Chapter 109: The Gnolls' Sacred Ground

 "What's impossible?" the half-elf asked, puzzled.

"This person... this person is a White Wolf Holy Knight!" Ryan displayed the pendant to everyone, his complexion turning slightly pale. "There's no mistake, wolf teeth, the White Wolf insignia! This person is a White Wolf Holy Knight!"

"That's not right. Aren't White Wolf Holy Knights supposed to guard the White Wolf Temple located in the Volrich territory of the Empire for life? Even in death, they should be buried within the temple!" Alfred expressed his confusion. "Ryan, as a White Wolf Knight, you should know this best."

After a White Wolf Knight has proven his strength, courage, and honor to the White Wolf War God Yuric, he earns the opportunity to become a White Wolf Holy Knight. This knight will enter the sacred fire burning within the White Wolf Temple alone, enduring the trial by fire.

The sacred fire bestows new powers in a terrifying manner, reshaping the White Wolf Knight's spirit and body. Wolf teeth grow from the gums, and as his body undergoes excruciating destruction, the White Wolf Knight must also overcome the darkness in his heart, avoiding being controlled by bloodlust and rage.

A White Wolf Knight who fails turns to ashes in the sacred fire, while those who succeed in their transformation become the most honored White Wolf Holy Knights, forever guarding the sacred ground of the White Wolf Temple. Only the Grandmaster of the White Wolf Knights and the Grand Archbishop of the White Wolf can command them to action.

For instance, Ryan's foster father, Norman, always hoped that Ryan could become a White Wolf Holy Knight.

"Yes, you're right, all White Wolf Holy Knights throughout history have been buried in the White Wolf Temple..." Ryan said gravely, hesitating for a moment when he began to speak of this secret, then continued, "Except for one exception. During the Great Holy War 150 years ago, the second Eternal Chosen of Chaos, 'The Anointed' Isakvar, led the Chaos army to break through many strongholds and defenses of the Empire, destroying the Imperial capital before advancing to the gates of White Wolf City."

"The one defending White Wolf City at the time was Elector Count Hedrick-Adalbert of Volrich, a noble with excellent military prowess and a firm believer in Yuric. Unlike the decayed Imperial court and nobles, he led the armies of Volrich in full resistance. However, the Chaos army was endless, and eventually, at the battle of Sukov city, just thirty kilometers from White Wolf City, the Elector's forces met a glorious defeat. The Grand Archbishop died in battle, and they had to retreat to White Wolf City, relying on Yuric's sacred fire to defend the city. Except for White Wolf City, the entire Electorate fell."

"The commander of this battle was the former Grandmaster of the White Wolf Knights, 'Iron Claw' Logan-Flint. Although no one blamed him, he could not forgive himself. After the Great Holy War ended, he put down his White Wolf Knight insignia and left White Wolf City alone, his whereabouts unknown... He is the only White Wolf Holy Knight not buried in the White Wolf Temple."

Ryan's implication was clear.

Was this skeleton Logan-Flint?

The group turned pale. If a holy figure like the former Grandmaster of the White Wolf Knights fell here, could they survive this place?

What secrets did this mine hold?

"Wait, there's a sound!" Ryan was the first to hear noises from deeper within the mine.

"Prepare for battle!" Alfred took his shield from his back.

The sounds inside the mine grew louder, and in the darkness, groups of hunched figures emerged.

Gnolls, hordes of them.

Their skin was scaly, ranging from dark brown to black. They had two small, light-colored horns, glowing eyes, and rat-like straight tails. Their clothes were very crude. Seeing humans, they roared, "Humans! Invaders!"

"Kill them!"

"Exterminate them!"

"We must not let them desecrate our sacred ground!"

A notably larger gnoll sorcerer wielding a wooden staff pointed at Ryan and the others, "Destroy the humans!"

From all directions, a staggering number of gnolls charged at Ryan and his companions.

"Hold them off!" Ryan signaled the group to fall back, standing at the forefront himself. Many gnolls with clubs, curved knives, pickaxes, and flails charged at them. Estel immediately drew an arrow, and after a flurry of shots, the leading gnolls fell, but the loss of a few gnolls did little to deter their advance.

