In a small, lush forest southeast of E-Rantel, a team of twelve moved forward with steady steps, accompanied by a sturdy wooden carriage. Judging by their direction of travel, their destination was clearly the bustling city gates.
"Quaiesse," a young man's voice broke the silence of the forest. He was the Captain of the Black Scripture, who, despite his youthful appearance, exuded an undeniable aura of authority. "Once we reach the city gates, you and two others will be responsible for contacting the target. There's no need to rush into an in-depth exchange of information; just conduct an initial probe to gauge their reaction."
The young man wore an exquisitely crafted suit of armor, every detail radiating a quality and power far exceeding the ordinary magic equipment available on the market. The gleam of its metal seemed to hold a hidden energy that made anyone who looked at it feel a sense of awe. Strands of jet-black hair framed his handsome face with sharp lines, reaching down to his waist. The darkness of his hair was a stark contrast to the intensity of his ruby-red eyes, which emanated a deep mystery and hidden power. A timeless beauty radiated from his cold composure. At his feet lay an old, seemingly worn spear, a sight so disproportionate to his magnificent armor that it created a striking contrast.
Sitting opposite the Captain of the Black Scripture was Quaiesse Hazeia Quintia, known by the moniker "One Man Army." This short-haired blond man possessed a sharp and calculating gaze. His attire was as luxurious and complete as the captain's, a level of quality unattainable by ordinary professionals. Perhaps only the highest-ranked adamantite adventurers could match the opulence of their equipment.
Both were core members of the Black Scripture, the most 자랑스러운 heroic unit of the Slane Theocracy. The captain held command of the entire unit, while Quaiesse Hazeia Quintia served as the team's strategic thinker. When the team had to be divided into smaller groups, the two of them would take over the leadership of their respective groups. Each member of the Black Scripture had a unique seat code, reflecting their hierarchy and roles. The captain's code name was [Captain of the Black Scripture], implicitly indicating that he alone represented the essence of the entire team. It also indirectly suggested that his strength far surpassed that of the other members. Quaiesse Hazeia Quintia's code name was [One-Man Army]. As an accomplished beast tamer, he was capable of summoning multiple powerful monsters to fight simultaneously. Although alone, his strength was enough to rival a trained army.
After listening to the captain's instructions, the usually amiable Quaiesse Hazeia Quintia, "One Man Army," offered a thin smile and nodded confidently. "Don't worry, Captain. Chief Priest-sama has already given specific instructions regarding this matter. We will be careful."
"Very well, I hope you can complete your mission successfully, Quaiesse. We will wait for you in the forest outside the west gate of E-Rantel," the captain replied in a flat yet hopeful tone.
The Black Scripture was the Theocracy's secret force. Their normal operations required a certain level of secrecy and camouflage, so most of the time they operated in the wilderness and rarely entered cities except for important missions. Originally, their plan was to head to the depths of the Great Forest of Tob in the north of E-Rantel and use the incredibly powerful true artifact, Downfall of Castle and Country, inherited from the six gods, to subdue the terrifying ancient monster, the Catastrophe Dragon Lord, who was rumored to have awakened from his long slumber. However, not long after they left the Holy Spirit Temple, the highest leader of the Theocracy sent them an urgent message, requesting them to negotiate with the mysterious man who had captured the Sunlight Scripture when they passed through E-Rantel. Their primary goal now was to see if they could rescue the unfortunate members of the Sunlight Scripture. That was why Quaiesse Hazeia Quintia, "One Man Army," was needed now to lead three other team members, [Strongest Human], [Infinite Magic], and [Heaven and Earth], to E-Rantel to make initial contact.
The wooden carriage continued to move forward with the constant creaking of its wheels, and just as it passed through an open clearing under the shade of the towering forest trees, [Strongest Human] and [Heaven and Earth], who were in charge of controlling the carriage, suddenly shouted in unison with panicked tones!
"Be careful!"
"There's an enemy!"
All the members of the Black Scripture were experienced and well-trained professionals. They leaped out of the carriage immediately after hearing the chilling warning cries, with swift and coordinated movements that reflected their extensive combat experience.
[Strongest Human] was a tall and burly man with long white hair covering most of his body, resembling a ferocious barbarian. His signature weapon was a giant black axe that looked heavy and deadly. In terms of pure physical strength within the team, he was second only to the mysterious captain. After sounding the alarm, he immediately grabbed his axe at his side and warily faced the enemy who had suddenly fallen from the sky.
Clang! A terrifying sound of metal colliding echoed through the forest as [Strongest Human]'s giant axe clashed violently with a bizarre wavy sword. The devastating impact severed the saddle straps on the horses pulling the carriage, and the enemy, as powerfully built as [Strongest Human], smashed the wooden carriage into pieces with terrifying force.
Tap tap tap! After leaping from the shattered carriage and standing upright on the trembling ground, the members of the Black Scripture immediately locked their gazes on the sudden attacker.
"Undead!?" several team members exclaimed in shocked and wary tones.
"This looks like... a Death Knight!" another member chimed in with a lower voice, indicating recognition of the lurking danger.
