The Paladin in the Abyss

Chapter 403: Chapter 417 Commander’s Demeanor

“What’s the matter?” the old Elf, Quirion, approached and asked. All the resurrected heroes recognized him, or at least had heard of his great fame, so naturally, he took on the role of leader.

“There are enemies.” Kaladray said succinctly as he looked toward the approaching Lancelot, “Is there another passage?”

“I only know of this one.” Lancelot shook his head, “How many enemies are there?”

“A dozen Berserk Demons, clamoring for meat.” Another Elf next to Kaladray immediately responded, “They are coming down from the top of the stairs, we have at most one minute…”

“Let’s deal with them in the room ahead, it’s too narrow here.” the Elf commander intervened, “There are plenty of places suitable for hiding inside, we could ambush…”

“Right.” Lancelot knew it wasn’t the time for hesitation and decided promptly, “I’ll try to scare them off first, you hide with the men on the side, and if a fight breaks out, block the retreat immediately — we cannot let any demon escape!”

“Understood.”

The Elf commander was also not the type to dawdle. He selected several warriors and immediately entered the room. However, many others still stayed outside; anxious voices arose from all around, and even though the enemy had not yet appeared, everyone drew their weapons.

Glancing around, Lancelot felt a familiar sense of déjà vu, as if he were back in Albert’s army, facing a group of soldiers waiting for the battle to begin.

“Everyone, keep calm and listen to me,” Lancelot’s voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of all present, “We are the most elite heroes of Androlina over centuries, no matter how many enemies there are, they cannot possibly be a match for us. Our concern should be that the battle drags on too long and delays our aid for Pascaler.”

“I’ll try to drive the enemy away first, which is best because we shouldn’t waste any strength on the demons here. I have some special abilities that may prove very effective against demons. If there’s no need to fight later, you shouldn’t come in. But once the battle starts, Kaladray will ensure no enemy escapes to send a message, but they will face immense pressure and will need our support as quickly as possible.”

There seemed to be magic in Lancelot’s voice that involuntarily calmed everyone down, drawing their focus to his speech.

“I know you all feel stronger than others, more capable of helping our comrades inside, but the door is only so wide. If we all rush to enter, the result will only be chaos. Therefore, everyone should immediately line up so if fighting starts later, we can enter as quickly as possible to support our comrades inside.”

“Remember, this is nothing but a demon castle without its master; there is no honor here. Honor lies in Androlina, in Pascaler, atop the walls that protect our people. Your names have already become part of legend; your presence will greatly boost the morale of the defending troops. So let us unite and swiftly return to the places where we are truly needed. Did everyone hear that? Shh, don’t shout, stay quiet, start lining up!”

After Lancelot finished speaking, he gently clapped his hands — a gesture that seemed to carry a special magic, prompting everyone to immediately follow his commands. He didn’t stay in place, instead, he ran to Kalalin’s side.

“Brilliant speech.” the Scholar’s face still showed excitement, “Fantastic, really… I’ve never…”

“If you’d been in the army long enough, you would say these things too.” Lancelot winked at him, “Listen, I need you to create an illusion of being on fire on me, can you do that?”

“I can, but the illusion must remain within my line of sight, and even if I stand at the front of the line, you must stay on this line directly opposite the room’s door.” Kalalin didn’t ask why Lancelot wanted to do this but instead gave an immediate answer, “But you are not really on fire, so the enemies will easily see through this illusion — are you sure you want to…”

“Yes.” Lancelot’s Spirit Perception had already sensed the demons approaching, and he walked toward the interior without looking back, “Now!”

Hearing this, Kalalin didn’t waste words. Their long-term adventures together had built a good rapport between them. He reached into the backpack on his back, and the costly Magic Container served its purpose well, allowing the Scholar to immediately find the scroll he needed.

High-tier Illusion, Third Circle magic, maximum casting distance of one hundred and twenty feet, the spell cost included a Spell, gestures, and a small piece of wool as the material for casting. Since all preparations were completed during the scroll’s creation, all he had to do was unravel the scroll and channel the Magic Power to activate the stored magic on the parchment.

The Scholar gently pulled, loosening the knot binding the scroll. A green gleam flashed in his eyes, and the next second, orange-red flames illuminated Lancelot, like lighting a torch in the dim room, drawing the attention of any creature entering towards him.

Watching the dancing flames, Lancelot took a deep breath and then closed his eyes. His Divine Sense traveled within his body, searching for a special, dormant power of flame.

A gift from Kaldu, the Lord of the Flame Demons.

This process was like searching for a particular candle among the grand candle holders at an altar, only that the candle holder was Lancelot’s own body, so he found what he wanted almost immediately. Then, he carefully guided the nearly depleted True Yuan from his Dantian and used this special candle to ignite the True Yuan.

Those still outside the door felt a terrifyingly powerful presence, as if a Demon Lord had suddenly appeared inside the room. Had it not been for Lancelot’s recent claim about his special abilities to frighten off demons, many would likely have charged in to fight desperately by now.

Standing at the forefront, Kalalin saw clearly; the Human Knight’s appearance hadn’t changed, but the aura he emitted was nearly identical to the mysterious entity summoned during the rescue of Elothysia. An easily seen-through flame illusion? One must actually look to determine that, and with the aura Lancelot was now emitting, who would dare look him directly in the eye?

The situation went even smoother than Lancelot had anticipated. Sensing that frightening presence, the Berserk Demons approaching this way didn’t dare enter the room and turned back to flee.

“Everyone, maintain your formation and follow me!” Lancelot shouted to those behind him while continuing to burn his True Yuan and relentlessly releasing the mighty demon aura. “Move quickly, I can’t hold on much longer!”

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