The Lich of Glory Knight Spirit: Moving towards Krimasha!
Chapter 140 - 25: Between Black and White (3)

Chapter 140: Chapter 25: Between Black and White (3)

The sky was dotted with stars.

Buck Town was silent. However, the ubiquitous soldiers and the torches lining the streets constantly reminded everyone that just over a month ago, a major event shook the entire continent here.

The dim red firelight almost illuminated the entire town. Even late at night, squads of soldiers still traversed the streets.

On the balcony of a mansion in the town’s center, Shelley sat quietly, gazing into the distance. Her eyes were swollen from crying.

She faced the town’s main road. It led east to the sprawling Casesis Mountains. The distant clouds were low, almost pressing down on the mountains, creating endless darkness.

That was a place that moonlight could not reach.

Shelley sat quietly, lost in thought, waiting. Blue, peaceful moonlight shone on her, reflecting off her blue dress.

On the side balcony, Levi stood with his arms crossed, occasionally glancing sideways at Shelley.

In the mansion’s underground jail, fifty dwarves with thick shackles were confined in a cramped space, barely able to move. The sounds of snores, teeth grinding, and sleep-talking were heard everywhere. The only awake dwarves lay there, staring blankly.

Just behind the door separating them was a faintly glowing white array. Catherine, covered in wounds, curled up with her knees hugged to her chest. Her eyes were devoid of any sparkle, feathers on her wings scattered.

The Silver Moon Knights and Bone Horses, having lost their magical reactions, were stacked like cargo in another cell. Corpses of fallen dwarves were mixed among them.

The most miserable one was Andrew. He had lost an arm and a leg, chained up, disheveled, with his mouth gagged. He could only utter indistinct "hmph hmph" sounds. A fly landed on his forehead; he furiously shook his head, but the chain around his neck restricted his movement, so the fly stayed put.

*For an elf, this was probably despair.*

"Do you think anyone will come to save you?" Levi asked Shelley.

"No." Shelley turned her face away and softly said to Levi, "I hope he doesn’t come to save us. Instead, he should go back to Beishier Duchy, get reinforcements, and then come back to tear you all apart."

"Bringing back a bunch of dark creatures? Hah, after being with him for so long, you still don’t know that all his companions are dark creatures?" Levi slightly raised his head and said, "See that small house over there? The orange one. Two little Blood Clan members are messing around inside."

...

Inside the small house, Jones and Dora had taken off their armor and were anxiously watching the direction of the mansion.

"We should move closer and sneak up there at night. We save as many as we can, and then we will have more people to save others!"

"Fool! Those are first-class angels! One mistake, we’ll end up captured too. How can we save anyone then?"

"So what do we do? Are we never going to save them?"

"We can only wait for that guy to come back. We can’t deal with first-class angels, not even their fingers."

"But... they said he’s already dead."

"Who said that?"

"The neighbor next door..."

"Why listen to such nonsense?" Jones sneered, "Our Bone Horses can still move, which means he’s not dead; his magic power hasn’t completely disappeared. As long as we stay here, he’ll definitely come back. When there’s a chance, we’ll rescue the others."

"Right!" Dora nodded heavily.

...

Leaning on the balcony rail, Levi softly said, "They think we haven’t found them, yet they don’t know they themselves are just bait. Rumor has it that the Angel Judgement Team is chasing Vivian. Soon, Gray will lose even the power from Hell."

"No matter what, he will return," Shelley stubbornly said after taking a deep breath, "Even if he aligns with dark creatures, he’s still the kindest and most upright Holy Knight I know. He will definitely defeat you."

Levi coldly laughed, "No human on this continent can defeat us."

"Not just humans..." Gazing into the distance, Shelley murmured, "No creature in this world can defeat my Holy Knight, not even the sacred spirits."

...

In the cave, Gray sat quietly, watching the dwindling campfire.

The well-fed Black Cat lay nearby, starting to snore.

"What are you thinking?" Vivian asked.

Gray quickly turned his face away.

Vivian rested her face on her knees and softly asked, "You don’t need to sleep. You don’t need to rest. So if you’re silent, then you must be thinking about something."

Gray lowered his head, picked up a piece of wood, and threw it into the campfire, saying, "I’m thinking about how to save Shelley and the others."

"You still want to go back to save them... Four first-class angels. I can’t even defeat one."

