"Despicable Demor humans, all of you get out!"
"The patience of the great true dragon is limited. If you do not come out, this place will be turned to ashes by flames!"
Gresha roared furiously, flapping its dragon wings, stirring up a multitude of sparks.
It circled above the Demor Palace, while other black and green dragons also roared upwards. The loud and lofty dragon chants were like thunder rumbling among the clouds, echoing continuously, deafening to the ears.
Roel, from the Demor's opposing side, also joined in, pretending to be part of Gresha's group.
The stone tomb serpent dragon that followed Garon hesitated for a moment, then roared a few times.
Garon, in front of the other dragons, quietly watched the high-towered Demor Palace.
There were many human presences inside.
Some were surrounded by elemental aura, trembling, showing their unsettled emotions, but most were just ordinary people, shivering from the true dragon's roar and threats, even through the palace walls.
After a dozen seconds, the fiery-tempered red dragon could no longer hold back.
Its mouth opened, and between its interlacing sharp teeth, it seemed to hold a ball of fierce fire.
Boom! A fireball spit out from Gresha's mouth, landing on the palace's front steps, blasting the stone slabs apart like a cannonball, igniting fierce flames, and the high temperature slightly distorted the surrounding air.
Meanwhile, the Temple Knights of the Church of Light arrived.
Caines's pupils reflected the firelight, his expression slightly solemn.
Oath of Sanctity - Dispel Energy.
A milky white light, like an invisible strong wind, extinguished the flames caused by the red dragon.
Seeing Caines's action, Garon's gaze slightly moved.
Paladins are not purely warriors but are akin to those proficient in both magic and combat.
They wield a power known as the Sanctity Spell or Sanctity Divine Art. After making a vow to adhere to, driven by firm belief, paladins can mobilize the power of just vows for healing, protection, and combating evil.
The more resolute a paladin's belief, the greater the power of their Sanctity Spell.
"Set a vow to restrain oneself, bind one's desires, to gain strength."
Garon retracted his gaze.
On the other side, the tightly closed palace gates slowly opened.
First, a series of orderly footsteps sounded, and two rows of elite palace guards emerged, silently standing like sculptures between the Temple Knights and the true dragons.
Then, nobles dressed in star and moon embroidered garments walked out from the palace, with a central figure wearing a golden crown and holding a scepter resembling a round-headed hammer, his expression worried, frowning deeply.
King of Demor, Dylan VIII, Russell Dylan.
Unlike the duchy nobles of recent years who prefer to adopt grand and powerful names, the Kingdom of Demor continues the noble surnames passed down from a thousand years ago.
The Dylan family has been the ruling royal family of Demor.
The most noble surname in the Kingdom of Demor.
The nobles emerging from this central palace were mostly royal family members.
Russell looked ordinary, without any outstanding features. If he changed out of his royal attire and removed his crown and scepter, he would blend in with the common human populace, hardly carrying the aura and dignity of a king.
"His body has a bit of elemental aura, probably a lower-tier caster of the third ring, but he doesn't have the commanding presence of the Duke of Thorns."
Garon thought silently.
In Mosha, battle-hardened warriors and powerful casters paled and feared in Garon's presence.
But the Duke of Thorns, lacking magical talent and in poor health, faced the imposing figure of a super-large creature without a change in expression.
People in high positions, even if powerless, due to their authority over many lives and deaths, cultivate an extraordinary demeanor, possessing courage and presence far beyond ordinary people.
These, Garon did not see in Russell.
Russell appeared very ordinary.
An ordinary king, if born in a peaceful and strong era, might be a good thing, avoiding chaos and warfare due to personal ambition.
But now, "An ordinary king, a decaying nation, were I one of those duchy dukes, I too would not be content with the status quo."
Garon shook his head slightly.
"Esteemed true dragons, please do not be angered."
"Demor will honor the contract and provide sufficient compensation."
A court mage around the fifth ring level looked up and answered the dragons.
Roel glared, nostrils exhaling flames, face grim, revealing sharp teeth: "Sufficient compensation?"
"Your chief mage, turned lich, sought to put us to death! This is not something your so-called 'sufficient compensation' can resolve!"
