The Paladin in the Abyss

Chapter 108 Explosion Scene

The Goblin seized the perfect moment, pressing the red button on the remote control just as the bomb was less than ten feet from the ground. However, like most Goblin-made devices, something malfunctioned, and the bomb didn't detonate immediately. Instead, it smashed directly onto a Berserk Demon, grinding the nearly eight-foot-tall Demon into a disgusting mound of flesh.

"What's going on? This can't be!" Phil repeatedly pressed the red button and then knocked the controller against the ground, but nothing happened. Meanwhile, the group of Berserk Demons at the gate had excitedly gathered around to enjoy their comrade's creatively gruesome death.

Just then, perhaps due to the impact of hitting the ground, the bomb inexplicably started working again. The Goblin pressed the red button on the remote once more, and a sudden flash restored the sparkle to his face.

"Get down!!" He threw himself to the ground and reached out to pull the Halfling down with him.

Lancelot's vision was instantly filled with an intense white light. Fortunately, the True Qi he had focused in his eyes beforehand provided protection, or else he would have been blinded for a long time.

Realizing something wasn't right, he activated his wings with True Qi and flapped them desperately, flying away as fast as he could.

As the light began to fade, Lancelot saw a blazing fireball rising, with a column of smoke below it. Together they formed a jellyfish-like shape, slowly moving upward.

Lancelot felt a wave of regret. It seemed that the Werewolves' accusations and precautions against the Goblins were justified, and he should have realized this after witnessing the bomb that had killed three Beard Demons.

But regret was useless now. He flapped his wings viciously, increasing his speed, then folded them to minimize resistance. He also circulated the True Qi throughout his body to ensure its maximal strength.

After all, having survived an explosion before, he knew exactly what was coming next.

The shockwave caught up to him about fifteen seconds after the detonation, the violent air current making him feel like a football being fiercely kicked by a Giant.

Thankfully, he was high in the sky, where there was nothing but air, which greatly weakened the shockwave's lethal force. Lancelot was pushed by the wind and tumbled through the air, but he managed to control his rolling body and realized he was nearly blown outside of Oasis Fort.

Now, with a few flaps of his wings, he could leave Oasis Fort and accomplish his goal of escape. But this would likely mean doom for the companions he left inside the fortress. From a purely selfish perspective, this was undoubtedly the best option, but Lancelot couldn't abandon his friends. He struggled to determine his bearings, attempting to locate the slave enclosures.

It was not difficult.

A mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke was rising slowly, no doubt the handiwork of Phil. The entrance, as large as a city gate, was completely destroyed, with fierce flames burning over an area of fifty feet in diameter, making even the stones seem ablaze. Continue reading at empire

"Oh my goodness, that's too powerful," Lancelot thought with a shiver of fear. He was glad to be flying high; otherwise, it would have been truly dangerous.

Wait, Phil and Koula were less than a hundred feet from the gate. How were they now?

Lancelot's heart tightened, and he quickly flew towards the explosion site.

It had to be said that the past minute had improved his flying skills more than all his previous practice combined. He was now flying very proficiently and soon landed at the spot where he had stood earlier.

The derelict building that had served as their cover was now just a pile of rubble, stones completely covering the small hole Phil had dug.

"Phil! Koula! Are you still alive?" He could no longer worry about attracting the attention of Demons and called out loudly, but the pile of debris offered no reply, an ominous sign.

Lancelot quickly began digging through the rubble and had only picked up a few pieces when more arms joined him. He looked up and realized that Bruto and the others had arrived.

The Dwarves were all stained blood-red with some mysterious liquid, their armor crevices hanging with suspiciously composed minced meat, as if they had crawled straight out of sausage stuffing.

"What happened to you guys?"

"Don't even mention it," Bruto shook his head, continuing with the task at hand.

Lancelot cast an inquisitive glance at Kalalin, who shrugged briefly in explanation.

"There was one, or maybe several, Berserk Demon bodies that got blasted onto us; they looked as though they came straight out of a meat grinder."

"Oh," Lancelot pursed his lips, "that must have been quite an unforgettable scene."

Meanwhile, Alamir had begun to chant the Resurrection Art spell, ready to pull his friend's soul back from the Netherworld.

As everyone was halfway through digging, the debris suddenly began to churn on its own, and Goblin Phil burst out from underneath, followed by the not-quite-lucid Halfling Koula.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem... What's everyone busy with? Did you see that..."

Old Reap delivered a kick, sending Phil straight back to the ground.

"Goddamn Goblin, your explosions never have a consistent yield! How come you didn't get blown to bits this time, you green-skinned monkey?" The Werewolf looked very agitated; the explosion, far exceeding expectations, had clearly triggered many unpleasant memories for him.

"Oh!!! Old Reap! I'm so glad to see you too!!!" The Goblin's hearing seemed to be off, and he wasn't aware that he was kicked over, showing a sincere smile to the Werewolf, "Did you see that beautiful mushroom cloud?? Wasn't it awesome!!"

The Werewolf rolled his eyes and turned away from the explosion maniac.

"Hey!! Alamir!!!" Koula greeted the Elf with enthusiasm, his face full of excitement, like a child who had played to his heart's content outside.

Seeing that Goblin Phil and Koula were alright, Lancelot couldn't help but sigh in relief. He turned his head toward the site of the explosion.

The raging fire had gradually died down, and where the gate once stood, there was now a large hole with nothing within a three-foot radius around it.

There were no remnants of Demons at the scene; the blast had scattered their remains far and wide, some still lodged in the crevices of the Dwarves' armor.

Clearly, the next planned step—to deceive the Guards into a final battle with the Demons—was no longer necessary, for there were no Guards left to deceive.

"So we can go in now, right?" He looked at the Werewolf, who was also assessing the damage caused by the explosion.

"Of course," the Werewolf shrugged, "there's no one to stop us now."