Paladin Version of "Let Them Eat Cake"

Never fight a Mage in their Mage Tower unless you're ambushing them.

This is common knowledge, but things don't always go as planned.

As it is now, the battle has begun, and there's no turning back.

The castle's magical defense systems are all active, and countless dark corrosive energies shoot out from within, striking the enemy forces like artillery.

Mortals cannot withstand this magical power; a single touch will corrode them down to bone.

However, the Paladin and the light cleric were unaffected. The overwhelming power of the anti-magic field caused all magic to dissipate completely upon entering its range. While the field was active, the two were effectively immune to magic.

Unless a divine-level spell can be cast, the limitations of the anti-magic field cannot be broken.

This is where the difference between a fake Legendary and a true Legendary becomes apparent.

Every Legendary is a demigod, transcending the mortal realm and wielding minor divine power.

Under normal circumstances, Amber Xiu, a Legendary Lich, could have taught these two young Lyne Empire upstarts a lesson with a single spell containing divine power.

But after abandoning the path of the School of Prophecy, Amber Xiu has no spells that reach demigod level. Faced with this anti-magic field, he could only choose to evade. Fortunately, this was cast using a scroll, so he just needed to wait for its duration to end.

Normally, such scroll-based spells only last for a minute or two.

Amber Xiu's leisure stood in stark contrast to the enemy's panic.

Harvey dodged left and right amidst the pervasive dark corrosive energy, relying on his incredibly precise intuition to survive the first round of magical bombardment.

Although unharmed, Harvey was drenched in sweat. A slight mistake moments ago would have left him as a pile of bones. The negligible magic of an Apprentice Mage, even when bolstering a shield, couldn't withstand magic of this intensity.

Looking behind him, the Porcupine Knight had also miraculously survived, but three of the Lords who came with him to quell the Lich were dead, their bodies and horses alike corroded into bone.

The casualties among the other soldiers were even more horrific. Over two hundred died on the spot. There were few injured because the magical attack was so terrifying that even a graze would result in instant death.

Given such devastation, Harvey genuinely wanted to ask, "Why did you have to provoke him?"

They had ultimately underestimated the Lich's power. Several Lords had positioned themselves far from the battlefield, and by all logic, they should have been beyond the magic's maximum range.

Who could have imagined that the castle had specifically enhanced its magical range?

Harvey couldn't help but wonder, "Did this Lich make adjustments targeting us after taking in the Freemen?"

He was overthinking it. Amber Xiu had reinforced the entire castle's magical defense system entirely because the Withering Rose had given him a detailed breakdown of the Lyne Empire's city defense systems. There were many valuable insights, such as the effect of increasing magical range, which was incredibly cost-effective. Not implementing it would be a disservice to himself.

And today, it yielded extraordinary results.

Truly worthy of the Lyne Empire. Amber Xiu looked at his spoils of war and mentally praised the Lyne Empire's magical technology.

Harvey felt terrible. As an advisor, he had repeatedly suggested retreating, but the Lords hadn't listened. Harvey was already quite displeased. If he survived today, he would resign immediately.

But for now, he had to fulfill his duties as an advisor.

Harvey rode his horse towards the Paladin and shouted, "We can't hold on much longer! Do you have a way to deal with this Lich? If not, we're withdrawing!"

The Paladin asked in surprise, "You can't hold on with less than twenty percent casualties?"

The Paladin admitted he had underestimated Amber Xiu, but were these minor Lords from Alchemy City really that weak?

A mere twenty percent, and their morale was already collapsing?

Even the weakest legions of the Lyne Empire wouldn't feel anything with less than thirty percent casualties.

Harvey wanted to slap the Paladin, but he restrained himself, communicating in the most efficient way possible: "How can an army composed of ordinary tenant farmers compare to an army armed with faith from the Lyne Empire? That's the reality. Do you have a solution or not?"

The Paladin felt this trial was truly eye-opening, but now was not the time for reflection. He said to Harvey, "Of course. We just need to enter the castle and find his phylactery. Since you can't hold on, you should retreat so as not to hinder us."

After speaking, the Paladin, along with the light cleric, continued their charge towards the main gate of the Ancient Castle.

The anti-magic field was still active, allowing them to ignore all magical attacks and charge directly to the castle gate.

Harvey looked at the sky filled with magical light. After a moment of hesitation, he followed behind the Paladin.

His intuition told him that running now wouldn't end well. Perhaps charging with the Paladin was the correct choice. He could only hope his intuition wasn't wrong.

Seeing Harvey charge with them, the Paladin even praised him, saying, "Your courage is commendable. May the Holy Light protect you."

Harvey thought, "Even if I were to ask for divine protection, as an Apprentice Mage, I should seek out the Goddess of Magic, Mystra. These religious fanatics are always proselytizing."

Under the effect of the anti-magic field, all the magic traps in front of the Ancient Castle gate were rendered useless. Simple pitfalls and crossbow traps had little effect on the fully armored Paladin, who easily batted away the crossbow bolts with his longsword.

The three reached the castle gate with only the loss of two horses. However, at this moment, the anti-magic field began to flicker and soon disappeared completely.

Harvey, closely following the other two, also arrived at the castle gate.

Amber Xiu, upon seeing the three charge, had decisively retreated into the castle. Seeing the Paladin appear at the castle gate, he smiled and pressed a mechanism.

As the Paladin prepared to break down the castle gate, a series of clicking sounds echoed.

None of the three knew what was happening, but the Paladin decided to press forward. Holy light surged around his longsword. The Supreme Holy Slash could not only slay Liches but was also very effective at demolishing buildings.

The sword light descended, shattering the heavy wooden door into pieces. The immense impact even cracked the ground extensively.

As Harvey marveled at the Paladin's might, he suddenly asked in confusion, "Wait, aren't there too many cracks?"

As soon as he spoke, the ground in front of the castle gate completely collapsed, revealing a bottomless pit.

Unprepared, the three plummeted straight into the pit.

Amber Xiu, watching the three fall into the pit through his magical surveillance, reached out and touched the Living Mercury beside him. He said to the newborn creature, "Little one, it's your time to shine. If you can defeat the Paladin of the Lyne Empire, this venture of mine will be incredibly profitable."

(End of Chapter)