Chapter Ninety-Two: You’re Going to d*e
As I neared the ground, black flames ignited around me again, causing my descent to slow dramatically. I spread my arms wide as I hung in the air, wobbling a bit to maintain my balance. The black flames cushioned my fall, and when I was about ten meters from the ground, I extinguished the fire and let myself drop freely. There was a soft “thud,” and I landed safely.
“Phew—”
Finally, no more flying…
I felt the thrill of someone who had just completed a grueling twenty-kilometer run, my tightly-wound nerves finally easing.
Ah, the solid ground feels great…
Hopefully, no one spotted me, right?
I flexed my limbs, stood tall, and immediately lifted my gaze to the distant plains.
There was the Church Knights’ troop, just over there! It looked to be about… four or five hundred meters away. From here, all I could discern were the bright torches and vague silhouettes—everything else was a blur. Straining my ears, I could only catch faint murmurs of chatter.
But they were still moving southeast. The formation was intact; nobody had noticed me…
Thanks to the cover of night and my all-black armor, even out in an open field like this, it wouldn’t be easy for them to spot me if I kept my distance.
No matter, I need to move…
I stepped onto the soft earth, crouching low as I darted toward the source of the light, simultaneously untying the straps that tethered Captain Gray to my back. With my right hand, I gripped the handle and whipped it to my side.
Crack, crack, clang—
In that instant, as the lethal weapon formed, I adjusted my running rhythm, my left foot pushing off powerfully. The dirt and grass exploded beneath me while a roaring wind surged in my ears.
Moon Step!
Whoosh—
In an instant, I shot forward nearly thirty meters. I took a deep breath, and the moment my right foot touched the ground, I pushed again.
Keep going!
Whoosh—
I sprinted at full speed, faster than a horse from my previous life, about on par with this world’s horned horses. I watched the distance between myself and the flames quickly close. In under a minute’s time, I found myself less than a hundred meters from the troop’s rear.
Then I slowed my pace.
If I got any closer, I might be detected… and then…
Hmm…
Actually…
Whether they notice me now seems irrelevant…
With less than a hundred meters to go, I could dash over in a couple of Moon Steps. By the time the entire troop reacted, I could easily zip in and out of the crowd multiple times… or I could throw a few fireballs their way, and they wouldn’t have a chance to organize a counterattack, resulting in heavy casualties… no, they’d turn to ash. I could even hit a few old-timers and maybe Cardinal Nero before they could even think about performing a miracle. The troop ahead looked like they didn’t even have a thousand people; I had nothing to fear.
Should I really do this…
These individuals… might already know my identity.
Hoo!
A flicker of flame gathered in the palm of my left hand. My right hand held Captain Gray’s cold long-handle tightly, my fingers gently rubbing it before loosening slightly.
Am I really going to do this…
Suddenly, I thought of that middle-aged knight who seemed to admire me a little.
I remembered the conflicted look on his face when he tried to stop Margaret. After she teleported through the encirclement, he hadn’t immediately turned to chase her down; he merely let his sword lower slowly.
Is he in the troop?
At this thought, my tense shoulders relaxed a bit.
Seriously…
The black flame in my palm flickered before I suddenly clenched my fist and extinguished it.
What do I have to hesitate about…?
They haven’t done anything to me… those knights are loyal to their commands and their faith… Some of them may have even killed their former comrades. But even so, I don’t have the right to arbitrarily take their lives; otherwise, I’d be no different than the monsters…
I’m only looking for those few who have acted against me.
Having cleared my mind, I began to crouch down, stealthily making my way toward the side of the troop.
Where are those old geezers…
Having flown for so long, I was a bit hungry now.
This area was wide open; it was tough to find any sort of boulders or hills to hide behind. But no worries! My small frame could easily slip into the dense grass.
The variety of vegetation on the plains was abundant; some grew over half a meter high, and crouching down meant nobody would be able to see me.
Hehe~
So I ran and hid, finding tall grass to tuck myself behind, my dark eyes darting around the night while I searched for the next patch of grass that was closer to the troop. Then I would dash over and crouch down, all while staying out of sight and keeping my head on a swivel… I suddenly found myself enjoying this little game, feeling an unusual thrill akin to “hunting.”
This is kinda fun…
Before I knew it, I had circled around to the forward side of the troop.
I crouched behind a cluster of unusual fan-shaped plants, quietly parting the leaves to peek out just a little.
The Church Knights marched past one by one, just under twenty meters from me. Some carried torches, others helmets. Perhaps due to their rushed night journey or the events in the valley still weighing on their minds, they all looked rather downcast and unenthusiastic. The formation was a bit loose; some bore bandages indicating injuries, reminiscent of the fleeing soldiers from a defeated army on TV. A few even had blank expressions in their eyes.
I involuntarily shrank back a bit, just then hearing muted conversations from nearby.
“Are we going to Windom Town again… not to the Royal City?”
“That’s Vice Captain Laps’s order…”
“Heard we’re supposed to meet up…”
“Seriously… what are we even doing…”
“Stop asking so much. We’re Church Knights; just do your job.”
“…my job?”
“We’re participating in this mission with the resolve to d*e, aiming to become heroes… If we’re unlucky enough to be eaten by monsters, I won’t have any complaints. It’s not only my duty but my highest honor…”
“But what about now…?”
“Shush!”
“Shut your mouth…”
“…why can’t I speak? We came to exterminate the Abyss, right? Where’s the Abyss? They killed the Pope Knights sent to assist us and called her a monster…”
“Shut up! It’s not as simple as you think.”
