, nodded slightly, and blew a whistle by putting her fingers in her mouth. Several horses galloped in from the distant street, their mounts.

  Mavis and the other two Lansender priests swung onto their horses and rode off at full speed. Reverend Tyr, left behind, watched his companions depart as blood gushed from his orifices. He collapsed to the ground.

  With the priest's death, the quaking ceased, and the tornadoes vanished, but his sacrifice had bought his companions a chance to break through. Thesphinx creatures near the tornadoes were flung away, leaving only a few at a distance untouched, who dared not approach for the moment. Mavis and the other two mounted their horses and could have left the city immediately. Despite having four legs, thesphinx creatures could not match the speed of the horses.

  Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple.

  Just as Mavis and the others were about to ride out of the square, a blazing inferno erupted before them, with flames leaping into the sky, scorching the heavens and burning the sun, resembling a fiery hell.

  "It's an illusion!"Leoric, hiding not far away, realized instantly. The flames, though intense, lacked substance and realism, clearly simulated by magic.

  Mavis and the others could see through it too, but the problem was that their horses couldn't. Neighing in terror, the three horses reared up on their hind legs, halting abruptly before the sea of fire. No matter how their riders urged them, they refused to step into the flames. In the distance, Karina laughed, and thesphinx creatures gave chase once more.

  The flames roared ever more fiercely, though they emitted no heat and caused no direct harm, they successfully intimidated the horses of Mavis and the others. Thesphinx creatures howled and closed in again. There were still about twenty of them, and the female knight and her companions were exhausted.

  Tannas, the red-haired priest, dismounted and pulled out the package from his back again. Unwrapping it, he revealed a transparent sphere glowing with a rose-colored light in the sunset. Holding the sphere in both hands, he aimed it at the advancingsphinx creatures.

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  "Lord of Dawn, Lord of the Morning, Ruler of Light and Spring, grant us..."

  Before he could finish the long prayer, his voice abruptly cut off. A curved, snake-like dagger flew through the air and pierced his throat, silencing his words.

  Though lifeless, his body remained stiffly upright, still holding the sphere. Asphinx creature rushed forward to grab it, but as soon as its hand touched the sphere, it screamed, convulsed, and collapsed into a pile of ash.

  Apparently, not just anyone could touch the sphere.

  Tannas's assistant, another Lansender priest, yanked his horse's reins and rushed forward to reclaim the sphere, but by then, the main force of thesphinx creatures had already surged in. In an instant, both he and his horse were swallowed by the wave ofsphinx creatures.

  The rose-colored transparent sphere fell to the ground. Learning from the previous incident, none of thesphinx creatures dared to touch it, keeping their distance. Karina swayed her snake tail and approached gracefully. She raised her staff, from which several black tendrils extended like vines, grasping the sphere and lifting it into the air.

  "The Dawn Stone," she examined it, smiling without surprise, as if she had known all along.

  Mavis was also surrounded bysphinx creatures. Her horse lay gravely injured on the ground, barely alive. Wielding her silver sword, Mavis tried to fight her way out, but she was clearly very tired. In the midst of the melee, her helmet was knocked off, revealing her short, blonde hair. Her face was covered in sweat, her chest heaved, and her breathing was audible.

  Despite being in a desperate situation, her face remained indifferent, showing no signs of tension, fear, or panic. Gripping the massive silver sword with both hands, she swung it horizontally and vertically, each strike direct and unadorned. The silver sword glowed with a holy white light, dazzling but gradually dimming.

  She couldn't hold on much longer.

  Thesphinx creatures, obviously aware of this, weren't in a hurry to attack. Instead, they besieged her, probing cautiously, advancing slightly and then retreating, wearing down Mavis's stamina. This tactic was effective.

  Mavis's breathing grew heavier, her energy nearly depleted. Even as a chosen one, a powerful paladin capable of defeating bone worms with a single strike, she couldn't withstand so many enemies. Most of thesphinx creatures were naked, but as half-human, half-Leoric monsters, they possessed brute strength and were formidable opponents.

  The sun slowly set, leaving a last trace of red on the horizon. The temperature in the desert dropped abruptly, and the wind turned chilly. Leaning on her silver sword, Mavis panted and looked up at the western sky, her face still calm.

  So, this was where she would perish today.

  Thesphinx creatures cautiously tightened their encirclement, fearing it might be a trick, but seeing Mavis standing still, they grew bolder, straightening up to launch their final attack.

  But at that moment, beside Mavis, the air rippled, and a hand emerged. Then, a whole person materialized from the air—a young human man in a black wizard's robe, holding a scroll of parchment in his left hand. It wasLeoric.

  Thesphinx creatures hesitated, unsure when this human had sneaked in. However, it didn't matter; he had walked into their trap voluntarily, seeking his own doom. A low growl rose in their throats as they wielded their curved blades, preparing to charge.

  But their opponent moved faster.

  Leoric unrolled the parchment in his left hand and quickly and clearly read the incantation on it. As the last character glowed red and vanished from the parchment, a silver portal opened beforeLeoric. Thesphinx creatures ran from all directions, andLeoric grabbed Mavis's arm, stepping into the portal. The black void flickered slightly, then completely engulfed their forms