Chapter 101: Flames of War, Blood in the Village

Boom!... Boom!...

The thunderous explosions echoed endlessly.

At this moment, the usually quiet and small village of Hage was engulfed in smoke and chaos, accompanied by the arrogant shouts of invading enemies.

"Kill! Steal the money, take the food, and grab the pretty nuns!"

Blood splattered everywhere as cries of terror and agony filled the air.

Yet amid the desperation, there were still those unwilling to accept their cruel fate and chose to resist.

"Father, quickly lead the villagers to escape toward the Demon God's Remains. That direction leads into the forest—it's harder for the enemies to find you there!"

"But what about you, Sister Lily? You can't stay behind!"

The priest frowned and shook his head. How could he let a woman remain in danger?

"There's no time to argue—go now!"

[Water Creation Magic — Holy Water Shield!]

Magic surged, and a shimmering blue barrier rose up, blocking several incoming fireballs.

At the village entrance, even the priest, unwilling to leave, was forcibly dragged away by panicked villagers toward the forest near the Demon God's Remains.

"I wonder... will I ever see Asta and Yuno again?"

As she watched the villagers disappear into the distance, Sister Lily sighed in her heart.

She knew exactly what staying behind meant.

Although as a nun she wasn't weak—she was a mid-tier mage—her opponents were not just one or two people.

She didn't know why the Diamond Kingdom chose now to launch a surprise attack.

But she had no path of retreat. She had to stand and face what was coming.

"Oho? A nun?"

"Pretty too. That face would look good in the old boss's collection."

"Wife material? Don't you know clergy aren't allowed to marry?"

"So I'll just enjoy her without marrying. No rule broken!"

"Heh, fair point!"

Within moments, over a dozen Diamond Kingdom mages surrounded Sister Lily from all sides.

Their expressions were lecherous and full of malice.

More enemies were arriving as they finished dealing with the other fleeing villagers.

Not all of them had bad intentions, but in the heat of battle, mob mentality took over—and none minded joining the "fun."

"Disgusting..."

[Water Creation Magic — Raging Dragon Torrent!]

Their vile eyes made Lily sick. Magic surged again, and a swirling dragon of water roared forth.

But in front of dozens of mages, the spell barely caused a stir.

"Nice, not bad! Got any more tricks? Keep going, don't stop!"

Each enemy mage had a magic shield raised, laughing mockingly, completely unconcerned.

They weren't in a rush to defeat her. Instead, they enjoyed watching her lose hope—bit by bit—before they would ravage her.

Just imagining it excited them.

[Water Creation Magic — Water Blades!]

[Water Creation Magic — Multi-Arrow Stream!]

[Water Creation Magic — ...]

Spell after spell flew, until two-thirds of her mana was drained—yet it was all in vain.

She couldn't run. She couldn't win.

As she looked around at her hopeless situation, her thoughts turned to the fate that awaited her...

"What's wrong? Out of magic? Don't give up now!"

"Yeah, keep struggling. I love feisty ones..."

Their mocking voices pierced her ears as she steeled herself.

Lily poured the last of her mana into one final spell. A small orb of water condensed in her hand.

[Water Creation Magic — Thousand-Petal Rainfall!]

Whoosh!

She tossed the water orb high into the air. As if released from her control, it exploded.

Countless raindrops fell like blades, stabbing downward with lethal precision.

This was an area-of-effect spell. It attacked everyone within range—foe or friend, including the caster.

"I may not be able to defeat you... but I can at least choose my own death."

She closed her eyes and smiled softly. To die protecting others—she had no regrets.

Bang!

Bang!

Yet seconds passed... and nothing struck her.

She opened her eyes—only to be stunned by the sight.

The thugs who had been surrounding and taunting her—every single one—were now lying lifeless on the ground.

Each body bore wounds consistent with her Thousand-Petal Rainfall spell.

"Since when... was I this powerful?"

Wide-eyed, Lily couldn't believe it.

These were dozens of mages—none of her earlier spells had even scratched them.

Yet her final, desperate spell had killed them all? And she was unharmed?

"Your courage is admirable. But now isn't the time for you to return to the embrace of the gods."

She turned toward the voice, startled.

There, sitting atop the chapel roof, was a young man—handsome, calm, and composed.

But that wasn't what shocked her.

What stunned her was the realization: he was the one who had taken down all those enemies.

"Dawnlight's 10th Squad Captain—Ethan. You're Sister Lily, right? Asta talks about you all the time."

Landing gracefully, Ethan introduced himself.

He had to admit—Asta had good taste.

Sister Lily was not only beautiful, but also had a kind, selfless heart.

After all, not everyone had the courage to stay behind while sending others to safety.

"Ethan...? You're Ethan?!"

Lily's eyes widened in disbelief.

She had seen him once, during the grimoire ceremony at the tower—he was the famous wielder of two four-leaf clover grimoires, the brightest star of that day.

But now, only a year or so later, he looked completely transformed—like he had undergone a total makeover.

Ethan glanced at the corpses and asked,

"Can you tell me what happened here? Why did the Diamond Kingdom suddenly attack?"

"I don't know. We had just finished eating when they attacked," Lily replied, shaking her head.

But Ethan's brows furrowed as he turned his gaze to the distant horizon.

Far away, just like in Hage, thick smoke was rising across the land.

That... was his old home—Cachi Village.

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