"But I must save them. Not only Shelley and the others but also Gene II and Camilla. Those who keep their promises should have good results, not suffer because of it."

"Save me, save Shelley, save Gene II... you want to save the whole world." Vivian softly said, gazing at the crackling fire, "I think even the sacred spirits don’t have such grand ambitions. A unique ambition, not to conquer, but to save. To become the walking, living justice in the world. This requires tremendous power. But you don’t have it. If you were a Lich over ten thousand years old, I think they wouldn’t dare treat you this way."

...

Outside the cave, the angels quietly lurked, waiting.

...

"Like Bruto? No angel would dare mess with him." Gray lowered his head, saying, "But I’d have to wait another ten thousand years... They can’t wait, delayed justice is not justice. Let alone justice delayed by ten thousand years."

"If there were truly walking, living justice in this world, how would demons become demons?"

"Didn’t you already agree to uphold our sacred faith together?"

"I meant other demons." Vivian smiled, resting on her knees, "Gray, if they really come for us, don’t save me."

"Why? Don’t you want to live?"

"Because you truly can’t save me. The sacred spirits and the Demon Lord’s pact isn’t something any Holy Knight, demon, or angel can easily change. I want you to live well. To live on. As a powerful, righteous Lich. Promise me, keep your current beliefs, don’t let anyone taint them. This world has many powerful beings; their strength is beyond our grasp. I don’t know what they were like before, but after becoming powerful, they all lost their faith. Because they themselves became the faith... The sacred spirits don’t deserve your trust, nor do the demons. You just need to trust yourself, live well... live until you are strong enough."

"But, if... if I don’t trust the sacred spirits, what will I negotiate with them? What will I use to save you?"

"Anyway, I hope you remember my words." Vivian sweetly smiled, looking at Gray.

...

The angel lurking outside the cave suddenly froze and turned around.

He saw the white lights dotted in the starry sky. That was the Angel Judgement Team. Including himself and Abod, there were forty-eight first-class combat angels and an archangel.

...

Gray supported himself with his sword, slowly standing up, gazing at Vivian, saying, "I won’t give up my faith in the sacred spirits, not until they personally tell me they’ve abandoned me. They gave life to the sacred faith, I will always uphold it. But that doesn’t mean I’ll compromise. I won’t wait or give up on you. Retreating, compromising, is a denial of sacred faith itself. If I can’t save the whole world, then I’ll start saving those I can. I said before, I’m not afraid of death. I’m afraid of the destruction of faith. Only unwavering sacred faith moving forward is true sacred faith."

"I like you like this." Vivian smiled even sweeter, "No one can persuade you, stubborn as a demon. You look more like a demon than a demon. You like this, I can be at ease."

Saying this, Vivian’s smile slowly faded, leaving only calmness. She quietly watched Gray.

"They are here."

...

"Gray! Gray—! It’s me, Abod!" Abod stood in front of the cave, calling helplessly.

Behind him floated forty-eight angels. The white light they emitted even illuminated the forest in front of the cave. The judgment chief, Belinda, was among them. She was a female angel, golden radiant long hair, wearing four white wings unlike other angels, dressed in a white robe, barefooted, wearing a white mask that had only eyes and nose, no lips. No one could see her face clearly.

"Gray! Come out! I want to talk with you!" Abod continued calling helplessly.

"Once he comes out, we’ll quietly sneak into the cave and take Vivian away. Then nothing will happen." The angels whispered.

However, they were wrong.

Gray held Vivian’s hand and walked out.

All the angels were stunned.

Holding Vivian’s hand, Gray walked step by step, until he was in front of the angels, and knelt down on one knee.

Vivian knelt down as well, expressionless.

"Greetings, Judgment Chief Belinda, I am Holy Knight Gray, knighted by the sacred spirits, the only saint on the continent, and a Lich. I understand your intentions, powerless to stop. But I implore you, forgive Vivian’s sins. She is now my disciple. I am willing to use my privileges as a Holy Knight to pardon her, keep her by my side, guide her, enlighten her, until she fully embraces the sacred faith and becomes one of us. If you refuse, then I am willing to use all I have in exchange for her freedom, including my life. I am willing to bear all punishment for her. Please, for the sake of the sacred faith, accept a devoted believer’s prayer."

As he spoke, Gray sincerely made a cross on his chest, slowly raised his head to look at Belinda.

The light breeze blew, leaves glowed under the faint light, gently swaying in the wind.