Acolyte Jerea (4)

Space orbit at 800 kilometers above ground.

An object was falling from a celestial realm beyond the reach of human footsteps.

-Beep! Beep!

Yakt Spinner, Holy Knight of the Ten Thousand Gods Guild, moves his camera eye quickly in response to a series of system warnings.

-Calculating fall speed and angle of impact. Eight seconds to plunge into planetary orbit.

Yappy had escaped from the shattered satellite and jumped out, but he calculated that his fuselage would be incinerated if he entered planetary orbit at this rate.

-Slowing fall. Escape sequence initiated.

Yappy urgently deployed his parachute. Only by slowing down before entering planetary orbit would the fuselage not burn up. But the attempt was thwarted by a variable.

-Boom!

The parachute, which was actually deployed for the first and last time, was torn apart by a piece of the shattered satellite.

-Beep! Beep! Recalculating risk.

Measurement complete.

Thirteen seconds from orbit to burnout.

The main logic circuits of the strong artificial intelligence made a hopeless calculation but Yappy is not giving up.

-Preparing for emergency deceleration. Gathering materials.

Yappy's camera eye busily checks the sky above the fall.

Despite being off-center and spinning dozens of times a second, the ultra-high-performance camera eye manages to capture the satellite fragments in a split second.

In a perfectly calculated sequence of movements, he throws a steel wire to wrap around them.

Three pieces, four pieces… Three seconds to orbit, with a few necessary parts secured.

Pulling them into the retrieval system, Yappy immediately retracted his robotic arm and switched to welding.

-2… 1… Entering gravity orbit.

At that moment, the Yappy's fuselage begins to cook to a crisp. The moment it entered orbit around the planet, the acceleration caused the fuselage to start burning.

Even asteroids burn up quickly when they enter a planetary orbit. In other words, Yappy has 13 seconds until his leg burns to a crisp.

Yappy manipulated the steel wire to connect the pieces he had pulled together.

A Holy Knight is a hub of holy power in itself. As such, even this small body can hold out for some time but even with that in mind he only had 13 seconds.

-Fabricate emergency equipment. Using divine energy.

Yappy's mechanical arms are busy, and even as they burn in real time, the Holy Knight of Steel is thoroughly calculated.

Yakt Spinner is a Holy Knight of Heto, the god of iron and blacksmithing.

To him, the harsh environment in which his body and materials are being melted down in real time is nothing more than a calculation that is being modified in real time!

-Cheep! Cheep! Chirp! Chirp!

Eight seconds.

-Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

5 seconds.

-Ingredient burnout, requiring additional supplies.

3 seconds.

-Fuselage disassembly, using all parts except those required for minimal motion.

2 seconds.

Remove legs, cut dorsal cover, and bend armor to pieces.

One second.

At that moment, the finished product is a thin, wide sphere but the important part comes next.

Holy Art <Toolmaking >

The Holy Knight's holy power is imbued into the sphere. In that instant, the sphere's form is transformed into a holy object imbued with the power of the Blacksmith God.

The next moment, it fell from the sky like a shooting star and landed in the middle of a meadow.

-Boom!

As Yappy bounced off the shattered sphere in the aftermath of the collision.

-Kiiii!

The impact of the fall hits his entire body. Even for Yappy, a fall from 800 kilometers in the air has taken its toll.

All of the fuselage except the main computer is shattered, and the shattered camera eye can barely perceive its surroundings.

If it weren't for the Holy Law Sphere protecting his body from burning, he would have been incinerated.

-Main -Sea -Sea, Tem… Over. Long-grade, repair-grade…p…y.

Yappy tried desperately to move the mechanical arm, but the fuselage, which had already accumulated more damage than it could handle, refused to budge.

However, the only intact sound system was alerting him to the approach of something.

────

Yappy couldn't see the face of his opponent, so he didn't know if it was an orc or a barbarian.

