CHAPTER 189: CHAPTER 189- SHELTER IX & THE ARCANISTS (3)

The intense magical aura it released indicated that it was no low or mid rankign demon but a powerful high ranking demon.

"It’s almost tragic how they overestimate their own strength. To think that they would dare show their face in our land instead of cowering behind the fortresses of their kingdoms. It makes me want to slaughter them all".

Another demon flying beside the first one spoke. It had pale purple skin and was wearing a flowing dark robe, indicating that it too was high ranking demon.

"Not yet, wait for Lord Malganor. He is leading a troop of low and mid ranking demons along with a horde of demonic beasts here".

"I see, as expected of the new general of the Eleventh Heavenly King, who was given the title of the Architect. His schemes are so malicious".

"That’s right, in terms of strength and Maliciousness, Lord Malganor can even compare to the previous general, Lord Xolvoth".

The two demons, while hiding their malice, grinned.

.

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Inside the Ancient Labyrinth, Sixth Floor. The moment the knight order arrived here, they stood rooted by the scene in front of them that felt almost too surreal.

A vast jungle with its own sky and ecosystem awaited them. It was no wonder that the knights would be stunned after all, this was the tainted land, and all the floors they had descended up until now were plain floors with hardly features to talk about.

However, the sixth floor toppled that concept in its head. Of course, the ones who were surprised were knights who had never entered ancient labyrinths before.

"A biosphere, huh. Looks like this labyrinth is a high grade one," Reinhardt muttered, recalling the memories of the Divine Paladin.

Just like relics and treasures from the ancient times, the labyrinth that were created by the Arcanists also had their own rankings.

Those which was created by the first Arcanists, that is to say, when the seven gods used to live among the mortals, are called the great labyrinths.

The ones that were created after the gods fell and the human civilisation was no longer at its peak, the ones created by the Second Arcanists are called the high grade labyrinth. The one in front of Reinhardt and the others was a high grade one.

"Another shelter huh?" Leona added, her expression a little grave and sad. The high grade labyrinth created by the Second Arcanists was also called by another name... Shelters.

If the First Arcanists during the era of the gods created Vault of Wonder, to push the limits of what was possible for them, then the Second Arcanists that came after the end of ancient human civilisation were not builders pursuing glory but rather survivalists whose topmost priority was to get the citizens to safety.

Shelters were not treasure vaults, but fortresses of protection, a sanctuary where mankind could hide when the skies turned black. Inside were food stores, healing chambers, and reinforced walls that demons could not breach easily.

Some even held fragments of the old world— scrolls, relics, and blades forged to fight the darkness.

"Let’s get moving. This place might have fallen. However, it still holds valuable information, relics, and knowledge".

Steeling her mind, Leona ordered her knights to march forward. Reinhardt sighed and did the same. Given the condition of the Shelter where a jungle had overtaken everything, it was unlikely that anyone from the ancient times survived.

Right now, this place was nothing more than a graveyard of a civilisation long gone. That said, even if it was a graveyard, there were bound to be ancient devices and knowledge that could help the civilisation of now.

Looting the dead of their possessions, it might sound barbaric and not something that one would relate to the action of a knight order. However, to fight demons, even they have to get their hands dirty and sacrilege the dead.

A fierce fight ensued. Reinhardt and Leona led the charge with their knights, followed by the squires and recruits.

As a sanctuary created to protect mankind, of course, the place was not without its defensive mechanisms. As soon as the shelter detected the intruders, high tech golem popped out of the ground, walls, and ceiling to intercept them.

"Intruders Alert!!"

"Intruders Alert!!".

It was not just golems, various high-tech mechanisms, and weaponry popped out of the ground, and targeted the knight orders.

SHIING... Reinhardt slashed forward, easily bisecting a golem three times his size. He then threw his Mythril sword at a drone alike thing that was shooting beams at him.

BOOM... BOOM... BOOM... using [Limitless], he quickly downed the birds and freed his knights to move more boldly.

Bob, Zerina, and the other holy knights quickly took out the golems with troublesome looking weapons, while the knights fought with their skills and valor.

SWOOSH... suddenly, a beam headed towards Kevin, who had just finished downing a golem. However, right before it could hit, it was gracefully deflected by a silver haired girl whose movements were so measured and perfect that there was hardly any gap.

In the same breath after deflecting the beam, she decapitated the golem that Kevin had just downed.

"Ehh? This still could still move?" The young squire was shocked. He was sure that he had dealt a fatal damage to this thing.

"Golems are not humans; unless you destroy their core, they will keep moving. Stay sharp, this is a battlefield," Silvia admonished. She then looked at the other two recruits, Gwen and Rola,n who were faring much better.

"Damn, there are so many of them. Not only are they extremely sturdy and difficult to take down, but their attacks cannot be underestimated either." Rolan grit his teeth as he struggled to keep up.

"It’s not only that, these things are learning fast. The same attack won’t work again on them," Vangeance observed, downing a few.

As a knight who has mastered the transcendent state of [One with the Sword], it was not too difficult for him to face these golems.