Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 224: The Power of the God-Chosen Religious Icon and the Rat People's Misunderstanding

Dietrich was completely embarrassed after Ron exposed his past.

He was now the Patriarch of the Shaerya Church in Hessen, a man of elegance, distinguished looks, and graceful demeanor. However, he had indeed been unruly in his youth. Now that all of this had been exposed by Rong En, he felt his image was completely shattered and he felt that he would rather die.

Isn't that what life is all about? If things are already like this, what else is there to let go of?

Ron felt as if he had avenged his great hatred. When he was reporting, even the shoe prints on his face perked up along with his eyebrows.

"My Lord, Lord Dietrich is correct. The two remaining religious icons belong to the Church of the Blazing Sun Goddess. One of them is inscribed with the power of Swift Strike. Normally, this divine spell can be cast by a knight on himself, significantly increasing his agility for a short period of time, allowing him to attack at twice his previous speed."

"However, under the gaze of this religious icon, the knights can maintain this swift attack. Therefore, this religious icon is also used by many forces, religions, and temples. Standing in the tall marble temple, the temple's guard knights and templars can display far more extraordinary combat power when defending the religious holy site."

"Once my strength has recovered to that of a Chosen One, I can borrow Her Majesty Violet's divine power and build a religious statue dozens or even hundreds of meters tall for the territory. With such a massive statue standing tall in the territory, gazing down upon the garrison, the Knights of the Church of the Sun Goddess will be able to strike swiftly at any moment during war!"

Hearing this, Su Li felt a little surprised and a little regretful.

The surprising aspect is undoubtedly the power of this ability. A religious statue over a hundred meters tall will stand tall in the territory. Even if the statue is not built in the city, but on a high slope outside the city, it will still stand tall.

An ordinary army would not be able to flatten such a religious statue that is hundreds of meters tall, especially when her divine grace descends, the golden sword in her hand will shine across the entire central plain.

On the battlefield within a radius of more than ten miles, all members of the church knights can be bathed in the grace of the Goddess of the Sun.

At that time, even if we fight in the field with the enemy's main force, we will not be at a disadvantage.

Unfortunately, in this battle with the Green Dragon's followers, this religious icon will definitely not be built.

Then Su Li asked, "What is the second religious icon?"

"It's about seeing into the enemy's heart." Ron led Su Li into the bathtub and looked at the religious statue placed in the skylight at the highest point of the bathtub. The Valkyrie Violet sat on a marble throne, with a long sword placed across her knees. She leaned forward slightly, her eyes focused and deep, as if she was meditating, trying to see into the enemy's heart through meditation.

"This is a divine spell that the knights of our Church of the Blazing Sun Goddess cannot use in battle. It is an ability that can only be obtained through religious icons. It allows the knights beneath the icon to understand the enemy's weaknesses, ensuring that each attack will hit the enemy's flaws and inflict a fatal blow."

Su Li looked around the bathroom. After being decorated with statues, it looked even more magnificent. Especially the statue of the Goddess of the Sun, which made the moonlight shining in as bright as sunlight, making it impossible to hide any darkness and shadows in the bathtub.

Seeing this, Su Li had to ask: "This combat capability is guaranteed, but isn't this noise a bit too loud? What if it alarms the rat people and makes them aware of the ambush in advance and they don't sneak in from here?"

An ordinary bathroom would not be built so dazzlingly with gold. The bathrooms of those great lords might be magnificent and luxurious, but they would definitely not be so sacred, filled with the light of divine grace.

Rat people are a very timid race. If they find something unusual ahead, which may be a trap like a mousetrap, they will choose to take a detour.

Ron said frankly, "We've already taken into account the Skaven assassins' [cowardly rats] nature, so we've avoided setting up any witchcraft traps that might alert them. But we really can't be any more frugal with these religious icons, and we've hidden them in strategic locations throughout the bathroom. If we continue to be frugal, Marshal Orstein and Chancellor Hilde would be in great danger of falling under the siege of four Skaven Chosen Assassins."

Su Li looked around. Some of the four statues were hidden in the ventilation windows at the top of the wall, some were used as decorations for baths and fountains, some were hidden in murals, and some were shrines. They were indeed integrated perfectly.

When they are all activated, this bathroom will be like a sacred place, shrouded in brilliant golden light, and the chosen knights in it will burst out with combat capabilities far beyond the ordinary.

All of these are powerful effects created by spending money, especially large religious statues, which cost more than 200 gold crowns each.

Ron and Dietrich have done everything they can as priests, and the rest depends on God's will.

