Chapter 18: Luring the Enemy In, A New Achievement Reward

“Hold on!”

“Our comrades are right behind us!”

“We must not let the ghouls advance even half a step!”

Liz roared.

The holy sword swept out a radiant arc, cleaving the onrushing ghoul into ashes.

However—

Her arms had gone numb with exhaustion, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

The fierce and continuous battle had gradually drained her strength.

Even with the warmth of the Holy Light supporting her, she could hardly hold on any longer.

Every person’s spirit had its limits, and even the Holy Light was not omnipotent.

Ulf barely hacked down another ghoul, panting heavily.

He shouted in near despair, “There are too many, Lady Liz! We can’t kill them all! There’s no end to them!”

How many ghouls was this terrifying Lich actually commanding?

A thousand? Two thousand? Three thousand?

Could it be that the true culprit who destroyed Florence Territory… was this Lich?!

At that moment—

An even more dreadful thing happened.

The range of the Holy Light’s protection was shrinking!

From its original kilometer-wide radius, it slowly contracted to eight hundred meters… then five hundred…

“Oh, Lord! Lady Liz! The Holy Light… the Holy Light is weakening!”

Siance was the first to notice.

He stumbled backward in terror, shouting in alarm.

Liz’s expression changed as well. She parried a blow with her sword and looked toward the church.

Sure enough—

The once-brilliant glow from the cross atop the spire was rapidly dimming, flickering on and off.

“Has the power of the Angel exhausted itself…?”

Liz’s heart wavered slightly, but she forced herself to stay calm and barked, “Don’t panic! Stay steady! The Angel must have His own plan!”

“We’ll fall back gradually with the shrinking range of the Holy Light! No one is allowed to give up!!”

As the radius of the Holy Light’s protection receded, they retreated back to the town’s houses.

The remaining men took up weapons and joined the fight.

As for the elderly, women, and children, they had long hidden inside the safest place—the church.

From afar—

Floating at the very edge of the shrinking light, the Lich’s shriveled face finally revealed a smile.

“The Holy Light is weakening at last.”

“Kekeke~ As expected, it’s merely the residual power of a sacred relic—about to run dry, isn’t it?”

“Lowly creatures, your protection is vanishing! Prepare to become flesh and blood for my army!”

Under the Lich’s command—

The ghoul horde attacked with renewed frenzy.

Liz and the others fell back step by step, retreating to the very stairs before the church doors.

“What do we do?! We can’t hold them much longer!”

Ulf roared, his axe feeling heavier with each swing.

Meanwhile, Colin and several new refugees—

Hid just inside the church entrance, peering nervously through the cracks.

“So this… this is the power of a Lich? It’s terrifying!”

“Can we… really survive this?”

Colin’s eyes were wide, his palms drenched in sweat as he murmured.

But no one answered him.

The women and children around him bowed their heads in devout prayer.

They firmly believed that the Angel who guarded this place—

Would once again vanquish evil—

And grant them hope to live on!

At that very moment—

Lynn continued to narrow the Holy Light’s range.

Two hundred meters… one hundred… fifty…

The Holy Radiance indicator on the panel dropped slowly.

It was, without a doubt, a deliberate illusion of depletion he had crafted.

“Come on then…”

“Step fully into the heart of my domain!”

Lynn locked his senses firmly onto the Lich, waiting for the perfect moment.

Finally—

The Lich moved.

Its staff struck the ground with a shrill, ear-piercing scream.

“Devour them! The Holy Light can no longer protect them!”

The ghouls surged forward like a boiling tide.

The Lich itself floated closer, completely entering Lynn’s spiritual perception—

Until it was just fifty meters away from the church.

“Now!”

Lynn roared silently in his heart.

He unleashed Holy Radiance without restraint, flooding it into a massive surge of Holy Light.

In that instant—

The cross atop the church spire erupted with an unprecedented burst of dazzling golden brilliance!

The entire battlefield was illuminated as bright as day.

“What?!”

“A… a trap?!”

The Lich’s soul fire trembled violently—realizing it had been deceived.

It panicked.

It tried to flee backward—but it was far too late!

A sacred, four-winged angelic phantom had already manifested above the church.

Golden armor shimmered; radiant feathers spread wide.

The angel’s face, both majestic and merciful, was indistinct—yet enough to stir awe and reverence.

Raising one hand—

The angel gathered Holy Light into a bow, the arrow blazing like the rising sun.

“Defiler of the Sanctuary—unto you I grant… Oblivion!”

The divine voice resounded directly in every soul, solemn and thunderous.

Liz dropped to one knee, planting Durandal into the ground for support.

“The Angel has descended…”

Tears welled in her eyes—mingling with blood and sweat.

“No!”

“Impossible!”

“How can angels truly exist?!”

“Ahhhh! I refuse to believe this!!!”

“This world belongs to our Undead Scourge!!!”

The Lich screamed in terror, waving its skeletal staff in futile resistance.

But the arrow of light had already left the string.

Time seemed to stop.

A beam of pure golden light tore through the air—

And pierced straight through the Lich’s chest!

There was no room to resist.

“No—!”

“I… I can’t accept this…”

The Lich’s scream cut off abruptly.

Its withered body disintegrated from the point of impact, turning to ash as its ghostly green soul fire winked out.

The ghouls, now without their master, let out horrified shrieks—

Terrified of that sacred, transcendent phantom as though before their natural nemesis.

They scattered at once, fleeing into the forest.

The once-chaotic battlefield fell completely silent.

Only the faint breeze blew by, carrying the thick scent of scorched ash.

“We… won?”

Ulf was the first to break the silence.

He touched his wounds in disbelief—only to find them healed within the lingering glow of Holy Light.

David collapsed to the ground, gasping. “The Angel—He… He destroyed the Lich in a single strike!”

Colin couldn’t help but push open the church doors and stumble outside.

His glasses slipped off, but he didn’t even notice.

His eyes locked on the radiant figure.

“A miracle…”

“A true miracle!”

Colin fell to his knees with a thud, voice choked with emotion. “I—I, Colin Gilbert, swear to serve You for life and guard this Sanctuary!”

His companions—

Especially the man McKinley—

Immediately followed, trembling as they knelt, faces filled with awe and fervor.

They had been wrong—

Terribly wrong!

They should never have gone to that cursed camp!

They should have come here—

To this great Sanctuary under divine protection!

Liz slowly rose, her expression filled with reverence.

“Praise the Angel! Praise the Almighty Lord!”

She raised the Holy Sword high, her hoarse cry unwavering.

The crowd followed in exultation—tears and laughter mingling as one.

……

Within Lynn’s consciousness—

The system prompt sounded once more.

【Host successfully defended the Sanctuary, annihilated the undead Lich, and routed a horde of over a thousand ghouls.】

【Achievement obtained: Eternal Sanctuary (Primary).】

【Reward granted: The Canon of Grace.】

【The Canon of Grace: A new Divine Art. Allows the selection of a devout believer to receive the Priest vocation, unlocking the extraordinary path of Light.】

A new extraordinary path?

Lynn, who had just exhaled in relief, instantly became intrigued.

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