Paladin of the Dead God

“Please listen, Your Majesty. Of course, if you wish to become a pillar of great order, I will support you in any way I can. But if your true desire is to protect the princess, then flee far away.”

Calurien’s words were earnest.

Elil had apostatized from the Codex of Light and performed the ritual to become a god, but he was still just a “worshiped powerful being” similar to an ancient god. To become a true god, he needed to undergo the ascension ritual, take his place in the afterlife, and dominate the past, present, and future.

But was that what Elil truly wanted?

Calurien knew what Elil truly desired. Elil had renounced the Codex of Light and sought godhood to protect his daughter and achieve a noble victory, hadn’t he?

“To protect Larabia, we need victory, not escape, Calurien.”

But Elil was a warrior.

He had forged everything with his sword, sweat, and blood.

Elil stared at Calurien with burning eyes.

His eyes were filled with chivalric desires like anger, longing, and the urge to avenge his defeats.

As a conqueror and victor, he couldn’t accept losing to such ‘cowardly tricks.’

“■■■■ will face me directly on the battlefield. Then we’ll see who the true warrior is.”

***

When Isaac turned his gaze again, he was back in the ruins of Rougeberg.

“Did you see? This is Elil.”

Elil murmured as he walked through the empty ruins.

“A father protecting his family, a knight facing cowardly tactics, a warrior who never surrenders until the end.”

‘Is he boasting now?’

But Isaac soon understood Elil’s meaning.

The individual known as Elil no longer existed.

Only the ideals and rules established by Elil remained. The Elil Isaac saw now was merely an idealized manifestation created by the faith of Elil.

Calurien’s mention of ‘joining the order’ must have referred to this.

Had Elil won the war against the Codex of Light at the cost of his ascension?

Judging by the current state of Elil’s kingdom, it didn’t seem so. Even after securing a place in Urbansus, his best achievement was likely only protecting the dancer.

Isaac realized from what Elil showed him that to become a true god, one must abandon their mortal body, and divine beings were not ones to be persuaded or negotiated with.

In fact, the latter concerned him more.

He had always thought that while impersonal gods might be impossible to sway, there might be a way to reason with personal gods.

‘Then shouldn’t they also avoid the kind of insanity that leads to suicidal tendencies?’

No, on reflection, Elil couldn’t even commit suicide.

From the moment he became an ascended god, he was simply a force driving his own will to the end of days.

That will now sought conflict, although the result could only lead to ruin.

Elil explained why he had shown his memories.

“The battle against other faiths ultimately leads to war in Urbansus. If you cannot prevent this, you might win battles but lose the war.”

At Elil’s warning, Isaac thought of the god of the Immortal Order.

‘Wait, then what about the Immortal Emperor Beshek?’

Whether or not one could call it a “living body,” Beshek, the god and ruler of the Immortal Order, possessed a physical form and walked the earth.

Since he had drawn the afterlife down to the earthly realm, it was unclear if Beshek still retained the full powers of Urbansus. Nonetheless, being one of the Nine Faiths, he likely wasn’t completely at the mercy of alterations to the afterlife.

‘While I already had some idea, this is indeed a critical fact.’

Isaac had learned this through Amundalas in the Urbansus of the Salt Council. The fact that historical distortion was possible through Urbansus and that such distortions could alter reality.

In other words, mere mortals could never truly win a fight against a real god.

Only those belonging to the Nine Faiths could stand against the Nine Faiths.

They were the only ones who could prevent historical distortions.

The persistence of the Red Chalice Club, despite the Codex of Light’s efforts to eradicate it, and the Immortal Order’s growth to a world-dividing power, were evidence enough.

‘Can the Nameless Chaos truly stand against them?’

Isaac hoped that the Nameless Chaos, being part of the Nine Faiths, could at least put up a fight. However, it was the angels who needed to move between the realms of Urbansus, and he doubted the Nameless Chaos even had such a realm. If it did exist, it was likely in utter disarray. Perhaps it was better if they did not intervene.

‘It might be wiser to seek help from Elil or the Red Chalice Club.’

Elil held a favorable view of him, and the Red Chalice Club was a secret ally, regardless. While it was regrettable that he couldn’t immediately leverage the Salt Council, it might be better to pin hopes on future possibilities.

In any case, it was good to have many friends.

Ultimately, this meant that Isaac needed to appear useful. The only reason the faiths didn’t want to kill him was that he had potential utility in their envisioned futures.

Isaac couldn’t know exactly what futures they were envisioning, but he sensed that he played a role in each faith’s victory declaration.

Right now, he was a deeply political entity among the gods.

“I understand, Elil.”

And Isaac was someone who could leverage even gods as tools if given the chance.

“I would like to make my wish now, as I mentioned earlier.”

Isaac thought he needed to persuade Elil to elicit his support.

But he was wrong. Elil was already prepared to be persuaded or to aggressively impose his will.

He desired war. He wanted a battlefield where he could seek glory, honor, and courage.

