The fairy maid cheers for her deceased master today.

Unlike the front, the back door of the Miracle Workshop connects to a small alley.

This is also the route the assassin took.

At this moment, the thick fog from the pea soup resembled a soaked shroud, enveloping every brick and stone in the alley.

Assassin Number Four made his way out the back door, sliding along the wall. His half-burnt dark cloak blended into the mist, leaving only his sharp eyes gleaming with a venomous light in the darkness.

He listened intently; the heavy footsteps of the Templars echoed through the alley, the scraping of metal armor sounding particularly jarring in the thick fog.

There were footsteps not only behind me, but also in front of me.

The Templars had long since laid a trap.

"Damn it!" the fourth assassin cursed under his breath, his fingers quickly reaching for the hidden compartment at his waist—where three smoke grenades and a poison syringe were concealed.

He remembered the structure of the back alley of the workshop. On the left was a drainage ditch covered with moss, and above it was an abandoned drainage pipe. From there, one could suddenly climb to a high place, which was an escape route that could easily bypass the Templars' blockade.

A metallic clanging sound suddenly came from the milky white fog, and Assassin Number Four immediately ducked.

The Templar Knights' silver armor gleamed faintly in the mist, like a moving lighthouse.

Number Four gritted his teeth. Those damned Templar Knights, once they get serious, will be blessed with powerful magic by the priests.

With such enhancements, even assassins would find it difficult to harm him.

He could only hold his breath and move silently along the base of the wall like a cat at night.

"Over there!"

Suddenly, a Templar Knight's roar pierced the fog, making Assassin Number Four's eardrums vibrate.

Even though I was still in the thick fog, my location was locked!

Assassin Number Four's heart pounded like a drum as he suddenly threw out a smoke bomb.

Bang! Black smoke instantly billowed out, like spilled ink, instantly obscuring the surrounding view.

But Assassin Number Four realized something was wrong. The black smoke was a different color from the white smoke, which was more likely to give him away.

Fortunately, he had already reached the edge of the escape route.

Number Four seized the opportunity to roll to the side of the drainage ditch, grabbed the vertical drainage pipe with both hands, and silently climbed upwards.

"Don't let him get away!" Pastor Ian's voice followed immediately.

A gentle yet inviolable holy light pierced through the black smoke.

However, the area where the light shone was empty.

Assassin Number Four had climbed to a high place, jumped over the wall, and landed in another courtyard.

Number Four could hear the Templars' shouts fading into the distance outside the wall, and he secretly rejoiced. If he could just hide for a little while and avoid the Templars' pursuit, he could escape safely.

Number Four sneered and continued walking forward in the fog, trying to find a suitable hiding place in the courtyard.

But the next second—

boom!

He ran straight into a "wall".

An ice wall.

Behind the ice wall, Sir Axe Moore stood there, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

He wore an elegant black coat, his blond hair shimmering in the mist, a faint smile playing on his lips, and his deep eyes held no surprise, only a calm understanding of everything.

The fairy maid hid behind him, her blue eyes glaring fiercely at him.

Number Four immediately realized that he was still under the other party's control.

Anger arose from within.

"Die!" the fourth assassin roared, drawing a poisoned short sword from his waist. He circled around the ice wall and thrust it toward Ex's throat with the speed of a viper's tongue.

This gentleman actually dared to stand empty-handed in front of me!

He must pay the price!

But X didn't even blink. He raised his right hand, pointing it at the assassin as if it were a gun. A faint light, a mixture of frost and thorns, burst forth from his fingertips—a magical harbinger of the icy, thorny air bullets.

【Frosty Thorns Air Bullet (Level 1), Effect: When using your hand as a gun, you can fire frost thorn bullets; upon hitting an enemy, the target will be continuously subjected to a slight slowdown and intermittent slight paralysis.】

X: "Bang!"

There were no gunshots, only the explosive sound of air being violently compressed.

A spiraling bullet, composed of frost and thorns, shot from X's fingertip, tracing a ghostly blue path through the mist, carrying a chilling aura. Assassin Number Four felt a jolt in his chest, as if struck by a battering ram, flying backward and crashing heavily against the workshop wall with a dull thud.

"Ugh!"

The assassin screamed as the poisoned sword flew from his hand and clattered to the ground.

He struggled to stand up, but the frost spread rapidly across his chest, and the toxins seeped into his limbs, causing excruciating pain with every movement.

X approached slowly, each step making a steady sound, as if stepping on the killer's heartbeat.

