The Paladin in the Abyss

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"It looks like a dog, larger in size, with bone spurs on its back, multiple heads, just like the descriptions in the sacred texts, High Priest, take a look..."

"It is indeed an Abyssal Hound, I never thought I would see these creatures again," Aspasia said, seemingly awakened from her memories, her voice deep and solemn, "Albert, we have trouble."

Albert frowned at these words and hesitated before speaking:

"You mentioned the great war from tens of thousands of years ago..."

"Yes," Aspasia nodded. "About 50,000 years ago, the Elves, like humans now, spread across every corner of the world and even started exploring other worlds. Soon, we discovered a plane called the Abyss."

"That plane was fascinating, filled with all sorts of terrifying creatures and rich in magical resources. Initially, we only thought the environment was harsh and failed to realize that it was the creatures of the Abyss that posed the real threat."

"We constructed a vast portal in an attempt to delve deeper into this plane. Although the beings there were powerful, they seemed mindless and unorganized, and at first, we encountered little resistance. However, when several Abyssal Lords combined their forces, a terrible war erupted."

"The enemy had an overwhelming advantage in numbers, and some of their higher creatures were incredibly powerful. We simply couldn't hold them back. After the portal fell, these Abyssal creatures rushed into our world through the passage."

"The Elves finally realized their grave mistake, but it was too late. In the final moments, the five Elf Kings united and assembled the last of their armies, making a suicidal assault on the portal's location, the once supreme royal city."

"The attack succeeded. The portal was destroyed, along with the enemy's main forces and an entire tract of land. The inner sea of the Western Continent was formed from that explosion."

"Although Elves have near-infinite lifespans, because the environment of this world was severely damaged, it became difficult for us, born from natural forces, to reproduce. The remnant Elves, less than one percent of the original population, retreated into the dense forests of the Eastern Continent."

"Some of the peripheral Abyssal creatures became fish that slipped through the net, their shadows still in your legends and folk tales, you call them Demons, a very appropriate name."

Everyone listened with reverence to the High Priest's narration of the ancient history, those events that took place before the existence of mankind. Lancelot asked in a soft voice:

"High Priest, were you a witness to that war?"

"Yes," Aspasia looked again at the portal of light in mid-air. "I was very young at that time, too young to fight, and that's why I survived that catastrophe. Lia and Xilis were born much later, they only learned of these histories from the texts."

"How do we close the portal?" Albert, who had heard these stories before, was now more concerned about how to deal with the current situation.

Aspasia replied with a smile.

"The good news is, this portal has just been opened and is still unstable, easy to close. As long as we make it disappear before any Abyssal Lord notices it, there shouldn't be any problem."

"And what's the bad news?" The Knight King keenly caught the implication in the High Priest's words.

"We need a warrior to go in and detonate the channel near the other end, thoroughly destroy the spatial fluctuations, so that the Demon magicians can't locate our world to open the portal again." Aspasia paused, "This warrior can only retreat through the other side of the channel and cannot return."

The crowd fell silent. The rebellion had just succeeded, they had just witnessed the death of Emperor Pharis, and it was time to divide the spoils of victory. Wealth and glory waited for every person present, and no one wanted to give up everything at hand at this moment.

An awkward silence continued when a voice appeared in time.

"I am willing to go."

Everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Albert looked complicatedly at the person who had volunteered. The strong Lancelot, the brave Lancelot, the righteous Lancelot, the Lancelot who always charged ahead.

Everyone knew of a Lancelot in the rebel army who had never lost a battle, but not everyone knew that the leader of the rebel alliance was Albert.

Reality was so ironic. Even though Lancelot had always been loyal to Albert, the increasing fame had made Lancelot the greatest threat to Albert.

"Are you sure?" The High Priest hesitated slightly. The lifespan of humans, compared to Elves, is very short, so she could not quite understand human thoughts.

The black-haired Knight didn't speak but simply nodded lightly.

"Very well, Sir Lancelot. On behalf of the Elf Race, I extend the deepest gratitude to you," Aspasia said solemnly.

Lancelot managed a strained smile:

"I trust in your wisdom; someone had to do it. What exactly should I do?"

The Elf took out an exquisitely woven bag and loaded it with gemstones she had prepared earlier. Then she took out a dark red branch, inserted it into the mouth of the bag, and tied it securely. She handed the bag to Lancelot, explaining:

"Once inside, you will find yourself in a corridor-like environment, surrounded by the most beautiful starry sky you have ever seen."

"Do not look at those stars; they will cause you to get lost. Focus straight ahead, and you will see a door in the distance, the exit to another world."

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