Lorencos looked at his old friend's angelic form, unable to hold back a sigh of emotion.
Once, this had been the sight that brought him the greatest peace of mind. Whenever Rachel Angelo assumed this form, he would utterly crush the enemy, leaving nothing more to worry about.
Yet now, he was the one facing this immense power.
This celestial armament was more formidable than many pieces of high-grade magical armor; its six wings of light represented six distinct blessings:
Fly, Protection from Evil and Good, Haste, Healing Aura, Holy Light Empowerment, and the most potent of all—Resurrection.
Even if he suffered a mortal wound, Rachel Angelo would be granted a chance to revive.
This power did not stem solely from Rachel Angelo's own Holy Light energy, but also from the artifact necklace he wore, bestowed upon him by the Ryan Emperor from three reigns ago to reward his meritorious service.
Lorencos did not complain about any unfairness. Being granted the chance to duel Rachel Angelo one-on-one was already the greatest mercy.
Lorencos knew he was doomed to die, yet he felt no fear. He should have died many years ago.
Lorencos turned his head and said to Frodo, "Child, every mistake in your life is my fault. When you were young, I lacked the courage to teach you the right path. As you grew, I failed to tell you right from wrong before it was too late. And now, I have dragged you down to fall into hell with me. Frodo, I am sorry."
Agitated, Frodo said, "Father, why not surrender? As long as we stay alive, we still have a chance!"
Lorencos shook his head. "This is my chance. Frodo, throughout my life, I faced many trials like this. When Rachel severed that child's head, I could have saved the child's family. In the wars that followed, I could have stopped those senseless massacres.
"Yet I used the same excuse every time: to survive. I acted only to stay alive. So I hid within the shadows of these sins, believing I could conceal myself, but in truth, I had long since been tainted by darkness. Frodo, you too will face such trials. Perhaps one day you will understand that some things are more important than staying alive."
Lorencos turned around and raised his twisted longsword high.
Holy Light surged from Lorencos's body, likewise condensing into silvery-white armor covering him.
Lorencos's armor was not as magnificent as Rachel Angelo's; it appeared flimsy and crude, lacking dazzling wings of light. Yet Lorencos was the first to strike at Rachel Angelo.
Divine Smite—the most common and most powerful combat skill of a paladin.
*With this Holy Light, purge all evil!*
Lorencos's Holy Light formed a blade, slashing toward Rachel Angelo in the sky, only to be instantly shattered by an even more powerful Divine Smite.
Evading Rachel Angelo's counterattack, Lorencos flew into the air to engage him in close combat.
The Holy Light shone with blinding brilliance, completely enveloping both figures. Onlookers could not see the battle, hearing only the repeated clashing of longswords. The surrounding crowd was forced to fall back step by step, as leaked energy pocked and cratered the surrounding ground.
When two legendary paladins fought with all their might, ordinary people had neither the right to intervene nor the right even to stand close by and watch.
The battle lasted several minutes before a figure plummeted from on high.
Lorencos crashed to the ground soaked in blood. A bone-deep wound spanned his chest, one that even Holy Light could not mend.
The onlookers looked up into the sky. Rachel Angelo still hovered above, but one of his wings of light was gone.
Looking down at his broken, battered old friend, Rachel Angelo said in a heavy voice, "Lorencos, you lost."
The aged paladin lay on the ground, letting blood spill from his chest and mouth. Yet the corners of Lorencos's lips curved upward slightly. With his dying breath, he uttered, "I... am a sinner... not worth pitying in death... My old friend... when will you... ever awaken?"
"Fool! You are the one who is wrong!"
Enraged, Rachel Angelo raised his longsword. A radiant flash of Holy Light fell, intending to sever Lorencos's head.
Yet at the very instant that Holy Light descended, a figure suddenly blinked into view, smashing the Divine Smite to pieces.
Alan had arrived. But when he saw the corpses strewn across the ground and Lorencos on the verge of death, he knew he was too late.
Eyes rimmed with red, Alan said in a hoarse voice to Lorencos, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone off on my own!"
"No... this is... fate..."
Lorencos's pupils were already losing focus. Having spoken those words, his breath ceased entirely.
