The Paladin in the Abyss

Lancelot took the initiative, turning to face the enemy and delivering an upper slash with his longsword—a signature opening move of his Triple Strike.

As if the succubus had eyes in the back of her head, her longsword swept low from behind to parry Lancelot's weapon and, with a half-turn, she was precisely positioned to catch Lancelot's following horizontal slash.

The Human Knight's longsword retracted like lightning, thrusting out the final move of the Triple Strike straight at the enemy's face.

A sneer appeared on the succubus's face as if she had anticipated the thrust. The moment Lancelot's hand began to lift, she started to duck, her longsword aiming for Lancelot's forward-stepping right foot.

However, unexpectedly for the succubus, Lancelot's thrust was a feint. His figure suddenly flickered and he leaped into the air, spinning rapidly and unleashing a powerful sword strike at the succubus's nape!

"Well done!"

The succubus let out a fierce shout as her wings flapped backward, making her fall forward as if pushed. Her right hand's longsword, swift as a serpent, recoiled to her back in a flash to block Lancelot's thunderous strike.

With her left hand pressing against the ground, the succubus spun around like a top, swiftly realigning herself. Like a cobra coiled on the ground, she thrust upwards. Had Lancelot been reckless enough to pursue his attack, the sword would have pierced straight through the Human Knight.

But after his fastest and strongest strike failed to hit, Lancelot naturally didn't dare to pursue further. He used the recoil from the clashing swords to create distance, lightly touching the succubus's sword tip with his weapon as he landed solidly at a standoff distance where neither could continue their assault.

"Not bad," the succubus teased with a fancy flourish of her longsword, licking her fingers with her tongue, "That move just now was brilliant, I haven't had such a thrilling fight in a long while, and you're making me almost reluctant to kill you."

Lancelot focused on calming his irregular breathing, steadying the surging True Qi within him.

Despite his readiness for difficulty, the succubus's strength still exceeded his expectations. In terms of reaction speed and agility, the previously defeated Spiritual Cultivator was superior, but the succubus's swordsmanship had reached a level of near-perfection, making her a far more lethal enemy than the Spiritual Cultivator.

When the first two moves of the Triple Strike were blocked by the enemy, Lancelot understood the extent of the enemy's swordsmanship skills. If he had committed fully to the final thrust, it would have left a huge vulnerability.

Normally, if the first two moves of the Triple Strike did not penetrate the opponent's defense, the final thrust would have to become a feint—although such a scenario almost never occurred.

And the maneuver of leaping and spinning in mid-air for a horizontal slash was something he could barely perform without armor, practicing against wooden stakes. Without further strengthening his body through Spiritual Cultivation, this move would be impossible to execute while clad in heavy armor.

Yet this strike, which neared the limits of human capability, still failed to inflict any damage. It was said that Enyeries was originally a Battle Angel assigned to combat Demons or perhaps a descendant of those once-noble celestial beings who possessed unparalleled combat skills.

They were twisted by the hatred and slaughter brought by prolonged battles and subsequently were shunned by the gods. Yet, it was precisely the role assigned to them by the gods, so when Astimos parted ways with the other gods, they followed the Lord of the Nine Hells without hesitation to what would become the yet unformed Barto Hell.

Though their weapons no longer swung for righteousness and protection, and they had lost the blessing of Divine Power, their strength was still terrifying!
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"The music hasn't stopped yet, Sir," the succubus said as her wings flapped hard, propelling her like an arrow released from its bow, skimming across the ground and shouting at the same time, "Let's continue!"

The last syllable hadn't left his lips when the succubus rushed in front of the human knight, thrusting her sword fiercely. Lancelot, as if his feet were fitted with springs, rolled to the side and narrowly dodged the enemy's lunge.

In the brief moment their figures crossed, the succubus's sword stabbed into the ground like a pillar, firmly planted. Then, with her wings stretched to their fullest behind her, she spun half a circle around the hilt of her sword in midair, raising her leg clad in steel boots, and kicked Lancelot hard in the back.

Lancelot hadn't expected the succubus to change direction so quickly, only feeling a terrifying gust hit his back. He managed to gather some True Qi to shield himself, but still felt a massive force strike him, as if a battering ram had hit him, sending him flying forward.

He rolled on the ground several times in an embarrassing tumble before coming to a stop. Getting up, he immediately raised his sword in defense, only to find the succubus standing in the same spot, watching him with mocking amusement, in no hurry to follow up her attack.

He tasted sweetness in his throat and spat out another mouthful of blood. However, since he had protected his back with True Qi just now, he hadn't suffered any internal damage. After expelling this blood tainted with impurities, he surprisingly felt much clearer.

"Hey, boss, you alright? Anything I can help with?"

The voice of Eckmond suddenly rose from the depths of his heart. Lancelot then realized the fellow hadn't left; he'd been lying on the ground all along, right by his feet, pretending to be an ordinary skull.

"How come you... just lie there, don't move," Lancelot ordered via telepathy, while the succubus strolled over with an easy gait, speaking as she walked:

"My name is Valtira, a humble servant of Duchess Graecia. Remember my name, for when I kill you, your soul will go to a place awaiting the Divine Envoys. There, there are also envoys from Hell. Speak with them, then give them my name, and they will offer you a generous contract."

"Thank you, my name is..."

"That's not important, once you're in Hell, you'll have a new name," Lancelot was cut off mid-sentence by the other, "Now, let's continue, this pleasing dance, how much longer can you keep up with me?"

Valtira charged again, expecting Lancelot to evade with that strange movement technique once more, so she didn't charge too fiercely, ready to change direction at any moment.

Lancelot's body leaned slightly to one side, a motion the succubus recognized as his prelude to dodging. She swung her weapon forward swiftly, her mind already plotting the follow-up attack.

Unexpectedly, the human knight didn't dodge, but swung his longsword with all his might, catching the succubus's casual strike.

The two longswords clashed tightly, and Lancelot, using the Entangling Sword technique and catching his opponent off guard, managed to block her charge and found themselves at a stalemate.

The outwitted Valtira was infuriated, her hand forcefully adding pressure to her sword, but Lancelot suddenly let go with one hand that was gripping the sword while giving the other hand a light flick. Caught off-guard, the succubus's weapon was deftly directed toward the ground.

Just then, a skull that had lain on the ground suddenly bounded up, pressing down hard on the succubus's sword, while Lancelot's now free left hand shot forward like lightning, already touching the chest of the succubus!