I'm really not a Sanctuary Warlock.

It took Anna a while to calm down. Lynn helped her to her feet and glanced around.

The entire central square has become a living hell.

Although Grand Duke Howard and the Bishop of the Abyss were dead, the fierce battle that had just taken place had left the refugees and rebels in the square with heavy casualties. Limbs and torsos were everywhere, and cries of agony echoed throughout the square.

In the ruins not far away, Nora, covered in blood, leaned against a broken stone pillar. She had a deep, bone-revealing wound in her chest and was barely breathing, too weak to even stand up.

Lynn's eyes turned cold.

“The casualties are too heavy; Lyra alone can’t save them all.” Lisa followed Lynn’s gaze, her voice hoarse.

"Leave it to me." Lynn took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

His sanity was currently very high, and he had just subdued something extraordinary. Although Michael was in a state of severe injury and dormancy and could not be summoned to fight, borrowing a trace of the purest divine power was effortless.

Lynn touched the soul chain that connected him to Michael in his mind.

"Buzz!"

Without warning, a blinding golden light suddenly shone across the entire city of Holy Song.

Everyone still alive in the square, whether they were wailing refugees or terrified noble soldiers, instinctively raised their heads.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a towering, six-winged archangel, hundreds of feet tall, slowly emerged from the clouds. Although it was just a phantom, and even its features were indistinct, its pure and sacred aura, surpassing all living beings, pressed down on everyone's hearts as if it were a tangible reality.

The archangel's phantom bowed slightly, and its six enormous wings suddenly spread outwards.

"boom!"

A golden rain of light descended from the sky, sprinkling across the entire central square.

The moment the light rain touched the human body, a miracle occurred.

Those deep, bone-revealing wounds began to heal, scab over, and fall off at a visible speed, with new granulation tissue rapidly growing from the rotten flesh corroded by the abyss magic. Even those who were on the verge of death from excessive blood loss instantly regained their rosy complexion and their breathing became steady and strong.

Nora's fatal chest wound healed completely in seconds under the light and rain, leaving not a single scar. She touched her chest in shock, staring blankly at the phantom in the sky.

This is not just advanced healing magic, it's a miracle of bringing the dead back to life!

The rain of light lasted for a full ten seconds, after which the phantom of the archangel in the sky vanished like a bubble, as if it had never existed.

The entire square fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone remained gazing up at the sky, their eyes filled with utter shock and awe. The next second, someone started it all, and thousands of refugees knelt down in unison, facing Lynn's direction, erupting in fervent cheers and prayers.

They didn't know what the phantom was; all they knew was that this man before them had brought divine salvation in their desperate situation.

Lynn stood there, his face slightly pale. Forcibly extracting Michael's source power had placed a tremendous burden on his sanity. But as he looked at the people around him who were quickly recovering, a satisfied smile still appeared on his lips.

Now that the show-off's over, it's time to settle the score.

The aftershocks of the miracle still reverberated in the air, and the psychological defenses of the noble private soldiers who had originally besieged the square had completely collapsed.

They watched as the lofty Bishop of the Abyss was instantly vaporized by a pillar of light, and as Grand Duke Howard was reduced to ashes. Now, they were personally bathed in this holy rain of light that brought them back to life.

What's the point of fighting? This is a force that humans simply cannot contend with!

Clang.

One of the private soldiers trembled as he released his longsword, his knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground. The crisp sound was like the toppling of dominoes. The remaining nearly a thousand defeated soldiers threw down their weapons, covered their heads with their hands, and knelt on the ground, trembling. They didn't even have the courage to run away.

Lynn gave them a cold glance, then turned to look at Sain, who had already stood up.

"Tie them all up and disarm them. Anyone who resists will be killed on the spot." Lynn's tone was calm, yet it conveyed an undeniable ruthlessness.

Sain looked at Lynn as if he were a monster. He swallowed hard and shouted, "Yes!" Then he immediately led the restored resistance fighters to gather the prisoners.

Nora, supported by Dr. Lyra, stumbled over. Her signature short, deep red hair was now covered in dust, making her look somewhat disheveled, but her eyes shone with an astonishing light.

"I thought I was going to die today." Nora looked at Lynn and gave a bitter smile. "Every time you appear, it's so loud it's unbearable for my heart to race. What... what was that just now?"

"Just a kind-hearted angel passing by," Lynn casually remarked, not dwelling on the topic. He walked up to Nora, his gaze sweeping over the spot where Grand Duke Howard had stood not far away, now only a charred mark remained.

“Let’s prepare to rebuild Holy Song City.” Lynn patted Nora on the shoulder. “The biggest problem has been solved.”

Nora followed his gaze, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes, and shook her head: "You think Howard is the mastermind behind all this?"

“Of course not.” Lynn sneered. “Although Howard is a Grand Duke, the people in the capital know very well how much power he has. Does he think he can get a level 91 Abyss Bishop to come? He’s just a stupid target that’s been pushed out to test people’s strength.”

Nora gave Lynn an approving look and nodded: "That's right. The turmoil among the nobles has not been quelled at all. The economic war you waged at the Northern Chamber of Commerce caused those old nobles to suffer heavy losses. They are now like starving wolves, desperately needing a piece of fat meat to recover."

“And the newly independent Holy Song City, controlled by commoners, is the fattest piece of meat in their eyes.” Nora took a deep breath. “Howard is just a stepping stone. What happened today is a joint attack by those nobles hiding in the shadows to strangle us. If we can’t stop them today, more troops will march into Holy Song City tomorrow.”

