“Are you talking about the Battle of Hakans!” The trainee knight probed.
As Catherine’s personal guard, they naturally knew of all the brutal battles she had experienced as a knight.
It was said that Catherine used to be a member of the Hakans Holy Light Chapel. When the place fell into the demonic hands of the adepts, Catherine had stood forward, despite being a trainee knight, single-handedly saving several dozen lives from the hands of the adepts.
It was because of this experience that the holy knight leadership had assigned her to the south after the disaster of Hakans, to participate in the hunt for the witch remnants. Catherine had proven herself. She was not at all intimidated by the savagery of the adepts and instead displayed more courage than anyone else. She had managed to survive in a brutal fight against a Second Grade witch, even personally executing the witch in battle.
It was from that fight that she had obtained incredible feedback from the Holy Light and immediately advanced to become an Iron Knight!
All the knights here knew of every detail of Catherine’s story. As such, they were very understanding of her concerns and worries. Anyone would become like her if their close companions and friends were to die upon the battlefield– sorrowful, yet determined.
“Let’s not talk about me,” Catherine quickly shook off her sentiment, “Talk about the witches’ recent movements! What is the situation with the monsters that appeared to the north of the Empire?”
Another trainee knight that looked just as young as the other one quickly piped up, “I know this. The monsters are truly frightening. They have the ability to spread a plague. Ordinary civilians have no means of defending themselves at all. Fortunately, the two Lord Holy Knights were close to the area where the monsters appeared. They were able to attack in time and blockade the monsters at Red Cloud Mesa. It is said that the two Lord Holy Knights are taking turns to exterminate the creatures. Over half of the monsters have been slaughtered, and the spread of the plague has been halted.”
“And what about…what about the one hiding underneath Gangsas Volcano. What about that demon?” Catherine’s entire body trembled as she spoke. It was almost as if she didn’t even dare invoke the name of that demon.
“I don’t know! The northern branch has lost another elite force to investigate the situation of the battle between the demons there. Unfortunately, they still have not managed to locate them at all. However, since the terrifying plague monsters appeared near Red Cloud Mesa, the demons shouldn’t be far away either. The reason the Lord Holy Knights are keeping such a close eye on the region is likely out of this consideration.”
Catherine shook her head.
“The Lord Holy Knights shouldn’t have abandoned this battlefield! I keep having a feeling that the chaos created by the plague monsters in the north is only the enemy’s trick. Their real target…is likely us!”
“Us?” The trainee knights looked at each other, bewildered by the absurdity of the situation, “Do you mean that that terrifying demon will be meeting up with the witches here?”
“I don’t know. I really don’t know. My heart is confused at the moment. I keep having a vague feeling of approaching danger, but I cannot discern the source of the danger. I…”
While Catherine was struggling in frustration, a large pillar of dust suddenly rose from the dirt road in the distance. Several fast horses and their riders shouted as they charged into the military camp, heading straight for the large tent at its center. The content of their words could not be discerned from a distance, but plenty of holy knights and imperial soldiers emerged from the tents when they passed by. These knights and soldiers started to talk amongst each other as if they were preparing for a battle.
“It’s the troops that were sent to scout north!” A trainee knight raised a hand over his eyes to take a better look before suddenly shouting in excitement, “They’ve returned. They must have obtained some valuable information!”
No one replied. Everyone simply got on their horses and rode down the hill toward the central tent.
A large group of holy knights had already gathered near the tent by the time they reached the center of the camp. Those who had arrived before everyone else were already talking amongst themselves, while those who arrived later asked about the situation. Catherine quickly figured out why they were all so excited.
They had found the base of the witch remnants!
It wasn’t exactly out of their expectations. The witches’ base was located deep in the Poison Swamps, just as they had predicted.
A party of holy knights sent to scout the Poison Swamps had fortuitously captured a First Grade witch trying to sneak into the Poison Swamps from a different region. They were able to extract the exact location of the witches’ base from her.
More importantly, the witch remnants seemed to have plans of abandoning that base. They were desperately summoning the nearby witches to gather. It was said that they were planning to leave that location and head north to join forces with the plague monsters.
The three Gold Knights in the central tent didn’t dare delay upon hearing such valuable information. They sent people to request for the four Gold Knights of Blackmountain City to reinforce their ranks, while quickly summoning and rallying the holy knights to form an army with which to destroy the witches’ base.
They want to escape the Poison Swamps? Hmph, they can dream on!
For some reason, Catherine felt an inexplicable panic in her heart when she saw the companions around her eager for a final battle.
However, there were as many as three to four hundred Iron Knights like herself in this camp. There was no room for her to offer her suggestion while the three Gold Knights relayed commands and instructions to all the combatants.
The Poison Swamps were one of the more well-known hazardous areas near Blackmountain City!
The swamp was located in a low basin, stretching three to four kilometers from south to north and almost six kilometers from east to west. The whole place was a fearsome swamp filled with pungent mud and puddles.
