The Wizard struck first, casting a classic Second-Level Enchantment School spell: "Human Immobilization Spell!"
After all, she was the wife of his superior, and Perseus had ordered them to "stop" her, not "kill" her. While Perseus's wife was clearly in a dire state, capturing her and bringing her before a Priest might offer a chance of saving her.
However, Perseus's wife acted as if nothing had happened. Without even glancing at the Wizard, she continued her "work"—drinking the blood from the Altar Blood Pool—completely unaffected by the spell.
The Wizard froze, stunned. "How is this possible?!"
There were only two explanations for her immunity to the Human Immobilization Spell: either her willpower was extraordinary, like Aria's, allowing her to forcefully resist it, or she was no longer human.
The former seemed impossible. Perseus's wife was clearly mentally deranged; how could she possibly muster the willpower to resist such magic?
That left only the second possibility: she had already transcended humanity!
The Warrior strode forward and seized Perseus's Wife by the wrist, saying, "Forgive my rudeness!"
But as he tried to pull her to her feet, he found that no matter how hard he strained, she remained rooted to the spot.
In the next instant, Perseus's Wife whipped her head around, her bloodshot eyes glaring at the Warrior as she snarled, "Don't touch me!"
With that, she lashed out with an elbow strike. In that instant, the Warrior's hair stood on end as he instinctively raised his shield to block the blow.
Dong—!
The once-pristine shield instantly buckled inward from the force of the blow, and the Warrior himself was hurled backward through the air, arcing over the crowd before crashing down beyond them.
The Wizard, witnessing this, gasped in shock. "Holy shit! What the hell was that?!"
Then, the image from the Crystal Ball flashed through his mind: Perseus's Wife casually ripping open the wardrobe with one hand. It wasn't some hidden mechanism they had overlooked; she was simply that strong?
Inevitably, the Wizard glanced at Grey, who had also managed to open the wardrobe, then back at Perseus's Wife, his expression seeming to say, Why don't you give it a try?
True to her word, Grey sprinted forward, weaving past the airborne warriors, until she reached a spot three or four meters from Perseus's Wife. Reaching under her skirt, she retrieved a silver bracelet.
While Grey possessed considerable strength, she had no intention of engaging the 'monster' in a physical struggle. Instead, maintaining a safe distance, she flung the bracelet like a single handcuff, accurately clamping it onto Perseus's Wife's arm.
Next, Grey tossed a small silver metal disc against the nearby wall. In the next instant, blue magic runes lit up on the disc, establishing a powerful magnetic link with the bracelet on Perseus's Wife's arm.
Perseus's Wife was violently pulled away by the magnetic force, slamming into the wall with a loud thud!
Moreover, Grey had deliberately thrown the disc higher up, leaving Perseus's Wife suspended in mid-air.
After all, she was a 'spy'. Grey carried numerous such 'Wonderful Little Gadgets', much like those movie agents who always seem to have the right tool for the job.
Finally, Grey raised her pistol, aimed at the altar, and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
With the sound of a gunshot, the bullet struck the blood pool at the center of the altar, causing a massive surge of earth energy to converge. A colossal stone wall erupted from the ground.
This bullet, originally intended for defense, had been used by Grey to achieve a "destruction" effect. It was like injecting an overwhelming amount of cream into a loaf of bread—inevitably, the sudden stone wall violently shattered the altar beneath it.
"No! No!!!" Perseus's Wife, suspended against the wall, began to struggle wildly, her face twisted in a ferocious expression. "We were... we were so close to succeeding!"
One of her hands remained fused to the wall, rendering it immobile. But with her free hand and legs, she kicked against the stone with desperate force. With a sickening rip, she tore her arm clean off, freeing herself to leap from the wall!
The sight made everyone present flinch. Perseus's Wife charged toward Grey, and the Ranger instinctively raised his shortbow, nocking an arrow in an instant. Yet he hesitated, unsure whether to fire the arrow.
The Wizard began to think rapidly, trying to determine which magic would be best suited for the situation.
Capturing a target alive was far more challenging than killing it, especially when the target was in a frenzied state.
Perseus took a deep breath, as if steeling himself for a decision. His lips trembled slightly as he said, "Kill..."
But as soon as he uttered the word, he saw Aglaea, the golden-haired woman beside him, slowly raise her right hand and extend her index finger. He could see a slender thread coiled around it.
Simultaneously, golden threads materialized around Perseus's wife, binding her remaining arm, legs, and waist. In the blink of an eye, she was completely restrained, unable to move.
Grey, standing closest, clearly saw that one end of these Golden Threads was tightly wrapped around Perseus's wife, while the other end stretched into the air, unconnected to anything. The threads gradually faded in color until they vanished completely into thin air.
Perseus froze for a moment upon witnessing this, then immediately realized it was Aglaea's doing. He bowed slightly to her and said, "Thank you so much, Madam!"
He had initially assumed Aglaea was like him—a powerless spectator. After all, the compositions of their groups were remarkably similar.
The three Gold-tier warriors, wizards, and rangers were Perseus's subordinates, currently on guard duty to protect him. Grey, clearly Aglaea's subordinate and remarkably strong, should logically be on guard duty as well, right?
But who could have imagined that Aglaea had refrained from intervening all this time simply because she wanted to watch Grey fight longer? After all, this was a combat maid who could pull a whole arsenal of weapons from under her skirt—both adorable and formidable, what a sight to behold!
Upon hearing Perseus's gratitude, Aglaea smiled warmly. "She's been by your side your whole life. Even with the faintest glimmer of hope, never give up on her so easily."