Under the Oak Tree

Chapter 375 - 136



375 Chapter 136

"Prepare for battle!" Elliot bellowed at the young knights breaking out of formation. "The undead could rise at any moment."

The knights promptly drew their swords, vigilantly scanning their surroundings. Maxi clutched her reins and prepared to pull back. In the meantime, she gathered her mana in anticipation of casting a shield.

"There is no cause for alarm," Ruth's calm voice called from within the ranks. "These are the remains of purified ghouls."

Guiding her horse through the rows of knights, Maxi spotted Ruth crouched on the ground, inspecting the charred corpses. He was using a spirit stone to gauge the mana around the bodies.

Ruth slowly rose to his feet as Maxi approached. "It appears they have been purged with purifying flames," he informed her. "The others must have been here before us."

Maxi's eyes widened. "Th-The Temple Knights were here?"

The paladins were currently traveling northeast with the coalition army. Due to the mana-blocking devices in the north, east, and south of the Lexos Mountains, they were bound to follow the mountain range to Arex before moving down again.

Maxi furrowed her brow, trying to recall the geography of the eastern regions. Even if the Temple Knights had strayed from their path and traveled south, they could not have gotten here before them.

A deep voice came from above, jolting her from her thoughts. "It's likely the work of paladins tracking the dark mages on the church's orders or the local Temple Guards of the region."

Maxi lifted her head and saw Riftan. Mounted on Talon, he looked down at the ashes through his visor. He shifted his gaze toward the ruined buildings.

"Seeing as the snow hasn't buried the bodies, the battle took place recently," he said, lifting the front of his visor to reveal his eyes. "They are likely on the way to Darund."

"If that's the case, we need to hurry before they join the undead army," said Ruth.

Riftan nodded in agreement and lowered his visor once more. Maxi quickly mounted her horse and returned to her position.

The army resumed its march, and Maxi rode as fast as she could to keep up with the warhorses. After galloping down the snowy hill, they came upon more destruction. This time, it was a field of trampled dirt, wrecked buildings, and blackened human remains.

Swallowing an expletive, Maxi anxiously turned to Ruth. "Sh-Should we not do something? Cast a barrier, perhaps, or assist with the offensive?"

"Magic must be used with caution when our forces are engaged in close combat. Recklessly intervening could cause more harm than Ruth suddenly stopped talking to throw up a barrier in front of them.

In the blink of an eye, an enormous skeleton burst from the ground, swinging a hammer made of ice.

Maxi backed away in alarm. Her back broke out into a cold sweat as the monster's glinting weapon slammed down on the shield. Ruth's quick action had saved her from a potentially fatal blow.

"Protect the wagons!" Ruth shouted.

Maxi ran to the queue of wagons, summoning the largest barrier her mana would allow. The Phil Aaron high priests and the mages of the Wedonian army also cast barriers over their respective units' luggage.

Their actions proved to be hasty. A second later, an army of skeletons scrabbled out of the ground beneath them.

Maxi screamed when a skeletal hand shot out from right under her. Its grotesque fingers latched onto her ankle, and she frantically tried to kick it away. When that was ineffective, she drew her sword and plunged the blade into the ground with all her might. It felt like a miracle when the bones fell apart.

Maxi shook off the icy fingers clinging to her like caterpillars, then swiftly leaped onto a wagon. Taking down her shield, she was hurrying to summon a new one when eight skeletons rose from the ground and charged straight at her.

She quickly circulated her mana. An incorporeal shield manifested mere seconds before the monsters' ice maces struck. But there was no moment to relax - an ax swooped down on her left. Pressing her back against the wagon's side, she gathered all of her mana.

A shadow suddenly passed overhead, followed by a resounding thump.

Maxi stood in a daze. Riftan had leaped off Talon and crushed the skeletons under an immense, five-kevette(Approximately 150 meters.) shield. As he rose from the pile of bones, he shot Maxi a fierce look through his visor.

"Why aren't you fortifying your shield?"

Snapping to her senses, Maxi expanded her shield to cover the wagons. Meanwhile, Riftan ruthlessly hammered the monsters flocking up the hill with his own shield of solid steel. Maxi had never witnessed a more horrifying sight.

He effortlessly blocked an incoming mace, then cracked the monster's skull in half with a slash of his sword. Pivoting to his right, he swung sideways at the oncoming horde. An air current shot out from his blade like a flash of light, shattering more than ten skeletons into pieces.

Maxi's jaw dropped when the bones turned black as if scorched by fire. It suddenly occurred to her that she might not know the full extent of her husband's abilities. She had heard all the praises sung about his prowess, but this was the first time she had seen him fight up close.