CHAPTER 161: DUAL ASSAULT

As soon as Morak activated the mechanism, a massive surge of corruption spewed up from the abyss. In an instant, all that corruption filled the stronghold of the Cult of the Abyss.

The frenzied, chaotic corruption indiscriminately sought out all intelligent souls in the vicinity, attempting to burrow into them and twisting and destroying their inherent order.

"Ahhh! My head is splitting apart! Help! Help!"

"It hurts! It hurts so much! Please, I don't want to die! I'm begging you!"

"No! Shut the passage! Don't release the corruption—ugh, arghhh!"

The first to suffer were naturally the ordinary cultists who lacked mental protection. Despite their so-called "faith" in the abyss, the corruption showed them no mercy. It ruthlessly shattered their consciousness, tearing their souls apart with an overwhelming tide of mental pollution.

Screaming and begging for their lives, the afflicted cultists collapsed to the ground, clutching their heads and writhing in agony, their faces streaked with tears and mucus.

Meanwhile, the Nightblades who had been effortlessly slaughtering the cultists continued their work with cold efficiency. Blades flashed as they pierced through exposed weak points, ending the lives of those already wracked by madness.

"Die! All of you, die! If you want to take my life, you can go to hell!" Morak roared hysterically. He watched as the unleashed corruption intensified the chaos and disorder in the stronghold.

Strangely, as the corruption surged upward, the darkness that had originally shrouded the area seemed to wash away. The entire space brightened, allowing the cultists to see their surroundings again.

But it was meaningless. The corruption from the abyss had already rendered them incapable of focusing on anything, let alone the Nightblades standing before them.

The sensation of their souls being torn apart filled them with unbearable pain and dizziness. Their wills, which hadn't been particularly strong to begin with,crumbled entirely, leaving them unable to muster any sort of resistance.

"Impossible! What's happening?" Morak, who had been screaming moments earlier, suddenly hesitated. With the darkness receding, he could now see what had once been hidden.

The cultists were losing their minds, falling into madness under the assault of corruption, while the unaffected Nightblades continued their merciless slaughter of the incapacitated cultists.

"Why aren't they affected by the corruption? Is this why they dared to attack us?!" Morak exclaimed in disbelief. What he saw was beyond comprehension.

"Oh great Lady of the Night, hear my prayer..." Soft prayers echoed from the lips of the Nightblades. Even as they drove their blades into their enemies, they whispered devoutly to the Lady of the Night.

These prayers weren't chants to invoke divine magic, but rather links to the Tree of the Night, whose form had changed in response to their faith.

Through these prayers, their spirits connected with the Tree of the Night in communion, forming a bridge that allowed both power and corruption to flow.

The corruption in the air, indiscriminate in its search for a host, found itself drawn into the soul vials that Morak carried. The corruption mercilessly destroyed the souls within, causing the containers to crack and shatter.

The source of the corruption was too close to him. Even with the protection he had just acquired, Morak knew he wouldn't last long.

In contrast, the Nightblades reciting their prayers remained unscathed. The corruption sought to invade their souls but was instead redirected to the Tree of the Night. There, a vast network divided and dispersed the corruption among all of the Lady of the Night's followers.

What should have been enough corruption to shatter a single mind was now diluted across countless believers, reduced to a level that human souls could naturally cleanse. The pollution faded harmlessly from the mindscapes of the faithful.

"Once the cultists are dealt with, all regular Nightblades are to withdraw from this space. The corruption here is endless—continuing to channel it into the Tree of the Night could overburden the network before it's fully developed."

Even amid the chaos, Wang Yu's voice was crisp and clear. His ripples carried his voice to every Nightblade.

There were many Nightblades present for the raid, all of whom could serve as conduits to the Tree of the Night.

Given their proximity to the abyss, the mental corruption in the vicinity wouldn't abate. The system they relied on for dispersing corruption could very well be overwhelmed—and if that happened, all the followers of the Lady of the Night would be in danger.

To prevent that, Wang Yu ordered a rapid retreat as soon as the primary objective was fulfilled.

"Understood!"

The Nightblades swiftly finished off the last of the helpless cultists before retreating in an orderly fashion.

"Gilbert, help me kill the leader of this cult."

Wang Yu's voice was conveyed to Gilbert via his ripples. The seasoned Nightblade squad leader nodded and stepped toward Morak, who regarded them both with wary eyes.

Wang Yu was completely immune to the corruption. Any corruption that entered his mindscape vanished upon passing through the worn doorframe representing his mental domain, simply ceasing to exist entirely.

As for Gilbert, his connection to the Tree of the Night ensured that the corruption passed through him harmlessly before being dispersed across the network.

