Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

"My fellow sufferers struggling in the void, I am the Dark Knight Lofdi."

“Our home is destroyed, we are polluted, and emptiness and humiliation oppress us.”

“But we will not give in, Protoss, my brothers who are still suffering.”

"I call upon you here, for I have found a new world."

"A world that can accommodate us, a new home worth fighting for."

"Fight for Bishop Raymond! Fight for the Holy Light!"

"I need you, Dark Exiles."

Chapter 270 Ceremony of Loyalty

The radiance of the holy light dissipated in the temple, leaving Mr. Raymond looking somewhat unsatisfied. All of Nia's shadows had vanished, and in the empty center of the temple, the enormous mass of flesh pulsated with life. Hanging tentacles transmitted the vibrations to the ceiling, shaking down a few specks of dust. Raymond gazed expectantly at that mass of flesh—the seed of the holy light he had longed for.

Lyle didn't have time for that; his body felt like it was on fire. The satiating feeling from Nia's devouring and digesting the evil god's flesh and blood spread to him. A strange power crawled through his body like tiny insects; Lyle felt the turmoil beneath his skin, every blood vessel seemed to boil, and something strange seemed to be born within him, destroying his body's defenses, reveling, screaming, trying to escape. Every muscle in Lyle's face trembled; he frantically raised his arms and pounded the ground, as if trying to share his pain with the earth.

Medusa climbed onto Lyle's face, her front paws grabbing his wispy hair, her eyes, gleaming with a faint blue light, meeting his gaze.

"He's getting a promotion..."

Raymond's radiance fell on Lyle, like a branding iron on his skin, and Lyle screamed in agony.

"But he can't withstand it." Where the light fell, a golden chain was forming, binding Lyle and suppressing the mutation lurking within his body. "For a human body that hasn't been tempered, such a speed of advancement has exceeded its limits. Moreover, his advancement is a special kind." Raymond looked at the suspended sphere in the center.

Nia's advancement was also suppressed by Raymond. The woven fleshy sac ruptured, and Nia, stained with blood, emerged from it. Unchanged, Nia moved limply across the ground.

"Nia... Nia seems to have an upset stomach, she feels awful." Nia's tentacles rested on Lyle's shoulder, squeezing herself into the collar of the unconscious Lyle.

Lyle awoke an hour later.

With Mr. Raymond by his side, even if he were lying amidst the ruins, there was nothing to worry about.

"Shortly after that mass of evil god's flesh was digested, this temple collapsed. Although you suffered a bit, your gains should be quite good."

Even recalling the pain he had felt before, Lyle's head felt like it was being pricked with needles. It seemed that Mr. Raymond had finally intervened.

"Mr. Raymond, you saved me?"

"If you think that interrupting your advancement and sealing your power counts as saving you, then I think I did do that. But in reality, your advancement wouldn't cause you much damage in a certain way."

"What do you mean?"

“Even without my interference, you would have advanced safely, but you would have lost something insignificant: your human identity. The absorbed power was trying to improve your fragile body, to transform it into the form of an evil god.” Raymond shrugged. “In my opinion, this is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, you are still the Pure One, and your place in my heart will not change, Lyle.”

No, no, no, this is a very important loss. If one day Ralf finds out I've turned into a tentacle monster, will he chop me up?

"In short, I have placed a seal on you, and your advancement to the third lock will not begin until your body can withstand that power. Train hard, Lyle."

"Does a necromancer need to exercise to advance in their career?" That's absurd.

Faced with Lyle's question, which sounded utterly perplexed, Raymond tilted his head.

"Isn't this a required course in Bone Spirit Conjuring? Don't you know that your mentor, the dragon, is the Mech King of the Black Abyss Arena?"

"Mech Fighting King?" Lyle's brain seemed to snap.

"The Black Abyss Arena is a special tournament where gladiators can only use prescribed weapons for hand-to-hand combat; their weapons are their own powerful bodies. I remember that dragon bones are comparable to enchanted materials, which is why he won the melee tournament several times in a row. Bone Conjuration has methods for strengthening bones."

