Chapter 23 Part II

After a while, Hugh said again: "I feel that there is a curse on me."

Joyce's heart shuddered, and he replied, "Don't think that way..."

"I'm pretty sure." Hugh said tiredly, "No matter where we go, those eyes are like a shadow...maybe the curse is here..."

He lowered his head, Joyce followed his gaze and looked at the side of Hugh's waist, which showed a gray scar.

"They have been looking for me," Hugh said in a deep voice.

"Who?" Joyce asked.

"Hell knight." Hugh replied, "A guy wearing a black helmet, who looks like their head, pierced my abdomen during the fight. He corroded me."

"The Holy Light has suppressed it." Joyce comforted him: "No, don't worry about it."

Hugh sighed and twisted his eyebrows slightly. Joyce touched his forehead and whispered: "Teacher will be here soon, and we will find out a solution when the time comes."

Hugh closed his eyes, nodded, and said, "Do you feel Alex?"

Joyce hummed and said, "He may be nearby, and he will find us soon."

Hugh got up, opened the window, and took a look outside. The sky was already bright, but the rust-colored rain had not stopped. The black mist started from nowhere, and gradually conceived, covering the entire village.

"I smell the undead," Joyce murmured.

Hugh said, "They are coming here soon, I hope Alex can get there first. I think we should leave here as soon as possible."

Joyce said: "Wait for the teacher to come here, he told us not to leave."

Hugh pondered for a moment, and then nodded, Joyce stood up and said, "I'll go out to get the news."

Hugh turned his head and said, "Don't go too far."

Joyce hummed. He could feel the stigmata repaired. He just walked around the village and asked about what happened last night. As soon as he walked out of the hotel, he saw many villagers also come out, standing in the black mist. Looking up, they seem to be surprised by this sudden mist.

Joyce asked the villagers about the Sosha invasion last night. Many people saw him and Hugh came to the village together. Some people took the initiative to explain to him that the Sosha are a nomadic people outside the Great Wall. They occupy the grassland for a long time, and only in autumn do they come to Krian to trade goods.

Constrained by the mainland contract, Sosha and the residents of the Krian have been in peace. Just after the spring of this year, the Sosha people suddenly broke the contract and invaded the Krian.

The villagers don't know why, but Joyce knows very well that the only possibility is...

"Northern Rift." Joyce returned to the room and saw Hugh holding his right wrist in his left hand, pinning his right palm, and a burning fireball in his palm. When using magic, his hair and eyebrows also changed color, turning into an inconspicuous red.

"You are right, the undead army has already invaded the grassland," Hugh replied casually, looking at the fireball in his hand intently.

"Maybe they are chasing the Sosha tribe." Joyce looked at Hugh's movements and knew that he was practicing the power to control magic. Swordsmen were naturally suitable for practicing magic, which also made their soul and spirit. More susceptible to the effects of darkness.

Hugh turned his palms, the palms of both hands were facing each other and separated. The color of the fire changed from orange-red to purple, then turned to blue, then ice crystals and mist appeared, and the hair color gradually turned to dark blue. When Joyce wondered if the next kind of magic would be wind, Hugh put away the magic energy.

They walked around in the village, and many people were talking about the sudden black mist. Standing on the lakeside, staring at the Krian collar on the opposite side, the castle was hidden in the mist, and the black mist quietly moved along the lake. When it struck, Joyce felt the danger instinctively.

The color of the black mist was thicker than the hair, and it gradually changed to a dark color. Joyce said decisively: "We are leaving, we can't wait here for the teacher to come."

When they returned from the lake and were about to head to the hotel, they heard the sound of flapping wings. A white flying horse descended from the sky and landed on the street. With its wings retracted, the knight turned over and made the sound of iron boots treading on the ground.

That's Ibran! Joyce was overjoyed and was about to go forward, but Hugh nervously said, "Wait!"

Hugh took Joyce and hid behind the house. Hugh asked in a low voice, "Why is he here?"

Only then did Joyce realize the strange appearance of Ibran. They looked from the back of the house. It was early in the morning on the noisy street. The residents of Krian passed the road, each turning their heads and looking at Ibran strangely. . Ibran stopped and asked the pedestrians.

Joyce: "..."

Hugh whispered: "Look at his wrist."

