Immortal Paladin

[POV: David_69]

The cries of zeal filled the plains outside the Nameless City.

“For Da Wei!” an adventurer shouted, voice hoarse from dust and fervor.

“Charge!” came another, running headlong with a gleaming blade raised to the sun.

“Unleash the siege weapons!” roared a third, as the arrays carved into massive wooden frames lit with violent runes, releasing their talisman-wrapped payloads.

Dave stood just behind the first line, his presence steady as stone. His voice carried like thunder over the battlefield.

“Maintain formation! Retreat if you sustain an injury! Rely on your second!”

He meant it precisely. The “seconds” referred to cultivators drilled to rescue, shield, and drag back the fallen. They were the lifeline of this strategy. They were the threads that wove order into the chaos of skirmish warfare. Adventurers could not afford to be wasted. Every man and woman in the line knew their value, and Dave had hammered it into their bones.

“You heard the man, maintain formation!” another adventurer barked, repeating his command down the line.

An arrow shrieked through the air, glowing with condensed spiritual energy. It buried itself into a kneecap with a sickening crack.

“I am hit! I am hit!” the wounded man cried, stumbling.

“I am coming for you, buddy!” his assigned second called out. A barrier bloomed into place around them, shimmering emerald, absorbing a volley of arrows as he dragged the limping soldier back through the ranks. Dust and blood mingled beneath their boots as the rear-line healers beckoned them in, already chanting recovery sutras.

Waves of pressure, pulled back and restored, then sent forward again. This was no chaotic rabble. There was was a rhythm to war, and Dave knew this dance well. The open plains gave little room for guerrilla tactics, yet his mind reached back to Losten, to the days when adventurers formed the flexible arm of the military. They were never the strongest force, but they were the cleverest. And cleverness, when sharpened, cut deeper than any sword.

Now, before the walls of the Nameless City, that sharpness turned into protest disguised as war.

The adventurers wore green and gold, the colors of Da Wei. They shouted as zealots, voices brimming with indignation.

“Unlawful occupation!” one of them bellowed.

“The Heavenly Temple desecrates what they claim to protect!” another cried.

“For Da Wei’s will!” a third screamed, slashing forward as though faith itself drove the blade.

From the walls, the defenders of the Heavenly Temple hesitated. For weeks, they had been harried by spies cutting into their food supply, ambushes striking patrols, and losses piling one after another. The relentless pressure had eaten into their readiness, even into their faith.

Now, the full weight of the adventurers’ fury pressed upon the gates.

The siege weapons bellowed again. Runes flashed in blinding succession as explosive talismans wrapped around shards of twisted metal crafted by Zai Ai’s cunning hands were hurled skyward. They arced in glittering streaks, then rained down against the temple’s fortifications with a thunderous roar. Stone cracked, dust plumed, and sparks danced where divine wards strained to hold.

Dave’s eyes narrowed. His voice, calm and sharp as a drawn blade, cut through the din.

“Hold. Tighten the line. Push as one.”

Like the countless adventurers gathered upon the plains, Dave’s own party wore the robes of green and gold. Their charade blended seamlessly into the spectacle of the day, the cries of protest echoing around them like a theater of war.

Yi Qiu’s lips curled faintly, his eyes fixed on the chaos unfolding before the gates. “This is proving to be quite a spectacle.”

Beside him, Tao Long carried his mighty spear. “Should we go?”

Dave’s gaze remained locked on the enemy’s walls, on the defenders above who moved too slowly, too hesitantly. His reply was firm, unwavering. “Just a bit more. Please, Lady Zai.”

Zai Ai stood ready, her face composed yet faintly grim. She gave a small nod, though her voice betrayed her distaste. “This is so wasteful.”

Dave’s eyes flicked toward her, the edge of a grim smile tugging at his mouth. “We’ll see.”

Before them, the three massive breaching hammers were rolled into position. Their frames were heavy with layered bronze and steel, yet the true power lay within: the warp arrays etched across their surfaces. Dave did not know the delicate intricacies of their design, nor the full measure of the technology. What he understood was enough: each hammer was powered by dragon veins, painstakingly extracted from the depths of the earth and processed until their essence was forced to obey.

Intricate formations webbed across the metal surface like veins of fire, channeling the dragon veins’ energy. The warp arrays flared to life, glowing with eerie, pulsating light that bent the air around them.

Yi Qiu shielded his face from the radiance as the hammers launched.

A sound unlike anything natural filled the battlefield. It was a piercing shriek, high and unnatural, as though the air itself was being torn apart. Then came the first impact.