At this time, Oliver took the initiative to speak up, "I can help you, Lord, further improve this ambush. As the Chosen One of the Goddess of Justice, I can give the knights here the [Guardian of Balance] trait. When they engage their target, their strength and speed will increase depending on the number of opponents surrounding them."

"Also, Her Majesty Verena is also the Goddess of Learning. She can use Blessing of Wisdom, which allows the target to seize the wisdom of surrounding creatures for a short period of time. This will make the target, deprived of wisdom, become reckless and more likely to fall into your trap."

Su Li laughed when he heard this. Isn't this the so-called aura that reduces intelligence?
Once under the effect of this halo, the target will not be able to detect even if they are under the influence of divine magic, and will instead act more recklessly and impulsively.

Su Li looked at the time. It was already 8:15 in the evening. The bell in the clock tower had rung eight times. If he continued with the large-scale construction, it would probably only alert the enemy further.

So the time for preparation had to end here. Su Li said, "We, the three chosen ones, with the blessings of the three churches, have known the ratmen's routes and plans in advance. If we still can't ambush them, then we are stupid enough to die here."

"Let's prepare everything according to the current plan. We will wait for the ratmen to enter the ambush."

Orstein supported the banner with his left hand and gripped his warhammer with his right. He declared proudly, "My Lord, our three churches are renowned for their wisdom and tactics. This state-of-the-art ambush meticulously designed by so many Chosen Ones is sure to be a resounding success! You will oversee the battle from the castle as we crush these four rats."

Su Li patted his shoulder and said, "My Marshal, I look forward to your glorious victory. You will surely become famous throughout the border tonight."

Orstein nodded heavily, then sorted out the wine flask and the [Blood of the Earth] and [Tears of Mercy] potions on his body, then walked into the bathroom and sat behind the screen on the north side of the pipe. As soon as the ratmen appeared, he would raise the scarlet flag, and under the fluttering battle banner, he would suddenly launch a fierce attack on the ratmen.

With the laurel gem and two powerful healing potions, he would not fall easily even if he was besieged by four rats.

And Hirud carried two kinds of witchcraft traps, ready to cut off the monsters' retreat at any time.

In Hesse Castle, she did not bring the Soul Well, which was too lethal and corrosive, but brought [Petrifying Gaze] and [Rust Plague]. This was a metal trap that would cause the enemy's armor to begin to rot and fall off in a cloud of tiny fragments, causing the enemy's joints to rust, thereby reducing their movement speed and the power of their charge.

As the deployment of several chosen ones was completed, the territory entered a state of loose outside but tight inside. Except for a few chosen ones ambushing next to the bathroom, there were not a large number of guards set up in other places.

However, a large number of high-ranking attendants were deployed around the study at the highest point of the castle, and all the champion knights of the territory gathered here.

If the ambush fails, the rats will have to force their way into the study by killing their way through these iron-clad defenses.

In order to prevent the ratmen from sneaking in by taking advantage of their "omnipresent" characteristics, the study door was not closed, ensuring that Su Li and Phyllis could be seen by the guards.

In the room, Freya and Tiberus were guarding Su Li closely.

The fierceness of the rat assassin was beyond Su Li's expectations. Under the threat of death, he had no time to think about these things. The red rope, low-temperature wax and brass bell prepared in advance could not be used.

Of course, if we successfully ambush these four rat assassins, then all the preparations will become a carnival for tonight's victory celebration.

Freya, the icy beauty, will melt and succumb to the extreme stimulation.

Therefore, Su Li couldn't help but ask Freya: "Do you expect us to win?"

Freya glanced at him calmly and said, "If you're nervous, go vent with your female courtiers instead of talking nonsense here."

nervous?
Of course Su Li was nervous. After all, that was the legendary terrifying ratman assassin who could sneak into the archmage's study amidst layers of guards and skin and behead him.

So Su Li couldn't help but want to say something to divert his attention.

Phyllis clutched Su Li's sleeve nervously and guiltily, and said to him, "My Lord, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have taken such a big risk. Why don't you let me stay here alone while you and Captain Freya go to another room to rest for a while?"

Hearing this, Su Li lowered his head to look at the fragile girl, patted her hands, and comforted her, "What nonsense are you talking about? It's like wearing the crown, first bear its weight. This is the path I chose, how can I blame you? Just stay here and watch with me how we crush the rat people. And watch how I melt Freya, this icy beauty, tonight."

Hearing Su Li say this, Phyllis felt a little relieved. She turned around and looked at the time. It was almost 11:20. It had been a long night, and it was finally coming to an end.

Su Li also glanced at the time, then looked down from the study window with a brass telescope. The magnificent castle was shrouded in dark shadows, looking somewhat austere and solemn.

