There was no scream, nor time to mourn his lost arm. Truly befitting of one who had reached The Extraordinary, Samuel gritted his teeth against the pain and swung the blessed knight's sword backhanded at the monstrous gargoyle knight before him.
As expected, the gargoyle's hard stone-like skin, upon contact with the holy radiance, seemed to have met its natural bane. It didn't hold up. Instead, it was rapidly dissolved and repelled by the Holy Light. The sharp blade carved a terrifying wound across Yano's chest, burning with holy flames, nearly cleaving through his entire shadowy form.
"Ugh!" Yano grunted, a soul-scorching agony erupting from his chest. He and Samuel both staggered back simultaneously, creating distance.
"Healing potion! Spell support! Now!" The luxurious mage corps reacted immediately. Knights also closed in. Several beams of healing magic and precious healing potions were applied to Samuel.
The severed arm was quickly reattached, the wound healing rapidly under magical influence. However, in the short term, this arm clearly would struggle to fight flexibly again.
Meanwhile, Yano beat his wings, rising into the air. Surrounded by protecting gargoyles, shadow power and the gargoyles' dark life force surged, gradually expelling the lingering holy flames. His wound healed at a visible pace.
This brief clash seemed to leave both sides injured, neither gaining an advantage. But the knights' retreat speed had been severely delayed by Yano's interception.
Raven and Alice, leading the Arevalo knights, had already caught up. They flanked from the sides, completely encircling the knight contingent.
Facing these weary knights still resisting, Raven raised his longsword, his voice heavy yet powerful as he shouted, "Knights! Dominic Elvin was long ago bewitched by a demon, betraying the Kingdom, betraying the knight's oath! You, unable to distinguish right from wrong, following him—this is an unjust war, a defilement of knightly honor!"
"Surrender and you will not be killed!" The knights of the Arevalo family roared in unison, their combined voices shaking the heavens, their momentum shaking hearts.
The encircled knights looked dazed, their inner convictions beginning to waver.
They looked at the ferocious gargoyles and Magical Creatures around them, then at their own battered, wounded comrades... A wave of despair and confusion surged in their hearts.
Just then, Dominic came galloping over on his horse. His face was gloomy, but his voice remained steady, as if carrying a certain magic. "Do not listen to the demon's bewitchment! Open your eyes and see clearly! Look at what these Arevalo knights are fighting alongside!"
He pointed around. "Magical Creatures! Gargoyles! These monsters that fear Holy Light! And this Princess Louisa, who betrayed her kingdom and colluded with demons!"
"What is there to hesitate about? Will you lay down your weapons and surrender to these enemies who defile honor?!"
The knights instinctively looked around—the ferocious gargoyles, the disciplined yet varied forms of the Magical Creature Legion, and that knight Yano who had just seemed like a monster, able to transform into a gargoyle... Guided by Dominic's words, their gazes instantly turned resolute.
"Martyrdom for the knight's oath!"
"For the Kingdom! For honor!"
The encircled knights shouted in unison, the flames of battle rekindling in their eyes. They tightened their grips on their weapons, preparing for a final resistance.
Chen Yu, riding Peachy, had just arrived and saw this scene. His round body couldn't help but droop a little, somewhat speechless.
Indeed... Prejudice in people's hearts is a mountain.
Ahem. While his side was full of 'dark' characters like Magical Creatures, dark creatures, and Shadow Assassins, he was a bona fide Forest Sage who loved nature and had not a single copper's worth of connection to demons!
On the contrary, it was their side that was a group thoroughly infiltrated by demons...
It seemed he had to take matters into his own hands.
"Father, what now?" Alice gripped her reins, looking at the enemies who had regained their fighting spirit, and asked quietly.
Raven also felt a headache coming on.
He had still underestimated Dominic's ability to bewitch and influence ordinary knights. Just as he was pondering how to break the deadlock, Celeste transformed back into a giant eagle, carrying Princess Louisa as they flew over from the sky.
"Hey!"
