The Paladin in the Abyss

Chapter 337: Chapter 351: Demon Fortress

When the shadow engulfed the tower containing everyone, Lancelot suddenly stood up, grasped both Bruto and Acheron by the arms, and said in a deep voice,

“Let’s go!”

Everyone felt the shadows around them darken even more, and before anyone could react, Lancelot and his companions had vanished from their spot. Kalalin, stunned, quickly ran to the window just in time to see the trio walking out of the shadows on the street below.

The pedestrians on the road were completely unaware of anything unusual, Lancelot looked up, nodded at Kalalin by the window, and, still pulling on the somewhat dazed Bruto and Acheron, walked away toward the outskirts of the city.

Kalalin shook his head and muttered under his breath,

“Unbelievable.”

Lancelot had activated the Shadow Jump ability he had seized from the Weaver of Darkness. This skill had many limitations, such as the need for continuous shadow, a daily limit on the distance of jumps, and it was far less versatile than the teleportation abilities used freely by the Prime Fiends. However, this ability lacked the bright Spiritual Light and the obvious spatial fluctuations of regular teleportation techniques, giving it significant tactical value in stealth and infiltration.

Lancelot, while walking, extended his Spirit Perception to its maximum to avoid any prying eyes. Soon, the trio had left the dense forest of twisted towers in Gaomendikolia and the fortress they intended to scout was less than a mile away, looming like a monstrous dragon on a small hill to the northeast.

A winding mountain path led to the fortress, but unlike the city, the route was patrolled by demons, with squads transporting new recruits and supplies coming and going. Obviously, using that road to scout the fortress was not a good idea.

“Let’s go around from that side.” Bruto surveyed the terrain and pointed to a taller and steeper peak nearby, “From up there, we should have a good view of the fortress layout.”

The other two naturally had no objections. Dwarves were renowned for their climbing ability, a trait innate to this small yet sturdy race. They could dig the deepest tunnels and scale the highest peaks; in comparison, mountaineering was almost a leisure activity. Acheron, being a ranger, was at home in the wilderness, and the difficult terrains of the natural world could hardly slow a ranger’s pace.

As for Lancelot, although he lacked the Dwarf’s racial gifts and the ranger’s extensive training in wilderness survival, thanks to the physical enhancements from his Foundation Establishment, he could ascend any summit in a straight line without needing to detour.

Yet, to avoid revealing their intentions, they moved very cautiously to evade detection by the fortress below. The scattered rocks and dense bushes along the mountainside provided good cover. Low-level demons roamed this route as well, but this time Lancelot was not about to let them escape.

The trio acted together, eliminating any demon that might have spotted them with lightning speed. After each kill, Lancelot summoned vines to carefully bury the enemy corpses, ensuring no trace was left behind.

Although the fortress was less than a mile from Gaomendikolia, it took them two hours to reach an adjacent peak. They hid in the shadow of a giant boulder and carefully peeked out to observe the Demon Fortress several hundred feet below.

Unlike the nearby city filled with towering buildings, the fortress was built upon a hill, its layout low and wide. From their vantage point, the structure of the fortress somewhat resembled a misshapen three-tiered cake, with the terrain inside progressively rising.

The outermost layer of the fortress was a spacious training ground, where people were currently practicing; the middle layer contained barracks, a blacksmith’s shop, and stables, resembling the living quarters for ordinary soldiers and trainees within the fortress; the top level had a three-story building that at first glance appeared somewhat similar to Hagrid Manor, but a closer look would reveal its military features, with sturdy walls, narrow windows, and embrasures from which arrows could be shot in all directions.

Furthermore, guards were patrolling the walls of each level, all of whom were well-equipped Berserk Demons, with no Low-Level Fiends, Coward Devils, or Aberrant Demons of any kind; on several high points, there were Arrow Demons with four arms, whose Giant Bows could cover a large area, and any target exposed within the range of these elite demon soldiers would be subjected to devastating strikes.

“How did you sneak in back then?” the Dwarf asked in disbelief.

“When I came last time, the lower two layers didn’t exist,” Acheron replied helplessly with a grimace, “so there were no patrolling guards either…”

“With this kind of fortress layout, trying to sneak in directly is nearly impossible,” Lancelot remarked leisurely, “You mentioned that the recent attempts had all failed, so you are actually quite aware of the situation here, right?”

“Yes,” Acheron nodded nervously.

“Do you guys think Elothysia can use her advantages of being a Succubus to easily infiltrate this fortress and steal the combat plan of the cunning Ulgog?”

“That was indeed our thought,” the Elf Prince replied even more nervously, “Only she has such abilities and advantages, right?”

“That’s correct, but there are some things about Elothysia that you don’t know,” Lancelot shook his head, “She once used her beauty and charm to make many mortals fall, bringing their souls to her former master, the Barlow Flame Demon. Since her shift to the righteous side, she has realized the harm she caused and has done many things to make amends. Furthermore, she has also resolved never to use her Charm ability again, relying only on her training as a Paladin to solve problems.”

“What?” Acheron’s face showed an embarrassed expression, “We… I never knew this…”

“I also find her decision a bit extreme, but I can understand her thoughts and am willing to help her maintain it,” Lancelot said sternly, “So no matter what the original plan you had in mind was, I will not let the Succubus Paladin do something against her own will.”

“I understand…” the Elf Prince replied dejectedly, “I didn’t know before, and I wouldn’t have known. But with this, the difficulty of infiltrating has increased greatly, those guards…”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t say the method was bad, just that we can’t let Elothysia do it.”

Bruto, who had been silently observing the fortress below, suddenly turned around, his eyes wide with excitement.

“If Elothysia can’t do it, I can,” Lancelot said with a mischievous smile, “You too, right, Bruto?”

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