I'm really not a Sanctuary Warlock.

"So, this is the final plan."

Nora pointed to the map, making her final summary.

"Miss Eve will be heading to the central square alone to seek an opportunity to assassinate Abyss Bishop Karthus and another priest of unknown rank."

“Miss Anna and Mr. Lynn, you two will be paired up and responsible for taking out the other two Abyss Priests whose levels are known.”

“As for me,” Nora pointed to herself, “I will lead all the warriors of Burning Fire to stand by in the sewers. Once your decapitation strike is successful, we will immediately launch a general offensive from all exits, take over the city, and rescue the imprisoned civilians.”

The plan is clear and well-defined, and the division of labor is reasonable.

However, at that moment, a discordant voice broke in.

"And me?"

The conference room door was pushed open a crack at some point, and Lisa's head peeked out from behind it.

"Your Highness, I want to go too."

Anna turned around and looked at her loyal nun, a gentle look in her eyes.

"Lisa, you stay."

"Why?" Lisa asked anxiously, quickly walking up to Anna. "Although my strength is far inferior to yours, it's more than enough to deal with those grunts."

"That's precisely why I need you to stay."

Anna reached out and gently straightened Lisa's slightly disheveled collar.

“Our stronghold, and the hundreds of unarmed civilians here, need someone to protect them. You are the most suitable person for this task.”

"Lisa, protecting them is the greatest help you can give me."

Anna's words silenced all of Lisa's thoughts, and she finally lowered her head.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Despite her deep reluctance, her absolute loyalty to Anna compelled her to accept the order.

She stepped aside, but her eyes, fixed on Lynn, were filled with a complex meaning, as if to say:

"Protect her."

Lynn understood her gaze and nodded solemnly to her.

The meeting has now concluded.

Nora immediately went to gather the warriors who had been fighting and to give them a pre-battle pep talk.

Eve didn't greet anyone; her figure vanished as if into the shadows of the corner.

Only Lynn and Anna remained in the small conference room.

The ambiguity and awkwardness that had been forcibly suppressed during the tactical discussion returned silently, like vines creeping around them once more.

The air itself seemed to have turned fiery hot.

Anna lowered her head, pretending to tidy up the stones representing enemies on the map, but her slightly trembling fingertips betrayed her inner turmoil.

Lynn looked at her like this and felt both annoyed and amused.

He took a step forward and walked to her side.

"don’t worry."

Lynn's voice was very low.

"I will always be by your side."

These simple words were like a warm current, instantly melting away all the tension and unease in Anna's heart.

She didn't speak, but nodded vigorously.

Night was falling.

In the sewers of Holy Song City, Lynn and Anna stealthily made their way into the city shrouded in darkness.

Chapter 143 The Struggle of a Trapped Beast

Night enveloped the entire city of Holy Song.

Based on the maps and intelligence provided by Nora, their first target was an abandoned ancient gladiatorial arena located in the eastern part of the city.

It was once the most famous entertainment venue in Holy Song City, but now it has been transformed by the Abyss Order into one of the four core nodes supporting the obelisk, guarded by an Abyss Priest of level 61.

After walking for about half an hour, Anna suddenly stopped.

"arrive."

She pointed to a circular exit blocked by an iron fence in front of her.

Lynn looked outside.

Outside was a desolate open space, and at the end of the open space, a magnificent circular building lay quietly under the night sky.

That was their goal—the Hymn Arena.

Lynn silently severed the chains of the fence using his Wind Blade technique.

The two emerged from the sewers one after the other, their figures disappearing into the shadows of the building like ghosts, and made their way toward the arena's entrance.

To their surprise, the area around the arena was eerily quiet, with not a single cult guard patrolling the area.

The main gate, made of black iron, was ajar, as if inviting them inside.

“A trap.” Lynn made the judgment almost immediately.

“I know,” Anna said coldly. “But since he wants us to go in, let’s go in and see what he’s prepared.”

The two exchanged a glance, then without further hesitation, pushed open the heavy iron door, one on the left and one on the right.

"Squeak-"

Behind the door was a wide, circular corridor, with an extinguished torch placed at intervals along the walls. The air was thick with the stench of blood and wild animals, making one feel physically uncomfortable.

On both sides of the corridor were animal pens sealed with huge iron bars, and it was so dark inside that nothing could be seen.

