Chapter 294: Purgatory Saddle

"If I remember correctly..." Ron drew a special arrowhead from his quiver, but right now, he didn't dare place too much hope in his handiwork.

"If I remember correctly, the last time we fought it, it didn't have a mount, did it?"

Aive said nothing, simply raising her tower shield and taking a few steps forward to stand at the very front.

The Half-Elf peeked out from behind her shield, gazing up at the Death Knight that had advanced on their position. It towered over even the Hill Giant.

It had been several months, but the Death Knight, with the characteristic timelessness of an Undead Creature, had barely changed at all. The magic and blades of Ron's squad had not left even a single scratch on its heavy armor, which was wreathed in black mist. It still wielded the same greatsword, but unlike last time, the Death Knight had brought a jet-black shield on this campaign. The outward-facing side of the shield was covered in a chaotic array of interlocking spikes. A ghostly light flickered at their tips, as if it would devour the soul of any onlooker who lost focus for even a moment.

And beneath it, the group found the source of the hoofbeats they had heard moments ago.

"The Purgatory Saddle..." The Desire Demon's gaze fell upon the saddle of the Death Knight's mount. She stared at the full set—the bridle, bit, reins, saddle, stirrups, and spurs—utterly stunned. "Th-this is equipment only Nightmare Rider Demons should possess! Why is there a set here?!"

"Shouldn't you be more concerned about why its mount is a Nightmare?" At this moment, Victoria was surrounded by an incredibly powerful Spiritual Light. She walked slowly from the rear to the front line. Wherever she passed, the goblins and kobolds found their courage once more. They scrambled up from the ground and grabbed their weapons. Though still fearful, they were at least able to fight again.

The Priest could feel her Heim's Holy Emblem burning with unprecedented heat. In comparison, even the Hellfire wreathing the mane, tail, and hooves of the Death Knight's Nightmare felt cold.

Victoria was still far from her deity, but at this moment, she could feel it in her soul—Heim was watching her.

"Nightmares can be summoned through various means. I've even tried it myself. But a Purgatory Saddle is a gift from devils to those warriors with a twisted sense of honor." Jilannis landed on the ground, her expression also grim. Even for her, a Death Knight with a full set of equipment and a mount was by no means an easy opponent. The lion's head on her Sword-Singing Lion Armor opened its maw, ready to face any possible challenge.

"You once served in Hell, didn't you?"

"So why have you now turned to the Abyss?"

Jilannis questioned the Death Knight, but it showed no intention of answering. The Nightmare let out a strange shriek, as if mocking the people before it.

"Can you make the Nightmare switch sides?" Ron looked at Kao Jia without much hope, but even he knew it was practically impossible.

"A Nightmare won't necessarily listen even to its own master's commands." Two jets of flame ignited in the Desire Demon's eye sockets, and her wings seemed to catch fire as well. "But don't you worry. It may have a mount, but I'm on your side this time. You mortals only need to handle the other Undead Creatures."

Kao Jia waved to her Kambions and Little Devils. "Everyone, attack!"

"Reclaim the saddle!"

"For Lady Gracia!"

Kao Jia's figure vanished in an instant. But the Death Knight seemed to have anticipated her attack, raising the shield in its off-hand and perfectly intercepting the Desire Demon's Magic Sword. As the Knight swung its greatsword, two Little Devils instantly disappeared from the material world.

Without a charge—the Nightmare hadn't even moved—Ron's side had already suffered casualties. At the same time, the Undead Creatures behind the Death Knight began to stir, like sharks that had smelled blood.

"Fire!"

An arrow flew through the air and landed unerringly among the Undead Creatures. The resulting explosion kicked up a storm and simultaneously sounded the horn for the assault.

"Attack! Attack!" The mixed force, with Aive, Victoria, and the Hill Giant at its head, smashed violently into the Death Knight's Undead Creatures. The skeletons and zombies, with the characteristic toughness of the undead, were able to fight the goblins and kobolds to a standstill. But whenever the little guys' offensive faltered, Ron's core squad, like iron stakes hidden in snow, would deliver a crushing blow to any Undead that temporarily gained the upper hand.

Zandia and the Beastman Priest also joined the fight. The young Centaur picked up a weapon from the ground. Where her iron hooves flew, enemies were constantly sent flying only to fall and be trampled into a mess of fragments. Sera, who had been trapped, was saved. She vaulted onto Zandia's back. In that instant, the two unarmored warriors transformed into a merciless bone-crushing machine. Wherever they went, no living creature—allies included—could get near them.

Compared to Zandia's high-profile rampage, the priest from the Split Tooth Tribe was more like a sinister, cunning viper. Dark purple Arcane Magic burst from her fingertips, landing on the more powerful Undead Creatures nearby. For a few short seconds, the targets showed no reaction. However, when her curse took effect, they would instantly explode as if unable to bear it, bursting into a shower of fragments with no chance of reanimating.

For a moment, the tide of battle seemed to turn in Ron's favor. But was a simple turn of the tide enough?

"Urgh—"

The Desire Demon let out a pained cry. No one saw what kind of attack hit her; they only saw her fly backward out of the melee like a kite with a snapped string. Such a forced retreat was a fatal blow to everyone else's morale.

"NEEEIGH!"

The Nightmare let out a long neigh. No longer constrained, it immediately went wild, carrying the Knight on its back as it swept through the goblin and kobold formations like the Death God himself. Wherever its sword and shield passed, blossoms of blood bloomed one after another in the street.

The Hill Giant roared and charged forward, but its battle-axe was easily flicked away by the Death Knight. The giant watched in disbelief as the large, spike-covered shield grew larger and larger in its vision. With a dull THUD, the massive giant was unable to withstand the Knight's charging Shield Strike and was sent flying into the buildings by the side of the street, crushing two houses in a row.

"At this rate, it'll just wear us down and pick us off one by one!" Delaford disengaged from the chaotic battle and leaped onto a roof, shouting anxiously, "Ron, you have to think of something! If this drags on, it's only a matter of time before we're all dead!"

As he spoke, Sera and Zandia clashed head-on with the Death Knight. The Nightmare took two steps back, but Zandia was sent flying sideways. Having lost her balance, Sera was instantly swallowed by the sea of Undead Creatures.

"I have an idea, but I can't be sure if it'll work!" Ron was also burning with anxiety. The spectator sees the game best; being right here, he had an even clearer view of the battle than Delaford. But he didn't know if he should put his idea into practice.

"Trying something is better than just thinking about it here. What's the worst that can happen? How much worse can it be than a total wipeout?" Jilannis suddenly appeared behind Ron. She had disengaged from the battlefield at some point, and now, a tangible light flowed around her body. It looked like she was getting serious. "Go on. You can take your companions with you. Maybe that will increase your chances of success."

"But here—" Ron looked at the situation below. If he pulled Aive and the others away, Kao Jia alone would have absolutely no way to stand against the Death Knight.

"I can help you here. Though I'm still a long way from being recovered, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve." Jilannis Galanord vanished from in front of Ron and reappeared before the Death Knight's mount. The Elf Grand Mage's gaze was serene. Though her lips barely moved, her voice rang like a great bell in the heart of every living being:

"All units, disengage! I repeat, disengage from combat immediately."