When she climbed over the arrow tower, she must have seen a terrible scene.
"Devil." A whisper came from above, turning into an angry scream. "demon!"
"Wait, Tekapo!" Uriel turned over and climbed onto the stone platform. The arrow window is narrow, smooth, and covered with oil stains, making it extremely difficult to get a foothold. It only takes a few sparks to burst into flames, turning the stone tower into a waterfall of flames. But before he decided to climb, he had frozen the surface of the stone wall, and the fire oil had no chance of burning through the cold frost.
But the window is too narrow, making it difficult for adults to enter. Cold Light Sita floated into the gap first and eliminated the crossbowman who fired the hidden arrow. But she did not wait for reinforcements and walked down the rickety chain bridge alone. Maybe she went to the barracks of the Lord of the Black City.
"Tekapo?"
No one responded. The apprentice tried to shrink his body, but hanging out of the window, there was always a gap between his shoulders and his sword belt. He considered jumping inside, but the results still didn't improve. During the struggle, Uriel used excessive force and kicked a hole in the inside of the tower wall.
"Hell." He muttered, then simply trampled all the surrounding stone bricks, expanded an opening as high as a person ten yards above the ground, and then got into the tower. The empty crossbow was pointed at his head, so he cut off the crossbow frame with a sword. "Tekapo?"
Still no one. The arrow tower is empty, and there are traces of burning on the stone walls. I am afraid that the guards have not retreated, but have disappeared from the world. Uriel dug through the ground, but there was no sign of anyone below. Where are the members of "Steel and Fire"?
He grabbed the chain and jumped down.
At the end is a conference room. The door is now wide open and the floor is in a mess. There were guards who fought to the death with unknown people, and their bodies fell into the flower bed. Uriel frowned and observed for a week before he was sure that what he saw was the truth: both this person and the guard were mortal.
The Black City is a city in Brestatik, part of the mortal kingdom. Of course, it is impossible for everyone to be a mysterious creature, and the opponent of the guard... His armor has the pattern of "steel and fire" to show that Origin. Both die together, and the ending makes the case more logical, but at the end of the day, why would the Society send mortals into battle?
He knew he would get his answer soon.
Tekapo was confronted in the middle of the school field. There was a corpse hanging less than ten yards in front of her. Judging from the rack and the fire, the corpse must be related to the devil. Since the "Steel and Fire" association previously occupied this place, the apprentice cannot tell whether the body is the victim of the unknown person, or the person from the Black City who harmed the unknown person and is now a victim.
As for demon hunters, these people are as crazy as those in the association, and it is impossible to be captured alive and executed.
His "answer" was an old man with a stooped back, straight facial features, thick white hair, and a short, hard beard on his chin that was almost gray in color. In his hand was a burning, scarred, tooth-like staff. Although this person just changed his job mysteriously, he looked calm and didn't feel much fear of Gao Huan's cold light Sita. Seeing Uriel, he blew out his stick. "One more to die. Your helper is so unfortunate, Sita."
Tekapo stared at him closely: "Don't interfere, Uriel, I know you are a Gaia believer, but I have to burn this bastard to death."
Uriel regretted not using his "spiritual vision" to know the cause and effect. It was too late to ask questions now. "What did he do? Burn the guards?"
"That's the leader of the association, the most damned part of the devil." Leng Guang Sita told him. Her eyes almost spit out angry tongues of fire: "Right in front of me! He killed my people. Damn it, I didn't notice the lead..."
Uriel looked at the fire. This is not a trace left by a simple flame. In fact, the body is beyond recognition, the wooden frame is shattered, the iron fence has melting traces, and the surrounding ashes are closer to the result of an explosion. I'm afraid that the other party has set a trap and hung the prisoners alive on the explosives. Just waiting for the enemy to enter the door, they will explode head on.
It's just a little trick, but cruel nonetheless. Although Tekapo was not as hot as York, it was Sita after all, and her heat inadvertently contributed to the tragedy.
