The Paladin in the Abyss
Chapter 866 - 843: The Battle Begins

Chapter 866 -843: The Battle Begins

“Under the command of the Grim Reaper…” Soveris looked respectfully at the shadow of Cranvo, “I will immediately organize the warriors, and we can reach the temple within half a day…”

“No need.” Cranvo shook his head, “Just bring those among your people who have faith in me. I will not be stingy with my power… but only true believers can withstand it.”

“Some of us indeed do not want to abandon our original faith, but the outcome of this battle concerns the fate of everyone.” Soveris insisted, “With our shapeshifting abilities and flexible tactics, we can continuously harass the periphery, ensuring the enemy cannot fully focus on attacking the temple. This will surely alleviate the pressure you face on the front line.”

“You make a valid point.” Cranvo did not show the stubbornness typical of a deity, “Thank you very much, I will not forget your contributions.”

“My lord, what about us?” Lancelot asked in a deep voice, “Where do you wish for us to appear?”

“You…” Cranvo turned his head. For some reason, Lancelot felt like the god rolled his eyes, “You can go anywhere, just bring the Raven Queen back to me…”

“Uh…” Lancelot scratched his head awkwardly. From the tone of the Lord of the Dead, it seemed he thought Lancelot was somewhat unreliable, “Then… the Witches’ Forest?”

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The next day.

Lancelot stealthily climbed a small hill, peeking out to observe the situation ahead. About five hundred feet away from his position was the edge of the Witches’ Forest. Yesterday afternoon, the undead army led by the Lich, which did not require rest, had passed through here, taking away many of the garrison originally stationed here, leaving the defenses rather empty. However, the Lich did not take any undead vultures, seemingly believing that air power was unnecessary to attack a temple located within a mountain. Therefore, they could not simply fly into the heart of the forest as before and had to sneak in from the ground.

According to the information provided by the Kenku, the undead army’s size should be less than twenty thousand, much less than the over thirty thousand that attacked Raventown last time. However, most of the losses were low-rank cannon fodder, with minimal losses among middle and high-rank units. In contrast, about a thousand devout followers responded to Cranvo’s call. Despite being at a significant numerical disadvantage, the power bestowed by the Lord of the Dead meant the strength gap might not be as wide as it seemed.

Because Cranvo’s words yesterday were said directly to his followers, Milko was still unaware that he had been exposed, continuing to pretend he did not recognize Cranvo. He claimed a group of cultists was spreading dangerous and heretical ideas, and the king had found their headquarters and would soon eradicate them completely. However, stories about Cranvo, Milko, and the Time of Troubles had spread through the streets overnight, detailing how Shrek ascended to godhood by betraying his companions and how he went mad after reading his creation, the ‘Xirei’, ultimately being stripped of his Lord of the Dead title by Cranvo.

Although these tales were unlikely to turn many into Cranvo’s followers, they made everyone aware that Shrek (the Lich’s puppeteer) was a deceitful liar. After fighting Shrek for so many years, Cranvo had learned a thing or two: debunking a liar’s fabrications one by one was time-consuming and laborious. Exposing the liar’s identity was often more effective.

“How is it?”

Bruto whispered as he pressed his voice down, asking Lancelot. They had been lurking there for most of the day, and for the battle-hungry dwarf, the wait was quite excruciating.

“Everything is normal. If it weren’t for occasional movements, I would have thought those two skeletons were some kind of decorations to scare people.” Lancelot replied in a low voice, “How about Kalalin? Is he ready?”

“Should be about done. I see he has almost filled up an entire sheet of paper…”

The scholar was not recording the surrounding scenery—even though the charred and twisted trees of the Witches’ Forest were quite distinctive, and the skeletons, zombies, and wraiths that wandered within added a lot of eerie elements. Kalalin was casting the Fourth Circle magic ‘Arcane Eye’, a spell that created an invisible flying magical eyeball, allowing the scholar to scout the forest’s interior and record his findings on the parchment at hand.

Lancelot scanned the surroundings again, confirming that there were no threats nearby. He then lightly tapped the ground, and his entire body slid down, quickly and silently, like being pressed against ice.

“Just in time, it’s done.” Kalalin stood up from the ground, handing a parchment to the human knight, “The star below marks our current position.”

“Thank you…”

Lancelot examined the parchment and found that Kalalin had drawn a very detailed map, including the terrain, buildings, obstacles, and important information such as the types and numbers of enemies, rivaling the work of professional scouts within the military.

“Nicely drawn.” Lancelot did not hold back his praise, “Where did you learn it?”

“I received cartography training in the Dark Cult, to accurately record environmental information in different regions of the Abyss.” Kalalin smiled with pride, “Drawing a map of this level is a piece of cake.”

“It’s a very useful skill.” Lancelot nodded in approval, “By the way, will the enemies inside change positions?”

“Most won’t. Those low-rank undead will only carry out pre-assigned tasks, like guarding a place or patrolling a fixed route…” The scholar came closer, pointing at the parchment, “The troublesome ones are these high-level units. They have self-awareness and can command nearby undead, so it’s best to avoid drawing their attention…”

“Or eliminate them directly.” Alamir suggested, extending his finger, “For instance, this one is relatively far from its comrades. If we quietly take it out, we can secure a large space to move…”

“Hmm… I like this idea.” The dwarf who had retreated from the hill commented, “You can’t expect the rings on my armor to make no noise at all…”

“That’s not too hard. We can put a soundproof barrier around you, but I also like the elf’s idea.” Lancelot shrugged, “Let’s stick to this plan for now. If the opportunity is right, we’ll strike directly.”

“How much longer do we have to wait…” Bruto licked his lips instinctively, “My warhammer is complaining that it’s starving…”

“Really?” Lancelot raised an eyebrow, “Is that an exaggerated metaphor, or did your warhammer actually tell you that? Like Starlight Strike and the Sword of Zariel?”