They are all characters I control.

Even if they could defeat the Scarlet Witch and her allies now, Eleanor would still be hunted down by the church knights.

Unless, of course, 'Eleanor' kills everyone in front of her, which would be a good option.

Chapter 137 The Honest Claire ( )

It's perfectly understandable that Claire wanted to run away.

He had no feelings for the church knights; the person who was on good terms with these knights was Eleanor herself, not him, the evil emperor imprisoned in the church dungeon.

Claire had no other thoughts besides wanting to retain the body of 'Eleanor'.

Therefore, running away is the simplest option; there's no need to fight these heretics here.

Claire naturally wouldn't agree to Mel's sarcastic suggestion.

"Kill everyone?" Claire glanced at Mel. "You certainly know how to come up with ideas. You want me to eat the Philosopher's Stone and transform in front of Knight Commander Will and the Church Knights?"

"Then I'll be socially dead, and the church will hunt me down no matter where I go, right?"

"Wouldn't you be happy to see me kill everyone? I haven't forgotten that you were partly responsible for the ambush of Commander Will."

"But in the end, you weren't the one who fought against Knight Commander Will. You were just helping me make the bait, right?"

If Claire hadn't controlled Eleanor's body, Eleanor wouldn't have survived.

Logically, Mel shouldn't have been discovered, and no one should have known of Mel's existence.

Mel didn't reply. She could tell that this cold-blooded 'Eleanor,' though sharp-tongued, was much more clear-headed than her.

“What are your plans?” Mel asked.

Claire did not answer immediately.

Claire's gaze swept across the battlefield, where Knight Commander Will was leaning against the wall.

Karl and the traitors stood not far away, not continuing their attack, but simply surrounding them, waiting for the poison in Knight Commander Will's body to slowly take effect.

The Scarlet Witch was still sitting on that windowsill, swinging her legs back and forth, watching this side with great interest.

"Save them first," Claire said. "Evacuate to the mine tunnels. You lead the way."

"Save someone?" Mel's eyes widened slightly.

She had assumed that the cold-hearted 'Eleanor' would simply lead the church knights to retreat into the mine.

“That’s right, I am a church knight.” Claire said seriously, “Besides, I can’t escape alone, I need the assistance of church knights.”

The second half is the truth, right? Abandoning the other church knights would only be a waste of combat power.

Once the other church knights are dead, Claire will be hunted down even if she escapes the town.

Besides, Claire had reasons to ensure the survival of as many church knights and Knight Commander Will as possible.

Mel paused for a moment: "What's your plan? Are you still going to rescue Commander Will?"

Claire turned around, tossed Mel onto her back, and charged toward Knight Commander Will.

“I am a church knight,” Claire said solemnly, her expression flawless.

"Shut up, hold me tight."

Claire was so fast that the heretics who were besieging the other knights didn't even have time to react.

One sword, one kill.

Two swords, two swords.

He was like a sharp blade, cutting a bloody path through the infidels.

"Keep up!" Claire yelled.

The church knights who had been following him perked up at the news. Was this vice-captain finally about to unleash his power again?

Watching 'Eleanor' charge towards Knight Commander Will, the morale of the church knights soared.

With Claire leading the way, and church knights assisting her from the sides and behind, Claire reached Knight Commander Will in less than half a minute.

Will was leaning against the wall, his face pale, his lips purple, trembling as he looked at 'Eleanor' who had come to his rescue.

Two church knights immediately stepped forward to shield him with their shields, and Knight Commander Will called out to Claire (Eleanor).

"Vice-Captain Eleanor, you don't need to..."

Before Sir Will could finish speaking, Claire waved for the church knights to drag Sir Will away.

"Take him with you and retreat eastward. There's a mine over there, and the exit from here is through the mine tunnel."

"No! I won't leave, I can stay here..."

With the help of two church knights, Knight Commander Will struggled to his feet. Now that he knew the other side's target was him, fleeing with them would only attract the pursuit of the heretics.

Besides, he already had little fighting ability left, and being a burden that would drag everyone down and make them hunted down was obviously not a good choice.

At this moment, Claire did not look at the knight commander, but spoke to the church knights beside her.

"He's not dead yet. If we delay any longer, he'll really die. Take him away, drag him away."

This was due to Eleanor's resolute command, her camaraderie with Knight Commander Will, and the moral high ground of the church knights.

Without further hesitation, the two knights grabbed Knight Commander Will from either side and dragged him away.

Claire turned to face the infidels who were reorganizing their attack.

The other church knights also came up to cooperate.

For a time, the heretics had no way to catch up with him, let alone stop Knight Commander Will.

"waste."