"It's not fair to say that." The devil said mockingly, "I deserve to die for fighting for survival, but I deserve to be killed by you? Besides, your man? If he is Sita, he will not be burned to death."
"Shut up, you butcher." Tekapo drew his sword in his hand and was furious. "This man is just one of the people who died innocently at your hands, and you will find him soon."
The other person raised his eyebrows contemptuously. "As if you won't do it if I don't kill him. Come on." The wooden stick tapped the ground, causing ripples in the sand. "You have the potential to be a bomb, Sita. I dare say you will be more powerful than that mortal man, enough to bring your reinforcements with you."
The magic burst out and pierced through the dark green phosphorus fire. The figure of Sita reunited behind the tail flame and struck the old man's head with a sword. The nameless man struck the sword hard with his wooden teeth, and the blade deflected slightly, leaving only a scorch mark on the hem of his clothes.
"With this little strength, Sita?" The Nameless One mocked, "You don't look like Gao Huan, you look more like an apprentice."
"The devil's power gives you the opportunity to stand in front of me, but one day, you will pay the price for it." Lengguang Sita retorted, "I think it will probably be today."
"Really? You will change your story later when you are dragged to the gallows."
The old man raised the wooden teeth and gave them a heavy meal.
Strange ripples spread silently, and extraordinary mystery descended in the air. Gray stone pillars rose from the earth one after another, each one engraved with runes. When the rock began to shake, the runes gathered blazing magic power at the tips.
Tekapo was startled. Obviously, she had never seen such a strange magic in her long life, which was both like witchcraft and a spell. Maybe it's not in the ranks of professional magic at all, it's a new trick that only unknown people can come up with.
Cold Light Sita tried to turn into light and escape, but the strange ripples in the air distorted her body. For a moment, she could only run slowly, while the magic power of the runes increased sharply, and poured down in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this, the dark green light in the outline of the West Tower suddenly shrunk and curled up into a ball.
The blazing light spread across the school grounds, far more fierce than the dim light of the West Tower, like a net of death. Even the stone pillars were shattered in the roar, and the dust and air waves stirred up roared and swallowed up all around.
Under the heavy blow, everything seemed to cease to exist, only the glow of the runes flickered. But when the dust mist cleared and the complete characters were revealed, people realized that these were not the original runes that burst out with magic power.
The old man gasped rapidly and frowned at the shining symbols: "Divinity?"
"Gaia's magic." Uriel told him, "This is my best magic."
"Very well, Priest Gaia, you and Nacita stand together. It's hard for me to tell which one of you is more hateful."
"You killed the wrong person." Uriel unlocked the magic, and the cold light Sita expanded from a small dot to a human form. Maybe her life was not in danger. "That mortal is a businessman from the Oath Keepers Alliance, not Sita, nor Priest Bures."
"You want to tell me what's right and what's wrong?" The old man smiled and narrowed his eyes. "It fits your style. I have lived for so long and I have met many people who want my life but also want to convict me. You are the most shameless one among them."
"If you believe it, it's not because of your origin that I want to take action, but because of your behavior."
The old man made no further comment. He didn't believe it at all, Uriel could tell from his face. It was a stoic, battle-scarred face, his gray beard twitching disdainfully.
"What do you want?" the unknown person asked.
Resolve conflicts and part ways. But Uriel knew this was impossible. Tekapo stared at the old man, staring back at him, and the apprentice felt the heat of his gaze on his back.
"The Guild destroyed our goods," Leng Guang Sita told him.
"That's right. And they may not compensate."
"Uriel! This bastard is my opponent."
"You are not here to find your opponent, Tekapo." Uriel reminded, "Hurry up and contact the leader of Patience. Her trace disappeared nearby."
"Maybe they hurt her!"
"Patience is not a weak mortal, and no one can harm her easily. Before you get the evidence, you'd better verify it first." Uriel comforted her, "Leave this to me, Tekapo, I will never Let him go."
They stared at each other for a few seconds. "Only once." Leng Guang Sita put down her sword, "But it's not because I believe in you. You love your god, I know it all."