Alfred had just raised his shield when he felt at least three gnolls collide with it. He swung his sword to kill one, but more gnolls pressed forward, their inferior weapons continually striking the paladin's shield. Feeling overwhelmed, Alfred raised his sword and bellowed, "Divine Judgment!"

Golden energy enveloped Alfred, halting all advancing gnolls. Seeing an opportunity, he protected Wesley and the guide as they retreated, "Quick, retreat! We're done for if we get surrounded!"

"Thank you, Mr. Holy Knight!" Wesley and the guide, both of average strength, quickly fell back.

"Ugh!" Ryan had just pushed back a wave of gnolls when more surged forward. They seemed indifferent to their losses, many gnolls pouncing on Ryan, biting and scratching.

Ryan, immune to the gnolls' claws and teeth, found himself almost unable to move freely. He swung his warhammer sideways, sending another wave of gnolls flying, then his flaming warhammer swept through the air, "Retreat! Don't fight these gnolls in the open!"

In the mine, he dared not unleash powerful techniques like Thunderstrike, which could cause the mine to collapse, burying them alive.

Psychic Storm was also hard to use, as the gnolls were too close. While Ryan himself was immune to the storm, his teammates were not. This was reality, not a game, with no friendly fire toggles.

Ryan could only unleash Psychic Storm in one direction, then led the group in a fighting retreat.

"There are too many!" Estel fired arrows, feeling overwhelmed by gnolls everywhere. Their circle was constantly under assault, and hurried shots couldn't stop the gnolls' momentum. The half-elf, not adept at melee combat, struggled, "What do we do?"

"Retreat to the narrow passage we passed earlier. Alfred and I will block the entrance. Once we kill enough, these gnolls will retreat!" Ryan smashed five gnoll heads with his warhammer, then swept four more away. But the sheer number of gnolls, especially the smaller ones with short bows, appeared in Estel's sight.

"Be careful! Gnoll archers! Poison arrows!" Estel warned. It was common knowledge that gnolls coated their arrows with poison.

The half-elf's warning came too late.

The poison arrows' lethality was limited, given the gnolls' weak arm strength and crude arrow craftsmanship. Alfred, in full plate armor, and Ryan, with his extraordinary constitution, were unharmed by the arrows.

The guide, of only ordinary strength, was hit by multiple poison arrows, collapsing under the paralysis and was quickly torn apart by the gnolls before Ryan could intervene.

"Roar~"

"Wah wah!"

The ordinary gnoll miners shouted excitedly. Gnolls took pleasure in killing intelligent beings, although they disliked eating their flesh.

Meanwhile, the distant gnoll shaman ordered all gnolls to attack Wesley.

It recognized him as the weakest human, while the other three were too strong.

Countless gnolls, following the shaman's command, charged at Wesley relentlessly. Some grabbed his feet, others his legs, and some pulled at his clothes. The director screamed for help, "Save me, Mr. Ryan! Mr. Alfred! Please, save me! Ahhh!!!"

A gnoll bit into his shoulder, blood spraying everywhere.

"Damn! If Veronica or Teresa were here, we wouldn't be so passive!" Ryan noticed the gnoll shaman. If they had a spellcaster, a single spell could have taken the weak shaman's life, preventing their current predicament. Swinging his warhammer, he cleared the gnolls in front of him, "Estel, attack that gnoll shaman!"

With Ryan's help, Estel had a moment to breathe. He had just drawn his bow when he saw many gnolls protecting their shaman, "I can't hit it, my arrows can't penetrate the gnolls' bodies."

"Damn, it's Arcane Missiles!" Ryan saw the gnoll shaman complete its spellcasting, forming five energy missiles. This third-level spell, Fivefold Arcane Missiles, targeted Ryan and his companions.

Seeing this, Alfred finally used his Shield of Faith. A golden aura enveloped the paladin as he bravely faced the missiles, "Leave this to me, you all retreat!"

