The man stood just over half the height of a full-grown man. His stout, muscular body and short stature marked him as a dwarf. His full plate armor clanged as he walked toward Christopher before suddenly rushing at him with a speed unnatural for his kind.
Clang!
The halberd swung down with immense force, the dwarf's strength on full display. The cobblestone beneath Christopher cracked as his feet sank into the ground. Screeching metal rang out, sparks scattering as the blades clashed.
Christopher felt the full power of the dwarf's blow ripple through his blessed blade, sending shockwaves through his arm and body. If not for the blade being forged from Atlantean steel and blessed by holy power, and if his body hadn't been strengthened by faith, his weapon—and likely his arm—would have shattered.
"Grrrrr..." Christopher growled, feeling his arm straining, muscles tensing as his bones creaked. He quickly summoned more strength, amplifying his power to withstand the dwarf's assault.
They exchanged blows several more times before the dwarf's raw strength forced Christopher back, leaving him exposed.
But instead of pressing the advantage, the dwarf swung his halberd toward Richard, who was still fending off the attacking paladins.
Seeing this, Christopher threw his blessed blade at the dwarf, hoping to force a defense. But the dwarf didn't flinch—he ignored the attack entirely, continuing his charge toward Richard. He merely shifted his armor slightly to protect any weak points, shrugging off the blade that could pierce steel as if it were nothing.
Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!
Without any one guarding him, the halberd slammed down toward Richard.
Boom!
The impact shattered Richard's personal shield, but the emergency defense function of the shield generator kicked in. It released a burst of kinetic energy outward, forcing the dwarf back.
At that moment, the paladins with firearms opened fire on Richard, but Christopher sprang into action, shielding Richard with his body and using his blessed blade to guard his vital areas.
However, they were surrounded. A few bullets slipped past Christopher's defenses, striking Richard. Blood sprayed as the rounds embedded in his flesh, but Richard, though weakened, used his arms to shield his vital organs.
"Richard! Run!" Christopher shouted, knowing his mission was to protect Richard, as ordered by the pope himself.
With a tacit understanding, both Christopher and Richard made a dash toward the path with the least resistance. Several paladins in that direction panicked.
Another volley of bullets rained down on them, but Christopher blocked most with his bulletproof trench coat. Still, some found their mark in areas left unprotected.
"What is the meaning of this!?" the old man bellowed, throwing the battle report at one of the Paladins who had come to deliver it. The Paladin dared not protest, swallowing his frustration and beginning his explanation.
"Your Eminence, we did our best, but no one could have predicted that Christopher's prosthetic arm had such capabilities. It allowed him to escape!" the Paladin explained hastily.
At this, the dwarf in full plate armor spoke up.
"Your Eminence... Christopher Ward's reputation goes beyond being a fierce warrior and a Grand Paladin. He's a hardened survivor who's come through countless battles and seemingly hopeless situations. Defeating Christopher is one thing, but killing him? That's another matter entirely.
I told you we needed more manpower in case he regained his strength during the ambush, but you didn't listen!" the dwarf grumbled.
The old man's face flushed with fury as he glared at the dwarf. "Shut up, dwarf! You claim to be the best warrior the Hephaestus Institute has to offer! But without that cracked armor you luckily acquired from the black market, you wouldn't have survived Christopher either!" the old man snapped.
Indeed, the dwarf's armor was none other than the indestructible set Daniel had crafted for Hagrim Goldgrip, which had been lost when Hagrim was bombed by the royal family. The armor had eventually fallen into the hands of the Hephaestus Institute.
After expending a fortune in resources and time, the Hephaestus Institute had managed to break the seal Daniel had placed on the armor to prevent anyone other than Hagrim from using it. Since the armor had been custom-made for a dwarf, it naturally became the prized possession of Thorgest Steelheart, the strongest warrior of the Hephaestus Institute and a devoted follower of Hephaestus.
Thorgest had been sent to help in the ambush by the Vatican... no, by the Archbishop... through a collaboration between the Hephaestus Institute and the Hightower Council. That's why they manage to enlist Thorgest help.
The old man grumbling was none other than the Archbishop, who had recently staged a coup to take control of the Vatican.
The reason he needed Richard dead was because of Richard's diplomatic skills. Even after seizing power from the Pope's faction, if Richard remained loyal to the Pope, the Archbishop's grip on power might weaken, with the Pope's supporters rallying behind Richard.
Christopher was the next target, as he was a celebrity and war hero within the Vatican's Secret Exterminator Unit. While the Archbishop had taken control of the Vatican, many of the Paladins from the Exterminator Unit had survived his purge.
With Christopher still alive, they might regroup and resist his control, knowing that Christopher supported the Pope.
"No matter. Do you know where the Pope's grandson is?" the Archbishop asked the Paladin.
"Your Eminence... we still have no information on that matter. We need more time to investigate," the Paladin responded nervously.
Hearing this, the Archbishop felt a surge of rage. He had given them ample time to discover the Pope's grandson's whereabouts and identity, yet they still knew nothing.
As for the Pope himself, due to the anomaly caused by the Whispering Hall, he, along with half of the Vatican's Exterminator Unit, had gone to investigate the true cause. This gave the Archbishop the perfect opportunity to seize control of the Vatican and usurp the Pope's power.
But now, with Christopher surviving the ambush... if the Archbishop couldn't control the Pope, his reign would be short-lived. Unless, of course, he could find a way to have someone kill the Pope while he was away.