There were only a few dozen priests in the direction where the ice ship crashed, and no bishops. Faced with that incomparably gigantic thing, created by magic, the only thing that could protect them was the Holy Light that had just been gathered.
At that moment, their minds were blank, even.
"So you wish to escape, just like that?"
However, Grant's voice rang out quickly. Right after that, spiritual energy that belonged only to the Pope swept over them, controlling the Holy Light that they had gathered, and turning it immediately into a huge shield that was as big as a fortress.
The great shield obstructed the ice ship from the front, like a natural moat, about to forcefully block both Benjamin and the ship.
Nevertheless, Benjamin seemed to have anticipated that Grant would interfere and stop him.
As the ice ship dashed in violently, a gigantic water ball suddenly appeared through condensation above the bow of the ship. The water ball began to spin fast; along with the high speed flight and the friction created in the air, it soon turned into a drill of water, like a swirl. The ice ship, with this drill at its head, headed straight towards the gigantic Holy Light shield.
There was an ear-splitting crash.
The strong winds that erupted from the crash cleared out the thick smoke from the skies in an instant. The priests in the area were protected by Holy Light, but even they had to take a step back reflexively. The bishop lifted his head to look at where the two things had collided, widening his eyes nervously.
All he could see were numerous cracks appearing instantly on the gigantic shield, due to the collision by the ice ship and the water drill. In about two seconds, the cracks grew bigger quickly, and in the blink of an eye, covered the entire shield, which was flashing with Holy Light.
Right after that, the entire gigantic shield collapsed with a huge crash!
The ice ship instantly broke through, and the dozens of priests who had been there originally… At least, from where the bishop was standing, he was unable to see them anymore.
An unsatisfied, cold harrumph was released from Grant's lips.
"After him!"
Fortified by Divine Arts, this command rang out like a tolling bell, spreading throughout the skies above Pearl Lake. The priests, after a momentary shock, immediately turned their heads to look at the ice ship that had not been able to go far, and hurriedly gave chase.
"Your Highness the Pope…" the bishop tried his best to match Grant's speed, as he yelled from behind.
"What are you afraid of, chase him!" Grant answered without turning his head, "We have a definite advantage in numbers. He can only escape, he won't dare to force a fight with us."
Hearing that, the bishop could only take a deep breath and suppress the fear that he felt seeing the great shield being broken through so easily seconds ago. He continued to give chase.
A startling scene appeared in the sky.
An ice ship flew in the skies, with sunlight shining out from every corner of it, as though the entire ship was emitting light. Right behind the ice ship was a vast sea of black human figures. Amongst the priests, there were some who flew slowly, and some who were fast; the troops quickly divided and formed a narrow triangle, with Grant at the tip of the pyramid. Behind him were some sparse bishops. As for the remaining priests, they were like a piece of heavy and clumsy dark cloud, made up of a messy assortment and projecting a huge shadow on the land below them.
As for the Holy Knights on the ground, they had gapped with wide eyes for quite a while, before they came back to their senses. However, other than panicking, there did not seem to be anything else for them to do.
However… the Holy Knights gave chase anyway, although they would never be able to catch up to even the slowest priest.
Very soon, Pearl Lake, which had been unusually crowded, began to quieten down slowly. All that was left was the earth, charred black, as well as the pits and holes of the ruins to prove the tragic reality of what had just happened here.
Nevertheless, approximately fifteen minutes later…