F-ranker Sword Saint: My Soulbound Sword is Secretly SSS-tier!-Chapter 236: Perils of the Stone Castle

There, below them and in a mindless chase of sheer malice, were at least two thousand Forsaken Legionaries, twenty Condemned Centurions, and four of the terrifying Ashbound Praetors.

The wraith army was like a pallid gray flood of death as they gave chase.

Had it not been for the limited width of the hallway allowing them to fight on only two sides, the wretches of Egress would’ve long been swallowed up already.

Fortunately, Caleb had been learning.

He sensed through a mix of intuition and experience that the horrifying sight would strike hard at the morale of his army, so he quickly spoke through the white ribbon:

"Steady your hearts! Don’t be overwhelmed by their numbers! Once we obtain the relic, everything will be fine! Their numbers wouldn’t matter much by then!"

It would’ve been nice if he could elaborate on the last part instead of just repeating what Nando told him.

But what could he do except work with what he had?

Gritting his teeth, Caleb lunged at a Legionary, killed it with one vicious strike to the head, then retreated alongside a few others.

The Egress Army continued advancing like so.

Daru and Elara, along with a few war parties, ensured that their advance would be steady and that the rear wouldn’t be forced in a battle of no retreat.

Caleb, Lesha, and the more experienced war parties, on the other hand, ensured that the rear was protected.

That they wouldn’t be torn apart by their pursuers, protecting those who are not in prime fighting condition in the process.

The injured ones, although unable to sit down and recover faster, benefited from the bonuses of the sustenance they consumed before the attack on the Stone Castle.

Their cuts healed and their severed limbs grew back, even if only slowly.

The stability lasted far longer than even Caleb expected.

In fact, due to their minor successes following the disastrous start, the resolve of the Damnedlings to see everything through to the end was returning.

That’s right.

Weren’t they here to defy their bleak fate and return to the surface?

They’ve died once already, buried six feet deep in ash — helpless, cold, stuck in a chilling, lucid state.

Why were they even thinking of avoiding bloodshed?

After all, isn’t it only natural for those who have died already to pay a price if they want to come back to life?

This realization didn’t sink in at the same time, but it gradually dawned on the Damnedlings.

With every few dozen to a hundred meters the army advanced, another flickering flame of hope and courage would light up in the depths of a pair or two of abyssal eyes.

Before long, the Damnedling Army began to fight better, though, at the same time, more suffered injuries of varying degrees.

Still, no one else aside from those deserters who were surrounded on the second-floor lobby had perished.

For now...

Time passed, and as it did, the Egress Army covered ground.

The forward momentum turned out to not to be as difficult as expected, thanks to the unexpectedly good coordination of the army’s spearheads and the sheer might of their Sword Skills, which also turned out to be quite well-suited for the situation.

There were times when the rear army had to fight intense battles, but miraculously, through ingenious rotation of able-bodied combatants, none had perished so far.

Furthermore, morale was quite high, although it couldn’t be ignored that the rate at which the Damnedling Army recovered from their injuries could not keep up with the rate at which they were wounded, especially those who had their limbs severed.

It was inevitable that some of them would have to fight despite heavy injuries...and perish.

On the bright side, they’ve already scoured half the third floor of the Stone Castle, checking every single empty, doorless room as they passed.

No luck in finding the throne room so far.

Nonetheless, they were now close to the side of the Stone Gate, and if The Crown was on this floor, then they would soon encounter the horror...and fight the most dangerous battle of their lives.

A few more minutes later, Caleb spoke:

"We’re on the side of the Stone Gate, keep your eyes alert, and try turning the heads of every statue you pass! The throne room might be hidden by a rotating part of the wall!"

This was also a part of their plan.

After Daru recounted how he barely survived being chased thanks to accidentally finding the hidden heretical temple, Caleb and Lesha instantly incorporated the possibility of the statues hiding the throne room into their plans.

If there’s nothing as they passed, then they would immediately go for the fourth floor without hesitation.

Unfortunately, there was nothing.

No turnable heads, no notable rooms.

Just the same old stone hallway with lots of empty doorless rooms and the heretical statues guarded heavily by the wraith army. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

’Damn it!’ Caleb cursed inwardly.

He was hoping that they would fight the harrowing battle for the relic now, as ascending another floor only meant exhausting his troops further.

But what could they do if the throne room isn’t here?

Fortunately, the ascending staircase was within view already...it was just that it was guarded heavily again.

In fact, it was guarded far more heavily than the staircase to the third floor was.

There were two Ashbound Praetors, eight Condemned Centurions, and around eight-hundred Forsaken Legionaries — a rather chilling and disheartening sight.

They...have severely underestimated the perils of the Stone Castle.

Caleb gritted his teeth.

He, too, was filled with despair, but if he showed it, they would all probably be slaughtered in a minute or two.

They could not fight on two fronts this time, too, given the condition of his troops and the number of enemies on both sides.

So, he decisively ordered:

"Onimaru, Sigrun, clear a path! We shall break through as quickly as we can. Everyone, fight your hardest!"

The only logical thing to do, insane as it may be, was to quickly pierce through the enemy formation and put all of them on one side.

Only then could the wretches of Egress dare to stand their ground.