Lyle's heart skipped a beat.

"Spiritualism of Bones...is it like a physical education class?"

The source of the Shadow Beasts was resolved, Kanfuser was transformed into particles of light, and the flesh and blood of the evil god were devoured. When Lyle and Raymond emerged from the ruins, the shadowy horde of Shadow Beasts that had been lurking in the dense forest had vanished.

"Your Majesty Raymond! Lord Lyle!" Karen, who resembled a miniature Raymond and flashed with golden light, charged towards the two. "Running around is dangerous. Mr. Raymond is currently powerless, and Lord Lyle is not good at fighting. I was so worried!" Karen stomped her feet angrily, causing the earth to crack into a spiderweb pattern and emit a painful groan.

"Thank you for your hard work, Knight Karen!" Mr. Raymond said in a spirited voice.

“It’s my honor, Your Majesty Raymond!” Karen responded loudly and energetically. “However, these shadow beasts seem to have vanished suddenly. Did someone else do something?”

"Oh, oh, oh, it must have been you, Karen, who killed the leader of the Shadow Beasts in the chaos! Knight Karen! You quelled this crisis! You saved Locarrot!"

Karen scratched her head sheepishly, reluctantly accepting the credit for defeating the Shadow Beast. After all, she had received the blessing of the Crusader leader, so being this powerful was acceptable, right?

Seeing that the crisis had been resolved, Raymond decided to retreat.

"Lyle's holy light power is almost exhausted, and my heroic spirit descent time is also about to end."

"Please wait a moment, Your Majesty Raymond!" Karen hurriedly came over when she noticed that Raymond seemed to be leaving. She fidgeted with her fingers, looking embarrassed.

Karen removed her helmet, revealing her golden, tousled hair and youthful face. She knelt on one knee and bowed her head to Raymond.

“I grew up reading the legendary stories of you and other Crusader leaders, and I am deeply honored to fight alongside you. I yearn to follow in your footsteps, to relive or even participate in the legends. Your Majesty Raymond, please allow me, like any other Crusader, to offer my loyalty to you!”

Raymond was very tolerant of his juniors who loved the Holy Light. He patted his arm armor and chanted loudly from inside his helmet.

"As for Karen, she should be fine, but at this distance... going faster shouldn't have much of an impact..."

Raymond eventually agreed to her request.

With joy, Karen's expression turned serious.

"In the name of Doranco Pombai's daughter, I, Karen Pombai, pledge my allegiance to His Holiness Raymond. He will be my only leader, my guide on the path of the Holy Light. I will uphold His Holiness Raymond's justice, and let the grace of the Holy Light extend across the land beneath my feet. Praise be to the Holy Light!"

Karen's vow carried a solemn and ancient air; perhaps she truly had the legendary vow firmly in her heart, and recited it on the spot.

In contrast, Raymond's response was much briefer.

Raymond's arm armor touched Karen's thin shoulder, his voice calm and clear.

"I acknowledge your loyalty, and I will share my glory with you."

"Karen, the Pure One".

As soon as the words left her lips, a blazing pillar of light shattered the clouds and descended from the heavens. Divine radiance bathed Karen, and her aura surged under the blessing of the holy light. The tide of holy light surged with the pillar, completely illuminating this once dark place. It didn't just illuminate it; every blade of grass and every tree here was revitalized, and Lyle could feel the vibrant power of holy light emanating from these plants.

Karen collapsed to the ground. The holy light falling from the sky was like a waterfall. The power and brilliance of that force made Locarrot's Holy Cross pale in comparison.

"Mr. Raymond! What have you done? Why would a simple paladin loyalty ritual be so outrageous!" Strange phenomena from the sky, a level advancement—this is not the loyalty ritual I know!

"It's Lyle who's outrageous! You, who pledged your loyalty to me and became a necromancer, are the truly outrageous one! Any other Pure One would be a legion commander by now! Enough talk! Retreat! He's here!" Raymond opened a portal, grabbed Lyle, and ran inside.

