Woo-woo-woo!
At the same time, piercing alarms sounded from all three fortresses!
After a brief period of chaos, a large number of soldiers quickly surged onto the wall.
The archers hastily drew back their bows, and the spearmen nervously raised their spears.
After the fortress commander rushed to the crenellations, his pupils contracted sharply when he saw the approaching enemy!
Holy Knight?
"Archers! Aim! Fire! Stop them!" the commander roared, his voice trembling slightly.
Whoosh whoosh!
A dense rain of arrows poured down from the tops of the three fortresses, covering the front of the rapidly advancing troops!
However, faced with arrows powerful enough to pierce leather armor, the Holy Knight showed no intention of slowing down or dodging!
"In the name of the Light Veins, purify the darkness!"
Priss’s powerful voice rang out as he raised the holy emblem in his hand!
Buzz—!
A pure and condensed shield of holy light instantly unfolded in front of the team, like a tangible wall of light!
Crackling sounds!
The vast majority of arrows struck the light shield like waves crashing against rocks, instantly breaking and bouncing away into useless fragments! Only a few arrows with tricky angles pierced through the gaps in the light shield and struck the Holy Punishment Knight's thick plate armor, but they only sparked a few flecks before being mercilessly deflected!
"roar--!!!"
Almost the instant the rain of arrows was blocked, Lind, who was charging alongside the others, drew his Crystal Shard javelin and hurled it with terrifying speed at the heavy oak-clad iron gate of the fortress at the very front!
"No!!!" The fortress commander's eyes widened in horror!
Boom—!!!
A deafening roar, far more terrifying than the impact of a battering ram, suddenly erupted!
The entire fortress seemed to tremble under this attack!
The seemingly sturdy gate shattered before the surging magic.
Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, the Holy Punishment Knights surged into the fortress!
"For the Light Vein! Purify!"
At Priss's command, the Holy Knights surged into the gaping hole like a silver-white torrent of steel!
The battle erupted instantly inside the fortress!
No, this cannot be called a battle!
This was a one-sided massacre and crushing defeat!
The garrison in the fortress was mostly local garrison troops, and they had never seen such an elite enemy before.
The Holy Knights were like precise and efficient killing machines.
Their greatswords shone with a holy light, each strike carrying the will to purify evil. Whether it was sturdy leather armor or soldiers who tried to resist, they were easily torn apart by the holy light and the greatswords!
The cramped space inside the fortress became a nightmare for the defenders!
The sounds of groans, cracking bones, clashing weapons, and the hum of holy light filled the entire fortress in an instant!
The resistance was pitifully weak, and the collapse spread like a plague!
The fortress commander watched in despair as his soldiers were harvested like wheat, attempting to organize a last stand, only to be cleaved in two by a Holy Knight who charged at him with a greatsword!
From breaking down the gate to wiping out the last resistance fighter inside the fortress, the entire process... took less than fifteen minutes!
As the holy knights, shrouded in holy light, marched out in formation through the broken gates of the fortress, the garrison of the other two fortresses were already terrified!
They watched helplessly as their companions' fortress was destroyed in an instant, like a sandcastle, listening to the horrifying and tragic sounds coming from within!
Fear completely overwhelmed courage!
Run!
"Run!"
Desperate cries erupted from the other two fortresses. The soldiers completely broke down, dropping their weapons and frantically opening the back doors, fleeing like startled rabbits into the wilderness!
All talk of strategic positioning and mutual support becomes a joke in the face of overwhelming power and the terror of instantly destroying a fortress!
Linde, mounted on his horse, coldly watched the other two fortresses fall without a fight, and the defenders flee in disarray, his face expressionless.
"Keep moving forward," he ordered calmly.
The troops didn't even attempt to capture or destroy the two empty fortresses, ignoring them as if shooing away flies.
The Holy Knights shook off the bloodstains from their weapons, silently sheathed their swords, and once again stood guard on both flanks of the formation.
This army of holy light marched silently and resolutely toward the entrance to the Rusty Rift, traversing the ruins of the first fortress and the blood-soaked ground, with unparalleled momentum.
Pris rode alongside Lind, looking at the young man's tall and aloof back, feeling only deep awe.
Half a day? No, not even half an hour!
Three fortresses, one breached and the other two collapsed!
The Oracle's "sweep" was so... devastating!
…………
Night fell.
Deep within the rusted rift valley, the night, like thick ink, spills down, painting the jagged rocks and winding fissures into grotesque silhouettes.
A deathly silence enveloped this forgotten corner, with only the howling wind cutting through the valley, like the wailing of a vengeful spirit, echoing repeatedly between the empty cliffs.
Linde and his group arrived at their destination silently, like ghosts blending into the night.
Ahead, a massive and sinister silhouette abruptly emerged from the steep mountainside.
It was a palace, or rather, the ruins of a palace. Time and sandstorms had long since stripped away its surface glory; the massive stone pillars were crumbling and broken, and the once intricate and exquisite reliefs and murals on the cracked walls were reduced to blurry and distorted outlines.
One can vaguely discern twisted tentacles, inhuman eyes, and blasphemous arrays of runes, emanating an ancient, soul-chilling malice.
Knight Commander Priest reined in his horse, gazing at the silent behemoth in the darkness. His face, hidden beneath the silver-white visor, instantly became extremely solemn, even bearing a deep sense of hatred and vigilance.
His deep voice broke the silence, like cold metal striking each other:
"The filthy temple of Noctoos... its stench, even after a thousand years of abandonment, is still nauseating!"
Lind did not respond to Prie's remarks.
His active vision had already penetrated the thick rocks beneath his feet and the decaying foundations of the palace, clearly "seeing" the vast, twisted, and pulsating space deep underground—a massive underground laboratory that had been artificially excavated and further modified.
Countless individuals emitting faint life signals swarmed within like maggots, mixed with a large number of familiar, chilling dark purple "stains"—Shadow Abyss Splits! Their aura was like countless cold, venomous snakes, writhing and intertwining deep underground.
"This is it."
Linde's voice was calm and even, yet it carried a resolute determination to cut everything off: "Deep underground lies their true lair. There are numerous 'Source Matter' test subjects, as well as guardian clones."
Prince took a deep breath; the icy air pierced his lungs, but ignited a purifying fire burning within him.
He abruptly dismounted, his movements swift and powerful, his silver armor reflecting a cold luster in the faint starlight.
He strode up to Lindma, knelt heavily on one knee, clenched his right fist, and pounded it forcefully against the emblem on his left breast, uttering a resounding vow:
"My lord! You have led us here and destroyed the corrupt gate! The battle to come is now in our hands of holy punishment!"
As the sacred incarnation of the Lord of the Light Vein, walking among mortals, you, with your invaluable body, must never again set foot in this filthy place and risk your life!
"I swear by the Holy Light and the honor of knights, Pres will bring you victory and utterly burn away the filth of the Shadow Abyss!"
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