Amid the brief but tense discussion, the oldest and most experienced magic casters in the Black Scripture, known as [Four Great Spirits], recognized the terrifying identity of their enemy and were utterly shocked. Death Knights were a feared legendary undead race. It was said that a few years ago, a Death Knight had once attacked the military fortress of the Baharuth Empire located on the Katze Plains. The Empire had been forced to dispatch their renowned court magic caster, Fluder Paradyne, along with a large number of magic casters and elite troops to annihilate the terrifying creature. Fluder Paradyne was a top-tier magic caster whose power was recognized throughout the neighboring countries. Even he had to struggle fiercely and exert all his abilities to defeat that Death Knight, so one could imagine how formidable the power of such an undead creature was. Now, two Death Knights were attacking them simultaneously...
"Be careful! Another enemy is coming!" the captain shouted at this critical moment, swiftly shielding the old woman standing behind him and remaining vigilant against any potential threats from the rear. The old woman was not a core member of the Black Scripture Team, but a significant figure in the Theocracy's hierarchy, a woman named Kaire, who was responsible for the key to this secret operation – the incredibly powerful true artifact, Downfall of Castle and Country. The person with the strongest defensive capabilities on the team, a burly man named Cedran known as "Myriad Barriers," also quickly moved to protect Kaire on the other side, ensuring her safety from all directions.
Swish, swish, swish! The sound of dragging footsteps and rustling leaves echoed as a large number of undead rushed out from behind the hidden trees around them. In addition to some low-level undead like slow-moving skeletons and zombies, there was even... a terrifying Skeletal Dragon with fragile yet deadly bones!
"Come forth, my pets!" Quaiesse Hazeia Quintia, "One Man Army," roared, activating his Beast Master summoning magic. Instantly, several powerful monsters appeared on the periphery of their team: a giant lizard whose skin looked as hard as rock, a red owl with glowing eyes, a shadow wolf king that looked bloodthirsty, and several other terrifying monsters. They easily crushed the approaching low-level undead with their sharp claws and fangs. At the same time, Quaiesse Hazeia Quintia's eyes quickly scanned the surrounding dark forest and finally stopped on three figures standing not far from the road ahead. They must be the real attackers, he thought warily.
There stood a black-robed Skeleton Mage who looked cunning, a thin man in red robes who exuded an evil aura, and... when his eyes fell on the last person, Quaiesse Hazeia Quintia's, "One Man Army's" face turned extremely grim, and he shouted in an angry and surprised tone: "Are you behind all of this, Clementine!"
The woman, wearing highly revealing light armor and holding two deadly-looking magic spikes in her hands, displayed a strange and terrifying smile on her beautiful yet cold face after hearing Quaiesse's accusation.
The captain's eyes calmly surveyed the chaotic battlefield. The two terrifying Death Knights were successfully blocked by [Strongest Human], [Divine Chant], [Infinite Magic], Beaumarchais known as "Divine Chain," and several other team members who were cooperating tenaciously. The undead army surrounding them from all directions could not break through the strong defense formed by Quaiesse Hazeia Quintia, "One Man Army," with his summoned monsters, [Four Great Spirits] with their powerful magic, and [Thousand Leagues Astrologer] with his divination and long-range attacks. Kaire was temporarily safe under the protection of [Time Turbulence], Cedran, "Myriad Barriers," with his layered magic shields, and [Heaven and Earth].
"Wait! I will attack them!" the captain commanded in a firm tone, grabbing his inherited spear with a swift movement and immediately charging towards the three seemingly wise and leading undead in the distance. All the low-level undead that stood in his way could not withstand the deadly attacks of his spear, and their shattered bones scattered on the ground behind him.
The Great Sage of the Undead immediately noticed the arrival of this dangerous attacker and raised the magic staff in his bony hand. "Tenth-tier magic: Undead Domination!" he intoned with a cold voice that echoed through the forest. Instantly, a magic circle emitting an extremely powerful negative energy suddenly appeared right beneath the feet of the rapidly charging captain. The next second, a large number of terrifying wraiths emerged from within the magic circle and tightly缠绕 the captain's body like the cold and powerful tentacles of an octopus, rendering him unable to move even slightly!
Whoa! Feeling the continuous erosion of negative energy on his body, yet unable to easily break free from the grip of the wraiths, the captain's calm face suddenly turned pale, and he thought frantically that something was terribly wrong.
"Fireball!"
"Holy Protection!"
"Storm Slash!"
Suddenly, several figures leaped out from behind the forest trees and attacked the undead gripping the captain, while a warm holy light shone brightly on his body. Although the holy light could not completely free his body from the entanglement of the wraiths, it did manage to alleviate most of the painful erosion of negative energy. The captain turned his head back curiously and with a glimmer of hope. The group that had come to their aid seemed to be an unknown adventurer team. Among them, a warrior wearing complete black armor looked the most valiant. With a swing of his two large, gleaming swords, he easily cut the approaching undead in half with swift and deadly movements.
...
"Damn it, why did you guys come out at this time?" Kael muttered softly atop a large, leafy tree, watching the duo Momon and Nabe and several residents of Carne Village suddenly rush out of the forest to rescue the Black Scripture members who were in trouble.
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