The Arcane Missiles were ineffective against the Shield of Faith, allowing the group to finally retreat to the narrow passage they had passed earlier. Alfred, with a look of determination, blocked the path, holding off the incoming gnoll horde as if ready to sacrifice himself.

Ryan thought this was outdated heroics. They weren't losing to the gnolls; it was just a matter of holding a favorable position. He signaled for a swap with Alfred, "I'll take the front!"

Estel managed to pull Wesley back. The director was severely injured and poisoned. The half-elf quickly applied ointment, while Ryan and Alfred blocked the passages, preventing the gnolls from advancing.

Especially Ryan, who alone stood at the narrow entrance, crushing any approaching gnoll with his warhammer. Despite repeated assaults, the gnolls couldn't harm him, leaving only piles of bodies.

Behind Ryan and Alfred, Estel continuously fired arrows, taking down the gnoll archers one by one.

Gradually, the gnolls hesitated to advance. Seeing this, the gnoll shaman became anxious, waving its staff and shouting, "Charge! Charge! Attack!"

"Kill those humans! Our sacred ground must not be discovered by them!"

Now! Estel saw an opportunity as the gnolls' formation around their shaman became disorganized due to its ranting. Drawing the last few arrows from his quiver, he aimed at the gnoll shaman, "Ryan, cover me."

"Got it!" Ryan swiped his hand over his warhammer, replacing the flames with golden lightning. The flashing light made the gnolls instinctively close their eyes, as they were a species that disliked bright lights.

"Don't retreat! Don't retreat!" the gnoll shaman shrieked, ordering its protectors to enforce discipline, "No retreating! Kill any who do!"

Mid-sentence, an arrow struck the gnoll shaman's throat, killing it instantly.

"The boss is dead!"

"The boss was killed by the pointy-eared one!"

Soon, the once-cohesive gnoll horde dispersed without their leader, leaving behind a field of bodies as they vanished into the mine's depths.

"It's finally over." Ryan lowered his warhammer, surveying the devastated mine and exhaling, "I thought we'd have to kill all these gnolls."

As a legendary mid-tier and genetic prototype, Ryan was invincible against the gnolls. His physical strength ensured he couldn't be harmed by their inferior weapons, and his powerful Holy Grail sigil and extraordinary constitution meant he could withstand this low-intensity battle without fatigue. Holding this advantageous position, he couldn't lose.

But such battles were meaningless, a waste of time.

"Ryan... Wesley is badly injured, and he's poisoned," Estel panted. Compared to the still energetic Alfred, the half-elf was not known for his endurance.

"How bad?" Ryan immediately turned to inspect Wesley's injuries, finding the director's condition severe. He had many wounds, especially from the poison, and his breathing was weak.

Alfred chanted a Light Healing spell, stabilizing his condition temporarily. However, this divine spell was only a temporary measure, capable of stopping bleeding but not healing wounds. Alfred was well aware of this, stating, "Mr. Wesley needs immediate treatment, or he might lose his leg."

"No, I don't want to lose my leg!" Wesley screamed, not wanting to be crippled, "Please, sirs, save me. I'll repay you, I beg you!"

Neither the paladin nor the half-elf wished to see him die. Ryan felt obligated to save the director of the Luigi Commerce Association, so he said, "Then, Alfred, Estel, take Mr. Wesley back to the surface first."

"What about you?"

"I'll finish exploring this mine, then head back up."

"Be careful." Concerned for human life, Alfred and Estel had no objections. After a bloody battle, the likelihood of Ryan encountering another formidable enemy was greatly reduced, and they had confidence in his strength.

The paladin and half-elf left with the severely injured Wesley.

Ryan continued forward, already suspecting what the so-called gnolls' sacred ground was.

Following the gnolls' direction, he advanced for another ten minutes, hearing more whispers along the way.

"All things originate from me, and through me, they are destroyed."

"The war in heaven is the beginning of everything."

"Resistance is futile. The predators from the sub-space will eventually return. Victory is merely the continuation of a species' survival."

When Ryan cut through a thick rock wall with the Goddess of Vengeance, revealing a golden, towering figure waiting inside.

"You're faster than I expected, Ryan."

"And you're faster than I imagined, Father."

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