Confronted with the sudden onught, Jeremy remained remarkablyposed.


    In a heartbeat, he retrieved the Bone Spear from his storage space.


    Almost simultaneously, Bonnie reacted with swift precision, brandishing her staff to conjure a barrierposed of ice above their heads.


    The frigid power of the ice shielded them from the scorching rays of the sun.


    "Ensure the others retreat safely,leave this to me."


    Jeremy murmured softly to Bonnie.


    Bonnie nodded in agreement and immediately led the others in a desperate sprint towards the entrance of the Sun Knights'' headquarters.


    Throughout the exchange, Jeremy kept his gaze fixed on Vice-Captain Betak.


    Fully aware that their adversaries couldunch an attack at any moment, he remained on high alert. Vice-Captain Betak, gripping a longsword blessed by the sun, wore a resolute expression on his face, unwavering in his determination.


    "As an enemy of the deity, you dare to stay behind alone. I almost admire your courage."


    Betak sneered, his entire body bathed in a golden aura. Jeremy knew full well that Betak''s words were nothing but taunts.


    Without a moment''s hesitation, Jeremy unleashed a rapid session of three powerful skills. Scorching mes, each one capable of incinerating the very soul, descended from the heavens in relentless waves.


    However, as these scorching mes came into contact with the golden aura enveloping Vice-Captain Betak, they were instantly rendered harmless, dissipating into nothingness.


    "Cease your futile struggles! As the mightiest of the Sun Knights, I will never be defeated by you!"


    Vice-Captain Betak, with almost no reliance on defensive skills, effortlessly parried all of Jeremy''s attacks. This unexpected disy of prowess caused Jeremy to be slightly unnerved.


    Seizing this opportune moment of Jeremy''s disarray, Vice-Captain Betak decisivelyunched a counterattack.


    He leaped high into the air, then, imbued with an unstoppable force, descended rapidly towards Jeremy''s position.


    Naturally, Jeremy had no intention of standing his ground against such an assault.


    With agility and precision, he deftly evaded the attack and activated his eleration skill.


    Under its influence, Jeremy continued to maneuver around Betak within the Sun Knights'' headquarters.


    Meanwhile, on the other side, Bonnie and the others failed to escape the premises.


    At the gates of the headquarters, they were intercepted by other Sun Knights.


    "Drop your weapons immediately and cease your resistance! You arepletely surrounded!" one of the Sun Knightsmanded.


    The Sun Knights roared angrily in Bonnie and herpanions'' direction.


    Naturally, Bonnie had no intention of heeding theirmands.


    She turned to Master Bard and Heber, her expression resolute.


    "The situation has be dire. I need your help. I am not Jeremy, I can''t defeat so many enemies on my own."she admitted.


    While Bonnie had gained some experience since entering the instance.


    Her level and the strength of her skills were nowhere nearparable to Jeremy''s. Faced with this overwhelming opposition, Bonnie had no choice but to seek assistance from others.


    Master Bard and Heber simultaneously let out a sigh.


    Before arriving here, they might have been unaware of the gravity of the situation, but after witnessing the Sun Knights'' aggression, they understood the predicament that Jeremy and Bonnie were in.


    Without hesitation, Master Bard pulled several potions from his pocket.


    "You once saved me in Dawn City. I will not abandon you now. Though it''s been a long time since Ist fought, I still remember the techniques well enough."he dered, showing his resolve.


    Following Master Bard''s deration, Heber also spoke up.


    "While I had hoped to continue my life as a traveling merchant, it seems I have no other choice but to fight alongside you. Let''s focus on oveing this immediate crisis first."he said, readying himself for the battle ahead.


    With Master Bard and Heber joining the fray, the pressure on Bonnie lessened considerably.


    Under their leadership, the majority of the caravan managed to break out of the Sun Knights'' headquarters.


    However, as soon as they emerged, they found themselves facing a multitude of Eternal Light warriors.


    For a moment, Bonnie, Master Bard, and Heber were at a loss. Although they had escaped the headquarters, they hadn''t eliminated all of the Sun Knights.


    Behind them, the remaining Sun Knights were in hot pursuit, while in front of them, the Eternal Light stood ready for battle.


    It seemed as though there was no way out of this dire situation.


    Inside the Sun Knights'' headquarters, the battle between Vice-Captain Betak and Jeremy remained at a stalemate.


