Chapter 134: In Whose Name Do You Swear

  Yabin dragged the female knight's hand as they sprinted forward. The effects of Prayer Spell, Strength, and Agility roared through his body and veins, unleashing every ounce of his strength. Trees on both sides flew backward; occasional small branches and leaves scraped against his face, stinging sharply and leaving thin trails of blood.

  The boots on his feet seemed to have an accelerating effect. Whether stepping or jumping, they felt remarkably lighter. If this was a permanent magical effect that didn't require replenishing magical energy, combined with the high-level water magic "Water Walking" the man had mentioned, these were no ordinary magical items. They were undoubtedly rare treasures comparable to the Radiant Battleplate worn by the female knight.

  But in the current situation, the Radiant Battleplate and these boots served vastly different purposes. The once-per-day Divine Aegis of the Heavens couldn't be activated. This precious, magical suit of armor was now just a cumbersome pile of iron plates. Added to her injuries not being fully healed, despite the white magic enhancements, the female knight could barely move faster than an ordinary person. Her speed relied entirely on Yabin pulling her along.

  Even so, the two fled faster than galloping horses. But the shouts and footsteps behind them grew steadily closer.

  Leading the pursuit was the masked woman, Jessica. Her slender figure moved soundlessly and swiftly through the trees, hindered by nothing, like a shadow-crafted spirit cat. If not for her concern that she couldn't handle both Yabin and the female knight alone and needed to wait for her companions behind, she might have caught them already.

  Second in pursuit was the mysterious man. He chased while cursing viciously. Behind him were Hilton, wielding two punching swords, and the Druid transformed into a werewolf. The Druid had reacted slowest, only putting on the wolf-head mask after the others had already run some distance. But once transformed into a werewolf, he quickly caught up.

  Bringing up the rear was Sylka, empty-handed. The several-hundred-jin greatsword obviously couldn't be brought along for pursuit. Though his bear-like tall frame possessed agility and speed utterly disproportionate to its size, his sheer bulk meant he couldn't slip through gaps the others navigated with ease. He had to detour or simply smash through the trees in his way.

  As for Axsis and the old man, they weren't even worth mentioning. Even the man's loud shout hadn't awakened the two deeply sleeping mages. Hilton had initially wanted them to cast haste spells on everyone, but given that their semi-conscious state might prevent them from even chanting spells, wasting precious time, they had no choice but to pursue as they were.

  But it seemed they didn't need to worry about that problem. The white magic glow emanating from their prey served as a perfect beacon in the night, eliminating any fear of losing the target. Moreover, the pursuers could see the two figures drawing closer.

  "Fuck, boss, how did you let that kid rescue the bitch?" Hilton asked from behind the man. Unconsciously, he seemed to have acknowledged this man's leadership. For people like them, the one with the hardest fists, coldest heart, and most vicious methods was naturally the boss. Everything the man had displayed had completely won Hilton over. But why this newly acknowledged boss had allowed that young punk to rescue the woman was something he truly couldn't fathom.

  "Hmph, I was careless for a moment and fell for that kid's white magic." While running fast, the man's facial expression couldn't be clearly seen, but the anger in his tone was palpable. "When I catch that kid, I'll never forgive him."

  "Don't worry, the Great Piton River is just ahead. They can't escape." Hilton spat viciously. "Fuck, I thought this kid looked decent, even kind of liked him. Who knew he was actually a Church spy. Fuck. Hey, Anderson, when we catch this Church spy, you must kill him. He's your mortal enemy."

  The werewolf Druid said nothing. His face was expressionless. Whether he was unwilling to speak or couldn't speak in his werewolf form was unclear. He just silently ran behind the man.

  "Crack!" "Thump!" Judging by the sounds alone, Sylka behind them had snapped two trees.

  "You... should... take off the armor," Yabin managed to say while sprinting. Pain had already started to cramp his chest and abdomen from breathing. His legs were also growing sore. Dragging the armor-clad female knight was truly exhausting.

