God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

Chapter 452: Temple Invasion.

Jenny, Sue, Li, Stan, Floki, and Dan rushed into the Temple of Light. Their goal was the preferably find Susan, then destroy the altar.

The moment they stepped through the enormous temple gates, they were met with a flood of temple warriors rushing at them with weapons drawn.

These temple warriors were individuals blessed with the gift of the system from birth. They could use magic inherently...

The temple was the only power in the world that had the right to recruit and train these younglings to become warriors for the Celestials, their gods.

Compared to average soldiers, these Templars could be considered the cream of the crop. A single one would be able to take on more than ten average soldiers fully outfitted with armor and weapons.

With the power to control the elements, summon magical beasts, and manipulate the forces of reality, these Templars were more than a match for any intruders.

Unfortunately, these intruders were not your regular intruders. The moment they caught sight of them, Jenny spoke to Floki without turning her head,

"Block it."

Floki adhered without saying anything. Pulling his giant tower shield from his back, he intercepted the wave of Templars. Ranged attacks, magic attacks, swords, spears, it didn't matter. Nothing was able to move his shield.

"Li... Stan..."

Li grinned, "On it!"

The gloves on Li's hands came alive with power as he dashed out from behind Floki. An unfortunate Templar in his path caught a blow to his midriff. Eyes bulging out of his skull, he was thrown back by the force akin to multiple deadly explosions. Dead on impact...

With a single blow, Li had managed to knock back their entire frontlines.

Stan was even more savage. Although he didn't have much talent with magic, what he did have was a very high pain capacity. His physical body was one of the most exceptional in the entire group.

His entire body was covered in runes. And not just any runes. Runes that directly increased his strength, speed, and stamina.

Those runes burned with light as he pulled his saber from his back. The weapon was large and long. With a single swipe, multiple bodies were sheared in two. Stan and Li continued pressing forward, clearing the bodies of these Templars away like they were cutting grass.

Although the Templars were strong, they were far more powerful. They had been tempered by the flames of war. Battling with Devils and monstrous mutant beasts had hardened them more than they would realize at the moment.

These Templars, who were born in a kingdom where peace had reigned for years shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath.

"Dan, go. See if you can find Susan and the altar." Jenny spoke to Dan.

Cain had entrusted her with being the leader of this team because he was confident in her leadership skills. She was determined not to disappoint.

With a nod, Dan vanished, his presence gone completely.

"We have to hurry..."Sue said, her face etched with worry. Despite their power, their speed had greatly reduced. The Templars weren't complete pushovers. They were more than enough to slow them down.

Jenny fell silent for a few seconds, then turned to Sue,

"Sue... Will you be able to hold them back on your own?"

Sue seemed confused, "Me?"

Jenny nodded, her face the mirror image of seriousness,

"You are the only one amongst us all that has the power to hold so many back. Do you think you can?"

Sue fell silent. Indeed, she knew. When it came to talent with magic, she was not one but inferior to the likes of Steve and Cain. Her talent was probably higher.

This was further highlighted by the kind of magic she possessed. Against a single, very strong opponent, she might not be able to prevail. However, she was the perfect candidate to hold her own against many weaker enemies.

This was only true when she didn't call upon the {Flames of Darkness}...

Sue's thoughts wandered for a second. Although she was a bit frightened, she realized this was her opportunity to show that scar-faced thug just how powerful she was. Maybe then he would appreciate her more.

Just thinking about it made an excited blush crawl onto her face.

"Alright! I'll do it! Hey, Big Guy! Stay behind to protect me!"

"Me?" Floki doubted his ears as he tanked a Templar dashing forward with a spear. With a wave of his other hand, his hammer delivered a scary amount of frost energy, freezing the man in place. Then the hammer came down, smashing him into a thousand bits.

Sue nodded, her face serious, "I don't have a lot of defensive equipment. If a single attack gets through, I'll die."

Jenny smiled, "Floki, stay with her. The rest of us will proceed forward."

With that, it was decided. Floki, Li, and Stan took a few steps back to give Sue some space to attack. The Templars, believing they had finally managed to get the enemies out pressed forward with more ferocity.

