I Think I Can Still Be Saved

The volume adjustment of the Phantasmal Sound ability could be dialed up or down—down to complete silence, though amplification had its limits.

After all, this was an ability under the Authority of Concealment, not something specifically designed for sound amplification.

However, the Church of Suffering's white tower was a circular structure naturally suited to capturing sound, multiplying its acoustic force exponentially in such an enclosed environment.

The semicircular canals of ordinary people couldn't withstand such a shock at all. They collapsed to the floor on the spot; though they did not lose consciousness, the world spun around them, rendering them utterly incapable of standing.

In an instant, all the ordinary people—including the Princess, her maid, and the church's nursing staff—lay sprawled across the floor. Only the Soul Severers remained standing, rubbing their ears thanks to their superior physical constitution.

The citizens still surging at the entrance were momentarily stunned by the scene inside and hesitated at the doorway. Right then, Officer Natalie reacted.

Having braved life and death together numerous times, their tacit understanding had long formed naturally. She instantly activated Escape, an ability under the Authority of Protection, materializing directly at the main entrance.

“None may enter through this door. Hereby, the law is enacted.”

The decree took effect once more, driving the panicked crowd outside to back away. The female officer seized the chance to shut the heavy double doors and slam the massive bolt firmly into place.

Only then did the fallen civilians regain their sense of balance and groggily scramble back to their feet. After being knocked down, their earlier frenzy and reckless impulse had cooled slightly; though panic still lingered, they no longer charged at the Princess's defensive perimeter.

A crowd of mid-tier experts had been present, yet two low-tier practitioners were the ones who solved the crisis. Lynch wasn't surprised in the slightest by this outcome.

With his ever-deepening grasp of authorities, he had realized that mid-tier and high-tier powerhouses were merely superior in pure combat strength, not necessarily in problem-solving versatility.

Of course, if one acted without restraint, eliminating everyone in the room would also solve the problem. But when everyone was constrained by circumstances—as they had just been—a weaker ability could produce miraculous results if used properly.

“Escort Her Highness upstairs first.”

The church leadership finally stepped forward to take control of the situation. A middle-aged woman stood on the staircase, calling out loudly:

“All other wounded are to remain downstairs! We will treat everyone in order of the severity of your injuries. Please remain seated calmly where you are in the hall and do not wander. Believers of Suffering will arrange seating for everyone, so please follow their instructions.”

“Citizens, please do not panic.” The maid, Fia, had already helped Princess Sophia to her feet. The two betrayed no trace of their earlier ungraceful fall, standing with composed dignity before the public as Fia spoke on Her Highness's behalf. “It is completely safe here. Her Highness remains in this cathedral with all of you and will not abandon anyone. Please follow the instructions of the church's holy ones.”

Under the combined authority of royal and divine power, the frantic crowd finally settled down and sat in place. Baron Boivar immediately directed his men in black to escort the Princess and her maid separately, moving toward the staircase to head upstairs.

With the crisis resolved, everyone's taut nerves relaxed. The men in black shielded the Princess from the bystanders with their bodies, routing around several motionless figures lying on the floor whose fates were unknown...

Right then, Lynch's nerves suddenly clenched. His sharp mystery intuition warned him that some mysterious filth was undergoing a quiet transformation.

No! Something was about to happen.

Every pore on his body tightened. Lynch whipped his head around, looking in the direction indicated by his intuition.

Among more than a dozen people, Lynch immediately spotted a man. Under the shadow of his brim, the corners of his mouth curled into an eerie smile.

“Watch out!”

Bang.

Simultaneous with Lynch's cry came a muffled pop—the smiling man's head abruptly exploded like a water melon.

A high-ranking mid-tier expert of the church withdrew her finger. Without a shred of hesitation, she had merely pointed from afar, and the suspicious man's head burst on the spot, his limp body slumping to the ground.

Yet at the exact moment the high-ranking elder struck to kill, the corpse the Princess's entourage happened to be passing had already quietly bloated. In the blink of an eye, it swelled into a grotesque mass and detonated with a deafening blast.

A tremendous concussive wave swept outwards, carrying fragments of flesh and bone. Numerous nearby civilians were hurled through the air, while the guards in black were thrown off balance, their defensive formation instantly collapsing into chaos.

“Protect the Princess!”

Someone shouted, triggering an instinct etched deep into the guards' souls. The dozen or so blown-apart guards scrambled up in an instant, immediately surging toward the Princess to encircle her. They stacked layer upon layer of bodies to seal off every angle, leaving not a single gap.

Yet the warning from Lynch's mystery intuition did not subside; instead, it intensified exponentially, causing his entire brain to throb with piercing agony like needle pricks.

No, they've been duped.

Lynch abruptly realized the direst issue. Before he could even think, he directly activated Arcana: Flash.

At that very instant, a faint, shadowy figure materialized beside the guards. Appearing right before the maid Fia—who had been left exposed because the guards focused entirely on protecting their royal master—the assassin raised a dagger and thrust it down with all his might.

Fia's eyes widened in sheer shock. Her body failed to keep up with her brain's reflexes, leaving her frozen where she stood, watching a streak of dark light flash as the dagger closed in.

The sound of tearing flesh rang out. The dagger sank in up to the hilt, spraying blood in all directions.

Yet that familiar sound brought no joy to the shadowy figure. His eyes filled with utter astonishment as he stared forward in disbelief.

Lynch had Flashed directly in front of the maid, using his body to shield Fia. The dagger plunged into Lynch's chest, piercing through his ribcage into where his heart should be.

How did he... The sheer shock caused the assailant's movement to pause for a fraction of a second.

At the exact moment the blade pierced his chest, Lynch had already thrust his cane forward.

Another blossom of blood burst forth.

The serrated sword drove straight through the assailant's throat. One gripping his dagger tightly, the other clutching his cane with a death grip, the two weapons skewered the two men together, binding them as one.

The assailant's eyes bulged as he glared fixedly at Lynch, a gurgling rattle escaping his throat, while Lynch also looked down at his pierced right chest, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Pfft.

The assailant jerked backward violently, wrenching free from the cane sword lodged in his throat while simultaneously tearing the dagger out of Lynch's chest.

The blocked blood finally gushed out, filling the air with the rustling hiss of spraying arterial fluid.

Clutching his throat, the assailant stumbled back several paces and collapsed onto his back, his eyes wide open in unyielding death.

Lynch, too, seemed to lose all strength and collapsed limp to the floor.

“Quickly, escort them upstairs!” Baron Boivar's anxious urging sounded from nearby. “Kill anyone who dares approach on sight!”

However, Lynch had no energy left to dwell on that. All he could feel was... Damn, this wound hurts like hell.

Amidst two gasped cries, Officer Natalie and Miss Valente rushed over desperately. Both were seasoned and understood the nature of Lynch's wound all too well.

With a heart pierced clean through, death would arrive in moments; saving him was already impossible.

“Don't close your eyes! Keep them open!”

Her eyes bloodshot, Miss Valente pressed down hard on Lynch's chest, the faint glow of her authority shimmering as she prepared to activate a healing ability.

Yet the next moment, she saw his closed eyes snap open.

“I think I can still be saved.”