Chapter 62: Duty Of A Temple Knight

At the same time, he also understood something else that had puzzled him. According to his meticulously planned arrangements, how could things have gone wrong? The area around Othello had been sealed off so tightly that not even a fly should have been able to escape, let alone a dark elf. Yet, inexplicably, reinforcements from other dark elf cities had arrived, forcing them into this brutal battle. Although they now held the advantage, the minotaurs had suffered heavy casualties.

There was no way a minotaur could betray their kind by colluding with dark elves, just as a wolf would never ally with a goat. This was why Shaman Timmah had been unable to figure out what had gone wrong. But when he saw the temple knight, he understood. The glory armor of the temple knight no longer emitted the faint glow of white magic; instead, it had taken on a color similar to the surrounding rock walls. This was likely the result of an air-based invisibility spell, which had only been dispelled when the evil eye leader's gaze focused on him.

This temple knight, though primarily a mage, was also far more skilled in close combat than the average swordsman. With an invisibility spell cast on himself, he could indeed move freely through the tunnels of Nigen without being detected. Only the oldest and most perceptive evil eye leader could have noticed him.

The dark elves who had gone out to seek reinforcements must have been allowed to escape by him. This massive battle, which should never have happened, had been instigated by him. And judging from the forbidden spell scroll in his hand, his goals went far beyond just causing chaos.

Minotaurs, dark elves, harpies, evil eyes, and medusas—almost all the elite forces of Nigen's races, except for the numerous troglodyte slaves, had gathered in the ruins of Othello for this chaotic battle. Now that the battle was nearing its end, the remnants of the dark elf and medusa forces were preparing to withdraw. If the forbidden spell scroll were to be unleashed at this moment, the outcome would be catastrophic.

"Kill these damned church pigs! Slaughter them!" Shaman Timmah's voice boomed throughout the massive cavern. The feeling of being outmaneuvered had driven him to the brink of madness.

At the same time, Moriel's agonized dragon roar echoed through the entire underground world of Nigen.

The effect of this roar on every dark elf was almost identical. Anyone could tell it was a cry of pain. This was the cry of their god, their faith, their spiritual pillar.

The dark elves, who had already begun to retreat, were now in complete disarray. Many forgot to defend or dodge, simply allowing themselves to be cut down by minotaurs and harpies. The medusas also hastily retreated, their serpentine bodies writhing as they fled.

Only a few matrons managed to maintain their composure, directing their troops to retreat. But even they had despair and confusion in their eyes.

"How could this be… Lord Moriel…" Matriarch Trihana, who had just regained consciousness, was nearly knocked out again by the sound.

Hearing this roar, Shaman Timmah's expression, previously consumed by anger, softened slightly, only to be replaced by an even more intense killing intent. He knew that as long as he dealt with the temple knight here, he would achieve victory. It might be a costly victory, but it would be complete and absolute.

Moriel couldn't be killed by the cannon fodder warriors he had sent. The temple knights, though they had secretly planned this move, still had to deal with Moriel. Timmah wasn't too worried; the main force of the temple knights was likely still focused on her.

But the temple knights weren't the only ones with a hidden card. Timmah had one of his own.

After the first beam from the evil eyes was fired, all the floating evil eyes turned their attention to the temple knight. The telepathic communication between these creatures was faster than any spoken language. Like Timmah, the evil eyes understood the danger of the scroll. In an instant, hundreds of beams shot toward the temple knight from all directions.

The scroll was in his hand, but the temple knight had no time to activate it. Even if he could, the scroll would be torn to shreds along with him by the hundreds of beams before it could take full effect.

The concentrated beams of light all struck the temple knight's position. While the individual beams might not be particularly powerful, the combined force of hundreds, coordinated through telepathy, was comparable to a fireball spell.

There was no violent collision or explosion. The concentrated beams of light flashed brightly for a moment, then the rock wall at that spot caved in, revealing a pool of dark red molten rock. The intense heat had melted the stone.

The temple knight, however, was unharmed. At the critical moment, he activated the sacred shield on his glory armor, using the nearly indestructible magical barrier to block the beams that could have vaporized him. He then cast an instant ice spell to counteract the searing heat.

But as soon as he dropped from the rock wall, before he could take his next action, he was met with a swarm of harpies.

Slightly slower than the evil eyes, Chief Lorelei of the harpies let out a series of sharp cries, and all the harpies in the air surged toward the temple knight. Though they weren't ranged fighters, their speed was comparable to arrows.

The scroll was still in his hand, but the temple knight still had no time to activate it. A dual-element forbidden spell, even when cast in the most direct and reckless manner, required at least two to three seconds to take full effect. The swarm of harpies, though still some distance away, had already thrown their daggers. Hundreds of daggers rained down like a storm. Even if he could withstand the weapons, the scroll in his hand could not.

The temple knight uttered a brief incantation, and a dense series of clashing sounds followed as the daggers were deflected by a force field shield less than a meter in front of him. The daggers, thrown by harpies, were no match for the shield. But this brief delay allowed the leading harpies to close in. Though they had no weapons, they didn't hesitate, their massive talons reaching for the temple knight.

The temple knight drew his sword, and a web of sword light flashed back and forth. Any harpy that came close was instantly reduced to a shower of blood and feathers. But under Chief Lorelei's shrill commands, the suicidal assault didn't stop. Harpies continued to dive in, only to be torn apart.

Seeing the temple knight completely surrounded by thousands of harpies, Shaman Timmah finally relaxed and smiled. Hundreds of evil eyes were drifting closer, along with even more minotaur warriors. He knew the forbidden scroll had no chance of being used, and the temple knight was undoubtedly doomed.

The temple knight's hidden card had failed. As long as Timmah's own hidden card remained effective, he had won.

But his smile had barely formed before it froze. He suddenly looked up at the cavern ceiling, only to immediately close his eyes.

Not just him—everyone on the battlefield who noticed the anomaly and looked up also closed their eyes. Even though the flames burning in Othello had made their eyes accustomed to brightness, the light emitted by the sudden appearance of the glowing sphere above was like comparing a firefly to the sun.

Sun. Only those underground creatures who had been to the surface could find the right word to describe this glowing sphere. And this sphere didn't just bring light—it also brought an overwhelming wave of heat.

...

The harpies kept charging at him, only to be shredded by his sword, but Sir Cervantes felt no sense of accomplishment. On the contrary, his heart was heavy, because he knew his mission had failed.

Ordinary harpies were barely stronger than the average human soldier. Dealing with these creatures was no harder than chopping vegetables for him. But no matter how many he killed, the harpies, like flies, showed no sign of retreating. There was no time to activate the scroll, and even moving was difficult.

This was the most dangerous mission, and also the most important one. If successful, all the forces of Nigen would suffer a devastating blow. Even if the church couldn't fully invade this vast underground maze to eradicate them, at least countries like Alrasia would be free from the threat of monsters emerging from below for a century. Most importantly, without the threat from Nigen, the church could focus all its power on dealing with Orford.

Sir Cervantes was willing to pay any price to complete this mission. He had long been prepared to be reduced to ashes in the purgatory of the forbidden spell. At forty years old, almost all his friends, comrades, and family had died in the wars between Alrasia and Nigen. His two closest friends and comrades, Ederick and Christian, had died at the hands of Orford.

Even without these personal reasons, he would have done it. For Celeste, for the glory of the Lord, this was the duty of a temple knight.