  "Impossible. The Radiant Battleplate is a treasure bestowed by Celeste. It can never be abandoned." The female knight's voice, surprisingly, wasn't panting heavily, remaining firm.

  "I'm not saying... forever... later... we can retrieve it." A small branch scraped Yabin's forehead, and blood immediately welled up.

  "No. The value of the Radiant Battleplate isn't just in the armor itself. It was personally granted and blessed by His Majesty the Pope... It embodies the honor and faith of every Temple Knight. Even... temporarily abandoning it is impossible." The female knight finally began to pant as well.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  The sounds of the pursuers behind grew closer, even the man's curses becoming audible.

  "If we don't... we're dead for sure," Yabin said forcefully in one breath.

  The female knight gritted her teeth. "Even in death, I cannot abandon honor and faith in the Lord."

  "You..." Yabin tripped over a raised root while running, stumbling several times before catching himself. Even in the moonlight, one could see his face was flushed red, whether from exhaustion or lack of breath.

  "Fuck, you two bastards can't escape. Stand still nicely, and I'll give you a quick death..." Hilton's voice called from behind, more clichéd than phrases in outdated knight novels, more pointless than pointless words.

  The female knight shook off Yabin's hand and stopped in her tracks. Yabin also stopped, turning back to stare at her in astonishment.

  "I will hold them off here. You go alone. I'm grateful you saved me. The Lord in heaven will surely know your kindness and courage." The female knight turned to face the pursuers, her clear, handsome features outlining a truly masculine resolve. Her voice was filled with the steadfastness of one facing fate head-on. "I cannot abandon my glory and faith. I believe my choice, that the hardships and dangers I must face are trials bestowed upon me by the Lord."

  Jessica, closest to them, stopped, waiting for the others to catch up. The converging pursuers inevitably slowed their steps, halting several dozen meters away. They knew clearly these two couldn't escape. They wanted to see what tricks the pair still had up their sleeves.

  "Are you crazy? Run!" Yabin turned back and grabbed the female knight's hand. He could see the light in the man's eyes. It wasn't something that could be simply described as cold or cool. Perhaps only he could understand the implication hidden in those eyes.

  "Crack!" Sylka kicked down a tree, and his massive, muscular frame appeared in everyone's view. The light in his eyes, more animal than animal, was something anyone could understand. Or rather, not just humans – any animal could sense the explosive, violent, killing aura radiating from his entire being.

  "Go by yourself," the female knight pushed Yabin's hand away. "I said, you stay here. With my honor to help you..."

  "Crack!" Yabin's slap landed sharply on the female knight's face. The slap wasn't just loud; it was forceful, sending the female knight's head snapping sideways, her face instantly swelling.

  Though everyone froze for a moment, the most stunned was the female knight herself. Her face burned with pain, her mind a blank daze – whether from the blow or from failing to comprehend what had just happened.

  The others slowed their steps. But Sylka didn't stop. He strode toward the two like a bear. He had no curiosity or refined interest in playing cat-and-mouse. If he did, it was only after capturing prey, tearing off limbs, hearing screams and pleas, watching blood and protruding bones – then it became amusement.

  Yabin paid no more attention to the female knight. Nor did he flee alone as she had suggested. Instead, he turned to face the pursuers, near and far. He suddenly raised his hands and chanted aloud: "Lord in heaven, grant me the radiance to repel evil."

  Everyone, including Sylka, immediately assumed defensive postures. But nothing seemed to happen. Yabin's outstretched hands were empty; nothing emanated from them.

  "Fuck, what kind of ghost trick is this? Come and surrender nicely," Hilton brandished his punching swords and also walked toward the two. Naturally, Sylka still led the way, as the opponent's feint had at least doubled the murderous light in his eyes.

