The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 673 - 697 Survivor

Chapter 673: Chapter 697 Survivor

Dozens of thick maggots clung to the dwarf’s arms and face, gnawing at his skin like living slugs. Regardless of how much damage they were actually inflicting, the sight of one’s body swarming with giant worms was enough to drive anyone out of their minds.

Green sword Qi extended from Lancelot’s fingertips, but Bruto’s wildly flailing arms made it difficult to avoid hurting the dwarf. Suddenly, an idea struck Lancelot, and he called out to Alamir nearby:

“Quick! Hit this fellow with a Holy Fire Technique!”

The elf priest was taken aback but quickly recovered. With a brief syllable and a simple gesture, he summoned a flame-like radiance that poured over the dwarf’s head like a basin of hot water. The maggots immediately fell off, like overly ripe bitter gourds tumbling down on their own.

Though it seemed to deal damage through high temperature, attacks with the Radiant Attribute actually worked by searing the flesh to overload the mind, which meant that even though most lower-plane creatures could somewhat resist flame damage, they had no defense against Radiant attacks.

The dwarf was injured, but not fatally. And by the joy on his face, it was clear he’d gladly take three more strikes just to be rid of those damned maggots.

“By Moradin above, I have been purified!” Bruto’s expression was almost tearful, “Rebirth feels so good…”

“I’m the one who purified you, not the Soulsmith,” Alamir retorted somewhat irritably, “If you must thank a deity, you should be thanking the Lady of Fire.”

“Alright then, thanks to that kind lady…” the dwarf’s eyes brimming with tears as he looked at the elf, “It still hurts though, I really thought I was done for…”

“The pain you’re feeling has little to do with the maggots,” Alamir rolled his eyes, “They couldn’t even bite through your skin, not a single wound on you. I should have realized it earlier, your skin is so thick…”

As he spoke, two dark figures fell from above the alley, crashing heavily onto the ground. Upon closer inspection, the group saw that they were the bodies of two lesser demons, their heads smashed by some kind of hard, rod-shaped object. (Lesser demons, similar to Quasimodo Demons, are about 2 feet tall with humanoid bodies, bat-like wings, and tails with poisonous barbs, possessing the ability to become invisible)

“Just two little flies,” came the voice of the succubus girl from above, “Carry on.”

“That monkey’s pretty reliable, huh.” Bruto shrugged, then stomped hard on the carcasses of the worms lying around, “Damn demons, how can they have these things inside them!”

Quietly, Tanya extended her pike, poking at the massive corpse. Immediately, more maggots surged out from the demon’s body, a sight resembling the poking of a cockroach nest, which made the dwarf leap back in fright, his facial expression almost twisted.

“The best way to banish fear is to face it,” the half-elf handed the pike’s handle to Bruto, “Try it yourself.”

The dwarf glared at the half-elf in front of him for a moment, then snatched the pike and jabbed it repeatedly into the corpse. More worms were unearthed by his thrusts, but they died almost instantly upon leaving the demon’s body. Suddenly, the corpse collapsed as if its internal support structure had vanished, and the armor was scattered by the unwavering dwarf, revealing what was inside.

“That actually…” Bruto squinted his eyes involuntarily, “is a real nail?”

Lancelot sighed internally. He had noticed earlier that the armor wasn’t ‘worn’ on the Demon, but nailed on with thick nails as long as one’s forearm. The maggots lived within such a decaying body as if in some sort of symbiotic relationship.

“Saw these kinds of Demons on the battlefield yesterday too, but had no chance to fight them,” Lancelot turned his head, “that lady over there, do you know what these Demons are called?”

Everyone followed the Human Knight’s gaze and saw the Succubus who had run away earlier standing not far off, watching them warily.

“Of course, I know, those are Blood Armor Demons, specialized killers of Tanari known as Bartez assassins. Besides killing, it seems they’re interested in doing other things as well,” the Succubus spat to the side, “but as for who you are, I have no idea. You’re definitely not the original inhabitants of this fortress.”

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

“Indeed, we are not,” Lancelot nodded, “and we’re also not your enemies.”

“Hm… perhaps I should say thank you?” the Succubus’s expression softened a bit, “You’re special agents sent by the allied forces, am I right?”

“Since you guessed it, we can only silence you now, since the actions of special agents must not be exposed…” Lancelot’s words made the Succubus’s face change with fear, “unless you can cooperate with our mission. After all, our goal is to rescue this fortress from the clutches of Bartez. You wouldn’t oppose that, would you?”

“In a different situation, I might take this as sophisticated flirtation,” the Succubus placed a hand on her chest, showing a frightened expression, while subtly lowering her collar a bit more, “please speak freely, I will certainly satisfy any request you have…”

“Don’t be like that, just a few simple questions,” Lancelot said with a look of resignation, “why don’t we start with your name?”

“Gayka,” the Succubus ignored his hint, seemingly nonchalantly twisting her body, exposing more skin.

“What a pity,” the Dwarf shrugged his shoulders at the side, “not Anastasia.”

“Anastasia is dead,” the Succubus replied with a somber expression.

“Oh? How did she die?”

“We all worked at a tavern called Barto’s Ruins… Looking back, the name is indeed ironic, but it truly was the best tavern in town, even though it’s now burnt down, because there simply isn’t a second one,” Gayka said, approaching them while Lancelot was certain she used some kind of Technique to make her clothes shrink (he was not unfamiliar with such Techniques), “Yesterday afternoon, those Bartez suddenly stormed in. I was just ‘working’ in the basement at that time… Anastasia was above me, and it sounded like she was nailed to the floor with a Long Spear. Her death was long, painful, and filled with humiliation—I won’t go into the details… After the Demons finished, they even set a fire. Luckily, being made of stone, the building itself didn’t burn, so I, hiding in the basement, managed to escape. So it’s a pity, if you were one of her usual customers, you won’t be able to purchase her services anymore…”