Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 2004, 1976. The Faded Ones
The chief justice suppressed the gloom in his eyes and tried to make his voice sound rational and calm.

"Whether I'm a fool or not, you know it in your heart, Griffith! Don't let panic cloud your judgment!"

"Think about it! Use your brain! How could I possibly cooperate with a false king who has usurped the throne of Rodel?!"

Lakad was right. Logically speaking, this demigod relative of the emperor had absolutely no room for negotiation or compromise with the Blessed King.

Such people are the least likely to betray the demigod alliance.

But another saying goes: to judge a person, don't look at what they say, look at what they do.

The inexplicable madness that had been spreading in the camp for so many days was clearly a problem, and the people of Ningmgfu had long suspected the Volcano Mansion.

They had their suspicions that it was Rodel's men who were sowing discord.

However, Rodel was originally the central royal city of the border region, attracting much attention, and everyone was well aware of the power within it.

It has been a long time since the Golden Dynasty conquered the entire border region, and everyone is aware of the power within the dynasty.

I've never heard of this kind of blood-related madness before. It has absolutely nothing to do with the royal city.

Moreover, judging from the fact that it could affect elite knights in droves, its power must be considerable. And the stronger this power is, the more it should have been known in the past, especially in a place like the royal city where everyone is in the spotlight.

But now, there's nothing. This madness about blood couldn't have just sprung from a crack in a rock, could it? And then, when it did, it just so happened to be used by Roderly, that newly enthroned Blessed King?
Just kidding?
On the contrary, the cruel and bloody style of this power is quite a good match for the Volcano Mansion.

The Volcano Official Residence, which also served as a place for interrogation, was known for its secrecy.

It's no wonder the people of Nymgford are suspicious of the Volcano Residence; they've simply acted far too suspiciously in this matter.

Now that it has been determined that someone from the Volcano Palace was responsible for this, is there any possibility that Gevya can still trust Lakad?

Perhaps Raccard negotiated terms with Rodel, or perhaps Rataen exerted influence... If you think about it, you can easily come up with a whole bunch of these possibilities.

The key point is that, in Griffia's eyes, Lakad has already betrayed the demigod alliance. That's the truth; speculating further is pointless.

Clearly, seeing the wary and distrustful look in Gavya's eyes, Laqad understood this as well.

Thus, amidst the storm, the demigod of the volcano's expression turned utterly cold.

"Our troops are in disarray!" Goughia's robes fluttered wildly in the storm. "You may doubt me, but our first priority is to save our own troops!"

Ge Fuya's face was extremely pale.

But at this moment, outside the storm he had unleashed, shouts of battle, sounds of collision, and the trampling of iron hooves... a cacophony of cruel sounds filled the battlefield, as if it were the sum of all the chaos in the world!

He ultimately did not engage in combat with Laqad at this moment, but instead turned and charged towards the chaotic army formation.

Laqad then wanted to follow and went into the army formation.

But after turning his head once, he simply grabbed one of the volcano knights next to him and threw him behind him.

The next second, "Whoosh~ Bang bang!"

Perfuming crossbow bolts, as thick as roof beams, were shot down from the walls of Rodel!
The crossbow bolts slammed into the chaotic ground, leaving a deep crater with each strike! From the incense burner behind the crossbow bolts, thick, poisonous incense wafted out of its hollow structure and spread across the ground.

The group of people inside, enveloped by the toxic incense fumes, immediately collapsed, coughing incessantly.

Two of the many perfumed crossbow bolts accurately struck Raccard, who was just about to move!

The demigod remained unfazed, merely shifting his body slightly. Two thick, heavy golden crossbow bolts were then thrust into his side, trapping him in the middle.

If he hadn't pulled him just now, the Volcano Knight next to him would probably be in the crater in the ground right now.

But now, Laqad, who had just realized what was happening, frowned.

The command post was far from the battlefield, not to mention the walls of Rodel. How could the crossbow bolts on the walls possibly reach this location?

"A long-range arrow amulet? Just to be delivered to you?"

No one responded to the volcano demigod's question.

The two scented crossbow bolts placed in the middle of the golden crossbow bolts did not release any poisonous incense from the censer at their fins. Instead, a visible wisp of cold mist formed icicles on the surface of the golden bolts, which then spread down in the blink of an eye!

The icy sound of 'carala' spread all the way to Lakad.

The majestic and magnificent black robe of the Grand Justice was covered in a layer of frost and hardened by the cold.

At the same time, a crackling sound of electricity suddenly rang out from another perfumer's crossbow bolt!
Red electricity coiled around it, and the red light of the electricity illuminated the figure on it in the dim light.

The chill emanating from Alperish's hands had not yet dissipated, while the spear in Vic's hand was already poised to strike!
The knight known as "Dragon Lance" leaped from the Perfumer's crossbow bolt amidst a burst of red lightning and white afterimages, the tip of his spear pointing directly at Raccard below!

【Battle Ash - Dragon Thunder Thrust】!
In the borderlands, only Elder Dragons, or those who are close to Elder Dragons or have mastered their power, can wield red lightning. This is called "Dragon Lightning."