The breaching head slammed into the stone wall with devastating force. The explosion that followed was not merely physical; it twisted reality at the point of collision. Stone warped, groaned, and then shattered in a deafening collapse.

Dust surged outward in choking waves. Cries rang from atop the wall as defenders stumbled back from the sudden devastation.

Even as the first breach opened wide, two more hammers screamed through the air. Their warped auras shimmered like mirages, and then they struck not at the same point, but deeper, and farther within. Explosions erupted inside the Heavenly Temple’s fortifications. Structures folded inward as if crushed by unseen hands, roofs caving, and towers buckling under the distortion.

“Masks!” Zai Ai commanded.

The order was sharp, carrying no room for hesitation.

At once, Dave’s party donned the porcelain masks. Each was carved by Zai Ai’s own hand, their smooth white surface marked with subtle engravings that shimmered faintly under the light. Within those carvings lay the power she had imbued with spells designed to obscure aura and presence, to make even the sharpest senses struggle to pin down the wearers.

Dave tightened the mask over his face, the porcelain cool against his skin. From behind it, the world took on an uncanny distance, as if he were peering out through the hollow eyes of something not quite human.

Ahead, the Nameless City rose in defiance of the plains, its sacred spires glowing beneath a golden dome of power. Dave’s gaze rose further still to the heavens above, where the asymmetrical angels hovered. Their forms bent at unnatural angles, wings cutting shapes in the air that no mortal eye could follow without strain. They drifted around the dome like predators circling a cage, their eyes fixed downward with inhuman patience.

‘That dome…’ Dave thought. ‘Once we breach it, they’ll descend. Not all of them, perhaps, but enough. And inside… There will be more. Always more.’

As though to affirm the danger, the ground trembled. A roar split the air, reverberating through the plain like a thunderclap. From within the golden dome, a massive form surged forward.

A beast of grotesque bulk forced its way into sight. Its body was covered in jagged plates of flesh and bone, horns sprouting from its head in twisted crowns. Every thunderous step shook the land, the sheer weight of its presence pressing on the lungs of those who dared to face it.

Tao Long’s mask tilted upward as he regarded the creature. His voice carried neither mockery nor admiration, but a quiet lament. “Poor beast.”

He lowered his spear, energy crackling across its length. Sparks danced along the haft, gathering into the tip where lightning swirled like a storm compressed into a single strike. With a shout, Tao Long hurled it.

The spear shot through the air, trailing a snarl of lightning behind it. The crack of thunder followed a breath later, echoing like judgment as the weapon streaked toward the beast.

Dave did not watch for the strike’s outcome. His eyes shifted instead toward his most trusted man.

“Xing Tuzi,” Dave called, his voice even and commanding. “You will take the bulk of our forces to another wall. Make noise, draw them out, force their attention.”

“Sir, let me come with you!” answered Xing Tuzi before Dave, her long bunny ears twitching with agitation. “I can strike through their wards faster than any distraction. I will be useful!”

“No need. We got it handled.”

The words left no room for argument. Xing Tuzi bowed once, reluctant but obedient, before retreating to direct the diversionary forces.

Above the ruined battlements, a figure in white descended slowly, robes gleaming like moonlight, hair bound by a jade clasp. His feet never touched the ground, his aura rolling outward like a tide.

“How dare the blight of Da Wei reach this far!?” the cultivator boomed, his voice dripping with righteous fury. “I will teach all of you a lesson—”

Yi Qiu stepped forward. “Let me handle this.”

The old cultivator floated there, grandstanding with every syllable, utterly unaware of what stood before him. If he had known that several Tenth Realm experts lurked among these supposed fanatics, he would never have dared such arrogance.

Yi Qiu’s qi ignited, fire bursting outward in restrained waves. He kept his presence carefully cloaked, unwilling to expose the threads that tied him to the Master of the Martial Alliance. Even so, the air shimmered with oppressive heat.

In an instant, Yi Qiu leaped, closing the distance. His hand closed around the cultivator’s ankle. With the ease of swatting a fly, he swung the man down and slammed him into the earth.

Stone cracked, dust billowed. The cultivator’s body dissolved into mist, his spiritual form scurrying away, voice shrill with outrage.

“How dare you sneak—”

But the words ended there. A silver gleam whispered through the air. Zai Ai appeared behind him, Raindrop drawn in a single fluid motion. The cultivator’s head toppled free from his shoulders before his fleeing essence could reform.

Zai Ai’s other hand lifted. Weapons spilled forth from her pocket dimension with blades, spears, disks, and all manner of weapons, all dancing in midair like extensions of her will. With casual precision, she parried the arrows raining down from the wall. Metal sang against metal, each deflected shaft falling harmlessly into the dirt.

