The Paladin in the Abyss

Unlike the mirror image technique cast by Mages, the Sword Shadows created by the Qingyun Sword Art were capable of inflicting damage, although initially their power was only a tenth of the wielder's. However, as one's mastery of the Sword Art increased, the shadows would grow stronger, and he could summon more of them, overwhelming the enemy. Lancelot tried applying the key points from the cultivation technique, and to his surprise, managed to easily create a Sword Shadow.

Ordinary Cultivators generally fight bare-handed, manipulating Magical Treasures, talismans, or spiritual beasts as needed, but since Lancelot didn't have the means to do so, he was accustomed to using his Qingyun Sword Aura in conjunction with a weapon. Therefore, the Sword Shadow he created resembled a hazy Longsword.

But creating a Sword Shadow was just the most basic step; he must control it with his Divine Sense to make it move as he wished. It could catch the enemy off guard and strike unexpectedly to really leverage the Sword Shadow's potential. This proved difficult, and Lancelot found it quite challenging to multitask. When he focused on controlling the Sword Shadow, he would neglect his own weapon and vice versa. Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire

It seemed mastering this Divine Skill would require much more effort from him.

...

The next morning, the group set out on their journey once more. With the previous day's experience, they proceeded faster but soon encountered an unexpected foe—several Earth Giants ambushed them.

These humanoid creatures had yellow-brown Carapaces and mandibles like scythe blades, standing over eight feet tall. They usually hid underground or within rock walls, using their fine, stiff body hairs to sense vibrations around them. Upon detecting passersby, they would launch a sudden attack.

Having overexerted himself the previous evening while practicing, Lancelot had drained a considerable amount of Divine Sense and didn't detect the ambushers until he was almost upon them. Although he managed to warn others in advance, they were already close enough for the Earth Giants to engage their spell-like abilities.

He remembered finding the creature's eyes exceedingly strange, as if they could suck one's Soul away. Without overthinking it, Lancelot and Elothysia charged forward first, quickly chopping the Giants, who had picked the wrong prey, into pieces.

However, it wasn't until after the enemies were defeated that Lancelot realized something was amiss—Bruto, who usually couldn't wait to 'snatch monsters' in battle, had no reaction this time, and the rest of the party had failed to provide any support.

Turning around with the Succubus Paladin, they noticed the others standing in the same spot, looking utterly confused as if they couldn't comprehend why he was armed.

Only after seeing the corpses of the monsters did Kalalin explain to him the cause behind their behaviour—the Earth Giants' eyes had the ability to disrupt people's minds. Many who survived an Earth Giant's attack couldn't recall any part of it, often not even realizing what had attacked them. Of everyone present, only Lancelot and Elothysia had resisted the disorienting gaze of the Earth Giants, which was why the rest had stood there, dumbfounded.

This forced them to slow their pace, moving forward with a more cautious rhythm. Afterward, the group encountered several attempts at ambush by earthen giants, but having had the experience from the first time, everyone learned to avert their gaze immediately, avoiding eye contact with these monstrous creatures.

Once the bewildering gaze of the earthen giants failed to take effect, they were nothing more than ordinary monsters with hard carapaces, and were hardly able to inflict any damage, if one discounts the discomfort brought about by the sight of their revolting appearance.

This did somewhat slow the pace of the team. When they camped that night, they had only descended about a mile. However, everyone's morale remained high, for aside from some hardship, the journey was, on the whole, going quite smoothly, and the occasional battles of low intensity served as pleasant diversions for all.

The third day went exceptionally well, and they descended about a mile and a half, the fourth day was the same. On the fifth day, they descended less than half a mile, but they traveled a great distance horizontally to avoid the portal leading to Yenogu's Domain. The next two days were similar, as the group made a wide detour to avoid attracting the attention of the Queen of the Succubus.

By the tenth day, the group finally caught a distant glimpse of the portal they were searching for, passing through which would take them to their destination, the realm governed by the 'Mother of Demons,' Cang Ye, in the 471st level of the Abyss, Androlina.

Seen from afar, the area around the portal was covered with dense shrubs and thorns, standing out starkly amid the desolate red cliffs of the Great Abyss. An invisible boundary starkly separated the contrasting vegetation on either side: the plants to the left were lush and vibrant, a vision of life; on the right, the plants were rotten, decrepit, filled with the aura of death.

This peculiar phenomenon was likely related to the situation within Androlina. Although nominally under the sway of the Mother of Demons, she only had control over roughly half the area, with the remaining part belonging to the entire generation of Aira Celestials who had been trapped there by her schemes, along with protectors from other planes who had come to guard these benevolent souls.

For countless years, the two sides have been struggling for control of this layer. Because of the unity of the benevolent forces, the army of the Mother of Demons has been unable to regain control of the entire area, and the other Abyssal Lords have all chosen to watch from the sidelines—these were, after all, the Aira who had almost completely annihilated the Obyriths long ago, and unless the Aira completely ousted the Mother of Demons from their land and launched an attack on other Abyss Kingdoms, the Tanari Lords would not bother to stir up trouble for themselves.

Such is the political ecology in the Abyss, with each Demon Lord scheming to take over each other's territories, yet the long years of warfare have led to a tangled web of grudges. Any Demon Lord looking to launch an attack on an enemy must first consider whether this would provide an opportunity for their other enemies to exploit.

Given the nature of demons, they also find it hard to trust others, and the reliability of their alliances is akin to Mekanshut's underwear—nonexistent in most cases. Therefore, although the Mother of Demons was fighting against the forces of good, not a single Abyssal Lord offered her support, at least not openly, including those rumored to be her offspring. This has caused the influence of this ancient Obyrith Demon Lord to wane steadily, losing her former sway and becoming invisible in the major events occurring in the Abyss in recent centuries.

Lancelot remotely sensed the surroundings for a while, confirming there were no hidden enemies, and then led the group to the front of the portal.

"I'll go in first to check the situation and ensure it's safe before calling the rest of you in," he instructed the others, then straightened his equipment and walked toward the portal.