Four ratmen were likely hiding in a corner of this magnificent castle. They had undoubtedly already infiltrated the castle and were most likely heading for the bathroom. Tiberius, a massive battle axe slung over his shoulder, stood by the window and said, "My Lord, beware of ratmen assassinations. Standing near the window is extremely dangerous; ratmen have ranged weapons."

Su Li waved his hand indifferently and said, "The rat people are not targeting me. If they shoot at me, they will only expose their whereabouts."

Moreover, he was carrying a four-leaf clover amulet of fate. If he was really attacked, he would be able to have a sudden inspiration and luckily avoid the first three attacks, so he was not very worried about the ratman's long-range sniper team.

Tiberus thought about it and felt that what Su Li said made sense, so he said, "Don't worry, my lord. Without long-range weapons, the Skaven's combat effectiveness is actually not worth mentioning. The gods are fair. They gave the Skaven warpstone weapons and Skaven magic, so their ability to fight head-on is extremely weak."

"They were able to succeed in the assassination only because they infiltrated other camps and took advantage of their targets' weakened defenses. Our territory, guided by your intelligence, is on full alert. Even without Marshal Orlstein's ambush, these ratmen would have been unable to succeed had they run headfirst into our heavily guarded defenses."

"If they really need to fight in close combat, even I have the confidence to chop a Ratman God-Chosen assassin into pieces once their whereabouts are exposed in the study."

"That's right." Freya nodded and said, "There are seven champion-level knights in the corridor outside the house. If the ratmen really want to fight their way in, they will all be killed before they even reach the threshold."

This is her strong confidence as a knight. No matter what kind of powerful enemy they face, they are not afraid of challenges and dare to draw their swords.

When two sides meet on a narrow road, the brave prevails. This is precisely what rat people are not good at.

As several people were talking, the sound of dogs barking suddenly rang out in the castle.

Avril's eyes suddenly lit up, and she said to Su Li, "My Lord, it's Jin Ya's voice."

Jin Ya is Su Li's lion mastiff. In more than half a year, even if it grew naturally, this golden lion mastiff has grown into a very powerful and strong beast. It can already take on the duty of patrolling the castle. Several times, the knights-errant and free mercenaries who entered the castle were bitten by it.

It can be said that any strange smell that sneaks into the territory cannot escape its nose.

Jin Ya's barking immediately marked the beginning of a tense and bloody night, and soon fierce dog barking was heard from the direction of the bathroom.

This is Marshal Orstein's war pet. This sturdy-bearded territorial commander always carries a war hammer and appears with his powerful war pet, the Lion Mastiff.

As the sound of barking dogs rang out in the bathroom, a brilliant golden light immediately burst out in the bathroom. The brilliant light was like a scorching sun rising under the castle in the night, and the circular light illuminated an area of ​​hundreds of meters.

Then the clear neighing of the half-griffin resounded throughout the castle, and a huge figure emerged from the darkness accompanied by dazzling golden light, blocking all escape routes in the bathroom passage.

Seeing the majestic and powerful figure of the divine general, the knights patrolling in the castle immediately cheered. The cheers from all directions soon resounded through the sky. Teams of armored knights, holding scarlet flags high, quickly surrounded the bathroom from all directions of the castle.

Freya stood by the window, looking out at the fierce battle in the distance. She clenched her right fist excitedly and said, "Great! The ambush was a success."

Before she could finish her words, the outer wall of the bathroom was smashed, and a dark figure shot out from inside like a cannonball, with blood all over the sky, dyeing the night sky blood red.

Seeing this, Dogrin immediately raised the Ancient Relic Explorer's sniper telescope in his hand and shouted, "Sniper, volley!"

Hundreds of thunder muskets were fired at the same time, white smoke filled the entire position, and a large number of bullets directly penetrated the corpses of the ratmen.

But the target didn't react at all, because this was essentially a whipping! The golden hammer had smashed through the monster's chest, shattering all its organs. Broken bones pierced its spine, leaving its fur riddled with holes. It was dead beyond dead.

At the same time, bright light shone through the hole in the wall, allowing Su Li to see the scene inside through the skeleton.

However, the scene seen through the telescope surprised Su Li. In the spacious bathroom, a large number of ratmen were in a defensive posture. The Aisin alchemist holding a brass bell staff was hiding in a corner of the bathroom. Two ratmen God-chosen assassins held daggers in both hands, hunched their bodies, and stood in front of it in a defensive posture.

Orstein's pet, the lion mastiff, had its limbs tense and was roaring madly at the three mice, ready to jump up and bite through the ratman's throat at any time.

