The Paladin in the Abyss

The sharp sword blade met almost no resistance, and without the protection of the shadow armor, the body of the Dark Weaver was as fragile as a sausage, cleaved in two at the waist by Lancelot. Following that, he swung the great sword again, carving a ten-foot-long gash across the monster's body, from which a mass of gray blood and oddly shaped viscera spilled out, blanketing the lightless darkness.

The former master of Plague Swamp let out a piercing shriek, the tentacles at its side twitching wildly like worms on a hot pan, depleting the last bit of strength from its broken body.

In Lancelot's spirit perception, he could clearly sense the monster's life force rapidly dissipating, along with something else that, while intangible, was closer to the monster's "essence."

Soul.

Just then, a strong suction force suddenly emanated from Lancelot's wrist, the Dark Weaver's previously unconscious soul emitted its final scream before destruction, then transformed into a special energy, completely absorbed by the essence of the Eye of Sarezdon.

Lancelot probed with his divine sense into the small black spot, instantly understanding that the essence of the divine artifact had gained a few new abilities.

The first was the especially troublesome Shadow Web from before. As long as there were shadows around, he could use this ability to force all creatures within sixty feet to move only towards his position, or they would encounter great resistance.

Another ability was to use shadows for instantaneous teleportation; with just a thought, he could traverse to a shadow nearby that was connected to his own, an admittedly very useful skill in combat… and for escaping.

There was also the ability to gather shadows directly around himsef to form a cloak-like armor. In terms of protective ability, this "Shadow Cloak" was much inferior to the Protective Sword Shield of the Qingyuan Sword Technique, but it could greatly conceal his figure, very useful in situations requiring stealth.

Another godly skill for escaping.

Of course, activating these abilities used not his own True Yuan, but the shadow force stored in the divine artifact's essence. This power automatically replenished in darkness, allowing Lancelot to activate the Shadow Web for up to ten minutes a day, or accumulate up to three hundred feet of Shadow Jumps. As for the Shadow Cloak, it could be maintained indefinitely unless it suffered an attack or was exposed to direct strong light.

The others, still at the original location, were also plunged into great unease as darkness fell suddenly; the two Aira children even cried out, but everyone else immediately guessed that the familiar darkness was probably Lancelot's doing, and then they heard the monster's scream and the sound of Lancelot's long sword slicing through flesh and blood.

When the darkness lifted, the group found the human knight walking towards them, wiping the blood off his weapon, with the monster's shattered body behind him, looking like a farmhouse destroyed by a cyclone.

"By Moradin's beard!" Bruto was the first to exclaim, "That darkness… this monster… why?"

"All the weird abilities of this monster rely on shadows," Lancelot spread his hands, "I said it, our approach was wrong. Light can only dispel darkness but cannot eliminate shadows, for shadows are but a product of light, and complete darkness provides no room for shadows to exist."

"That darkness was special, was it that 'gift' from the Eye of Sarezdon?" Kalalin asked curiously, "I thought it was really just for use as a map..."

"I think calling it a gift might not be quite accurate, it feels like the black bead directly gave me all its essence," Lancelot raised his arm, showing the small black spot on his wrist to everyone, "Besides creating that darkness, it seems to have also absorbed the soul force of the monster. Now I also have the abilities of the Dark Weaver—Shadow Web, Shadow Jump, and Shadow Armor, just the effects are a bit inferior, and there is a limit to the number of times I can use it each day."

"This thing attached to you won't cause any hidden dangers, will it..." Alamir was somewhat worried. As a priest from the Realm of Light, Elves naturally have some aversion to dark magical items, "Some artifacts have their own consciousness and can subtly influence their possessors. I've heard quite a few stories about this..."

"Exactly, I've heard similar things too; moreover, I know that they are not mere illusions." Scholar added, "A certain crystal possesses such power that it could easily destroy a city. It tempts each of its masters to try to conquer the world, thus bringing ruin to anyone who attempts to use it."

"I understand," Lancelot nodded, "this little black spot... does not seem to have a mind of its own for now, but I will keep an eye on it, rest assured."

"Hmm, come to me if anything unusual happens," Kalalin said with a relaxed smile, "I am the expert in this area, after all."

"So... is that Valasti?"

The timid voice rose from the side, with two Aira children having looks of awe on their faces, their gazes moving between the Human Knight and the giant corpse far away, almost unable to believe that this mythical beast had been slain by the unremarkable-looking Human Knight before them.

Upon closer inspection, this guy seemed quite handsome.

"You won't have to worry about being eaten by that creature anymore," Elothysia said as she ruffled the red-haired little girl's hair, "but this side of the river is still under the control of the Mother of Demons, and soon other villains will occupy this Miasma Swamp. Make sure not to wander off again."

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

The children nodded emphatically, the day's events leaving a profound lesson in their minds. The Succubus Paladin smiled slightly, about to say more, but then noticed the Human Knight's expression suddenly changing.

"Everybody, we need to retreat fast!" Lancelot said emphatically, "Those Seducer Demons are very close to us now!" Read exclusive chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

"Damn! I almost forgot about this!" Dwarf cried out in alarm and was the first to run out.

"Bruto! Come back!" Koula shouted anxiously, "The south is this way!"

Everyone quickly moved towards the area with sparser moss. They all knew too well what would happen if the twelve Seducer Demons caught up with them, even Shuni the Priest didn't care about her own cleanliness anymore, sprinting through the mud-filled and puddled ground, and quickly becoming as disheveled as everyone else.

It wasn't long before skeletons and little bats also joined their group. Lilu was seeing this bat-turned-lady for the first time, her eyes filled with curiosity. But just like Dong Quan, she knew it wasn't the time, so she had to hold back a barrage of questions inside her.