I was a knight in the Middle Ages

Chapter 532 The Cicada Awaits (Page 12)

"Ruthless! Truly ruthless!" The Dark Council Chairman stood atop the bone dragon, looking at the fallen Alpha, and let out a hysterical laugh.

The laughter was filled with a bloodlust and a fanaticism for victory. "One Holy Ring rendered the Holy See a mere shell, reduced to a lackey of the Ottoman Empire; one Holy Ring saved the lives of three of your Holy See's Holy Knights! And three more Holy Rings will remain unrecovered for decades. This deal has been an absolute steal for the Dark Council! That old bastard Leo is probably heartbroken this time!"

In the eyes of the council president, the plan to kill the three great knights of the Ring had come to a perfect end.

However, on this battlefield where deathly silence and maniacal laughter intertwined, Athena seemed to hear nothing at all.

Her eyes, which were once as bright as stars, were now empty and lifeless, filled only with endless sorrow.

Athena carefully picked up Alpha's still-warm body and walked step by step, heavily and resolutely, toward the support force that had just arrived and was holding high the banner of "Holy Flame".

The two elven guards exchanged a desperate glance and silently followed behind Athena, like soulless shells.

This was a bizarre handover.

Surprisingly, not a single one of the bloodthirsty paladins and dark warriors around them intervened.

In their eyes, a dead person, a tool that has lost its usefulness, is not worth wasting even a second of their time.

All attention was focused on the few Holy Ring Knights who were still locked in a standoff.

Athena walked up to the waiting knights and gently handed Alpha's body to Zhang Yuntian.

Athena's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she only looked deeply at Alpha's pale face.

Then, Athena turned around and walked once again toward the center of the battlefield, which was filled with an aura of destruction.

The wind lifted her long silver hair, and her silhouette appeared so resolute yet poignant.

Athena knew that her destiny was darkness and calamity.

As long as she lives, disaster will follow her like a shadow.

Athena chose to return to the battlefield, not for the sake of fighting.

Rather, it was to divert this calamity away from the ordinary soldiers.

Athena sacrificed her own life to buy them a final space to survive.

Watching Athena's resolute departure, the two elven guards gritted their teeth and chose not to leave.

Instead, he gripped his short blade tightly once more and followed closely beside Alpha's corpse.

Even after their master has passed away, they must fulfill their final duty of protection.

"Really?" Just when the Dark Council Chief thought victory was assured, Achilles, who had been silent all along, suddenly laughed loudly.

The laughter was filled with mockery and tragic grandeur. "Do you really think we're just here to send away a dead man? If it's just to protect a holy ring, why would we risk a cardinal's life?"

Achilles and Julius exchanged a glance, their eyes clearly showing their determination to die.

"What?" The Dark Council Speaker's smile froze instantly.

"We traded the lives of three paladins for your three dark paladins, plus you, the council chairman. How does your Dark Council plan to settle this score?" A relieved smile appeared on the old cardinal's face.

The next second, the sky suddenly tore apart.

A massive six-pointed star magic circle appeared out of thin air, followed by a terrifying aura that caused the heavens and earth to change color.

That was pure light to the extreme, a holy light that purified all things!

"No! This is a forbidden spell! Retreat!" The Dark Council Chief finally felt fear and frantically urged the bone dragon to escape.

"Too late—the divine judgment!"

With a roar from the cardinal, his body and the two Holy Knights burst into flames, transforming into three pillars of light connecting heaven and earth.

The intense light swept outwards like a tsunami, and wherever it passed, all the dark creatures were instantly reduced to ashes, as if they had been doused with concentrated sulfuric acid.

In this sacred light, the figures of Achilles and Julius gradually faded away.

Their final gaze seemed to pierce through space, landing on the distant Holy See of Light.

At the headquarters of the Holy See, thousands of kilometers away, Pope Leo suddenly opened his eyes in a secret room.

Three holy rings, their light dimmed to the point of almost being extinguished, appeared out of thin air in his palm.

"Finally... I'm back." Pope Leo felt the faint life force within the Holy Ring and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

No matter the cost, it's all worth it as long as we get back the Tenth Holy Ring.

However, Leo's brows furrowed slightly, a hint of doubt and gloom flashing in his eyes: "Paul's divine power... why hasn't it returned? Where did that aura go..."

"Take her away! Leave no one else alive!" Ilya's icy command shattered the deathly silence of the battlefield.

Paladin Ilya, clad in blood-stained silver armor, slowly walked over the ashes and debris scattered on the ground.

Behind her, the dark mass of the Knights Templar surged into this land that had just experienced a catastrophe.

The situation before us is now clear: the top combat forces of the Dark Council and the Holy See of Light perished together in that tragic forbidden spell, turning into dust on this scorched earth.

The ultimate winner was none other than the Imperial Templar Knights, who had always been a subordinate force.

The Holy See will be completely returned to the rule of the Empire, the Holy See will be severely weakened, and the Dark Council will also fall into a long period of shock.

Ultimately, this world belongs to the empire.

Several Templar Knights roughly dragged away the unconscious Athena, the former Valkyrie now as powerless as a rag doll.