A deep voice came from the side.

Claire tilted her head.

Karl was walking out of the crowd, sword in hand, his face expressionless.

“Lieutenant Eleanor,” Karl’s voice was calm, “put down your weapon, and I can let you die a quick death.”

Claire looked at him and uttered a sentence.

"Who do you think you are? How dare you say such a thing? What kind of nobody would you throw around like that?"

Carlton was suddenly red-hot. Eleanor would never have been so rude to him under normal circumstances.

Although Eleanor is the vice-captain, Karl is also the second-in-command of Knight Commander Will.

In terms of rank or prestige, Cal is no less than Eleanor.

"Looks like you're courting death!"

Karl moved.

His speed was astonishing; the blade drew a silvery-white arc in the air, aiming straight for Claire's throat.

This is a full-force attack.

They didn't hold back.

Claire dodged to the side and swung her sword at Karl's ribs.

Karl sheathed his sword to parry, and the two swords clashed, sending sparks flying.

The two clashed on the narrow street, their swords flashing and the sounds of metal clashing densely like rain.

Five swords.

Ten swords.

Twenty swords.

Karl's swordsmanship was indeed superb; every strike was swift and ruthless. It must be said that Karl was truly deserving of the title of Knight Commander Will's second-in-command.

The other church knights tried to help Claire, but they were of little use and instead lost several lives.

Seeing how difficult Carl was to deal with, Claire suddenly prayed.

"Let the goddess punish you, you traitor!"

The mental magic [Elementary - Whispers of Pain] was activated in conjunction with her seemingly prayerful words.

Karl froze instantly, his face contorted in pain.

Claire's knight's sword suddenly accelerated and thrust out from an incredible angle.

Originally, he intended to kill Karl directly, but Karl had already reacted and dodged to the side.

The knight's sword pierced Karl's arm, and Claire, seeing this, turned and left without lingering.

“Oh? I’ve found an interesting toy.” The Scarlet Witch sat on the windowsill, swinging her bare feet as she watched Claire (Eleanor)’s figure and sniffed.

"Why does this female knight exude such a mesmerizing aura? It's almost like a large chunk of 'primordial blood'?"

Chapter 138 Flowers That Are Too Alluring Are Poisonous

The Scarlet Witch's voice wasn't loud, but Claire and Mel, who had been paying close attention to her, heard it clearly.

“Mel, this guy has a keen nose; he’s already sniffed out what’s on you.”

Claire didn't turn around, but quickened her pace.

"Me? You mean me?" Mel asked, lying on Eleanor's back, somewhat puzzled.

She personally felt that the Scarlet Witch should be referring to the "Eleanor" who had been created by drinking the "Philosopher's Stone" potion.

"Should I consider throwing you down? Maybe you can be cannon fodder." Claire still felt that it was Mel's 'primordial blood' that had been exposed.

His words were partly true and partly false.

However, this was not funny to Mel.

"If you dare to leave me behind, I'll tell the Scarlet Witch everything. If I'm not doing well, then you won't be either. We'll both be doomed!"

Mel reached out and grabbed the guy's hair tightly, while wrapping one arm around his neck.

To be honest, the cold-blooded Eleanor in front of me, embodied by the Philosopher's Stone potion, might actually do just that.

When it comes to ruthlessness, Mel has no doubt about Eleanor.

"Really? Then never mind." Claire jokingly took back what she had just said.

But in reality, by this time it had become clear that it was unlikely that Mel and Scarlet Witch were colluding.

Within the 'Church of Life,' it's probably quite dangerous among members of high status, as they likely see each other as valuable prospective material.

Although Claire had no interest in the 'Church of Life', she couldn't help but become somewhat interested because the 'Church of Life' regarded her as its 'Son of God'.

"You have absolutely no sense of trust!" Mel was still complaining.

"To trust people like you is tantamount to courting death."

Claire's retort left Mel speechless for a moment.

She could only hope that Claire and the church knights could make a safe retreat.

But the Scarlet Witch clearly wasn't going to let him leave so easily.

"Stop him." Her voice came from behind, languid and nonchalant: "Don't let him get away."

The heretics swarmed toward Claire and the wounded and poisoned Knight Commander Will, their attacks never ceasing.

The church knights and Claire killed one, then two more surged up; they killed two more, then four more surged up.

"So annoying."

Claire raised her hand and released the [Intermediate Burst Rune - Black Smoke].

Thick black smoke exploded in the street, instantly engulfing the surrounding heretics.

"Cough cough—! I can't see!"

Where is she?!

"Don't run around! Stay still!"

Claire burst out of the black smoke and continued running eastward, releasing holy light from her body as she did so.