Louisa, holding Chen Yu, floated down gracefully from the eagle's back to the ground.
Under the watchful, guarded, and hostile gazes of the knights, Chen Yu jumped out of Louisa's arms, hopping onto her head to make himself appear taller and more conspicuous.
He turned around, his round body facing the encircled Legion Knights directly. Using his soft but earnestly serious voice, he declared solemnly, "Nature, ah, please guide these lost knights."
After saying this, he devoutly closed his eyes, secretly using the World Tree's Life Droplets to make himself seem more like a charlatan.
[Hixiulong Part Two]
"Hum..."
A soft, life-filled green radiance blossomed from Chen Yu's small gel body. The light wasn't blinding, carrying a warmth that cleansed the soul.
Where the light fell, the blood-soaked and scorched earth surprisingly sprouted tender green grass rapidly.
Immediately after, behind Chen Yu, the phantom of an ancient tree with lush branches and leaves slowly condensed and manifested. Its massive canopy blotted out part of the gray sky. Glimmering green specks of light flowed among the branches like stars, emitting a vast and pure aura of life.
The canopy gently trembled. Countless green specks of light, brimming with life energy, drifted down like spring rain, covering the entire encircled area.
"Watch for attack!"
"Be careful of these light specks!"
The vigilance in the knights' eyes hadn't faded; they were even on guard against these falling specks, thinking they might be some form of attack.
However, when their blood-stained skin made contact with the Life Droplets, a warm, rich surge of vitality welled up inside them like sweet spring water. Their wounds tingled and itched, visibly healing and scabbing over at a remarkable speed. Even their depleted spirit and stamina felt as if soaked in a warm spring, finding relief and relaxation.
Many knights involuntarily lowered their raised weapons. Some even spread their arms, actively welcoming this warm rain of life, their faces showing relieved, comfortable expressions.
"This... this is the power of nature."
"A Magical Creature, how could..."
What moved them even more was that the monstrous gargoyle knight, Yano, was also bathing in this rain of life.
He showed not the slightest discomfort. Instead, under the illumination of the green light, his shadowy, stone-like skin faintly revealed a soft green glow, hinting at harmony with nature.
As if... he wasn't a pure dark monster, but a guardian of nature.
"How can this be..." Many knights looked bewildered, their inner convictions suffering a massive impact.
Unconsciously, they turned their gazes toward the round, plump Slime standing on the princess's head, emitting a sacred green light.
Chen Yu had originally just wanted to reveal his "Forest Sage" identity, using life energy to shake the knights' resolve and make them doubt.
But at this moment, bathing in the life radiance he had invoked, he felt as if he had truly received nature's blessing. His body slowly floated up. The life-green aura surrounding him grew denser, lending his round gel body an indescribable sense of sacredness.
Right now... he was a sacred Forest Sage.
Chen Yu opened his eyes. Those small eyes seemed to contain the wisdom of nature. His mental energy clearly transmitted across the entire battlefield.
"Lost knights, awaken."
"What you protect behind you is not the true Kingdom, nor is there knightly honor. Demons have long infiltrated it."
"We fight for the forest, for our homes, for true order. And you..."
Before he could finish, a searing Explosive Fireball came whistling from the distance—Vincent's spell!
The fireball was quickly intercepted by circling gargoyles, exploding into a shower of sparks mid-air, but it successfully interrupted Chen Yu's speech.
Dominic watched the situation gradually spiral out of control, but his expression remained unchanged. He said gravely, "So what if it's nature? A demon's power can deceive even gods. It is merely a Magical Creature that stole natural power. Do not be fooled by its appearance!"
Upon hearing this, Raven suddenly laughed loudly, his laughter full of mockery.
"Dominic, you're right! Demons are most adept at deception and bewitchment. They always disguise themselves well, even... like a devout believer."
His gaze sharp as lightning, he stared intently at Dominic. "Just like you!"
"But do you really think... you can hide from the gods?!"
