Darkness was spreading. Lifting her head, all she saw was a sea of scarlet.
It was as though a monster that blotted out the sky had opened its eyes and was searching everything on the ground.
The little girl widened her eyes in horror and curled up into a ball. She leaned against the ice-cold corner of the wall and watched as the monster searched the area inch by inch. Then, it finally discovered her. The enormous, dark monster cracked open its mouth and revealed a proud smile.
Then, the little girl witnessed a palm suddenly appearing and grabbing her tightly.
"— — — —!"
The little girl opened her eyes and shivered. She gazed at the cave before her. The night lilies emanating from the surroundings appeared hazy and weak, like a candle in the wind that was about to extinguish in the darkness.
Once again, the whispers, cries, and curses sounded in her ears. The little girl was frightened. She crossed her arms and scanned the surroundings anxiously.
The voices from before gradually faded away, and not long after, silence was restored once again.
"Are we really going up this mountain path?!"
Gazing at the crooked mountain path, Carter's complexion was as though he were smoked. He knitted his brows, gazed at the steep and difficult mountain path, and shook his head.
"To be honest, I can't imagine what kind of spirit those people used to build a road in this place."
"As long as there are benefits, people will flock there."
Facing Carter's words, Jenn shrugged. Then, he turned around and gazed at the horse-drawn carriages that were advancing slowly ahead. Fortunately, the plank road that the Ice City opened back then was still usable. Even though it was slower, the carriages were still able to travel up the mountain path.
If not, everyone would have to abandon the carriages and climb the 'pilgrimage' of tens of thousands of steps on their own.
But even so, Jonathon and the others still had a solemn expression on their faces. It wasn't only because they were about to arrive at their destination, but also because of the current situation. Even though the Church of Holy Light used the tall and strong Kuris warhorses to pull the carriages, they couldn't display their extraordinary strength in such a place.
Moreover, since there was almost no grass growing in the wilderness, the warhorses could only rely on hay for food. If it weren't for the mages casting water spells, the warhorses would have died of thirst in the wilderness.
In contrast, the Shapeshifters that Zayen used to pull the carriage stood out like a crane in a flock of chickens. They stood straight on the mountain path, like statues, and did not show any signs of fatigue.
Compared to the horses that were scolded by the Holy Knights and couldn't even walk a few steps, it was a far cry from them.
However, Johnson and the others were not envious or jealous of Zayen. The extravagance and extravagance that Zayen displayed along the way had left them completely speechless. They were clearly out on an adventure, but not only did he have a beautiful fiancée by his side, he also had a little maid who brought her own table for meals and served all kinds of delicacies in a variety of ways.
Apart from that, they didn't stop for breakfast, afternoon tea, and supper.
They didn't look like they were on an adventure at all. They looked more like they were on an outing!
There were a few times when he saw Zayen and Tinidale drinking tea leisurely in the carriage. Jonathon wanted to go over and ask them if they still remembered that they were here on a mission.
But from a certain perspective, Jenson was indeed envious of their big hearts. The darkness before them wasn't normal. Even with the protection of the Divine Wings War Flag, humans would still instinctively feel fear in such an environment.
It was especially so when they lifted their heads and looked in all directions, only to see darkness. The feeling of isolation and helplessness wasn't something ordinary people could imagine.
In fact, Jenson had tried to contact the other teams, but there seemed to be something interfering with the situation and he couldn't contact anyone at all.
In this situation, even Jenson couldn't help but feel fearful. Even if they completed the mission successfully, could they really leave this wilderness safely and return to the Church of Holy Light?
Although they had left marks along the way to be on the safe side, who knew how long these marks would last?
In this situation, this young knight was actually able to remain so calm. One couldn't help but exclaim at how big of a heart he had.
In the words of the Cardinal beside them, "Even if some people have fallen, they have fallen more thoroughly than ordinary people." Although this wasn't a good saying, it was the best way to describe Jenn.
Being able to enjoy life to the extent that he didn't care about danger was also considered a kind of ability from a certain perspective.
"— —!"
At that moment, along with a sharp sound, the warhorses that were pulling the carriages came to a sudden halt. They shook their heads anxiously, and their hooves kept kicking the ground. They stared ahead vigilantly as though they had seen a ferocious beast.
Looking at this scene, Johnson was taken aback. Then, he immediately unsheathed his sword and let out a yell.
"Everyone, watch out! There are enemies!"
Upon hearing Jenson's words, the other holy knights and adventurers also drew their weapons from their waists. Even the mages hurriedly cast defensive spells on themselves. Everyone had an incomparably solemn expression on their faces. But it wasn't surprising. Ever since they entered the wilderness, they hadn't fought with any enemies yet.
