The Paladin in the Abyss

"It must be related to the location where this memory occurred," Eckmond shook his head, "Between the Bottomless Abyss and Barto Hell lies a plane called Hades in the Grey Wastelands. Most of the time, that's the main battlefield for the blood wars. Any object entering this plane loses its color, turning into shades of black and white, which is why you saw the images like that."

"But the Demons have already attacked the Abyss," Lancelot said with a frown, "This memory must be quite old."

"It seems I've really been dead for a long time," Eckmond's mood visibly low, "Besides making me irritated and confused, this memory doesn't provide any useful information."

"There's still plenty of content, just not enough to deduce your identity," Lancelot consoled, "This memory seems to have been awakened because of the image of Enreyes. Maybe, as our journey continues, more and more of your memories will be awakened. Once we have enough pieces, maybe you'll be able to piece together your past."

"Heh, thanks boss, I think this approach sounds reliable." Eckmond's fleshless skull revealed a frightening smile, and he seemed less downcast.

As they conversed, the iconic cliffs of Crackskull Valley gradually came into Lancelot's view. After about half an hour, Lancelot finally arrived at the second rendezvous point that had been agreed upon.

His Spirit Perception told him that Bruto and the others were just ahead; almost arriving simultaneously. Lancelot did not try to hide his presence, and soon Bruto spotted him, loudly greeting and pulling everyone out to meet.

"Ha! What did I tell you, Lancelot is definitely fine," Bruto said cheerfully, "What about Enreyes? Did you deal with her?"

The one responsible for rendezvousing with them, Iados, was also startled and came over from the shadows.

The Dwarf's words made him somewhat incredulous. As a Demon, he knew very well how formidable a creature like Enreyes was, an antithesis to Demons before and after their fall. If Lancelot could kill an Enreyes one-on-one, then he had to reassess the strength of Human Knights.

"I'm no match for her," Lancelot patted Eckmond's bald head, "This guy was playing dead on the ground, but at a critical moment, he struck the opponent suddenly, creating a chance for me to break away from the battle. Plus, something unexpected seemed to have happened at Oasis Fort, which forced her to give up on chasing me, though she did shoot me with an arrow before leaving."

Lancelot turned around, showing everyone the hole in his armor, then asked the two Priests:

"The arrow that hit me was laced with a very strong poison, which I can only suppress slightly. Can you guys help me solve this problem?"

"You're poisoned?" Vito looked at Lancelot in surprise, "But you look completely normal…"

"Let me handle this, I'm a Cleric of the Domain of Life, I am skilled in this," Alamir interjected, "Take off your armor, let me see your wound."

Lancelot did as he was told, removing his Back Armor and tearing off the makeshift bandage, showing his back to everyone.

There, around the wound at the center of his back, there was a discomforting deep black color extending about an inch around. Outside this area, the color quickly faded, as if some force was confining the poison within that range.

"It's alright, it's not a big issue," Alamir said with a confident smile, then softly recited a spell, summoning a red light full of life force and gently touching Lancelot's wound.

The fingertips of the Elf Priest were very soft, and Lancelot felt no discomfort at all. A divine force flowed into his body from the touch of the Elf's fingers, and the stubborn toxins inside him, like snow under a harsh sun, quickly dispersed under the pressure of Lancelot's True Qi.

Feeling the toxins completely eradicated, Lancelot felt relieved. He put his armor back on, and then Iados, who had been silent all this time, spoke up:

"I didn't expect to actually see you again. Have you secured the mission objective?" Find your next adventure on empire

"It's with me," Lancelot nodded, "you must have witnessed what happened at Oasis Fort."

"We might have discovered the Demon's army even before you did," the Goat-headed Demon confirmed Lancelot's guess, "when those infantry with bronze masks on their faces entered the forest, I almost thought it was some kind of foolish prank, another one of Molo's stupid schemes.

But, the foul stench emitting from those creatures confirmed they were indeed a group of Bartez, not to mention their work method reminiscent of a swarm of bees."

"What about your subordinates?" Kalalin suddenly interjected, then immediately felt it was abrupt and quickly explained, "Lady Tijana mentioned that you would lead twenty Bruto warriors to meet us…"

"There is a whole army of Bartez attacking the city over there, and we are behind enemy lines," Iados calmly looked at Kalalin, "If it were two hundred years ago, I would have charged forward without hesitation, just like my subordinates, to relish in this feast of slaughter."

"You seem..." the Scholar carefully chose his words, "different from other Demons."

"A former superior changed me," the Goat-headed Demon's voice fluctuated slightly, "He taught me the meaning of duty. My current duty is to bring you back, although I did not hold much hope for your escape earlier. If you had not made it out, then I would have had to ensure that Lady Tijana was the first to learn of these developments."

"Hey, I was there too," Old Reap spoke up at this point, "I'm glad to see you again, Iados."

"I didn't know before that you were in there, Werewolf," Iados and Old Reap seemed to know each other, as he nodded to the latter, "As always, you manage to keep a good escape route."

"Hey, this guy is as aloof as ever, acting as if showing any more emotion would ignite the arsenal inside him," Phil shrugged his shoulders, "Did you notice any other information? Lady Tijana would certainly want to understand where this Demon army came from."

The Goat-headed Demon was silent for a while, seemingly uncertain about what he was about to say, but still spoke:

"There was a guy, his body wrapped in iron chains, guarded by a group of Beard Demons, wielding an axe that seems to be 'Punisher' Wisk's giant flying Beheading Axe."

"Are you sure?" Old Reap's eyes widened in surprise, "Wisk, the 'Punisher' who was murdered by his own pet and lover a few months ago, his weapon appeared in the hands of Demons? What does that imply?"