Chapter 85

"Please introduce yourself."

Luo De ignored the others' confusion and simply nodded at Selia. Soon, the angel girl stepped forward, first gripping her long sword and solemnly performing a knightly salute to everyone, before speaking.

"My name is Selia, and I am my master's subordinate."

After saying this, the girl lifted her head and said no more, as if the brief words had already completed her task.

However, at this moment, almost everyone was shocked by her introduction.

The master's subordinate.

Although the girl did not explicitly indicate who the master was, it was already clear from her appearance. At this moment, the looks the others gave Luo De were complex and varied. Angels were of noble status, always high above, who would have thought they would call someone else "master"?

What is this young man's identity and background?

"Mr. Luo De, what is this...?"

Lijie still did not understand the situation, but Malin frowned and looked at Selia with a scrutinizing gaze. She clearly remembered that in the underground ruins, Luo De had once summoned this angel girl, and now he had summoned her again... Thinking of this, Malin looked at Luo De, and the latter seemed to know her thoughts, nodding slightly at her. Although he did not do much more, Malin had already understood Luo De's meaning.

"We need to continue moving, but you are all almost exhausted."

Luo De did not intend to satisfy the others' curiosity and quickly began giving orders and assigning tasks.

"Now we have Selia. As an angel, her power can protect you well. Annie, you need to work closely with Selia. The way angels fight is different from humans, and I hope you can adapt quickly. If you can't adapt, let me know immediately, understood?"

"Sure, Annie understands!"

Annie, as usual, raised her hand to indicate that she understood, but her curious big eyes were secretly peeking at Selia, clearly very interested in the winged girl.

"Since everyone is ready, let's continue moving forward."

Luo De clapped his hands, and with his indication, everyone quickly stood up, formed up, and continued walking deeper into the forest.

"You are truly full of surprises, young man."

Walking beside Luo De, Serrek smiled and whispered in his ear.

"If I could, I wouldn't want to make things so complicated."

In response to Serrek's probing, Luo De answered very calmly, then turned and walked forward. Looking at his figure, Serrek fell silent for a moment, then shook his head with a bitter smile, said no more, drew his weapon, and followed.

"———!"

Accompanied by a sharp scream, several pale shadows passed through the trees, their faces with black eyes burning with endless anger. They stretched out their hands, grabbing at the fresh life before them, feeling the flame of life, the heat of vitality, something they had lost but now yearned to regain. Just one step closer, and it would be theirs...

A sacred light shone.

The angel girl stepped forward to block the undead, looking at the undead creature that was panicking and retreating due to the sacred power. Her beautiful and delicate face showed no emotion, and the long sword with sacred inscriptions in her hand swung mercilessly, splitting the undead in two and completely destroying its existence.

Luo De could feel that many people in the group were focused on Selia. It was no wonder; he had gone out and come back with a person, and not just any person, but an angel. If this didn't attract attention, it would be strange. Although she felt the others' gazes, Selia seemed unchanged, not caring about what others thought of her, and only rigorously completing her tasks.

Serrek retracted his gaze.

As a master swordsman, he naturally had his own way of judging people. This girl was a genuine angel, not an illusion created by the undead. Although some high-level undead could change their form to disguise themselves, the sacred light could not be faked. Being enveloped in it, one's mind and body would become incredibly calm and comfortable, which was proof of an angel. What Serrek found even more intriguing was the sword technique the girl used. From her several consecutive attacks, it was almost identical to the young man's.

It seems there is indeed a connection between these two.

Old Walker stopped.

"Boy, wait a moment."

As he spoke, he walked in front of Luo De, bent down, and placed his hand on the ground. After a moment, Old Walker stood up.

"Someone has passed here, about seven or eight people, they went north. From the tracks... it shouldn't be more than three days."

Hearing Old Walker's words, the others were all invigorated. In such a dense forest, finding tracks was already a difficult task. Without Old Walker's experience, they probably wouldn't have been able to figure out where those people were. Now, with clear information, many people became excited.

However, Luo De did not share their excitement. On the contrary, after hearing Old Walker's report, his expression became strange.

"Are you sure it's north?"

"Um... yes, I'm sure. They seem to be chased, moving quickly... their formation is a bit chaotic, but it looks like..."

Old Walker walked around and then answered confidently.

"It looks like no one has fallen behind."

Luo De did not respond. He raised his head and looked towards the dark forest to the north. In the darkness, nothing could be seen in the forest, and the sacred light could not reach so far. But Luo De could easily imagine the scene there—withered forests, black caves, and...

