Chapter 2381 Doubts

Even if this was indeed the work of the undead, what could their purpose be?

Creating such a commotion just to destroy a relatively insignificant White Bamboo Principality?

“Order the five nearest honorary knight squads of the White Bamboo Principality to assemble and deploy immediately. Baluyev will serve as the commander. Set out at once to thoroughly investigate the truth of the matter!”

In the Holy Court’s central archbishop’s view, Baluyev was highly experienced in battle and possessed great strength. His subordinates commanded a squad of 500 Holy Paladins, along with support from four other nearby legions.

Their combined strength was more than enough to easily annihilate any medium-sized empire on the continent, and eliminating a small nation like the Kingdom of Horus would be a trivial task.

“If any undead or hostile forces are discovered, eliminate them immediately.”

“Understood!”

…

Upon receiving the central Holy Court’s mobilization orders, the five honorary knight squads quickly assembled at the border of the White Bamboo Principality, preparing to advance towards the breached main city after their gathering.

Due to some of the teleportation passages being destroyed, it took over five hours for all five teams to finally enter the devastated territory of the White Bamboo Principality.

By this time, Fang Heng had been in the game for a full 14 hours.

Dawn had arrived.

Army Commander Baluyev led his team forward, entering the now desolate main city of the White Bamboo Principality.

Baluyev surveyed the war-torn environment around him, his eyes reflecting a hint of suspicion.

“Everyone, something doesn’t seem right.”

“Yes.”

The other four honorary knight squad leaders also showed serious expressions, nodding in agreement.

According to the intelligence from the Holy Court, the attack on the White Bamboo Principality was likely carried out by the undead.

However, the battle marks left behind here seemed very strange.

They did not resemble the typical traces left by attacks from the undead faction.

One of the squad commanders pondered and said, “Based on the description from the survivor we just spoke with, I’m thinking of a certain creature. I wonder if anyone else feels the same.”

The others exchanged glances and then spoke in unison, “Lickers?”

“Ah, so you all think the same?”

“Could it be Fang Heng?”

Baluyev fell into silence.

Without seeing the enemy directly, they couldn’t be entirely certain.

After all, Lickers and ghouls look quite similar.

Moreover, in previous battles with the undead faction, they had encountered specially mutated ghouls.

“Let’s report this back to the Holy Court headquarters. We’ll continue our investigation. Issue a warning, there’s a possibility the enemy might be related to demonic seeds. Everyone, stay cautious.”

“Understood! We’ll do that!”

The team continued to advance slowly.

Strangely, Baluyev noticed that there were no signs of undead within the ruins of the main city.

“Report!”

Ahead, the scouting team had detected an anomaly, and one of the members hurried over to report, “Sir, we’ve just spotted a strange red light beam outside the city.”

“A light beam?”

Baluyev’s brows furrowed slightly, immediately becoming alert. He responded in a deep voice, “Let’s go check it out!”

Leaving the city, the group soon saw a dark red beam of light emerging from the distance.

The beam extended straight up, piercing through the sky and disappearing into the thick clouds above.

The light originated from the border area of the Kingdom of Horus.

Because it was nighttime, the beam appeared particularly conspicuous.

“What is that thing?”

Several honorary knight commanders exchanged wary glances, each showing signs of concern.

None of them had ever seen a red light beam like this before.

But from that beam, they sensed an overwhelming sense of danger.

The light seemed to be slowly condensing.

The destruction of the White Bamboo Principality was highly likely related to this beam of light!

“Let’s move. We need to investigate.”

“Yes, Sir!”

The Holy Paladin legion quickly set out again, speeding towards the direction where the red light was rising.

“Accelerate! Charge!”

“Understood!”

The warhorses galloped forward!

The Empire’s knights charged across the plains with remarkable speed. Within half an hour, the Holy Paladin legion had crossed two breached cities and arrived at the border of the Kingdom of Horus.

Commander Baluyev raised his hand, signaling his subordinates to position the legion at the edge of a high ridge within a dense forest, allowing them to observe the area where the red light beam was rising from a distance.

Looking up in the direction of the red light, they saw a strange structure on the sandy ground.

The structure was approximately five meters high, taking on an unusual inverted triangular form, surrounded by a dozen tall circular stone pillars.

Each stone pillar was about five meters high as well.

From its structure, it appeared that the arrangement of the building and the pillars formed some kind of magical array.

The towering red light was continuously spilling from the top of the structure.

One of the Holy Paladin team members asked, “Was this structure here before?”

“Never heard of it.”

“Move forward! Let’s see what trick they’re trying to pull! Stay alert.”

“Yes, Sir!”

The army began to advance slowly towards the inverted triangular structure.

Suddenly, the sand around the structure began to tremble. One by one, Licker creatures emerged from beneath the sand, quickly charging towards the Holy Court legion!

Seeing this, a deputy commander’s expression changed slightly. He said in a deep voice, “This is bad. It’s the Lickers!”

Their premonition had been correct.

It was not ghouls but Lickers!

This incident was indeed related to the undead.

It was Fang Heng!

It was the demonic seed!

The horde of Lickers, concealed beneath the sand, surged forth in overwhelming numbers, quickly forming a dense mass that advanced toward the Holy Court knights!

“Stay calm and handle them carefully!” Baluyev commanded, his gaze intense. “Lickers have strong self-healing and infection abilities. Use Holy Purification to assist in their elimination!”

“Yes, Sir!”

The elite honorary knights of the advanced game world were far superior to ordinary Holy Court warriors. Their high spirit attributes meant they remained undaunted by the Lickers’ sudden assault, their fighting spirit unshaken.

In an instant, the knights’ bodies were enveloped in holy ripples. The resonance of the Holy Light greatly enhanced their overall abilities.

“Charge!”

The Holy Paladins spurred their warhorses forward, initiating a powerful charge!

In an instant, the dense swarm of Lickers surged forward, and the battlefield erupted into chaos as the two sides clashed.

The knight squad plunged into the depths of the Licker horde like a sharp sword, driving over a hundred meters before gradually slowing down and sinking into the quagmire.

From all directions, Lickers continued to surround them, leaping toward the honorary knights of the Holy Court, frantically swinging their claws in an attempt to tear the knights apart.

The claw attacks struck against the outer holy barrier of the honorary knights, creating bursts of radiant holy light.

At the same time, the attacks from the Holy Court knights landed on the Lickers, leaving deep gashes in their flesh!