It was the persistent belief of millions of life forms in Henvic that allowed the Holy Light to become an incomparably powerful force. At the very least, such power had become ingrained within Henvic’s planar laws, becoming an important pillar that supported the continued development of the planar consciousness.
With the backing of the planar consciousness itself, the Holy Light could reciprocate its faith, pushing its most devout believers to the peak of power within the plane.
As long as Henvic Plane continued down its current path, Fourth Grade Holy Knights would continue to be rise over thousands and thousands of years. One of them would eventually break through the limits of the plane, advancing to Fifth Grade and making history there.
At the moment that knight advanced to Fifth Grade, he would naturally become the first powerful god of Henvic, with the Holy Light as his source of strength. When that happened, Henvic would finally have the foundation it needed to establish itself in the multiverse and start expanding outwards into other worlds!
Unfortunately, the Deceit Witches had discovered Henvic Plane before it could give birth to a guardian deity of its own. The Witches broke in and established a tower at Dabyrie Highlands.
From that moment onwards, Henvic had been placed on a countdown timer toward its inevitable enslavement!
If Holy Knight Ad Carrhae had not placed his life on the line to destroy the interplanar teleportation array within the witch’s tower, the Deceit Witches would have been able to swallow the plane whole within a maximum of four or five decades. Henvic would then have become a lesser plane ruled over by the Deceit Witches.
Now, with the change in circumstances, the holy knights seemed to have regained an advantage. They now had the chance to defeat all the Deceit Witches in a single assault and expel the evil forces out of Henvic Plane.
That was why the local Holy Light Chapel had immediately mobilized all members for an extermination when they spotted signs of witch activity in the west. They had successfully trapped the witch inside the Forest of Darkness.
However, the witch’s magical ability was far too strong. She could transform herself into any form, thereby obtaining the trust of an unsuspecting individual and turning them into her guardian.
A Second Grade Silver Knight was caught unaware in this manner and tempted to betray the Holy Light. In doing so, he became a Dark Knight. The witch successfully escaped into the Forest of Darkness under the protection of this Dark Knight, and there she hid from the pursuit of the holy knights.
As time passed, two Third Grade Gold Knights and twenty-one Silver Knights had gathered in the army of holy knights surrounding the Forest of Darkness. Yet, the target of their pursuit was only an ordinary Second Grade witch.
…………
Devon carefully searched as he walked through the dark and damp forest.
He had taken off his heavy metal armor to make it easier to move and fight in this environment. He was only wearing silver chainmail on his body, with a thick cloak wrapped around him. The longsword he was used to using had also been swapped for a rapier. He also carried a round and polished steel shield. That was all his equipment.
The Forest of Darkness lived up to its name. A massive canopy covered the skies and obscured most of the light cast down from above, causing the woods to be a dark and lightless place. The forest was just as dark in the day, and the sun could hardly be seen.
All sorts of terrifying magical plants lived in such a dark place.
They were mixed in with the other ordinary green plants. Anyone who wasn’t a scholar or an experienced hunter would have difficulty recognizing them. Ordinary people would be dragged into living bramble bushes by berserk vines if they got close to these plants without any preparations. They would then be stabbed by sharp branches and stakes before their blood was absorbed and their flesh eaten.
To avoid alerting the enemy, the Second Grade Silver Knight Decon did not enhance himself with any holy light protections. He simply relied on his sensitive reactions and fast slashes to deal with any magical plants that tried to strike at him.
The Holy Light of the knights excelled at enhancement, healing, and purification, but not searching and tracking. Decon had to rely more on his swordsmanship more than his eye-catching holy light magic in this Forest of Darkness.
The forest was very silent.
Magical creatures and beasts that lived in this forest had learned to stay silent when they were not yet the most powerful beings that lived here. They would hunt, feast, mate, and rest in silence, remaining as quiet as they could up until the last moments of their death.
Noise would attract enemies, as would the brilliant holy light.
The last few holy knight squads that had entered the forest to search for the witch had many men and were even led by high-grade knights. However, they had all suffered heavy casualties due to their brazen manner of action. The beasts and magical creatures that hid in the Forest of Darkness seemed to hold tremendous contempt for outsiders. They were easily drawn to noise and light, where they would strike at the holy knights from the shadows.
In the end, the holy knights were just a group of human warriors that had been enhanced by the Holy Light.
With their enhanced Strength and Physique, they could easily crush magical creatures of the same grade while fighting on level ground. However, here in the Forest of Darkness, where it was hard to see clearly, the combat prowess of the holy knights was significantly weakened.
The long marches, rivers, and streams made it impossible for them to wear bulky metal armor. As such, they had no way of protecting themselves from sudden acid attacks that came from magical vines and plants. The bushes and brambles that grew everywhere made it difficult for them to swing the longswords they were so used to wielding. Yet, the rapiers and shortswords they had swapped for their weapons had trouble slicing through the necks of powerful magical creatures.
The few knight squads that made it deep into the Forest of Darkness all returned in failure. Many Iron Knights had died in the process.