Yi Qiu dusted his hands, his tone dry. “I got it handled.”

Zai Ai’s porcelain mask turned toward him, her voice calm and sharp. “Yes, you did. But I’d rather we do this quickly.”

Above them, Tao Long raised his hand. Lightning flickered in the sky as his spear, thrown moments before, snapped back into his grip. With a practiced motion, he cast it again. The weapon roared like a thunderbolt, cleaving through the ballista the defenders had hauled onto the walls. Wood, steel, and runes exploded in a fiery spray.

Behind them, the cries of battle shifted. The adventurers and their accompanying army broke away, pulling back from direct assault. Their formation circled wide around the Nameless City, harrying the outer defenses, scattering the defenders’ focus.

Dave stood at the edge of the breach. “You have my gratitude. All of you. Without your strength, this day would already have been lost. Should we triumph against the odds, should we come out of this victorious, I will owe you a debt of gratitude that will not be forgotten.”

“I only wish to get my disciple back.” Zai Ai’s voice was cold, but the edge of sorrow could not be hidden behind her mask. Raindrop gleamed faintly at her side, as if echoing her intent.

Tao Long’s arms crossed as his long spear rested on his shoulder. His voice was blunt and unadorned. “Hurting the Heavenly Temple is a big enough reason for me to join.”

Yi Qiu exhaled a faint breath, fire sparking between his fingers before he curled them back into a fist. His tone was calm, but his words revealed the weight behind his resolve. “It’s only my desire to know the Heavenly Temple’s secret.”

Dave listened to them without comment, his eyes fixed upon the shimmering dome before them. The golden barrier rippled like liquid sunlight, sealing the Nameless City within its cage. Without hesitation, he led them forward.

As they stepped across the threshold, the world shifted.

The light within the dome carried a distorted brilliance, sharp enough to sting the eyes. No sooner had they set foot inside than strange creatures descended upon them.

They resembled angels, yet their forms were warped with helmed figures wielding every manner of orthodox weapon: swords glinting in the false light, spears thrusting in precision, axes swinging heavy arcs, and bows loosing volleys of silver arrows. Their advance was relentless, mechanical, as though commanded by a single unseen will.

Dave raised his hand. Quintessence flared around him, condensing into a radiant blade.

The Holy Sword spell took form, humming with divine resonance. He slashed downward, the golden arc of quintessence ripping through the first wave of creatures.

But more pressed forward. From every alley, every rooftop, every corner of the sacred streets, they swarmed.

The party had barely entered, and already they were surrounded. Their enemies closed in from every side, wings blotting out the light, weapons flashing in a storm of steel.

“Damn it!” Zai Ai cursed. Her weapons whirled into existence, a storm of steel blades orbiting her body. “My weapons are breaking rather too easily!”

Yet still she pressed on. With Raindrop in her hand, she danced between her foes, every step precise, every cut fluid. Blades and spears from her pocket dimension struck with machine precision, shredding the creatures that drew near.

Yi Qiu roared with laughter, flames bursting around his fists. “I am so glad I use my fists!”

His punch obliterated an angel in a single blow, then carried through the air to crash into the side of a building. Stone and wood crumbled, clearing a path for their advance.

Dave’s golden blade whirled in controlled arcs, cutting enemy after enemy with surgical precision. His voice rang out, calm even amidst the chaos. “Stay on your toes, don’t fly, and be careful… They seem to possess a Reflect ability, which is rather worrying… It’s possible they picked it up from their fight with Da Wei…”

The thought gnawed at him.

“This is getting annoying. Let’s increase our pace.”

Tao Long’s voice rumbled as he dismissed his great spear into his pocket dimension. In its place, his body shifted. Scales crawled up his arms, his eyes turned molten gold, and faint horns emerged from his brow. The aura of his dragon bloodline spilled out in waves. Lightning sparked along his limbs as he lunged forward, tearing into the enemy ranks.

Dave drew in a deep breath. The battle was escalating, the pressure closing in.

The Animal Soul surged within him, wild and unrestrained. He pulled it into the Holy Sword, his quintessence howling as it fused with primal essence. The blade took on a deeper, harsher hue of gold, glowing feral beneath the strange light.

“Come on then, one at a time… or all at once,” he muttered dangerously as his hair shifted, gold streaked with black. Fangs pressed sharply against his lips. A golden, radiant tail erupted from behind him, lashing in rhythm with the roar of his soul. “Either way… I’ll be collecting wings today.”