Age of Adepts

There was a small pool located deep in the forest; it was the only water source above ground within several dozens of kilometers.

At this moment, it was occupied by a youthful and pretty figure.

The sound of splashing water had come from here.

A pretty, naked woman stood in the pool where the water reached up to her waist, gently cupping the water and splashing it against her body. This small pool that was no more than twenty square meters in size was not deep at all. It appeared an emerald green color and completely covered the woman’s body from the waist down, only revealing her perfect upper body.

She had a soft and slender waist that one could fully wrap around with a single hand, a shockingly curvaceous bosom, and a smooth, ivory-like back and neck. They were all so stimulating to the eye that it would stun any onlookers.

The woman hadn’t seemed to have noticed Devon approaching at all. She continued to splash water over her body and gently rub her chest.

Devon squatted down as lightly as he could, concealing himself within the thick bushes while he narrowed his eyes and looked at the surroundings of the pool. Devon saw a pile of clothes and accessories scattered upon a large rock to the east of the pool. He also saw a belt carrying several vials of various colors and a pouch that was stuffed full.

Yet, no matter how he looked, he could not discover the silhouette of that traitor– that man who had betrayed the Holy Light and embraced the darkness.

A trap, or carelessness on the enemy’s part?

Devon did not know.

However, this was indeed a rare opportunity to strike.

The witch was naked and was several steps away from her equipment. If…if he could strike now, he had an incredible chance to wound her severely. He might even be able to kill her here.

Devon’s heart couldn’t help but start beating.

Should he retreat out of caution and report the position of the witch, or should he attack now?

For a moment, he started hesitating.

At this moment, a soft rustling sound came from the forest on the other side of the pool. A fawn came bounding out of the bushes and straightened its neck to look at the witch in the pool curiously. The beautiful witch also seemed to have been surprised by this unexpected guest and started chuckling seductively. She then chanted a few strange words that Devon could not understand. She waved her hands lightly as two emerald ribbons of water reached out from the edge of the pool and wrapped around the fawn before it started fleeing out of fear. The water ribbons slowly pulled the animal toward the witch.

A good chance! The enemy was casting an evil spell, and the target wasn’t him!

Devon no longer hesitated. Overwhelming holy light surged within his body and rapidly turned into bright enhancements around him as he sang his prayers.

Seal of Righteousness!

Blessing of Might!

Holy Protection!

Righteous Verdict!

Holy Blast!

To maximize his offensive power, almost all of the blessings were used to enhance Devon’s Strength and Agility while blessing his weapon with the holy attribute. Holy Protection was the only defensive spell.

Instincts from dozens of years of training allowed the Second Grade Silver Knight Devon to complete all his blessings in just two to three seconds. His power grew exponentially from the enhancement of the potent Holy Light.

His original 21 points of Strength had now increased to 24 points from the +3 Strength provided by the Second Grade Blessing of Might. It further increased to 25 points from the +1 Strength provided by the Seal of Righteousness.

Such physical Strength already made him a match for most Second Grade magical creatures!

His Agility, Physique, and Spirit also increased by different degrees from the multiple holy light blessings.

If Devon were only a beginner Second Grade before the blessings, then he was now an advanced Second Grade fighter. His power had increased by two minor grades.

The only unfortunate aspect of his circumstance was his lack of proper equipment. He was not wearing holy armor, nor was he using the single-handed longsword that he was most used to. However, the addition of the holy light and his incredible Strength turned that rapier in his hand into a lethal weapon.

Just as the pretty witch discovered the commotion, she turned her head in shock. Devon leaped forward and used Charge in midair. His entire body turned into a blade of light, enveloped by the holy light as he stormed ahead like lightning, striking at the ‘unprepared’ witch twenty meters away in the pool.

The witch’s pretty face appeared to be so terrified and distorted from the pressure of the blinding holy light. She retreated desperately, sending two pillars of water into the air against the ‘holy blade’ charging towards her as she did so.

“Die, witc…” Devon’s body slid across the surface of the pool like an arrow. His rapier glowed with a thick, almost solid, light. In the blink of an eye, it was only half a meter away from the witch’s smooth white neck.

Just then, an ebon blade reached out from the disturbed waters of the pool, quickly stabbing into Devon’s unguarded stomach.

