Chapter Seventy-Seven: Enemy Attack and Counterstrike

The Archbishop—so this man was the leader of a religious order. At that moment, moonlight spilled over the group, illuminating their faces. Had Lingfeng, Lingmu, Lingshui, or Altair been present, they would surely have recognized him. He was none other than LeBlanc-Anthony, the Archbishop of the Church of the Star God.

After hearing his subordinate’s report, LeBlanc turned a cold, shadowed gaze upon him, his voice devoid of emotion. “All of this is the Star God's design. Have you forgotten how our church was persecuted by the Church of the Father God and that little bastard Neil Night?”

All those gathered were remnants of the Church of the Star God. Upon hearing LeBlanc’s words, their faces twisted with resentment. Yet the one who had spoken before quickly suppressed his anger and said, “Archbishop, had you not insisted on attacking the Church of the Father God, leading our elite to near annihilation and giving the authorities an excuse to devastate us, we would not have fallen to this state. Now you conspire with heretical demons, seeking to open a rift in time and space and summon monsters from the Negative World. How is this any different from the demons themselves? Do you truly believe the great Star God would permit such actions?” By the end, he had dropped all formalities, his tone laced with deep dissatisfaction.

LeBlanc narrowed his eyes, his voice eerily calm. “Oh? So you’re blaming me, then?”

The follower could not help but feel uneasy, but steeling his resolve, he pressed on, “Yes, Archbishop. Our church has come to this because of your obsession. Now you trade with demons, betraying our doctrine. If you do not turn back, we will remove you from your position as Archbishop!”

“We?” LeBlanc glanced at the others. “So, you too would rather not join me in destroying the Church of the Father God?”

Glances were exchanged, and two-thirds of them stepped forward, siding with the dissenter.

Instead of anger, a twisted smile played at LeBlanc’s lips. “Very well. Since you dare defy me, you can serve as food for the monsters of the Negative Space!”

With that, LeBlanc suddenly produced a magic scroll and attempted to activate it. The dissenters were alarmed, and their leader shouted, “Stop this demon—he’s lost his mind!”

The dissenters immediately lunged at LeBlanc, but in that instant, a torrent of magical power erupted from him. Countless earthen spikes shot up from the ground, impaling the vanguard and turning them into human sieves.

Witnessing this, the dissenters’ faces drained of color. Their leader stammered, “You—you’ve broken through to the fifth rank of magi? And late fifth rank at that? How is this possible? How could you advance a whole rank so suddenly?”

LeBlanc’s grin twisted into a snarl. “Foolish trash. Did you think I wouldn't see through your petty schemes? During negotiations with the Church of Baal, I acquired a sacred elixir from them—one that forcibly elevates my strength by an entire rank!”

“Forcibly? That’s impossible! Even if such a potion exists, taking it would drastically shorten your life!”

“Hmph. If I can have revenge, what fear have I of death, even if it comes tomorrow?” LeBlanc snorted coldly, not denying the side effects. His gaze at the rebels was murderous. “Too bad—even if I die tomorrow, none of you will live to see it. Trash—be gone!”

As his words fell, LeBlanc activated the scroll in his hand. Instantly, the air for a kilometer around grew restless. Fifty meters above, a massive rift opened, from which emerged countless tendrils of negative energy. These tendrils pried the rift wider, forming a circular portal.

A moment later, a torrent of chaotic, unstable energy surged out from the portal, dropping the temperature sharply and sending the elemental energies in the area into disarray. After a few seconds, enormous, hellish hounds the size of lions burst forth from the rift, their bodies glowing red-hot, their maws burning with flames of black and crimson. As they emerged, the temperature around them soared.

Upon seeing these creatures, the rebels turned ashen. One of them cried out, “Those—that’s Cerberi! The demons’ pets! Be careful—Cerberi breathe hellfire! If you’re burned, even your soul—argh!” Before he could finish, a Cerberus leaped on him and incinerated him to a crisp.

The rest, seeing this, felt their blood run cold. Their will to fight waned; some even contemplated fleeing.

But LeBlanc gave them no chance. With a sweep of his hand, he commanded the Cerberi to attack. There were fifty of these hellhounds, each with the power of a second-rank fighter. Though some rebels were stronger, their numbers were too few—just over twenty. Facing fifty Cerberi and a fifth-rank magus, they stood no chance. In moments, the night was filled with screams, the air thick with the scent of charred flesh.

The bystanders who had not rebelled looked on in terror, yet couldn’t help but feel relieved they had not opposed LeBlanc.

