Chapter 440: The Darkness Before Dawn
Richard’s instincts had been correct.
When he returned to Adrian Castle, the servants reported that Bishop Marl had already left.
He had taken with him four Griffin Knights, three Dragon-Eagle Knights, eight knights from the Great Cathedral, and two Magic Cannons.
As for the destination, it was the seaport at the border between the Adrian Diocese and the Marquisate of Wallace.
That place, once part of the Principality of Corlay, had long been a major port. It had been fortified by the Marquis of Wallace at the end of last year and had since resumed operation.
More importantly, it was now known as the landing site of Salvador.
Without hesitation, Richard mounted his Dragon-Eagle and flew toward the port.
By the time he arrived, night had already fallen.
From a distance, he could see clouds and thunder.
That was the magic of the Dragon-Eagles and Griffins.
He also heard the roar of a great beast.
It was Salvador.
Then Richard heard two deafening blasts—the Magic Cannons had fired.
Already gravely wounded, Salvador stood no chance against the siege of so many knights, especially with Sky Knights among them. Its death was only a matter of time.
Yet it was, after all, a Tier Six Magical Beast. Should it go berserk in a final struggle, it could still inflict casualties on the knights.
With a solemn face and no hesitation, Richard gave Crulud a pat.
Immediately, Crulud flapped his wings and soared into the sky, only halting his ascent once they hovered directly above the battlefield.
Its wings slowly folded back as it dived downward.
Atop the Dragon-Eagle, Richard raised his Dragon Spear, and dark red lightning suddenly coiled around it. The power of the Great Annihilation thrummed in silence.
“Hah!” he shouted, and the spear was hurled forth.
In an instant, the dark red lightning tore through the sky, shredding the clouds and thunder, and struck straight into Salvador’s massive body.
A thunderous explosion followed. Salvador’s enormous frame was torn apart, with colossal chunks of flesh and gore-slick entrails scattering across the land.
Crulud hovered in the air as three Griffins and three Dragon-Eagles descended, prostrating themselves in submission.
Richard leapt off Crulud’s back decisively. With a muffled thud, he landed steadily.
“You should’ve regrouped with me first,” said Marl to Richard.
“That thing’s lived who knows how many years—older than Crulud. What if I startled it before you struck, and it escaped?” Richard replied with a hearty laugh. “Though I did feel something was off, I didn’t expect you to ambush it in advance.”
“Was it a Revelation that told you something was wrong?”
“That’s none of your concern,” Marl replied, subtly retrieving a Holy Relic behind his robe.
“And who said I was going to kill it?” Marl countered. “If I intended to kill it, I’d have brought the latest model of the Magic Cannons.”
Richard froze. “You’re not killing it?”
“You idiot. You just go in without investigating anything first? At the very least, you should’ve asked me. With your magical strength, you could’ve communicated with me from ten, twenty miles away!” Marl scolded.
He then pointed at the fragments of flesh on the ground. “Take a look at what you’ve blown apart.”
In truth, he didn’t need to look. Crulud’s voice echoed in his mind:
“Fishmen! These fishmen were hiding inside Salvador’s body!”
Richard’s eyes widened abruptly, glowing with a pale blue light.
His expression turned grim.
Given Salvador’s massive size, even the smallest chunks left from the blast were the size of watchtowers. And now, those chunks were writhing—as fishmen crawled out from within them.
Fishman Servants, Fishman Hunters, Fishman Warlords, a dozen Fishman Deep Divers, and even one Fishman Explorer.
These fishmen, emerging from the remains, didn’t pay the knights any mind and rapidly dispersed in all directions.
“This is bad…” Richard muttered.
Even though he could ride his Dragon-Eagle, and the Dragon-Eagle Knights and Griffin Knights had the aerial advantage to easily hunt down those creatures...
There were simply too many.
And with such cunning infiltration tactics, who knew if they carried fish eggs with them?
With the Fishmen’s Reproduction Rate, their numbers could explode rapidly.
And Greenwood’s population hadn’t fully recovered yet—there was plenty of unoccupied land for these creatures to breed in.
“If you realize it’s trouble, try being calmer next time,” Marl said, drawing a deep breath as he slipped the Holy Relic onto his finger.
The long-forgotten sensation of its touch brought a hint of fear to him.
“What are you doing?!” Richard cried out in alarm, even seeming to reach out for the relic.
“What I must do,” Marl exhaled. “I’ve already said farewell to them, though I only told them I’d be away for a while.”
Marl looked at Richard.
“You no longer need to hide your intelligence—or rather, Greenwood now needs your wisdom.”
“What comes next is the darkness before dawn.”
“No matter when, keep your faith. We will break through the darkness eventually. When that time comes, look upon the world in my stead.”
A pillar of light shot into the sky, turning night almost into day.
Crulud, startled, plummeted to the ground and trembled.
At the peak of the light pillar, a pair of wings slowly descended. Then the light dissipated into countless specks, gathering before the wings into a human figure.
Eyes shut tight, a golden halo hovered above its head. The wings seemed to grow from its back.
Richard stared upward in a daze. The figure looked oddly familiar.
It resembled—Marl, before he had ever used the Holy Relic, back when he was still young.
The white-winged figure slowly opened its eyes and placed its hands in front of its chest, palms crossed and facing downward.
The figure moved its mouth as though speaking.
Then pure white radiance flared up—instantly spreading outward like a giant grinding wheel, erasing all the scattered fishmen.
Yet, when that light passed through Richard and the others, it seemed to leave behind a trace of warmth in their hearts.
Richard just stood there, eyes wide open. The brilliance was not blinding.
He silently watched the dazzling light fade away, revealing the starlit sky.
His stiff neck lowered, gaze falling on Marl, now lying peacefully on the ground with eyes closed.
His body looked as if all moisture had been drained—nothing but a shriveled corpse remained. The ring on his finger had vanished without a trace.
Richard’s legs gave out, and he collapsed where he stood.
Crulud let out a soft, rumbling cry.
The Dragon-Eagle Knights, Griffin Knights, and Temple Warriors gathered around.
They joined their hands and began to chant softly.
Richard suddenly realized—they didn’t seem at all surprised by Marl’s death.
A low growl—“Grr… hrmmm…”—echoed.
Richard turned.
It was a Griffin, or more precisely, a Griffin Knight.
The knight had just landed. After staring at the desiccated corpse briefly, sorrow clouded his face.
But he did not stop. Instead, he looked at Richard and said:
“I acted on Bishop Marl’s orders to go to the Wallace Territory and request that the nobles send troops to slay the beast. But now, a massive number of Dark Creatures have emerged at the former Blackrock Point in Wallace Territory.”
“The entire region is in chaos. The nobles have been tied down and cannot leave. They even sent me to ask for your help.”
Richard remained silent.
He recalled Marl’s earlier words—that what lay ahead was the darkness before dawn.