"Lucia has her own compassion," he replied, "I'm glad you understand."
"It's only me." Tekapo emphasized, "I can't guarantee how the team leader will handle it."
"Of course you have a chance to deal with it. This person is your prisoner."
After she left, Uriel turned around. The old man watched the exchange between them silently, seemingly turning a deaf ear to the decisions about his life and death, and did not speak out to ridicule his arrogance.
"Let's talk, sir. Are you from 'Steel and Fire'? What's that called?"
"Communicating with 'prisoners'? How merciful of you."
"I don't think so. On the battlefield, you no longer need to hide your identity. Look who I am."
The "spiritual vision" disappeared in an instant, and the flames jumped with it. The nameless man suddenly opened his eyes wide and looked at him in disbelief. Some facts cannot be falsified.
So finally, he spoke. "I am... Ferriani. My brothers call me the Elder, and you, do whatever you want."
Wary and suspicious. Uriel smiled at his imagination as if he had seen a wild man in a tuxedo. "I want to talk to you. You are the leader of the remnants of the association."
"You want to let us go?"
Uriel could not respond, he had just promised Tekapo. "Except you. As long as they're in time..."
The "elder" narrowed his eyes, shook his head, and ignored him. He has seen many people who hide their identities to protect themselves, Uriel thought to himself, in his eyes, I am one of them, and he would not trust such people even if he formed a society.
As it should. The apprentice slowly reached out and let go of the sword hilt, and the weapon made a falling sound. This is the first step to honesty.
"Listen to me, Mr. Elder." He begged, "You have succeeded, and the purpose of the association has been achieved. The ceremony of the caravan has been seriously affected... You have also been seriously injured. No matter how difficult it is to make achievements, the remaining members will not We should continue to make such unnecessary sacrifices.”
The "elder" said nothing.
"The ceremony of the alliance has been delayed so far." The apprentice told him, "The arrival of the Queen of Light is inevitable." The old man remained silent. "The secret society is facing the threat of the Fulcrum of Order, and the demon hunting movement will lead to disaster. These speculations are about to become facts. The one who really wants to stop the ritual is the mysterious Fulcrum! When you and the caravan both lose, they will send people to clean up the battlefield."
Ferriani grabbed the cane, the beard on his chin trembling slightly.
"But the Nameless One must respond and stop the ritual." Uriel lowered his voice, "Because the Seven Pillars are only fighting for power internally, but the association will have a life and death crisis. I'm afraid you have to come."
He turned slightly to show the skeleton behind him. "You died for your compatriots... Now, you have done enough."
The merchants perished in the explosion, and the unknowns defending and invading the fortress relied on each other's weapons. This is just a corner of the battlefield. The inner wall of the Black City was captured early to ambush the caravans leaving the city. Nightingales were hidden in the alleys along the way to kill the fleeing guards and merchants. When the fire ignited in the city, the soldiers and horses recruited by the wizards of the school filed out from the church shuttle station and began to purge the members of the association. The fighting has pockmarked the city.
Ruoshuang giant Nimue would probably beat her chest again when she saw this scene. This is not surprising, Uriel thought to himself, the frost giants love exquisite buildings, but the ancestors of their tribe still relied on Joey to barely build the skeleton of the village. By now, the igloos created by the messengers may not exist even once out of ten.
The hard frost has yet to melt, let alone flesh and blood. The unknown people are a minority. They form secret societies for survival in order to resist the purge of the mysterious realm. The world has changed over the course of thousands of years, and the secret society has never had the upper hand in the battle. Now it will become increasingly weak, and every compatriot is precious.
The "elder" finally looked away. "How many of our compatriots have you seen?" he asked.
us. Uriel had a thought.
"Hundreds or even thousands," the apprentice admitted. "Some remained anonymous, some were unfortunately exposed, were tied to racks and burned, or were tortured in dungeons, and some were just homeless people hiding in a hurry."