Misty pine flowers grew throughout the basin, generating large amounts of poison gas in the damp environment. The enclosed geography of the region provided no space for the poison gas to disperse, resulting in a terrifying poison mist constantly hanging in the swamp’s air.
It was because of how terrifying the place was that the locals near Blackmountain City never dared to take a single step into the Poison Swamps. Only during a few short days in the sixth month of the year would the bright sun pierce the canopy of the trees to shine into the swamp, dispersing the poison mist accumulating there.
The local natives would take advantage of this opportunity to enter and harvest some strange herbs and flowers that didn’t grow outside of the swamp. Thus, only some of the older mountain people were familiar with the geography inside the swamp.
The holy knights had further requested for Blackmountain City to recruit old herbalists that had experience venturing into the Poison Swamps.
…………
The Poison Swamps.
Even though it was still daytime with bright sunlight everywhere, the basin where the Poison Swamps were located was still covered in a dense mist that obscured almost all vision.
There was no wind.
The mist was like a thick veil over everyone’s eyes. It clung to the air of the basin tightly, shrouding everything within.
The ground of the Poison Swamps was covered in bubbling ponds of mud and dirty water. A thin layer of watergrass grew above the soft and pungent mud, making it even more challenging to distinguish between solid land and soft silt.
It was difficult to travel through the forest and the mountains. The elite holy knights who had changed into light chainmail had already sealed off the few exits of the Poison Swamps while the imperial soldiers were still making their way towards the area.
Everyone was both excited and nervous as they stood at the entrances to the basin. They could see the white-
shrouded Poison Swamps from a distance through the dense foliage of the forest. No one had any idea how the battle would play out.
That said, their forces had the absolute initiative. They had already destroyed all of the defenses outside the witches’ base. What could a dozen witch remnants possibly do against their overwhelming force and numbers?
A temporary battle camp set up near the entrance of the basin.
Approximately three hundred and seventy holy knights were gathered here, silently waiting for orders from their higher-grade commanders. The remaining four hundred trainee knights were leading the imperial soldiers to control several critical geographical locations nearby.
The poisonous mist inside the Poison Swamps was not something that ordinary people could hope to endure. As such, the imperial soldiers and trainee knights were all left outside the swamp. The four-hundred-strong army of holy knights was split up into two dozen parties. They entered the swamps under the lead of the local herbalists that they had managed to recruit and prepared to exterminate the last of the witches.
Catherine was in a group of fifteen knights led by two Silver Knights. All of them lit their torches and followed an old but agile herbalist to the edge of the swamp.
Before they entered, the herbalist took out some red beans and wrapped them in a piece of cloth. He then tied the beans and cloth beneath his nose before walking into the swamp, tapping the ground with a long wooden stick as he moved.
Chapter 1000 - Swamp Creatures
As they slowly entered the Poison Swamps, the party became increasingly nervous.
It was all soft and slippery watergrass and duckweed beneath their feet. It was hard to stand firm on such ground, but it was much easier than everyone had expected.
A thirty-meter-long rope braided of sturdy vines connected everyone, with the front of the line wrapped around the waist of the old herbalist. One of the Silver Knights followed close behind the herbalist, one hand holding the rope, the other holding his longsword. He was prepared for an attack at any time.
After all, these swamps were home to large numbers of predatory creatures, poison, and plenty of other magical and demonic beings. It was a difficult place to traverse.
The two dozen parties of holy knights slowly entered the swamp one by one, keeping a distance of no more than ten meters between each group. It was to ensure that they could reinforce each other at a moment’s notice. It also reduced the chance of them being ambushed by the witches.
The seven Gold Knights near Blackmountain City had all gathered here now, traveling in the center of the army while escorting Rena and the witch they had just caught. Given their superior numbers and power, the knights weren’t worried that the witches would attempt a full-frontal assault. On the contrary, they were concerned that the witches would flee as far as they could and refuse to fight.
In all honesty, it wasn’t an easy matter pursuing those sly and agile witches while traversing through mountains and forests in a full set of armor for long periods.
Catherine held a sword in one hand and a torch in the other, following the party as they trudged through the swamp.
She could barely see within five meters of herself with the light of the torch. Everything beyond that distance was a faint shroud of white. The mist hovered around them as if covering everything with a thick veil, making it difficult to see properly.
There was water vapor in the mist, which constantly tussled with the flames on the torch to make them crackle loudly. There was no proper road beneath them either; only the wet and slippery footsteps left behind by the other members of the party.
Those at the rear of the party did not need to figure out the path forward. They only needed to trace the steps left on the ground.
What kind of consequence would there be for making a wrong step in a place like this? A young Iron Knight’s experience would be the greatest evidence of the danger of these swamps.
Perhaps it was because he was too preoccupied with his surroundings, or maybe he lost focus for an instant, but this Iron Knight stepped out of the ‘grass’ road and immediately fell into a puddle of mud.
It was as if a blinding torch had been suddenly ignited in the swamp, as the water itself started to bubble instantly!
