Chapter 433 - 341: Tunnel Warfare?
Chapter 433: Chapter 341: Tunnel Warfare?
The vast Darren Lake is located in the center of the Nightmare Forest, its waters emerald green and clear. Meltwater from the snowy mountains to the north flows down the foothills, passing through the entire northern part of the forest before emptying into Darren Lake, becoming one of its main sources.
Many of the forest’s streams and rivers also flow into Darren Lake and then back out. The southward-flowing Darren River is the largest of these.
The lake’s waters teemed with all sorts of fish. Just then, a carnivorous fish shot forward, chasing its prey. Just as it was about to close in, with a dull THUMP, an Ice Cone pierced through it. The Ice Cone was then pulled back, taking the still-writhing carnivorous fish with it.
"Keep it down. Did you forget what the Prince said?" a voice said.
"I couldn’t help it," the one who had caught the fish whispered. Then, all of its kin nearby opened their eyes. Deep in the lake, thousands of pairs of glowing green eyes stared up in unison at the surface, where the hull of a cargo ship floated.
"My lord, will you really be back soon? You know, humans can’t survive in the Nightmare Forest for more than three days, and we still have to navigate out of the Darren River..." the captain stammered meekly, not daring to look up at the Holy Order Army Vice Commander before him.
"Don’t worry, the battle will be over soon," Lingard said, standing by the ship’s rail. He watched as a small team of Holy Order Warriors rowed a small boat toward the shore. "You will wait here. After the battle is over, we will come back for you."
"Of course, of course." The captain pushed away the hand of a sailor behind him, bowing and scraping with a fawning smile.
Lingard glimpsed the sailors’ actions and snorted coldly, paying the mortals no mind. They were terrified of the Nightmare Forest and everything in it, but for the Holy Order Army, the only thing in the forest that held any interest was the Evil God.
"What if those goblins climb onto the ship?" a sailor behind the captain couldn’t help but mutter. The person next to him immediately clapped a hand over his mouth.
Lingard watched another team of Holy Order Warriors get into a small boat, preparing to row ashore. "Rest assured," he said. "Those goblins can’t swim. You’ll be safe on the ship."
He made no effort to hide the disdain in his voice, though whether it was for the goblins or the sailors was unclear. Before they left port, he had made a show of blessing these very sailors, but now... ’It seems mortals truly can’t be relied upon,’ he thought.
"Commander, it’s our turn," a Holy Order Warrior stepped forward and reported.
Lingard waved his hand. "Get in the boat. Let our campaign begin."
Finally, as the sailors watched with panicked eyes from the ship’s rail, the last small boat wobbled its way toward the shore.
"I hate this place," Lingard said, glancing down at his feet. His leg armor was caked in mud; he’d stepped right into the muck when jumping out of the boat. "Filthy, primitive, and reeking of evil."
He swept his gaze over the surrounding Holy Order Warriors. Seeing that everyone was ready and the small boats had been tied securely to trees on the bank, he asked, "Paladins, I trust you all know why we are here."
"An Evil God in the Nightmare Forest is running rampant. It has already killed many humans, and now, we must vanquish it—kill it!" Lingard stood before the Paladins, his voice ringing with encouragement. "It is merely a High Tier Magical Beast, yet foolish Adventurers have dared to grant it the name of a god. This is blasphemy against the Four Gods and the greatest insult to the God of Battle and Glory! As the Holy Order Army of the War God, do you remember your Blood Oath?"
"We remember!" all the Paladins thundered in reply.
"For glory, to protect the weak, and to vanquish evil!" Lingard roared. "We will kill the Evil God, burn its body to ash, and bury it for all time! We will uphold the name of the War God! We will be known to the world! The War God above all!"
"The War God above all!" all the Paladins echoed, forcefully striking the Six-winged Sword Pattern on their chest armor.
"Good." Lingard nodded. He raised his hand and cast several Divine Spells on himself: Defense Against Evil, Devout Shield, Shelter Technique, Sacred Weapon, and Anti-Magic Shield. As the spells took hold, his body began to shimmer with a faint aura.
Following his lead, the other Paladins drew their weapons and began casting various Defense Spells on themselves. Soon, the entire Holy Order Army contingent shimmered with faint, multicolored auras.
"Excellent. Forward! Leave none alive," Lingard commanded with a grand sweep of his arm, and the Holy Order Army began to march into the forest.
...
"They’re already heading this way?" Shire frowned, looking at the slightly winded Broken Tooth before him.
Broken Tooth answered with several heavy nods.
’They really don’t waste any time, heading straight for their objective.’ Shire pursed his lips. He had sent Broken Tooth to watch from the water’s edge, observing from the shadows after the large cargo ship entered Darren Lake. When he learned that they had immediately cast several Defense Spells upon themselves after disembarking, he knew there would be no room for compromise in the coming battle.
’Their objective is clear: they’re here to kill the Evil God. If they can’t find it, they’ll likely expand their search. Then they’ll definitely discover the piles of bone fragments and the dilapidated Snake Shedding in the cavern beneath the stone tower. Finding those things will be enough to make the Holy Order Army suspicious, and they might even return to search this area repeatedly.’