Our Family Has Fallen

When Boudica charged forward, she witnessed the tentacles being summoned.

Having joined Lance in campaigns from south to north, she had seen the bizarre tentacles summoned by the Sorcery of Heretical Witches and had a rough understanding of their power. After all, it was to save her boss that she had been struck and severely injured by those tentacles in an overwhelming surprise attack.

However, the tentacles summoned this time were only as thick as an arm, and they looked more like ethereal projections than the substantial, bucket-thick tentacles she had seen before.

Unfortunately, even so, Dismas couldn’t withstand them. Before Boudica could warn him, he was struck by the tentacles and sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground.

Teeth clenched, Boudica was preparing to charge with her spear to draw the enemy’s attention and give Dismas time, but before she could take a few steps, the Heretical Witch swayed and collapsed.

This situation left her somewhat at a loss. She was belligerent but not foolish; she knew from the recent duel with another Heretic that these people were not so easy to kill.

She feared it might be a trap to lure her in, yet she was also worried that any delay might allow the enemy to recover.

As she hesitated, Dismas slowly rose from the ground. Despite his serious injuries, his will to fight wasn’t so easily broken; he mentally overcame his physical pain.

After all, the Heretical Witch wasn’t the former Saintess of the evil cult, so the tentacles she summoned were naturally nowhere near as powerful. Otherwise, that one strike would have been enough to kill Dismas instantly.

Kill her… Dismas’s conviction was that this person had to die.

Gritting his teeth and trembling, he raised his Short Sword. Even after taking that heavy hit, he had not let go of his weapon.

Boudica was inspired and felt a surge of shame.

Why do I hesitate to go forward?

Powerful rage surged through her, and without another word, Boudica stepped forward and decapitated the Heretical Witch with one strike of her spear.

Only then did Dismas relax slightly. As his mental fortitude faded, his body began to stagger.

Thankfully, Lance finally arrived before he could collapse.

Lance, having dealt with his enemy, quickly caught up. Without hesitation, he reached out and pulled Dismas toward him.

[Flesh Reconstruction] healed his wounds in a breath. Dismas finally recovered from the acute pain, but the mental exhaustion was substantial, leaving him weak.

”You can’t fall here; our mission isn’t complete yet.”

”Lord… these people are definitely not simple…” Dismas tried to warn him.

”Alright, leave the rest to me. You take a rest.”

Lance smiled and waved his hand reassuringly, then turned his attention to the body decapitated by Boudica.

His keen perception of Spiritual Essence had likely allowed him to sense the situation here.

The Sorcery handed down from their ancestors was no joke. The Heretical Witch, whose ritual Dismas had interrupted, was already suffering a backlash. Furthermore, she had recklessly used Sorcery to forcibly conjure the tentacles, an act for which she paid with her life.

In fact, she was dead before Boudica made her move.

Lance then realized that the Supernatural Power which granted humans strange abilities also came with great risks. One misstep meant death.

Meanwhile, Tadiff had taken care of the other Heretic using [Corpse Decomposition Spore].

The battle was over. The Elite squad of the Ascension Sect had been completely eliminated.

Even without Dismas’s reminder, Lance knew these individuals were not simple.

The path he was on led outwards, and colliding with them head-on clearly meant they were coming from the outside.

Why are they here? Hasn’t the Old Ancestor already abandoned this camp?

With this question in mind, Lance examined the bodies. He found no further clues on the three Heretic Warriors and promptly Sacrificed them to replenish his spent Spiritual Essence.

As for the body of the Heretical Witch, Lance was unceremonious. A thorough search revealed something interesting.

It was a Map, clearly of the Beast Lair, with a particular location prominently marked.

”We’ve been to this place before, haven’t we…” Lance muttered to himself, a trace of doubt in his voice despite his confidence in his exceptional memory. There was nothing there, so why mark it so prominently? What are they planning to do there?

But soon, he realized something, and a subtle expression appeared on his face.

”If it’s marked, there must be a reason. I plan to check it out alone. You all go on ahead and wait for me outside. If I’m not out within an hour, it means I’ve run into trouble. In that case, go back immediately and summon the army.”

Splitting forces in this environment was foolish, but they had already agreed to head back. If he made them retrace their steps, it would undoubtedly undermine their trust in him and set a bad precedent.

Lance knew Dismas and Boudica wouldn’t mind, but he couldn’t be sure about Tadiff. He had to maintain his image as someone who always kept his word.

Moreover, they were in poor condition after the tough battle. Even if he wanted to bring them, they would likely slow him down. It was better for him to go and return quickly by himself.

Similarly, after their previous sweep of the area, there were likely few monsters remaining.

And if his guess was correct, it was better they didn’t know too much about certain things.