The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 715 - 736: Leaving the Lake

Chapter 715 -736: Leaving the Lake

(Post now, edit later)

Under the watchful gaze of his companions, Lancelot approached the Holy Throne where the Sword of Zariel was embedded, took a deep breath, and grasped the hilt of the Treasured Sword. A smooth sensation filled his hand, yet Lancelot felt as though he was holding a mass of solid light, his entire body being infused with a sacred energy. Moreover, a soft whisper sounded in his ears, telling him that he was the chosen one recognized by the Sword of Zariel, that he must act immediately, and throw himself into the holy war to eradicate all evil forces in the Multiverse…

Had it not been for the greatly enhanced strength of his Divine Sense as the host, Lancelot would have thought those whispers were his own thoughts.

Nevertheless, holding the Sword of Zariel still placed a great deal of pressure on him. This was a Holy Sword forged from celestial metal and blessed by the gods, filled with the powers of goodness and order, a key weapon and major force capable of altering the balance between light and dark powers in the Multiverse. If he couldn’t fully utilize this sword’s intended purpose, continuously plunging it into the bodies of various Fiends, it would be akin to aiding the forces of evil, an unforgivable sin…

Lancelot resolutely stuffed the aquamarine Treasured Sword into his Dimensional Belt; those thoughts that didn’t belong to him finally disappeared… at least for the moment. It was truly a pity that the color of this sword matched his Cultivation Technique so well.

‘You shouldn’t have done that,’ the voice of another Holy Sword echoed in Lancelot’s consciousness, not speaking to him, ‘Such tricks are useless against a Knight, only serving to annoy him, I never even tried them….’

‘….’

The Sword of Zariel did not respond, likely still irked by the companion’s advice. Lancelot couldn’t help but feel speechless. While it’s often said that a weapon is a warrior’s most important partner, having that partner actually talk was an extremely strange experience. He had no desire to have his weapons pick and choose who to strike in battle. If he couldn’t take a dominant position in this relationship, Lancelot would rather not use a weapon with its own thoughts, no matter how powerful it might be.

However, Lancelot had another big problem at the moment. As soon as he pulled out the Sword of Zariel, an invisible force dissolved, and the scorching Lava Lake, like a waterfall, poured from a hole in the ceiling, immediately melting some Gold Coins and gemstones on the ground below.

Without a word, Lancelot tossed his Dimensional Bag to Bruto and swiftly rushed onto the floating Array Plate; the next second, the figure of the Barlow Flame Demon appeared again, wrapping his companions in the protective Spiritual Light flame, while using his body to block the large hole in the ceiling.

Without needing to speak, Bruto immediately began stuffing the most precious treasures of the vault into the Dimensional Bag, and the other companions quickly caught on, lending hands in a flurry. Regrettably, even though Lancelot’s transformed Flame Demon body could ignore the damage from flames, the hole in the ceiling was indeed too large and still expanding. When his companions had to stop, they had only managed to fill the Dimensional Bag with less than one-tenth of the treasure, though naturally, they took the most precious items.

The companions one by one ‘swam’ back to the Array Plate. Bruto reattached the Dimensional Bag to Lancelot’s waist, and almost immediately, Lancelot heard the near-hysterical screech of the Sword of Zariel and the voice of Starlight Strike trying to soothe its companion. Lancelot decided to ignore these voices for now, focusing on controlling the Array Plate to fly out of the vault.

Once again in the midst of the Lava Lake, Lancelot rose upwards, guided by memory, and soon saw the circle of black boulders. This time nothing strange stopped him from approaching. Lancelot flew by the stones, releasing a pale-blue Sword Aura from his hand, effortlessly destroying the protective barrier of the Volcano Fortress.

Feeling the power from deep within the volcano suddenly become violent, Lancelot hurriedly fluttered his wings, rapidly ascending toward the lake’s surface. In less than half a minute, the Array Plate burst from the magma, while the lake below churned violently as if it were a boiling kettle.

Having reached the shore, the Array Plate allowed his companions to jump down one after another, but Bruto, who landed last, felt Lancelot’s body suddenly tense up, prompting him to instinctively look up at him. He wished he hadn’t; the terrifying expression on Lancelot’s face made the hairs on the back of Bruto’s neck stand on end, and he instantly grabbed his Warhammer.

“What’s wrong?” the Dwarf asked hesitantly, “Is there an enemy?”

“I hope not…” Lancelot also drew the Giant Sword Glacier, which, in his current state, looked like an ordinary One-Handed Sword, “Otherwise we’re really in big trouble.”

While speaking, Lancelot maintained his Flame Demon form, and the lakeshore, covered with black crystal shards, suddenly lit up. A Portal made of flames then appeared in midair, and another Flame Demon figure stepped out from it.

“‘Destruction Flame’…” Lancelot slowly uttered the newcomer’s name, “General Visuvius, for you to arrive so quickly, this place must be very important to you…”

“Indeed.” The former master of Volcano Fortress, with a Lightning Longsword in hand that was swallowing lightning, said, “How wonderful that you’ve already come to terms with your own demise…”

The figure of the Barlow Flame Demon suddenly vanished from the spot, and without a second thought, Lancelot turned around and struck with his sword, just in time to block the attack launched by Visuvius who had teleported behind him. The grating sound of metal clashing violently exploded in the air. Standing on the Array Plate, Lancelot took a significant hit, with both him and the Array Plate blown backward in flight, while Visuvius didn’t even sway, laughing wildly as he charged again toward his transformed kindred, the Human Knight.

Everything happened too fast, and before his companions could react, Lancelot was clashing swords with the formidable Barlow Flame Demon once more. This time he let the Array Plate fall to the ground, but still nearly collapsed under the struggle of strength. His sword’s backlash heavily struck his chest, causing him to spew out a large mouthful of blood like liquid flame.

“Hahaha, you’re too weak!”

Visuvius let out a triumphant laugh, raising the Lightning Longsword with both hands over his head and striking down at Lancelot, who had no other choice but to brace himself with Glacier, forcing a block against the opponent’s powerful blow.

The Giant Sword withstood the test and didn’t shatter during the confrontation, but the Array Plate beneath Lancelot’s feet couldn’t hold up. With a crack, the Array Plate shattered into countless pieces like broken porcelain, while Lancelot felt the True Yuan force within him dissipating rapidly like snow under the scorching sun, soon to be completely exhausted.