He was willing to wage war, even as an undead.

To Elil, Isaac was the perfect trigger and proxy for the war he desired.

“A wish?”

Elil smirked.

“Didn’t you say you wished for the Dawn Army’s participation?”

“Elil, you already deeply desire the Dawn Army’s participation. Therefore, that is your wish, not mine. On the contrary, since I am bringing you the war you desire, I deserve commendation.”

Elil burst into laughter, a laugh of satisfaction.

Such an egocentric powerhouse appreciated those who stood confidently before him. His companions and friends likely shared this trait.

Isaac felt he had a sense of what kind of personality the dancer might have had.

“Very well. State your wish.”

And Isaac knew a wish that would satisfy Elil even more.

“A sparring match, please.”

***

Elil accepted Isaac’s request without hesitation.

Elil didn’t laugh at or dismiss Isaac’s absurd wish to spar with him. His demeanor suggested he had expected this.

Just as with the Dawn Army, he might have anticipated such a desire.

Accommodating such knightly desires.

However, for Isaac, this decision was based on meticulous calculation and benefit.

‘I don’t expect to win.’

If Elil’s skills were even half as legendary as the tales suggested, Isaac would be dead before he could draw his sword. Elil, having ascended, could manifest the strength of his prime and still existed as the ideal of swordsmanship.

The passage of time and injuries were mere trivialities to him.

But that was precisely why it was worth fighting him.

‘If I can learn even a fraction of Elil’s swordsmanship, it’ll be worth a hundred times more than any relic or blessing.’

Elil stood opposite Isaac.

The location was still the ruins of Rougeberg. Yet, it was spacious enough for their sparring.

“Let me explain the rules first.”

Elil picked up a sword and spoke.

Isaac found the mention of rules odd.

Typically, rules in sparring are set to prevent the participants from getting hurt or killed. However, it seemed unlikely that Elil would be clumsy enough to kill Isaac, and Isaac doubted he could even injure Elil.

“First, I will not use miracles. I won’t vanish from your sight by erasing my presence. I won’t create shockwaves that could bring down buildings, nor will I burst the air to rupture your eardrums and disrupt your balance. I won’t stop your heart with killing intent. I won’t use sword aura or advanced sword techniques. I will only confront you with raw strength and speed.”

“…I assume these rules don’t apply to me and only to you, Elil?”

“Yes.”

“That’s usually called a handicap or a penalty… but thank you.”

Since Elil was taking the handicap upon himself, Isaac had no reason to refuse. However, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed. What he wanted to learn was Elil’s swordsmanship.

“However, please understand my desire to witness your swordsmanship. Could you not use advanced techniques?”

Isaac believed he could at least endure, if not surpass, angelic swordsmanship. But could Elil, even in his prime, handle it without using sword aura or advanced techniques?

If he could, Elil would be something more than a mere mortal, inherently extraordinary.

“That depends on you.”

Elil replied, then erased the smile from his lips.

In that moment, Isaac felt the air around them grow heavy.

The atmosphere of the ruins changed.

The setting sun’s light began to carry the scent of blood, and the air froze as if it had been stagnant for a thousand years. Just from the change in atmosphere, Isaac found it difficult to breathe.

‘This is… Elil!’

Elil had no intention of holding back.

Just as in a duel, sparring was sacred. Elil intended to defeat Isaac with all his might, within the limitations he had set.

Elil took a step forward.

[The Nameless Chaos is watching you.]

In that instant, Isaac twisted his neck violently.

*Slash.* Isaac barely escaped the oppressive aura, moving his body. But his neck was already cut by Elil’s sword, blood pouring out. Isaac quickly retreated and staunched the wound.

Elil spoke calmly.

“One.”

‘I expected it, but I still can’t see him.’

Isaac chuckled bitterly.

Elil hadn’t intended to pierce his neck. He had merely placed the sword tip there, and Isaac’s hurried movement had deepened the wound.

But it seemed he had managed to impress Elil.

“Still, you reacted. Impressive.”

“…Thank you.”

“But it was clumsy. As soon as the sparring started, you should have activated your sword aura and fortified your body with miracles. You should have attacked first instead of giving me the initiative. Summon whatever you can. Aren’t you a follower of Chaos? Use all the unorthodox and foul means you have. Deploy whatever you can to win.”

Had he done so earlier, the mishap wouldn’t have occurred. Isaac decided to take Elil’s advice.

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He began to arm himself with every means at his disposal, ones he had hesitated to use because of the consequences and the aftermath.

As Isaac’s aura began to change, Elil stood calmly across from him again, waiting for Isaac to attack first this time.

Isaac had no thoughts of whether his opponent could withstand his attack.

His mind was singularly focused.

Unless he fought with the intent to kill Elil here and now, he wouldn’t learn anything from him.

Learning and lessons are only granted to the deserving.

Isaac’s eyes began to glow a fierce violet.

Tentacles began to emerge, writhing from his body.

‘Today, I will kill a god.’

–TL Notes–

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