The dirty sludge and filth of the swamp started to move visibly. Waves spread through the water as if some strange creature was squirming beneath. Moreover, as the Iron Knight continued to struggle in the mud, the unrest in the pool only intensified. Several distinct water ripples started to approach the knight from a distance.
“Everyone put in some strength and pull him up.” The Silver Knight let out a shout. The two people closest to the fallen knight immediately grabbed the roped wrapped around their waist and pulled with all their strength. A splash rang out as they managed to rip the sinking knight out from the mud.
The creatures hiding in the mud became incredibly furious at the sudden disappearance of their ‘prey’ and burst forth from the water.
For a moment, large groups of Ghost Nannies and Sludges appeared from the swamps around the knights.
Ghost Nannies were humanoid monsters that looked like drowned corpses. They had dirty and unkempt hair, dark black claws, and sharp fangs that were missing in a spot or two. Their claws and teeth contained terrifying poison, making them much more dangerous than even ghouls while they were in the swamps.
Meanwhile, Sludges were low-grade magical creatures purely formed of pungent sludge and some other strange substance. They possessed several unique combat abilities such as Sludge Bullet, Acid Spray, and Splitting Multiplication. Their offensive might was lacking, and they were incredibly disgusting creatures.
The party of holy knights was fearless against the horde of swamp creatures.
Several Holy Light Flares blasted forward, and every swamp creature that was hit by these flares had their souls purified in the sacred holy light.
Ghost Nannies turned into rotten corpses, while Sludges were reduced to a pile of mud. Perhaps picking up on the might of the invaders, the Ghost Nannies and Sludges quickly dove into the swamp and used the mud to evade the Holy Light Flares. Many Ghost Nannies rushed onto the grass road and engaged the holy knights with their formation stretched out over one and a half kilometers.
If the imperial soldiers had been the ones to enter the Poison Swamps instead, they would already be plenty of casualties. Meanwhile, the holy knights who had the blessing of the holy light were incredibly lethal when fighting against these low-grade magical creatures and monsters.
It didn’t matter how sharp the Ghost Nannies’ fangs and claws were. They couldn’t pierce a holy knight’s Holy Light Barrier and their thick Holy Light Armor. Meanwhile, their tough, leathery skin was as thin as paper to the longswords of the holy knights that contained tremendous holy light power.
The holy knights made short work of the Ghost Nannies that intercepted them as if they were simply slicing vegetables for dinner. The souls of all the monsters were thoroughly purified. That said, the holy knights found themselves in an awkward position dealing with the Sludges and their long-ranged abilities.
Sludge Bullets cut through the air one after another, crashing onto the knights’ Holy Light Barriers and exploding into noxious sludge. That smell, that texture. It was so bad it almost caused the holy knights to break down out of pure disgust. Their noses were also suffering incomparable torture.
Using techniques like the Holy Light Slash and the Holy Seal of Justice on such low-grade magical creatures would be far too much of a waste. As such, the less costly Holy Light Flares bombarded the Sludges. Naturally, these low-grade Sludges could not endure the purification of the Holy Knight and silently exploded into dead mud, one after another.
However, before the holy knights could smile, the bodies of the Sludges in the distance started to reform, each of them turning into three slightly smaller Sludges.
An even more torrential rain of Sludge Bullets and Acid Spray poured towards the knights at the very n
ext moment.
The most annoying thing about the whole affair was the fact that an ordinary Sludge could split twice. Each Sludge could split into three slightly smaller Sludges. That meant that the knights had to kill a total of nine Sludges to exterminate one ordinary Sludge properly.
While this happened, the Sludges would have more than enough time to shower the area where the holy knights stood in their pungent sludge and the unusually strong acid they stored within their bodies.
Soon, the entire group of holy knights was covered in a fearsome stench that hurt to even smell!
All the knights were throwing up as they fought. It was such a hilarious scene to behold.
However, the holy knights were far more powerful than these monsters and magical creatures. Though the situation got a little out of hand, the holy knights had yet to suffer any casualties.
Beams of holy light purified both the poison attacks of the Ghost Nannies and the Acid Sprays of the Sludges before they could inflict visible damage to the knights.
The only unfortunate thing was that the holy light could only purify poison and acid. There was nothing it could do about the smell!
As such, the holy knights that collapsed on the battlefield weren’t injured. They were simply overwhelmed by the overpowering stench.
Catherine walked at the center of the party, silently chanting words of praise for the great Holy Light as she fired off Holy Light Flares at the figures moving in the mist.
Her face was pale white, and she could barely breathe now.
The water, the ground, and even her body were covered in slimy and disgusting acid. This fluid that had been brewing in the bodies of the Sludges for so many years released bright green smoke wherever it landed. It smelled just like the filthy waste material in the sewers after it had been left to rot and fester for years.
Catherine had thrown up everything in her stomach the moment she smelled the stench. By the end, she even started throwing up her gastric acid.
Even though the holy knights were weak from puking, they still fought valiantly…no, slaughtered valiantly!
Age of Adepts c1-1513 Page 614