He thought that was enough. Few people can see such a large number of nameless people as I have. Whether they are demons or demon hunters, both are very dangerous. But Ferriani smiled at him, expressing contempt for the apprentice's answer.
"How many people did you see coming from us?"
Uriel frowned. "'Steel and Fire' is just a small association, there are less than three hundred of you in total."
"There are less than thirty people left now," Ferriani said. "The dwarf killed the president and his men. Three-quarters of the soldiers died in the initial attack. I didn't expect that there would be saints." The knight captain accompanied the team for protection, but still decided to attack, resulting in a retreat too late. Of the remaining quarter, half infiltrated the Black City defense team, and the other half stayed in the streets and alleys to contain the enemy."
There is no doubt that these people are dead. "You're not the president of 'Steel and Fire'?"
"I am their gravedigger." The old man said sarcastically. "In terms of my achievements in slaying demons, you are all inferior to me. It was I who buried the 'Steel and Fire'. These brave compatriots stayed in their hometown for nothing more than delay." time. In the end, it perfectly matched the wishes of the mysterious fulcrum. He is a wizard of the school, right?"
"And the Tower of Sky." Uriel told him, "I come from the Tower."
The other party doesn't believe it. "Who are you?" he asked, dropping the original topic.
"I won't tell you, Mr. Ferriani."
"Why make up lies? Without Wu... no one can stay in the tower. Who are you?"
"Really? You have a demon lord who calls himself Tower Lord."
"Looks like you know where I'm coming from."
He calls himself the Gravedigger of Steel and Fire because he single-handedly ruined the society's future. Uriel thought to himself. But Ferriani is not the president of Steel and Fire, so who can command these association members? The answer is self-evident. This person comes from "Starless Night" and is the leader of the Society of Steel and Fire.
"It's not difficult to judge." Uriel said frankly.
"You are so self-righteous, boy." "Elder" Ferriani commented, "and you are full of lies and are not worthy of trust."
"I don't mention my identity, I'm telling the truth. It's still too late to evacuate, let those thirty people escape and go back to their homes."
"Where is our home?" the old man asked, "These children are Bures! At least they were before they were hunted by the Paladin. We returned to our hometown just to bury our bones here."
"Not now. The war between order and association has not yet begun..."
"It started a long time ago. Gavash's undead army landed on the Sky Island Huoklin, as the vanguard of the lord." When Gavash was mentioned, Ferriani's expression was very complicated. "Your suggestion is sensible, but we don't need it now. The Nameless Ones rely on souls and emotions to connect with each other... Do you have anything else to say?"
Uriel found it difficult to speak. If Black City was still before the conflict broke out, he would not have had this trouble - the Alliance caravan and the Nameless One were fighting to the death, and there was no possibility of communication at all.
But he didn't go to great lengths to get rid of the Holy Knight Captain just to kill the "demon". Now that the war is coming to an end, the caravan has lost its goods, "Steel and Fire" has lost its manpower, and the wizards of the Silent School are watching behind them. The two sides should not continue fighting. There is finally a loophole to exploit here.
He racked his brains to think of a reason. "If you survive, you may be able to do more. Or do you have to let them die?"
"How can they survive?"
"Evacuate Black City, we will not pursue you."
The Elder studied the apprentice, hoping to find false pity and self-righteous arrogance, but Uriel insisted on convincing him.
This is the only purpose. For this reason, Uriel did not hesitate to lie to his friends, use the identity granted to him by the tower prophet, and risk being burned to death by the paladin captain. He had no doubt that he was the most unworthy Knight of Proverbs trusted by the Scroll of Oaths... Now that he had reached this point, the apprentice thought to himself, wouldn't it be a pity to fall short?
The old man stared at him for a long time, but still did not drop his weapon. Maybe he wanted to kill me, seeing me as a rhetorical enemy. He probably thought I was trying to get information, but he told me his name and information about the Society of Steel and Fire... At this moment, Uriel couldn't tell whether the other person was telling the truth.
He can only guarantee his own truth.