With that, the limp fuselage was lifted and the broken camera eye captures the 'red thing'.

"Who are you, you. How do you use holy power?"

The moment it heard those words, Yappy mobilized the power of all its systems to deliver a single word.

* * * *

Beatrice watched her opponent's movements keenly, even as she fired indiscriminately at the Prefects and the Imperial forces.

'It's strange,' she thought, 'with that firepower they should have been wiped out long ago.'

The Prefects are holding on in the face of a force beyond their capabilities.

'The convoy has departed, but....'

Suddenly, Beatrice realized that one of the three Prefects was nowhere to be seen, hidden in the hail of lightning.

If they were hiding to attack her, she could respond since reacting to an approaching enemy is a fundamental part of group magical warfare.

It's a shame she didn't have escort knights, but if you're not a Holy Knight, you can do something about it.

'But what if… they're not hiding to attack me?'

Their number one goal was the holy relic convoy that had just left. Beatrice's gaze was about to turn towards the escaped convoy when──

"Where are you looking?"

A huge fireball shot out but Beatrice blocked it with a wave of her hand, however the barrier she deployed cracked.

'Stronger than before?'

The two mages in purple gaze-tip robes smirked. They were bleeding from the corners of their mouths after taking such a beating.

Technically, it's feedback from overusing magic while deploying the barrier.

One more good hit and they'd be dead so Beatrice snapped her fingers once more.

<Death Eyes>

An eerie purple glow traveled at the speed of light toward the prefects.

"Hmph?"

Normally, it would have been an attack that would have left them exhausted and unable to react.

<Enlarge Area of Effect>, <Multi-Activate >──

<Hyper Spell Break>

The combined spells of the two prefects break down Beatrice's spells.

Nullifying an opponent's spells in a major magic battle is commonplace, but Beatrice's High Spell would have been beyond their capabilities.

However it makes no difference as Beatrice is an enormous magical furnace in her own right, but her true talent lies in her ability to harness the scattered reverberations of magic in the air.

<Magic Circulation>

In this massive magical battle, she is virtually invincible. There is no way she can be outmatched by a fellow magic user.

"Ugh…!"

Just as she was about to circulate her own magic and the magic of the prefects, a foreign entity appeared.

"Magi?"

The absorbed magic was clearly foreign, something Beatrice knew all too well.

"You've sold your soul to the...demons."

"I never thought you'd push us this far."

The prefects' eyes turned cold.

It shouldn't have been revealed here since this was a power to be unleashed at least two years from now…after the ceremony of the Elected Emperor.

But the variable of Beatrice was powerful enough that they had to break the rules.

Given the odds and the gravity of the task, it is better to gamble than to fail here and have two of them die.

<Malignant Descent>

A disorderly quest. Archdemon "Zendar"

<Malignant Descent>

Devouring appetite. Archdemon "Nurgle"

Evil magic has started to consume the prefects.

* * * *

While Beatrice held off the Imperials single-handedly, Ha-ri, Koo Dae-sung, and Jerea's holy relic convoy galloped frantically toward the Lionheart border.

"We must hurry!"

Jerea urged his horse, clutching the box with the holy relic. The warhorses of the Lionheart Kingdom were the best in the world, so there was no way anyone could be left behind.

"Ugh…! Mal, try a little harder!"

However Ha-ri and Dae-sung horses that Leon bought on Jeju Island were barely basic.

Their horses weren't good enough to keep up with Lionheart's steed, and they were naturally at the back of the pack.

"Hey, don't worry about us! You go first──"

It was then that Koo Dae-sung's loud shout came from behind Ha-ri's back.

"The imperial army is coming!"

Black-armored cavalry furiously chased the rear of the convoy.

The Imperial Guard of the Imperial Emperor. In other words, an armed force that represents the will of the Emperor and only has the finest steeds, even when compared to those of the Lionheart Kingdom.

"Where are you going?"

Leading the way is Wolfhard, one of the strongest in the Empire.

