"Child, listen to me."

Archbishop Maurice patted the teenager’s shoulder and comforted him:

"The Holy See does not indiscriminately kill the innocent... The ones we are hunting down are those scum who use Necromancy School spells to do evil, desecrate corpses, and have their hands covered in blood. Someone like you... uh, we won’t do anything to you."

"We will send someone to escort you out of Paris. If you are willing, we can even recommend you to join a regular mage organization to continue your studies."

Father Francisco, listening from the side and looking at this underage necromancer’s nervous expression, also made a "half" joke, which was rare for him: "Kid, if you’re willing to give up that necromancy of yours, turn to believe in our Lord, and come to our Order of the Holy Sword to be an apprentice deacon, it’s not impossible... We provide food and lodging, the meals are much better than when you were a hedge mage."

The teenager looked at them blankly, seemingly unable to believe his ears.

After confirming that his life was not in danger for the time being, his emotions finally stabilized.

Seeing this, Archbishop Maurice took the opportunity to ask this rare "living witness" about the situation inside the city of Paris.

"Child, while you were wandering around the city these past few days, did you see anything strange? Or... meet other mages of the Necromancy School?"

Mentioning this, the teenager seemed to recall something, and his face paled a few notches.

"Yes... My teacher and I actually met several necromancers before... but I always felt they were all crazy..." the underage necromancer said somewhat fearfully.

"When we met briefly, they were all saying that there was treasure in the great catacombs under Paris, and an inheritance left by an ancient Necromancy School archmage."

"They all burrowed inside... but many people went in and never came out again."

"My teacher originally wanted to take me too, but he felt it was too dangerous there, so he declined the others’ invitations."

"A-and these past few days, I could feel the negative energy in the city getting thicker and thicker. It also provides a huge buff when preparing and casting spells related to negative energy! But I knew that shouldn’t be a natural phenomenon..."

The underage necromancer used his meager vocabulary to try to describe his feelings.

But these words made the expressions of Father Francisco and Archbishop Maurice instantly become extremely serious.

Necromancers entering the catacombs in large numbers?

The negative energy is indeed rising rapidly?

So the Holy See’s purification unit working here for half a day was basically like wiping dust off the surface of a continuously inflating balloon?

Some bad memories instantly flashed through Archbishop Maurice’s mind.

That was during the fiercest part of the Battle of Paris, when he followed Morin and the others on that armored train, charging all the way to the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

He had seen with his own eyes how that activated catacomb turned the entire Paris into a paradise for the undead.

Could it be... that nightmare was about to repeat itself?

"Francisco, something major might be happening." Archbishop Maurice’s voice carried a trace of gravity.

Francisco also thought of a few days ago, right here, when he met Major Nicolai and that overly young Saxon Lieutenant Colonel.

That well-equipped, murderous Saxon unit secretly entered the blockaded zone of Paris, yet the mission details were top secret.

Could there be any connection between these two things?

"Purification unit, assemble everyone!"

Francisco suddenly turned around and loudly ordered an armed deacon acting as a messenger behind him: "Enter the highest state of combat readiness!"

"Your Eminence the Archbishop, please go contact the Saxons immediately!" Francisco looked at the Archbishop, "Using your identity to communicate will have a better effect. Please tell them there are anomalies underground in Paris! And also ask them what the hell they are doing here!"

"Alright!"

Archbishop Maurice didn’t hesitate at all. He immediately turned and strode toward the communications tent on the other side of the square.

The radio battalion of the Holy See’s purification unit was there, and they could contact the Saxons.

Although it was a religious army, in fact, in many aspects, the Holy See’s troops were not much different from other secular troops, continuously upgrading various equipment and organizations.

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the underground research institute, in the Monitoring and Command Center.

"Alright, everyone, let’s move!"

Following Morin’s order, the soldiers of the 1st Company of the instruction unit moved quickly. Their heavy military boots stepped on the metal floor, making a series of dense "clack-clack" sounds.

They did not panic at all due to the suddenly appearing "mission time limit." Their movements were crisp and clean, their tactical literacy fully displayed at this moment.

Even Heinrich on the side couldn’t help but click his tongue in wonder, remarking that the instruction unit was different from all the troops he had seen before.

It wasn’t just equipment and tactical movements.

More importantly, it was the temperament... or rather, the aura was completely different.

Morin took the lead, bringing the combat engineers and flamethrower teams to the heavy airtight quarantine door.

As the men in the regiment who could take the most beating, their task was to act as the arrowhead of the entire team, the first batch to rush out and scout the situation outside the door.