"Heaven has a path, but he doesn't take it... truly seeking his own doom."

For a moment, Luo De really wanted to give up, turn around, and announce that everyone should pack up and go home to sleep. But he knew this was just a fantasy. This wasn't a game, and he couldn't log out to escape reality. He had to tough it out and continue.

"Everyone, follow me closely. The road ahead will be difficult, don't fall behind!"

As he spoke, Luo De glanced at Selia.

"Selia, go ahead and scout, but don't go too far."

"Understood, Master."

The dark forest changed.

Even the most insensitive people felt this change. If the forest was previously dead silent, now, as they delved deeper, they felt as if they had entered a silent world. The dense forest was gone, replaced by a vast expanse of withered trees. Their dry, pale branches twisted into terrifying shapes, and at first glance, they seemed like the arms of a dying person, reaching out for help in the air.

Selia walked at the front. The endless darkness and the strange trees did not affect her at all. She didn't care about these things; for the angel girl, the most important thing was to complete her master's orders. Everything else was irrelevant.

Then, the girl's expression changed.

As she turned, a huge black shadow descended from the sky. Although she raised her sword in time, she could not withstand the immense force and was thrown back after less than a second.

"Miss Selia!!"

Seeing this, Lijie shouted loudly. At that moment, the huge black shadow turned its head and coldly stared at her. Under that cold gaze, Lijie was momentarily speechless, feeling as if she were bound, unable to move.

"Group healing, now, immediately! Serrek, watch your back, these things are troublesome!"

Luo De did not waver at Selia's sudden attack. He raised his sword, gave orders, and charged forward. By the time he finished his last word, he was already beside the huge black shadow.

"———!!"

Seemingly sensing the threat, the huge shadow roared, raised its arm high, and then slammed it down. However, Luo De was clearly prepared. As the shadow struck, he quickly leaped up and jumped back.

The shadow's double hammer hit the ground with a heavy thud, shaking the entire area.

At this moment, under the sacred light, the monster revealed its true form. Seeing this, everyone, including Serrek, drew a sharp breath.

"By the Holy Soul, what the hell is this thing!!"

Before them was a giant baby.

It looked similar to a regular baby, with a bald head and large eyes that moved irregularly in its sockets. Its naked, plump body showed signs of being dead, with scars and a greenish-blue skin color.

But it was still alive.

It seemed to have absorbed all the evil and darkness here, growing from a weak little thing into a terrifying monster three meters tall. It turned its head, and in its lifeless eyes, the light and the figures of the people were reflected. Then, the giant dead baby opened its toothless mouth, as if smiling, but what followed was a cold, deep call.

"Mom... Mom..."

Hearing this, almost all the female members felt an inexplicable fear. The undead creatures and mad spirits they had encountered on the way had not broken them, but now, they instinctively huddled together. Even Annie, who had always smiled easily, now had a serious expression, gripping her shield tightly and moving closer to the others.

Damn, I knew it would be like this.

Taking in everyone's reactions, Luo De frowned, but his actions did not stop. As the giant monster struck the ground, Luo De moved like a shadow, his sword glowing with a fresh red light, piercing the monster's neck without any resistance.

The greenish skin was harder than steel, and Luo De's full-force attack only cut a layer of skin. The monster let out a cry like a baby, standing up as if it were a helpless, bullied child. But in the next moment, it stretched out its hands and grabbed at Luo De.

"Walker, use a fire arrow, shoot its eyes! Everyone, group healing, what are you waiting for!"

Luo De's roar made the others, who were still a bit confused, react immediately. The old ranger quickly took an arrow from his back, drew it, and lit it. The flaming arrow was raised high, and in the next instant, the bright red flame pierced the darkness, accurately shooting into the monster's smooth, large eye.

"Ah!"

The intense pain made the monster fall to the ground. At this moment, a light filled with sacred power descended from the sky, enveloping it, making the monster even more painful. It howled, raising its hands to resist—shattered blades burst from Luo De's sword, piercing the giant baby's head, and a foul, black liquid spurted out from the back, landing on the ground and emitting white smoke. The heavily injured giant baby desperately tried to make a final struggle, and at this moment, the angel girl, flapping her white wings, shot forward like a bolt of lightning, gripping her sword and forcefully stabbing it into the giant baby's heart.

Silver-white, sacred flames burst from the sword, enveloping it in an instant, turning it to ashes.

At this moment, low, deep roars sounded around.

Soon, several more huge figures slowly emerged from the darkness.