The two Gold Knights had no choice but to scatter the Silver Knights into the forest and have them carefully search for the location of the evil witch and the traitor knight. They were to send a message back to the camp as soon as they discovered their tracks. The two Gold Knights would then be able to rush straight for the enemy and end this hunt with the smallest number of casualties possible.
Nightfall.
As the sunlight faded, the Forest of Darkness became even more mysterious and scary.
Devon silently wandered in the depths of the forest, his feet stepping upon the moist and sticky dirt.
He took immense care in where he stepped for every movement he made. It was either exposed dirt or rotting piles of leaves, but never where the thorns and branches were the densest.
It was possible that such places were traps that had been disguised by the magical plans. Furthermore, stepping on dry branches could easily create unnecessary sound and draw the attention of the creatures in the darkness.
Apart from his feet, Devon also had to keep a constant eye out for the green vines hanging down from the trees above. Many of them were bloodsucking vines in disguise. All sorts of poisonous snakes and insects also liked to crouch against the vines where they could silently fall onto an unsuspecting victim when they walked past.
Devon advanced carefully, quickly waving the rapier in his hand.
The bloodsucking vines in his way were all cut to pieces by his rapid slashes, and purple-black liquid scattered everywhere. Snakes and serpents with severed heads fell to the ground, their bodies twitching violently and making a mess out of the leaves.
However, Devon suddenly stopped moving. He lifted his nose and sniffed the air.
The faint scent of a woman was mixed into the damp, heavy, and rotting air, along with the strange sound of flowing water.
Devon narrowed his eyes, held his breath, and followed after the smell.
Chapter 966 - Devon’s Death
At this moment, it was occupied by a youthful and pretty figure.
The sound of splashing water had come from here.
A pretty, naked woman stood in the pool where the water reached up to her waist, gently cupping the water and splashing it against her body. This small pool that was no more than twenty square meters in size was not deep at all. It appeared an emerald green color and completely covered the woman’s body from the waist down, only revealing her perfect upper body.
She had a soft and slender waist that one could fully wrap around with a single hand, a shockingly curvaceous bosom, and a smooth, ivory-like back and neck. They were all so stimulating to the eye that it would stun any onlookers.
The woman hadn’t seemed to have noticed Devon approaching at all. She continued to splash water over her body and gently rub her chest.
Devon squatted down as lightly as he could, concealing himself within the thick bushes while he narrowed his eyes and looked at the surroundings of the pool. Devon saw a pile of clothes and accessories scattered upon a large rock to the east of the pool. He also saw a belt carrying several vials of various colors and a pouch that was stuffed full.
Yet, no matter how he looked, he could not discover the silhouette of that traitor– that man who had betrayed the Holy Light and embraced the darkness.
A trap, or carelessness on the enemy’s part?
Devon did not know.
However, this was indeed a rare opportunity to strike.
The witch was naked and was several steps away from her equipment. If…if he could strike now, he had an incredible chance to wound her severely. He might even be able to kill her here.
Devon’s heart couldn’t help but start beating.
Should he retreat out of caution and report the position of the witch, or should he attack now?
For a moment, he started hesitating.
At this moment, a soft rustling sound came from the forest on the other side of the pool. A fawn came bounding out of the bushes and straightened its neck to look at the witch in the pool curiously. The beautiful witch also seemed to have been surprised by this unexpected guest and started chuckling seductively. She then chanted a few strange words that Devon could not understand. She waved her hands lightly as two emerald ribbons of water reached out from the edge of the pool and wrapped around the fawn before it started fleeing out of fear. The water ribbons slowly pulled the animal toward the witch.
A good chance! The enemy was casting an evil spell, and the target wasn’t him!
Devon no longer hesitated. Overwhelming holy light surged within his body and rapidly turned into bright enhancements around him as he sang his prayers.
Seal of Righteousness!
Blessing of Might!
Holy Protection!
Righteous Verdict!
Holy Blast!
To maximize his offensive power, almost all of the blessings were used to enhance Devon’s Strength and Agility while blessing his weapon with the holy attribute. Holy Protection was the only defensive spell.
Instincts from dozens of years of training allowed the Second Grade Silver Knight Devon to complete all his blessings in just two to three seconds. His power grew exponentially from the enhancement of the potent Holy Light.
His original 21 points of Strength had now increased to 24 points from the +3 Strength provided by the Second Grade Blessing of Might. It further increased to 25 points from the +1 Strength provided by the Seal of Righteousness.
Such physical Strength already made him a match for most Second Grade magical creatures!
His Agility, Physique, and Spirit also increased by different degrees from the multiple holy light blessings.
If Devon were only a beginner Second Grade before the blessings, then he was now an advanced Second Grade fighter. His power had increased by two minor grades.
The only unfortunate aspect of his circumstance was his lack of proper equipment. He was not wearing holy armor, nor was he using the single-handed longsword that he was most used to. However, the addition of the holy light and his incredible Strength turned that rapier in his hand into a lethal weapon.
