The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 738 - 759 Xiao Luo-Tovos

Lancelot stepped onto a deep red, soft land, and the feeling beneath his feet was quite uncomfortable, as if he were treading on the body of some gargantuan creature. What was even more disconcerting was that the ground would occasionally split open suddenly, like terrifying gaping mouths, with some kind of deep yellow, foul-smelling liquid at the bottom of the pits, beneath which one could vaguely see twisted, bizarre corpses.

The sky of this realm was shrouded in a layer of gray mist, perhaps with a sun above the fog, but no indication of it could be seen from the ground. There were forests here too, although their appearance made one not want to approach them—at these trees resembling beech trees with corpse-pale bark, were mouths like those of wild beasts, stuffed full of dagger-like wooden teeth, about three feet above the ground on the trunks. These mouths continuously opened and closed at a not particularly rapid rate, as if chewing on some creatures invisible to the naked eye in the air.

"Sholoto, in the language of the Abyss, means ’toothed anus.’" Bruto passed a slowly closing large pit on the ground with an expression of disgust, "You have to admit, although the demons are mad, they are quite accurate in naming."

"Look at those mountains, they look like a row of teeth." Alamir raised a hand, pointing toward a mountain peak about five miles away, "That should be our destination, right?"

"Yes, it seems Tijana wasn’t too far off." Lancelot’s voice came from the front of the group, "If all goes well, we should just need half a day to reach the top of that peak, the portal to the Domain of the Vague should be right there."

"Everything here seems to be shaped with eating in mind." Bruto spat vehemently, "...Speaking of which, are you guys hungry? When are we having breakfast?"

"I’m not, at least not to a supernatural extent." Suddenly, Lancelot halted his steps and twisted his head to look at the sky, "But it seems some blind creatures have taken us for their breakfast..."

Everyone looked up together, following the gaze of the Human Knight into the distance, only to see four ash-gray figures burst out of the fog and fly rapidly toward their location. The companions easily recognized them as Flomos, a type of adversary they were very familiar with; but as the shapes came closer, some abnormal details became apparent.

"Damn, what do the stupid birds here feed on?" Bruto, who had previously been eager, exclaimed in surprise, "How did they get so big?"

The Dwarf’s remark was well founded; Lancelot, with his sharp eyesight, estimated that the wingspan of this group of Middle Rank Demons was nearly thirty feet, twice that of ordinary Flomos and more akin to a flying vehicle once described by a Gnome mechanic. Their forward-stretching bird claws gleamed with dangerous cold light, and their mouths emitted frenzied shrieks, revealing bloodthirst and excitement, as well as hatred driven by some kind of pain.

Kalalin, the one with the longest range in the team, was the first to act. He pulled open a scroll, and four Magic Darts appeared in the air, immediately flying towards the enemy swarm still at some distance. Lancelot knew that it was just a First Circle Spell, Magic Missile, whose power was not particularly impressive, but its tracking feature made it an excellent choice when dealing with a target that moved too quickly for area-of-effect magic.

However, the darts Kalalin produced this time were obviously different from the usual, being about twice the size in diameter and seem to contain a string of Runes written in Giant’s Tongue. These darts, on activation, reminded one of overweight sparrows in deep autumn, but as they accelerated, they quickly gathered a formidable speed.

The Flomo diving in midair dodged the incoming projectile with a quick sidestep, expending little effort. However, unseen to them, behind their backs, the projectiles turned around, tracing massive arcs in the air, and chased after the demons once again, their speed increasing, becoming even swifter and harder to evade.

The magic dart exploded upon the backside of the last Flomo, the tremendous commotion leading Lancelot to wonder if the scroll’s materials included any of Goblin Phil’s products. Subsequent darts also arrived in quick succession, resulting in a series of impressive explosions in the sky. After the smoke cleared, the Flomo’s backside was almost entirely gone, and it could no longer maintain stable flight. It tumbled down towards the ground.

"Haha! Success!" Kalalin waved his arms excitedly, "Another original spell, what should I name it?"

"Name my foot!" Bruto shouted angrily, "Hurry up and launch another one!"

"Uh, that was it." Kalalin shrugged at his companion, "It was just a prototype; I actually didn’t expect it to succeed. But no worries, I’ve proven some of my ideas are feasible. Just give me a bit of time, and I’ll be able to make a bunch more..."

"Damn it, you must be joking with me!" Bruto gritted his teeth, his eyes fiercely fixed on the fast-approaching enemy, "No, this guy is just too big!"

Accompanied by a roaring bellow, the Dwarf’s figure swelled rapidly, a result of the power from the Titan’s Blood he’d absorbed. The mutated Flomo’s claws were simply too large, surpassing the width of his shield. If he didn’t transform, it was likely they’d both be snatched away, armor and all.

His concerns were justified as the demon continued in its original plan, aiming for the Dwarf. Its sharp claws even pierced through the shield that grew alongside Bruto, but it couldn’t drag the now enlarged (and heavier) Dwarf off the ground. Simultaneously, Bruto swung his magic warhammer fiercely. The Flomo attempted to block with its two front claws, but the distinct sound of bones cracking indicated a grave mistake.

Elsewhere, Lancelot held his sword with both hands, crouching on the ground like a fully drawn bow, the tip of his sword angling upwards. Any creature of sound mind could tell that this human knight would be a problematic target. Yet the demons, driven mad by the scent of fresh flesh, dove down recklessly regardless.

However, the moment a Flomo got within thirty feet of Lancelot, the human knight thrust out his longsword fiercely. A dazzling cyan aura extended from the tip of the blade, resembling a massive long spear, then quickly disappeared. However, the Flomo’s chest now bore a bowl-sized, transparent hole, its organs completely shredded by the sword aura.

The heart, the most crucial part of a demon, once destroyed, meant instant death. The massive Flomo fell as if suddenly boneless, plummeting down and landing on the ground with a soft thud.

The last Flomo pounced towards the Elf Priest, who was very clear on what he had to do—he had already cast a special spell upon himself, enveloping his entire body in a golden, semi-transparent protective barrier.