88 Relic Convoy (3)

The sight of the orc looking down at him from his perch aboard the Bonecrusher bothered Leon deeply.

"A beast that should be destroyed like a worm that waits on the earth… how dare you look down on this king."

The king's wrath is not unleashed by the king's hand. First, Leon finds a knight to claim the glory.

"Holy Knight Jerea, bring me the head of that foul beast!"

"I will gladly offer him to your majesty."

The frail-looking knight bent down as if to offer his assistance. And at that very moment, a transcendent momentum propels his body into the air, carrying him to the top of the canyon.

Kim Jae-hyuk and Han Soo-ho were stunned, and the soldiers cheered.

The oldest Holy Knight but the most defiant saint.

"Jerea…!"

"Jerea…!"

"Jerea of the Twilight!"

"The one who challenged the thunderclap!"

"The knight of glory who has risen from the lowliest of places!"

To the cheers of the soldiers, the Holy Knight leaps to his feet.

As the Holy Knights soared with great majesty, it was easy to see why they were the favored saints of the gods and the strongest super weapons of mankind.

* * * *

The orc shaman Krakan loaded his spear with spells for the next attack.

The shamans of Gokrok are known for their uncharacteristically cunning and destructive spells that overwhelm their opponents.

Krakan planned to deal with the humans from the safety of the air, out of their reach. That is, until something erupted from the ground....

-Bang!

By the time he realized it was a human, it was too late.

"Ugh…!"

An orc was an orc was an orc, even if it was a shaman so Krakan instinctively pulled on the reins, and the flying beast's body twisted.

-Whoosh!

In a flash of grisly foreboding, Krakan saw the form of a man who had just passed through the spot where he had been at super speed.

"How dare a beast that should crawl on the earth intrude on the sky where kings play?"

The elderly knight stretches out his hand at the Bonecrusher even as his attack misses.

-Grrrr…!

The Bonecrusher's eyelids, which had just been fiercely purring, closed heavily. Naturally, it stopped flapping its wings and crashed.

"You, you…!"

Even as it was falling towards the orcs at the mouth of the canyon, Jerea was willing to give chase for the head he had promised the king.

-Quang!

The Bonecrusher's head exploded as it fell from the sky, killing him in his sleep while Jerea rolled on the ground and chased after the crawling Krakan, who grunted.

"Mmph…!"

Krakan struggled to his feet, running away from the cold gaze behind him.

"Do it! Kill him!"

Krakan whirled around and pointed at Jerea.

An army of tens of thousands of orcs and barbarians had gathered to attack the convoy and each of their ravenous gazes was a force Krakan could use.

"You will regret coming here alone! I have an army!"

Despite being a wounded ragtag bundle, Krakan was confident, and true to his word, thousands of orcs stepped forward and the barbarians were turned into beasts.

An army too many for one man but here orcs and beasts fill the land while black eagles roam the sky.

Jerea frowns at the prospect of such a massive force.

"To mobilize such a large number of beasts is certainly unusual."

Orcs and barbarians are common enemies in Lionheart, but that doesn't mean they get along.

To begin with, orcs are ignorant brutes who are only good for fighting and usually they attack barbarians but now they cooperate?

Something was definitely wrong.

"Kkkkk… Even you can't take on this many alone──?!!"

Krakan suddenly realized that it was too dark in front of him.

Even though it was still broad daylight, the sky was pitch black and he thought the sun was being blocked by a large number of black eagles....

'It's not like that! This is different…!'

The hairs on his body stand on end. He can feel it in his bones that he's going to die if he touches it.

"There are many, many."

Jerea's low voice is eerie as black vultures fall down, unable to escape the purple haze that covers the sky.

-Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…!

The vultures plummet with their final screams, unforgiven for their presence in the heavenly realm, the great sinners paid the price with death.

A purplish mist spreads in all directions as if swept by the wind.

The beasts that realized death at the mere touch of it fled, but not faster than the wind.

"Death to the unbeliever, an unbreakable nightmare──"

At the merciless slaughter that wasn't even a battle Krakan shouted urgently.

"Go, golems! Use the golems!"

As a shaman he recognized the fog as the life-sapping mist of death and the rock golems the shamans had constructed in a matter of hours moved through it with dull tread.

Krakan smiled triumphantly, but it was quickly replaced by unease. Why? Why did the old man look so unconcerned at the sight of an army of golems?

"Do you know why the Holy Knights are called the strongest creatures in the world?"

He leaped at the slow approaching golem and slams his sword down on the massive mass of rock.

"It is because we alone surpass a Legion."

The several golems weighing tons were sliced off like tofu.

* * * *

Chirp, chirp, chirp… A muffled bird song echoing through the canyon at night but a gently squeezing grip grabs Koo Dae-sung, who raises his head absentmindedly.

"Be careful. Most of the nocturnal beasts here are demons."

"I apologize."

Jerea gave Koo Dae-sung a benevolent smile.

"You might not know. You're still young."

They were hiding in the bushes, and not only that, but their horses were lying down and holding their breath. Dae-sung and Ha-ri's horses had been forced to sleep.

"Thank goodness there's a bush nearby."

As they hid in the waist-high bushes, an orc riding a boar wandered by.

The orc was only a few steps away, and their camouflage was blown but just then, Jerea's purple mist enveloped the orc.

"Eh, eh, eh…! Uh, this is...."