Master Haber and those few Section III intelligence personnel were arranged in the middle of the formation, closely protected by a large number of veterans.

And the most important target of this operation—Victor von Heinrich—enjoyed the highest level of treatment.

Two Section III intelligence personnel possessing combat skills "supported" him from left and right. That posture was less protection and more custody.

The old mage didn’t express any opinion on this, just curled his lips, looking like he was letting them manipulate him.

The 1st Company Commander, Kahn, took the remaining soldiers and was responsible for bringing up the rear.

"Sir, we are completely blind to the outside. The area the periscope at the door can see is actually quite limited. Wouldn’t it be too risky to just charge out like this?"

Before preparing to breach, Kahn quickly came to Morin’s side and lowered his voice:

"What if those ’Sentinels’ outside are waiting for us nearby?"

This question was also a worry in everyone’s heart.

The Monitoring and Command Center was completely isolated from the outside world. Although they could see the scene in the practical combat testing area, they knew nothing about the corridor outside the door.

Morin’s system map also couldn’t display the situation in the corridor because there was no line of sight.

He currently only knew there was a batch of "Sentinels" active in the practical combat testing area.

"So we can only assume there might be enemies ambushing nearby." Morin patted Kahn’s shoulder, his expression serious, "Preparing for the worst is never wrong."

"Have everyone get ready to breach. Once the door opens, don’t hesitate, just charge out first! If there are any abnormal situations, you can empty a magazine first. In short, I will find a way to establish a temporary safe zone outside the door, and then the main force will follow up."

"Understood!"

Kahn nodded, turned, and went to pass on the orders.

Morin took a deep breath, actually feeling unsure in his heart.

Although Heinrich swore that those out-of-control "Sentinels" wouldn’t attack here due to the restrictions of their "underlying logic"...

But god knows if that so-called "underlying logic" Heinrich spoke of was reliable.

What if those monsters were blocking the door nearby, waiting for them to open the door and deliver themselves to their deaths?

But there was no turning back now. Time waits for no man; they could only deal with whatever came their way.

"Prepare to open the door!"

Morin made a hand gesture to the soldiers at the door.

Two soldiers worked together and began to turn the massive mechanical wheel lock on the door.

"Creak—"

The ear-piercing metallic friction sound rang out again, seeming exceptionally long in the tense air.

Everyone held their breath, dozens of dark muzzles aiming in unison at that about-to-open door crack.

The door crack widened bit by bit.

One inch, two inches...

Dim yellow light filtered in from outside the door, dispelling a small patch of darkness behind it.

However, the anticipated hail of bullets and roars did not appear.

Outside the door, it was deathly silent.

Kahn and the soldiers at the door exchanged glances, both seeing a trace of doubt in each other’s eyes.

"Safe?"

"Seems so..."

"Don’t be careless!" Morin’s voice came from behind, "Keep opening it!"

The main door was completely pushed open.

Outside the door was an empty and dim corridor, exactly the same as when they came in.

The magitech lamps on the walls had re-lit after the backup power was activated. On the floor, besides the footprints they left themselves, no other traces could be seen.

Those out-of-control Sentinels seemed to really not be ambushing nearby.

"Thank goodness, we weren’t blocked at this position..." Kahn breathed a sigh of relief and muttered softly.

"Don’t relax your vigilance!"

Morin shouted lowly toward the back and was the first to walk out of the door:

"Combat engineers, follow me! The rest, maintain combat formation!"

"Yes!"

Several combat engineers wearing enchanted breastplates immediately followed up. Holding MP14 submachine guns, they formed a compact assault team, vigilantly scanning both ends of the corridor.

Immediately after, the main force also quickly poured out from the Monitoring Center.

Heinrich, "surrounded" by Master Haber and the Section III intelligence personnel, also walked out slowly.

He glanced at the empty corridor, a trace of smugness flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"I told you, they wouldn’t attack here." The old mage said in a neither loud nor soft voice, as if showing off his foresight.

Morin couldn’t be bothered with him; now was not the time to bicker.

"Target, Area D Finished Product Warehouse! Act according to plan, go go go!"

Under Morin’s command, the team didn’t stop but immediately formed a combat formation and, following the planned route, moved quickly toward the "Finished Product Warehouse."

Or rather, in this circular passage, there were actually only two directions to choose from: left or right.

Spatially and structurally, this circular passage was not narrow, whether in width, height, or total length, and could even be called spacious.

But at this moment, it felt exceptionally oppressive to everyone.

In the areas the magitech lamps couldn’t illuminate, the darkness seemed to have a life of its own, seeping out from every corner of the corridor, swallowing the faint light of the flashlights.