His black horse closed the distance in an instant and slammed into Ha-ri's back.

"Ugh…!"

Ha-ri wielded her sword as flames engulfed Wolfhard's armor, but that was all.

Pure Concept <Armor >

The strongest armor passed down from generation to generation to the Imperial Guard division commander, the Protector of the Emperor. The armor even surpasses that of a Holy Knight.

The flames Ha-ri wielded were only enough to scorch the armor.

"Die, whore of the gods."

Wolfhard wielded his two-handed greatsword with one hand as Ha-ri gave up even holding the reins of her horse and turned back to block the sword, but....

-Bang!

Ha-ri went flying like a baseball and rolled on the ground.

"Ha, Miss Han Ha-ri!"

Dae-Sung's voice didn't even reach Ha-ri, who bounced away so fast that it didn't even register.

Wolfhard jumped from his horse since he was obligated to annihilate them before they reached the Lionheart border.

"I'll kill them all here!"

At that moment, he linked himself to the evil he was 'contracted' with.

<Malignant Descent>

Ruthless destruction. Archdemon "Knua"

Just like the two prefects his voice reached across dimensions and in response, the subject of the pact reached out to him.

-Kaaaaaah!

Wolfhard's armor expanded as if it would shatter and the flesh inside had exploded in an instant.

But the Imperial Treasure readjusts its size to the wearer. Within moments, the armor was readjusted, and Wolfhard had undergone a horrific metamorphosis.

He had a blood-crazed glint flashed in his eyes, and his exposed flesh seemed to be bursting at the seams.

Wolfhard was already a large man, but now he was at least twice as large.

Everyone sensed that something had changed.

It wasn't just a physical expansion. The laws of this world had been distorted, and something that shouldn't be there had revealed its ugliness.

Regardless, once on the ground, Wolfhard exhales a vicious breath… and begins to pulsate through the air.

-Bang! BANG! BANG!

He made a terrible noise just by running on the ground.

Wolfhard flew past, not even caring about the knights, his eyes only on Jerea and the holy object.

"Stop him!"

Stella commanded as the riders turned back.

At that moment, they were ready to die.

"To the Lionheart!"

"For the Lionheart!"

In an instant, the riders turned their horses' heads, crossed their spears, and charged back at Wolfhard. The moment of collision──

-Thwack!

Spears shatter against armor, horses are smashed, and riders are sent flying.

Three seconds from collision to annihilation.

"Thank you, loyal soldiers."

Thirteen meters above the ground. The red-haired priestess strikes her sword, the light she believes in transforming it into a holy sword that shields and repels the unholy.

Holy Law <Holy Sword Unleashed>

Her blade flashes and sweeps through Wolfhard. It was a deadly blow for a demonic species, capable of slaying even a high-level demon in a single strike.

"What…!"

But Wolfhard withstood it. Instead, he skimmed through it and grabbed Stella.

"Ew!"

"You insolent bitch. Die!"

Just as Wolfhard was about to snap Stella's neck, a sharp flash cut through him.

"...!"

Wolfhard let go of Stella at the threatening foreshadowing and stepped back as a middle-aged knight appeared in his vision.

"Jerea...."

Jerea's alter ego interrupted Wolfhard.

"You're not even a Holy Knight, and you're trying to stop me in your youth."

Wolfhard knew Jerea, for he had been a renowned paladin in his youth.

A wanderer who had sought the ways of the gods throughout the kingdom, the empire, and the far east. One who had been laughed at as foolish, but who had accomplished the quest and became a Holy Knight.

Holy Knight Jerea is a remarkable man, to be sure, and he deserves the most honorable seat but he is not the man Wolfhard sees before him.

The one before him was a mere figment of the past and he is no match for the contractor of the Archdemon Knua.

"You'll have to bring a Holy Knight to defeat me!"

"The Empire has indeed grown impudent, and when did you make the Holy Knights a topic of discussion?"