"Unfortunately, they've met their match." Lynn's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Even the Abyss Bishop has fallen here. Unless those old foxes have lost their minds, they definitely won't dare to make any rash moves anytime soon."

After finishing his business, Lynn turned around and walked toward Anna and Lisa, who had been standing quietly to the side.

Although the harsh winter had passed, the early spring wind still carried a biting chill. Lynn took out two thick cloaks from his spatial ring and gently draped them over Anna and Lisa's shoulders, then helped Anna fasten the collar.

"Are you cold? Is anything bothering you?" Lynn looked at Anna, his tone full of undisguised concern, a stark contrast to the coldness he displayed when analyzing the situation earlier.

Anna shook her head, her golden eyes fixed on Lynn as if afraid he would disappear in the blink of an eye. "I'm fine. My sanity has fully recovered."

She paused, her gaze falling on the several marks on Lynn's wrist that, though healed, were still visible, and her eyes suddenly tightened.

"What exactly happened to you in the royal city?" Anna's voice trembled slightly. "How did the royal family manage to let you come back?"

Lisa stepped forward as well, showing great concern.

Seeing the two of them so nervous, Lynn felt a warm current flow through his heart. He smiled, reached out and ruffled Lisa's hair, causing the nun to flinch uncomfortably.

"Don't be nervous, I didn't suffer any losses." Lynn casually glossed over the inappropriate exchanges in the palace dungeon and went straight to the point.

He turned his head and looked at Nora, who was eavesdropping.

“I was able to come back because I made a deal with the Queen Mother.” Lynn looked at Nora and said calmly, “I told her that I could help her quell the unrest in Holy Song City and bring the city back under the control of the royal family.”

The air around them fell silent the moment those words were spoken.

Nora's pupils contracted sharply, and she instinctively took a half step back, looking at Lynn warily.

Anna and Lisa, however, remained steadfast and stood firmly by Lynn's side. They knew Lynn well and knew he would never betray his friends.

“So…” Nora stared intently into Lynn’s eyes, her voice hoarse, “you’ve returned this time with the Empress Dowager’s secret orders to take us under your control?”

Lynn looked at Nora's alarmed expression and suddenly burst out laughing.

"Take you in?" Lynn shook his head, a hint of extreme contempt flashing in his eyes. "What is the Empress Dowager? Does she think she's worthy of me working for her?"

"Then what did you just say..." Nora was a little confused by Lynn's attitude.

“When I said I would help her pacify Holy Song City, I was just kidding.” Lynn shrugged, his tone as casual as if he were discussing tonight’s menu. “If I hadn’t said that, how could she have willingly let me go?”

Nora stared wide-eyed at Lynn as if he were a madman: "Are you crazy? You dare to lie to Enochia? Do you know how ruthless that woman is? Do you really think she didn't have a backup plan when she let you come back?"

“Of course she had a backup plan.” Lynn sneered. “She told me that if I dared to take the things and not do the job, or try to run away with you, she would send Annihilation to hunt me down to the ends of the earth.”

Upon hearing the word "annihilation," Nora gasped, her face turning deathly pale.

As the leader of the resistance, she knew all too well what that name represented.

Lynn's smile deepened as he looked at Nora with a confident glint in his eyes.

“If Annihilation really dares to come,” Lynn said, emphasizing each word with no hint of joking, “I guarantee he’ll have a good experience.”

With Michael, a genuine level 99 archangel, as his trump card, Lynn is now fearless. Although Michael is currently seriously injured, given time to recover, or if Lynn recklessly squeezes his essence, killing a kingdom guardian who is also suppressed to level 99 by the rules would be a piece of cake.

Nora looked into Lynn's calm eyes, swallowed hard, and her intuition told her that Lynn was not lying.

"Okay, I believe you." Nora took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "What about the capital? Weren't you supposed to be escorting that girl named Alice? Did you leave her there?"

Lynn's eyes darkened slightly at the mention of Alice.

“Alice is currently imprisoned on the top floor of the Royal Mage Tower.” Lynn sighed and analyzed rationally, “The defense system there is so strong that even a fly couldn’t get in. I’ve already pushed myself to the limit by getting out this time, and there’s no way I could take her with me.”

“However, the Empress Dowager was right about one thing.” Lynn raised his head and looked towards the direction of the royal city. “At this critical juncture, it is safer for Alice to stay in the palace than to be outside.”

Alice possesses the bloodline of an immortal being and the newly awakened power of the earth's veins. If she were to fall into the wrong hands, she would undoubtedly be devoured alive by those greedy old nobles. Meanwhile, within the palace, the Queen Mother, in order to consolidate her rule, uses Alice as a crucial bargaining chip, even hoping that she will bear an heir for the royal family.

As long as Alice still has any use, the Empress Dowager will never let her die.

“Once we have complete control of Holy Song City, eliminated the surrounding threats, and have enough leverage…” A cold glint flashed in Lynn’s eyes, “I will personally go to the royal city and bring her back.”

Night was falling.

The post-war recovery efforts were proceeding smoothly. Refugees spontaneously cleared the ruins in the square, and the campfires were relit. Despite having survived a life-or-death ordeal, everyone's face was filled with hope for the future.

Lynn stood alone at the edge of the square, looking at the busy and vibrant scene before her, and her tense nerves finally found a real moment of relief.

"What are you thinking about?" Anna walked up to him without him noticing, holding two cups of hot tea, and handed one to Lynn.

"I'm thinking about where our future lies." Lynn took the hot tea and took a sip.

Anna smiled slightly, said nothing, and simply stood quietly beside him, enjoying this rare moment of peace.