The breathing sounds of the instruction unit soldiers were infinitely amplified in the silence.

Everyone tightened their nerves to the extreme, their fingers resting lightly on the trigger guards, ready to respond to any sudden situation that might arise.

Morin walked at the front of the team, the double-barreled shotgun in his hands slightly raised, the muzzle slowly moving along with his line of sight.

Although the system map was still a blank expanse, he always felt there were eyes staring at them in the darkness.

That feeling of being watched was like a prickle on his back.

But the system map also told him there were no enemies appearing nearby for the time being...

Soon, the team arrived at the location of the "Finished Product Warehouse."

Like the Monitoring Center, the main door here was also a heavy airtight quarantine door, currently tightly shut.

On the door, besides the massive mechanical wheel lock, there were also some complex runes Morin couldn’t understand.

"Master Haber, Master Heinrich." Morin stopped and looked back at the two mages in the middle of the team.

"There’s a magical lock on this door."

Master Haber stepped forward, took a look, and frowned:

"And it’s a very high-level composite magical lock. It will take quite some time to crack..."

"No need for all that trouble."

Heinrich leaned on his bone staff and walked over slowly.

"This is a lock I personally put on. Of course I can open it. What’s there to crack?"

Saying this, he stretched out a withered finger and began to tap those runes on the door lightly in a specific sequence and rhythm.

Following his actions, the runes on the door lit up one by one, emitting a faint blue light.

The entire process was smooth and flowing, full of a certain mysterious rhythm.

Master Haber watched from the side, his eyes full of complex emotions.

This kind of magical locking device was actually very rare in the Saxon Empire. Although the energy level of the magic it contained was not high, the complexity in terms of spells and runes was extremely high.

He had to admit that in terms of magical applications and magitech engineering, the foundation of the Gallic Republic and the Holy Britannia Empire was still much higher.

Just as Heinrich was fully concentrated on unlocking the door, a burst of increasingly clear footsteps suddenly came from the end of the corridor they had come from.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

The sound was neither hurried nor slow, but like a heavy hammer striking everyone’s heart.

"Enemies spotted! Quantity... 12!"

The several combat engineers responsible for guarding this direction sounded the alarm immediately.

Morin whipped his head around.

In the darkness at the end of the corridor, tall figures were slowly emerging.

They wore deep blue military uniforms, wore the iconic golden masks on their faces, and reflected cold metallic luster under the dim surrounding light.

It was those out-of-control "Sentinels." They caught up after all!

"Open the door quickly! Stop f*cking dawdling!" Morin roared at Heinrich.

At the same time, he quickly turned around and issued orders to the instruction unit soldiers behind him.

"Form a defense line with me! Fire! Stop them!"

"Da-da-da-da-da!"

Without needing Morin to say more, the combat engineers in this direction and the other instruction unit soldiers had already turned their muzzles and pulled their triggers immediately.

Over a dozen tongues of fire spewed out in the dim corridor, the dense rain of bullets instantly covering the positions of those "Sentinels."

However, facing this rain of bullets enough to sweep down ordinary infantry in swaths, the reaction of those "Sentinels" exceeded everyone’s expectations.

They didn’t charge bluntly against the bullets like before, but the instant the guns fired, they either raised [Shield] or scattered to the sides, their figures like ghosts.

And utilizing the walls and some debris as cover, they approached Morin and his men at an incredible speed.

Bullets hit the walls and floor, splashing strings of sparks, but very few could hit them.

"How do they still have spells? They clearly just fought several battles consecutively!" 1st Company Commander Kahn couldn’t help but say, watching this scene.

"No, they basically didn’t use spells before, relying entirely on their physical qualities to fight hard. But now their combat instincts might have been activated!" Morin immediately reacted.

The "tests" in the practical combat testing area before might not even count as an appetizer for these "Sentinels."

Now, facing truly threatening enemies, these "weapons" born for war and slaughter finally bared their fangs!

"Flamethrower teams, step up!" Morin decisively ordered.

Two soldiers carrying flamethrowers immediately took a step forward, aiming at the direction the "Sentinels" were charging from.

Just then, that heavy main door of the "Finished Product Warehouse" finally made a soft "click" and unlocked under Heinrich’s operation.

"The door is open!" Master Haber shouted pleasantly surprised.

"Get in quickly!" Morin roared without looking back.

Heinrich and Master Haber, as well as those few Section III intelligence personnel, immediately pushed the door open and dodged inside.

But just the instant they entered the warehouse, in the distance, dense footsteps sounded again.

More "Sentinels" were coming to support!

"Boom!"

