"Redemption," Unas murmured the spell's name. A warmth surged in his chest, as if something was pulsating and radiating heat, providing him with a continuous stream of Holy Power.
As the golden light shone down, Luisa's pale skin began to regain its luster, and her broken neck quickly healed.
Soon, the spell ended, and her chest began to rise and fall. In the quiet night, the clear sound of her breathing reached the Paladin's ears.
Unas breathed a sigh of relief as he was finally saved. He closed his eyes and looked inward, discovering a golden tome spinning in his chest. It turned out that the Holy Book had been sealed inside his body.
A faint white shadow emerged from the book, and an unfamiliar female voice spoke, "This is... Resurrection?"
"Yes."
"I didn't expect you could unleash such a miraculous spell." The woman's voice sounded much gentler than before.
Unas asked in surprise, "Who exactly are you?"
"Don't worry about who I am, it's meaningless. I'm a ghost that should belong to the past, only able to appear briefly in this world. Now, the mission given to me by Archbishop Hemet has been completed. Please say goodbye to Her Highness for me."
"Wait, why is the Holy Book inside me?"
"She entrusted this to you before she died. Take good care of it; you can't imagine how precious this sacred object is."
"The princess has now been resurrected, and this book was entrusted to her by the Archbishop. How can I accept it?"
"You have no choice. Your body has undergone a drastic shift between good and evil in a very short time. Without it, you would have collapsed long ago. Moreover, now that you've been corrupted, you're more likely than anyone else to fall again. The Holy Book will protect you; don't let it leave your body easily."
"I understand, I will take good care of it."
"Then, again..."
Unas quickly interrupted, "Wait a minute, are you a hero?"
"Hahaha, can someone who calls himself a hero even be considered a hero? Don't joke with me like an idiot, my time is almost up..."
Please accept my invitation!
Unas immediately activated his previously unused third talent: Ancient Kings' Guardian – summoning a Heroic Spirit to fight for him. (Requires the soul of a hero.)
Having never encountered a hero's soul before, this talent is practically useless, but I'm determined to give it a try now.
"What is this?" the woman asked hesitantly.
"If you want to see more of this beautiful world, please say yes!" Unas pleaded eagerly.
"Although the world is not beautiful now, I am willing to stay and fight for Lordaeron!"
A beam of golden light appeared between the two, and an intricate contract Magic Circle flashed by. Without hesitation, the agreement was reached!
Information about the Heroic Spirit's identity flowed through Unas's mind like water, giving him a general understanding of the Heroic Spirit's origins.
She was actually the famous Saint Kressa from a hundred years ago, who bravely sacrificed herself in a battle to defeat an evil sorcerer. To honor her achievements, the church erected a statue of her in the Cathedral for people to remember her. Perhaps it was because of this that she gained some faith and was temporarily summoned by the Archbishop to be Luisa's protector.
A white shadow floated out from her body, transforming into a golden female figure. Her features were indistinct, but the armor and longsword she conjured revealed her former heroic bearing.
"Miss Kressa, so you're not Paladin?"
"The Paladin class didn't exist in my time. I was Priest, but I could still fight on the front lines."
This is what made her famous. The image of a delicate female Priest in people's minds was that she actually took up a sword and fought bloody battles with the enemy, which was unimaginable in that era. As a result, her fame grew and she gradually became a household name and a heroine.
"Even someone as powerful as you could die in battle; you must have encountered a monstrous enemy."
"No, I wasn't as powerful back then as I am now. It was the Holy Book that amplified my combat power several times over; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to suppress you."
"Really? The Holy Book can also enhance my combat power?"
"That depends on you. The Holy Book is a treasure trove; how much you dig out is entirely up to you," Kressa said, glancing around with a hint of eagerness. "What about those stinking creatures?"
The Undead Warriors left behind were of no use; they witnessed the entire process and were bewildered by the change in their master's master, neither daring to attack nor fleeing.
Unas thought for a moment. He only had one-third of Varimathras's true name and couldn't fully control it. It would be better to silence these witnesses.
"Eliminate them all... except those two." Unas pointed to Hal and Hake, then nodded to the Heroic Spirit.
With a whoosh, Kressa soared into the air, her golden greatsword flashing out of thin air, unleashing dozens of beams of light that rained down on the surrounding Undead.
Amidst explosions and screams, the golden Heroic Spirit transformed into a beam of light, hacking all the remaining enemies to pieces and turning them into burning corpses. Hal and Hake only managed to escape less than a hundred meters before she intercepted them.
Unas rushed forward and asked the two terrified brothers, "Do you still recognize me?"
"Unas-Lawugade, I will never forget your name. The misfortune you brought has brought my brother and me to this state."
Once they become Undead, they are easily overwhelmed by negative emotions, and it's normal for them to resent the strangers who didn't die with them.
Unas wasn't angry. He explained, "Even without my intervention, you would have been killed by the enemies pursuing Gordon, completely defenseless."
"Perhaps." Hal turned his head away, not wanting to further provoke the Paladin who held their fate in his hands.
"I can see that you desperately want to survive, but what is your belief in survival?"
"We exist, so we want to continue to exist; there's no other reason."
"So if you can betray the Queen and Nathanos for survival, you too will one day betray Varimathras..."
"No, we have offered up the fire of our souls; we cannot betray it again."
"That's alright, Varimathras has already submitted to me, you..."
It submits to the you who has become a demon, it will not acknowledge the you who you are now.
"No, you are wrong. Just as it holds the power of your soul fire, I also hold its true name. Even if I am no longer a demon, it must still submit to me."
Hal didn't argue further. He realized that wasn't the case, but he sensed the Paladin's impatience and dared not say anything more.
"I'm glad you have the ability to think independently. Enough with the small talk, I don't want to eliminate you, not only out of consideration for the past, but also because I want to use you for something."
"What's up?"
"Help me gather intelligence on Undercity."
"You want us to be your spies? If we're discovered, we'll be crushed to pieces!"
"Everything has risks. I guarantee you returns far exceeding your expectations. What do you want?"
"Revenge, and gold."
After the Undead are deprived of their sensory desires, their possessiveness of material things becomes even stronger.
"Gordon has avenged you. The Undead Mage killed you has long been beheaded. As for gold, I have plenty here."
Unas took out two bags of Gold Coins and tossed them to the two brothers, saying, "Keep up the good work, there are even more rewards waiting for you."