The old black magician who continued the ceremony in front of the altar felt its power. Due to the absence of the carnelian crystal that was supposed to suppress the World Tree’s power and ensure the stability of the ceremony a great deal of power was being consumed.

The old man had even used his men's mana and soul as a sacrifice to forcefully start the ceremony. But now was the limit. It was self-evident that the ceremony would fail at this rate.

He then sensed the footsteps coming from behind.

Is it the black magicians waiting outside?

No. It was obvious that if it were the black magicians, they would have felt the mighty power coming out of the altar and not approached it. If so, the sound of the approaching footsteps meant that the paladins had arrived. 

The old man bit his lips. He didn't even know when they had charged in because he was too engrossed in the ceremony. However, reaching this far was no different from saying that they had dealt with all the black magicians outside. It was obvious that he would fail at this rate. 

The old man got rid of his nervousness and let go of the...