The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 370 - 384: Gallery of Living Creatures

Chapter 370: Chapter 384: Gallery of Living Creatures

Lancelot took a few steps forward and examined another ‘portrait’ on the wall. It depicted several red-flamed Airas running away towards the distance, their heads inexplicably turned to look back, and then they were eternally frozen in that moment.

Next to this painting, there was another group of Elf Archers, standing or crouching, with their longbows drawn, some aiming, ready to release a lethal arrow at the viewer outside the frame the next second.

On another adjacent painting, there were many warriors of different races, all of them facing the viewer outside the painting with expressions of extreme shock on their faces. It was a very unsettling experience to be stared at by so many frightened faces, but perhaps the Mother of Demons herself enjoyed admiring her masterpieces, which was why she had specially gathered them together.

“Blimey, these folks aren’t to be trifled with,” Cromwell commented as he examined the paintings with Lancelot, the skeleton head noticing more details, “Like these Elves, see the special pattern on their breastplate? That’s Mithril, just like Bruto’s hammer; such armor doesn’t come cheap… And those Dwarves over there, notice the gemstones on their helmets and weapons…”

“These must be some of the most powerful heroes among the Guardians over the centuries,” Lancelot stroked his chin, looking at another wall painting of a group of fully armed Knights. Mounted on warhorses draped in heavy barding, holding massive lances under their arms, they were charging towards someone outside the frame, and even though they were now but a two-dimensional image, one could still feel the killing aura emanating from them.

“So we should…” The skeleton head didn’t finish speaking, as it was interrupted by the raising of Lancelot’s arm. The gesture was very clear, and everyone had developed a subconscious reaction to it; seeing it meant immediately stopping whatever they were doing, including talking.

...

“Enemies?” Cromwell switched to a mind-link with Lancelot and lowered himself rapidly, ready to pretend to be just another skull dropped on the ground.

“Two of them, heading our way,” came the reply through the mind-link from its master, “Succubi, likely guards of this place.”

“What do we do?” Cromwell asked through the mind-link, still instinctively whispering, “With your skills, we could bypass them, right?”

“Indeed,” Lancelot nodded slightly, “but I have another plan…”

These two Succubi were members of the Cang Ye Honor Guard. Many Tanari longed to gain favor with the Mother of Demons and become an Abyssal Lord like her infamous children, ruling over their domains. But only those who had truly served her knew how unpredictable this ancient demon was, who had lived since the primordial era.

Lately, there seemed to be an improvement, as the Mother of Demons became less whimsical, yet the punishments for subordinates who failed to accomplish their tasks grew exceptionally severe. About a month ago, a squad of Succubi returned empty-handed from an escort mission, and the Mother of Demons publicly turned them all into Aberrant Demons, then threw them into the dungeons below.

From time to time, these two Succubi would patrol over there, able to precisely identify their former comrades, pausing for a moment to savor the exhilarating screams. But those wails also reminded them of how terrible the consequences could be if they ever disappointed the Mother of Demons.

Earlier today, a special captive was personally brought into the interrogation room of Bone Castle by General Ulgog. The two of them hadn’t witnessed the captive with their own eyes, but all the rumors within the castle pointed to an absurd yet undeniable fact—the captive was a Succubus Paladin!

The Mother of Demons’ higher-ranking lieutenants were well aware that a large-scale campaign against the Melanthan nobles had been in preparation for a long time. The three main legions, “Mother’s Whip,” “Soul Wail,” and “Bonebreaker Summon,” had been expanding their forces to the limit of what the demon commanders could manage.

This campaign was unlike any before. In the past, if even one legion reached full strength, those impatient commanders would rush to attack the south, but this time, under Cang Ye’s strict order, not a single soldier of the legions could cross to the southern bank of the Hoffenstan River to unleash their long-accumulated desires for destruction and massacre.

This restraint was harder than it sounded, but with the help of Ulgog, the Mother of Demons had indeed managed it. Now, her legions were larger than at any previous time, and all demons believed that the day they could kill to their heart’s content was soon to arrive.

And this Succubus Paladin captive was like a fuse, prompting all of the plans to suddenly spring into action. But for some reason they didn’t understand, the Supreme Commander of the Demon Legion, Ulgog, remained in the dungeon of Bone Castle, while Cang Ye herself took over the command of the “Mother’s Whip” legion and went to the front lines in person.

This unusual signal seemed to prove that the Mother of Demons was certain that the battle would completely end those Aira refugees and Androlina would soon return to the control of this ancient Abyssal Lord. For the demons forced to stay behind in Bone Castle, it was not good news—no demon wanted to miss this festivity. In fact, many low-rank guards had already deserted, but these two Succubi didn’t dare to join them.

The wails of the Aberrant Demons in the dungeon were really quite delightful to hear.

The two Succubi complained to each other about their unlucky fate while patrolling the route they were assigned. Ahead was the Mother of Demons’ gallery of living exhibits. If anyone had any doubts about the power of this Abyssal Lord, who seemed uninterested in power struggles, a stroll here would dispel such foolish thoughts.

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But the place was not without its invaders, as the heroes trapped in the gallery were very attractive to everyone. Warriors from the Heavens attempted to rescue legendary figures from lore, while some daring demons coveted those pure and powerful souls.

At that moment, the two Succubi simultaneously heard a faint, unusual noise that sounded like metal scraping against stone. The two massive demons instantly became alert; with the Mother of Demons away from her castle, it was a perfect time for thieves to strike.

They exchanged glances and moved towards the source of the noise, prepared to cast spells—a Dispel Magic and a Command Shatter spell were at the ready.

Turning a corner, the demons found a longsword planted on the floor of the corridor, its hilt adorned with a skull that made it look like a gravestone from some desolate rural cemetery.