Novels2Search

29.The Inferno of Doom

The Knight Commander, too focused on fending off a plague ratman lunging at him, failed to grasp the deeper meaning in Rowan Kai’s words. He swung his sword desperately and shouted, “Your Highness, if you’ve got any trump cards left, now’s the time to use them! We can’t hold out much longer!”

Rowan yawned, lazily summoning a radiant holy light barrier to repel the advancing enemies. He responded nonchalantly, “What’s the rush? Patience is the hallmark of greatness. Besides, we’re not exactly on the brink of collapse.”

He smirked, his gaze sweeping over the enemy forces below as he muttered under his breath, “Whether it’s these enemies or those old fossils in the Church, they all need to understand—this game isn’t theirs to control.”

Though Vera couldn’t fully grasp his words, she sensed an unshakable confidence and enigmatic authority in his tone, leaving her both puzzled and intrigued. It seemed that Rowan’s identity and past were far more complex than she had initially believed.

“Your Highness! The enemy has breached the second defensive line!” Keltis’s voice snapped Vera back to reality.

“Fine, since you’re all so eager, let’s grant these uninvited guests a trip ‘back home.’” Rowan shrugged, snapping his fingers. A pillar of holy light descended from the sky, erupting into a blazing wall of fire along the hillside.

He turned to Vera, a teasing smile playing on his lips. “Miss Vera, don’t forget to offer extra prayers to the Goddess of Light for her ‘forgiveness’ in protecting us yet again. But don’t pray too long—I still need you to keep that wind shield up.”

Grinding her teeth, Vera glared at him but had no retort. She redirected her energy into maintaining the wind shield, though her growing unease about Rowan’s words lingered.

---

“By my count, it’s about time.”

Rowan muttered to himself, then with a wave of his hand, deactivated the array at the first defensive line.

“Your Highness! What are you doing?!”

“What do you think? Luring them in,” Rowan replied with an air of casual confidence. “Tell me, if you were playing a game and couldn’t get past the first level, would you keep playing?

As any self-respecting, diabolical game designer knows, you’ve got to give players a taste of victory before you reel them in for the real grind. Make them feel welcome, like they’re making progress.”

---

“Awwoooo!”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

The dark creatures erupted in triumphant cheers as the first defensive line’s array went dark.

Although their losses had been heavy, the apparent victory gave them renewed hope. Without hesitation, they surged forward, advancing up the hill.

Rowan pointed at the jubilant horde, chuckling as he turned to Vera and Keltis. “Look at them. Don’t they look so happy?”

Vera swallowed nervously, unsure how to respond.

---

As the dark horde reached the mid-slope, a torrent of holy flames erupted from within the hill itself. The mountainside transformed into an ocean of fire in an instant.

The vanguard troops, caught off guard, were engulfed in the white-hot flames and reduced to ashes within moments. The once-dark sky lit up like daytime, the holy fire casting a blinding radiance over the battlefield.

Back in the town, pilgrims were roused from their sleep, kneeling in prayer as they witnessed the blazing inferno atop the hill, believing it to be a divine miracle.

The Black Knights and guards scrambled to maintain order amidst the growing crowds.

Meanwhile, the dark army retreated in panic, staring at the towering wall of fire with no idea how to proceed.

From within the dark horde, a translucent and imposing lich floated forward. Raising a skeletal staff, it chanted a series of incomprehensible incantations.

Thick torrents of mud surged forth, dousing the holy flames in dramatic fashion, prompting roars of excitement and triumph from the dark creatures.

But from the vantage point of the hilltop, Rowan and Keltis could see clearly: Rowan had deactivated the array just before the mud had reached it.

“What are you staring at?” Rowan quipped. “If I hadn’t shut it off, that little mud trick wouldn’t have done a thing.

This holy flame isn’t your average light spell—it’s based on necromantic deathfire and hellish soul-flames.

To extinguish it, you’d need both physical and spiritual suppression. Without both, the fire would only reignite, endlessly consuming itself.”

Keltis took a deep breath, his tone bordering on a plea. “Your Highness, please, for the love of all that’s holy, stop telling people you based this on necromantic and hellish magic.

The Inquisition may not have jurisdiction over you, but please spare us some trouble, would you?”

---

Under Rowan’s meticulous design, every advance the dark creatures made came at a steep cost.

Some tried to attack from the skies or burrow underground, but all were thwarted by his elaborate traps and defensive arrays.

By now, the battlefield had fallen eerily silent. The once-chaotic horde now stood frozen in fear, their faces lit by the lingering glow of holy light. Their repeated assaults had yielded nothing but devastating losses.

The charred remains of plague ratmen and the ashes of fallen werewolves mingled in the air, painting a grim picture of failure.

“This is impossible! No mortal could have created such arrays!” snarled a werewolf leader, his claws raking violently at a cowering plague ratman. “You useless vermin! Is this all you’re good for? Terrified of a little light, groveling like worms!”

“Why don’t you go, then?” retorted the ratman, its shrill voice laced with venom. “We’re always the ones on the front lines, dying in droves!

And you werewolves? All you do is bark orders from the back, too cowardly to take any real risks!”

“Silence!” The werewolf leader lashed out, his clawed hand striking the ratman and sending it flying with a pitiful scream.

But instead of restoring order, his actions only fanned the flames of dissent.

“And who do you think you are?” Another ratman stepped forward, its crimson eyes glinting with hatred. “You think being born a ‘superior’ species gives you the right to trample on us?

If you’re so great, why don’t *you* face those arrays? Why should we be the ones to die for nothing?”

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter