I was a knight in the Middle Ages

Chapter 526 Darkness Descends (Page 12)

"From now on, you will all stay in the secret room. No one is allowed to come out without my order!" Alpha's voice was urgent and stern. The secret report that Bedo had just sent made him smell the breath of death.

Without a word, Alpha pushed Fanxing and the others into the prepared underground chamber. The cold stone door slowly closed, cutting off all outside sight.

"Why not go directly to the military camp? Isn't it safer there?" Bedor asked one last question, his face pale and his voice trembling.

“The military camp is too far away, and people’s hearts are hard to fathom. It can only be our last resort now,” Alpha replied in a deep voice, a resolute glint in his eyes.

"Only when I am completely unable to protect you can you leave here and seek refuge with them. Until then, staying by my side is the safest option."

After settling everyone in, Alpha quickly returned to the main hall.

At this moment, Athena and the other five Knights of Light were already on high alert.

Clad in light armor, with their hands on sword hilts, they stood in the hall like six guardian deities.

Their mission is singular—to protect Alpha at all costs.

As night fell, a torrential downpour began, with large raindrops pounding against the rooftops and the ground, creating a deafening sound.

The pitch-black night sky was occasionally illuminated by tearing lightning, followed by the booming of thunder.

This terrible weather provided perfect cover for murder and arson; a suffocating, chilling atmosphere permeated the air.

Bedo had already dismissed all the ordinary servants in the family for three days under the pretext of "taking shelter from the rain for maintenance".

At this moment, the vast Bedor Castle was empty except for a few patrolling guards who were unaware of the danger, and these knights who were about to face a bloody storm.

Boom—!

A thunderclap followed, followed by a flash of lightning.

The three guards who were patrolling the courtyard suddenly vanished from their original positions without even uttering a scream, and were swallowed by the darkness.

Inside the hall, Athena, who had been resting with her eyes closed, suddenly opened them.

Those blue eyes flashed with a cold light, and a chilling killing intent instantly locked onto the shadows of the castle.

"Just a few rats, I'll take care of them." The Golden Knight, who had been complaining about not having warmed up his muscles for the past few days, grinned.

The greatsword in his hand hummed excitedly, eager to drink blood.

Inside the sealed room, the air was still, and Fanxing and the others held their breath, listening intently to every sound coming from above.

Footsteps, the clanging of metal, whispers, and suppressed screams drowned out by the downpour.

They were trapped in a small space, with only the faint light of a magic lamp illuminating their pale faces.

Time seemed to stretch out, each second feeling like torture on a knife's edge.

Outside the secret chamber, however, lay a battlefield of carnage.

Alpha and the Six Knights leaned against the stone pillars of the hall, rainwater pouring in through the broken window frames, soaking the carpet into a dark color.

The three guards' corpses lay on the ground, their necks tinged with an eerie purplish-black, clearly indicating they had been poisoned.

Athena crouched down, her fingertips lightly touching the wound, her brow furrowed: "It's the mark of the 'Shadow Poison Spider,' the Black Raven Order under the Dark Council has arrived."

"As expected... they couldn't wait any longer." Alpha sneered, slowly drawing his longsword.

The inscriptions on the sword gleamed with a crimson-gold light in the flashes of lightning. "Did they think they could wipe us out in one fell swoop, taking advantage of the night, the rain, and our isolation?"

Before the words were even finished, the entire castle suddenly trembled!

The roof tiles shattered, and dozens of dark figures descended from the sky like bats, landing silently, leaving only a chilling killing intent.

They were draped in dark cloaks, their faces covered with raven-head masks, and the short blades in their hands gleamed with a cold, eerie blue light.

It was the infamous Black Crow assassins, specializing in assassinations and exterminations.

"Protect Alpha!" the Golden Knight roared.

The greatsword swept across, cleaving the three attacking assassins in two, and blood mist mixed with rainwater spread across the ground.

The battle erupted instantly.

Swords flashed and shadows danced in the torrential rain, thunder providing the perfect cover.

Athena's twin swords flashed like lightning, her movements were as swift as the wind, and every strike accurately hit the vital points.

The earth knights used their shields as a shield, holding their flanks firmly, and did not retreat an inch no matter how many enemies surged towards them.

However, the number of enemies increased, as if they were emerging from underground, completely surrounding the castle.

"Something's wrong!" the Fire Knight roared. "They're not here to kill, they're here to surround us! The entrances and exits to the secret passages around here must have been sealed off as well!"

Alpha's eyes sharpened, and he suddenly looked towards the secret room—he understood that the enemy's true goal was to wipe them out completely, leaving no one alive.

"We can't wait any longer!" Alpha roared, pointing his sword at the ceiling. "Gold, break through! We'll break out from the roof!"

"Understood!" The Golden Knight laughed wildly, raised his greatsword high, his battle aura surged, and he slashed out with his sword!

With a deafening roar, the roof collapsed, and rubble and rainwater poured down.

Taking advantage of the momentary chaos, Alpha gave the order: "Everyone, follow me—charge out!"

Amidst the rain of blood, seven figures tore through the darkness like sharp blades, speeding towards the depths of the dense forest.

Behind them were burning castles, fallen corpses, and countless pairs of resentful, sinister eyes.

But Alpha knew this was just the beginning.

The real war has only just begun.

The rain gradually subsided, and although the dark clouds had not completely dispersed, the downpour had turned into a light drizzle.

The Seven Knights did not stray far from Bedo Castle, knowing full well that if they were separated, Alpha's safety would be at risk.

