Knight and Wand

Chapter 224 Faith and Miracles

It was past dawn, but this ancient town in the northwest of the Griffin Mountains of Cerrian had not yet been bathed in the light of the dawn of the past.

The shadow still shrouded the earth, the night seemed endless, and a surging sea of ​​corpses climbed up the castle's high walls. The city outside the walls had turned into a sea of ​​death.

The last surviving people, the elderly, the weak, women and children, huddled deep within the thick walls of the temple.

People were trembling, but the solid stone walls and domes could not give them any sense of security.

Led by the priest, they sobbed and prayed helplessly to the Holy Sun.

"Saint Sol, we bow our heads and look up. Its light is like a torch, blessing all things. We pray to the sun to see us, give us wisdom and courage.
Only the Holy Sun, only Ilaril, show mercy and protect me. May the light always cleanse my soul and guide me to do no evil.
May we remain pure as ever and finally reach His temple."

On the castle battlements, dirty blood stained the robes of the Crusader warriors. They brandished sharp swords and hammers, fighting desperately, shouting the name of the Holy Sun, and destroying the wights that climbed up the high walls one by one.

However, the huge corpse cart finally drove slowly over, the evil bell roared, and a faint green torrent swept across the city.

The demonic light passed through the armor and directly swept over the flesh of the living. Rust spread on the surface of the steel armor, and many brave warriors fell down before they could even scream.

At the point where the dissipated light beam landed, countless resentful spirits, half real and half virtual, immediately appeared from the exploding ghost fire, shrieking and rushing towards the other soldiers on the city wall.

(Lorelit)

"In the realm of Mothra Sol, the dead refuse to live. In the name of Ilaril! I command the spirits to retreat!"

The Ring Priest, dressed in a long robe and a sacrificial crown, endured his fatigue and raised the Sun Scepter in his hand again.

- Om!

Magic power transformed into pure element, and brilliant flares of sunlight spread out, piercing the darkness and instantly clearing away the approaching sea of ​​ghosts.

The evil spirit dissipated with screams, but the next moment, countless bat-winged corpses fell from the sky and flew towards the priest who had lost his protection.

The priest from the magic circle waved his staff while struggling, condensing a raging fire around his body, and groups of corpses were burned to ashes.

But the endless waves of undead attacks were higher and higher, and finally the priest was completely submerged in the gap between spells.
As the last soldier guarding the city wall fell, the army of zombies swarmed and broke through the inner wall.

Inside the castle's sanctuary hall.

Under the scorching sun totem, the old priest led the devout warriors in front of him to recite the last prayer.

The hazy and sacred sunlight appeared in the sun crowns on the helmets of the Holy Sun Knights.

The last of the Holy Sun Knights and Crusader soldiers stood up solemnly with their swords drawn. They were no longer afraid of anything.

“Today we die to defend the people of Holy Sun, we die for glory, and we have no regrets.” The leading young knight walked through the ranks of his comrades and stood in front of the closed door.

He could hear the footsteps of the undead getting closer and closer.

This means that his father had died in battle on the city wall.

Now it's their turn.
The door of the sanctuary was opened.

On the dark road in the inner castle, a large group of running undead appeared before the knights.

"For the sacred sun!" The young knight raised his sword high and rushed out first.

The knights behind him also roared, following the lord's son out of the temple to face the last battle of their lives.

The brave warriors in silver armor and white robes charged into the enemy group amidst the howling corpses.

——The great sword slashed, the long halberd swung——

The fearless ones fought their way through the tide of zombies and carved out a bloody path.

Neither the zombies with rotting flesh nor the skeleton warriors wearing armor can stop them.

The shrill sound of ghosts howling came from the end of the avenue, and swarms of resentful ghosts rushed towards the living, waving sickles and daggers.

However, when the horde of evil spirits got close to the knights, they were made increasingly blurry by the hazy sunlight behind the warriors' heads.

The knights roared and slashed with their sharp blades, smashing the wavering blasphemous spirits before them to pieces.

The holy words also rang out loudly behind the warriors.

The dancing spots of light intertwined and spread out from the old priest wearing a tall crown.

It illuminated a large area of ​​the dim holy barrier, and with the old priest as the center, the shadow slowly spread in a semicircle.

The zombies that rushed into this sacred area frantically fell to the ground one after another, and the evil spirits dissipated as soon as they touched the edge, and the pressure on the knights in the melee was suddenly reduced.

The corpses continued to pile up, and one after another, the ferocious ghosts fell under the sharp blades of the knights who were fighting a last-ditch battle.

But the corpse demons hovering in the dark clouds were like a hunting group that had discovered its target. They swooped down like dark clouds towards the dazzling light barrier below, followed closely by two larger bat-ghost shadows.

The half-dead demon was only slowed down by the light, and then it used its sharp claws on its hind legs to grab the struggling living.

The warriors guarding the old priest tried their best to kill the ghosts falling from above their heads, but if they were not careful, they would be caught by the sharp claws of their hind legs, and then pulled out of the formation with the flapping of their flesh wings and thrown into the sea of ​​corpses.

