CHAPTER 32: KNIGHTS (1)

The three moons hung in the sky, bleeding their silvery glow over the mountains and on the valley between them where the entire legion of darklings could be seen running ferociously towards a particular location. With their numbers and disorderliness, they toppled over one another; some were even critically wounded by their fellow darklings.

Their furious cries and footsteps echoed across the area, sending birds fleeing and small animals scurrying to their hiding spots.

Meanwhile, Marlon, the cause of the chaos, had arrived at his destination, which was beside Lunar, who clung tightly onto the treasure she had found.

Marlon hid beside her and turned to observe the approaching legion while heaving long breaths to steady himself. He noted the distance between them — they would not be able to cover it in a minute. That was all the time he needed to prepare for the worst.

He turned to Lunar.

The young nun immediately handed the treasure to him, afraid it might disappear if she held it any longer.

Marlon took it from her trembling hands, his eyes narrowing as the description appeared.

[ You’ve found the Third Treasure of Fate: Horn of Divine Army ]

[ Horn of Divine Army: Blow to activate. Once activated, an army of 500 Divine Knights as strong as the wielder appears and fights his battle.

Number of uses remaining: 3/3 ]

Just like the first two treasures he had obtained, this one possessed an interesting description but had the same plain appearance.

It looked like an ox horn, only much smaller.

Luckily, he had all the treasures now, meaning he would finally be able to reveal their true appearance and unlock their full ability. Without wasting time, he equipped the other two items — the Bracelet of Divine Vitality and the Gauntlet of Blessed Attack.

Immediately after, a system notification followed.

[ You’ve found 3/3 Treasures of Fate: Their effects will now manifest. ]

Following the notification, the three items began to shed their ordinary appearance and take on their true form — the brown bracelet turned silver with a sharp glow, the gauntlet that was once ordinary leather now became sleek black with spikes for knuckles, and the small ox-like horn turned into a golden musical instrument resembling a French horn from Earth.

In his grasp, they vibrated with power.

He gritted his teeth as he turned to observe the approaching army once again. This time, they were only about twenty seconds away from reaching them. Their eyes glowed fiercely in the dark, their pounding footsteps and furious cries echoing under the crescent glow of the three moons.

He turned to Lunar and signaled for her to stay put before revealing himself to the darklings, holding the three treasures of fate in place, ready to activate them.

Without holding back a single moment, he brought the Horn of Divine Army close to his mouth and blew on it.

Instantly, a thunderous sound blasted from it and spread across the valley.

Following this, the sky began to crack with lightning bolts and grumble with thunder.

Hundreds of radiant objects that looked like shooting stars began falling from the sky at an alarming rate, causing both the darklings and the two humans to pause and look up.

In less than three seconds, these star-like objects landed on the ground with explosive force, creating craters and sending dust flying everywhere.

As the dust cleared, tall knights adorned in glowing steel armor beneath white capes and sturdy steel helmets revealed themselves, each holding glittering shields and swords that vibrated with divine energy.

They were exactly five hundred in number.

From their helmets, only their cold eyes were visible, glaring at the darklings who now stared back with growing fear and confusion.

The darklings shivered under the coldness and overwhelming killing intent released by the knights.

Their once furious cries turned into low growls and uncertain snarls.

At the same moment the knights appeared, an unnatural connection formed in Marlon’s mind, and he instantly felt as though he had known them all along. The connection was that of a commander and his army and currently they await his order to proceed with battle

And he did not hesitate.

Raising his hand and voice, he barked, "Divine Knights! Cleanse these filths, let none live!"

The moment his voice faded, the army of knights charged toward the darklings.

A full-scale battle erupted.

The clang of steel rang out as swords clashed against the tough bodies of the darklings. The knights moved with silent precision, their blades striking with practiced grace, blocking and slashing without mercy.

The darklings were caught in the controlled chaos of the knights’ assault.

The smaller ones were swiftly cut down, while the larger beasts were surrounded by groups of knights that restricted their movements and blinded their vision.

"This is incredible," Marlon muttered with a grin, folding his arms as he watched the battlefield unfold before him.

He didn’t bother to join in as there was no benefit to him. It was already known that he couldn’t level up no matter how many he killed. Even his drain skill only restored aether and health points. Despite slaying hundreds of darklings so far, he hadn’t obtained a single skill.

Beside him, Lunar’s eyes sparkled with awe.

The glow of the knights reflected in blue eyes like stars on a calm lake.

Her thoughts spiraled as she recalled tales of divine battles, this scene feeling eerily similar to those described in ancient scriptures.

Time drifted by, and thirty minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

The battle had progressed greatly in favor of the knights. Though a quarter of them had fallen and vanished, more than half of the darkling army formerly over ten thousand units had been slain.

The clash continued to rage on. Sword clashed with brute force, and light fought against darkness.

"I hope the knights manage to finish these things before the twenty-four-hour mark," Marlon muttered, his expression hardening. "If they double in power and number, I’ll have to use the Horn of Divine Army again."

With two activations left, he had already decided to reserve them as his trump card against the Dark King, He couldn’t afford to waste them on mere darklings.

As seconds turned to minutes and minutes surged, his concern grew.

And then, just when everything seemed to be ending well with only about a thousand darklings remaining, the moment he feared arrived.

[ 24 hours have passed ]

[ The Dark King’s legion will now double in number and strength ]

[ As you have found the required treasures, the Dark King is now aware of your presence and will be arriving shortly... Prepare. ]