They hid in the desolate stone formation not far from the ancient castle. The jagged rocks, resembling the skeletons of ancient beasts in the night, served as natural cover.

"Those rats are coming again, drawn by the smell of blood." Athena leaned against a cold boulder, her keen senses allowing her to detect a subtle rustling coming from the distant grass.

Her eyes instantly sharpened like an eagle's, and the longsword in her hand was already half an inch out of its sheath, its cold light gleaming.

"Hehe, just in time." Alpha cracked his wrists, making a snapping sound, and a bloodthirsty smile appeared on his face.

"I was so frustrated by that woman in the training grounds during the day, and I had a lot of anger to vent. Since they dare to come, I'll kill them all again to show them!"

From the depths of darkness, low, suppressed wolf howls rose and fell, surging like a tide.

With the help of a pale bolt of lightning that tore through the night sky, Athena clearly saw the monsters lurking in the shadows.

They have a robust body like a calf, protruding fangs, and eyes that gleam with a sinister green light.

“It’s the werewolf group from the Dark Council.” Athena’s voice was tinged with seriousness. “It seems that in order to prevent Alpha from participating in the ritual, they have colluded with those shady forces.”

"In that case, it's my turn to take the lead this time!" Alpha couldn't suppress his fighting spirit.

During the day, he was constantly suppressed by Ilya in the training grounds. Now, facing these inferior creatures, it was the perfect opportunity for him to vent his anger and test his strength.

“No.” Athena refused decisively, her tone leaving no room for doubt. “You must save your chance for last. When none of us can draw our swords, that will be your opportunity to act. Right now, you just need to protect yourself.”

Athena quickly surveyed the battlefield, calmly allocating resources: "Knight Water, you lead the attack. Your ice-type aura can effectively slow down the werewolves. Knight Earth, be ready to provide support at any time. The rest of you, form ranks! We're going to break through their defenses here!"

"Alright!" Knight Water had long been unable to contain his excitement, and the moment he heard the command, he rushed out like an arrow.

The longsword in his hand danced, stirring up shards of icy frost that swept towards the werewolf charging at the front.

However, this time the werewolves far exceeded expectations in both number and individual strength.

They didn't swarm in; instead, they employed simple tactical coordination.

Some of the werewolf leaders were even exceptionally large and were able to withstand the freezing attacks of the water.

The water's offensive was instantly contained, and there was even a slight tendency for it to be pushed back.

"Earth, support Water!" Athena made a decisive change of tactics. "Everyone else, form the 'Holy Light Array' and break through with me head-on! We can't let them drag this into a war of attrition!"

The battle erupted instantly.

The knight's thick rock-type aura instantly erected a solid barrier in front of the water, blocking the werewolf's pounce.

Shui then took the opportunity to adjust his breathing, and his fighting spirit circulated even more fiercely.

Athena took the lead, her holy light sword energy sweeping out like a crescent moon, causing any werewolf that got close to let out a shrill scream.

This was a brutal battle fought during the sport.

Rainwater mixed with blood stained Stonehenge a dark red.

The howls of werewolves, the roars of knights, and the clash of weapons mingled together, echoing throughout the night.

As the first rays of dawn pierced the clouds, the last werewolf fell with a mournful howl, and the remaining monsters receded like a tide.

The fierce battle that lasted all night finally came to an end.

Exhausted, the group retreated back to Bedo Castle, only to find that the eastern annex of the castle had been set ablaze by wolf fire during the melee, burning down about a quarter of it.

Seeing his ancestral business reduced to ashes, Beethoven's heart was bleeding.

But he couldn't afford to feel sorry for himself at that moment. He could only frantically direct the remaining guards to reinforce the defenses, fearing that the assassins would sneak in during the chaos.

They dared not relax in the slightest, because the Papacy's envoy could arrive at any moment.

If the envoy cannot be found, Alpha's eligibility will be revoked, and all previous sacrifices will have been in vain.

During the day, everyone took turns resting to conserve their energy and wait for the night to fall again.

In response to the fiercer offensive, under Athena's command, they used the daytime to lay more crossbows and traps among the ruins of the ancient castle.

Since it's come to a point where it's a matter of life and death, there's no need to talk about chivalry anymore; survival is the only way to win.

As night fell again on the second day, the battle began as expected.

But this time, the enemy descended from the sky.

Amidst the overwhelming swarm of black bats, there were dozens of vampire counts clad in black robes.

However, for the Knights of Light, who possess divine attributes, this was undoubtedly a gift delivered to their doorstep.

At Athena's command, the Seven Knights erupted with dazzling holy light, like a beacon in the night.

Where the holy light touched, the vampire let out a shrill scream and turned to ashes.

Now that the Holy See had discovered them, they simply stopped hiding their strength and openly used their holy power to suppress the enemy, leaving them powerless to fight back.

But this was merely the calm before the storm; everyone knew that the real storm was probably yet to come.

The setting sun, like blood, stained the war-torn ruins of Bedor Castle with a tragic orange-red hue.

Alpha's longsword was still dripping blood, and the assassin impaled on the sword's tip made a gurgling sound in his throat as his eyes quickly became unfocused.

Alpha flicked his wrist, tossing the corpse aside, and stared with a furrowed brow at the faint outline of the holy city in the distance.

"No way, are these guys crazy? They dare to launch an attack in broad daylight!" Alpha wiped the blood splattered on his face, his tone tinged with exhaustion, but even more so with the ruthlessness born of being driven to the brink.