Episode 348
Whoooosh!
A fierce chill emanated from Vayne’s body, causing frost to form on the walls of the chamber and the floor to be covered in a sheet of ice.
The powerful icy storm forced not only the cult’s sorcerers but also the knights of the Scorpion Guild to retreat.
Following Zeke’s instructions, Vayne recited his lines.
“This is the resting place of the Great Holy King! Those who disturb his peace shall face divine retribution!”
A sorcerer from the cult pointed at Vayne and shouted, “It’s the guardian of the ruins! If we take him down, the door will open!”
Kalito, after assessing the situation, commanded the knights of the Scorpion Guild, “Kill him!”
The knights, obeying the order, charged at Vayne with their swords drawn.
Rumble—
The intense cold from Vayne’s body enveloped the knights of the Scorpion Guild.
At that moment, the cult’s sorcerers began chanting ominous spells, casting magic on the knights.
Sizzle—
As a dark energy seeped into the knights, they seemed to no longer feel the cold, their previously shivering bodies now moving with renewed vigor.
Numbed by magic, the knights ignored the freezing cold that was encasing their armor and bodies, pressing forward relentlessly.
Vayne was taken aback by their persistence.
“What kind of lunatics are these?”
He had been ordered by Zeke to immobilize them. To fulfill this command, Vayne resorted to another spell.
Crack!
With a wave of his staff, a massive ice wall erupted, blocking the path of the charging knights.
Simultaneously, he conjured multiple ice spikes, launching them at the knights.
Crash!
The knights trapped behind the ice wall swung their swords, deflecting the falling ice spikes.
But then, one of the spikes flew towards Gillian, who was standing behind them.
Crunch!
The ice spike struck Gillian, weakening the magical chains that bound him.
Roar!
With a fierce cry, Gillian rose to his feet, straining against the chains that held him.
Kalito, witnessing this, was alarmed. “W-wait!”
Snap!
In a brief moment, Gillian broke free of the chains.
Roar!
Like a barbarian, Gillian let out a wild cry, thrashing about even though he couldn’t remove the restraints.
The ancient artifact’s enchanted leather bindings were too strong to be broken by mere force.
Unable to break free, Gillian began charging forward.
He lunged straight ahead, aiming for the ice wall.
Boom!
Gillian’s head collided with the ice wall.
He repeatedly slammed his head and body against the solid ice, as if trying to break free from his torment.
Roar!
As he continued to batter the wall, cracks began to form, and soon the sturdy ice wall shattered.
Crash!
With part of the ice wall destroyed, Vayne was left in shock.
“Is it even possible for a human to do that? Could he be a barbarian?”
Roar!
Bound and thrashing, Gillian howled like a beast.
Kalito, seizing the opportunity, shouted, “Now! Kill the guardian!”
The knights of the Scorpion Guild rushed through the broken ice wall, charging at Vayne, who was hovering in the air.
Whoosh!
Dozens of knights swung their aura-infused swords at Vayne.
Crash!
Vayne soared into the air, launching ice spikes at the advancing knights.
But empowered by the cult, the knights deflected the spikes and continued their assault on Vayne.
Vayne was bewildered by the sight of the knights, who, despite being alive, seemed more like the undead.
“How can living knights act like this?”
The cold Vayne summoned was so intense that it could freeze a normal person within seconds.
Yet, despite the excruciating pain of their bodies freezing, the knights pressed on, swinging their swords.
Some knights, unable to withstand the cold, had their frozen limbs shatter.
But the knights of the Scorpion Guild, numb to pain, ignored their broken limbs and focused solely on attacking.
They seemed more undead than Vayne, who was a lich.
Behind them, the cult’s sorcerers began chanting with staffs adorned with the effigy of their deity.
Dark energy seeped from the relic.
Sizzle—
The dark energy infiltrated the knights’ noses and mouths.
Soon, their lips turned black, and their tongues shriveled and blackened.
In exchange for losing their tongues, the knights gained indestructible bodies through the power of the black serpent within.
Their eyes transformed, resembling those of a snake.
Hiss—
The tongueless knights hissed like snakes, and new limbs sprouted from their severed ones, covered in scales like a serpent’s.
Transformed into snake knights by the cult’s magic, the Scorpion Guild’s knights charged at Vayne with eerie sounds.
“Ugh!”
Vayne recoiled, leaping from the wall to evade the knights trying to grab him.
At that moment, a signal came from Zeke.
“Vayne, retreat now.”
“Understood, master!”
Following Zeke’s command, Vayne shook off the snake knights and retreated, ascending into the air.
“You wretches! The Holy King’s wrath shall be upon you!”
With his shout, Vayne’s body began to glow, and a fierce wind enveloped the area.
Whoosh!
The strong wind pushed the snake knights back, and the surroundings were engulfed in a white chill, until Vayne’s figure vanished completely.
Sizzle—
As Vayne disappeared, the cold that filled the space dissipated, and the air returned to normal.
The snake knights, still hissing, searched for the vanished Vayne.
But soon, they began to collapse to the ground.
Black smoke rose from their bodies, and the snake knights withered into mummified husks.
The life force drawn out by the cult’s magic had been exhausted, leaving their bodies unable to sustain themselves.
Kalito clenched his teeth as he looked at the mummified, shattered knights.
“Damn it. If I stay here any longer, I’ll end up like them.”
He contemplated escaping with Gillian, the commander.