Joyce followed Hugh's gaze and saw that the stigmata of the Pope on the back of Ibran's wrist appeared black. The shock made him indescribable. The only thought was bad. How could it be possible?

"He betrayed the Holy See! I know now, he is the knight who betrayed Uther!" Joyce instantly recalled the past clips:

Bishop Wendell was in the restricted area of ​​the library and told them: "The greatest danger comes from around."

At that time, maybe Wendell had already discovered Ibran's apostasy, but because Alex and Ibran had a good relationship, he didn't dare to tell the facts rashly, so he only tried to test it by vaguely implying. How many associates does Ibran have in the Holy See?

And in the end, what the Pope said before releasing the Holy power Explosion... Obviously the Pope also knew it.

Joyce was like falling into ice water, remembering what Alex had reminded himself, Ibran seemed to be looking for someone's trace. In the middle of the road, a villager showed the way for Ibran. Ibran stepped on a flying horse and flew away. Joyce was relieved. They must have seen him and Hugh leaving the village and heading to the lake. They thought they had gone on the road, thank goodness.

Joyce turned his head to look at Hugh. Hugh's expression was very complicated, and his lips trembled slightly. After a while, he seemed to make up his mind and said, "Hurry, there is not much time left. We need to buy enough food."

After Pegasus left, the black mist almost flooded the entire village of Krian. Hugh and Joyce entered the town for the second time and went to the grocery store to buy bread and cold meats. This time they went on the road and did not know when they would arrive at the next supply point. Hugh took out all the money and exchanged it for supplies.

"Leave here." Standing outside the grocery store, Joyce said anxiously towards the passing pedestrians: "The undead of the Northern Rift is coming! Listen to me!"

When Hugh came out of the village with supplies, a big bell rang from the heights of the village.

Dang- dang-the alarm bell reverberated and everyone became nervous.

"An intruder?!" someone shouted.

"Who is it! IS Sosha's bastard here again!" The villagers rushed to tell. Many people ran to the north. Joyce stopped at that moment, Hugh without saying anything, climbed the eaves, turned on top of the roof, and turned towards the roof. Looking into the distance.

"That's awful." Hugh then said: "In all directions, it's full of undead legions, Joyce, get on the horse!"

Joyce shouted: "Don't stay in the village! Let's get out of here!"

The attack came suddenly, and countless black gargoyles in the sky screamed, flapped their wings and rushed down, and Hugh roared: "It's too late! Joyce! Hide behind me!!!"

Joyce staggered and fled behind Hugh, Hugh held his big sword, crossed his sword, closed his eyes, and a raging fire ignited on the sword. Then, the big sword showed a bright red color. The upper part broke away, and hit the first gargoyle that leaped down in an arc, making a loud noise!

The gargoyle dragged the flames and fell to the ground. Everyone hid behind Hugh. The sky was covered with flying black demons. Flames were glowing around Hugh's body, and his hair turned from black to red in an instant, turning into red-colored flames!

The magic swordsman protected all the people nearby in the giant ball of flames, and the flames flew up one after another, like a spectacular meteor shower shooting from the ground to the sky!

The gargoyles were shot down one after another, the houses caught fire, and they all went up in an instant, avoiding the ground attack, and rushing to the sky!

Hugh opened his eyes, panted with a big sword, and covered the gray scar on his waist with one hand. Joyce immediately felt the intense pain passed by the stigmata. He immediately hugged Hugh tightly to calm his pain.

"Stop using magic!" Joyce said.

"It doesn't matter..." Hugh waved his hand, reluctantly said: "All hide in the house! The Ground Legion is coming soon... Joyce! Go! Leave now!"

Joyce was retreated and pushed into the grocery store. As soon as he opened the door, he felt the ground shake. For a moment, the ghoul was like a tide, crushing the entire Krian Village with extremely fast movements!

The assault shook all the buildings in the village. The shelves in the grocery store collapsed and all the bottles and cans collapsed. Joyce raised his hand to protect his head and hid behind the counter. A child screamed loudly, Joey spared himself, hugged the child, and hid behind the shelf.

The vibration became stronger and stronger as if thousands of horses rushed past the village, a ghoul pressed Hugh, broke the window, and fell in.

