The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 128 Encirclement and Suppression
After the quasi-saint Eric left, the elite knights belonging to Lutia Cathedral were mobilized and gathered outside the church to wait.

Sinmaggu, who was in her room, could hear the commotion outside. She instinctively wanted to send her attendant Alan to find out what was going on, but then she suddenly remembered that she had "betrayed" Eric.

He summoned a monk and asked him to find out what was going on.

A moment later, the monk returned and told him that the elite knights had been mobilized by the two acting patriarchs and were to accompany Prince Eric out of the city to wipe out the demons.

Xinmagu raised his eyes. "He discovered the demons' tracks?"

The monk shook his head. "I don't know. The knights said they are still waiting for His Highness Eric's orders."

Xinma Gu didn't ask any more questions. He waved for him to leave, then got up and walked to the window, gazing outside in a daze.

Alan...

He quickly realized where Eric's intelligence came from.

After they parted ways outside the city yesterday, he didn't know where Luca and his group were going. The latter, faced with his hesitation, simply told him to think it through and head north on his own.

However, it seems that the immediate crisis requires stopping Luca first.

Xinmagu has no intention of interfering.

He could sense that Eric had become suspicious of him, and any rash action would only reinforce his suspicions.

Moreover, he never intended to save Luca in the first place.

Even though Luca said he admired him greatly, he found it hard to accept that someone had been secretly spying on him for ten years—especially since they had already discovered his true thoughts deep inside.

If Luca doesn't escape this time, it can only be said that he was unlucky.

A moment later, Simmagu heard the knights outside the church shout in unison.

They are about to set off.

Xinmagu didn't even look up, continuing to look at the trivial matters that had been brought to him for processing.

That decisive and efficient prospective saintess should have arrived by now.

Despite his young age, he was decisive in his actions and quite sharp in his thinking. It was Luca's greatest misfortune to run into him in Lutia.

Outside the church.

Eric's gaze swept over the twenty-odd elite knights standing in neat rows, then he glanced at the church entrance.

With such a commotion, why didn't Simagu come out to take a look?
Is it really okay, or have they already given up on Luca's life or death?
Of course, he couldn't wait for him to come out here. Eric waved his hand and led the elite knights away from the cathedral.

Arriving at the main road leading to the East Gate, they joined the Imperial Guards who were waiting there. A large group of people marched towards the East Gate and headed straight for the outskirts.

Because of the three Arans who were sent back, and because of the speed of his actions—less than a whole day had passed since the Queen was in danger—Eric was almost certain that Luca and his group were still lurking near Lutia.

Before setting off, Captain Morse of the Royal Guard had already sent disguised scouts to the area Elise had mentioned, and they should get the results along the way.

“Your Highness Eric, I noticed earlier that you were riding a Lille warhorse?”

Morse rode alongside Eric, his gaze fixed on the warhorse beneath him, unable to hide his envy.

“…What? That’s right, it’s a Lille warhorse.” Eric snapped out of his daze and replied, “I bought it from Leslie.”

“This horse isn’t cheap here in Lutia; even we can’t afford to ride it,” Morse said.

The palace guards were naturally supported by the emperor, but the royal family could no longer afford to arm them, and the warhorses they were equipped with when going out were only ordinary and could not compare with the warhorses of Lille.

Eric smiled. "Today's operation still depends on Captain Morse. If we successfully eliminate the demons, I will ask His Majesty for credit and request that he reward the guards. If His Majesty is too busy to remember, then I will pay for Captain Morse to ride a Riel warhorse."

Morse's eyes lit up immediately, then he shook his head. "That's not a good idea."

“Captain Morse and I became fast friends, and the captain’s elimination of the demons is a service to the country, so there’s nothing wrong with that,” Eric said, looking at him.

Morse immediately flashed a friendly smile.

“Your Highness Eric is truly generous. A decade or two ago, I had the pleasure of meeting your uncle while traveling in the south, and he was just as generous and magnanimous as you. Indeed, the descendants of that valiant Chimino are all outstanding individuals.”

Eric paused, then shook his head. "I'm just squandering my family fortune; I can't compare to Uncle Edgar."