Raven suddenly pounded his own chest forcefully, producing a dull thud. He straightened his back, a solemn, dignified expression appearing on his face. In a loud, devout voice, he proclaimed solemnly to the sky:
"Great God of Knights! Forger of the Guardian's Oath! Cardos above!"
"I, Raven Arevalo, swear upon the knight's oath as witness. The path of guardianship is forever engraved in my heart, unchanged."
"Under Your radiance, I vow to defend knightly honor and the path of guardianship to the death, until the demon is utterly expelled and justice restored!"
Raven's words caused a wave of murmurs among the knights on the battlefield.
Although the ancient God of Knights, Cardos, rarely directly answered his followers' prayers nowadays, daring to make such a solemn vow on the battlefield, before everyone, using the knight's oath as witness, was in itself enough to prove the firmness of his knightly will and the openness of his heart.
In knightly tradition, the oath was one source of their power and a standard for their conduct.
Breaking the oath was a minor matter compared to losing power; more importantly, one would face the scorn of all comrades and suffer backlash and torment from the power itself.
However, some more clear-headed knights felt puzzled. A demon's power could twist oaths, cloud minds, even allow someone to lie publicly without changing expression. Publicly reciting an oath didn't seem to directly prove anything.
They didn't understand the point of Raven doing this.
Of course, Raven himself knew that merely reciting an oath publicly couldn't expose Dominic.
His main purpose in doing this was to divert everyone's attention.
The opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
Dominic immediately retorted coldly, "Raven, are you demonstrating the deceptive power granted by demons? Do you think this empty vow..."
Before he could finish, an icy, bone-chilling aura of death, sharp as the keenest ice spike, assaulted him from behind without any warning.
Not good, something was approaching!
Dominic's Combat Instinct screamed warnings. His hair stood on end. He wanted to turn, wanted to dodge.
But it was already too late!
A knightly figure burning with deathly flames, riding an undead warhorse, crashed through the magical barrier Vincent had hastily erected with an unstoppable momentum. Ignoring the dagger Ellen thrust out, it charged like a vengeful bolt of death lightning from behind Dominic.
Its target was him!
It was a Death Knight!
Pale bones clad in aged armor, with an azure Soulfire burning beneath its helmet. The bone lance in its hand carried a resolve to pierce through everything. With a "thud," it accurately pierced through Dominic's chest from the front, lifting his entire body into the air!
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
The Death Knight's action of lifting Dominic was like the most blatant provocation and declaration to the entire knight contingent.
After a brief, dead silence, the knights erupted into commotion, their eyes filled with hostility.
The Death Knight slowly turned its head. Its azure Soulfire calmly swept over the angry, panicked knights, finally settling on Dominic. In a raspy voice, it slowly said:
"Arthur Arevalo, returned guided by nature, brings you punishment."
"I died once because of you. Now, I also bring you death."
"Are you... prepared?"
His words immediately caused an uproar among the knights.
"Arthur?!"
"That's right, it really is Arthur!" Some old knights familiar with him guessed his identity from the armor style and that unique voice, shouting out in surprise.
Alice also secretly breathed a sigh of relief but maintained a solemn expression.
"He's alive? No, he's dead..."
Younger knights were still confused, while almost all the old knights recognized his familiar attire.
What made everyone pay even more attention was that Dominic, impaled on the bone lance mid-air, had not a single drop of blood seeping from the wound piercing his heart. The edges of the wound faintly showed black, viscous substance squirming, emitting a nauseating stench.
Facing the knights' shocked, suspicious gazes, Dominic, suspended in the air, sighed. His voice held little pain, instead carrying a tone of calm and regret.
"Why must it be this way..."
"You could have lived... could have accepted praise from nobles and commoners, ignorant of everything, becoming knights of honor guarding the Kingdom... becoming heroes of the Kingdom."
"I, too, could have been the good commander you believed in your hearts."
"It was you who tore all this apart with your own hands. But the price of facing the truth is one you may not be able to bear."
After saying this, Dominic flicked a coin that had suddenly appeared in his palm, sending it flying.