The dragon worship prevalent in the royal city, its prayers amounting to nothing more than summoning golden lightning. Two crossbow bolts, as sharp as roof beams, and the combined attack of two faded figures!

But faced with all this, Lakad's face, which was tinged with frost, only twitched slightly due to his bad mood.

The next moment, "Boom!"

The sudden and dramatic increase in temperature caused the surrounding air to surge and roar!
The giant golden crossbow bolts, which had initially restrained the demigod's body, suddenly turned red and then glowed in the blink of an eye, transforming into a flowing liquid!
Everything happened in a flash!
The gold was heated to a liquid state, causing the crossbow bolt to disintegrate completely.

Alperish's freezing magic was no different from ordinary water vapor in the face of this heat.

Vic jumped ahead of time because of the activation of War Ash, but his spear, which was piercing down with red lightning, was immediately blocked by the small branches on both sides by a golden longsword.

【The Holy Sword of Justice】.

The sword of the High Justice Laqad, a greatsword that ordinary people would have to wield with both hands, is a handy one-handed sword in the hands of a demigod.

In the past, Rakad preferred to win with magic, and the holy sword at his waist was more of a ceremonial ornament for him.

But now, as he drew his sword amidst the Faded Ones' attacks, his expression grew even more sinister.

Vic's dragon lightning followed the point where the spear and sword clashed, striking towards Rajard's palm.

But the demigod didn't even flinch.

Flames erupted from the golden sword, transferring heat back to Vic's spear.

With a 'clang,' Vic, who had leaped up and was thrusting downwards, was sent flying in mid-air by Raccard, who was wielding a sword with one hand!
It skipped across the water four or five times before finally crashing into an old man's fiery chariot, causing it to explode and tearing off several layers of the ground before finally coming to a stop.

But just as Laqad was dealing with the two faders, more crossbow bolts were fired around the area.

A flash of azure-blue brilliance appeared, and clusters of brilliance magic with long tails streaked across the night sky, blasting away the volcano knights who had just been pulled apart by Raccard and were trying to help.

[Comet Pyroxene].

Within the Academy of Realucalia, the oldest classroom, Calleros, specializes in the magic of 'comets'.

In the borderlands, magic is the study of exploring the life of stars. And with so many kinds and characteristics of stars, naturally different schools of thought have emerged.

Some study meteors, some study comets, and some focus on studying star debris that falls to the ground, which is the 'wisdom within the stone' of pyroxene.

Bai Zhi nimbly jumped off the perfumer's crossbow, showing no trace of his usual hunched back.

The steel staff that was originally held on the ground with the sphere at the top was now being held by the tail, and the sphere at the top had become the core catalyst for launching magic.

Two of his fellow Faded Ones were injured by the power of the demigods, but Gideon Ofnir didn't even glance at them, using the moment to quickly eliminate the knights around him.

"You're as cold-blooded as ever, Baizhi."

Lakad spoke of others' coldness, but his own voice and the look in his eyes as he looked at the fallen Volcano Knight beside him were chilling.

Alperish stood up from a short distance away. His left hand hadn't been removed when the golden crossbow bolt melted, and now the palm of his hand was covered in solidified gold.

The Faded One remained expressionless, severing his left hand with the scythe in his hand, then took out the Red Dewdrop Holy Grail and took a sip.

In the distance, amidst the flames of the exploding Old Man's Flame Chariot, Vic emerged from the inferno carrying his spear.

His scarf and cloak were smoldering, but the already iron-gray armor was just blackened by the smoke.

[Gathering Beasts] Bernal and [White Wolf War Demon] Baglem also jumped down from the crossbow bolts fired from the city wall.

“Let’s save ourselves some trouble, Raccard,” Gideon Ofnir suggested to the demigod in his deep, very bubbly voice. “Stop your rebellious acts.”

The Grand Justice's golden eyes flashed with icy mockery: "You? You may indeed be renowned heroes, but I am a demigod!"

“Just a demigod.” Bernal, carrying a two-handed greatsword, calmly stretched his shoulders. “During the War of the Giants, there were many opponents like you. You are still young, Lord Rakad, you shouldn’t be too confident.”

In the distance, amidst the charging horde of Rodel's knights, a tall, muscular, and obese Flame Watcher bishop, despite his body being riddled with lance stabs, still roared and praised the power of fire.

The strange helmet on his head, which resembled a giant bowl of flames, seemed to boil as he praised it.

The flames in the large bowl erupted like a volcano, with thick smoke, lava, and flames shooting into the sky before spreading and falling back down.

"Blasphemy!"

One of the Knights of Rodel cursed loudly, rebuking these traitors for daring to bring the forbidden power of fire to the foot of the Golden Tree!
But from this moment on, torches, dark clouds... no longer matter.

On the battlefield, the Lost Knight's Storm Arts inevitably stirred up the Flame Watchers' prayers, causing the fire to spread and intensify.

This place has become a living hell!
The flames blazed brighter than the sunlight!

(End of this chapter)