Liyami felt the inky black tentacles entwining her body gradually disintegrate and vanish, and finally understood that the “Endless Faller” was truly dead.
She sat dazed for a moment before collapsing onto the ground, finally able to relax.
Just now, she had really thought she would have to sacrifice herself for this. She hadn’t expected Colin to finish gathering his strength in time, forcing the “Endless Faller” to retreat and freeing her from danger.
What incredible luck! Liyami couldn’t help but think.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Colin finally relaxed after seeing the “Endless Faller” disappear completely. He could no longer hold himself up and began to rest, dropping to one knee.
That burst of sword light just now had exhausted all his strength; even standing was now a near-impossible task.
He wasn’t the only one in such a state. Lavinia had yet to recover as well, using her bow to support her body and keep herself from collapsing. Liyami, for her part, was simply sprawled out on the ground, greedily recovering her strength.
Sifni and Elinor clung to each other, holding their staves for support, with no strength left to move.
At some point, they had all gathered together. Though they no longer had the strength to cast spells, by sheer force of will they had crawled close to each other and, at the critical moment, unleashed their final magic and divine arts together.
That’s right, the barrier that the “Endless Faller” crashed into at the very end had been their handiwork. They had squeezed out the very last trace of magic from within themselves to weave a barrier of intertwined magic and holy power.
Though it lacked enough magic to be truly sturdy, and couldn’t withstand powerful attacks, it was just enough to block the “Endless Faller” for an instant.
It was thanks to that instant that Colin’s attack was able to catch up with the “Endless Faller” and successfully slay the enemy.
In this battle, each of them had spent every ounce of strength they had, and because of that, they had earned this sweet and precious victory.
But now was not the time to relax. Colin was not intoxicated by the ecstasy of victory; he hadn’t forgotten the purpose of slaying the “Endless Faller”.
The knight order outside was still fighting. He had to inform them of what had happened, to get them all to withdraw inside, cross to the other side of the broken bridge, and bring this desperate situation to an end.
But he had no strength left. It was only by leaning on the Sword of the Sanctuary that he managed not to collapse. He tried to stand, but quickly failed.
After several more attempts, all ending in failure, Colin could only look to the others. Sifni and Elinor were in even worse shape than he was.
Lavinia’s condition was about the same as his; even standing was difficult.
As for Liyami, she had been the greatest contributor in the battle just now, and had also spent tremendous energy. She lay on the ground without any concern for appearances, clearly in no condition to go and inform the knight order.
Seeing this, Colin’s newly eased brow furrowed again. Anxiety began to creep in. If they delayed in notifying the knight order and allowed more of them to be sacrificed, he could never forgive himself.
They had come so far, and were just one step away! All he had to do was stand up, go outside, and say a word to Master! It was such a simple thing—why couldn’t he get up?
Colin tried to spur himself to rise, but no matter how he tried, it was impossible. His legs no longer seemed like his own and wouldn’t obey his commands. He couldn’t even manage the slightest movement. If not for the Sword of the Sanctuary propping him up, he would have collapsed completely.
Should he just crawl over there? Colin glanced at his still somewhat responsive hands and couldn’t help thinking. It was the only solution he could think of now; he had to get this news to the knight order as quickly as possible.
With that thought, Colin decided to do just that. Crawling with his hands—at a time like this, what did dignity or image matter compared to their lives?
Just as Colin was about to put his plan into action, a pair of hands helped him up.
Colin looked up and found that the one supporting him was the person he most wanted to see right now—the captain of the Knights of the Sanctuary, Laryan.
Colin was stunned at first glance at his master. He hadn’t sent any message—how had she come here? Had the battle outside already ended?
Seeing Colin’s expression, Laryan understood what he was thinking. Supporting him as she led him toward the broken bridge, she explained, “The battle outside isn’t over yet. I heard noises and felt uneasy, so I rushed in to take a look. It seems you all have succeeded in your mission. Once I get you across to the other side of the bridge, I’ll have the knights withdraw. Don’t worry, even after fighting for so long, not a single member of our knight order has fallen!”
Hearing Laryan say this, Colin finally felt relieved. His whole body, tense with strain, relaxed. His eyelids grew heavy, and it seemed he might close them at any moment. Yet one thing still worried him—Liyami’s condition.
It had always been Liyami drawing the “Endless Faller’s” attention. He didn’t know if she’d been hurt in the process. He had to see her with his own eyes before he could truly feel at ease.
So, as Laryan helped him past Lavinia, Colin managed to catch a glimpse of Liyami’s sleeping face, finally at peace in Lavinia’s arms.
Liyami, exhausted by all that had happened, had fainted from fatigue. Her body had reached its limit, but she hadn’t suffered any serious injuries. With a period of rest, she would recover fully.
With this, Colin finally closed his eyes, relaxing into sleep just like Liyami.
Seeing him asleep, Laryan couldn’t help but smile faintly. She leaned close to Colin’s ear and whispered, “You’ve worked hard, my most beloved disciple. Leave the rest to me.” Then, with a leap, she carried him to the other side of the broken bridge.
Lavinia wanted to do the same, but her strength was not enough to support such action. Though she’d recovered a little, enough to help Liyami up, she couldn’t manage any more strenuous movement.
So she had to rely on Laryan to help carry the others across the broken bridge. After Laryan left, Lavinia alone tended to Colin and the others, all of whom had passed out from exhaustion.
Once she had settled the rest of Colin’s squad, Laryan returned to the battlefield outside the gate.
The battle outside the gate was fierce. The once wide and deep corridor was now piled with corpses; no one knew how many enemies had died here. Mountains of enemy bodies lined both sides of the hall, leaving only a single path in the center where the Holy Knights stood.
This was the price the Knights of the Sanctuary had paid, but they themselves were in bad shape. Everyone was close to collapse; if things went on like this, casualties would be inevitable.
Fortunately, their efforts had not been in vain. Laryan brought the good news that Colin had completed his task. Morale soared, and the knights quickly rose, fighting and retreating in tandem with their teammates until all had withdrawn inside the gate.
Laryan stood at the breach under the gate. Her next task was to hold off the remaining waves of enemies alone, until every Holy Knight had safely crossed to the other side of the broken bridge.
For anyone else, this would be a grueling task, one that could only be accomplished with the resolve to die. But for Laryan, this was a reward—a chance to relive her youth.
In the carnage just now, she had felt young again, as if she had returned to the time of the war between humans and demons, back to her most unforgettable days. She wanted to experience it more, to savor it a little longer!
Watching the enemy tide surge again outside the breach, Laryan only smiled lightly, then raised her sword with excitement and charged forward.
That endless tide of enemies, in the end, failed to break through the sword of this petite, beautiful, decades-old Holy Knight, and were all slain at her hand.