"You've come to kill me, haven't you?" Ex's voice was terrifyingly calm, utterly devoid of emotion. "Who is your employer?"

Axe didn't ask who their target was. Their target could only be themselves.

Assassin Number Four sneered, a resolute glint in his eyes. His lips moved, but he didn't utter a single word.

"Sir, I'm here...grab him!"

The voice of Pastor Ian came from behind the wall.

The wall cracked open, and a Templar Knight smashed through a gap and stepped in. This terrifying power secretly alarmed X.

Fortunately, he had concealed his identity as a dead man well... otherwise, facing a Templar Knight like that, a Templar Knight blessed by a priest, would have had no chance of winning at all.

After the Templars cleared the way, they immediately moved aside.

With an undeniable air of authority, Pastor Ian entered, carrying a silver cross, followed by Templar Knights and fairies.

Two Templar Knights immediately stepped forward. One used his heavy shield to pin the assassin down, while the other struck his leg bone with the hilt of his sword. Crack! The sound of bones breaking was particularly jarring in the mist, like the snapping of dry branches in winter.

"Ah!" Killer Number Four let out a painful howl. His legs had completely lost their ability to move. His body was curled up on the ground, his forehead covered with cold sweat, which mixed with the water droplets condensed from the mist and slid down his cheeks.

The Templars skillfully dragged the assassin up, bound his hands with ropes soaked in holy water, and prepared to take him back to the Holy Order for interrogation.

Their movements were both professional and full of religious ritual, with each step following ancient norms.

Pastor Ian told the knights to stop what they were doing.

The knights then held the assassin down and made him kneel on the ground.

Then Ian walked up to the assassins and calmly asked, "Who sent you? What conspiracy are you plotting?"

Assassin Number Four raised his head, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes, a sinister smile playing on his lips. He didn't answer the priest's question, but stared intently at him, his eyes filled with madness.

You will never get the answer.

The fourth assassin suddenly grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

Reverend Ian frowned immediately. Years of experience in religious trials made him sense something was wrong, but before he could react, the seemingly weak and bound assassin number four suddenly sprang into action!

Yes, the killer's hands and feet were immobilized.

But his mouth can still move.

He opened his mouth, and the small poison arrow mechanism inside his oral cavity was activated, firing a poison arrow.

The movement was quick and well-concealed.

"Watch out!" a Templar Knight shouted, trying to rush forward to stop him, but the assassin was too fast and it was too late.

But Reverend Ian remained unmoved.

The silver cross in his hand instantly burst forth with dazzling golden holy light, and a transparent barrier of holy light unfolded in front of him, like a solid crystal wall, radiating a warm and powerful force.

The poisoned arrow was melted by the holy light, turning into a puddle of black smoke.

Assassin Number Four's entire body was also scorched by the holy light, emitting a "sizzling" sound and puffs of black smoke, with the air filled with the smell of burnt flesh.

Assassin Number Four stared ahead in disbelief. A wave of pain washed over him, nearly causing him to faint.

He looked up at Pastor Ian, whose eyes were calm and compassionate, without a trace of murderous intent, yet they filled him with a deep sense of despair.

This is the Holy Way Society...

This is a priest of the Holy Church, a real priest...

Behind Pastor Ian, his contracted fairy proudly raised its little head.

Number Four understood that at this moment, he could not break through this sacred barrier, nor could he escape the Templar Knights' encirclement—they had him completely surrounded.

A Templar Knight, enraged, slammed him to the ground. The holy light emanating from his armor rendered him immobile.

Assassin Number Four's eyes shifted from madness to deathly stillness. He knew he had no chance left; whether he could escape or complete his mission, it was all in vain.

He closed his mouth and bit open the venom sac hidden between his teeth—his last resort, which he had prepared long ago. Black venom instantly filled his mouth, carrying a bitter taste and burning his throat.

Reverend Ian sensed something and tried to stop it, but it was too late. He reached out to grab the assassin's shoulder, but the assassin could no longer see anything.

Pastor Ian sighed deeply, his voice filled with regret.

"You could have been saved!"

The Templars released their grip, and Assassin Number Four immediately collapsed to the ground, his body twitching one last time before going completely still.

His eyes remained open, staring intently at the misty sky, as if mocking everyone's futility, or as if waiting for something.

Reverend Ian shook his head and looked at Ex.

"Let's go back. This time, we're afraid we'll gain nothing."

"Indeed, nothing was gained."

Ex squinted.

"However... now that we've completely torn off the mask, I don't need to hold back anymore."