"This guy...."

Wolfhard glared at the arrogant Jerea thinking he would borrow the power of the Holy Relic──

"You bastard! Where is the Holy Relic?"

There was no sign of the holy relic that Jerea had been holding just a moment ago when suddenly, Wolfhard's vision caught a glimpse of someone who hadn't stopped running.

An insignificant commoner riding on Jerea's steed with the red-haired priestess who was knocked off by the first attack.

That bum he had ignored as not worth killing was running away with the holy item!

Wolfhard immediately tried to run towards the holy relic, but Jerea and Stella stopped him.

"You weaklings…!"

Wolfhard swung his greatsword, and the two barely managed to block it and he immediately ordered his Imperial Guards to pursue the holy relic, but others stood in their way.

A rider with a broken arm, a knight without a horse, every movable person in the holy convoy was blocking the Imperial Guard.

Some of them were coughing up blood as if they were about to die.

Stella shouts.

"Knights and soldiers of the glorious Lionheart! Leader of the convoy, Stella Vermilion commands! Sword in hand…!"

Without the slightest hesitation, the men draw their swords and even in the face of overwhelming death, their eyes are filled with determination.

"Today we die here!"

""I'll take your orders!""

The horses charge with thundering momentum, their relentlessness overwhelming the Imperial Guards.

Not only the knights, but even the lowly commoners are charging like knights, ready to die.

"These foolish fanatics. The dogs of the gods…!"

Wolfhard had always disliked them.

The Empire is a strictly caste system. There, nobles are noble and commoners are expendable.

The Kingdom, on the other hand, was also a caste system, but its society was very different from the Empire.

The kingdom's nobility, the knights, were willing to lay down their lives for the code they swore to uphold: scrupulous poverty, noble oaths, and righteous discipline.

Even the commoners they swore to protect were equally willing to offer their loyalty and service in return.

It was a far cry from the Empire, which refused to serve the gods in favor of human greed and autonomy.

The gap between the Empire and the Kingdom had widened.

"You are…! Cattle who refuse to judge for yourselves!"

Wolfhard's greatsword crushed Jerea….He had broken both of his knees just by blocking Wolfhard's power, which had been amplified by the power of the Archdemon.

"Lord Jerea!"

"Never mind me!"

Instead, Jerea parried Wolfhard's sword, trying to block his movement.

"You fool, the disparity in power is too great!"

But Wolfhard drew his sword with tremendous strength and trampled on Jerea then his sword struck Stella and her body rolled across the ground like a tossed ball.

"Hmph…!"

It was then that Jerea, who had been killed by Wolfhard, stood up straight. He was now past middle age and had the appearance of a young man.

'His resurrection speed has increased?'

It was a question, but Wolfhard didn't care. He wasn't even an acolyte anymore.

"How many times can you be resurrected now?"

"Until the moment the lady takes this life from me."

Jerea lunged at him, death defying. The difference in power is vast but Jerea stood up again.

"Huh… Huh…!"

Faced with an unstoppable evil, he refuses to give up.

"Is this the end of the line, you foolish child? It will take your main body to defeat me."

"...That's new."

Said the young… no, the boy knight.

"The Goddess has chosen a lackluster knight."

Jerea was bleeding, anemic and shaking, his armor shattered, his body soiled… but his eyes were clear as day.

"Holy Knights are those who dedicate their lives to fulfill the quests of the gods… to face the end and fulfill the task."

"Their lives are the most beautiful flowers that have blossomed from myriad faiths…. That dazzling honor was my dream, my goal."

Jerea raised his sword and the three blades sliced through the air with piercing precision.

Even with his armor and body shattered and scattered, his sword and his eyes were as clear as ever.

He was a foolish man who had seen the limitations of many talented knights time and time again but he never gave up.

Finally, after seventy years of wandering, he was given an impossible task.

"She who presides over the end of all things."

"Administrator of the underworld and sinners."

