"What is this?"
Yanila couldn't recognize it, but a sense of unease instinctively arose within her, and she pawed at the ground with her hooves.
"Where did this come from?" Roy asked in a deep voice.
The middle-aged centaur replied, "It was discovered in a valley to the east. That area is close to the border of the Nether Kingdom. Our chieftain has helped Kairon raid the Nether Kingdom several times, capturing live prisoners to use as sacrifices!"
Roy asked, "How do you know those prisoners were used as sacrifices? Are you familiar with the sacrificial rituals?"
The centaur said, "I handled some supplies and overheard it from drunken warriors. Later, I risked my life to go and see for myself, confirming that what they said was true."
After a brief exchange, Roy had a general understanding of the situation.
The Uzhuk Tribe was indeed sacrificing to demons!
But the method was provided by Kairon, and it was unclear where he had obtained such forbidden knowledge.
Similar incidents had been going on for years, but they had always been kept secret. Only over time did they gradually become known in small circles.
This process had almost coincided with the rise of the Bloodhoof Tribe.
"If that's really the case, Kairon might already possess strength beyond that of a Grand Knight. What Yanila said earlier about the Uzhuk chieftain only being at the level of an advanced knight might be completely inaccurate!"
After dismissing the informant, Celine whispered to Roy.
Yanila was still somewhat unconvinced, but the current situation clearly exceeded her understanding, so she remained silent.
Roy said, "Seeing is believing. It's best to find the sacrifices, or even the altar, and take a look. Abyssal demons are terrifying monsters that ravage multiple planes and worlds. Compared to Wizards, they pose a greater threat to this world. Whether Kairon is clever or foolish, he's daring enough to consort with demons!"
...
That night, Yanila tirelessly carried Roy and Celine to the location provided by the informant.
Roy didn't fully trust the informant and was even prepared to fall into a trap or face an ambush.
But the situation took an unexpected turn. The place was already abandoned, like a ruined garden, left to decay.
Roy asked Yanila and Celine to wait outside while he entered the small valley to investigate.
More traces of demonic presence became apparent.
"It seems the worst has already happened. Some demons have crossed the Dimensional Portal and entered this world!"
Even without deep knowledge of abyssal demons, Roy concluded this after carefully examining the surroundings.
Many things inside appeared as if they had been scorched and blackened by coal smoke. The surrounding vegetation withered, and the leaves turned yellow. But it wasn't due to lack of water or malnutrition—it was the result of being corroded by the demonic energy from the abyss.
This Otherworldly energy produced radiation similar to that of a Wizard's Source of Magic. However, the corruption from the abyss was far more dangerous and chaotic than the Wizardry Energy of Wizards!
It would bring endless chaos and destruction.
Roy collected some soil and wood samples, sealed them in lead boxes, and prepared to present them as evidence to his teacher.
"Let's head back."
After coming out, he found Yanila and Celine and spoke with a grave expression.
But he didn't explain much.
...
"Someone has been here!"
Not long after Roy and his companions left, a group of cavalry suddenly arrived at the desolate and uninhabited valley.
These cavalrymen, clad in black armor and helmets, exuded an aura of ancient solemnity, unlike any native centaurs. Their presence was overwhelmingly terrifying.
Black mist swirled around them, seemingly sentient, seeping through the gaps in their armor, emanating an inexplicable chill.
The leader was a burly centaur warrior with eyes as sharp as a hawk's, scanning the surroundings through the slits of his black helmet.
His eyes glowed faintly, revealing a crimson light akin to the mental strength of a Warlock Apprentice.
He quickly detected traces of life energy in the surroundings, noticing the area where Roy and his group had stayed.
"Such a remote place... they couldn't have just passed by," a knight who appeared to be a deputy commander remarked with a hint of doubt.
He too sensed something unusual.
"You take the offerings inside. I'll go investigate," the cavalry leader ordered.
Immediately, several black-armored cavalrymen split off, forming a tactical squad of five riders. Together with the leader, they swiftly galloped eastward, totaling six riders.
Roy and his companions had not anticipated this sudden development. Although they intended to leave quickly and return to the Nether Kingdom, they were not in a great hurry.
By the late night, they were caught up.
"Where did these things come from?"
Upon seeing the black-armored knights, Roy was naturally startled.
But then he was overjoyed.
"This is a gift delivered right to my doorstep!"
He had been worried about not collecting enough useful evidence to complete the investigation task satisfactorily.
Wasn't this a ready-made achievement?
"They're Warlock Apprentices!"
These knights had not yet sensed Roy's true power, mistaking him and his companion for mere apprentices.
"They must have noticed the anomaly over there. Kill them! We can't let them spread the news!" the Black Knight leader immediately commanded.
Two knights raised their lances and charged.
The three riders behind them drew their bows, and long iron arrows whistled through the air with immense force.
"These are all advanced knights! How is that possible!"
Yanila blocked the arrows with her spear, her face filled with shock.
In this world, those above the advanced level were undoubtedly warriors within their tribes, qualified to compete for the position of chieftain or even a kingdom's general.
Despite her constant disdain for Atedia, she acknowledged that the female captain was a formidable figure.
Yet, here they were, encountering soldiers with comparable strength so casually.
Roy was equally shocked, but the enemy was already upon them.
Without much thought, he grabbed a lance, his terrifying strength causing the two centaur experts to falter.
Lightning flashed.
The electric arc from the Levitating Magic Orb instantly killed one of them.
In the blink of an eye, Roy's hair shot out from behind, piercing the armor.
During this process, he felt significant resistance, even bending the lance's tip.
When his hair retracted, what flowed out was not the blood of a normal creature but a stream of scalding magma emitting a pungent sulfurous smell!
Roy's pupils dilated violently, feeling as if his hair had been tainted by filth, suffering considerable damage.
Aside from the previous bites from the Hellhound, her beautiful hair had never suffered such a blow!
"There's no Flesh Chunk inside their bodies!"
At that moment, Yanila also pierced the enemy in front of her with her spear and exclaimed in shock.
The monster, composed of scorching lava, stood solemn and eerily cold beneath its black armor, entirely made up of these inhuman anomalies!
In the midst of the astonishment, the monster that was thought to have been killed earlier rose again.
(End of Chapter)