The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 732 - 753: Year of Turmoil - Part 2

(To update later; work is expected to continue for half an hour)

"That’s really quite a gamble," Kalalin said with a light laugh, shaking his head at Lancelot, "but Bruto’s beard is safe, for that sword is not just a powerful magic weapon; it is also the transformed God of Thieves, Mask, although Shrek himself doesn’t know this."

"Transformed by a god?" Lancelot looked at the Starlight Strike with a curious expression, "Why would a god do such a thing?"

"I really am just a sword," Starlight Strike, sensing Lancelot’s gaze, immediately protested loudly, "otherwise, why would I have been buried underground for so many years..."

"The death of the Goddess of Magic shocked all the gods, making them realize how vulnerable they and their kind were during this period," continued Kalalin. "Naturally, some gods wanted to quickly find the Tablets of Fate to end it all, while others thought about how to benefit from the crisis, and Mask was clearly among the latter."

"And He saw something appealing in Shrek?"

"Indeed. According to the true teachings of Shrek, this future Prince of Lies was initially just a minor thief in the streets of Santiel Fortress, once captured by a powerful Frost Giant Tribe while trying to steal a certain treasure, and was saved by a group of mercenaries who were also seeking that treasure. Cranvo was also among those mercenaries, and the battle with the Frost Giants killed all of Cranvo’s companions. The two later went to Arabel city, where they met Anton, and on their journey, they encountered the Mage Midnight. It is said that after witnessing Heim punch Misla to pieces, Shrek’s heart was filled with envy and craving for such power, and upon learning about the mission concerning the Tablets of Fate, he was very eager to help, precisely to seize the moment to claim the Tablets of Fate for himself, and the God of Thieves, Mask, clearly saw the ambition in him."

"Human ambition," sighed Starlight Strike again, "either creates miracles or disasters..."

"With such a weapon, many impossible things become possible," Lancelot said, looking back at the Sword of Zariel, "Without your assistance, I wouldn’t have been able to kill a Barlow Flame Demon..."

"No, Sir, what really matters is the courage to swing the sword at the Barlow Flame Demon," humbly responded the Sword of Zariel, "If the wielder is a coward, no matter how powerful the weapon, it won’t be able to exert any influence."

"Okay, you two have complimented each other enough," Kalalin chuckled as he interrupted them. "At Tanteris Port, Shrek absorbed a part of Bane’s power, and later on the way to Deepwater City, Baal launched an attack on this group of adventurers under Milko’s orders, and Shrek killed the god of murder, Baal, with a stab in the back, absorbing most of Baal’s power once again. If not for the weapon transformed by Mask, none of this would have been possible, and Shrek himself was completely unaware of it. He proudly named it the Deicide Sword, to boast of his achievements, but Mask had long been plotting how to betray him..."

"That’s why evil never truly succeeds," Starlight Strike commented. "They are always scheming against each other, even when they temporarily cooperate, they still plan each other’s betrayals in secret..."

"What about Zariel?" Lancelot asked thoughtfully. "It seems she accepted Asmodeus’s dark blessing out of an overly intense desire—to completely eradicate demons from the multiverse. Under her command, devils launched an unprecedented attack on the Bottomless Abyss, a feat that no Archduke Aphnas had ever achieved before..."

"On the surface, it appears so, but all the glory and achievements are attributed to Zariel, while the cost is borne by the other seven great demons, except for the Lord of Darkness," Kalalin waved his hand dismissively. "Aphnas has long lost any production capability, it was the other great demons who deployed armies, provided supplies, and also had to care for those who suffered from PTSD due to the blood wars. Even to outsiders like us, the political situation in the Nine Hells is quite delicate, though the Great Demons still squabbled as usual; it all seemed like an act, but whom it’s intended to impress is hard to say..."

"Zariel was once my partner, and my best friend," the Sword of Zariel said in a somber voice. "If there’s even a sliver of hope, I want to secure her redemption..."

"I can promise you that," Lancelot said softly but firmly. "If there is indeed such an opportunity, I will definitely help you."

"Thank you, Sir, I believe in your promise," the Sword of Zariel flickered. "Please continue, Mr. Kalalin, what happened next?"

"Even though Baal failed, Milko continued to dispatch undead to hunt down the group, and Shrek took the opportunity to betray his own partners, attempting to steal the Tablet of Fate—but he failed, and the Tablet of Fate fell into Milko’s hands. However, Midnight entered the Domain of the Vague and stole another piece of the Tablet of Fate from Milko’s hiding place beneath the Lord of the Dead’s throne. The final battle unfolded at the Black Rod Tower in Deepwater City, fought by Cranvo, Midnight, and Ilminster, another elect of the Goddess of Magic, confronting the Lord of the Dead himself at the top of the tower. Milko managed to silence the sounds around Ilminster, depriving the old Mage of his ability to cast spells, and transformed Cranvo’s own sword into a giant serpent that tightly coiled around the warrior. Midnight fired a series of spell darts at the Lord of the Dead, but all were resisted by him..."

"He is a saint, after all," Starlight Strike commented. "Such low-level tricks are useless against Him."

"Exactly. Milko laughed heartily at Midnight’s futile attempts. He threatened Midnight with Cranvo’s life, demanding she hand over the other piece of the Tablet of Fate, or he would kill her lover. Knowing the Lord of the Dead would never honor the deal, Midnight pretended to submit, but used the opportunity to unleash an extremely powerful Ninth Circle spell: Time Stop, which turned the tide of the battle. As Milko attempted to counter the spell, Ilminster charged at him, but did not launch an attack, briefly confusing the Lord of the Dead. However, the old mage’s real intention was to render him unable to hear—just then, a Griffon rider circling the sky spotted the battle and dove at Milko. Milko was completely unprepared for this attack; he was seized by the Griffon and carried into the sky, and the bag containing the other piece of the Tablet of Fate was snatched back by Cranvo. The brave Griffon rider was almost immediately killed by Milko, but right after, another Disintegration Spell from Midnight hit, and simultaneously, Ilminster summoned a portal that sent the struck Milko miles away above the Sea of Swords..."