Paladin of the Dead God

“Sorry, Hesabel. Maybe your gamble failed…”

Isaac had such a gloomy thought, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud.

The Sword of May also seemed to realize that blaming Isaac alone wouldn’t solve anything in this absurd situation and turned her head.

[Come forth, Calurien.]

Calurien, who had been in the rear, glided forward. Despite appearing as an old and shabby wizard, he showed no sign of being intimidated in front of the Sword of May.

“You’ve come a long way, young one.”

[Do you measure age while living in the time of Urbansus? You haven’t shed your lizard habits.]

“I’ve lived as a dragon since long before the name of the Codex of Light emerged. Even if you add up all the ages of the Codex of Light’s angels, they wouldn’t be half of mine.”

‘So even angels engage in such trivial power struggles,’ Isaac thought, amused. Perhaps it was such characteristics that allowed mortal-born angels to rise to higher positions.

At the same time, Isaac felt the depth of those years in Calurien’s words.

The ancient gods ruled the world for tens of thousands of years before the nine faiths appeared. An old dragon like Calurien might have lived for over ten thousand years. To Calurien, even Luadin of the Codex of Light was just a ‘child.’

Calurien’s gaze shifted slightly to Isaac.

“He told me to come out and resolve the situation myself. Said it was the only way.”

Isaac braced himself, expecting to be mocked. However, Calurien’s next words surprised him.

“You’re a smart one. I like you.”

[Smart, you say?]

“Sword of May, looking at your rigid thinking, you must have realized that having one or two monsters or angels come forward wouldn’t work. But here we have three angels, and you are just one. Surely you don’t plan to rely on humans?”

Calurien chuckled.

“I’m not looking to fight with numbers, but Sword of May, you’re not thinking of a foolish battle, are you? Even angels can be annihilated if they die in another faith’s domain. But we won’t die here.”

The Sword of May’s eyes glinted. Isaac learned for the first time that angels could be annihilated if they died in another faith’s domain. It also became clear that the Sword of May had come with significant resolve despite appearing lighthearted.

“So you should be grateful to the Holy Grail Knight who has created a chance for you to retreat with honor. Do not miss this opportunity. Sword of May. Retreat safely, for it is more precious than victory.”

Hesabel looked at Isaac with admiration. Though he felt burdened by her gaze, Calurien’s words held some truth.

The Sword of May never retreated unless the battle was utterly hopeless.

Isaac had merely provided her with a stage to retreat gracefully.

Of course, in the worst-case scenario, they would have to fight those three angels, but there were ways to handle that.

The Sword of May remained silent, spinning the rings of her sword hilt. Isaac had seen her do this many times and knew it meant she was contemplating. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke.

[Fake.]

Calurien didn’t flinch, but the Sword of May threw one of her rings. The hundreds of swords swirling within the ring moved in a peculiar trajectory, slashing at the airborne Calurien.

Isaac was astonished to see that each of those swords moved with the essence of advanced swordsmanship.

But with a simple wave of his staff, Calurien easily deflected most of the swords. However, the swords were not all evenly powered.

While the weaker swords fell away, the stronger ones cut Calurien’s robes.

In that moment, Calurien’s figure wavered like mist.

From a distance, Nimloth clicked her tongue.

[Your mistake was appearing here with three angels. Calurien. You wouldn’t have come without leaving other wardens to guard Elil’s prison.]

In other words, the real Calurien was monitoring Elil closely, and the Calurien before them was a fake, as the Sword of May had said.

“Hahahaha!”

Calurien burst into laughter.

“Yes, that’s true. I cannot neglect my duties. I have more important tasks than dealing with the likes of you. But there’s something you don’t know.”

Calurien’s eyes flashed as he waved his left arm. Simultaneously, the figure of the Lion Knight dissolved into mist, revealing yet another Calurien.

“The Lion Knight volunteered to guard Elil! He’s always by his side to ensure I can’t harm him. Not much of a warden, really.”

Then Calurien waved his right arm. Nimloth’s figure also transformed into Calurien.

Now there were three Caluriens, each dressed identically and waving their staffs, preparing spells.

“The Lady of the Lake pities both Elil and me. She’s a compassionate girl, guarding Elil’s abode. The one facing you is me!”

Isaac’s suggestion had been accepted.

Calurien himself had come forward to confront the Sword of May. It wasn’t the ideal outcome, but it wasn’t the worst either. The Sword of May began spinning her rings rapidly. The weapons broke the sound barrier, tearing through the air and radiating intense heat.

The battle was imminent.

At that moment, the Calurien on the right swung his staff from left to right. Like drawing a curtain, night fell, bringing with it storm clouds and a hurricane.

Isaac nearly toppled over from the sudden gusts and torrential rain but managed to stay upright.

Calurien’s thunderous voice boomed through the storm.

“It was the night of the worst storm in Elil’s kingdom! People called it the ‘Night of the Clashing Angels’!”

***

Boom, crash!

The sudden night and storm were devastating. Raindrops pounded like bullets, and trees bent precariously as if about to snap. Amidst the chaos, Calurien’s army began to move.

“Do you have any special tricks?”

[Calurien will focus on fighting me. Your job is to keep everything else from interfering.]