"Even if what you say is true," Ferriani asked, "how do you convince these people?"
Uriel would be mistaken. "There is no large group of Paladins coming, only Lord Lemons. He is busy dealing with the Law Wizards, and Tekapo, I believe they care more about the goods. We don't have time..."
"I'm referring to 'Steel and Fire'. These children came for revenge, and I have no reason to stop them." The old man told the apprentice, "After they captured the guard tower, they killed the city guards immediately and captured two Knights and their squires. Two older boys and two younger boys, the younger of whom were only eleven or twelve years old, were poured with oil and offered to the flames in honor of our countrymen."
Uriel's face became darker and darker as he listened to his narration, and his persuasion was stuck in his throat.
"It's not done well, but again, I have no reason to stop it." Ferriani turned a blind eye to his expression. "Then we captured four mortals who fled the city. Three of them were locals, greedy and shameless vampires. These people died very quickly. The last one was the Oath Keepers Alliance, a long-tailed alien. This person was trying to murder his compatriots. The real murderer. I let people bring him 'steel and fire', and then hung the dying prisoner in front of the door, waiting for someone to take the bait."
Gods have eyes, do I really want to save these people? "Everything is bad."
"There will not always be good things in life." The old man rolled his eyelids: "I just want to tell you that these simple vents have not extinguished the flames in the hearts of the unknown people. You can't stop them, and neither can I. We risk death. Come to the Black City and do it willingly. We kill people not for fun, but for revenge. Do you still insist on your compassion?"
willingly. Uriel thought to himself. The word stung him. "What else can I do?"
"If you ask me, it's better to leave it to fate. The gods bless us." Ferriani didn't care, "Do you know? We were once well-known in the mysterious realm as the darlings of the gods, until dusk opened the door to hell."
For the disaster caused by the Veil of Dusk, the Holy Knight Commander will burn them to death. This is the end of resignation. Uriel felt very sad, and it was difficult for him to tell whether this sadness was for the unknown person or for the guardians of the fulcrum of order. "You are dead soldiers, how can there be mortals among you?"
"You said Kane and the others. These people are my helpers who brought steel and fire."
"People from the Starless Night?"
"That's right." Ferriani admitted, "Their methods will only be crueler than those of steel and fire, and they will die faster. If it weren't for the small association that needed guidance, I wouldn't have stayed until now. No one has. Relatives are only compatriots.”
"Is this the normal state of the Nameless Ones?" Uriel couldn't help but wonder, "Or do you mean that you gathered together on your own initiative and came to the Black City to die."
"Both. The lord only wants a solitary man, or an old guy like me." Ferriani saw the anger flash across the apprentice's face. "You don't need to blame him. The lord protected us, so he can naturally choose us to protect others."
"No matter what kind of lord he is, your life is no different from other people's lives. How can he take it for granted?"
"Because he is part of death, he is the lord of the undead." Ferriani told him, "and we are already his people."
He spread his palms, and the wooden stick fell to the ground, revealing a sword mark in his palm. The wound penetrated flesh and bone, and the edges were like broken glass, with spiderweb-like gray cracks spreading.
There was neither stain nor bloody scab on the wound, only dry flesh and a lingering strange power. The White Envoy allowed the apprentice to witness many mysterious skills, including how to identify the source of these magical skills.
Uriel watched Feriani's face covered with a layer of deathly ash as his wooden teeth fell to the ground, and his throat suddenly became sore. "Gaia is on top."
"This is a necessary step that allows us mere mortals to possess mystical powers."
"...You are the undead."
"That's it. Souls resurrected from the dead. This is true for everyone. Your persuasion came too late. Except for the compatriots recruited locally, the 'Steel and Fire' and the unknown ones I brought are all dead. The dead do not need to be saved, The dead do not need to repent, the dead only seek peace."
Ferriani bent down with difficulty, picked up the wooden tooth, and used it to support his body. "The fire of hatred caused us to suffer in hell, so we vowed to take revenge at all costs. Our death here means that we have returned to our hometown."