As he glanced around, the door behind him suddenly began to open.
Rumble—
Without any ritual, the door opened, and the cultists bowed deeply towards the relic, exclaiming, “The deity has granted us the grace to open the door!”
The black serpent within the mouth was a deity that valued transactions.
It never gave rewards without a price.
The cultists were aware of this, but they couldn’t keep the impatient emperor waiting any longer, so they acted swiftly.
The hounds entered first to scout the area.
Inside, unlike the outer catacombs, the original structure was well-preserved.
Seeing the architecture from the ancient Lubern dynasty, the hounds were convinced it was the Holy King’s tomb.
The cult’s sorcerers, informed by the hounds, rushed to report to the emperor that the ruins’ door had opened.
Upon hearing this, the emperor spoke from behind the curtain.
“We must seize the Holy King’s remains immediately. Let’s go.”
The imperial guards carried the emperor’s palanquin into the ruins.
The emperor was anxious, knowing his soul could leave his frail body at any moment.
The emperor’s palanquin soon arrived at the entrance of the ruins.
Having missed his chance to escape, Kalito had no choice but to kneel before the emperor, bowing his head.
“Your Majesty! I, Kalito, pledge my body and soul to protect you!”
The emperor, without responding to Kalito’s words, led the imperial guards into the ruins.
The cult’s sorcerers, hounds, and the remaining knights of the Scorpion Guild followed.
As the emperor’s party entered the Holy King’s resting place, a sudden loud noise echoed.
Rumble—
The door that had opened began to close again.
Kalito, startled, attempted to use an artifact to escape, but to his shock, the magic backfired and failed to activate.
Crackle—
With the expensive artifact rendered useless, Kalito panicked and rushed to squeeze through the closing door.
But he was too late.
Boom!
The door shut completely, trapping the emperor’s forces inside the resting place.
Kalito quickly changed his stance and shouted at the cult’s sorcerers.
“How dare you! Closing the door with His Majesty inside! Open it at once!”
The cult’s sorcerers were caught off guard by the sudden blame.
“Uh, well, it’s just that…”
Since they hadn’t done anything to open the door, there was nothing the cult’s sorcerers could do.
From behind the curtain, the emperor’s angry voice boomed.
“Stop delaying and lead us to the Holy King’s remains!”
Kalito immediately aligned himself with the imperial guards, shouting at the cultists.
“What are you waiting for! Didn’t you hear His Majesty’s command? Lead the way!”
The cultists sensed something off about Carlito’s demeanor, but they couldn’t fathom that he might have broken free from their brainwashing. Clutching their sacred relics, they pressed forward.
As they walked down the corridor, perfectly preserved in the style of the Lubern dynasty, a massive door loomed ahead. The same shimmering curtain of light they had seen on the entrance door was painted here, prompting the cult’s sorcerers to turn to the emperor.
“Your Majesty! This time, we’re certain the remains of the Holy King are beyond this door.”
Eager to redeem themselves from their earlier blunder, the cultists hurried to the door, pressing the relics close. Suddenly, the skull atop their staff began to shake violently, a tremor distinct from before.
“What… what’s happening?”
Simultaneously, the door creaked open slowly. The cult’s sorcerers turned to the emperor, shouting excitedly.
“Look, Your Majesty! We’ve finally found the resting place of the Holy King…”
Schwick—
Before they could finish, their heads were severed, rolling to the ground with a thud. Carlito, witnessing the scene, recoiled in horror.
‘What… what is this?’
As the door fully opened, twelve armored knights marched out in perfect formation, their full plate armor gleaming white. They stood resolute at the entrance to the sanctuary, guardians of the Holy King’s resting place.
These were golem knights, towering figures rivaling even the mightiest barbarians. Despite the door being open, their imposing presence barred entry.
The emperor shouted at the golem knights, “What are you waiting for? Remove those obstacles at once!”
At his command, the emperor’s hounds and the knights of the Celestial Bow surged forward.
“Haaah!”
With a battle cry that bordered on desperation, they swung their swords at the golem knights. Yet, the golems remained unmoved, swords in hand.
Whoosh!
Despite the unease, the hounds and Celestial Bow knights struck at the golems’ armor.
Clang!
To their shock, their blades couldn’t even scratch the surface. Realizing the armor’s material, the hounds’ faces turned ashen.
“M-Mithril?”
The armor was crafted entirely from solid mithril. Suddenly, the eyes within the knights’ helmets glowed, and they began to move.
Shing!
The twelve golem knights drew shields from their backs, wielding them against the hounds and Celestial Bow knights.
Boom!
With overwhelming force, the knights were swept away like leaves in the wind.
“Ugh!”
As they staggered from the shield’s impact, a massive sword cleaved through them, slicing their waists in two. Those who survived retreated in terror.
The cult’s sorcerers quickly cast another spell on the survivors.
“Grrr!”
In an instant, the remaining Celestial Bow knights lost their tongues and transformed into serpent warriors.
Hiss!
The serpent warriors charged at the shield-bearing golem knights, but the outcome was unchanged.
Crash!
The serpent warriors were crushed into bloody pulp by the shields. Watching from behind, Carlito’s teeth chattered in fear.
‘What… what are these monsters?’
Just then, the emperor’s elite guard began to move.
Shing!
Their drawn swords crackled with aura blades as they prepared to charge.
Crackle!
But before they could advance, dozens of lightning bolts struck down upon the emperor’s palanquin.