The Paladin in the Abyss

Chapter 667: Chapter 691: The Secret of Volcano Fortress

“If that’s indeed feasible, it’s certainly a strategy, given the enemy’s scarce numbers and the severe shortage of spellcasters,” Babos eagerly interjected, “Even if just the four of us enter the city, we can almost guarantee victory. So, great Destruction Flame, where exactly is your defensive formation?”

“I would never easily hand over the secrets of the Volcano Fortress to this human!” Visuvius refused flatly.

“If Bartez consolidates his position in that castle, it won’t concern you anymore,” Babos reminded, “Even if the lord reclaims the Volcano Fortress later, do you think he’ll hand it over to you?”

“That still won’t do! I can’t give it to such a weak human!” the former Lord of the Volcano Fortress shook its head, “You all say he’s very capable, but I don’t believe it!”

“Of course, my strength is no match compared to you generals,” Lancelot admitted candidly, “But I’m quite confident when facing any Middle Rank Demon.”

“Really?” The Flame Demon revealed a peculiar expression, “Babos, bring me four Coward Devils!”

“Fine, but this is utterly a waste of time,” the Flame Demon General clad in black plank armor shook his head, “Based on everything I’ve seen, his strength is more than sufficient.”

As they spoke, a Babu Demon with a hook growing from the back of its head had already walked in with four Coward Devils. The black-skinned Demon shepherd seemed extremely frightened, trembling incessantly, and the four Coward Devils brought in looked utterly petrified, probably thinking they were about to become a late-night snack for a High Rank Demon.

Lancelot couldn’t help but feel puzzled; if they wanted to test his strength, weren’t these four Coward Devils a bit too disdainful?

Visuvius quickly cleared up this misunderstanding. The former Lord of the Volcano Fortress belched, and from its wide mouth flew four tiny fireflies, which flickered unsteadily in the air, appearing harmless, but Lancelot’s Spirit Perception advised him to stand back.

The fireflies eventually landed on the Coward Devils, and in the next instant, these poor Low Rank Demons exploded like ignited kegs of gunpowder. Amidst the pungent smell of blood and the nauseating stench, four new Berserk Demons appeared, and Visuvius immediately commanded in an unquestionable tone:

“Kill this human, or I’ll turn you all into Aberrant Demons!”

All the Berserk Demons launched an attack on Lancelot without a second thought, giving him no chance to protest. In fact, even without the Flame Demon General’s command, these giant toads would have naturally attacked the only human present, appearing to be the weakest link, and the newly promoted demons were eager to test their newly acquired muscles and claws.

Before the first Berserk Demon could pounce on the Human Knight, a hand-and-a-half sword made of cold iron had already appeared in his hand. However, it was hard for Lancelot to find a reason to strike, as these demons were neither his enemies nor likely to have committed any wrongs (being just weak Coward Devils moments ago), and their attack, ordered by the Flame Demon General, wasn’t sufficient to convince Lancelot to kill.

Fortunately, with his current movement technique, these Berserk Demons couldn’t touch him at all. Lancelot weaved through the ferocious bites and claw strikes of the giant toads with agility, light as a butterfly, while the Berserk Demons staggered like a bunch of drunken fat cats. As the demons grew impatient from their continuous misses, expanding their movements, the Human Knight cleverly executed a series of feints, causing the four Berserk Demons to crash heavily into each other and collapse onto the ground, unconscious.

“I suppose that should be proof enough?” Lancelot sheathed his longsword and turned to address the enormous Barlow Flame Demon. “We are at war, and every soldier is precious…”

“Ah, yes, it’s apparent, you are indeed formidable…”

Visuvius wore a bored expression, idly twirling his finger in the air. A black ring of light appeared out of nowhere, as if his finger dipped into some dark, thick soup. With this motion, the four giant toads on the ground let out a bone-chilling scream in unison. Their bodies transformed in a grotesque manner—muscles suddenly shrank, skeletons collapsed, and the skin on their surfaces wrinkled as tightly as a wrung towel. Originally sharp claws split from the middle, tearing all the way to the base like torn paper, peeling off the flesh on the fingertips as well. The exposed bones, under the influence of some mysterious force, began to rotate counterclockwise, curling like a young girl’s braids.

After a few breaths, four Aberrant Demons were thus born. Merely glancing at their bodies elicited a strong sense of discomfort in Lancelot, as if it were his fault they were subjected to such torment. Perhaps the right choice had been to kill them earlier.

But that wasn’t true, the fault lay with Visuvius, a cold and ruthless, arrogant and foolish tyrant. Refusing to kill those Berserk Demons just earlier hadn’t been wrong; but now… what he needed to do was to end these Aberrant Demons’ suffering.

A cold blade flashed like lightning, returning to calm in the span of a heartbeat. Accompanied by the clear sound of the sword sliding into its scabbard, the four Aberrant Demons’ bodies slowly fell to the ground, each with a fist-sized hole in their chests, their hearts gone.

“They look disgusting.” Lancelot explained calmly, “I’ve grown tired of this pointless circus. My lords, may we return to the earlier discussion? About a fortress occupied by demons…”

The hall briefly fell silent as everyone internally assessed whether they could match the human knight’s earlier speed with the sword. Finally recalling the disgrace they had suffered, the former Lord of the Volcano Fortress spoke gloomily:

“Even if you managed to sneak in and luckily killed every Bartez you encountered, you still couldn’t accomplish what you intend. I’ve hidden the Defensive Formation inside the Lava Lake at the volcano’s mouth; unless you’re a Barlow like me, you simply can’t get close to that formation.”

“That’s not necessarily true,” Lancelot shook his head, “Tell me how to get to the volcano’s mouth; I’ll handle the rest.”

The sturdy Barlow Flame Demon stood up from his stone seat, walked over to Lancelot, and peered down at the human knight with his eyes ablaze with burning flames, while the latter calmly looked back at him, like a statue devoid of emotion.

“Hmph… Not a bad look in your eyes, I’ll give you a chance then.”

The Flame Demon reached into his pants’ pocket and took out a black, round-shield-sized emblem, tossing it to Lancelot before sitting back on his throne-like stone chair.

“What is this?” Lancelot quietly withdrew the Ice Heart Technique, the pressure of being stared at by a top-tier Barlow Flame Demon was no joke; without this cultivation technique, he surely would have run earlier.

“Consider it a key,” Visuvius said, propping his cheek with his fist. “To enter my palace, anywhere in the Volcano Fortress, you will see that building. Behind the throne, there is a recess. Put the disk in there, rotate it counterclockwise once, and an entrance will appear on the floor. Go in, and let the temperature guide you forward.”