Chapter 114: Moths Diving into the Flame (Part 2)
Amidst the scorched earth where raging fires burned, thick smoke rose everywhere, permeating the air with a scorching smell. In the distance, the three-pronged formation of cavalry, which had charged ahead first, had already reached directly below the demon. They began to circle around, the three golden streams intertwining and separating at times. The elite members of the First Knight Order looked up, their gazes fixed on the ice-white fog cluster nearly a hundred meters above. They saw the Holy Lance roar out from behind the formation, striking the continuously forming ice, the muffled explosions never ceasing. Fragments of ice rained down from the gray sky, causing the surrounding heat to suddenly drop.
The knights riding through the falling ice gradually slowed their pace. The leaders of the three groups exchanged gestures and glances as they continued to gallop. The golden light around over ten knights had already begun to flow, waiting for the Faith Group to create an opportunity to forcibly drag the demon down from the sky.
However, ten seconds, twenty seconds passed, and the Holy Lance’s bombardment did not cease, yet they still did not receive further instructions from the formation.
“What’s going on!?”
Under the thundering hooves, someone began to feel puzzled in their anxiety: “Why isn’t the army moving? Are those people from the Faith Group just fooling around—”
At the same time, almost everyone in the front of the knight formation subconsciously focused their attention on Bishop Alersta. There was shock and confusion; the old priest had caught up from behind, and he was still shouting loudly, his tone filled with unusual excitement.
“This will be a significant matter for the Holy Church and for our great God who bestowed us with grace! As long as we can bring her back alive, His Holiness will grant everyone the highest honor of knighthood! We will receive unparalleled glory! And your relatives, families! They will all be proud of you! I swear this will happen! I take full responsibility for what I say!”
“Can you take full responsibility!?”
The old priest pointed at the young bishop’s nose, glaring fiercely and yelling, “Do you even have the life left to take responsibility! You brat, an unreasonable madman! Your greed has blinded you—”
The old man was highly respected within the Faith Group. Despite various reasons that prevented him from reaching the position of bishop, he had a vast and complex network of connections in the holy city. At this moment, driven by anger, he no longer feared this second son of the Rose family, who had risen to power through luck. His words left no room for leniency.
“What did you say!?”
This finally stirred emotions in Alersta: “You old man! Do you know the consequences of stopping me now! Do you understand how His Holiness might blame both of us if she escapes here! The outcome is unimaginable! You don’t know how important she is! You know nothing! Cowardly old fool—”
Buzz!
Driven by extreme anger, the young bishop suddenly raised his hand, his palm radiating brilliant gold light. At this critical moment, he had nothing left to hold back. Adding to that, the other party dared to provoke him so brazenly. Without hesitation, Alersta pushed forward with his right palm, sending a wave of impact that burst forth with a “bang,” throwing the old priest off his beast’s back!
The knights immediately erupted into chaos; some instinctively moved their swords, while others behind the formation saw this and tried to rush forward, only to be held back by their comrades. Another round of Holy Lance attacks was ready to be launched, and they still needed to continue their concentrated fire on the demon.
Not far away, the knight commander named Hopkins looked shocked. He hadn’t had a chance to say a word, only watching the two argue. When the bishop attacked the old priest, his already uneasy mood became even more chaotic, and he felt indignant about the young man’s foolish actions. But he also knew that now was not the time for internal conflict.
Realizing this, he hurriedly waved his hand, first trying to calm those around him.
The strong emotions were suppressed: “With the devil before us, who dares to be careless! Are they all eager for death? Vanguard, raise your swords! Be ready to face the enemy at any moment—”
While shouting these words, he had already galloped toward the bishop, stopping his mount in front of him. Just as he was about to speak, the young second son of the Rothseus family interrupted him: “You listen to me.”
The bishop’s anger was still simmering; his expression looked extremely sinister. His voice wasn’t raised, but there was no room for negotiation: “I will first tell you the consequences of disobeying my orders… Even if you manage to survive this time, once we return, I will report everything that happened due to your disobedience, such as the devil escaping from here and disappearing, or any other severe consequences. I will report all of this directly to Commander Seattlek and the Pope.”
The captain of the knights frowned, his face turning grim: “Bishop, what are you—”
“Wait, let me finish speaking.”
The young man smoothed out the sleeves of his robe that had been disheveled by the sudden movement, quickly continuing: “Our mission this time is to reclaim the lost ember. You may not be aware of this, or perhaps you already know, but regardless, you now understand the importance of this encirclement operation. However, I must tell you that the demon that suddenly appeared in the sky is more important to the church than the ember. We must bring it back alive, no matter what means we use.”
His fingers trembled uncontrollably, his tightly drawn, gloomy face forcing a stiff smile: “You probably don’t understand what I’m saying, but it doesn’t matter. I only want to tell you the consequences of our failure… The consequences are that you, your knights, the faith group, that old man who just insulted me, me, and even my family… everyone here will find themselves in a very awkward situation.”
“Our path to advancement will come to an end. Of course, this is a minor issue, but more seriously, we will be dismissed from our positions due to this failure. After being dismissed, we will be held accountable and imprisoned in dark underground dungeons, where we might die. Dying is simple, but what if it also affects our families? Your father, mother, brothers—regardless of whether they are commoners or nobles—will all be implicated because of this matter…”
Aresta paused.
“Don’t ask me why. Blame it on us for encountering her. Once encountered, we have no choice but to risk our lives to bring her back. There is no other option. The current situation in West Continent is not optimistic, and I believe you can understand how the Pope feels right now. If we mess up such an important task… then none of us will live well. When the time comes, I will try to clear myself, but it might be useless. As for you… you’re not stupid, you know what I mean, right?”
As he spoke, he turned to look towards the gray sky.
“But if we succeed… yes, just like I said. Honor, glory, everything you desire will be yours… Captain Hopes, do you understand what you need to do now?”
Captain Hopes’ expression changed rapidly, his gaze following the direction he looked. All he could hear were the heavy sounds continuously coming from above.
After a brief silence, he suddenly asked: “What exactly is that demon?”
“This is not something you should know…”
Aresta’s words were cut off.
Suddenly, everyone heard the demon above the gray sky let out a chilling, eerie laugh.
“Giggling…”
The laughter sounded like the cheerful giggles of a young maiden in a valley, which should have been a soothing sound. But at this moment, it made countless warriors’ hearts shudder. Bishop Aresta’s hands trembled even more violently. He saw black fog surging out from the frosty mist in the sky.
