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Chapter: Famine Knight

"It should help us cover our tracks," Khonshu said.

Forseti was quite surprised to witness this scene.

Even after decades of having his body destroyed and his soul burnt, Khonshu still possessed such rich and sharp abilities. It was evident that his strength was extraordinary. At his peak, he was probably much stronger than Forseti himself. No wonder he was revered as the Moon God.

The three entered the temple.

The temple appeared unremarkable, adorned with several statues, one of which depicted Apocalypse.

"My statue used to stand here," Khonshu sighed softly, "but Apocalypse and I are no longer allies."

"What was your relationship like with Apocalypse back then?"

"Judging by how he punished me, you can probably guess," Khonshu replied cryptically. He moved behind the statue of Apocalypse, stopping after a brief fumble, presumably discovering some mechanism.

"Click." With a slight mechanical sound, the floor in the center of the temple suddenly lifted, revealing an underground passage.

"We will soon encounter at least a dozen power users. Be prepared," Khonshu instructed, and the three reverted to their invisible state before entering the tunnel.

The internal structure of the tunnel mirrored that of Khonshu's secret room.

Turning a corner, they spotted guards stationed along the tunnel, all equipped with diverse gear, clearly not ordinary soldiers.

At the tunnel's end lay a spacious secret room, opulently furnished and strikingly different from standard prisons.

Over a dozen guards lined both sides of the tunnel, which only accommodated three abreast. If they attempted to slip past the guards, they would surely be detected.

Seems like a frontal assault is the only option.

Forseti signaled for Khonshu and Shilut to step back slightly, braced himself for a sprint, and charged towards the guards.

"Boom!" Holy light, flames, and thunder erupted from Antusur's Hand, instantly felling the first two guards.

"Intruders!" The remaining guards roared in fury.

One burly man raised both hands, and suddenly his body transformed into yellow sand, scattering away.

"Whoa—" The sand covered Forseti and his companions, causing their invisibility to fail, revealing them to the guards.

Undeterred, Forseti dashed forward, his body enveloped in flames that roared with intense heat through the narrow tunnel, creating a fierce hot wind.

Swinging Antusur's Hand, Forseti dispatched several guards.

However, as elite troops of Apocalypse, these guards wielded sophisticated weaponry, much of it forged from solar metal, capable of injuring even Asgardians.

In his rush, Forseti was slashed across the hand by a guard, blood spilling.

"Boom!" Antusur's Hand swung again, instantly exploding a guard's head.

But in that moment, a guard with a hooked nose lunged forward. Forseti struck with his hammer, yet the guard's body suddenly spread, transforming into black water that ensnared him.

Forseti struggled as the black water entwined around him, suppressing the flames on his body.

Summoning all his divine flame power, Forseti raised the temperature until the black water began to vaporize under the intense heat.

"Hurry!" The black water vaguely formed a human face and cried out to the other guards in panic. "I can't hold him!"

Two spear-wielding guards thrust simultaneously, their sun metal spears piercing Forseti's chest.

Forseti winced, but fortunately, the dragon leather armor mitigated most of the damage.

Meanwhile, Shilut swiftly opened his mouth, unleashing a mudslide that enveloped the faces of the two spear-wielding guards.

Yet one guard teleported a short distance away, shedding the rock and cloth that covered him.

At that moment, a moonlight longbow materialized in Khonshu's hand, and a moonlight arrow flew forth towards the guard.

Shilut's mudslide transformed another guard into a statue, immobilizing him completely.

Forseti roared, intensifying the divine flames until his entire body blazed with heat.

"Ah—" The black water around him screamed, burst apart, and dispersed into black mist that slowly dissipated.

"Charge!"

A broadsword swung, intercepted by Forseti's Scarlet Commander's Shield, then countered with a kick that sent the guard reeling, blood spewing as he flew.

Forseti dispatched another guard with his hammer, then swung his war hammer.

"Sword of Justice!"

A guard immediately fell with a strike to the head.

In a matter of moments, fewer than half of the dozen guards remained. Two guards converged on Forseti, who met them with blazing flames.

But just as the flames were about to engulf the guards, a bald woman suddenly appeared, standing before them with her own body ablaze, shielding the guards from Forseti's fiery onslaught.

"Lady Famine!" The guards cheered.

Famine Knight!

This bald woman was Famine Knight, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, possessing formidable fire abilities.

Typically, Asgardians wielded much stronger divine powers than humans. However, among humans, there existed power users of varying levels, some capable of competing evenly with Asgardian power users.

From their recent clash, it was evident that Famine Knight's flame abilities were on par with Forseti's.

Yet Famine Knight wore a grim expression. She glared at Forseti, gripping a short blade while flames engulfed her body, then charged forward with a roar.

"Clang!" Forseti blocked her short blade with his shield, their colliding flames filling the tunnel with scorching heat.

In the clash of flames, neither side yielded ground. However, Forseti employed more than just flames. He swung his war hammer, and thunder crackled forth from Antusur's Hand.

"Crackle-"

Electric arcs shot out, striking Famine Knight and several guards behind her.

Though Antusur's Hand primarily aimed to paralyze rather than kill, the electricity caused several guards to scream in agony and collapse, while Famine Knight merely groaned.

The stunned guards created a gap in the narrow tunnel, allowing Khonshu and Shilut to advance from the sides.

Enraged, Famine Knight unleashed a wave of flames, scorching toward them.

Yet Khonshu and Shilut, one a demon statue and the other a stone man, possessed resistance to flames, allowing them to weather the assault.

Forseti swung his war hammer, and Antusur's Hand surged with thunder toward Famine Knight's face.

Antusur's Hand aimed not for lethal force but to hinder movement. Although several guards collapsed in pain, the electrical shock only elicited a groan from Famine Knight.

Several guards fell, creating enough space in the narrow tunnel for Khonshu and Shilut to rush past Famine Knight.