The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 321 - 335

Chapter 321: 335

“Let them go first,” Lancelot shrugged, “unless they block our way.”

The group quickly finished their brief dinner and after cleaning up any traces of their encampment, they left the cave and once again set foot on the surface of Androlina.

Although everyone had not fully recovered from the negative effects of the battle with the succubus, they were feeling much better after a long rest, and at least their spirits were high. The only one who was still unconscious was Clone Well, and the priest did not dare to cast Healing Divine Art on this creature of unknown nature, instead letting it recover on its own.

Luckily, thanks to the master-servant pact with the skeleton head, Lancelot could ensure it was not in danger. Since Clone Well carried an interdimensional storage space within, Lancelot could not just put it into a storage bag like little Lisha, and so he hung it on his sword belt behind his back. Luckily, considering the group’s current appearance, a skeleton head accessory was quite fitting with their style.

It was now midnight, and the stars in the sky were very dim, almost indistinguishable from the darkness they had just left in the cave. Even those with night vision struggled to see what they were stepping on. In other places, this might not be much of an issue, but on the Demons-controlled North Shore, the situation was different.

Chaos attracts Demons, and the presence of Demons breeds chaos; in areas dominated by Demons, everything undergoes mutation. Weeds grew razor-sharp leaves, tree trunks sprouted mouths full of sharp teeth, and hanging vines acted like poisonous snakes, attempting to attack any living creature that came close.

Luckily, the team had a Ranger familiar with the terrain, so they did not have to worry about the troubles of the mutated vegetation. Alamir, disguised as Zoel, led the group, his flowing white hair even visible in the darkness, allowing his companions to easily follow.

They moved north through the night, aiming to reach the shores of Lamborado Lake before dawn and find a suitable campsite. With a Ranger in their midst, they needn’t worry about losing their way in the dark, so it wasn’t a very difficult goal to achieve.

Unless something stood in their way.

Alamir had mentioned a small Demons patrol ahead, and Lancelot had hoped to avoid it, but after two more hours of travel, they still encountered the patrol. Lancelot gave a warning ahead of time, alerting Alamir there were enemies ahead, which surprised the Elven Ranger proud of his scouting and tracking abilities.

The encounter with the patrol took place at the edge of a dense snake tree forest. Snake trees are unique to the Abyss, somewhat resembling leafless beech trees, but even at a mere glance, one could tell the sinister essence of these trees: their branches were flesh-like instead of wooden, resembling repulsive tentacles; at their ends were triangular snake heads with venomous fangs, all hissing and ready to strike at any living being that approached.

Although these dangerous trees were very afraid of fire and would not attack anyone with a torch, doing so would immediately reveal their location. To make matters worse, the snake tree forest was to the left of their path, to the west, while Lamborado Lake and Gaomendikolia were to the northwest. If the group circled around the forest, they would deviate from their intended route, taking a significant detour.

In light of this, the group only had one choice left.

On open ground, Lancelot’s Spirit Perception was still very effective. He focused a little and confirmed there were no other enemies within a mile radius, while Alamir quietly approached, quickly returning with the exact number of foes.

“Three Berserk Demons, twelve Coward Devils, guarding a Kas Demon,” the Elven Ranger reported quietly to the group, “The Kas Demon is flying, so I couldn’t detect it from their tracks earlier. They’re moving quickly, but we should be able to get close enough for a surprise attack.”

“Can your bow take care of that Kas demon?” Lancelot glanced at Acheron. “We can’t let that thing get away.”

“No problem, I guarantee it will be the first to fall,” the Elven Ranger assured him.

“Good, the rest of the enemies are not a major problem, Kalalin, Alamir, try not to waste your spellcasting attempts.”

The two spellcasters looked at each other and nodded simultaneously.

“Clone Well is still unconscious, and little Esha is also resting. Elothysia, can you and Koula stay in the back this time to protect the spellcasters?”

“Leave it to me,” the Succubus Paladin nodded, harboring no complaints about not being able to fight on the front line. Lancelot knew that as a Holy Warrior, the Succubus would have no hesitation in fighting any evil enemy, including the Tanari Demons. But Lancelot didn’t need the Succubus Paladin to prove anything by repeatedly slaying her own kind, and in fact, Lancelot rarely assigned the Succubus Paladin any tasks that involved actively attacking Demons unless it was out of necessary self-defense.

It’s not easy to abandon the path of evil, and he didn’t want to add any new ethical dilemmas for the Succubus.

“Alright,” Lancelot waved his hand gently, “Move out!”

The enemies were less than two hundred feet ahead of the group, but the Demons were moving hastily, as reported by the Ranger. The Coward Devils were constantly letting out indistinct complaints, responded to by the piercing urgings and curses of the leading Kas Demon, while the two Berserk Demons acting as bodyguards took any opportunity to beat up any Coward Devil that lagged behind.

Thanks to this noise, Lancelot and Bruto were able to get close enough without being noticed; otherwise, the whooshing of their armor would have given them away much sooner. But eventually, a Coward Devil heard something, its bat-like ears twitching on its swine face as it turned its head to look back.

What met it head on was a streak of cyan light from a sword, cleaving the unlucky Coward Devil in two.

At the same moment, two silvery streaks of light flew over Lancelot’s head. They were arrows shot by the Ranger, heading straight for the Kas Demon at the center of the enemy group.

Joining them was a hammer thrown by Bruto. Upon seeing the Kas Demon, the Dwarf recalled how much he despised that type of Demon. Before meeting Lancelot, he and his people had spent over a year in miserable bondage, with overseers that were Kas Demons.

The Ranger’s arrows pierced through the giant fly’s wide abdomen, nailing it firmly to the ground, while Bruto’s Flying Hammer turned the Kas Demon’s head into a blob of mush. Before the hammer could fly back, the Dwarf let out a battle cry and charged bare-handed at the Demon horde.

Though he was unarmed, his armor was studded with blades and spikes, which proved useless against skeletons and banshees but were now finally about to get a test against these flesh-and-blood enemies who were not that powerful—it was time to try out this new “toy.”

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