Chapter 17

The thunder was getting louder and louder, Joyce was fidgeting in the room, a tearing sound came from the sky, and the lightning reflected the night like day. He tried to pray for Alex, but he couldn't concentrate anyway. He put on his robe and was about to run to the Wings of Uriel, but the path was blocked by a guard.

"No passager! Priest!" the guard said, "Go back to your room!"

Joyce had to change directions, there was no one in the corridor, and Ibran's steady and powerful voice echoed in the sky.

"The battle to defend the holy city begins, warriors, please follow me and charge."

Ibran's voice immediately calmed the panic of the whole city, a flash of lightning flashed across the dark night, and the big clock at the top of the temple rang with reflections, and all the bells started ringing throughout the city.

At this moment, something seemed to be awakening in the center of the temple, emitting the light at heart pacing, awakening the power of the Holy Light in all priests. In the courtyard, corridor, and garden, all the people who were running stopped. Joyce was surprised to find that there was a holy white light around him.

He stood still, followed everyone, and began to pray, the holy light gleamed along the gap between the bricks and stones, like flowing mercury, and the holy light on the tens of thousands of priests in the city gathered towards the central temple.

In the middle of the night, the Golden City has formed a magnificent spectacle! A beam of holy light hits the zenith, the dark clouds in the sky are broken open, the sky becomes a huge hole, and the sky full of stars in the winter night appears in the hole. And just outside the ring of dark clouds, the storm is still raging crazily. On the opposite Saint Andreas Carlo Mountain, a huge claw protruded from the dark cave, pressed towards the ground, making a loud noise!

Joyce climbed up anxiously. He stood on the roof of the temple and looked into the distance under the heavy rain. He saw the gate of the Gold City was open, and two Paladins riding the Pegasus soared in the air, leading the successive thousands of knights bathed in holy light cross the plain and rushed to the foot of the mountain!

The knights rushed into the night like a shining tide, and then, when something rushed down from the mountain, Joyce was shocked and knelt on one knee, praying in the strong wind. The teleportation cave in the dark is like a giant beast, opening its blood plate mouth, spewing out millions of dark creatures! The knights bore the brunt and some were rushed off their horses.

In an instant, the tide of holy light swept Joyce's consciousness into the vast sea. That was the power of Pope Uther! In just one second, with the help of this power, Joyce was connected with Alex's vision. Alex raised his head, looked into the distance, and said in a deep voice: "Joey, give me holy light! "

"My fearless knights! Follow me to charge—" the leader roared.

On the battlefield, the temple legion shining with white light rushed forward and collided with the dark creatures that rolled up like a black sea. Joyce saw their enemy clearly, it was the agile black ghoul. This kind of mutant undead has been recorded in Black Code, they often lie on the ground, trees, rocks, and all objects that can hide their existence in the dark. They have sharp claws and keen vision, and they can see sights 100 meters away in the dark.

After the wave of ghouls, the main force is the walking corpse that can't be seen, and in the distance is the hell knight full of blue flames.

"Teacher, what is that?" Joyce said.

"The undead knight of the Northern Rift." Alex said, "Joey, don't be distracted. Give me holy words!"

Joyce tried hard to concentrate, to add wings of light to Alex, but Alex immediately stopped him: "Don't use up all your power at once!"

Joyce closed his eyes and poured holy light on Alex. The rune of Holy Word lit up behind Alex, and the slashing knives flashed light, and a ghoul rushed on top of his head, but Alex raised his long knife, gritted his teeth and chopped the ghoul in half!

The sun gradually rose, and the dark shadows of the mountains couldn't help retreating. The black mist surged and dissipated under the shining of the sun. The torn space tunnel shrank again and again, and finally, the big clock in the Golden City Temple rang loudly, sending out a shocking wave of light. .

"Last chance! Follow me! Give your life to me! Warriors!"

"The Holy Light is with you——!"

Ibran's voice resounded across the sky, and all the knights launched a general attack, carrying the blasting power of the holy light, and rushing toward the undead army!

The two flying horses rotated towards each other, and then rushed towards the teleport portal like a meteor. The iceberg of the Northern Rift and hundreds of millions of undead soldiers appeared in the deep space. The scene was like a huge mirror leading to a different dimension. .

Immediately, Ibran was bathed in the shroud of holy light, and six light wings shook off his back! The gentle female voice floated under the dawn sky, as if chanting some ancient scriptures. Ibran's mount Pegasus grew a single horn, covered in golden light, and neighed up to the sky.

It spread its wings gracefully, its pupils glowed with golden light, countless oracles runes appeared from the void, affixed to Ibran's body, forming a golden armor of gods, with a buzzing sound, projected by the giant bell on the top of the temple thousands of meters away. A bright holy rune appeared, reflected on Ibran's body.