The Holy Protection Devon had cast on himself appeared to be useless before this strange longsword. The holy knight was skewered as the sword thrust all the way to the hilt. The fearsomely sharp edge of the sword appeared behind Devon’s back, along with a fountain of blood.

Moreover, as Devon’s momentum carried him forward, the sword effortlessly sliced his body in half from the chest onwards. With his chest and abdomen sliced in half, warm organs started to spill out into the emerald pool below.

Devon’s charging form swerved after being so mortally wounded, and his body crashed into a pile of rocks at the other end of the pool. Thanks to the potent protection of the Holy Light, he still retained a trace of life force, even after receiving such a horrible injury. He turned his head with much difficulty and looked at the black sword.

The pool water split apart as a tall black figure rose from below.

Devon furiously cursed when he saw the familiar standard issue armor and the strange longsword containing dark powers, “Traitor!” Then, all life faded from his body, and he died on the spot.

Rena was already back on the shore now, still naked and vulnerable. She pressed her hand softly against her neck.

Streaks of crimson blood were slowly seeping out from there, appearing particularly scary.

“Dammit…you should have struck earlier!” Rena shouted in anger, “That bastard almost beheaded me earlier.”

Rena had truly been unprotected by any defensive spells earlier, to lure the knight into the trap better. If she hadn’t moved quickly enough and dodged the sharp edge of the rapier, it might have ended in mutual death for both of them.

The towering figure shrouded in the powers of darkness didn’t seem to have heard the witch’s words of complaint at all. He slowly walked out of the pool and brushed away the pieces of flesh and blood on his body, all while glaring coldly at the naked witch.

The anger on Rena’s face faded in an instant when she saw her retainer’s behavior, turning into a gentle and caring expression instead.

She did not turn to dress herself, either. She simply walked to the side of the tall figure and caressed his cold, hard helmet, “What is it? Are you still angry at me? Do you not feel that sensation of power throughout your body since becoming a Dark Knight? It is countless times better than when you were a believer of the Holy Knight! You should feel it now. The so-called power of the Holy Light is only a borrowed power, after all. Only such power truly belongs to you yourself.”

As a Deceit Witch, every word that Rena spoke from her mouth as she leaned against the figure would subtly cause a strange magical fluctuation. The light of hatred and suffering in the figure’s eyes finally weakened when it heard these words.

“Let’s leave!” After a short moment, the tall figure finally spoke in a cold tone, “I can sense the unrest in the Holy Light in the distance. They know about Devon’s death now.”

“And the two Third Grades?” Clearly, Rena was only afraid of the high-grade knights and could hardly be bothered by the holy knights that were the same grade as her.

“One remains at the edge of the forest. The other is already closing in on us. He should be able to arrive here in another thirty minutes!”

“Then why aren’t we running!”

Rena immediately panicked upon hearing that a Third Grade holy knight was making his way here. She hastily dressed and quickly combed over Devon’s possessions before diving into the depths of the forest with the Dark Knight.

Thirty minutes later, a squad of holy knights carefully found their way here and discovered the gruesome corpse of their companion by the pool.

A middle-aged man with a determined face and a composed expression bent down by Devon’s ravaged body. He rubbed the still-fresh blood of his companion between his fingers, and wrath finally appeared on his face.

Devon’s body was still shrouded in a dense aura of darkness. It was clear that he had been killed by the traitor that had given himself to the darkness. To think that he cared not for past ties and had murdered a former companion in such a cruel manner. It made him unbelievably furious!

“You guys bring Devon’s corpse back. I will chase after them!” The Gold Knight stood up straight, “They haven’t gone far.”

He drew his one-handed longsword and rushed into the forest before his subordinates could say anything else.

With the opposition between the Holy Light and darkness, the witch and her knight would not be able to escape his pursuit so long as the trace of dark aura remained in the air.

The forest flashed past his eyes.

The branches and bushes that got in his way obscured the path completely.

Kennet had lost all the composure that a holy knight should have. He ignored all the obstacles in his way, rushing through them with his holy armor and Holy Light Ward and allowing them to lash against his body.

It was only when he ran into tough patches of brambles and thorns that he would strike with his sword and slash a path into the forest with a violent holy light strike.

He no longer cared if the enemy detected the flux of his holy light. As long as he was fast enough, he did not believe that the revulsive couple could escape his pursuit!