Apart from her, there were no other survivors on the battlefield; everyone else had turned to ashes.

……

“Rahim, Julius,” Ilya said, seated as the High Knight Commander, her gaze fixed on the two Holy Ring Knights, “continuing to resist is pointless. Submit to the Empire, and you will gain unparalleled glory and power. Isn’t that better?”

Despite Ilya's earnest words, she knew in her heart that even with the three paladins beside her, they simply could not truly keep these two holy ring knights who stood at the pinnacle of the continent.

A direct confrontation would only result in heavy losses for the empire; appeasement is the best course of action.

Rahim looked at the devastated battlefield, his eyes filled with weariness and despair: "We just want to return to peace and stop getting involved in the world's dirty conflicts. That's all."

"Foolish!" Ilya shouted angrily. "Don't you cherish the beauty, power, and wealth of this world?"

Ilya could not agree, nor dared she agree.

Allowing two Holy Ring Knights with the power to destroy cities and nations to leave is tantamount to planting two time bombs for the empire.

Uncontrolled forces can only be wiped out.

“Paladin Ilya,” a fat figure emerged from the shadows, none other than Duke Orlando, wearing a crown.

Although he bears the title of Holy Pope, everyone can see that he is already a puppet of the empire. "I heard you captured a stunningly beautiful female knight of light. Hand her over to me. I will ensure she receives the 'most 'proper' care under the 'holy light'."

Ilya glanced at him with disgust and snorted, "Take it. Don't kill it; it might still be of some use."

With Athena about to be taken away by Orlando, Rahim and Julius gripped their weapons tightly, and the atmosphere was tense and ready to erupt.

At this critical moment, a deep and familiar voice boomed like thunder at the entrance of the hall:

"Wait a minute."

Everyone turned around abruptly.

A figure slowly stepped through the broken door.

The figure removed its hood, revealing a face that should have been dead—Alpha.

"Alpha? Are you a human or a monster?!"

Ilya gasped in shock, her eyes filled with a terrifying look as if she had seen a ghost.

She watched as he was pierced through the heart by a sharp sword, his life cut short!

"I did die."

Alpha stepped into the arena step by step, the sound of his boots striking the ground like heavy hammer blows, striking the tense nerves of everyone.

Alpha's expression was indifferent, his voice calm yet chilling: "But don't forget, I am a Holy Knight, and I still know the Great Resurrection spell. This brush with death was worth it."

Alpha deliberately concealed the truth that Stars had saved him with the power of time.

Possessing such a treasure is a crime; if this extraordinary ability were exposed, it would only bring utter destruction to both Fanxing and himself.

Alpha at this point is no longer the same as it was before.

Paul's divine power had become perfectly integrated with him, and he had thoroughly understood the secrets of the Tenth Ring.

Although he is still at the Platinum Knight level on the surface, his true strength has surpassed that of an ordinary Paladin.

Even more terrifying is the loss of the Tenth Ring and the fall of Achilles and Julius.

Their holy ring power did not dissipate, but was quietly devoured by the "eleventh ring" in Alpha's hands.

At this moment, Alpha's ring contains the powers of several paladins.

Of course, these forces are not permanently fixed.

If the "Uncrowned Ring" is not activated and locked in as soon as possible, these plundered abilities will eventually dissipate.

"Today, I will take everything that belongs to me." Alpha's gaze swept across the entire arena like lightning, carrying an undeniable aura of power.

Rahim stared at him, a bitter smile playing on his lips: "I knew you would come. Before Pope Paul died, he gave us a spiritual decree that we should obey you... It turns out, he had foreseen everything. We are holding out here to the death, waiting for you, the 'chosen one'."

This command was extremely secretive; only high-ranking knights directly under the Pope could perceive that irresistible order deep within their souls.

"Who do you think you are!" Ilya roared, drawing her longsword and unleashing a surge of holy light. "Take her down!"

However, Alpha simply uttered two words in a cold voice:

"Kneel down."

These two characters seem to carry the rhythm of some kind of cosmic law, or like a divine decree.

Ilya felt a terrifying pressure from the depths of her soul descend upon her in an instant—the absolute suppression of the inferior by the superior!

Her proud paladin power crumbled at that moment, and her knees slammed into the ground with a sharp crack, shattering the hard stone slabs.

“This…this is…the authority of Pope Paul?!” Ilya was filled with fear, her body trembling uncontrollably, unable even to lift her head.

Alpha walked up to her, looking down at the once high and mighty paladin, a cruel smile playing on his lips:

“You all want to kill me and take everything away. But I’m determined to be resurrected and crawl back from hell.”

He spread his arms, and beneath his black cloak, divine power surged, as if the will of Pope Paul had reappeared on earth.

"Now, open your eyes and see clearly. I am the new oracle, the new ruler."

"Even if you control me, there are five thousand elite Templar Knights outside! Even if you have extraordinary abilities, can you kill them all?" Although Ilya was forced to kneel on one knee by the divine power, she still stubbornly roared.

Ilya knew that the real threat to the Holy See was not them, but the Imperial Templar Order, which was nominally three thousand but actually six thousand.

"Then kill them all." Alpha's reply was cold and devoid of any emotion.