Chapter 369: Sacrifice

Looking at the Orcs charging continuously from the southwest, Aierwen sighed in a way rarely seen. Under these circumstances, he certainly could not leave; it was not just the oath before the Holy Stele that bound him, but following his own heart, he was unwilling to leave at this moment. This was the moment of decision! In fact, from the moment he heard the Nether King's decree of reconciliation, he had already gained awareness, and what he had seen and heard in Jilan Town made him understand that the Fallen Ones were beyond redemption. Perhaps a brand-new era was beginning from this very moment.

He turned and beckoned to Jiaer and the other brothers. At this time, a mere look was enough to convey what was in his heart. Watching the Orcs draw closer, Aierwen raised the sword in his hand and shouted, "Brothers, fight!"

Subsequently, a mass of holy radiance, more powerful than before and as if tangible, spread out from his body and extended to the group of Warriors. Such a change ignited a glimmer of hope in those Warriors who had almost fallen into despair.

"Fight!"

The other Paladins of the Holy Light Brotherhood had likewise made their decision. After a shout, the remaining twelve Paladins also seemed to transform into sources of Holy Light, and tangible holy radiance spread from them continuously, bestowing a layer of shimmering Holy Light armor upon the group of Warriors.

"Ah—I have strength!" A Warrior who had originally been exhausted and lying on the ground, despairingly waiting for death, immediately let out a joyful exclamation.

It was not just him, but others, even more people. The next moment, the Warriors who had fought until they were drained of all energy all stood up again. Some curiously touched the Holy Light armor on their bodies with their hands, then let out even more surprised cries: "It's real, this is real!"

People began to experiment continuously. The Holy Light armor was attached to their original Leather Armor, while the Holy Light Blade was an extension of their original weapons. Thinking of the scenes where they had seen the Paladins brandish their swords, the Warriors immediately cast aside their Long Spears and switched entirely to using long swords.

When someone also swung a Holy Light Blade and sliced an Orc corpse nearby into two pieces, the Warriors became even more stirred up! At this moment, looking at the approaching Orcs, they each revealed looks of eagerness. Some even thought about slicing an Orc corpse first to practice.

However, a voice from within their hearts told them—they could not do this, they could not waste the hope that Aierwen and the others had brought them with their lives. But when they looked at Aierwen and the others, Aierwen and his companions no longer gave any response.

Having had the experience of fighting together before, they quickly perceived thirteen grand, rock-solid wills from the Holy Light. And that was not all; there were also the wills of the two hundred or so of them, constantly communicating within an invisible space.

At the very beginning, there were still barriers between them; after all, one's memory always hides countless dark sides that one does not want others to know. But those thirteen grand wills, as magnificent as the sun in the sky, did not hide anything at all.

Not only did they not hide anything, but they also actively transmitted their entire pasts, their deeds, and their thoughts to them.

"Ah—"

A Warrior could not withstand the intense impact brought by the experiences of Aierwen and the others. It was not just an impact on their concepts, but also a torture of the Soul. Aierwen and the others had never done anything to betray the people, yet they bore the reputation of traitors. However, not only did they not harbor resentment because of this, but they instead gave birth to even more love for the people, and of course, anger toward the Fallen Ones.

Over and over, the Warriors repeatedly relived the experiences of Aierwen and the others, and tears could not help but blur their vision.

……

"Roar—"

The roars of the Orcs were already close at hand. Bake wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, lifted his long sword, and called out to the Holy Light. The next moment, a tall and sturdy white horse appeared beside him. Bake vaulted onto the horse, his sword point directed straight at the Orcs.

And the others also silently mounted their horses. Their wills were communicating at every moment in the invisible realm. They did not need command, nor did they need instruction; they naturally and instinctively used all the combat experience and techniques of the thirteen Paladins.

More than two hundred people connected into one body and one mind, charging toward the incoming Orcs in a cone formation! Clip-clop, clip-clop—

Even the horses stepped to the same rhythm. If one had not seen it with their own eyes, and if the sound were not so grand, who would believe that this continuous clip-clop of hoofbeats came from over two hundred galloping steeds?

And apart from this clip-clop of hoofbeats, no other sound could be heard. All the Warriors' gazes were calm yet revealed an incomparably firm conviction, charging into the Orc horde with an unstoppable momentum.

There was no need to swing their swords to slash; countless tangible Holy Lights condensed into a cone head, grinding the countless Orcs in their path into dust. Occasionally, if a few were not affected, a Holy Light Blade would slice them into two pieces the next moment.

Almost in the blink of an eye, the first wave of incoming Orcs had been slaughtered to the last. And the Warriors did not stop, continuing to charge toward the southwest.

Along the way, any Orc blocking the path could not escape the fate of being turned into mud and flesh. And as the Warriors moved further away, the figures of Aierwen and the others standing in place became even more radiant. Endless brilliance gushed out from their bodies, just like thirteen dazzling fountains of Holy Light.

This brilliance pierced through the void and extended to the Warriors who had already moved far from the White Stone Intersection, providing continuous support for their offensive!

……

Jilan Town.

Walixi and the other Priests watched the Orc Tide that had changed course to surge toward the northeast and smiled triumphantly. At dusk, even if the Orc Tide became thin, it was not something that those Rebels who had been fighting continuously for a day could handle.

But when they saw thirteen pillars of light suddenly ignite in the northeast, the expressions on their faces froze. Walixi even stared at the Priest from Giles, gnashing his teeth, and said bitterly:

"Why didn't the Nether King mention there were thirteen Rebel-level martyrs?! Huh?!"

The questioned Priest said nothing, only staring fixedly at the pillars of light in the northeast. Facing Walixi's questioning, he only said: "The Nether King has his own plans!"

In fact, he was also shocked. The Nether King had never told him about this. He had not expected that those Rebels could actually develop to such a degree!

Soon, they saw a cone-shaped knight formation shrouded in Holy Light moving continuously toward them, appearing exceptionally conspicuous in the dim light of dusk.

And as that cone-shaped knight formation moved, those thirteen pillars of light became even brighter, piercing straight into the sky.

Priest Walixi scrambled down from the defensive wall, and the other Priests were no better off, each following closely behind Walixi. They knew that the best choice now was to follow Walixi.

Otherwise, according to past experience, whenever martyrs-level Rebels appeared, they would purge the Priests of a region; only by hiding among the Commoners could one save their life.

It was not that the other side could not discover them, but that those Rebels would actually care about the safety of the Commoners.

……

A village north of Jilan Town.

At this time, the sun had already fallen below the horizon, but His brilliance had not completely receded.

Xia Duo, who had been fully immersed in the advancement plan for an entire day, could not help but rub his swollen brow at this moment. "Soul Studies" was obscure and difficult to understand, the practice was even more complex, and "Arcane Principles" was far beyond his knowledge.

The Plane mini-theater is about to end. Actually, exploring the birth of the Lord of Radiance is related to the achievements later on, as is the Ascension to Godhood. Arcanist is only a mortal profession; later on, one must definitely upgrade to become an existence on par with gods. Becoming a god is one way, and there are other ways.

Because the protagonist's strength is relatively low in this episode, he cannot participate in these matters for the time being. Later, the mini-theater will be arranged in combination with the protagonist's actual situation.

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(End of this chapter)