It's hard to say whether Morse actually met his uncle. Edgar became famous very early, and many people claim to know him—even just being in the same city as him is enough to claim that they've met him.

As Eric was thinking this, a fast horse galloped towards them and stopped in front of them.

"The scout is back."

Morse immediately resumed his serious demeanor and stepped forward to inquire about the situation.

The scout, disguised as a merchant, dismounted and replied, "That's a fork in the road with several inns and frequent traffic. The owner of one of the inns said that a group of dark elves came here before, along with a human, but they left yesterday."

"I inquired at another hotel nearby and found out that several dark elves checked in last night. Based on their descriptions, they should be the same group that left the previous hotel."

"I was afraid of attracting attention, so I didn't go up to investigate. But when I left, I noticed a gray-skinned person staring out of a window upstairs. He was probably keeping watch."

"Has he noticed you?" Eric asked immediately.

The scout shook his head. "I pretended that there was something wrong with the horseshoe, dismounted to check, and secretly watched him for a while. The man only glanced at me and then ignored me."

Eric thought for a moment, "How far do you estimate you can see from that window?"

The scout recalled for a moment and gave the answer he wanted directly.

"The visibility from there is only up to the vicinity of the main road intersection. Once we get there, we'll run at full speed. Even if he spots us and runs away immediately, he'll catch up quickly. Besides, the terrain around here is flat and open, with nowhere to hide."

Eric looked at Morse, seeking the expert's opinion, "Captain Morse, what do you think we should do?"

"Your Highness, with our current manpower, we don't need to worry about anything else. Just charge in and surround them."

The relatively weaker imperial guards mainly served to surround the area.

Eric, a third-tier warrior, is even less effective than them, relying mainly on morale boosting.

To truly confront those physically powerful demon guards, one must rely on the church's elite knights, who possess at least seventh-rank strength.

“That’s settled then,” Eric said. “Get there first, and once we get close, launch a full-speed raid and surround the hotel.”

"Yes!"

Morse relayed the order, and the group set off again, heading towards the fork in the road ahead.

A moment later, you can see a group of buildings clustered together in the distance.

Eric raised his weapon, golden light emanating from the blade, and shouted, "Charge!"

Everyone received the signal and began their full-speed sprint.

At that moment, the twenty-odd church knights also raised their weapons, their sword tips emitting light that gathered in mid-air and then fell down, enveloping them all.

Eric could clearly feel that his strength and speed had increased, and the horse beneath him was also running faster.

Group encouragement is an advanced divine spell that requires the support of a sub-class to master.

The group of riders, galloping at full speed, surged toward the inn they were after like lightning. Some people on the roadside had just heard the commotion when they looked up and saw dozens of knights standing before them, completely bewildered.

"The demons are trying to escape!"

Eric, who was running ahead, immediately spotted several figures jumping out of the window like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

As soon as they jumped down, they sprinted off in the other direction, their speed bursting forth in an astonishing burst.

"Chase them! Stop them!" Morse roared, sword raised. "Surround them and avoid direct combat!"

He couldn't bring out the true elite of the palace guards; they only followed the emperor. He knew his subordinates' strength very well, especially after seeing the speed at which those demons unleashed their power. He knew they would definitely not fare well in a real fight, and he didn't want to see any of his own men killed or injured.

"Yes!" the guards responded in unison, and the marching column parted in an orderly fashion to both sides, opening its traps to the demons ahead.

The fewer but more powerful church knights were like a sharp blade thrust straight out from the middle of the pocket.

Soon, the royal guards running at the front caught up with the group of demons, completed the encirclement ahead, and then continued running in circles, forming two layers.

The fastest demon guard lunged at one of the guards in the innermost circle. The latter twisted his body and narrowly dodged the attack, but he couldn't avoid the follow-up kick. He was sent flying and crashed into his companions on the outer edge.

"Stop him!"

Morse spurred his horse forward, while simultaneously ordering nearby guards to block them, and commanding other guards behind him to surround the front, forming two more layers, determined to stop these demons at all costs.

Meanwhile, the elite knights sent by the cathedral had already plunged into the fray and were fighting against the demon guards.

