The Paladin in the Abyss

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As the Serpent Demon breathed its last, Lancelot once again felt a strong surge of Spiritual Power being absorbed by him, just like when he had slain the Specter Demon before. Unlike the 'reward' given by the Lord of Baro, this Spiritual Power was incredibly pure.

The Cauldron Immortal Technique started automatically, quickly transforming the Spiritual Power into True Qi, replenishing his nearly empty Dantian Qi Sea.

Lancelot was also surprised by this. He had thought that a High Rank Demon like the Six-Armed Serpent Demon would surely have preserved its essence to prevent accidental death in the Abyss, but now, it seemed that the phenomenon of absorbing Spiritual Power occurred, suggesting that not everyone knew the Dharma Method to conserve essence.

"Eckmond, you're still alive, right?" Lancelot called out through their mental link, "We've taken care of things here. How about you?"

"Uh, you're okay, boss?" Eckmond's voice sounded quite perplexed, "Something strange just happened. That big dumb ox suddenly ignored me and ran off."

"Ran off?" Lancelot grew tense upon hearing this, "It didn't head our way, did it?"

"No, no, it went in a different direction," Eckmond hurriedly explained, "Most likely that Serpent Demon had used some sort of control spell on it. That dumb ox was probably playing dumb just now, acting along with me."

"As long as it didn't come this way, never mind it then. Come back here first," Lancelot said with a shrug and walked towards the prison cart holding the Succubus.

Through the gaps in the cage, one could see the Succubus inside with eyes tightly closed, as if she had fainted, showing no reaction to Lancelot's approach. The Coward Devils that pulled the cart were all cowering to one side, their eyes filled with fear and despair.

The crowd also gathered around, looking at the metal bars thicker than Bruto's arms and couldn't help but feel at a loss.

Lancelot attempted to cut through with the Sword Aura emitted by his Innate True Qi, but the results were disappointing. The Sword Aura only left shallow marks on the metal's surface, and he feared that even if he used up all his Innate True Qi, he would at most be able to cut through half of it.

He suddenly noticed Bruto looking at him with an odd gaze and couldn't help but turn his head and ask:

"What's wrong?"

"Brother, you really are a monster," the Dwarf sighed, "That's Mithril, the most expensive and hardest of all metals. And you were able to leave marks on a Mithril object with your bare hands. Honestly, I'm impressed."

"I see," Lancelot turned to look back at the troublesome cage, he needed to rescue the prisoner quickly and then return to Twin Bridges Town. If too much time passed, other creatures might come looking, and he didn't want to delay any longer.

But suddenly, Lancelot turned back to look at Bruto. The Dwarf paused in confusion and asked suspiciously:

"Is there another problem?"

Lancelot turned his head away again, then back, and this time he walked step by step towards the Dwarf.

"You okay, brother?" Bruto was getting a little freaked out by Lancelot's behavior, instinctively stepping back.

The Human Knight didn't say anything but simply reached out and lightly pushed aside the Dwarf, walking past him toward several Coward Devils.

Seeing Lancelot approaching, all the Coward Devils shrank back in fear. If not for the iron chains around their necks, they would have long since run away.

Lancelot walked straight up to a Coward Devil and knelt down in front of it. Everyone was puzzled by his actions, even the Coward Devil seemed petrified, standing frozen in place.

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The Knight reached into his collar and pulled out a scorching hot pendant, holding it up in front of the Coward Devil.

"I believe this belongs to you, my lady."

The Coward Devil's eyes widened, and its body began to tremble incessantly. It reached out to take the pendant, and tears slowly slid down from its eyes.

So, demons could cry as well. Lancelot thought silently to himself, speaking softly,

"I'm truly sorry to have kept you waiting. I will unlock these shackles now; please stay still."

A cyan Sword Aura appeared in the palm of Lancelot's hand, and the Coward Devil curiously watched his movements, cooperatively tilting its neck upwards.

The collar around the Coward Devil's neck was not made of mithril. In just a moment, Lancelot had cut through the collar, and as he had expected, a magical light radiated from the demon's body, indicating the fluctuations of a Transfiguration.

When the light dissipated, there stood a Succubus Paladin with black short hair and two horns on her forehead, the very target of their commissioned mission, Elothysia.

Seeing the Succubus wrap her huge bat wings tightly around her body, Lancelot promptly pulled out a set of undergarments and armor from his Storage Bag. Then he turned his back politely and signaled to the other flabbergasted companions to do the same.

The armor had been taken from the storeroom of the tavern keeper, considering that the Succubus's gear was most likely not with her, he had grabbed an extra set at that time. Stay connected with empire

"All done," a weak voice, slightly hoarse, called out. Lancelot turned around and finally saw the complete figure of the renowned Succubus Paladin, Elothysia. Like most Succubi, Elothysia had a charming face and a perfect figure, but unlike the triviality usually associated with Succubi, she exuded a resolute, inviolable aura that made her all the more memorable.

"Thank you for rescuing me," the Succubus bowed to the group. "I am Elothysia, as you must already know. You have my husband's pendant—may I ask, is he... still alive?"

"Don't worry, it was your husband who commissioned us through the Fallen Lady to rescue you," Lancelot reassured her, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Lancelot, and these are my companions, and there's another on his way here..."

The group introduced themselves to the Succubus, but Bruto could not help asking:

"Lancelot, how did you know that Coward Devil was Elothysia? And what about the one in the cage?"

"It was because of the pendant," Lancelot shrugged. "When I turned to look at you just now, the pendant suddenly got hotter, and when I didn't, it cooled down a bit. As for the one in the cage..."

Lancelot drew his Longsword and jabbed it into the cage at the Succubus. The sword went right through the Succubus's form, and only then did everyone realize it was just an Illusion.

"Ashap was convinced no one could open the cage on the spot, so to kidnap me, one would have to take the entire cage away, and thus designed this trap," Elothysia said with disgust as she glanced at the Serpent Demon corpse not far away. "I apologize for my kind's sense of humor being so cruel."

"You needn't apologize for that; they are not like you," Lancelot shook his head. "We need to leave quickly; this place is not..."

His words abruptly stopped, and his face turned grim as he turned his head to the side. The sound of clapping came forth; a merchant-dressed Tiflin was applauding, his form gradually appearing from the void.

"Ah, that six-armed Serpent Demon was quite cunning, wasn't it? I didn't expect it to be you who would end up with the prize," the Tiflin, also known as Eckmond, had a smile all over his face. "And it's just perfect that you haven't signed any contracts with me. This is just great."