There was a whistling sound that broke through the air, and then there was a loud bang. The ground shook, and heavy objects fell to the ground with a bang, and bricks and corpses flew everywhere.

The light that brought the knights a brief moment of life dissipated.

The young knight charging in the front swept the zombies apart and looked back.

Several comrades have already fallen under the attack of the bat-like undead monsters.

The old priest was knocked to the ground and lost the Sun Scepter in his hand. He struggled to get up and drew a seal to try to cast a spell to fight back.

The young knight turned and ran, trying to rescue the old man in danger.

"Die, monster!" He roared loudly to attract the attention of the giant bat ghost.

With just a few steps, he jumped high, holding the sword upside down, and stabbed it into the monster's back.

The huge bat ghost swung its winged forearms to try to grab the enemy on its back, which gave the priest a short precious time.

The linear magic patterns outlined the illusory bow, and the old priest condensed a dazzling arrow of light.

Isa's arrow spiraled out and pierced through the monster's hideous skull.

The knight fell on the giant bat ghost's fallen body, and before he could stand firm, he saw an ending he didn't want to witness.

Another huge black shadow covered the priest's head, and its bloody mouth bit down on the old man's head before he could react.

The sharp teeth crushed the flesh and blood, leaving only a headless corpse with half of the upper body missing.

"No!!!" The knight with eyes wide open behind his helmet screamed and swung his sword, killing the bat ghost.

The giant that swallowed the flesh and blood opened its bloody mouth and moved its strong forelimbs like a gorilla, rushing towards the knight.

Boom!
The huge skull that was sticking out to bite was knocked crooked by the hilt of the sword that the knight swung around and hit.

Rage and fearlessness made the young knight seem to enter an unprecedented state of selflessness. He ducked to avoid the giant bat ghost's claws, and when he turned around, he stabbed the beast's forearm.

The sharp blade cut half of the enemy's flesh, and the knight turned around and slashed with all his strength at the same position on the opposite side of the forearm.

With a click, the heavy sword cut off one of the giant bat ghost's arms in a cross-cutting move.

The beast's body tilted and lost balance, and its head bit the knight again.

The sword blade that could penetrate from bottom to top completely shut its mouth.

Swinging the blade that had pierced the monster's chin, the knight shifted his body to the side of the opponent's broken arm, drew his sword and slashed fiercely.

The tendon cutter smoothly cut through the joints, and the huge giant bat ghost head spurted out a large amount of black blood, which rolled to the side. Watching the giant beast in front of him fall down and lose its movement,

The knight who had unleashed his full potential half-knelt down, panting and exhausted, without any joy in his heart from defeating the powerful monster.

He stood up while catching his breath, and looked around. There were not many of his comrades who had retreated to the front.

The young knight raised the sword in front of him and prayed calmly.
".May the Holy Sun and Ilaril accept our souls and not let them be desecrated by this evil power."

He only regretted that he could not defeat more ghosts and would soon be exhausted from the fierce battle and buried in the sea of ​​corpses.

He knew the battle was about to end.

A faint red light suddenly illuminated the castle road full of corpses and blood.
The surging zombies slowed down their violent attack.

The undead, whose only instinct was to feast on the breath of the living, stopped their movements as if in fear, stared at the sky with their ghostly eyes flashing with dim light, and opened their mouths to roar.

The knight couldn't help but look up in a daze at the sudden change in front of him.

The crimson glow pierced through the darkness and fell from above.

It broke through the dark clouds and fell from the sky like the fire of the scorching sun, dragging a dazzling trail.

what is that?
Before he could even utter the question, he saw a flaming meteor roaring and falling into the tide of corpses.

——Boom!
The earth-shaking impact made the knight somewhat unsteady on his feet, and the flames caused by the shock wave created a storm.

The rolling heat wave swept around, burning all the surrounding undead souls to ashes in an instant.

The knight looked through his visor, his eyes wide open in amazement.

He finally saw the tall figure and the creature behind him clearly among the charred corpses and the red-hot pit.
A pair of wings?
In the blazing firelight that descended, the figure was wearing golden armor, and the face under the hood could not be seen clearly, only the long white hair stretched out of the shadow and fluttered in the wind.

The light lingering around him actually came from the two flaming swords held in each of his hands.

The sword blade, with flames rising from it, made the originally pure white wings glow red.

What is that? Is that a human? A human with wings on its back?
Could it be some kind of wizard's flying spell?

The knight was confused. He didn't know who that was, nor what that was.

But he saw the other party raising the flaming sword in his hand towards the surging army of zombies.

The two swords crossed and slashed down——

Amidst the mighty breeze, a sea of ​​fire rose up and swept across the road.

In an instant, as if it were a punishment from the gods, countless corpses were reduced to ashes in the elemental fire that burned everything.
The knights were shocked by the powerful existence, and their astonishment turned into excitement. They felt as if they had been pardoned. This winged figure was at least not their enemy!
The figure looked up and saw the gathering of zombies attacking from the air. He immediately flapped his wings and leaped into the air.

He swung the flaming sword in his right arm, and another fire snake was thrown out like a whip.

The long whip was lashed into them, and a large row of corpses turned into falling charcoal.