The orc and boar, who had been searching with bleary eyes, shuffled about with unfocused eyes, as if they were drunk.

"No...."

The orc turned the boar's head and looked the other way, causing Ha-ri, who had been holding her breath, to exhale with a sigh.

"Da, thank goodness."

For the umpteenth time, everyone stared at Zerea in relief.

After removing his armor and tying it to his horse to reduce the creaking, Jerea led the group in a relaxed voice.

"There's a cave nearby. Let's go there and hide."

The others were able to muffle the sound with muzzles, but their horses hadn't been trained to do so, so they slept with Jerea's method.

He picks up one of the horses and slings it over his shoulder.

"Sir Jerea. We can do this. How can your body...."

The knight looks embarrassed as Jerea takes the lead, and they're uncomfortable with the idea of him, a Holy Knight, doing the chore.

"It's fine, Lord Stella. I'm not a Holy Knight now."

In wartime, a paladin takes orders from a War Knight or Kingdom Knight, so in that sense, Stella is the one in charge.

Eventually, Jerea carried the horse until they reached the cave.

"I'll block the cave from now on. Stand back."

Setting the horse down inside the cave, he knelt down on one knee and prayed to Demera, the goddess of earth and fertility.

-Goooooow…!

The knight's prayer was answered, and the cave was covered with indigenous plants, so the entrance to the cave would not be discovered or look awkward.

"This is amazing...."

Ha-ri and Dae-sung shared the same sentiment as they watched.

If it weren't for him, the pursuers would have been caught on ago.

"Just an old man's catch."

Jerea smiled his good-natured smile and headed for the interior of the cave, casually tethering the horses and setting up camp.

"Lord Jerea. May I ask you to guard the holy relic?"

The red-haired Kingdom Knight Stella, who had questioned Jerea earlier, handed over the box of holy items she was carrying.

Jerea shook his head as he examined the lanky box, which must have been at least a foot and a half long.

"Lord Stella, you know that in wartime, a knight of the realm has more command than a wandering attendant. Don't try to impose your will on me."

"But, my lord. You are a Holy Knight, chosen by the God of Dreams and Death."

"You may as well ascribe my future exploits to me. What you have before you is a challenger not the fulfiller of a quest."

"Okay...."

Dae-Sung said cautiously to the confused Stella. It hadn't made sense in broad daylight.

"Forgive me for interrupting, but what do you mean by future Sir Jerea… and past Sir Jerea?"

"Ah… I suppose it might be unfamiliar to knights who are just starting out on their wanderings. Lord Han Ha-ri… did you say Lord Koo Dae-sung?"

Stella and Jerea tilted their heads at the unusual names of the two people, but only for a moment.

For, regardless of their origins, their Divinity was proof that they were brothers.

"It's just a favor from the Goddess."

Jerea of Twilight, Holy Knight of Dreams and Death.

His endless challenges were famous throughout the kingdom and even the continent.

A foolish man, Jerea never stopped challenging the bards who sang of his dishonor.

When he finally drank the holy water of the Grail and became a Holy Knight, Fle gave him special powers in honor of his great journey.

[Unique Law]

A Unique Law that symbolizes the life of the Holy Knight, who began his wanderings at the age of 15 and pursued his dream of becoming a Holy Knight.

It's a unique talent that combines the power of dreams and death, and its ability is simple.

"Fle recreates the past in dreams and summons an alter ego in reality. I am now eighty-five years old. I've only just received my quest."

"That's the law of...."

"Doesn't that… disperse the power?"

At Ha-ri's question, Jerea smiled and denied it.

"This body is merely a recreation of the past. It reproduces power, but it doesn't disperse it."

"Wow. Doesn't that make you invincible?"

"I may be strong, but I can't compare to the power of a Holy Knight. Don't get your hopes up."

Apparently, summoning your past self doesn't double your power.

-Kugung!

A frenzied tremor shook the entire canyon and everyone was barely holding on to their center of gravity.

"What the…! Dodge!"

Jerea hastily grabbed Ha-ri and Dae-sung and threw them into the cave. At that moment, something huge rained down from the ceiling.

-Kwak!

Something collided with Jerea's sword.

Attacks were exchanged again and again amidst the dust and by the sound of it, Koo Dae-sung realized this was an attack, not an accident.

"Lord Jerea, I'm here to help──cough!"

In the thick dust, Stella also collided with something.

"Mu, what…!"

Koo Dae-Sung was about to step forward when Ha-ri drew her sword, and her flames surged and turned into a vortex, rushing toward the cave entrance.

Flames to burn the dead and waves to wash away the dirt, both forces followed her wishes and swept everything inside the cave without harming her allies in the slightest.

-Boom!

The raiders were swept up in a vortex of fire and slammed against the wall. The dust swallowed up by the vortex pours out of the cave, and all that's left of the cave are the shapes of her allies and the raiders.

"What the hell?"

Jerea threw the raider by the scruff of the neck and decapitated him, and a rolling head fell to the ground.

Ha-ri and Dae-Sung gulped at the sight.

"Monster?"

At over two meters tall and the size of three or four bears combined, it was no man. In fact, it was hardly a living thing at all.

Melting skin, tentacles protruding from gouged-out eyeballs, a foul smell of rotting flesh and grotesquely shaped joints.

They were grotesque monstrosities that seemed to desecrate and abhor life itself.

-Keeeeeeeeeeeee──

Something like a muffled wail echoed deep into the cave.