These demons were powerful and swift. As soon as they engaged in battle, the leading knight realized that they could not be underestimated, even though they outnumbered the demons.

"Adrian, hold them off!"

Upon receiving the order, a heavily armored church knight immediately raised his greatsword and charged into the demon ranks.

The greatsword in his hand looked heavy, but it wasn't slow when he swung it. A little distance from the tip of the sword, a point of holy light surged, leaving a circle of marks as he swung it. At the moment the two ends of the light circle met, the light shone brightly, and the holy light ring formed quickly shrank inward and converged, dragging several demons who passed by involuntarily towards the center.

The Ring of Sacred Gathering!

The other knights immediately joined the attack.

Eric stopped his horse a short distance away, watching the fierce battle raging within the encirclement, bathed in holy light, before quickly averting his gaze. These demon guards, capable of fighting the knights to a standstill, were at least seventh or eighth-tier warriors. While the battle on the other side was dangerous, the disparity in numbers meant the outcome was inevitable.

The problem is that the two people he truly cares about are not among them—the demon prime minister Luca, and the demon princess, Kiraya.

Eric then looked back at the inn from which the demons had fled.

Those physically strong demon guards might have a slight chance of breaking through if they were focused on escaping, but that was not the case for the two of them.

"You guys, come with me over there and take a look." Eric called over a few palace guards and they headed towards the hotel.

The guests and owners of several nearby hotels had already been attracted by their commotion. They were either peeking out of their windows or running out to watch, but when they saw several fully armed men rushing over, they immediately hid back inside.

Several guards surrounded the hotel from different angles. Eric led the two men in through the main entrance, scanning everyone inside.

"Are there any dark elves left here?" he asked the innkeeper.

The boss kept shaking his head, indicating that he knew nothing about it.

Eric looked at the stairs. "Search from the bottom up."

"Yes!"

After quickly checking the rooms downstairs, the three of them ran up to the second floor and checked each room one by one.

We were only halfway through the inspection when suddenly a shout came from outside: "The demons have jumped out!"

Eric rushed to the window and saw a demon guard carrying Kiraya and Luca. He jumped down and punched the nearest palace guard off his horse, helped Luca back up, and with a flick of his finger, the frightened horse galloped forward.

He then dragged Kiraya along to steal the horse that Eric and his two companions had left at the inn's entrance.

When the other palace guards surrounded him, Eric immediately jumped out of the window, landed with a bounce, and flashed forward to the demon guards who had already helped Kiraya onto her horse.

"Humph!"

The demon guard turned around and swung his arm, fearless of the blade, and smashed it straight at Eric.

The demon's arm moved with the force of the wind, and Eric raised his sword to block. The demon's arm was unharmed, but Eric's hand was numbed by the impact.

The demon warrior swung his arm and turned, followed by another punch, but suddenly lost his target just as it was about to hit.

Falling leaves blitz!

Eric darted to his side, raised his sword, and thrust it towards his eyes. This demon warrior's physical strength had reached the point where he could ignore his sword and could only attack his soft, vital points.

Faced with the piercing blade, the demon guard quickly turned his head to dodge and raised his hand to grab his sword.

Eric moved his weapon in another direction, and with the momentum, he slashed at the demon guard.

The blade lacked the strength to pierce his skin, but the divine power attached to it penetrated his body without hindrance, like a fierce whip, penetrating deep into his skin and causing intense pain.

"what!"

The demon guard roared, spread his arms, and pounced on Eric.

He leaped backward, and the palace guards around him surrounded him, attacking the demon together.

Pfft!

The difference in strength between the palace guards and the demon warrior's physical body wasn't that great; they were already able to pierce his skin and cause him substantial physical damage. The pain calmed the demon warrior, whose anger had been provoked by Eric, down considerably.

Meanwhile, the palace guards, who were already outnumbered and had clearly witnessed his terrifying power when he was fully unleashed, dared not give him a chance to unleash his full power. They formed a circle around him, attacking and restricting him continuously.

On the other side, Kiraya had already mounted her horse, Eric's Lille warhorse.

"Princess! Run!" the demon guards shouted as they dodged and withstood the attacks.

