The Paladin in the Abyss

"So, Peyton Derrick has regained his power, and the undead army besieging the Witches’ Forest is commanded by him?" Soveris said with a serious expression, "And that terrifying heavenly meteorite was summoned by him using magic?"

"That’s right." Lancelot nodded, "The lich has likely acquired the power left by Milko, the former Lord of the Dead, in that ancient temple. We speculate that its strength might have reached the level of a demigod."

The tavern burst into noisy discussion, and everyone’s expressions were grim. When the undead army attacked the Witches’ Forest, many raven-men turned into birds to watch the battle from a distance. Even those who were not present had already heard about it from their companions. Aside from the meteorite it summoned against Lancelot’s group, the lich also demonstrated many other terrifying methods, such as a poisonous mist that instantly withered large areas of trees and a green ray that turned a witch to dust. Furthermore, it commanded an absolutely loyal, unconditionally obedient, and infinitely replenishable undead army. Now, hearing that the lich’s strength had reached the level of a demigod made it difficult for these rebels not to feel despair.

"This is indeed… not a pleasant change." The brown-haired elf covered his face with both hands and rubbed hard, "From a positive perspective, our enemy has gone from being both the lich and the witch to only the lich, which at least makes the situation a bit simpler…"

"I agree." Lancelot shrugged, "And it’s not as if we don’t have other good news. I can’t reveal too much right now, but the lich is definitely not invincible, as long as we use the correct method…"

"Correct method?" Soveris’s face suddenly changed upon hearing this, "Does it have something to do with Princess Fran?"

"If you mean using her as some sort of sacrificial offering, you don’t need to worry about that. I can assure you, there’s no such arrangement in the plan." Lancelot smiled, although his True Yuan was almost depleted, his hearing was unaffected, "However, as you already know, our enemy is extremely powerful, and unexpected situations can occur during combat…"

"..." Soveris was silent for a moment, glanced secretly at a familiar yet strange figure in the corner, and sighed softly, "Of course, we are all prepared to give our lives for this. So, regarding the ’correct method,’ is there anything we can do?"

"Of course." Lancelot nodded, "First, I need to confirm one thing with you. All the ravens in this fortress are actually your people in disguise, correct?"

"Not all of them. Most of the ravens in the fortress are real birds, only those within a thirty feet radius of this room are." Soveris glanced at the open ceiling, "This is the greatest secret of Raven Castle, making it impossible for enemies to determine the real number of our people… However, all the ravens in this kingdom are our friends. They are very intelligent birds. Of course, some of them were once human but have forgotten their true identity and how to change back. I don’t know the exact number."