    Despite Jeremy''s slight edge in strength, Vice-Captain Betak had the advantage of drawing upon the power of the sun within the headquarters.


    This formidable sr energy allowed Betak to hold his ground, even putting Jeremy on the defensive at times.


    "Cease your futile resistance! If you renounce your defiance against the great sun, I can even make you one of the Sun Knights." Vice-Captain Betak proimed.


    The words spoken by Vice-Captain Betak were not mere fabrications.


    In the midst of battle, Vice-Captain Betak had astutely assessed that Jeremy possessed formidable strength.


    Should Jeremy choose to abandon his enmity with the Sun and join the ranks of the Sun Knights, he would not only be an exceptionally powerful member but also significantly bolster the overall strength of the Sun Knights.


    Confronted with Vice-Captain Betak''s proposition, Jeremy responded with a cool andposed demeanor.


    "I will never follow a false god! The ''sun'' is far from a great deity. It is nothing more than a malevolent entity cloaked in divinity."


    Jeremy''s words seeded in enraging Vice-Captain Betak.


    With a furious expression, Betak mmed his weapon onto the ground, causing a surge of golden light to emanate from the floor.


    Enveloped entirely in this radiant glow, Betak resembled a miniature sun, radiating an overwhelming amount of light and heat.


    "How dare you utter such sphemy?! If that''s your stance, then prepare to be utterly purified by the power of the sun!"


    Vice-Captain Betak roared, gathering his energy into a searing beam of light aimed directly at Jeremy.


    Suddenly, Jeremy found himself immobilized, unable to move as he was locked in ce by the intense radiance.


    Jeremy''s entire body was enveloped in a searing radiance, and he could feel his life force rapidly dwindling.


    His consciousness began to blur and fade.


    Just then, a burst of blue light erupted around Jeremy.


    Before Vice-Captain Betak could react, Jeremy vanished without a trace.


    The unexpected turn of events left Betak in a state of panic. He scanned the Sun Knights'' headquarters hall w


    ith urgency.


    "Where did that damned sphemer go?! How could he just disappear like that?!"


    Vice-Captain Betak shouted in frustration and anger as he stormed out of the headquarters.


    Outside, he was met with the equally bewildered faces of other Sun Knights and a multitude of Eternal Light warriors.


    "What about the others? Didn''t I order you to ambush the enemies of the sun here?!"


    He bellowed at them.


    One of the Sun Knights nervously approached Vice-Captain Betak, trembling as he spoke.


    "Your Excellency, we had them captured, but then a sh of blue light appeared, and they all just vanished."


    Upon hearing these words, Vice-Captain Betak''s expression softened from its previous fury.


    He continued to probe, "When exactly did this happen? Was it around a minute ago?"


    "Yes, how did you know?! Could it be that the enemy of the sun you were battling escaped in the same manner?" the Sun Knight replied, astonished.


    Vice-Captain Betak nodded slightly, a hint of resignation on his face.


    The situation at hand left all the Sun Knights and Eternal Light warriors bewildered, unable to find a logical exnation.


    As the highest-ranking Sun Knight in Nocturne City, Vice-Captain Betak felt it imperative to return to the high tower and report these bizarre urrences to the Saints.


    "You no longer need to remain here. Since the enemies of the sun have vanished, set out immediately to track them down. I will inform the Four Saints of what has transpired."


    Vice-CaptainBetakmanded. With that, he swiftly made his way to the high tower at the heart of Nocturne City.


    Meanwhile, the other Sun Knights and Eternal Light warriors began scouring the entirety of Nocturne City for any trace of Jeremy and hispanions.


    Unbeknownst to them, their efforts were destined to fail, for Jeremy and his allies were no longer within the city''s confines.


    In the fleeting moment before Jeremy''s consciousness faded, he sensed intense spatial fluctuations around him.


    When he regained awareness, he found himself in the deste wilderness outside Nocturne City.


    Surrounded by Bonnie, Heber, Master Bard, and the others.


    None of them understood why they had suddenly appeared in this barren expanse, but their collective mood was one of relief. At the very least, they no longer had to fear the immediate threat posed by the Sun Knights and Eternal Light warriors.


    "What should we do next?" Bonnie asked Jeremy once she had grasped the general situation.


    Jeremy scanned the surroundings to ensure there was no imminent danger before responding.


    "Rest here for a while. I need to verify a few things."