Just as the pretty witch discovered the commotion, she turned her head in shock. Devon leaped forward and used Charge in midair. His entire body turned into a blade of light, enveloped by the holy light as he stormed ahead like lightning, striking at the ‘unprepared’ witch twenty meters away in the pool.
The witch’s pretty face appeared to be so terrified and distorted from the pressure of the blinding holy light. She retreated desperately, sending two pillars of water into the air against the ‘holy blade’ charging towards her as she did so.
“Die, witc…” Devon’s body slid across the surface of the pool like an arrow. His rapier glowed with a thick, almost solid, light. In the blink of an eye, it was only half a meter away from the witch’s smooth white neck.
Just then, an ebon blade reached out from the disturbed waters of the pool, quickly stabbing into Devon’s unguarded stomach.
The Holy Protection Devon had cast on himself appeared to be useless before this strange longsword. The holy knight was skewered as the sword thrust all the way to the hilt. The fearsomely sharp edge of the sword appeared behind Devon’s back, along with a fountain of blood.
Moreover, as Devon’s momentum carried him forward, the sword effortlessly sliced his body in half from the chest onwards. With his chest and abdomen sliced in half, warm organs started to spill out into the emerald pool below.
Devon’s charging form swerved after being so mortally wounded, and his body crashed into a pile of rocks at the other end of the pool. Thanks to the potent protection of the Holy Light, he still retained a trace of life force, even after receiving such a horrible injury. He turned his head with much difficulty and looked at the black sword.
The pool water split apart as a tall black figure rose from below.
Devon furiously cursed when he saw the familiar standard issue armor and the strange longsword containing dark powers, “Traitor!” Then, all life faded from his body, and he died on the spot.
Rena was already back on the shore now, still naked and vulnerable. She pressed her hand softly against her neck.
Streaks of crimson blood were slowly seeping out from there, appearing particularly scary.
“Dammit…you should have struck earlier!” Rena shouted in anger, “That bastard almost beheaded me earlier.”
Rena had truly been unprotected by any defensive spells earlier, to lure the knight into the trap better. If she hadn’t moved quickly enough and dodged the sharp edge of the rapier, it might have ended in mutual death for both of them.
The towering figure shrouded in the powers of darkness didn’t seem to have heard the witch’s words of complaint at all. He slowly walked out of the pool and brushed away the pieces of flesh and blood on his body, all while glaring coldly at the naked witch.
The anger on Rena’s face faded in an instant when she saw her retainer’s behavior, turning into a gentle and caring expression instead.
She did not turn to dress herself, either. She simply walked to the side of the tall figure and caressed his cold, hard helmet, “What is it? Are you still angry at me? Do you not feel that sensation of power throughout your body since becoming a Dark Knight? It is countless times better than when you were a believer of the Holy Knight! You should feel it now. The so-called power of the Holy Light is only a borrowed power, after all. Only such power truly belongs to you yourself.”
As a Deceit Witch, every word that Rena spoke from her mouth as she leaned against the figure would subtly cause a strange magical fluctuation. The light of hatred and suffering in the figure’s eyes finally weakened when it heard these words.
“Let’s leave!” After a short moment, the tall figure finally spoke in a cold tone, “I can sense the unrest in the Holy Light in
the distance. They know about Devon’s death now.”
“And the two Third Grades?” Clearly, Rena was only afraid of the high-grade knights and could hardly be bothered by the holy knights that were the same grade as her.
“One remains at the edge of the forest. The other is already closing in on us. He should be able to arrive here in another thirty minutes!”
“Then why aren’t we running!”
Rena immediately panicked upon hearing that a Third Grade holy knight was making his way here. She hastily dressed and quickly combed over Devon’s possessions before diving into the depths of the forest with the Dark Knight.
Thirty minutes later, a squad of holy knights carefully found their way here and discovered the gruesome corpse of their companion by the pool.
A middle-aged man with a determined face and a composed expression bent down by Devon’s ravaged body. He rubbed the still-fresh blood of his companion between his fingers, and wrath finally appeared on his face.
Devon’s body was still shrouded in a dense aura of darkness. It was clear that he had been killed by the traitor that had given himself to the darkness. To think that he cared not for past ties and had murdered a former companion in such a cruel manner. It made him unbelievably furious!
“You guys bring Devon’s corpse back. I will chase after them!” The Gold Knight stood up straight, “They haven’t gone far.”
He drew his one-handed longsword and rushed into the forest before his subordinates could say anything else.
With the opposition between the Holy Light and darkness, the witch and her knight would not be able to escape his pursuit so long as the trace of dark aura remained in the air.
The forest flashed past his eyes.
The branches and bushes that got in his way obscured the path completely.
Kennet had lost all the composure that a holy knight should have. He ignored all the obstacles in his way, rushing through them with his holy armor and Holy Light Ward and allowing them to lash against his body.
It was only when he ran into tough patches of brambles and thorns that he would strike with his sword and slash a path into the forest with a violent holy light strike.
Age of Adepts c1-1513 Page 594