While everyone else jumped out to draw attention, he stayed alone at the hotel, intending to find an opportunity to help Kiraya and Luca escape, and was prepared to die there.

Eric's attention shifted from him, and he rushed toward Kiraya. In the instant their eyes met, he saw that her eyes were filled with resentment at being deceived.

She suddenly raised her hand, and a black spell shot over.

Eric twisted to avoid it, but in doing so, he caught a glimpse of a dark shadow that was growing larger in his peripheral vision.

"Well!"

A tremendous impact slammed into him, and Eric almost coughed up blood.

What came flying at them was a palace guard that the demon warrior had forcibly thrown at him after taking several blows; the impact sent both of them flying.

The world was spinning in front of my eyes.

As he fell, Eric saw Kiraya ride his horse and gallop off in the other direction.

"Eric, I will definitely kill you!"

Erected in excruciating pain, Eric struggled to his feet, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Meanwhile, the palace guards who had been thrown over were also vomiting blood incessantly.

With no time to linger, Eric cast a minor healing spell on himself and himself, then mounted his horse and, instead of chasing Kiraya, headed after Luca, who had already gone far away.

"stop!"

The demon warrior, covered in blood, roared out in broken Common. Eric glanced at him and then ignored him, speeding up his pursuit.

The demon warriors attempted to break through, but the other palace guards desperately surrounded them. Fists and swords clashed, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and everyone was bloodthirsty.

From the moment Eric jumped out of the window to the moment he rode off in pursuit, the battle hadn't raged for long. Luca mounted his horse and galloped away, still within Luca's field of vision.

Especially since the surrounding terrain was flat and open, he had nowhere to escape.

Eric spurred his horse and galloped away, giving chase and heading straight for Luca.

Both were riding the horses of the royal guards, and having galloped all the way, they had already exhausted a lot of energy. After being startled and running wildly for a while, Luca's horse was now gradually slowing down.

Eric sped up his pursuit, gradually closing in on Luca, only to find that his horse was also losing steam.

Hang in there a little longer!

Eric stared intently at the figure ahead, while his horse, though willing, lacked the strength and slowed down, until finally its front legs buckled and it suddenly collapsed to the ground while running.

Eric used a combat technique before falling to the ground, preventing himself from crashing down with his horse. The horse, which had fallen, neighed in pain, its leg seemingly broken. Regardless of what might happen later, it was unable to get up for the time being.

"..."

He landed safely and looked ahead. Not far away, Luca was still riding away on horseback and even glanced back at him.

“You can’t escape…” Eric took a deep breath.

He'll definitely escape.

Turning his head, he saw the person chasing him fall from his horse, and Luca's tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

If he keeps running forward into the forest or mountains, and gets out of sight of those behind him, he will have a chance to escape.

Although his horse was almost too tired to run anymore...

Hearing the horse's heavy breathing beneath him, Luca felt a little worried. He glanced back and his gaze suddenly sharpened.

The warhorse collapsed, and Eric actually ran after it!

Combining flashing and dashing combat techniques, its speed is not slow.

Let's see how far you can chase!

Luca turned and glared at him fiercely.

No matter how fast Eric runs, he can only have a brief burst of speed, which can only last for a while at most, as his physical strength eventually has its limit.

As long as his horse doesn't stop, he'll definitely be able to escape.

Sure enough, after running at full speed for a while, although the distance between them had closed considerably, Eric still couldn't catch up with him, and his speed slowed down.

Luca had just breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly pulled out a bottle of something and tilted his head back to gulp it down.

After taking a large sip of Moon Dew, Eric felt the extreme fatigue that had accumulated throughout his body suddenly disappear within just a few breaths, and he regained even more strength.

thump! thump!
His heart was beating even faster than before, as if it were about to jump out of his chest.

Without pausing, he ran faster and faster, faster and faster, until the distance between them decreased until he no longer needed to run.

Storm footwork!

Eric flashed behind his warhorse, leaped up, and landed right in front of Luca, delivering a spinning kick.

"Well!"

The warhorse continued running forward, while Luca had been kicked away, rolled several times on the ground, and then fell silent.

puff--

Eric landed and immediately coughed up a mouthful of blood.

(End of this chapter)