Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 881 - 818: In Dire Straits

"Where are we going?" Lucy asked, nestled in his arms.

"To the Primordial Church, the largest orphanage in the world," Algernon added personal interpretation as usual during the introduction.

"Ah!" Lucy cried out loudly, tilting her head back against the Paladin’s armor, looking up, "Lucy is not an orphan, Lucy has a dad and mom, and also Aunt Edna and Joseph." The little girl emphasized, her long fugitive life making her optimistic yet delicate and sensitive in some areas.

"...I am an orphan, alright, I plan to take you home to have a look." Algernon apologized and continued on his way in silence. However, the silence didn’t last long as a firelight rose in the distance. Algernon drew his sword and covered Lucy with his cloak.

Clang! The Light Spear collided with a sweeping sword. Algernon parried the attack, swung his sword, its blade wrapped in shadows, the shadowy warhorse moved forward, unhurried. The Inquisitor knight, silent, faced the Flame Giant at the end of his vision, in whose cracked palm lava solidified into another long spear.

Clang! The Throwing Spear attack appeared instantly in front of Algernon, sparking against his sword blade, making no progress. The repelled spear buried itself into the mud behind, the Paladin, without a glance, continued leading his horse towards the giant’s towering figure, facing the spear bombardment.

The knees of the Flame Giant sank into the black mud, its head like a furnace with an open hole, melting blood dripping down, emitting dazzling firelight in the darkness. The bulky body embedded with fragments of broken armor, these steel studs currently holding the shattered body together. Despite its ferocious appearance, the Flame Giant was using the power of the Holy Light.

"Fire Bath, Frey? Or someone else." Hidden by his former robes, Algernon walked up coolly, leading his horse and dodged a gigantic arm smashing down in front of him, gracefully avoiding the splashing mud and flames.

"For the... Holy Light..." The Flame Giant wailed, its attacks growing more frenzied.

"After you’re all alone, no longer able to converse..." Standing up from the horseback, summoned creatures under Algernon’s heavy stomp cried out. He turned back, his sword slicing upward, severing the creature’s flesh and limb. Still holding the little girl in his arms, dark wings let Algernon float in the air, his sword pointing at the wailing giant, the Inquisitor legion commander disdainful.

"You Guardians, I have long ceased to regard you as worthy adversaries."

Raising his mighty sword, Algernon unleashed a higher level of Authority, the dark rift opening in the air.

"Judgment descends." Two blood-stained, completely dark-winged Inquisitors appeared beside Algernon.

"Legion commander!" "Legion commander!"

"Kill him, I’ll take this kid back," Algernon flapped his wings and flew away. The two Inquisitor knights looked at the Flame Giant as its severed limb reattached, their expressions odd.

"Never thought the day would come when it would be two of us against one Fire Bath."

"No kidding, when has a Fire Bath ever been without a dozen or twenty Guardians, turning a friendly duel into a legion brawl? The legion commander has given us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

The Inquisitor knights dodged the giant’s attacks with a bizarre laugh, pulling out two sharp blades, sparking in the air, as if the huge monster below was completely at their mercy. They spoke madness, even more abnormal than their fallen brethren.

"Don’t blame me, brother, you know, the fallen deserve to be beaten. Blame your incompetent angel leader Raphael if you must." Selectively forgetting the fact that the Angel of Fire also fell, the Inquisitors began their devastating assault on the Corrupt Fire Bath.

His companion was still conflicted, "Should we kill him, or sanctify him?"

"What’s the difference!" The dual-wielding Inquisitor carved a bone-deep trench into the giant’s back.

"The difference is, whether or not I should add him to my list of repentances later."

"Absolutely not! We are the true justice!" Darkness of the Holy Light shouted, their bodies ablaze with the Wrath of Vengeance fueling their power.

...

This is a room without windows, adorned with tapestries, wall paintings, and a richly patterned ceiling; the cylindrical space is seamless, like a perfect new world. Statues protrude partly from the walls, there are no sources of light, yet countless points of light accompanied by indistinguishable sounds exist, perhaps a sentence, perhaps a strand of invigorating spiritual power. One does not feel a hint of loneliness here, for humans often lose their sense of self in the face of strong spiritual influences.

The young girl with her hair down kneels at the center of the room, her eyes closed, palms pressed together feeling her own breath, silently praying amidst countless sacred sounds. Her delicate body wrapped in a thin robe does not feel cold; her brows are tightly furrowed, and the numerous hands extending from the statues seem to want to touch her, to offer whatever comfort they can.

An elderly figure appears behind the girl, holding a golden staff, his white, wrinkly hand rests on the back of the girl’s neck, moving along the curve to the top of her head, he speaks, his voice like a warm sun, even the air seems warmer by a few degrees.

"Immersing in the spirit of the forebears is not necessarily a good thing, Karen."

Saintess Karen opens her eyes, she blinks, her lively eyes close after a moment, reflecting a sad expression.

"Your Highness Atrax, I am merely, looking for a way." She stands up, the sacred halo disappears from the room, turning it back into an ordinary library, only the faint light from the candles illuminating the old and the young.

The warm-hearted old man takes off his fur robe and drapes it over the girl, holding her hand as they walk out of the room, waving away the gradually extinguishing darkness, patiently telling Karen: "The forebears are not omnipotent, trust me, they also never encountered this situation, their spirit was passed down to us to inherit an unyielding will, and you do not need their guidance, Karen, you are one of the toughest Paladins."

Entering the brilliant hall, immediately a group of priests gather around the two, their expressions anxious, not even the grandeur of the Holy See could quell the nervousness inside the priests, the choir’s singing has ended, leaving only a few elders and a group of uneasy children in the spacious room.

"Your Highness Atrax!"

"Angel of Fire!"

The appearance of the old man and Karen incites cheers from the priests, Atrax releases Karen’s hand, engaging in conversations with a few elders and senior priests dressed in red, while Karen is surrounded by the youth and children from the choir.

"The situation outside is very bad, Your Highness."

"It’s confirmed that the Paladins have rebelled, only Algernon’s Inquisitors are still maintaining guard duties."

"There’s no retreat, the Black Tide has surrounded the Primordial Church. It temporarily cannot approach, but that won’t last forever. We need to break through... we need..."

Atrax places his hand on the chest of this somewhat young Cardinal, taking two deep breaths, his scattering gaze begins to recover.

"Sorry, I am a bit nervous."

"Are all the clerics supporting the Inquisitors like this?"

"I had those Paladins tie up the mad priests, on a rotating basis, but everyone’s psychological defenses are lowering, our enemies excel in infecting the mind, better than us."

Atrax does not show his internal disquiet, but his expression can hardly be described as relaxed.

"It’s not only that he’s skilled in these. Tighten the defense lines, gather the injured and refugees in the cathedral, reduce the defense pressure on the knights, we must soon make a decisive move."

"Prepare to execute the Divine Advent."