The knights shouted, Ibran's spear carried the power of the thunderous holy light, rushed to the portal, and the moment the two sides touched, there was a loud bang, and the teleportation mirror turned into tens of thousands of debris and exploded. , Wrapped in that majestic hurricane, turned into shining powder and scattered in the morning light!

The mountains and plains were full of undead creatures fleeing to the shadows and darkness. The knights thundered and started chasing.

Joyce left Alex's field of vision, sighed wearily, and knelt on the roof.

In the afternoon, Alex came back. He was covered in blood and exuded an unpleasant corpse smell. Joyce wiped him with the soaked rose water and asked: "How is the situation?"

Alex replied: "Not so good. This time it's just a forward force. Ibran led the knights in pursuit of the teleporter. More than one mage has sneaked into the Golden City. The whole city is under curfew law outside. It's best not to go out. ."

Joyce nodded and touched Alex's bloodstained face. The scene on the battlefield was really thrilling, more real and stronger than what he saw every time in his dreams.

Alex Standing naked, staring at him quietly, they can feel the strong connection in each other's hearts. Joyce began to gradually realize the role of the stigmata, and every time Alex went to the front with his loyalty to him, he was fighting with the determination to never return.

And only with mutual trust between them can Alex come back alive.

"Don't worry about teacher." Alex smiled and said, "Trust me, you forgot that the teacher had also won the Hero Medal before, didn't you?"

Joyce knew that Alex felt the worry and helplessness in his heart, so Alex spoke to comfort him, so he nodded and replied, "I believe you."

"You know what." Alex said seriously, putting on his normal clothes, holding Joyce's hand, and walking across the corridor to have breakfast: "You and me, Joey, between us, except for our love for each other, Don't you need to think about something else?"

"Huh?" Joyce was a little surprised when he heard this, he thought, Alex would not love him anymore, but Alex seemed to find it funny to make him preoccupied, and looked at him with a smile. .

As they walked through the garden, Joyce looked at Alex suspiciously, feeling his love for himself, the feeling needless to say, just like their heart-pacing tends to the same frequency.

"I don't think you think so, sir." Joyce said in a huff: "Most of the time you just want to see how I worry about gains and losses of your love."

Alex laughed, "Are you insecure, Joey?"

Joyce thought for a while, and he did feel that way, Alex said again: "Except for your unwavering feelings for me and for you, there is one more thing that needs to be confirmed, that is your faith in me, Joey.."

Alex looked at him seriously and said, "Not only should trust my loyalty, but also have faith in the teacher's strength and power."

"I see." Joyce laughed, feeling the warmth of Alex.

"This is my responsibility." Alex said: "We used to accompany each other. The only thing I did was to practice martial arts with you. I forgot to show you my strength, which led to your fear on the battlefield. At times, you always worry that I won't be able to return alive."

"You must trust me without reservation." Alex said, "Even if one day, we are separated on the battlefield..."

"I believe you will come to rescue me," Joyce said after understanding.

Alex nodded and said: "Very well, so you must believe in me and yourself. If we accidentally get separated in a dangerous environment, you must believe that teacher will survive, and you must use the best of your holy light and fight hard to ensure your own survival."

Joyce nodded, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He found that, as Alex said, although they had made the stigmata, they still had too much to learn. Especially in terms of trust and dependence on each other.

He always cares about Alex and fears that he will be in danger, but Alex always believes in him as his faith.

"Does this mentality affect you?" Joyce entered the dining room and sat down.

"A little bit." Alex fetched food, gave his pudding to Joyce, and explained: "If you are afraid that I will encounter danger, fear and anxiety, worry, it will directly affect the Holy Light to me. The effect of this. I have felt your inner fear more than once."

"This is a shadow." Alex said seriously: "In everyone's hearts, the inherent negative energy, Joey, you must believe me, believe that I will come back alive, or watch me go to the battlefield with no chance of survival, you will personally send me away, and..."

"Be proud of you," Joyce whispered.

"Yes." Alex smiled and said, "The love between us will last forever."

Joyce's heart is very complicated, both sad and sweet, and feels the reliability and security of Alex. Recalling what Alex had told him, the big and small battles he had experienced-he had participated in the Scarlet Battle with Odin, and eliminated the magician's camp, he should be a very strong talent. But no matter who he is in front of, Alex always appears humble, and never talks about his achievements in battle.

However, judging from the favor of Paladins such as Ibran, Ray, and Angros, and their attitude towards him, Alex is indeed very strong, and may be regarded as the leader of the new generation of knights.

"Can you tell me about your previous combat achievements, teacher?" Joyce asked as he ate.

Alex smiled and said, "Of course, what do you want to know?"