Alan felt as if a sharp sword had pierced through his heart, leaving him unable to breathe.
"Alan Watson! It's you, traitor! You bewitched Lorencos!" Recognizing the young man, Rachel Angelo immediately pinned all the blame upon his head.
Another Divine Smite slashed out, aimed directly at Alan this time.
Yet the strike Rachel Angelo believed to be a sure hit cleaved into empty air.
Scooping up Lorencos's mangled body, Alan teleported to another spot in an instant.
More than that, after setting Lorencos down, he blinked once again, appearing directly behind Rachel Angelo.
These two teleports were so fast that no one could possibly react. Rachel Angelo's Divine Smite had barely struck the earth when Alan's longsword stabbed into the back of his heart.
The energies of Holy Light collided, erupting into a blinding flare.
The spectators could not help but shut their eyes. When they could see clearly once more, they discovered that Rachel Angelo was actually being suppressed by Alan.
The Holy Light power this youth commanded was not stronger than Rachel Angelo's—at the very least, he could not summon a celestial armament—but his swordsmanship was utterly terrifying.
Infinite blinks combined with Alan's dazzling swordsmanship: in their brief clash, Rachel Angelo did not even know how many blows he had sustained. What shocked him even more was that Alan's sword could pierce his celestial armament.
This was a celestial armament, more protective than heavy plate armor—how could the boy pierce holes through it with every thrust?
Had it not been for the Healing Aura rapidly restoring Rachel Angelo's injuries, he likely would have been riddled with holes already.
Alan had watched Lorencos die before his eyes, but he had not let anger cloud his judgment. He made full use of his agility, preventing Rachel Angelo from so much as brushing the edge of his clothes.
Until this fight, he hadn't realized: before, Alan had been crushed by Gareth the Headless Horseman so thoroughly that he couldn't even fight back. Whether in pure martial prowess or raw strength, Alan fell far short of Gareth.
After being battered hundreds of times by that Headless Horseman, Alan had even begun to question his very existence.
Yet now fighting Rachel Angelo, this Iron-Blood General had become the one unable to retaliate.
Whether slashes or thrusts, Rachel Angelo could neither parry nor block them, left with no choice but to let Alan's longsword pierce his celestial armament.
A magebane longsword might not be of much use against genuine heavy plate armor, but against armor composed purely of energy, it was a complete counter. With just a little more time, Alan believed he could finish off this Iron-Blood General.
Yet that thought was quickly cast aside. Seeing Rachel Angelo suppressed by Alan, the paladins who had previously been watching the spectacle joined forces at once, linking their Holy Light into a powerful shockwave.
Alan was forced to teleport away, but those joining the fray were not just paladins; many clerics of light moved as well.
Hold Person, Fireball, Sunbeam... Every one of these spells locked onto Alan, forcing him to blink repeatedly to evade. The barrage of spell attacks would not cease if he paused for even a fraction of an instant.
No one could fight against a disciplined army—not even a legend.
If Alan were even a hair too slow, he would be engulfed by these spells.
Anxiety gnawed at Alan's heart. It was not that he couldn't escape himself, but he wanted to retrieve Lorencos's body and take his son Frodo with him.
Frodo seemed stunned senseless by his father's death, standing frozen in place with his eyes glued to his father's corpse, paying no heed to the fierce battle raging beside him.
No matter what, Alan wanted to salvage something from this tragedy, even if it meant saving just one person.
Yet his strength was still far too weak.
Just when Alan thought he could only watch helplessly as Frodo died here, a surge of black mist rolled out, engulfing everyone on the battlefield.
That dense stench of decay—it was dark magic belonging to the undead!
"It's Master Ultraman!"
Without hesitation, Alan blinked immediately. Guided by memory, his longsword drove into the ground beside Frodo; in the next second, Alan had grabbed Frodo and teleported outside the black mist.
As Alan escaped the black mist, he heard Anbaixiu's voice ring down from above: "Iron-Blood General Rachel Angelo, I took a blast of your Holy Light last time. It's time to return the favor!"
High in the sky, four meteors trailing fire streaked across the heavens, hurtling at high speed toward the black mist.
Chapter 335