Chapter 364 (2/2)

Before long, they arrived at the knights’ base camp. Nangong Wuyue followed a team of shielded elite warriors as they departed to the mountain range, while Ophra led another team of elite forces to Beinz Blood Lake.

When they reached the defense post at the Gnarled Grove, a group of knights in white robes were standing in their way. The leading knight was a pious-looking, middle-aged man—a father. The father stood in front of Ophra and said, “Marshal, Bishop Gelton has gone to the sacred lake with his own men. You can rest assured that the matter will be in the good hands of the Church Knights.”

Hao Ren was appalled by the pedantic clerics who still rigidly clung to bureaucracy at a time like this. But still riding on her horse, the no-nonsense Ophra pointed her sword at the cleric and scoffed, “Move! You are disrupting the Royal Knights from carrying out their duty.”

The female marshal’s face was stern as she spoke. She was being straightforward and an invisible air of pressure was radiating from her. The marshal was undoubtedly determined to run over these pedantic clerics if they decided not to give way.

The father clenched his jaw. Perhaps, he realised that it was not the right time to play hard ball, so he let Ophra pass. “May the goddess bless you.”

“May she bless you too,” Ophra said before leading her team and cutting straight through the Gnarled Grove.

The brigade rushed through the rain on their horses like a sheath of wind. But somehow, Hao Ren found that something was not quite right. “Are we going to run in like this? I mean the horses would be drained out before we even get there!”

Opra did not say a word. She waved to the knights behind her. “Everyone, get ready to form a straight line and attack!”

Immediately, all the knights merged into a single straight line formation and they ducked in an attacking position. The horses that Hao Ren and his company were riding on had also been trained by the knights. So, they merged into the formation on their own. Ophra led the brigade and charged forward like the head of an arrow.

Just as the knights began to charge forward in their attacking position, Hao Ren sensed his surroundings turning strange.

The ferocious wind and rain became isolated, like they were disappearing. Their surroundings started to fade like a black and white photograph, and everything became monotonous as well as abstract. The towering old trees and sceneries in the Gnarled Grove suddenly became semi-transparent. The brigade was shooting ahead like an arrow piercing through a black and white world!

The towering trees were no obstacle; the same was for the rocks and the valley. Everything before their eyes was just an illusion; the only real entities were the knights themselves. They were shooting through the Gnarled Grove, away from the main path on the shortest route towards the Blood Lake.

Their speed had exceeded that of their horses and their surroundings turned into beams of light flying past them. Based on a rough estimate, Hao Ren figured that they were moving at a speed of at least 200 clicks an hour.

Becky gripped the reins tightly and followed Ophra closely behind. She was ecstatic. “It’s Marshal’s Assault! Marshal’s Assault! The world’s only military-based magic! A long time ago, Lady Ophra penetrated the so-called ‘Impenetrable Seven Defenses’ of the rebels in the south with just one thousand elite forces in this way. She captured the Southern Grand Duke’s whole family even before the war at the frontlines began! The rebellion was suppressed in just one day!”

Hao Ren was in awe, but Ophra turned around and corrected her. “That’s just a rumour. Only four defenses were penetrated. I was thinking about attacking one of their fortresses, but little did I expect to see the Southern Grand Duke touring the area with his trusted aides. Frankly, we were both surprised. However, he was clearly slower than me.”

Hao Ren was still in awe, thinking that she was truly a legendary heroine. Even her skill tree was specially made!

With the help of Marshal’s Assault, the brigade arrived at the lakeside in just under an hour. The blood-red lake was still a scene to behold despite the storm.

Because, the dang lake was really red.

They walked along the lakeside onto higher ground and as Hao Ren looked down, his jaw completely dropped to the ground.

A maelstrom was in the middle of the Blood Lake. Everything near the maelstrom, including the isle in the middle of the lake was gone.