"Master of the lowest places, guiding mortals."

Everyone said it was impossible.

"Hear my voice."

"Protect your knight."

But the knight challenged the impossible.

He didn't need anyone's judgment.

He saw no reason why the impossible should be excluded from the challenge.

In the end, he turned the impossible into the possible, and he overcame death.

The Goddess of Death was pleased with you.

[She protects you]

Beyond time and space, she smiles upon the knight, still dumb and sturdy── upon the being who is only a reenactment of history.

And that is enough.

The dullard sings the end of the twilight.

"Death is with me."

Jerea's momentum grows like a storm and Wolfhard realizes that the inexperienced young knight is not what he once was.

"Nothing has changed!"

The greatsword is raised and as if on cue as Jerea's new weapon shot out like a cannonball.

"I am not immortal."

" I fight in that which is immortal."

"Destined to overcome mortality, destined to win."

* * * *

The battle was over.

The fight between the Holy Relic convoy and the Imperial Guard was a losing battle from the start.

A handful of mostly commoner riders against the Empire's finest.

To make matters worse, they'd spent over half an hour trying to deal with a convoy that was risking its life.

The fact that a man who was barely more than a Knight Errant was the last man standing against Imperial Guard Division Commander Wolfhard.

"Damned fanatics!"

Wolfhard kicked in fury at the body of Jerea, who had vanished in a puff of smoke and clutched at the wound at the nape of his neck.

If he hadn't demonized it with Malignant Descent, he would have been the one with his throat slit.

Wolfhard began to fear inwardly.

'What the hell is this kingdom and these crazed fanatics?'

"Your Excellency…! It's not too late! It's at least half a day's ride on horseback to the Lionheart border, so we have plenty of time to give chase!"

"We will pursue them immediately! We must recover the holy artifact!"

Wolfhard did not mount his horse since the effects of the Malignant Descent could still be felt for several hours; it would be much faster to run.

"Your Excellency, what shall we do with her?"

At that moment, one of the Imperial Guards pointed to the surviving Lionheart knight. Covered in wounds, she was Stella, the leader of the convoy.

"Huh… Huh…!"

Her eyes were still filled with determination as she barely had enough strength to hold her sword with both hands.

"Deal with her. No survivors."

Before they could begin their pursuit, the Imperial Guard pointed their spears at the dying woman. Even though she was drained, Stella sheathed her sword.

"To the Lionheart...."

Dedicating her death to the kingdom.

A loyal knight sings her last song of glory.

"Glorious──!"

At that moment, Stella felt her skin crawl.

Her lips swell and the air burns but feeling the anomaly, everyone looked up at the sky.

"Ah...."

It was a meteor, a meteor that burned itself to a crisp.

The red gas in the sky burns the atmosphere of the entire world, evaporating even the clouds. The sky burns red, and red rain pours down, evaporating again and again.

"...!"

It was an impossible anomaly.

Weather control magic was something the Imperial archmages had created by layering and reinforcing spells over and over again.

But this one, just by falling, stained the sky red.

-Quang!

The meteor fell from the sky, creating a huge crater and sending its wake in all directions.

A red knight appears with a huge explosion that destroys the surroundings in an instant.

His full body armor shimmered like a frightening painting.

He had a greatsword in each hand but the most frightening of all was the roaring flames. The flames that seemed to incinerate at the mere touch were not flames at all.

It was just a visible overflow of holy power from his entire body.

"Ah, ah...."

The black-armored warriors trembled in fear.

No mortal in this era could be unaware of that legend.

"The Butcher...."

"The Beheader....

"Wrath of God...."

"The...Witch Hunter."

"Divine Punisher."

"Warhorse of Doom."

The most powerful Holy Knight of his time, rivaling the stature of Lionheart the Demon Slayer.

"I am Vulcanus!"

The Holy Knight of War and Flame and the most powerful Holy Knight of this age unleashed his rage.