The Paladin in the Abyss

Chapter 312: Chapter 316 The Prison Gate

As they passed through the area where the roses of the Demon Palace once thrived, everyone noticed more details. The skeletons were riddled with dense holes, looking like worm-eaten wood, which made everyone’s skin crawl. The group advanced almost without looking sideways, disturbed and distracted by the horrifying and nauseating sights around them.

Even Lancelot couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief after finally leaving the sea of skeletons behind.

They entered another long corridor, with the remains of human-sized creatures beginning to appear on both sides. These bones clearly belonged to humans or Elves, and some were of even more delicate build. The clothes on their bodies had been eroded away by the passage of time, leaving only the fragments of Armor that suggested they had been warriors.

The skeletons still clutched weapons in their hands, but the iron, too, was no match for the ravages of time. Wooden handles and leather straps had long since turned to dust, and once-sharp blades and spear tips had become rusted rods.

“These bodies have been lying here for thousands of years, otherwise they wouldn’t have weathered so severely,” Kalalin declared, “Could they have been Protectors?”

“I guess they got separated from their allies in a battle and hid here to avoid the enemy,” Bruto speculated, “When they tried to retreat, they found a large group of minotaurs outside! Then they got trapped and died here. It’s a shame there wasn’t a Dwarf in their team; they would have dug a tunnel and escaped long ago.”

“I quite like your all-purpose digging theory, but that’s not the truth,” the Elven Ranger said, shaking his head and silver hair, “The skeleton remains of those minotaur creatures are much fresher than these, and they show no signs of battle wounds. Death seems to have come upon them suddenly.”

“What kind of attack could have caused so many to die unprepared?” Lancelot asked curiously, “Is it related to that Succubus?”

“The Succubus might just be a by-product of that attack,” Kalalin said with a grim expression, “Be cautious. The stronger the curse, the more powerful the spawned Fiends.”@@novelbin@@

At her words, everyone nodded and gripped their weapons tighter.

After passing through the corridor, the group entered a slightly smaller hall. More skeletons were scattered throughout the hall, lying in clusters without any signs of combat.

But the direction in which the skeletons had fallen was consistently towards the exit, as if death had struck them in mid-flight. This eerie scene made everyone swallow hard, their gaze involuntarily focusing on a heavy Metal door at the far end of the hall.

Lancelot felt the door’s material looked familiar and soon recognized it as Abyssal Metal, the same material used in the Giant Skull Demon Tomb’s doors. This Metal doesn’t rust in the depth of the Abyss, and even for Demons, the methods of its processing are considered valuable secrets held by only a few demon craftsmen.

The heavy metal door had no windows, and its bare surface was covered with a thick layer of dust, indicating it had not been opened for a long time. Of note was that a few exceptionally large skeletal remains lay at the door, their horned skulls, clawed hands, and long tails all too clearly belonging to the remains of Fiends.

The movement of the group stirred the air and the fall of their Steel Boots caused a faint tremor on the ground. Although these sounds were very faint, the skeletons collapsed like melting snowmen and turned into a thin layer of bone powder on the ground.

“Isn’t that a phenomenon unique to Demon corpses?” Bruto brought up the question that was on everyone’s mind. “How could they appear here?”

“Could there be another possibility?” A pale-faced Xiao Yisha spoke up, obviously in a state of extreme fright, “Behind that iron gate is a prison cell, and these Demons are the prison guards. The dead humans and Elves outside were here to rescue the prisoners. They defeated the guards outside the cell, but the master of this prison left a powerful curse as a backup…”

“It’s very plausible, that might just be the truth of the matter, or at least part of it.” The Elven Ranger nodded, “And that female ghost who sought our help was most likely one of the prisoners locked up there. Her body should be behind this door, and that is exactly the target we need to purify.”

“Are there enemies behind the door?” Kalalin asked Lancelot, whose Sensory Ability had prepared them in advance for battle countless times during their adventures.

Lancelot gently closed his eyes but opened them quickly again.

“No good, the metal gate is too thick, my Sensory Ability can’t penetrate it.”

“Elothysia, is your detect evil ability of any use?” The Scholar turned to look at the Succubus Paladin, but the expression on his face suggested he wasn’t holding out much hope.

“I can’t either.” The Succubus shook her wings, an action akin to a wingless creature shrugging, “Detection abilities can’t penetrate three feet of dirt, one foot of stone, one inch of Metal, or a thin sheet of lead. Unfortunately, the properties of Abyssal Metal are similar to lead, so even if it were Dimogorgen himself behind that door, I wouldn’t be able to detect him.”

“But I have a hunch that the female ghost is behind the door.” Lancelot drew his Hand Half Sword from over his shoulder, a faint blue glow lit up along the Sword Blade, bringing some light to the otherwise pitch-black hall. With everyone possessing natural or potion-induced Dark Vision, the dimly lit environment was as bright as day to them.

Already in tacit agreement, everyone understood what Lancelot drawing his sword meant, including the Elf Prince, who hadn’t been traveling with them for long and could easily grasp the significance of the action. The Priest had already begun a low murmur of prayer, the Scholar had taken several scrolls from his backpack, and the others were all gripping their weapons and Shields, ready for battle.

“Be careful, I’m going to open the door!”

Lancelot rested his Hand Half Sword on his shoulder, freeing his left hand to start making Seal Gestures. To the Elven Ranger’s amazement, countless slender but tenacious vines burrowed out from the walls around the iron gate, acting like levers pushing against the heavy metal door.

“I’ve told you, my big brother has spellcasting abilities.” The Dwarf said coolly to Acheron, as though he disdained the other’s surprise.

“Impressive,” the Elf Prince exclaimed sincerely, “You seldom see someone in armor manipulate plants with such skill. As you know, those Druids loathe any kind of Metal items.”

No, actually, I didn’t know that. Lancelot thought to himself wryly.

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