"Without ten times the agreed compensation, this city will become a boundless sea of fire!"
The speaker's face paled, turning towards the King of Demor.
On the other side, Caines said sternly, "Following the contract and demanding compensation is reasonable."
"But if you intend to destroy the city, be clear if you can withstand the wrath of the God of Light!"
The Church of Light does not interfere in human conflicts but will intervene against dragon attacks.
However, as Caines finished speaking, Russell sighed wearily with a hint of numbness, slowly saying, "Demor has breached the contract, we are at fault. Your demands, esteemed true dragons, I will strive to fulfill."
Roel nodded, satisfied: "Human, you're quite sensible."
It seemed to forget that it wasn't among those Demor had hired.
After a pause, Russell's gaze wandered between the true dragons and the Temple Knights.
"I was misled by Harris, making wrong decisions and commands, but others were unaware."
"The sins committed by Harris, I alone will bear. I will soon relinquish the throne and seek forgiveness from the ancestors in the world of the dead."
He rubbed his cheeks, giving Caines a bitter smile: "There are no evildoers here, Sir Caines, please lead the Knight Order away. In honor of my ancestors who have never wronged the Church of Light, grant the royal court one last dignity."
Caines looked at the numb-faced, resigned King of Demor, shaking his head, slowly saying, "Sorry, Your Majesty Russell."
"Whether evil exists here, I'm afraid is not for you to determine."
"I'd like to respect the royal family's dignity and honor, but…"
As he spoke, several among the royal nobles changed expressions, quietly retreating.
"You undead filth! Think you can deceive my eyes?"
Caines suddenly shouted.
Raising his arm, a rich white light burst forth, turning into a roaring crescent-shaped white light blade in the air, three meters long, with imposing might.
Divine Slash!
The white light blade moved swiftly.
Just as a few were about to summon a hint of death aura, attempting to cast spells to flee, the blade passed directly through the crowd, precisely cutting several in half as easily as a hot knife through cheese.
Strangely, many were cut by the white light blade but suffered no injuries.
"The power bestowed by the gods"
Garon's eyes narrowed slightly, sensing an unusual fiery energy in Caines's attack.
Then, Caines's eyes lit up, staring at the corpses as if they were small suns.
"Evil souls, be purified by fire! Return to peace and rest."
He spoke solemnly.
Purifying Flames!
Boom! White flames suddenly ignited. The burning bodies showed no change, but everyone heard the agonizing screams of souls engulfed in purifying flames, struggling and turning to ashes, their twisted expressions indicating extreme pain, far from peaceful or at rest.
The royal family members felt a chill, quickly distancing themselves.
Facing evil creatures, Caines acted decisively, eliminating the bodies and then the souls with swift, thunderous strikes, starkly different from his previously amicable demeanor towards human guards.
"Caines! This is the Demor Royal Court, not your Church of Light's territory!"
Russell's expression turned ugly, his tone hardened.
Caines turned, his expression unchanged, telling Russell, "The glory of God illuminates the earth. Wherever evil creatures reside, the Church of Light has the right to intervene!"
Ignoring Russell's scolding.
Riding the tallest white-scaled warhorse, Caines's eyes surrounded by blinding white light.
Seeking Evil.
Then, he looked around, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings, finally stopping on a corner of the palace's southwest side.
He saw a gradually dissipating, but still dense, death aura, and a flicker of silver light.
Hm? Silver light?
Caines paused briefly.
Boom! A flash of silver light struck, causing an explosion. Dirt and stone flew, the wall collapsed, and a deep pit formed in the ground, dust filling the air.
Everyone's attention was drawn to the sudden event.
Whoosh! Silver dragon wings unfolded, sweeping away the dust with a gust of wind.
In the semi-transparent magical dragon claw, a small, cracked black box was carefully examined by Garon.
The legendary lich's phylactery. If it hadn't been shattered, constantly leaking death aura, even the Pope himself would have trouble detecting it.
It was a fist-sized black box, carved with numerous necromancy runes, made from a magical metal unknown to Garon, extremely hard. He gradually increased the dragon claw's pressure, but the magic's force couldn't dent it.