The moment the portal closed, angel wings descended upon the spot where they had been standing.

Raphael's expression was solemn as he looked at Karen, who was bathed in holy light, with a slight tremor in his heart.

"leader……"

Chapter 271 Raymond the Pure One

Doranco was restless in the church's waiting room. His trip to the holy city of Locarrot was hardly voluntary, but he had certainly used it as an excuse to appease his energetic daughter.

Single-handedly, he strangled the lord who had sent his sister into the Iron Maiden, and burned his territory to the ground. Doranco thought his connection with the Holy Light was over. He was stripped of his Crusader power and status, reduced to an ordinary nobleman. Although he thought the punishment would be more than that, he never expected the judgment to come so quickly.

Doranco was surprisingly afraid of judgment deep down. This was mostly related to Elian's arrival. His sister was still as mischievous and playful as ever; as for her current status, Doranco didn't care. He had arranged for Karen to become a paladin, and even if he were judged, his former comrades would likely take care of her. Doranco had initially been indifferent to this, after all, he had already taken his revenge. Although revenge was sinful, it was truly exhilarating; she was his only sister. But now, Elian was still alive, and Doranco didn't want to die. His family was still safe and sound; why should he confess?

He was reluctant to accept the invitation from the Guardian Legion, but he couldn't refuse.

Doranco couldn't understand why Commander Frey had summoned him to the church. Was it to carry out the Last Judgment? Or had Elian inadvertently revealed himself? He was filled with trepidation. It was ironic that a former crusader was afraid of the judgment of the Holy Light.

Frey came out and went to Doranco's side, whose feelings were complicated.

"Long time no see, Doranco."

"Long time no see, Commander Frey."

"Are you getting used to the food and lodging in Locarrot? The food here is quite different from what you get in Cassandel."

"Commander, just say what you have to say. I was once a Guardian, I have a sense of collective consciousness, and I know you are definitely not a tour guide or a restaurant waiter. Bring on the interrogation or the trial."

Looking at the proud Doranco, Frey's dragon fruit helmet tilted slightly.

"It's just a notification."

"What notification?"

“Your daughter, Karen…”

"Frey! What have you done to my Karen!" Doranco had already gripped his sword, ready to launch a reckless frontal sneak attack at any moment.

“Your Karen has sneaked off to the battlefield. Although I instructed my men to take good care of her, she ran away on her own.”

"She did it voluntarily?"

Frey glared at Dolanco, that idiot, and said irritably, "You've connected with the collective consciousness, you know we Guardians won't let children bear the bitter consequences of war. That girl is going to save her Pure One herself."

"That virgin, the boy?"

"It is said that... some guards have seen what he looks like."

Doranco now wished he could strangle his daughter. Had his careless little darling betrayed her old father? Suppressing his inner turmoil, Doranco was still worried about Karen's safety.

"Has Karen been found yet?"

"Lord Raphael has found her, Doranco, which is why we sent you here. Karen has changed somewhat."

Frey brought Doranco to Raphael's office.

"His Majesty Raphael will communicate with you regarding the details, Dolanco. It is a pleasure to have you rejoin us."

Doranco was filled with mixed emotions as he prepared to face the leader he had sworn allegiance to.

Pushing open the door, the man was not as casual as he was in his memory; he was sitting upright and serious, which made Doranco realize the seriousness of the situation.

"Your Majesty Raphael".

"Karen is fine, she's even better now, but she still needs to rest."

"What...what happened to my Karen?"

"Doranco, did you see that pillar of light reaching the sky in the distance earlier?"

“Everyone except the blind man should have seen it.” Although Doranco couldn’t imagine what connection that magnificent pillar of light had with his frail daughter.

Raphael looked at the mural painted on the wall of the room. It was a picture of a radiant angel using a holy sword to pierce the black-robed Grim Reaper. The angel in the painting had a face similar to his.

"Do you know the Crusader leaders? Dolanco, do you know the four of us?"