Two scorching dragons of fire roared out from the muzzles of the flamethrowers, instantly turning the long and narrow corridor into a sea of fire.

The flames licked the walls and ceiling, scorching the surrounding air until it distorted.

Several "Sentinels" charging at the very front were caught off guard, directly swallowed by the flames, turning into a few burning men struggling in the fire.

This brief suppression indeed slowed the "Sentinels’" attacking footsteps.

It’s just that more golden masks continuously poured out from the other side of the flames. After entering combat, the situation of these "out-of-control products" was obviously somewhat different.

They were like a pack of patient hunters, waiting for a more suitable opportunity to assault. The sabers in their hands flashed with deadly cold light under the firelight.

"Why does it feel like there are more of these enemies than before?" an instruction unit soldier couldn’t help cursing while changing his magazine.

"Stop talking nonsense! Continue suppressing!" Company Commander Kahn roared loudly. The MP14 submachine gun in his hands never stopped, scalding hot casings continuously jumping out of the ejection port.

Morin’s face also became extremely grave.

The situation was even worse than he imagined.

The number of these second-generation "Sentinels" was far more than what he had seen before. Who knows where those extra ones had been hiding.

From the system map, it could be clearly seen that there were actually more than twenty second-generation "Sentinels" charging from this direction.

Moreover, their combat power was indeed terrifying.

Just like how they slaughtered the Coldstream Task Force Company soldiers before, whether it was speed, strength, or ability to withstand blows, they far exceeded the first-generation "Sentinels" encountered in Creil previously.

Although the instruction unit soldiers were well-trained and well-equipped, in this narrow terrain, facing such monsters unafraid of death, it was also very difficult to fight a "crushing battle."

Not to mention the opponent could all cast spells, just waiting for the right moment...

"Lieutenant Colonel Morin! We found it in the warehouse! It’s those potions!"

Just then, Master Haber’s voice came from inside the door, his tone carrying a trace of uncontrollable excitement.

Immediately following, he and Heinrich retreated out of the warehouse together.

In Master Haber’s hand, there was also a special briefcase flashing with magical aura.

"If you have it, let’s go quickly!" Morin roared. "Everyone, alternating cover, retreat toward the direction of the personnel passage!"

However, the instant Morin issued the retreat order, an anomaly suddenly occurred!

On the other side of the circular passage, the air suddenly distorted, and then two figures appeared.

Those were not Sentinels.

On Morin’s system map, on the other side of the circular passage, a new red unit card also suddenly appeared.

[Holy Britannia Empire - Highland Mage Order - Task Force Mage * 2]

These two Britannian mages wore the iconic robes of the Highland Mage Order, holding somewhat damaged staffs in their hands. Their faces carried the exhaustion of surviving a disaster and... hatred.

These were exactly the two Highland Mages who had luckily escaped the slaughter of the "Sentinels" earlier!

Who knows how they shook off the pursuit of the "Sentinels," but those few Coldstream Task Force Company soldiers who followed them to escape during the chaos were no longer around.

In short, they didn’t flee far, but after discovering the commotion here, quietly sneaked over using [Invisibility].

Then, like poisonous snakes, they waited for the opportunity to deal a fatal blow to the Saxons.

Now, the opportunity had come.

One of the Highland Mages suddenly raised his staff, chanting ancient incantations in a rapid tone.

At the top of the staff, an ice-blue speck of light rapidly condensed, emitting a heart-palpitating cold.

[Otiluke’s Freezing Sphere]

With his low shout, that freezing little sphere, only the size of a fist, shot out like a cannonball leaving the chamber, carrying an ear-piercing sound of tearing through the air!

Its target was not the front-row soldiers of the instruction unit fiercely fighting the "Sentinels," nor Morin standing at the door commanding.

But... the very center of the formation, the most densely populated location!

"Watch out!"

Morin detected that deadly magical fluctuation immediately. He whipped his head around, his whole person truly panicking.

Being attacked from front and back was not good news...

He wanted to try to intercept it with some method, but it was too late.

The speed of that Freezing Sphere was too fast!

Almost the instant he opened his mouth to warn them, the Freezing Sphere had already landed in the center of the instruction unit’s formation. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

There was no violent explosion, no deafening sound.

Only an expanse of pure, soul-freezing deep cold violently erupted!

"Boom!"

A visible white current of cold air, centered on the impact point of the sphere, frantically diffused outward in a perfect spherical shape!

Amidst this chaos, a situation that shocked Morin even more suddenly appeared.

Heinrich, who had just returned to the middle of the formation with Master Haber and the others, had his unit card turn red.

"F*ck, this wretched old man finally showed his health bar!"