Orstein, wearing vibranium rune armor, held a bloody hammer and walked towards the monster step by step with great oppression. Faced with his tall figure, the ratmen had no time to use their omnipresent characteristics to line up and exit from a pipe. The two ratmen assassins stared at him cautiously and retreated step by step.

In fact, the battle had already started for a while. Before Su Li saw this scene clearly, the ratmen were not in a defensive posture at the beginning, but had tried to launch a fierce attack to get rid of the lone knight.

The three assassins launched a siege on Orlstein, and the alchemist Eshin was chased around the room by a lion mastiff, and a piece of his tail was bitten off.

But what horrified them was that the ratman's repeated assassination attempts were ineffective. This fierce knight did not dodge at all. The knight, who was known for his defense, attacked more fiercely than the assassin. He was determined to replace a ratman assassin even at the risk of being seriously injured.

The result was self-evident. The ratmen's first three attacks failed to hit him at all. In the next three attacks, one pierced his chest, and Orlstein narrowly avoided the heart. The ratmen, with their green plague-carrying daggers, pierced his entire lung and came within two centimeters of severing his heart. Another pierced his thigh artery, and another cut open his abdomen, causing his intestines to spill out.

But even though he was seriously injured, Orstein's attacks did not stop for a moment. The ratmen's attacks failed to hit the vital points, but Orstein's attacks, with the blessing of religious icons, all hit the ratmen's flaws. So before the ratmen forcibly killed Orstein, he relied on the blessing of guarding the balance to increase his strength and forcibly killed a ratman assassin first.

Then, under the powerful healing effect of the [Tears of Mercy] of the Church of Shalya, it was as if the gods had bestowed their grace, and most of his wounds were quickly healed with Shalya's tears.

This forced the ratmen to change their tactics. If they continued to consume at this rate, it was unclear whether the knight would die or not, and the Eshin wizard would really be bitten to death by the lion mastiff.

In this situation, if we defeat them one by one, the mission will undoubtedly fail.

So they could only stand guard before the Alchemist of Eshin, waiting for him to use his sneaky magic to resolve the situation. These giant humans, whose brains were all muscle, had to witness the power of magic.

The Eshin Warlock hid in a corner, shaking as if in a trance, his voice rapid, "Damn human! How could you have the Guardian of Balance on you?! That bitch from the Church of Justice is behind this! This is a trap, a trap!"

Orstein's eyes lit up at the rat people's misunderstanding. Of course, he would not explain. He hoped that the rat people would transfer their hatred to the Duke of Surander Province.

So Orstein didn't give them time to think at all. He raised his warhammer and shouted, "You smashers in the dark corners, you have fallen into a trap and an ambush, so die!"

The alchemist Eshin screamed in panic, holding up his staff and shouting, "Human, die! Die! Die! Wither!"

As it screamed, a stream of green filthy energy shot out from the rat head on the staff and directly hit Orstein, who was falling down like a mountain.

This is an important means for the Skaven to weaken their opponents. By reciting the Book of Plague, the Skaven Alchemist can cast a disease that will cause people to shrink and become weak.

Skaven magic is similar to that used by Tzeentch wizards, necromancers, black magicians, and witches: it is abhorrent, utterly evil spells designed to spread pain and death to their enemies.

Faced with this human knight who has been strengthened in all aspects, the ratmen must first weaken his strength and slow down his movement speed in order to reduce the fatal risk to their side, and then find a way to get rid of him.

But a shocking scene happened. The ratman's filthy green spell hit the knight, but the knight seemed to be unaffected by any effect or influence. With a brilliant golden light shining on his body, he dispelled all the green curses, raised his warhammer high and smashed it down.

The Ratman God-chosen Assassin had to face this terrible attack with his small body, blocking the golden warhammer with two daggers.

The next moment, a sound of crushing wind and rain was heard. The ratman's weapon could not withstand the rune hammer carefully forged by the dwarf, and it shattered directly. Then the hammer continued to exert force, breaking the ratman's arms, and then hit the ratman's head hard, smashing its entire head and neck into the chest.

Just when the rat-man alchemist was shocked, a sacred guiding arrow with shining golden light flew from afar and directly pierced his body. The more than ten-meter-long golden arrow, with terrifying force, nailed him to the wall.

The Skaven were too focused on Orlstein ahead, allowing Hilde in the distance to calmly land a strike. Without the alchemist's stealthy magic, the Skaven could no longer hide or move stealthily, completely losing their threat.

Su Li put down the telescope and said with an excited smile, "The winner has been decided! Go down and clean up the ratmen's corpses and corrosion. With so many chosen ones, they must be carrying a lot of goodies."

"Freya, tie your hair up!"

(End of this chapter)