The Sword of May spoke as she slowly lifted off the ground. Despite the storm, her flames burned brightly as if nothing could extinguish them.

The whirling rings of her swords shattered the raindrops.

[Calurien uses various illusions and tricks. Do not be deceived by them.]

The Sword of May warned, but Isaac was baffled. How could mere humans discern the illusions of an angel-level wizard?

However, the Sword of May hadn’t brought Isaac along just for his swordsmanship.

[In times of dire need, use the Lighthouse of the Watcher. Calurien’s illusions are powerless before its light.]

“I can’t use it often, though…”

Activating the Lighthouse of the Watcher made every nerve in Isaac’s body tingle. It felt as though every cell was being used to process and verify the surrounding environment. It didn’t drain any specific faith or stamina, but repeated use felt like it would overload his brain, burning it out.

Yet, the Sword of May couldn’t offer any more advice. Calurien began hurling lightning at her, initiating the attack. As always, Isaac knew he’d have to figure things out on his own.

‘My only allies are tentacle monsters, heretics, and a vampire.’

“For the glory of Elil! Charge!”

A commanding roar pierced through the storm, and the undead knights of Elil began their advance. The hurricane’s force affected them as well, so despite the terrifying roar, their pace was agonizingly slow.

‘This storm is clearly more about hindering the Sword of May than us.’

At least that was a relief for Isaac.

Isaac ignited the radiant flames of the Luadin Key, preparing for battle. The warmth and vitality from the Luadin Key provided the strength to endure the storm.

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

The knights of Elil abandoned their horses but maintained their ranks as they approached. No matter how skilled Isaac was, facing ten thousand of Elil’s knights was out of the question.

Fortunately, there was another person in their group who could wield angelic power.

“Your Majesty, I’m counting on you.”

While he couldn’t fight three angels, surely he could handle the knights. After all, those knights were technically Edelred’s ancestors, but they wouldn’t be reborn the next day like Isaac and Hesabel would be if they died here.

Edelred gripped Kaldbruch with a determined expression.

“Leave it to me, teacher. Calurien himself admitted to imprisoning Elil, so these knights are merely being used by him.”

Edelred’s resolve suggested he wouldn’t hesitate despite the knights being his ancestors.

As the angelic power from Kaldbruch grew stronger, small flowers and plants began to sprout at Edelred’s feet. Isaac was surprised to realize that Edelred hadn’t yet tapped into the full power of Kaldbruch.

“Then I’ll leave the rear to you… Ah.”

Suddenly, Edelred’s eyes wavered. He was staring at a large, rotund knight at the front of the advancing knights.

Isaac noticed Edelred’s trembling hand and grabbed his shoulder.

“Your Majesty, what’s wrong?”

“M-my father.”

At the forefront of the knights, the late King Alfred, who had died of high blood pressure, was charging with a mighty roar.

“Glory to Elil!”

***

The battle in the sky between the angels was unfolding in a realm beyond human comprehension.

The Sword of May wielded a ring composed of hundreds of swords. Each of these swords could execute advanced swordsmanship individually. Advanced swordsmanship is most effective when utilized not by individuals but by entire knightly orders.

And the Sword of May possessed five rings.

In other words, she could unleash the equivalent of five knight orders’ worth of attacks simultaneously.

Considering that a single knight order could conduct a siege without priests or paladins, the destructive power was unimaginable.

[In the kingdom of Elil, we’ve seen wizards like you before, Calurien.]

The Sword of May directed her rings to attack Calurien. As the attacks, each imbued with the essence of advanced swordsmanship, converged by the hundreds, they formed an immense force that dominated the area with an otherworldly phenomenon.

The force took the shape of a coiled serpent.

Bang. As the serpent of swords collided with the intangible shield around Calurien, a cascade of lightning-bright sparks erupted and flowed like a waterfall. The Sword of May relentlessly continued her saw-like assault.

[You’re old, foolish, and your pathetic struggle to survive is pitiful! How can we believe such a witch was of the same kin as Elil?]

The Sword of May was referring to Hectali.

Hectali, once an elf like Elil, had, like many other elves defeated by Elil, lost her prideful past while fleeing.

[You seek to make Elil into a wretch like that witch, that great knight!]

Despite the Sword of May’s roaring accusations, Calurien remained unfazed. As he barely withstood her attacks, he suddenly deactivated his shield. With his staff, he struck at the incoming ring of swords.

It appeared foolish to counter the Sword of May’s ring with a staff, but instead of shattering, the swords transformed into a flock of geese dispersing in all directions.

The Sword of May hastily recalled her attack as hundreds of her weapons turned into geese in a single move.

“Do you think I’m blindly loyal to Elil, child?”

Calurien muttered, pushing his glasses up under his hat.

The geese, caught in the storm, fluttered and dived, but when Calurien aimed his staff at the Sword of May, they soared in that direction. Sensing danger, the Sword of May swung her swords at the geese.

The ring easily slaughtered the geese, but what spread was not blood but dark smoke.

“If I were blindly loyal to Elil, he would have died on the battlefield long ago! Even now, I’m busy preventing him from committing suicide!”

–TL Notes–

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