“Wilson, you saw that Miss Silvya, right? She’s so young… so beautiful… looks so innocent… they tossed her into Abyss Mud… Can you imagine that? What kind of monsters are they… Who would believe such nonsense?”
“We must trust Cardinal Nero. He’s one of the closest to the Deity and someone the Commander has faith in.”
“But what did Alexander yell before he died? We all heard that clearly, didn’t we? You don’t believe him…?”
“As a knight, you can’t doubt your faith.”
“The Saint is also close to the Deity, so why don’t we believe in her…”
“Dammit…”
“The bishops almost killed her… Is she also part of the Abyss…?”
“I said, shut up!”
“Alright, alright, I’ll shut up… do you really understand what we’re doing here…?”
The hushed argument faded as the speaker moved further away.
I tightened my fists without realizing it.
…Nero.
I hadn’t guessed wrong.
After I fell into the Abyss Mud, he and Margaret had a falling out. It seems that fat guy wanted to k*ll me, but now he wanted to off the Saint too! How did things get to this point… Ignoring the Abyss… what’s wrong with the Church?
Whatever, I couldn’t care less what they were up to…
Tired knights continued to pass by the grass patch in front of me. I quietly stayed hidden among the grass, eyes glued forward.
Waiting is such a bother.
Gradually, half of the troop had passed. But I still hadn’t seen a single bishop, not even a rider on a horned horse.
Strange…
Could it be that Nero isn’t in this troop?
No way…
If he’s not here, where else would he run off to? Wait.
I remember those knights saying they were headed to some town to meet up… meet up with whom? Could it be that Nero has already gone there?
…!
There’s still one horned chariot left out at the canyon; Margaret might be sitting in that one! The Church Knights who left took all the horned horses, but I haven’t seen a single one… Somebody must have made it there first! With not enough horned horses, how could they wait for these slow-footed walking knights… I should have figured out sooner—
Creak… creak…
Suddenly, a horned chariot surrounded by knights slowly passed before me. The gleaming white carriage sparkled with intricate golden patterns in the firelight.
That’s…
Margaret?
No, not quite… although it looks similar, the style is different… that’s not the chariot we rode to the canyon; it’s another one from the Church… The knights were guarding that chariot, the curtains tightly drawn. Who’s inside? I don’t care! It seems to be the only horned chariot in the entire troop… Maybe it’s just some old man who can wield a Holy Lance… I don’t even know where Margaret is. No time to hesitate, I need to act now!
Within a second, I made my decision.
The next moment, the ground beneath my feet suddenly exploded, the plants in front of me torn apart by the gale.
Moon Step!
Whoosh—
The wind howled.
My small figure darted through the ranks as if teleporting, moving with unparalleled speed and strength. Before anyone could react, I crashed into the horned chariot that the knights were protecting.
Bam!!
Wood splintered everywhere.
Dust and debris flew through the air, the curtains soaring upward, the axle snapping under the force, and a stout horned horse was flipped over, letting out a startled whinny, while the shattered carriage was launched off the ground, sending someone tumbling out of the door.
With this shoulder tackle, I sent the horned chariot flying, but I didn’t feel a single tremor in my body, let alone any pain… This armor is fantastic, just like when I was in “monster” form; ordinary weapons can’t touch me at all.
“Enemy attack—”
Someone next to me screamed hoarsely.
“Protect the Bishop!”
So it’s a bishop!
Then…
The carriage flew farther away from me, landing about five or six meters out and sliding forward another meter or two, breaking into a pile of tattered fabric and wood. The figure that had fallen out rolled across the ground, and I spotted the long robe he was wearing… it’s a bishop!
I immediately dove forward, not waiting for his rolling momentum to d*e down. I lifted my foot and jabbed it into his waist, flipping him upright, grabbing his collar to hoist him in front of me, looking into his face—familiar!
It’s that old guy who let me have the Holy Lance.
Confirming that, I ignored the knights rushing forward, flames igniting at my feet as I took to the air.
The knights below instantly fell into chaos.
“Cough, cough…”
The old man was coughing, sounding a little weak.
I purposely held him high, controlling the black flames so they wouldn’t touch him, just swirling around him like a hungry serpent. After rising about thirty meters, I dodged a glowing arrow that whizzed past from below, catching a glimpse of the old man’s hand glowing faintly with golden light at his chest.
He’s trying to invoke a miracle…
The next moment, I swung Captain Gray upward, the blade slicing through his forearm, sending it flying out of sight. His face contorted in pain as the color drained from his once wrinkled face, but he didn’t dare cry out—a sharp blade at his throat had silenced him.
“Resist, and you d*e.” I said flatly.
“Cut your throat. Or, I toss you down.”
Black flames surged to their maximum.
The tumultuous fire inched upward, rapidly taking me higher into the sky.
“You… who are you?!”
The fierce wind filled the old man’s mouth, making it hard for him to form words. His aged face shook violently as the gusts lashed against it, his eyes squinting tight.
“You guys bullied me before. You made me fall into Abyss Mud…”
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead, soon whisked away by the wind. Terror glinted in his murky eyes, and his pained, frightened expression made my lips curl into a grin.
“Don’t remember?”
The old man suddenly froze.
In the next moment, his eyes widened in shock: “You… you didn’t d*e?!”
“I didn’t d*e.” My grin widened, “But you’re going to d*e.”
