The Paladin in the Abyss

Chapter 343: Chapter 357 Inappropriate Timing

The battle broke out in an alley not far ahead, and it took the trio less than a minute to arrive at the scene.

A male Zoel wielding dual blades was facing an attack from two of his kind, his body enshrouded in purple flames, but a closer look revealed that the fire caused him no harm; it simply made him stand out in the darkness. Aside from those he was fighting, there were seven or eight enemies on the eaves on both sides of the street, including a woman, who was watching the fight from above.

Three Dark Elf corpses lay on the ground, covered in long, thin wounds, a testament to the besieged Zoel’s considerable strength. Yet, from the way he was struggling, it seemed he wouldn’t last much longer.

“Kamoen!” Acheron shouted immediately upon seeing the Dark Elf, “We’re here to help you!”

Without a word, Lancelot and Bruto charged in, weapons in hand. The Human Knight was the fastest; when he reached the back of one of the Zoel Elves, the enemy didn’t even have time to turn around. A lightning-quick strike from behind accurately hit the Zoel’s nape, severing his spine and killing him instantly before the mithril chainmail could catch the sword blade.

The other Zoel warrior, witnessing the death of his companion, still instinctively thrust out the short sword in his left hand, trying to seize the opportunity presented by Lancelot’s weapon getting stuck in his companion’s body.

However, he had forgotten the other threat nearby. Kamoen, who had just held his own against two, naturally wouldn’t miss the chance to exploit his opponent’s distraction. His dual blades, like two striking cobras, lashed out swiftly, and three metallic clangs almost merged into one as the enemy’s short sword guarding in front was parried away.

As the Zoel warrior turned his head, he saw a white light stabbing into his chest, slipping through the gap in his armor, then quickly withdrawing. He felt no pain, just a cold void where the blade had passed, and his life rapidly draining from that hole.

The Zoel warrior fell powerlessly, lying in a pool of his own blood.

“Not bad with your hands there,” Lancelot greeted Kamoen, whose purple flames were slowly dying out.

“Thanks, same to you,” the Zoel assassin tapped his bald head and charged out again.

Bruto was a bit slower and now ran into a Dark Elf warrior who had leaped down from above. Several short swords stabbed at the Dwarf, some blocked by his shield, others deflected by his hammer, but more found their way to his body, leaving wounds of varying depths between the gaps in his armor.

But such injuries were not enough to stop an enraged Dwarf. Bruto roared furiously, throwing caution to the wind as he charged at an enemy swinging a sword at him. The attacker had no time to dodge and was struck head-on by Bruto, who was just a head shorter but more than twice as heavy, flying backwards and crashing heavily into a wall on the side of the street, unconscious and now sporting numerous new holes.

Triumphant, Bruto let out a burst of wild laughter. He spun around, ready to charge at the next target, but a sudden shower of arrows interrupted him.

It was the Dark Elves, still perched on the eaves, skillfully reloading their hand crossbows for a second volley.

A few arrows flew towards Lancelot as well, but he deflected them all, while Kamoen used his cloak to wrap up all the threatening arrows. At that moment, two arcs of silver light flashed, and immediately two of the Zoel Elves, focused on reloading, screamed and fell from on high.

One of them had a feathered arrow stuck in an eye socket, and when hitting the ground, snapped their neck dead on the spot; another took an arrow through the shoulder and completely lost their ability to fight.

Acheron had made his move. The Elf didn’t act as swiftly as Lancelot, but the Ranger’s training provided him with the ability to quickly aim. As long as the enemy wasn’t too distant, he could launch rapid, consecutive attacks at an extremely fast rate, and since a bow’s firing speed was inherently faster than a crossbow that needed loading, Acheron could suppress several enemies single-handedly.

Even though the opponents had them outnumbered, thanks to Lancelot and his companions’ formidable personal combat abilities, the situation seemed to have been reversed in an instant.

“Get up, all of you! You useless trash!”

Accompanied by a cruel, ruthless female voice, a gray-white light suddenly appeared overhead. All the severely wounded enemies, except those who were completely dead, got back up on their feet. Their wounds healed quickly under the influence of divine arts, and ecstatic and furious expressions twisted their faces simultaneously.

That Zoel Priestess! Lancelot felt a pang of annoyance in his heart; he knew all too well that Zoel Elf females were more dangerous, possessing strength and martial skills no less than males, and also mastering divine arts bestowed by the Spider Queen. Yet, because of his untimely knightly spirit, he had not chosen to attack the Zoel Priestess straight away, causing a very favorable situation to slip into passiveness again.

A severe look flashed across Lancelot’s eyes; making the same mistake once was enough, especially since there was still a chance to rectify it.

“The rest are up to you!” Lancelot shouted to his companions, “I’ll handle the spellcaster!”

“Right!” Bruto responded loudly, his opponent was dodging the Dwarf’s attacks with fancy footwork, but unexpectedly, Bruto hurled his hammer, smashing the Dark Elf’s leg into an odd angle.

The Dwarf let out a cheer, pouncing like a hungry tiger, scraping his enemy, already crippled, with his armor covered in blades and spikes.

Acheron and Kamoen stood together, the former firing deadly arrows with his longbow while the latter used dual blades to ensure that no enemy could get close to his Ranger companion. Their coordination was skilled, suggesting this was not the first time they had fought together.

Knowing his companions could take care of themselves, Lancelot took big strides, charging toward the tower where the Priestess was stationed. Just before running into a wall, the Human Knight leapt forcefully, pouncing on the robed enemy below like a cat stalking a butterfly.

The target of his assault didn’t panic at the sudden threat. With a wave of her left hand, several Zoel men guarding her leaped like marionettes, putting their weapons, or their own bodies, in the path of the charging Human Knight.

Meanwhile, the Priestess herself touched an emblem on her chest with a spider pattern, activating the Levitation Spell on it, and began to rise slowly into the air while starting to chant a complex spell, her hands drawing arcane gestures in the void.

Lancelot’s Spirit Perception suddenly went off like an alarm, and he realized that the Priestess was preparing a powerful magic— he had to stop her quickly!

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