In less than two minutes, all the rebels were slain by the Cerberi, their souls utterly consumed by hellfire. Though more than a dozen Cerberi had fallen, LeBlanc was unconcerned. He glanced at the survivors, channeled power into his scroll, and summoned another dozen or so Cerberi to replenish their ranks back to fifty.

A savage, excited grin twisted LeBlanc’s features. “Excellent. Though I can control only fifty Cerberi at a time, as long as my magic and spirit hold, I can endlessly replenish them. Go, my precious hounds—kill everyone in that town!”

With hideous howls, the Cerberi charged toward Kinko Town, while the remaining followers looked on with a mix of dread and reluctant acceptance.

What LeBlanc and his followers failed to notice was that, five hundred meters away, a massive black beast had witnessed everything. This was Phantom, who had just arrived after noticing the disturbance.

Seeing the fifty Cerberi racing toward Kinko Town, Phantom immediately relayed the events to Link. Startled, Link ordered Phantom to continue surveillance and rushed out, channeling his inner power as he shouted, “Enemy attack!” instantly putting the Church of the Father God on high alert. Everyone donned their armor with unprecedented speed.

Once the defenders were ready, Link briefed the heads of the Church Guard, instructing them to lead their men into battle. Thus began the confrontation between humankind and the monsters of another realm.

The headquarters of the Church of the Father God now boasted two holy warriors, an elite assassin, over forty paladins, and more than 150 formal and reserve church guards—a formidable fighting force. But against fifty Cerberi, the outcome was uncertain. There had not been a battle against monsters from the Negative Space in centuries, and these Cerberi seemed capable of endless summoning.

Following Link’s orders, the three Cardinal Archbishops led the Knights of the Silver Hand to the front lines to intercept the Cerberi, preventing them from entering Kinko Town. Other fighters organized the townsfolk for evacuation, ensuring no civilians would fall victim to the onslaught.

As for Link himself, he, along with the Aeolus brothers and Altair, set out to confront the true instigator of this disaster.

Soon, the paladin battalion led by Lingfeng and his companions clashed with the Cerberi. Though not dark creatures, the hellhounds were saturated with negative energy—a power the paladins were particularly adept at countering. Paladin skills were especially effective against such foes, and the paladins, clad in heavy armor with formidable defensive and healing abilities, were a force to be reckoned with. The hellhounds, which had massacred the Star God Church’s traitors, now found themselves at a disadvantage.

Under the command of the three Cardinal Archbishops, the valiant paladins easily withstood the Cerberi’s assault, holding them at bay outside Kinko Town.

“Ugly beast, taste this!” bellowed Uther, leader of the Silver Hand Knights, as he swung his warhammer in a newly learned Crusader Strike, smashing a Cerberus’s skull into pulp. His display of valor bolstered the morale of his comrades, who fought with even greater fervor.

Soon, several paladins were struck by hellfire, their bodies engulfed in flames as they screamed in agony. The support paladins in the rear promptly cast Purification spells to dispel the hellfire, then followed up with their Holy Light healing magic, swiftly restoring their injured comrades, who then rejoined the fray.

Those burned were all defensive paladins, wielding shields and one-handed weapons, bravely bearing the brunt of the enemy’s attacks to buy time and space for their allies. Undaunted by sacrifice, they faced the soul-searing pain of hellfire without a hint of fear.

Inspired by their comrades’ courage, the offensive paladins in the rear, led by Uther, unleashed their full might against the enemy.

The three paladin specializations worked together seamlessly, as if brothers-in-arms, driving the Cerberi back with relentless force. Had the monsters of the Negative Space known fear, they would have fled long ago before such overwhelming power.

The three Cardinal Archbishops watched in awe and delight. The Silver Hand Knights’ strength far exceeded their expectations. They had believed the paladins might hold a slight advantage; never did they imagine such a one-sided rout. United, the three paladin specializations were nearly flawless, lacking only in ranged attacks.

After watching for a while, the Archbishops relaxed. But their relief was short-lived. Soon, they noticed that as one group of Cerberi fell, another surged from the rift, forcing the Silver Hand Knights into a purely defensive posture.

Lingfeng’s expression grew grave. “It looks like all we can do on this side is hold the line. I wonder how the High Priest is faring. I hope she’s safe.”

Lingshui and Lingmu nodded in agreement, then joined Lingfeng in gazing toward the rift, which continued to pour out negative energy and hellhounds.

――――――
Now, a book recommendation:
[bookid=2691918, bookname="Peerless Martial Pride"]