They didn't linger in the corridor, but walked straight towards the entrance to the audience seating area inside the arena.

When the two stepped onto the stone-paved stands, the sight before them made Lynn's pupils shrink slightly.

The entire arena was even larger than it appeared from the outside.

Below was a vast sandy area large enough to accommodate thousands of people fighting at the same time, while all around were spectator seats that resembled mountains.

This place is large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of spectators.

One can imagine how noisy and crazy this place must have been before it was abandoned.

But at this moment, the place is deathly silent.

Just as Lynn's gaze swept across the entire arena, trying to find the figure of the Abyss Priest.

"Boom—"

The main gate they came through, as well as all the exits leading to the outside world, were completely sealed off at the same time.

"Shh! Shh! Shh!"

The next second, all the torches on the wall lit up at the same time, and the raging flames instantly rose up, illuminating the entire dim arena as bright as day.

This sudden turn of events caused Lynn and Anna to stop in their tracks and look around warily.

"Crack, crack, crack..."

A clear round of applause rang out from the highest platform in the arena.

The two looked up and saw a man dressed in the black priest's robes of the Abyss Order standing there, looking down at them with a mocking smile on his face.

"Welcome, welcome to our two guests who have come from afar."

The man's voice carried a morbid excitement.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Kazan, and I am the owner of this place."

"I've been waiting for you for a long time," Kazan said, spreading his arms wide in an exaggerated tone.

"Ever since the city lord's manor was destroyed, I've been wondering what kind of warrior would dare to challenge our great Abyss Order."

Kazan's gaze roamed over Anna with unbridled blasphemy and greed.

"What a pity, such a pure body, will soon be torn to pieces by my pets on this filthy sand."

Anna's eyes were cold. She ignored the other person's foul language and simply said, "Have you finished spouting your nonsense?"

"Hahaha." Kazan seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. "He's about to die, and he's still so arrogant."

"However, I like it."

He abruptly changed the subject and snapped his fingers.

"Since you're in such a hurry, let's officially begin our game."

With his snap of his fingers, huge magical light screens suddenly appeared in the air above the arena.

Within the light screen were rows of narrow iron cages.

In each iron cage, a terrified civilian from Holy Song City was imprisoned—men, women, and even infants still in swaddling clothes.

“Look, this is the audience I’ve prepared for you.” Kazan’s voice was filled with malicious laughter.

"A total of one hundred and thirty-one, no more and no less."

"They will have the privilege of witnessing your deaths."

Lynn clenched his fist at that moment.

"Alright, my two main characters," Kazan's voice rang out again. "Please go to the center of the stage. My actors are eager to take the stage."

Lynn and Anna exchanged a glance, both seeing an uncontrollable killing intent in each other's eyes.

But for now, they have no other choice.

Without uttering a word, the two leaped from the high stands and landed lightly on the sand below.

They walked to the center of the arena and stood still.

A dozen or so huge iron gates surrounding the sand dunes slowly rose at the same time.

Countless monsters, like a black tide, surged out from behind the door.

There were demonic wolves with bared fangs, lizards covered in thick scales, and manticores wielding enormous pincers...

Their eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty red light as they stared at Lynn and Anna in the center of the arena.

"Oh, right."

Just as Lynn was about to summon the Sirens and use [Song of the Seas] to wipe out all these scum, Kazan's demonic voice echoed from the platform once again.

"Before we begin, I must remind you of something."

"The lives of each of my little darlings are inextricably linked to one of our viewers."

"If my pet dies..."

Kazan's smile grew increasingly cruel.

"Then, the audience members corresponding to it will also explode into a dazzling burst of blood at the same time."

"Therefore, you two should think carefully before you take action."

These words instantly extinguished Lynn's fighting spirit.

He suddenly raised his head, and the [Eye of Truth] in his left eye activated.

In his vision, a faint blood-red thread extended from the body of each monster that rushed out of the pen.

And the other end of these threads is precisely connected to the heart of an innocent civilian.

This is... life sharing?

Lynn's heart sank to the bottom in an instant.

He used the [Appraisal] skill to quickly scan the charging monsters.

Their levels weren't high, mostly between level 30 and 40. With his and Anna's strength, dealing with them should have been a piece of cake.