Holy War – III

A battle beneath the moonlight. One side fighting in the name of a supposed God, the other fighting for humanity's sake against that traitorous God.

Arrows continued flying through the night sky, blotting out the moonlight as they shot towards Cliff and the people behind him.

And those arrows kept getting twisted off course, as if brushed away by an invisible hand.

It would have been one thing if it was due to a barrier. It would have been sensible if a wind started, blowing them off course. Both were phenomena that could be explained with mortal powers. Magic, instead of divine intervention.

But...

One of the blue-armored paladins on the side of the Order of the Temple turned back to look at the commander. "S-Sir? D-Do we keep shooting?"

"The arrows... D-Do we really have God's blessings on our side?" Another paladin lowered his bow and glanced at the commander as well.

The commander glared at his men. As a grizzled old man who had seen countless battles, a trick like this didn't phase him. But his men...

It was pathetic. Just because of something small like that, his men were losing morale.

"Of course we do! Have you forgotten the day His voice echoed in our minds?" The commander stepped forward past his men and stared at Cliff.

Cliff stared back, letting out a faint smile.

"Tch."

It was a kid. But that kid had somehow rallied the adventurer's guild, Order of Instruction, and Order of the Church behind him. Not only that, but even some idiotic commoners had joined in a haphazard militia.

A reckless charge. Even if the other Knight Orders had joined, they were just remnants. With God's aid and the Cardinal's actions, the strongest had been scattered to the winds.

No matter what magic item they were using to block the arrows, when it came to a clash of blades, the result was already determined. So...

"Stop wasting arrows and draw your blades." The commander ordered his men and then drew his own sword. At the same time, silver light wrapped his body. His Battle Aura flared as he prepared to meet those arrogant traitors and heretics daring to raise their swords against the Church.

An immediate response. Seeing the commander act brushed away the doubts in the paladins. With that, they all put their bows to the side and drew their swords, stepping forward to stand with the commander.

A dozen other paladins roused their Battle Aura as well, silver wrapping around their dark blue armor.

Seeing that, the commander smirked.

No matter how many adventurers and peasants that kid rallied, it would be pointless. Even though they had a small army on that side, a single Saint-ranked fighter could take out scores of ordinary men. A King-ranked fighter could take that army out by himself.

And there was no one like that in the other Knight Orders.

So it was inevitable. The moment that kid and his forces arrived, his elites would charge alongside him and tear through. Afterwards, his men would follow up and-

A sudden burst of light. The dark night illuminated by silver. But it wasn't coming from his men.

Instead...

The commander's eyes widened and he instinctively took a step back. "I-Impossible...!"

---

Cliff stared at the shocked face of the enemy commander and then nodded.

'As I thought.'

The Order of the Temple was worthy of their infamous reputation. To be able to pull out a dozen Saint-ranked fighters for just an initial charge and at such notice was proof of that. It was a force that was enough to keep the entire Adventurer's guild in check.

Perhaps the Order of Instruction might have stronger fighters, but those were scattered throughout the world on their training pilgrimages. And the Order of the Church had powerful fighters serving as trump cards in cases of national emergency, but the spacetime rend had scattered those fighters as well.

That was why the Order of the Temple could run rampant like this under the Cardinal's direction and hold Millishion in a death-grip.

However...

'It is nothing compared to Father-in-law's forces.'

The White Knights had a minimum entry level of Saint-ranked. It was necessary in order to survive against the harsh monsters and unexpected dangers of the Magic Continent. And as a result of facing those tribulations, in actuality, the White Knights were stronger than ordinary Saint-ranked forces.

And that was just considering the White Knights who joined later.

Lady Astolfo and the others who Father-in-law had personally gathered... Cliff didn't know their limits. But from the oppressive light shining behind him, it was more than whatever the other side had.

So it would be a rout.

With the White Knights alone, they could run rampant through the Order of the Temple, barge into the White Palace, and take out the Cardinal.

But this battle was not simple one of military might.

Cliff carefully studied the expressions of the knights on the opposing side.

A good number of them were wearing helmets, preventing him from gleaning any information. But others were not. And because of that, he could see the shock and hesitation.

'...As expected.'

The Order of the Temple were known to be zealots. Those who would fight to the death against impossible odds. Trusting in the grace of Saint Milis and God's protection, they would willingly relinquish their lives for the cause.

Because they knew they were in the right.

But...

'They lost their faith.'

Was it because of some of the heinous actions that had been perpetrated in the name of 'God?' The fact that the Cardinal seized power for his own? Or because using his prototype <Force Manipulation> spell to give off the appearance of divine intervention struck them to their core?

Either way, Cliff could tell. Just one more push would be enough.

So...

"Lady Astolfo, Sir Venick, and Mister Guild Leader. Would you please stand back?"

A request to stand down.

"Are you an idiot, Cliffy?"

As scripted, Lady Astolfo spoke up against him.

"You might be smart, but you aren't a fighter."

"I do not need to be." Cliff turned back to the militia.

Ordinary men and women. Some young, some old. People who followed him because they wanted to protect their home and get rid of the rot clinging to the Church. Those who had faith in Saint Milis's teachings and not some false God who would discard them on a whim.

Cliff closed his eyes and placed his hand over his heart.

It was possible. Father-in-law had told him that mana could take on countless forms. That faith alone could create astounding feats, but faith, vision, and rationale could create impossible miracles.

And so...

"This is a story about the resurgence of humanity."

Humanity's potential was limitless. Anyone could become a hero. Anyone could become a villain. The capacity for good and evil lay within everyone. But in knowing evil and seeking good. In accepting weakness and seeking strength within the conviction to pursue the beautiful ideal...

Cliff opened his eyes. And as he did, golden light swept out. The night sky vanished, replaced by a brilliant sky at dawn. At the same time, silver light flickered around the ordinary men and women, their inherent strength drawn out by the grace of the morning light.

Seeing that, Cliff smiled.

As always, Father-in-law's theories were correct.

-RNG-

It was the middle of the night. To be exact, early morning.

Eri and Sylphy were already fast asleep, and both of them were clinging to my arms, preventing me from getting up.

Well, it was super comfy snuggled between them, so I didn't really want to get up either.

But I couldn't fall asleep despite how comfortable it felt. And the reason for that...

'...As expected. It's dangerous to give random information to real geniuses, huh?'

I stared at the piece of displaced reality around the White Palace with my Clairvoyance and then let out a sigh.

Note to self. Be more careful with the 'what ifs' you say around Cliff. That guy's smart, crazy, and determined enough to reject reality itself to make it possible.

Secondary note: remember to grab Cliff when we seriously start working on how to grab Mom and Mama Lily back from the future.

Now... I think I'll just close my eyes and let Cliff do his thing.

Yeah. Less of a headache that way.

...Huh. I wonder if this is how Master Roxy felt back then...

[author]Started a new job actually doing patent work. It's much more mentally taxing than I anticipated, aha... Sorry for the wait.[/author]