Im 99% sure that it is metaphor
I believe the correct answer is: “…the two pilgrims successfully resist Flatterer, who tries to trap them with a net, and Atheist, who tries to convince them that the Celestial City does not exist.”
In this excerpt from “Pilgrim's Progress” (1678), a Christian allegory written by John Bunyan, specific characters that serve as an allegory for distractions that one must resist to live a life of faith are Flatterer and Atheist which try to divert tempt Christian and Hopeful from the proper path. Therefore, the quotation that best develops this idea is:
“…the two pilgrims successfully resist Flatterer, who tries to trap them with a net, and Atheist, who tries to convince them that the Celestial City does not exist.”
P.S. Note that if it wasn't plural, the main distraction would be Apollyon, a form of Satan, as the Satan was tempting Christ the most in the desert.