Embedded in the shattered phylactery were several black gems, carrying a tomb-like deathly silence.
"Death gems, formed only in places of dense death aura."
"Harris's shattered soul should be inside."
Due to the significant death aura, Garon didn't immediately open it, nor did he touch it.
Speculating there might be sinister spells left for whoever opens the phylactery, he decided to wait until the death aura had mostly dissipated before opening it.
Taking out a spatial ring, Garon willed the phylactery to disappear inside.
However, a series of soft cracking sounds followed, and many cracks appeared on the ring, unable to withstand the phylactery's power, breaking apart.
Garon's expression changed, quickly retrieving the phylactery.
Crack! The spatial ring shattered completely, items not taken out in time were sucked into spatial turbulence, their destination unknown.
"Fortunately, it contained fruits plucked earlier, not coins or gems."
Garon breathed a sigh of relief.
But now, unable to store it in a spatial ring, he had to keep holding it? Garon didn't want to put it in his mouth.
"Master, I can keep it for you."
The stone tomb serpent dragon slithered closer, offering.
Stone tomb serpent dragons aren't undead creatures; they thrive in death aura, often nesting in large tombs or bone burial grounds, preferring to feed on undead creatures, many dealing with liches, and possess high resistance to most necromancy spells.
After marking the phylactery with a time seal, Garon tossed it to the stone tomb serpent dragon.
Suddenly, Caines leaped, wrapped in holy power, reaching for the phylactery.
His palm ignited with holy flames, aiming for the phylactery.
"Such evil artifacts must be purified and destroyed!"
Garon's gaze sharpened.
A Slow spell immediately affected Caines, slowing his approach.
The stone tomb serpent dragon extended its head, the phylactery quickly disappearing into its mouth.
With Accelerate active, Garon's tail swung fiercely, striking Caines and sending him flying, crashing to the ground.
The sudden event changed the true dragons' expressions, brewing dragon breath, aiming at the Temple Knights.
The Church of Light's paladins and priests solemnly moved, their bodies glowing white, ready for battle.
The atmosphere suddenly tensed, Krichens and Fred quickly took to the air, standing by Garon, elemental aura swirling around them, indicating their stance through spell incantations.
Meanwhile, Caines, sent flying hundreds of meters and creating a deep crater on impact, dusted himself off and emerged.
Apart from disheveled hair, he seemed unharmed.
He looked at the silver dragon, his eyes filled with evident wariness and caution.
That moment, his focus was partly on Garon, but Garon's swift, lightning-like speed caught him off guard, sending him flying.
He lacked Harris's level of insight and couldn't detect the use of time magic.
"Human, what do you intend to do?"
"The most virtuous paladin, attempting to seize another's spoils of war?"
Garon looked down at Caines, his platinum dragon eyes emitting a sharp glare, saying.
Caines's expression remained unchanged, stepping out of the crater, saying, "The lich's phylactery, if obtained by those with malicious intent, could cause terrible disasters."
"For the future of light, such items should be immediately destroyed."
Garon shook his head, his voice deep, "But Harris died by my hand, his phylactery shattered because of me, it is my spoils of war."
"How to handle this phylactery, whether to destroy it or keep it, is my decision!"
Hearing Garon claim Harris's death, Caines's expression shifted.
Caines was aware of Harris's strength, which would only increase after becoming a lich.
If this silver dragon's claim was true, Caines regarded Garon more cautiously, re-evaluating him.
The sinuous double dragon horns, the silver scales covering powerful muscles, the sharp claws and tail... The paladin's strong intuition told Caines that the silver dragon before him was very dangerous.
"It's your spoils of war, but it is also an evil artifact."
"Destroying it here is the best option."
Garon smiled, calmly saying, "If you can provide something of equal value, I'm willing to exchange."
"But merely wanting me to destroy it, I refuse."
"If you insist on taking it by force, feel free to try."
"I'm a hacker, I hacked this author's account, but after seeing his backend and bank account, I realized he's struggling. His subscriptions are poor, and seeing everyone living well, I hope someone can help him, maybe buy him a KFC meal, donate some coins or a monthly ticket to support him. That's all, I'm moved to tears, I'm logging off."
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