  Like a magnificent yet silent lightning bolt, or like a sun suddenly bursting from darkness to illuminate the sky, an intensely dazzling light finally erupted from between his hands. This was the magic from the chanted spell; he had deliberately delayed its release.

  No one was spared. All were caught completely off guard by the feint spell. The brightest part of the white light shot directly into their eyes. Shouts and cries erupted simultaneously as they bent over, covering their eyes. Jessica's voice was particularly piercing, as if not just blinded by light, but as if her eyes had been gouged out with knives.

  "Clang!" Amidst the screams, all four heard the sound of a sword being drawn from Yabin's position. Everyone scrambled back defensively, hands raised, guarding against a sneak attack while they were blinded.

  Two whooshes, followed by the sound of trees falling, branches colliding and breaking. Sylka and the others didn't dare move randomly, all guarding against a blow that might land on their heads at any moment.

  But no such attack came. After ten-plus seconds, when their eyes gradually recovered, they discovered the two white figures were gone. The two trees where they had stood were snapped in half, and the noise from their fall had completely masked the sound of their escape.

  "Fuck, so cunning. Chase the fuckers!" Hilton raged, having been tricked twice in succession.

  "That trick again, that bastard." The one who seemed even more furious was the man.

  Hilton crouched down, listened carefully for a moment, then pointed in a direction. "This way. Don't worry, I hear the sound of the river. They can't escape."

  The female knight's mind was still blank. The effect of the slap persisted. She was mechanically dragged along by that hand, feeling the scenery flying past. Only when she saw a river ahead did she snap out of it. This wide river elegantly curved in a "几" shape before them, enclosing them here. The hand holding her finally released. Yabin stopped, bent over, and gasped for breath on the riverbank. His strength was nearly exhausted.

  The pursuers finally caught up. Seeing their prey cornered, they fanned out and surrounded them.

  The female knight despaired. She knew that even if they tried to escape by water, the armor she wore would be a fatal burden. Just then, the young man resting beside her suddenly swept her into his arms, shouted, "Don't move, hold tight!" and then strode forcefully onto the river's surface.

  Everyone, including the female knight, froze. But what stunned them came next: Yabin's feet actually stepped onto the glittering river surface as if it were solid ground. Each step created circular ripples as he sprinted rapidly toward the opposite bank.

  "Water Walking? This kid has such a scroll?" Hilton exclaimed in shock. He was certain this was the effect of a magical scroll. Otherwise, a young warrior with such skills who could also use white magic and this high-level water magic would be the one pursuing them, not the other way around.

  In just a few breaths, Yabin had reached the opposite bank. The moment he set the female knight down, he collapsed to the ground.

  The female knight stood up, looking around, unable to believe they had truly escaped. Coming to her senses, she quickly knelt to check on the young man who had rescued her. Fortunately, he had merely fainted from overexertion. A Healing Spell from the female knight soon set him right.

  "Fuck, no way, did those two really escape?" Hilton jumped anxiously. The river was nearly a hundred meters wide. Though the people here could swim across, by the time they did, the female knight would have long since carried Yabin far away. He turned to ask the Druid. "Can you turn into a fish, no, wait, something like a turtle to carry us across?"

  The werewolf replied with a growl.

  A sound similar to the werewolf's growl rumbled in Sylka's throat. He watched the two figures on the opposite bank, unreachable, his entire body trembling with rage.

  "To the man wielding that evil weapon across the river, hear me! In the Lord's name, do you dare tell me your name?" The female knight's voice carried across the water. "I swear by my knight's honor and in the name of the Lord, I will cleanse my shame with your blood."

  "To the bitch across the river, hear this! I swear in my own name that when next we meet, I will rape you before killing you, then send your corpse to that old bastard Magnus as a gift!" The man's furious roar rolled back across the water. "Go tell the bastards in Celeste! My name is Sandro!"

  Far away, in another place, an old man sleeping soundly was awakened by two mighty sneezes.