Suddenly, a wave of terrible heat hit them like a ton of bricks. A giant flame bird floated above Sue like an infernal deity. Sue's eyes were cold, a stark contrast with the flames around her,

"Sea of Flames."

The flame bird turned into a wave of rolling flames, enveloping the Templars in front of her. Those who were too close to escape and those who were too slow were immediately burned to a crisp, while others suffered varying degrees of burns.

"Go!"

A clear path to the inner part of the temple had been cleared. Jenny, Li, and Stan rushed through the burning path.

"Stop them!"

"We can't let them get into the inner sanctuary!"

The template cried out, some of them even moving to block their way. However, a cloud of brown sand floated over to them, and a huge monster composed of grit and sand blocked their way.

Sue took a step forward with Floki at her forefront, sealing the entrance to the temple. Right now there was no escape for these Templars.

"There is no escape for you. If you sit tight, I promise not to kill any more of you. Don't force my hand..." Sue said.

Suddenly, an unassuming arrow shot out of the crowd. Floki's danger senses kicked in quickly, and he positioned himself in front of the arrow.

The projectile slammed into his shield, and for the first time since this battle began, Floki was pushed back. And by a single arrow for that matter.

A dignified voice came out of the crowd,

"Is this how you all act, calling yourselves Templars of Light? You ought to be ashamed."

A young man who looked to be no older than twenty years of age stepped forward. Beside him was a lady who looked to be the same age, a beautifully crafted longbow in her hands. Its body was made from some dark wood. However, it was covered in runes.

She drew another arrow, ready to fire another shot. Sue's eyes narrowed as she called upon her flames again, this time, releasing them in a concentrated stream.

In response, the young man placed the shield in his hands in the path of the flames. When the torrent ended, there was not a single sign of harm on his body, not his surroundings.

Sue frowned, "What was that?"

The young man's face was as cold as a block of Ice. In his eyes blazed an indignant and righteous fire.

"The Fourth and Fifth Knight Templars have arrived!"

"With their help, we will surely defeat these bastard heretics!"

"Miss Sue, these ones are strong," Floki growled in a low voice.

Sue's eyes were still cold, "It doesn't matter. We just need to hold them back long enough."

The girl with the longbow, who was also the fifth Knight Templar sneered at them,

"There will be no escape for you two. On my honor as a Knight Templar!"

The Knight Templars, numbering one to five, were the strongest warriors of the Temple of Light. Oddly enough, they were all also very young. This was because most Knight Templars died young thanks to frequent crusades against Devilkin.

The fifth and fourth Knight Templars were incredibly powerful warriors, more than a match for Sue and Floki. Combined with the presence of almost a thousand regular Templars, they were in danger.

Despite the obvious disadvantage, Sue did not fret. Instead, she summoned more power. Her mana seethed and boiled over as temperatures began increasing rapidly.

At the same time, the {Dust Devil} let out a ferocious roar as it charged at the two Knight Templars.

The fifth Knight Templar, Aqua Leonis smirked as she pulled back on her bowstring, releasing the arrow already nocked. The moment the arrow became airborne, due to the action of some mysterious force, it began multiplying until the entire ground floor of the temple was about to be prepared with arrows.

In response, Floki held his ground. The layer of white fur that covered his body bristled up as Ki poured off him in waves and began to solidify into a massive Ice wall.

The arrows slammed into the ice wall, but none were able to find purchase.

Aqua clicked her tongue, "That guy's defense is too airtight."

The fourth Knight Templar, Rio Pelagius, snorted. His weapons of choice were a sword that appeared to have been made from a crystalline material, and the shield he had used to block Sue's earlier attack.

"I'll break it down." The crystal blade in his hand glowed brightly as an intense amount of light and heat poured off of it.

Floki frowned. He could feel the terrible waves of mana pouring off Rio the moment he drew his weapon.

Meanwhile, Jenny, Li, and Stan had just stepped into the inner sanctuary. Standing before them, were their opponents, the first and second Knight Templars.

Dan was also met with a dilemma as he faced off against the third Knight Templar...

To each their own, as they were all forced to square off against opponents of equal or even greater strengths, skills, and wisdom.