The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World

Chapter 685- Ruins Of An Ancient Kingdom

In fact, the protected Sixth Division was no exception. Just until a moment ago, they were making the same expression.

Then, a familiar figure appeared at the end of the procession.

Golden hair, radiant wings, and a white cloak fluttering behind him. He was none other than Reinhardt Arcknight, the Divine Paladin. On his arms, he carefully held an unconscious Leona.

For a brief moment, silence engulfed the place. Then, it was unknown who shouted it first, but everyone roared in delight.

”The Sixth Division is alright!”

Cheers erupted like thunder. The despair that had weighed upon everyone’s hearts vanished in an instant.

Seraphina looked at the man walking down the golden road and released a long breath she did not know she had been holding.

A small smile appeared on her face. She really felt like an idiot, worrying about them for nothing.

.

The knights of the Sixth Division stepped off the golden road and onto solid ground. The moment they truly saw the devastation around them up close, many of them sucked in cold breaths.

The endless scorched wasteland. The gigantic crater overflowing with magma. The shattered mountains.

”All... all of this... was caused by that explosion?”

”We... we really would have died back there...”

The knights gulped. The cold reality of the situation finally dawned on them.

Back there, when the explosion covered them, they really would have died. The only reason they didn’t was because one man protected them.

Many eyes slowly turned toward Reinhardt. Their gazes shone with awe and reverence.

STEP... Reinhardt landed on the ground. At the same time, the [Heroic Road] behind him dissipated, turning into bright motes of light.

After checking on everyone, Seraphina walked over. Beside her were Gareth and Orion.

The three looked at Leona, who was still unconscious in Reinhardt’s arms.

Seraphina frowned slightly. ”How is she?”

”She got caught in the initial explosion. But she should be fine now.”

Reinhardt spoke calmly. Thankfully, he had reached her in time.

Hearing his words, the tension on everyone’s faces eased slightly.

Then Gareth suddenly cursed loudly.

”Those bastards from the Organization... they really did a number on us.” He was so angry that he wanted nothing more than to chase down those betrayers of humanity and cut them down.

He was not the only one. Orion nodded grimly.

”That explosion was clearly prepared beforehand. They wanted to bury all of us there.”

Thinking about how close they had come to annihilation, both heroes felt chills.

After a while, they calmed down and glanced at Reinhardt seriously.

”You have our sincere thanks, Divine Paladin.” Gareth stepped forward and extended his hand for a hearty handshake.

Orion did the same. ”Yeah, if not for you, we likely would not have returned alive.” Their gratitude was genuine.

As heroes, they clearly felt the terrifying power that had been isolated by the golden light earlier. Now, looking at the aftermath, they had no confidence in surviving such destruction head on.

And even if they somehow endured, what about the thousands of knights under their command?

Unlike Reinhardt, they possessed no ability capable of protecting an entire army from total annihilation. The fact that the Sixth Division survived nearly intact was entirely because of him.

Reinhardt accepted their gesture and met their hands for a handshake.

”There’s no need for you all to thank me. We are comrades.”

.

.

A dull headache throbbed through Leona’s mind.

Slowly, her eyes fluttered open.

”Mn...” She raised a hand and gently massaged her forehead.

What was going on? Where was she? Her thoughts felt disoriented. Wasn’t she supposed to be inside the labyrinth?

Clarity returned to her, and in that instant, memories flashed back. She remembered the laboratory exploding, the terrifying blast engulfing her without any warning.

Pain shot through her body. She distinctly remembered death flashing before her eyes. And then, she saw Reinhardt rushing into the storm of destruction without regard for his own life.

He held her close in his embrace.

At that time, she saw his expression. It was the first time she had seen him agitated, worried, and shaking with anxiousness.

Seeing this, her body reacted on its own, and she hugged him tightly. After that, she lost consciousness completely.

Recalling the scene, Leona lurched on the bed in anguish like a caterpillar doing a strange dance. She rolled the blanket around her, clutched her heart, and buried her flushed face into the pillow.