Gilbert's sword swayed slightly as his eyes narrowed, scanning Morak for an opening. The feeling of being surrounded by corruption yet remaining untouched was strange.

In the past, corruption had been one of their greatest enemies. No matter how skilled they were in combat, the corruption always lingered, hidden within the bodies of their slain foes. Over time, the accumulated exposure would erode even the strongest of souls, forcing many veterans into the border sanitariums, grim places that every retired Nightblade eventually ended up in.

But now, with the prayer network, even overwhelming levels of corruption could be redirected and neutralized. It was an unfamiliar sensation, but a wholly welcome one.

"Damn you! Why aren't you affected?! Be consumed by the abyss already!"

Morak's eyes darted wildly between Wang Yu and Gilbert. The warnings from his Dangersense were blaring nonstop—these two knights were extremely dangerous.

Neither of them responded. Wang Yu and Gilbert simply advanced, step by step, pressing in on the cult leader trapped with them in this corruption-filled space.

Wang Yu's ripples had already analyzed Morak's method of resistance. The scattered souls he relied on were rapidly disintegrating under the corruption.

He couldn't stall—he didn't have enough left to endure the corruption. On the other hand, Wang Yu and Gilbert had all the time in the world.

"I have to break out. If this keeps up, I'll die—I need to kill that beginner knight first, then go all-in against the advanced one... I can make it! I will survive!" Morak muttered to himself under his breath, his voice growing ever more unhinged. His mental defenses were incomplete. The soul vials nullified much of the corruption, but the few fragments that slipped through gnawed at his sanity.

With a sharp snap, he drew a curved blade from his back and lunged at Wang Yu. This was a high-quality enchanted weapon, one that had taken countless heads before.

"If I follow my Dangersense, I'll have a chance. I don't know anything about their potentials, but my instincts have never led me wrong..."

Knights relied on three things: physical strength, fighting spirit, and their latent potentials. Battles among knights were all about feints—underestimating an opponent's potential could mean instant death.

Gilbert closed the distance between him and Wang Yu. He knew Morak's target and planned to intercept him. As far as he knew, Wang Yu wasn't particularly strong, and it would be risky for him to take on Morak. However, Wang Yu's status and past deeds commanded his respect, so he didn't attempt to dissuade Wang Yu.

As Morak charged, Wang Yu locked onto his every movement. His ripples spread outward, capturing every detail. His mind was already linked to the Spellweaver's Tome, and his Bloodburn Drive had reached its peak.

Gilbert was closer to Wang Yu than Morak was. He would reach Wang Yu first, eliminating any chance for Morak to land a clean strike.

But Morak gritted his teeth. There was no time, and few chances left. He had to take the risk. If ever there was a time to use his trump cards, it was now.

With a crack, he crushed a hidden gemstone in his palm. His figure flickered and reappeared midair, right above Wang Yu, his curved blade slashing toward the unguarded throat before him.

He was confident that the beginner knight before him would never be able to block this sudden strike.

Wang Yu's awareness did indeed lag slightly when Morak activated his teleportation gem, but his body's instincts, guided by his ripples, immediately locked onto Morak's sudden appearance in front of him. His gauntleted hands shot out at extreme speed under the effect of Bloodburn Drive, positioning themselves in the path of Morak's blade.

The blade clashed against Wang Yu's Voidblade gauntlets, sending sparks flying. Once again, the formidable defensive power of the gauntlets was on full display—they remained completely unscathed despite the force behind the enchanted blade.

Even with Bloodburn Drive activated, Wang Yu still found it difficult to match the sheer strength of a full-fledged knight head-on. His hands trembled. Though his gauntlets had prevented him from being decapitated in a single strike, his body still shuddered from the immense force.

Morak was shocked beyond belief. The supposed beginner knight before him actually possessed strength and reaction speed comparable to his own. He might be slightly weaker in raw power, but the gap was surprisingly small.

And why did he feel a momentary sense of crisis? His Dangersense was...

Invisible force manifested in the air and stabilized Wang Yu's body, which was slightly off balance. Although his wizardry was weak, it was still useful as minor support..

A flicker of light shot through his Lightning Lance. Wang Yu's eyes flashed with momentary regret—his reaction time had been just a little too slow. If he had used the lance while simultaneously blocking with his gauntlets, the spear would have been thrust right into Morak's body.

Morak didn't hesitate after his failed strike—he immediately pressed the attack. Gilbert was still some distance away, and Wang Yu was undoubtedly weaker than him, an advanced knight. This was his chance: he had to go for the kill!

His fighting spirit blazed. Morak reinforced his body without regard for the cost, shattering the ground beneath his feet as he pushed off for maximum propulsion.

