The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 572 - 596 The Footsteps of War

Chapter 572: Chapter 596 The Footsteps of War Chapter 572: Chapter 596 The Footsteps of War In the following days, two more ambush battles occurred, and the outcomes were much the same. With no one able to contend with Gorgiad, the minions of the Abyssal Lords were simply marching to their deaths, and the victories they achieved were far less than the price paid.

As a former Commander, Lancelot had also been constantly contemplating in these days what he would do if he were in this situation. The ambush battles were not faulty in themselves, but the positions could perhaps be arranged more sparsely to reduce the lethality of the demi-god’s Lightning Javelins; there could also be secondary and tertiary positions set up in higher places to form a layered web of firepower…

But let’s not talk about the extreme determination needed by an army to execute such tactics. Even under the most ideal circumstances, the casualty rate could barely reach one to one. And there was still no solution for the problem named Gorgiad, unless one was willing to use the lives of common soldiers to fill the gap. Clearly, in this Multiverse where supernatural forces and divine beings exist, the wars that the Human Knight was so familiar with seemed to have taken on a new face, fortunately, the core remained the same—the struggle for interests.

Looking at it this way, war was still war; only the form had changed, in reality, nothing had changed.

After three ineffective ambushes, Kostcheqi’s minions no longer organized new blocking battles, but they continued to send out small scouting parties to harass. Judging from these clearly organized actions, Lancelot deduced that the forces loyal to the Prince of Wrath had not yet collapsed, and they were likely planning to make a final stand at the Glacial Fortress where the ancient White Dragon Svafnir resided, perhaps believing itself capable of contending with Gorgiad.

The scouts did not only come from the Glacial Fortress; as Gorgiad’s army drew closer to their destination, many external forces also turned their attention to this plane. Thanks to his keen Spirit Perception, Lancelot had more than once detected roaming bands of werewolves, Arachne Elves flitting through the shadows, and even spotted one or two Skeleton Knights clad in full Plate Armor, radiating a dense aura of death from afar.

Clearly, the lords of other levels of the Abyss were all monitoring the potential power shift on this plane. As is well known, due to the permanent Portals to the upper planes, the Iron Ice Plains had long been coveted by many forces of the Abyss, and Kostcheqi’s hostile attitude toward the other Demons was somewhat protective in a way.

...

Due to the intricate power struggles within the Abyssal Plane itself, Kostcheqi’s stance had been tacitly accepted by all parties in the past, with no one taking the initiative to provoke the Prince of Wrath for fear of being attacked by enemies at a moment of weakness. If Gorgiad were to take control of the Iron Ice Plains, in the short term it might be just as before, actively preventing any forces from gaining a foothold in this level, but if given enough time…

Those capable of becoming Abyssal Lords were no fools; they were already observing Gorgiad, a potential Abyssal Lord, gauging his personal preferences, methods of operation, and demands for interests, assessing whether the demi-god was a tool worth exploiting or a threat that must be eliminated at the bud stage. However, for Lancelot, these ‘Observers’ acted very discreetly, so there were no conflicts with the others.

Besides, there were other Observers from different planes—elegant figures with holy glows and wings on their backs occasionally flew through the skies. These were Angels, born from the essence of benevolent gods from the Stellar Realm, tasked to observe this war that potentially threatened the safety of the upper planes.

The audience was plentiful, but the protagonist of this great show was indifferent to all of it. Every day, Gorgiad would order the army to advance approximately fifty miles, which would take the giants around eight hours to cover (including lunch), after which he would order the camp to be set up. After setting up camp, the demi-god often delivered speeches filled with promises of victory and glory, and then, in full view of everyone, performed giant ‘traditional’ events such as stone throwing and wrestling, reinforcing the worshipful feelings of his followers towards him.

Even though it had already surpassed the upper limit of Spirit Perception, Lancelot could still tell that the Demi-god was continuously growing stronger. The rocks He threw were going farther and were getting heavier, and when wrestling with other Frost Giants, He could even lift his opponent into the air with a single hand. There was no doubt that more and more Power of Faith was gathering within Him, and Alamir even asserted that Gorgiad was only one step away from becoming a fully-fledged deity.

He needed to complete some legendary feat to spread his fame throughout the entire Multiverse. Clearly, breaching the Glacial Fortress and capturing control of a layer of the Abyss would fully meet such criteria.

Visit freёnovelkiss.com for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience.

Lancelot and his companions had previously traveled for five days from the Gate of Stroddet to the Glacial Fortress in sleds pulled by werewolves, yet Gorgiad’s giants, though they marched on flat roads, took three times as long to arrive, and the lords of this place had been waiting for a long time.

Before the Ice Palace, which was built between two peaks, the Frost Giants who had sworn fealty to the Prince of Wrath had already gathered from every corner of this layer, with an unending array of tents that couldn’t be seen all the way to the edge, their numbers at least double those of Gorgiad’s followers.

However, everyone was clear in their minds that the key to victory was still the confrontation between the Titan giants and the ancient White Dragon. Under the massive disadvantage in terms of military power, Gorgiad’s only chance of victory was to defeat Svafnir without paying a hefty price; otherwise, even as a Demi-god, He would be overwhelmed by the unending hordes of enemies.

Of course, if Gorgiad chose to flee, it was still not a problem with His strength, and even if He fell in battle, there was still a chance for Him to be resurrected by His brother. However, this would essentially spell the end of His personal ambitions, and such a defeat would be a massive blow to His reputation, likely eliminating any future opportunities for ascension to godhood.

But Lancelot had a nagging feeling that this might be precisely the outcome that the God of the Frost Giants hoped to see. In talks with his companions and the Succubus Lord, they all seemed to agree with this point of view. Tijana even hinted to him that other forces within the Abyss had no special preference for either side of the conflict—some even wished for Gorgiad to achieve ultimate victory (it’s true, Kostcheqi was extremely, extremely, extremely unpopular)—but it had to come at a steep price, thus providing them with a bargaining chip with the new Abyssal Lord.

Gorgiad’s army arrived in the afternoon, setting up camp five miles from the Glacial Fortress, which was less than an hour’s walk for the giants. Despite the close proximity, neither side engaged in any probing attacks, instead focusing on preparing for the battle ahead.

Everyone knew that the final clash would begin after the sun rose the next day, and for Lancelot and his companions, that was also their moment to act. They had done so much, from scouting to rescuing, even directly charging into the battlefield amongst giants, all to create an opportunity to infiltrate the Glacial Fortress.

It was just that the scale of their operation seemed a bit too large.