Joyce said: "For example, what kind of medals have you won, the hardest battle you have ever experienced, how did you grow up in those years before we ever meet."

After opening the conversation like this, Joyce suddenly realized that he didn't know anything about Alex's past.

"My father is a Waller on the prairie northeast of the Shaq Kingdom." Alex said, "My mother is a barmaid in Shangri-La, Freeport."

"The Waller and... the barmaid." Joyce only found this combination a bit weird. Alex never mentioned his family, but simply told Joyce that there were not many people in his family.

"My father is the eldest of the Scott family." Alex took the water bottle, poured water for Joyce, and continued: "Like many ordinary people, he grew up on the prairie. There is an inheritance from great-great-grandfather to great-grandfather, grandfather to father, and finally to him. He has a wife and a group of daughters..."

Joyce said happily: "It sounds like a beautiful romantic story."

"Yeah." Alex nodded politely. He was always gentle and polite. He occasionally acted rudely and romantically when facing Joyce. However, no matter what he said, he always seemed to be Just like telling a good story, even if it is telling one's own life experience, it is also very gentleman.

"One day he sold wool and followed the caravan to the free port Shangri-La by the sea, where he planned to exchange for salt, some products made by alchemists, potions, and exotic novelties. He played in the casino. He almost lost the money, so he went to the bar to get drunk and met my mother who was a bartender..."

"Later, he left. My mother gave birth to me and took the token my father gave her and went to the prairie to find him, but the Scott family was unwilling to accept us." Alex said casually.

"Because of property issues?" Joyce asked softly.

"Perhaps." Alex said, "He has too many daughters. Every time he marries a daughter, he uses hundreds of sheep as a dowry. Besides, he dare not admit that he had a relationship with my mother in Freeport. Although a man can marry four wives, obviously marrying a waitress is not very decent in the eyes of the grassland people."

"What happened later?" Joyce asked.

"Later, my mother had to take me to the Kingdom of Shaq set foot for a living." Alex said: "She got a job in the butcher's shop to treat the carcasses of cattle and sheep, cut the skin. She contracted the disease, and finally passed away."

"How old were you then?" Joyce asked.

"Nine years old." Alex said, "I worked with the butcher for a while, and after I paid my mother's funeral debts, the lord of Hawke recruited soldiers, and I followed in and practiced for a while."

"It's very hard," Joyce said.

"It's okay. At that time, my heart was full of hatred, hatred of my father, hatred of the world, and even hatred of the surname Scott." Alex laughed, picked up the plate for Joyce, and said: " Now, Go back to sleep."

"What happened later?" Joyce was addicted, thinking of Alex, who was very young back then, standing behind the butcher shop with a vicious expression, his father abandoned him, his mother died of illness, and he was alone as an illegitimate child. He was on his own, he must be full of revenge for this world.

"I'll tell you later." Alex laughed.

"Oh no, let's finish it." Joyce said, "I also have something to tell you about..."

The two of them passed the promenade and heard a sound from a distance. It seemed that there was some kind of violent dispute. Joyce was curious to go to see, but Alex said: "Go, go back to take a nap, you have been staying up all night and haven't closed your eyes."

"Wait." Joyce said, "Is Ibran angry?"

Alex said: "Eavesdropping is not appropriate."

"We can turn it into frank listening as attendance. "Joyce laughed.

Alex said: "I hope you won't be frightened by Ibran, you haven't seen him get angry..."

"...You will protect me... won't you?" Joyce took Alex by the hand and walked through the garden. Alex was funny and helpless. Joyce knew that Alex respected Ibran very much. But Ibran's dispute and anger meant that the object of his quarrel could not be a lower-level knight.

In the entire Holy See, the only person who might make him raise an objection and argue, is only him—Uther the Pope.

In other words, what might be wrong with them, Joyce still wanted to hear about Uther.

They entered the corridor and heard a quarrel coming from the top of the platform, which was the private office of the Pope. Joyce took Alex in but was blocked by guards.

"I'm... Uther's friend." Joyce said, "I have something to ask him."

"Sorry, sir priest." The guard said, "I can't let you go in now."

Alex showed a pendant and said, "I have something to talk to Ibran."

The guard saw the pendant in Alex's hand, glanced at each other, and had to let it go. Joyce was immediately dumbfounded.

"Teacher...you..." Joyce said.

"This is a pass in the Holy See." Alex took Joyce up the stairs and explained: "I used to serve as a temporary instructor for Ibran, training my Cavaliers teammates..."

The two went up the stairs and reached the third floor. They saw Uther holding a glowing cat sitting on a rocking chair, basking in the winter sun. Many people were standing on the big platform on the third floor, all dressed in red. They were obviously the archbishops of various places.

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