Thump... Thump... Thump... Her heart beat like a drum, her hair was in disarray, and her icy face was flushed scarlet all the way to her ears.

The image kept replaying in her mind.

The collapsing labyrinth. The explosion swallowing everything. And then, Reinhardt’s anxious cry. The way he held her close.

Leona trembled violently in happiness. What she did not realize was that she was not alone in the tent.

Fortunately for her, the ones inside were the knights of her own order.

The members of the Knights of Lunar Veil standing nearby watched the bizarre spectacle, the strange dance of their commander, without any expression.

Not a single one of them looked surprised anymore. At this point, they had long accepted something.

Their commander, the famous Iron Valkyrie, the untouchable Ice Princess of Solaris, was hopelessly in love with the Divine Paladin.

The funniest part was that due to her nature and disposition, she herself still refused to admit it honestly.

Even to this day, in front of Reinhardt, she continued acting cold and composed as always. Yet the moment he disappeared, she would have a mental battle with herself and regret her choice of words.

The female knights exchanged helpless looks. Their commander was beyond saving.

”Ahem.”

One of the knights finally coughed deliberately.

Leona’s body instantly froze. Only now did she realize she was not alone.

As if struck by lightning, she immediately sat properly, fixed her hair, and returned to her usual cold demeanor.

”So you were all here. You should have made some sound sooner?”

Although she managed to speak with a noble bearing, the slight redness on her cheeks completely ruined the effect.

”Commander, are you alright?” One of them stepped forward and asked in concern.

”I’m fine,” Leona answered calmly.

”Sir Divine Paladin healed your injuries personally. However, he mentioned that although your wounds were cured, the shockwave from the explosion still surged inside your body. He instructed us to inform him immediately if you felt unwell.”

”...” Leona’s expression stiffened.

Call Reinhardt here?

The moment the thought appeared, her mind instantly replayed the scene from the labyrinth again. His face close to hers. His arm around her waist. His body shielding her from the explosion.

Her face immediately turned even redder.

”N-No need!”

She reacted so quickly that even the knights were startled.

Leona realized her reaction was too intense and hurriedly corrected herself. ”I mean... there is no need to trouble him. I am perfectly fine.”

Seeing her act like a maiden in love, the knights of Lunar Veil lowered their heads and tried very hard not to laugh.

”Do you all have too much free time?” Seeing this, Leona’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

”Not at all, Commander. We shall take our leave immediately.”

With that, they all exited the tent.

Now left all alone, Leona buried her burning face into the pillow again. ”How embarrassing.” Yet despite her words, the corners of her lips slowly curled upward.

.

Inside the main command office, the atmosphere was incomparably heavy.

Representatives from the various divisions, heroes, and rulers connected through transmission devices all wore grave expressions.

Reinhardt stood at the center, talking lengthily.

”The situation is exactly as I reported. The Organization is active within the Tainted Lands. They possess technologies from the Ancient Era. And most importantly... they have succeeded in their research in turning humans into demons.”

Reinhardt did not hide anything and told them everything the Sixth Division discovered inside the labyrinth.

The reaction? Like a bomb exploding suddenly, the scene turned extremely chaotic.

The reactions of the rulers were varied. Some had difficulty maintaining their composure, while others were still in disbelief.

”Impossible. Are you saying that the monsters you all faced...”

”They were once human,” Reinhardt answered directly.

The atmosphere grew even colder.

A hero from Paradoxis slammed his fist onto the table. ”Those lunatics...”

The others appeared similarly disturbed. For centuries, the Organization had been considered a dangerous underground faction conducting forbidden experiments. But no one expected they had progressed to this level.

Creating artificial demon hybrids. Reviving dead heroes and refining the contemptible Demonic Markings.

The more they learned, the more everyone realized something horrifying. Humanity understood almost nothing about what was truly happening inside the Tainted Lands.

They did not understand anything about demons and their origin. They were like frogs trapped at the bottom of a well all this time.

”If the Organization truly allied with the demons, then humanity now faces two enemies instead of one.”

The one to speak was the Queen of Solaris.