Looking at her mangled shoulder, Irina gritted her teeth and lunged forward, continuing her frantic escape. But her speed had slowed significantly.

  The man in black sneered with triumph. He urged his subordinates to pick up the pace, his hands glowing with spirituality as he continuously hurled spells toward Irina’s retreating back. Another muffled grunt followed as a blast connected, sending Irina tumbling across the dirt once more.

  She tried to push herself up, but a mouthful of fresh blood escaped her lips instead. After several failed attempts to rise, a flicker of despair crossed her beautiful eyes. Is this where it ends? But the message... it hasn't reached home yet.

  As the pursuers closed in, her expression turned bitter, followed by a mocking laugh that only caused more blood to spill. The Captain’s face paled as he realized what she was doing. "Dammit! She’s sacrificing herself! Stop her! Break the ritual!"

  Spells rained down on Irina’s fragile frame, blowing her across the ground like a tattered rag. When she finally came to a stop and looked up at the Captain, her voice was raspy but full of scorn. "Too late."

  The Captain glared at the "Remnant" lying before him. Even now, her face remained hidden behind a persistent mist. "You filthy rats in the gutters," he hissed. "One day, I will drag every single one of you out and exterminate you."

  Irina let out a cold, dismissive snort. She lay there quietly, feeling her body and soul being consumed by the shadows bit by bit. Tiny motes of light began to drift out of her skin as her form grew increasingly translucent.

  Suddenly, another figure shrouded in mist tore through the forest with desperate speed. Irina caught a glimpse through the corner of her eye. Surprise flickered within her, followed by a spark of hope. Maybe the message can reach the clan after all...

  Eros arrived to see Irina’s dissipating form, and a wave of sorrowful rage washed over him. He had pushed his spirituality to the breaking point, drawing heavily on Barbara’s power to get here, but was he still too late?

  The Church squad looked at the new arrival with predatory delight. "Another one!" the Captain shouted. "This bounty alone will be enough to get us all promoted!"

  "We have to be careful this time," a subordinate added eagerly. "Don't let this one sacrifice himself like the other."

  They prepared to strike immediately. Across from them, Eros’s lips thinned into a hard line. "I suddenly feel like killing people," he whispered.

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  "Then kill them," Barbara replied, her voice as calm as a frozen lake.

  Eros often wondered: his family had never committed any heinous crimes. On the contrary, they governed their territory with kindness and were loved by their people. Yet, such a family was forced to live like hunted animals, facing annihilation the moment they were exposed.

  "I guess the world doesn't show mercy just because you're kind," Eros muttered with a self-deprecating laugh. His eyes turned into icy voids. Having made his choice, he would no longer hesitate.

  As the first wave of spells flew toward him, Eros lowered his gaze and spoke in a soft, lethal tone: "[Moon of Judgment]!"

  As the final word left his lips, the massive moon in the firmament seemed to plummet toward the earth. The Church squad watched in sheer horror as a gargantuan, silver-white lunar wheel materialized above them, crushing down with the weight of the heavens.

  They abandoned their attacks, scattering in a frantic attempt to escape. But it was futile. The lunar wheel descended with irresistible majesty, grinding the entire squad into fine dust in an instant. A massive crater was carved into the earth, leaving only the ground beneath Irina untouched.

  In that moment, Eros felt a weight lift from his spirit, as if a shackle had shattered. He looked at his hands. "Is this what killing feels like? So be it."

  Back in his past life and under the gentle atmosphere of his current family, he had always been repulsed by the idea of murder. But seeing Irina’s state and recalling the millennia of persecution his kin had endured, his killing intent had become uncontrollable. Some problems, he realized, could only be solved through death.

  He blurred across the clearing to Irina’s side. Looking at her fading body, his voice trembled. "I'm sorry... I came too late."

  Irina’s pale face shifted from relief to terror the moment she heard his voice. She hadn't expected the "reinforcement" to be Eros. She yanked a necklace from her throat and shoved it into his hand, her voice frantic. "Forget about me! Run! You have to leave, now!"

  Her death didn't matter, but Eros was the most talented Warlock the clan had seen in centuries. He had been baptized by a Great One and chosen by the Ancestor’s Artifact. The elders believed he was the key to the family's rise. The clan could not survive the blow of losing him.

  "It's okay," Eros comforted her softly. "The other Church squads are still some distance away."

  He tucked the necklace away and lifted Irina into his arms, racing toward the heart of the forest. Behind him, the [Eternal Sleep Moon]—now returned to its miniature crescent form—floated lazily in his wake. It was this artifact that had allowed him to erase a whole squad so effortlessly. Even a fragment of a Divine Tool was beyond the comprehension of low-sequence mortals.

  As he ran, Eros asked urgently, Barbara, how do I save her?

  "There is a way," Barbara replied. "Use that Divine Art from before. It can interrupt the sacrifice and restore the parts of her soul that have already been offered."

  Eros leaped onto the massive branch of a sprawling ancient tree. He tapped the trunk, and vibrant green energy seeped into the wood. Instantly, foliage grew at an unnatural speed, weaving a dense cocoon of leaves that blocked all outside sight.

  He laid Irina gently on the thick branch. Just as he prepared to invoke the Divine Art, Barbara’s voice rang out in warning:

  "You can save her, but don't forget the backlash. Using a Divine Art will leave you vulnerable, and there are many more Church squads searching this area..."