It seems that apart from the first time she met Mark, when she had a particular urge to judge and sentence him, she has never felt that way again!

Kyle's expression didn't change much.

He had already asked his teacher about Mark's unusual behavior.

The teacher sitting under the statue at that time simply smiled and said to him, "Light encompasses all beings, and all beings can become light."

Although he didn't understand what the teacher meant, since both the teacher and senior Alfonso had accepted the members of Mark's team, he was still in a good mood.

That proves that Mark's team is not heretical.

Of course, he didn't specifically tell Ruby about these things.

But after hearing what the elves said, Ruby's wavering lasted only a moment before being replaced by an even stronger will to protect her own.

She recalled the meaningful look in Commander Alfonso's eyes, and the unusual "direct" assignment the commander had given to Mark's squad.

"They are peripheral trainee members of my Thirteenth Holy Knights Order!" Ruby's voice was resolute and unquestionable. "Regardless of their strength, as long as they haven't been officially declared heretics by the Church, they are under the protection of the Holy Knights Order! As for the internal affairs of your Elven Royal Court..."

She stepped forward, and the blazing fire magic resonated instantly with Kyle's steady holy light, creating a powerful sense of oppression.

"If anything happens within human territory or a buffer zone that threatens members of my church, the Holy Light has the right to intervene! If you want to arrest someone, you'll have to ask the Holy Light in our hands first!"

"Stubborn to the end!" The leading elven messenger had completely lost his patience.

A burst of emerald light erupted, and her two companions behind her stepped forward at the same time. Three powerful streams of natural magic converged like raging waves, transforming into a tangible pressure that slammed into Mark and Enzo, who were blocking Anna's way, as well as the Kyle Squad, who were on high alert!

Their goal is very clear.

Force your way through and capture Anna!

"Holy Light is my shield!"

"Blazing flames are my sword!"

Kyle and Ruby's voices rang out simultaneously, perfectly in sync!

The two instantly resonated with each other again, and Kyle's Holy Light Barrier suddenly expanded, like a golden wall blocking the way for Mark's team.

Ruby's flails transformed into a roaring fire dragon, coiling around her and meeting the elven messenger's immense natural magic.

The holy flames and the emerald light collided violently, producing a piercing hissing sound and an explosion of energy annihilation!

boom--!!

A violent energy shockwave swept across the surroundings once again, churning the mud and snapping dead trees.

Kyle and Ruby were both jolted back a step, their faces slightly pale.

The combined power of the three elf messengers far surpasses that of the withered tree shaman!

Even though they were using the Holy Light Resonance skill, they seemed to be slightly inferior to each other.

Perhaps they really are no match for these three elves!

However, just as the elf messenger's eyes hardened and she was about to launch a more ferocious attack, her cold face suddenly froze!

Beneath the hood, those sharp eyes suddenly turned towards the southwest of the swamp!

In her perception, a vast and pure aura of holy light, carrying an unstoppable momentum, was tearing through space at an incredible speed and rapidly approaching this battlefield!

The power was so strong that even she felt a sense of threat!

It's a familiar scent!

"That is..."

The other two elf messengers also clearly sensed it at the same time, and for the first time, their faces showed expressions of surprise and uncertainty.

"Alfonso Lin... what is he doing here?!"

The lead elven messenger's voice carried a hint of disbelief and apprehension.

She quickly glanced at Anna, who was protected behind the Holy Light Barrier and still being held tightly by Mark and Enzo.

He glanced again at the direction of the rapidly approaching, terrifying aura of holy light that seemed capable of purifying everything.

"Let's go!" she decided immediately, without the slightest hesitation.

Three figures, like streaks of light blending into the night, retreated into the depths of the dense forest in an instant, their speed so fast that they left only faint afterimages in place.

The chilling voice, like a curse, echoed clearly from the darkness, reverberating in everyone's ears:

"The royal court's pursuit will never end! We don't believe Alfonso will stay in this filthy swamp forever! Anna Elderlingvale, you can't escape!"

...

The smoke of battle from the Deadwood Tribe was swallowed up by the damp, cold mist of the swamp, but the shadow of death brought by the Elven Royal Court pursuers weighed heavily on the hearts of the two squads like a leech.

As for the six gray-clad men who had somehow resurrected and quietly escaped before the elves retreated, Mark and his companions paid them no heed.

After a brief discussion, Mark's team withdrew first, returning to the blacksmith shop in the Black Street, which reeked of rust and coal smoke, with news of the mission's failure.

“Blessed by the Holy Light, the mission is difficult. Those green-skinned orcs were intercepted by the Church of the Holy Light.” Mark wore that standard charlatan’s smile, as if he were genuinely regretting it, but his fingertips deftly flicked out a small bag of heavy gold coins. “According to your rules, one thousand gold coins, map mana replenishment.”

Old, lame Buck greedily scanned the money bag with his cloudy, one-eyed gaze, snorted a foul breath, and didn't ask a single question.

He made no attempt to criticize the contradiction in Mark's words.

Anyway, he's not in charge of any tasks, so he's happier than anyone else to get money.

With a limp, he skillfully placed the animal hide map, which emanated a faint magical energy, onto the stone platform. A flash of gray light appeared, and the previously blurry outlines of the areas on the map became clearer.

Several new faint points of light, representing small-scale conflicts and resource points, have emerged.

Of course, this was just a mana replenishment, and the map was still the lowest level map, so Mark and his team could only get limited information from it.

"Here you go. Next time, bring either money or credit! But I can tell you, since people from the Church of Holy Light stole your quest items, the previous quest will definitely be upgraded. As long as you can complete it, the subsequent rewards will also be upgraded!"

Buck tossed the map back, his tone carrying a hint of persuasion.

Mark put away the map, his smile unchanged: "With the guidance of the Holy Light, let's wish ourselves good luck next time."

The four-person team quickly merged into the filthy crowd of the dark street without stopping for a moment.

The map access bought with gold coins is just the first step; the real trouble is yet to come from the depths of the swamp.

They hurried through the swampy wilderness filled with decaying leaves and miasma, avoiding main roads, and eventually met up with Kyle's squad, who were camped on a relatively dry high ground in the wild.

The campfire crackled, dispelling some of the chill and dampness, but it couldn't dispel the solemnity on everyone's faces.

“The recap is clear,” Kyle said, poking at the fire with a branch. His calm voice was particularly clear in the silence. “Those three hunters from the Elven Court were not scared away by us. It was the approaching presence of Captain Alfonso in the swamp that forced them to retreat temporarily.”

Ruby sat next to Kyle, hugging her knees, her wine-red eyes reflecting the flames, carrying a hint of frustrated irritation.

"Even the imposing presence of a regimental commander is enough to scare them away... All of us combined are probably nothing more than stronger insects in their eyes."