More and more ghouls rushed into the grocery store like locusts, Hugh made a direct attack, and the ice crystal exploded, pushing the ghouls who were the first to bear the brunt. More black monsters rushed in, and the leather armor of Hugh was torn. It hit Hugh's shoulder, grabbed the bleeding claw marks, and made Hugh fell behind the counter!

The moment Hugh's heavy body fell down, it happened to be landed backward on Joyce's body. Joyce put his arm against Hugh's back and gritted his teeth and said, "Hugh--!"

He raised a hand, pressed it on Hugh's back, used all his strength, poured the holy light into his body, pushed him out of the counter again, and instantly the stigmata on Hugh's arm burst into bright white light, and he clenched tightly. Big sword, a sword swung away brazenly!

With a loud bang, the Holy Light destroyed nearly half of the grocery store, and the ghoul made a hoarse and unpleasant cry to avoid the burning of the Holy Light!

Hugh's body was full of blood, and he was seriously injured. After the sword flicked his left hand and staggered back to the counter, Joyce immediately reached out and hugged him, with the other hand lingering in the holy light, trying to heal him.

Someone in the grocery store opened the door of the cellar and whispered, "Come in! Come on!"

The little boy's mother cried out, picked up her son, and saw that the cellar door opened, and immediately pulled Joyce into the cellar. When he descended into the cellar, his index and middle fingers were brought together, waving an arc of light, and then he immediately closed the cellar exit.

The arc spread, the entire grocery store collapsed and became a ruin, and the cellar was completely dark.

"How is it?" Joyce whispered: "Let me see."

The holy light shines, reflecting the faces of Joyce and Hugh. Wherever the treatment was done, Hugh's wounds healed quickly. Joyce was relieved, but Hugh decisively held down Joyce's hand and refused to let him treat it again.

Before Joyce could speak, there was a loud bang, and the whole earth was shaking. The little boy was about to scream, but his mother was covering his mouth.

In the darkness, fear spread silently, and there was another shock, this time closer.

"What is it?" Hugh asked alertly.

"Flesh giant." Joyce whispered: "You haven't seen it, don't be impulsive."

This sound was almost certain to be the kind of giant that Alex had killed in the Northern Rift. It was trimmed to the crack in the floor, and through the gap where the dust fell, it was barely possible to see the outside world.

With a loud noise of "Peng", a flesh and blood giant fell and trampled the house into ruins.

"I'll kill it." Hugh whispered: "It should be burned."

"Don't go!" Joyce said, "You are not its opponent!"

In his dream, Joyce had seen the power of flesh and blood giants. These ten-meter-high giants were just the vanguard of the undead legion. They might be used as vehicles to rush the city. At the beginning, the Holy See sent dozens of guardian knights. Successfully put it down, with the power of Hugh, even if it can be driven away, I am afraid that it will be seriously injured.

The giant stepped down again, and the mountain shook.

"I suspect they are just passing by," Joyce whispered.

Hugh nodded, shook Joyce's hand, and said, "Don't use the Holy Light now, so as not to attract more enemies."

Joyce kissed Hugh's wound lightly, feeling very painful in his heart. Hugh put his arm around his shoulder and looked back at the family of three of the grocery store owner hiding in the corner. They looked at them with fear.

Hugh raised his hand to signal them to be calm, and then nodded at the child.

The flesh and blood giant passed through the village and gradually moved away. Joyce and Hugh breathed a sigh of relief at the same time, the real destination of these undead was not Krian Village.

The next wave was sluggish carrion, followed by countless black flames passing by from the sky.

They left in the south. Joyce thought of the Golden City sealed by Uther. It seems that the Undead Army has invaded the Middle-earth Continent from all directions...

The Undead Legion left. In Krian Village, every household came out of the cellar. Hugh took Joyce by the hand. When he was about to walk out of the cellar, Ibran's Pegasus once again soared from the sky and landed on the ground.

Joyce: "!!!"

Everyone looked at Ibran in fear. Ibran rode on the horse but did not speak. After turning his head to examine the burnt house and the traces of the battle, he flattened his palm, and a black ball of light appeared in his palm.

The sphere of light flashed instantly, and a black and white reverse color appeared between the sky and the earth.

The villagers had just escaped the invasion of the Undead Legion, and when they saw Ibran's dark magic, they shouted in fright and fled.

However, the magic did not kill anyone as they had imagined. Only Hugh, who was hiding in the cellar, was affected and immediately stretched out his hand to press his waist.