Chapter 21: Abandonment

Furious, Denebi suppressed his anger. Kent’s uncompromising refusal had deeply hurt his pride.
No wonder Lord Frenster had long held complaints about this knight commander whose mind was as hard as granite—someone who couldn’t even discern the fundamental interests of the Bericle Church certainly wasn’t fit to be a knight commander. Such a knight, filled with pity but determined to eradicate darkness, could only ever serve as a thug. How could someone who pursued such elusive ideals while ignoring the tangible realities around them hold such a high position? How reckless!
Watching the blazing anger in Kent’s eyes, Denebi’s ownanger, which was on the verge of erupting, once again subsided. Hadn’t he been the same thirty years ago? Full of passion, unhesitating, willing to sacrifice everything for what he believed in. But ideals are beautiful, while reality is cruel. The trials of time had worn away his sharp edges, leaving only smoothness. Sometimes, to move forward, a small step back is necessary.
Kent was fortunate—time hadn’t made him lose the purest things in his heart. That was rare. Let him bear the filth and dirt instead. After staring deeply at Kent’s painfully twisted yet resolute face, Denebi felt speechless.
“Leader Kent, I am entrusted by Archbishop Frenster to take responsibility for everything that happened today. You may keep your opinions, and I won’t interfere with your actions. But I must temporarily assume leadership of the Rema Knights. However, if the Rema Knights refuse to obey my orders, I won’t blame them. I will report everything to Archbishop Frenster once I return to Marco. I will take full responsibility.” With a soft sigh, Denebi’s gaze was filled with helplessness and regret—this meant Kent could no longer serve as the leader of the Rema Knights.
Kent’s solemn gaze was filled with bitterness. He hadn’t expected things to come to this. Denebi refused to give any explanation. Everything changed after a mere brief conversation between him and Komer. Could that Komer really be a mental magic master? One who could make Denebi submit completely in such a short time?

No, it’s impossible. Denibi’s clear thinking and resolute gaze prove that his mind isn’t influenced by anyone. As the Grand Mage of the Pericles Church, no one can exert mental magic control over him under such circumstances—even the Pope might not be able to. This means it was his own decision.
Why? How did it come to this?
Denibi ignored Kent further. Comer’s expression had turned extremely impatient. The knights’ advantages were gradually turning into a victory. The knights, using their superior individual combat skills, kept breaking through, then passing the gaps to the allied soldiers following behind. This continuous tearing apart of the enemy lines allowed the allied soldiers to achieve maximum success at the lowest cost. What started as localized issues had now spread to multiple areas. If not for Kent standing there dumbly and freeing Vladkov and the others, the situation might have been even worse.
When Douglas and Iso received Denibi’s magical message, they were equally confused. But Denibi’s serious expression proved his mind was fine. Meanwhile, Kent, standing there motionless, had an unpredictable expression. The knight’s spear in his hand emitted continuous rumbling sounds, and the ineffective release of his combat energy seemed particularly strange. What on earth was going on?
Denibi had no time to explain more to Douglas and Iso. He simply asked them to quickly organize the Rema Knights to withdraw from the battlefield. As for what the most appropriate method was, that wasn’t something Denibi needed to worry about. He believed that as the two deputy leaders of the Rema Knights, their wisdom was hardly inferior to their combat strength.
Trajan was the first to notice the anomaly. Kent suddenly stepped away from the battle and stood there blankly, while the three Dark Knights took the opportunity to storm the battlefield, instantly changing the situation. Trajan had no idea what Denibi had said to Kent, but the sudden change in the situation immediately affected the course of the battle. At that moment, the zombies on the other side became unusually aggressive, launching frantic attacks. And that damned Comer, while continuously strengthening the zombies’ offensive and defensive capabilities, even began using Dark Corrosion magic to erode his own combat energy.
The space around Trajan seemed to become thick and viscous. The intense dark aura and devouring power forced him to constantly boost his combat energy’s defensive capabilities. In contrast, his offensive power against those zombies also decreased significantly.

But none of this worried Trajan the most—what exactly was happening to the Rema Knights? As the number of Rema Knights on the battlefield dwindled, Trajan saw more and more Sky Roc Knights fighting bravely, while the Rema Knights seemed to disappear from the battlefield as if under some invisibility spell. Trajan was certain this must be related to Denebi and Kent.

Komer could finally breathe a sigh of relief. With the gradual disappearance of the Rema Knights, the knights of the Homer Knights and Black Flame Knights could now focus entirely on battling the Sky Roc Knights. Without the cover provided by the Rema Knights, the magicians also grew anxious.

The Sky Roc Knights circling around kept screeching as they flew past, their sharp claws and wings occasionally attacking the allied soldiers or unleashing fierce storm forces to assault their ranks, forcing the allied soldiers to endure attacks from both sides. Yet the magicians knew well that the Sky Roc Knights’ primary target was them—those birds were waiting for a gap in the defense circle, and that danger was increasing rapidly with the retreat of the Rema Knights.

The magicians’ anxiety directly affected the activation of the Light Magic Array. Even Lorenzo and Onia sensed the severity of the problem. What exactly was going on with the Rema Knights? Only Kent stood there alone; it seemed the Rema Knights had abandoned their leader. Even Denebi, who represented the Pericles Church, was nowhere to be seen. What had happened?