Linde led the Holy Punishment Knights, escorting the sealed container full of Shadow Abyss Essence, and swiftly withdrew from the deep shadows of the Rust Rift.
The atmosphere in the group was heavy. The knights were exhausted but remained highly vigilant, and the dirt and bloodstains on their armor had not yet dried.
As they reappeared on the desolate, wind-eroded landscape outside the rift valley, ominous dust rose near the ruins of the two isolated fortresses that had once intimidated the defending troops.
"Be on alert!" Pris's hoarse but still loud voice instantly echoed throughout the ranks.
Without further ado, the Holy Knights, who had experienced the bloody battle in the underground abyss, instantly entered battle mode, quickly shrinking their formation to protect Lind and the vehicle carrying the source matter in the core.
Although the holy light emanating from them had dimmed considerably due to the repeated fierce battles and the corrosive influence of the underground filth, the determination and resolve in their eyes remained undiminished.
As the dust settled, a cavalry force, quite different from the regular army of the Sass Empire, suddenly appeared and blocked their path.
This cavalry force numbered around a hundred riders, and their mounts were clad in heavy armor with sharp bone spikes and eerie purplish-black patterns.
The riders were also equipped with dark, heavy armor that seemed to absorb light, etched with blasphemous shadow runes.
They wielded long-handled giant scythes or twisted spears with ominous green light flowing from their blades, and a chilling, ghostly green glow emanated from the gaps in their visors beneath their helmets.
A cold, foul, and deathly pressure swept over them, colliding violently with the remaining holy light on the Holy Knights, creating a silent crackling sound in the air.
“The Withering Blade…” Pris’s voice was deep and solemn as he recognized this terrifying heavy cavalry, secretly trained by the Sass Empire and loyal to the Shadow Abyss Order, “the fallen ones who fight for their false god!”
The leading Wither Knight had more intricate runes on his armor, his helmet was decorated with twisted horns, and the green light in his eyes burned like tangible flames.
He said nothing, but simply raised the giant scythe in his hand, which seemed to be forged from solidified shadows and bones, its blade pointing directly in the direction of Lind!
"Kill—!" A non-human roar, with a metallic scraping sound, exploded from behind the mask!
"For the eternity of Shadow Abyss! Crush the false believers of light!" The other Withered Knights echoed in unison, their voices like a chorus from the abyss.
Boom!
Like a black torrent of steel bursting its banks, the Withering Blade charged forward! The heavy hooves of their mounts shook the earth, and the filthy power of the Shadow Abyss gathered around them, forming rolling purple-black waves of energy that seemed to drain and wither all life along their path!
Priest's pupils constricted sharply! He could clearly sense the exhaustion on Linde's body—having just endured the erosion and sealing of a massive amount of Shadow Abyss Essence underground, Linde was currently at a low point in his power! As the chief judge of the Holy Punishment Knights, as the sharpest sword and shield of the Light Vein Oracles, he had an inescapable responsibility at this moment!
"The Holy Knights!" Priest's voice was like the final roar of a wounded lion, filled with a death-defying will. "In the name of the Light Vein! For the Oracle—we fight!"
He spurred his horse, and the mount transformed into a silver meteor burning with the last holy light, charging headlong into the sharpest spearhead of the filthy black torrent—the leader of the Wither Blades named Volgak!
"Guardians of the Oracle! Kill!" The knights roared, following closely behind the Inquisitor, like silvery-white rocks, crashing violently into the black, turbid current that pounded the shore!
Pris had only one goal—Voggak! The remaining power within him, enhanced by Lind's blessing, erupted recklessly at this moment!
The golden-white holy light on the greatsword was more intense than ever before, even surpassing the filth that stained the armor! He ignored the spear with its withering green light that was thrusting at him from the side, and all his power and all his will were concentrated on this one sword!
"Lackeys of the false god! Accept your judgment!"
Boom—!!!
The Holy Light Greatsword and the Shadow Scythe collided violently in mid-air! The golden-white and purplish-black light exploded like two meteors colliding! The violent energy shockwave instantly sent several Wither Knights and Holy Punishment Knights who had rushed too close flying!
Priss shuddered violently, spitting out a mouthful of blood that stained his silver-white mask. Blood seeped from his eyes, nostrils, and ears due to this outburst beyond his limits! But his hand holding the sword remained as steady as a rock, the greatsword firmly blocking Voggak's scythe, which contained terrifying decaying power!
The green flames in Vorgak's eyes flickered wildly; he clearly hadn't expected this human knight to be able to unleash such terrifying power after the underground battle! The giant beast beneath him roared in pain, its skin torn and bleeding from the scorching holy light.