His muscles tensed, then relaxed. A burst of speed turned him into a blur faster than the naked eye could track. Both hands gripped the curved blade at his side as he aimed for Wang Yu's abdomen. He swung at the apex of his full-speed charge.

He was simply too fast. An advanced knight's explosive speed far surpassed biological limits.

Although Wang Yu could track Morak's movements with his ripples, his body simply wasn't fast enough to block an all-out charge like this.

The ground burst. A rock protrusion had already begun forming under the power of the Spellweaver's Tome even before Morak's charge, perfectly intercepting his terrifying speed despite the delayed casting.

The rock collided with Morak's leg and was instantly pulverized. The hardness of the ground was simply no match for the monstrous strength of an advanced knight.

It only slowed Morak slightly—but that was enough time for Wang Yu to react. The curved blade slashed through Wang Yu's armor. The blade's armor-piercing, rending, and bleeding enchantments cut through the iron chainmail beneath his leather armor, slicing deep into his abdomen and carving open a massive wound.

Morak's figure separated from Wang Yu in an instant. The moment he felt the sensation of flesh tearing, he knew that he had succeeded.

Even an official knight couldn't keep fighting with such a grievous wound to the abdomen. Even if Wang Yu didn't die, he would be crippled—yet at that very instant, right as he passed Wang Yu, he felt a sharp, spine-tingling sense of danger from behind.

"What?!"

Following his instincts, Morak ducked as he was carried forward by his inertia. He sensed something whizz past his back before slamming into the ground.

With a sidelong glance, he saw Wang Yu, who should have had a gaping wound in his abdomen, standing as though he had taken no injury at all. Tiny, blood-red threads writhed and twisted in his torn flesh, stitching it together like liquid sutures. No blood sprayed from the wound—Blood Tempest had completely nullified that effect.

And in Wang Yu's hands was the still-smoking barrel of his Fury of the Forge.

"A precognitive ability like my ripples," Wang Yu murmured. He immediately deduced that Morak had to have some latent potential for sensing ambushes, given how he had just dodged that unexpected shot from behind.

An idea formed in Wang Yu's mind.

Swift, forceful footsteps drew near. Gilbert had rushed over in the nick of time.

Gilbert's eyes had widened as Morak cut Wang Yu, but he relaxed once he saw that Wang Yu was fine. Indeed, a man capable of creating something like the Prayer Network couldn't be taken down so easily.

Gilbert activated his own potential, Spectral Blade, and closed in on Morak, who adjusted his stance and swung his curbed blade to intercept Gilbert's downward slash.

However, a searing pain suddenly shot through Morak's wrist, forcing him to wrest the blade from its intended trajectory. His Dangersense had triggered again—if he had continued blocking as he had intended, his wrist would have snapped.

Gilbert's longsword, unimpeded, cleaved downward—at the exact spot where Morak's wrist had just been.

Had Morak not forcibly altered his movement, that unblockable slash would have severed his hand entirely.

With a startled, fearful roar, Morak swung his blade horizontally, forcing Gilbert back. He had figured it out: Gilbert's potential allowed him to bypass defenses. Then—"Bang!" Another shot from Fury of the Forge whizzed by. Morak dodged it yet again.

Gilbert and Morak clashed once more, but Morak's potential made him incredibly troublesome to deal with.

He could always anticipate and correct his weaknesses before they could be exploited. Even Gilbert's unblockable slashes could no longer take him by surprise.

Moreover, when Gilbert attempted reckless attacks, Morak would seize those opportunities to counter, leaving superficial wounds on Gilbert's arms.

Despite Wang Yu's supporting shots, they too were dodged each time. Even so, Morak was growing increasingly uneasy. Random surges of danger kept emerging all over his body, preventing him from fully capitalizing on Gilbert's openings.

Dangersense was an enormous advantage in high-stakes battles against other knights.

He dodged yet another unblockable stab from Gilbert and countered with a sweep of his blade that left a deep gash in Gilbert's exposed chest. But just as he was about to follow up for a finishing blow, his abdomen tingled—a sign of Wang Yu's impending attack.

"Damn it! Every time I go for the kill—"

This was unbearable. If he kept missing decisive moments, he'd never gain the upper hand. No—this time, he would take the hit.

If he struck down Gilbert, the fight would tilt in his favor. Wang Yu's bullets could at most injure him lightly through his armor, an acceptable trade.

The next moment, he regretted his decision. The tingle at his abdomen suddenly spread toward the entire lower half of his body. Agonizing heat and searing pain heralded devastation.

"Good," Wang Yu murmured. He had been coordinating with Gilbert via his ripples. At that instant, the Lady of the Night's divine power, which had veiled the gun's true danger from Morak, shattered as the gun fired.

"Boom!"

A fiery serpent roared to life. A blinding crimson streak tore through the air...