The figure flapped its wings and turned in the air, and the invisible eyes under the hood seemed to be looking at the knights below.

Her gentle and warm voice rang in the ears of everyone who was still alive.

".I have heard your call. I bring the wrath of the Holy Sun
Warriors of the Blazing Sun, please follow me and Mothra's messenger."

miracle!

Salvation has arrived!!

The Holy Sun answered the prayer and sent His divine agents!
"We are saved! Is that the Holy Sun's messenger?!"

All the knights were trembling in their hearts.

People were so excited about their sincere faith being answered that they became more enthusiastic than ever before.
Northeast of Serrian.

In the mountain pass city west of the Griffin Mountains, countless refugees filled the streets and alleys.

Holy Sun priests and clergy ran among the terrified people who were fleeing, trying to comfort the crowd.

Skitarii and city guards patrolled the streets, fearing that riots would occur.

When the guards saw several warriors leading horses walking on the road, they quickly stopped them. Only after hearing their identities reported did they let them pass.

Several knights-errant who had traveled a long distance got rid of the inquiries and asked many passers-by before they finally found a tavern with a hostel to stay in.

Although it was broad daylight, the hall was still crowded with drunkards who were drinking to drown their sorrows.

The civil war in the east that had just happened, the recent invasion of Kantadar on the western border, and the terrible rumors brought by the victims today had caused residents inside and outside the city to panic about this troubled year.

Several knights-errant sent a companion to the counter to inquire about the news. Before he could get anything out of the worried-looking tavern owner, his attention was slightly attracted by the discussion of the drinkers not far away.

".Really! It was the Holy Sun's messenger! The winged messenger that descended from the sky. Eagle Bay Town was really saved. Although it seems that only a hundred people survived, one of them was my cousin. She saw it with her own eyes."

After listening to the serious story, the Knight-Errant returned to the table.

He suggested to his companions: "We might as well stay in the Kingdom of Serian. It seems that the disaster has spread here, and the people here seem to need help."

Another Knight Ranger shook his head at him and said, "It would be fine if there was no response, but since we have accepted the call of Lord Larian, how can we go back on our word?
Moreover, from the road, we can see that the Holy See has sent a large army to support Serian. Whether there are more or fewer of us here, it won’t have much impact, but the place that needs help still needs our help. "

"That's true. Let's hurry on our way. However, we can't go through the northwest of the Griffin Mountains. I think we can only take a detour and enter the Kingdom of Orland from 'Galsolm' in the north before we can continue westward." The Ranger Knight nodded.

After discussing their next itinerary, they didn't say anything more and went to bed early after a simple meal.

The next day, after replenishing their food and drinks at the market, they left the mountain city and set out on their journey again.

After leaving the city and mounting their horses, before they reached the fork in the road indicated on the map to turn north, they suddenly felt the ground shaking and saw a large number of marching troops in the distance.

A Ranger Knight looked at the flag from afar and asked curiously, "Isn't that the Knights of the Holy Lake? How come we see them in Serrian?"

All of them were rangers from Dineshien, so they naturally knew the "famous" Knights of the Holy Lake.

"The holy city where the prophet rested has fallen, and Serrian is in trouble. The knights of Ilaril are most likely here to participate in the holy war to retake the prophet's hometown." The ranger knight on the side guessed.

As they were talking, the outpost of the Knights of Ilaril also discovered them.

Several knights rode their horses quickly up to the crowd and took off their helmets to salute.

"Ilariel, may my Lord bless you all." The Knight of the Holy Lake greeted.

"Holy Prophet." The Knights-Errant returned the salute.

"Excuse me, is the 'Griffin Gate' to the west? We are knights from Dineshien and would like to support the front line, but we are unfamiliar with your country's roads." asked the Knight of the Holy Lake.

The Knights were not familiar with the roads north of the Griffin Mountains in the Kingdom of Serrian.

Although they could not find any clues about the holy land from High Priest Alek many days ago, their Grand Master believed that since they were here, they could not sit idly by and watch the plight of the Kingdom of Rest in Ilaril. So he led the knights north to help in the weak areas of the Serian Church and do his best for the people of Ilaril.

"We are traveling knights rangers, and we are not from the Thrians. We come from Dineshien just like you. But you are going in the right direction. The Griffin Gate is not far to the west." The knight ranger replied to his fellow villagers.

"No wonder you have such a friendly accent." The Knight of the Holy Lake said with a smile, "Thank you for showing me the way. It's rare to see knights-errant traveling together. Have you completed a chivalrous journey?"

"No, we are still on the journey to fulfill our oath. We will go to the distant 'Avalon' to complete a chivalrous oath." The Knight Ranger explained.

"Then I wish you all the best." The Holy Lake Knight was halfway through his words when he froze for a moment, opened his eyes wide and asked, "Wait a minute, where are you going?"

Wow, I made a stupid rookie mistake again. I didn't expect that I couldn't take leave during the recommended period. Not only when I was in the recommended position, but also the days after I was out of the recommended position were still included in the statistics. Wow, I don't understand. Fortunately, the editor didn't blame me and told me to remember not to do this again next time.
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(End of this chapter)