In the instant the two were locked in a stalemate, Lind moved! Though his aura was slightly weak, his eyes were colder than polar ice. He didn't charge directly at Vogak, but instead, like a ghost, spurred his horse and charged into the flank of the Withered Knights!
A bright halo was activated, and the power of the light pulses illuminated the night sky.
"Ugh!"
"roar--!"
Screams echoed continuously as the power of the light veins greatly weakened the shadow power of these withering blades, creating the best opportunity for the Holy Knights behind Lind to fight.
"Charge with me!" Linde shouted, imbuing his longsword with the power of light veins. Wherever the blade passed, the withered knight's filthy armor was easily torn apart like a hot knife through butter!
The morale of the Holy Knights soared, and with Lind's support and Priest's fearless restraint, they unleashed their final fighting power.
Greatswords and warhammers, imbued with the remnants of holy light, clashed violently with the Withering Blade's giant scythe and spear! The holy light purified the filth of the Shadow Abyss, while the power of the filth eroded the holy light's defenses. Knights were constantly being smashed from their horses by the immense force, or corrupted by the eerie green light, their bodies rapidly withering; some Withering Knights were blasted into charred remains along with their mounts by the bursts of holy light!
The battle was extremely fierce!
The struggle between Pris and Vogak reached its climax! Vogak roared, and the green light on his giant scythe surged, as a deeper, withering power, seemingly capable of draining life force, flowed through the weapon toward Pris!
"Ugh—!" Pris felt his life force rapidly draining away, his vision going black, but the flame of faith burning in his eyes burned even brighter!
"Light—pulse—forever—!!!"
With his last ounce of strength, he unleashed a soul-shattering roar! The holy light on the greatsword suddenly contracted, then transformed into a golden-white beam of light, condensed to its extreme and only as thick as an arm. Like a spear of divine punishment, it instantly pierced through the filthy core condensed on the Vorgak Greatscythe, and with undiminished momentum, it stabbed fiercely toward the joint of his right arm holding the scythe!
Click!
A sickening cracking sound rang out! Immediately followed by Vogak's heart-wrenching, inhuman screams!
His right arm, encased in heavy armor, was severed at the shoulder by Pris's life-burning strike! The severed arm, along with the sinister giant scythe, sprayed purplish-black blood and fell to the ground!
"Leader!" cried out in terror from the surrounding withered knights.
Blood gushed from the severed arm of Vojack, and green flames flickered wildly in his eyes, filled with unbelievable pain and overwhelming resentment! He stared intently at Pris, who was swaying and bleeding from all seven orifices but still standing upright, and then glanced at Lind in the distance, who was creating chaos in his own ranks like a sharp knife.
"Retreat!!!" Vojack used his remaining left hand to tightly restrain his restless mount, forcing out a roar filled with endless hatred from deep within his throat, "The false god of the Light Veins... and you... Lind Truk... I, Vojack... will remember you!!!"
Green light surged wildly at his severed arm, coiling around it like a venomous snake to stop the bleeding. He glared venomously at Lind and Price one last time, turned his mount around, and, under the desperate cover of his guards, fled in a sorry state into the depths of the wasteland without looking back.
With their leader severely wounded and forced to retreat, the morale of the Withering Blade collapsed instantly. The remaining cavalry lost all will to fight, abandoning their opponents and hastily following Vorgak's figure as they fled the battlefield, leaving behind only a scene of devastation and the charred or withered corpses of their comrades.
The battlefield fell silent instantly, save for heavy breathing, the groans of the wounded, and the restless neighing of mounts.
The Holy Knights did not pursue. They too had suffered heavy losses, were exhausted, their armor was torn, and their holy light was dim.
More importantly, they were guarding those extremely dangerous Shadow Abyss Source Containers, and venturing deep into the heart of Sass was too risky.
Lindler reined in his horse, watching the Withering Blade disappear into the dust, his eyes as cold as a blade. He quickly surveyed the battlefield and ordered in a deep voice, "Collect the remains of our comrades! Be quick! We cannot linger here!"
Despite their grief and exhaustion, the knights acted swiftly.
They carefully placed the bodies of their fallen comrades on spare horses and collected as many scattered pieces of armor and weapons as possible.
As for the corpses left behind by the Withering Blade and the filthy remains of the mounts, no one paid them any attention.
With the support of two knights, Presley barely managed to stay upright. His face was ashen, his breath weak, and the venomous curse of the one-armed Vogak before his escape seemed to still echo in his ears. But the look in his eyes as he looked at Lind was filled with the relief of having completed his mission.
Linde came to his side and gently placed his palm on Pris's blood-stained breastplate. A gentle yet pure energy of light pulse slowly flowed in, temporarily stabilizing his near-collapse injury.
“You did a great job, Priscilla. Now, take a break. Leave the rest to me.”
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