Being a knight is not easy

Chapter 154-Awakening
"The two moons overlap...divinity awakens..." The old cat crushed the crystal in his hand, his face gloomy. "Grand Duke Frosthawk wants to use our power as a catalyst to forcibly awaken the God of Machinery!"

After hearing this, everyone's faces changed. They knew that they didn't have much time left.

Everyone simply treated their wounds and rushed to Nanshi Village.

They were absolutely certain there must be an ambush, but since things had come to this point, they had no choice but to go ahead.

The wind and snow gradually died down, but the oppressive feeling in the air grew heavier, like a substance, making everyone's chests feel stuffy, as if an invisible pair of hands were tightly strangling their throats.

Without delaying for even a moment, they sped forward. Finally, at the end of their sight, the outline of Nanshi Village loomed.

But when everyone saw the scene clearly, they couldn't help but stop suddenly, their faces full of astonishment.

The whole village was eerily quiet, filled with an eerie deathly silence.

There was no sound of patrolling mechanical guards, no chilling roar of hunting units, and even the raging snowstorm seemed to have come to a strange halt at the entrance of the village, as if it were blocked outside by an invisible barrier.

The dilapidated wooden houses stood tilted and crumbling, with thick snow piled on the roofs, like huge white longevity hats. The whole village was like a gloomy tomb forgotten by time, exuding a strange atmosphere.

"Something's wrong." Gareth's voice was low and solemn. A chill seeped through the cracks in his silver-white heavy armor, as if his body was instinctively reacting to the strange atmosphere. "It's too quiet, abnormally quiet."

The black cat on the old cat's shoulder had its hair standing on end, and it let out a low roar from its throat. Its pure white pupils bulged as it stared at the eerie dry well in the center of the village.

The magic crystal on the top of the staff in Morey's hand flashed wildly and uncontrollably, making a sharp buzzing sound, as if warning of the impending danger.

Robin only felt the power in his body stirring up a storm, and a thin film formed on the surface of the Tang sword in his hand. The dark red lines kept beating on the light blade like living blood vessels.

That was his body's instinctive warning, telling him that there was a huge crisis hidden here.

Everyone approached the dry well cautiously, as if facing a great enemy.

The wellhead was covered with a thick and solid layer of ice. Through the ice, silver-black mechanical veins could be vaguely seen, extending into the ground like a giant spider web, emitting a cold and dangerous aura.

"There's something down there." The Sun and Moon Guards simultaneously raised their weapons. The Sun Guard's giant hammer instantly ignited with blazing flames, and the scorching flames seemed to ignite the surrounding air.

A thick layer of frost condensed on Yuewei's two swords, making him feel extremely cold.

The old cat slowly squatted down, and its skinny fingers gently pressed on the ice.

In an instant, the ice melted quickly like snow encountering high temperature, revealing a bottomless, inky black well.

A cold wind with a strong smell of metallic rust whistled out from the bottom of the well, mixed with the subtle "clicking" sound of gears meshing, as if it were a whisper from hell.

"It's not a mechanical apostle..." The old cat frowned, revealing a rare serious expression, "It's something more troublesome and more difficult."

The Blade of Order in Robin's hand suddenly began to vibrate violently, and the blade pointed directly at the bottom of the well. His expression was stern, and he said in a deep voice: "There is a breath of life down there... It's a living person!" Gareth didn't hesitate at all, and jumped into the well first.

The silver-white heavy armor gleamed brightly in the darkness, like a beacon in the night, illuminating the path forward for everyone. Everyone followed closely behind, rapidly descending along the complex mechanical veins of the well wall.

At the bottom of the well, there was a spacious and mysterious cellar.

The walls were densely packed with rotating gears, making a dull sound. In the center of the cellar, a shocking and heartbreaking scene came into view.
Twelve wizards were brutally nailed to a giant metal cross, with silver-blue tubes inserted into their chests, and magic power was continuously being drawn to the huge gear set on the top of the cellar.

What’s even more terrifying is that these wizards are still alive!

Their eyes were wide open and lifeless, with the shadows of gears reflected in their pupils, and an unconscious "clucking" sound came from their throats, as if it was a wail from hell.

When Morey saw this, he nearly dropped his staff. His voice trembled with disbelief, "It's... it's a member of the Western Wizard Council! The one in the purple robe is Lorraine the Astropath, a three-ring wizard!"

A glint of gloom flashed across the old cat's eyes, and he spoke in a heavy voice, "Grand Duke Frosthawk is draining their 'Wizard Essence'...providing evil nourishment for the Machine God."

At this moment, the gear mechanism in the cellar suddenly accelerated, making a deafening roar.

The imprisoned wizards let out shrill and desperate screams at the same time, and their bodies shriveled up at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if all the life force had been drained away.

The gear set on the top burst out with a dazzling silver light, so bright that it was impossible to look directly at it.

"Not good!" Gareth's face suddenly changed. He plunged the giant sword in his hand into the ground. The powerful force of order instantly erupted, forming a solid barrier of order that protected everyone inside. "This is the final stage of the sacrificial array!"

Immediately afterwards, the cellar wall collapsed, revealing a huge and complex mechanical structure behind it.

It turned out to be a miniature inverted clock tower, and the pendulum was made up of twelve tubes, each of which was connected to the spine of a wizard!

The pendulum began to swing slowly, and the entire cellar shook violently, as if it would collapse at any moment.

The old cat's black cat let out a sharp hiss and tried to transform into a shadow beast, but was forcibly suppressed by the silver light emitted by the pendulum and could not perform the function.

"This isn't a trap..." Robin's Blade of Order pointed uncontrollably at the pendulum. A hint of understanding flashed through his eyes as he said in a deep voice, "This is a 'teleportation anchor'!"

At this moment, a holographic image appeared out of thin air above the pendulum—Archduke Frosthawk sat on the majestic and gloomy throne of the Frost Fortress, the electronic eyes under the mechanical mask flashing scarlet light, like two burning blood-red flames.

"Welcome to the final piece of the ceremony." His voice was mechanically processed, with a cold and mocking smile, as if he was enjoying everyone's panic. "When the 'origin' of the twelve wizards, the 'order' of the Knights of the Round Table, and..."

The image suddenly turned to Robin, and that cold gaze seemed to penetrate the screen and pierce Robin's heart.

(End of this chapter)