No one knew what kind of monsters were hiding in the darkness. After all, for an existence that could create darkness that shrouded the entire Western Wilderness, its subordinates naturally couldn't be any weaker.
Not only were the holy knights nervous, but even Jenn also raised his brows curiously. Previously, during supper time, he had already received Enoya's report and knew that the plan had failed, so he activated the second plan.
For this reason, Zayen naturally prepared a warm reception for everyone in the City of Ice.
However, they were still quite a distance away from the City of Ice. Who was the one who launched the attack without any orders?
"Ahhh — —!"
At that moment, a mournful scream sounded all of a sudden.
It was like the cry of a baby. This strange sound reverberated in the night sky. Just listening to it was enough to send chills down one's spine. Not only that, but very quickly, a series of sounds rose and fell in response to the scream. In the blink of an eye, everyone's ears were filled with buzzing noises.
"In the sky!"
If they were ordinary people, perhaps the screams alone would be enough to scare them out of their wits.
Fortunately, the Templars had sent out the cream of the crop this time.
Almost in an instant, they reacted to the situation. Then, they saw a priest raise his crossbow, aim at the sky, and pull the trigger.
In a loud swoosh, a white light arrow soared into the sky, erupted, and turned into a flare that illuminated the sky instantly.
The darkness was instantly dispelled by the light. Shortly after, the figures of the attackers in the darkness were revealed without warning.
Looking at this scene, Jenson and Carter sucked in a breath of cold air almost simultaneously.
In front of everyone was a flock of birds … That's right. This was the only way to describe these monsters.
Unlike ordinary birds, these birds looked like large sarcomas. On both sides of their bodies, there were small wings similar to frozen chicken wings.
What was even more disgusting was that below these sarcomas, there was a human-like mouth that kept opening and closing. Dark red tentacles could be seen wriggling inside the mouth. It was a nauseating sight.
What exactly are these damn things!
Upon witnessing these monsters, everyone felt a chill down their spines, including the priests.
They were the elites of the Saint Palace and had seen the Demons in all kinds of scrolls and records.
However, the monsters in front of him were completely different from any of them. What the hell were they?!
"Attack!"
No matter what the enemies were, since they had come knocking, there was no chance of escape.
At that moment, the monsters flapped their wings and retreated in a chaotic formation.
It could be seen that the sudden burst of light just now had frightened them considerably. This was the perfect opportunity to attack.
That was why the holy knight raised his sword and slashed at the air without hesitation.
At the next moment, a blade ray burning in holy flames tore through the darkness, sliced the sky apart, and swept across the swarm of monsters.
In an instant, a series of explosions and flames erupted. In the blink of an eye, several monsters burned in flames from head to toe as they fell to the ground.
At that moment, the already chaotic swarm of monsters turned even more chaotic.
At that moment, the others launched their attacks. They weren't fools. At a glance, they could tell that these terrifying monsters weren't that strong. They were about the same as low-level magical beasts like the demonic wolves in the forest.
These creatures might be a huge threat to ordinary people, but they weren't a threat to them at all.
Soon, under Johnson's leadership, the others also launched an attack on the monsters. The adventurers raised their bows and arrows, while the others brandished their swords, intertwining with each other in the sky to weave a giant net, tearing all the monsters that dared to attack into pieces.
However, these monsters weren't just for show. In the face of everyone's attacks, they returned to their senses and launched a counterattack. The monsters opened their mouths and spat out yellow liquid spheres at the group.
Fortunately, the priests and mages had also activated their defenses, blocking the strange things outside and preventing them from approaching.
Even Barty, the young man who was trembling with fear, showed his strength.
To Zayen's slight surprise, this seemingly rookie Alchemist actually had a few tricks up his sleeve. He summoned three metal spheres to protect himself, and then the metal spheres automatically emitted light beams like floating cannons to attack the monsters.
The fact that he was able to create such a rune tool was enough to show his talent in this aspect. It seemed like the Holy Church didn't just randomly find someone to make up the numbers.
For a moment, the battle between both sides was in full swing.
Although in terms of strength, Jenn's side was overwhelming, the monsters were flying in the sky and had the geographical advantage.
Secondly, there were hundreds and thousands of them. It was impossible to kill them all in a short time, and their numbers seemed to be increasing.
Although it was only a matter of minutes for Jenn and the others to kill these monsters, once the enemies left their 'shooting range', there was nothing they could do.
No matter how strong humans were, they were still humans. They couldn't just grow wings and fly.
Because of this, both sides were in a stalemate for a while.
That was until Tinidell got off the carriage.