Ch.129The Battle of Barcera (4)

Defections were increasing. Knights were leaving in droves to prove their pure faith.

The Crusaders’ operating principle was simple: condemn demons and spread God’s will on earth once more. This was why they had silently followed Rupiel when he chose to address the chaos in the central region before immediately dispatching the Holy Knights to the south. The Holy Knights, who despised the very existence of the Dark Order, suppressed their desires. They acknowledged that protecting the essence of faith was more important.

But the demon had denied their faith. It had insulted their Father with its blasphemous mouth.

With nerves already on edge due to the lack of progress on the southern front, the collapse of the eastern front added to their complicated state of mind—and this was like pouring oil on the fire. As followers of the God of Light, they could no longer endure this.

They counted every demon’s death before them as a victory. This caused them to drift away from the clergy who needed protection. Had it not been for some experienced elder knights maintaining order, their formation might have completely collapsed.

As a result, nearly two thousand of the seven thousand troops had broken away. Only the minimum number needed to protect the clergy while they recited prayers remained. The main force moved slowly, preparing for a possible ambush in this vulnerable state. Despite the large number of defections, each knight was renowned even in the heavens.

They believed they wouldn’t fall so easily to demons.

“My God.”

“Lord in heaven.”

Had their faith not been denied in just one day, there might have been a positive current flowing. But the fate of those who couldn’t control their anger extinguished the last hope these knights had dreamed of.

Drip… drip… drip…

A forest of heads impaled on spears stretched before them. There was nothing holy about the dead Holy Knights with their tongues hanging out. Their faces were contorted with pain. Not a single body remained intact. Mutilated corpses formed mounds, and severed limbs were used to convey the demons’ message.

“An inverted cross…”

The arm of a dead knight, still gripping his sword tightly, had been used to mock God. The blasphemy rising from the thick scent of blood shook the Crusaders.

Even the corpses of their comrades had been used as objects of mockery.

The remaining knights who had barely been holding onto their reason finally snapped. They threatened to kill the demons immediately.

“Calm yourselves! Now is the time to suppress your anger!”

Rupiel managed to calm the troops for now. The demon’s strategy was obvious—to continuously lure away knights so the clergy would be left unprotected. They had already achieved half their goal. If any more knights were given to the enemy, conducting the war might become impossible.

“We know better than anyone the abominable acts these demons commit.”

“We know. We understand. But we can no longer endure this! They are mocking our Father!”

“Anger is demon fodder! If you draw your swords in disorder, they will chew up your faith with their blasphemous mouths. You must not ruin our grand plan by giving in to momentary emotions.”

“Grand plan! What is this grand plan for? What victory is worth enduring such insults!”

An elder knight raised his voice. He was doing something unthinkable—challenging an archangel. Normally in such situations, other knights would intervene and make the offender repent before such a great being.

“……”

But no one stopped the elder knight. Everyone tacitly agreed with him. Rupiel was left speechless at the sight.

“We did not become knights to endure such blasphemy. We have a mission to spread the word of Light! To defeat the demons’ mockery and ultimately spread holiness throughout this land!”

His voice grew louder. His appeal captured the attention of the Crusaders.

“In all these years, we have never been defeated. We have never permitted demons in this human realm.”

“Things are different now. The heavens have weakened, and the demon realm has risen. Children who lost their God have returned to reclaim their homeland!”

“Are you afraid of that? Young men died needlessly because we couldn’t stop that mockery. If you had ordered a charge when we were insulted, we would have killed all those demon bastards!”

He’s right.

Why should we suffer such humiliation from demons?

Voices of agreement circulated among the knights. Even the clergy felt the same, seemingly unaware that their lives depended on the shield wall. Even the priests, who should have been the most level-headed, were dominated by anger.

“Secretary, please order a charge now. We will bring back their heads.”

“The opponent is a Regent of the demon realm. Victory cannot be predicted.”

Rupiel coldly refused. There was no reason to walk into a trap set by demons. This was especially true when facing Durin.

They could easily win with the clergy’s holy bombardment. The enemy had nowhere to run. Reinforcements were coming from the east. Of the three paths from Barcella, Durin could only escape toward the center. If the demon went toward the Papal territory, it would be suicide. If they maintained proper pressure, they could execute a textbook encirclement and annihilation.

They would push them into Barcella Fortress and crush them.

The Archangel’s secretary reaffirmed that his earlier judgment had not been wrong.

The problem was conveying this to the knights, who refused to listen. Holy Knights who had lost their reason were no different from berserkers. While such drive was unmatched when killing weak heretics, against equal or superior enemies, they were just noisy lambs.

As a leader, he had to shoulder all the burden and stop them.

“Denied.”

Rupiel turned away firmly. There was nothing more to say. He stood before the white cross banner.

“First, we will recover the bodies of our knights and prepare for the next battle. We must buy time until reinforcements arrive from the east.”

“……”

“I understand your dissatisfaction, but I will not tolerate anything more. Withdraw before I execute you all for blasphemy.”

Control was only possible through harsh words. The knights dispersed, moving to recover their fallen comrades’ bodies. At least during this time, they might be able to cool their anger.

“No.”

It would grow. The death of comrades naturally leads to vengeance.

He hoped fate would not drive them to destruction. Even if she showed no interest, he did not want to cut off heaven’s last chance with his own hands.

#

“We must move quickly. Time is of the essence.”

They needed to find their position before nightfall. Scout beasts continuously relayed information.

An unbelievable victory in the first battle. The legion had witnessed the Regent’s overwhelming power. He had cut down the White-Winged Angel vanguard with his sword.

An absolute being in the human realm had met death. This surreal sight boosted morale. Hope grew that they could succeed. Confidence in completing the mission increased.

“They’ve begun recovery. It will take about a day.”

“There’s a small forest exactly 500 paces away. No villages nearby, making it good for concealment.”

“Our role is crucial now that all their attention is on the demons.”

The battle results had changed the situation. The Crusaders, beginning to fracture, had halted their urgent advance. Unlike the initial expectation that 7,000 troops would stop 2,000 breakthrough forces, their losses had increased, making them more cautious.

“Do they think they can just form a defensive formation and deal with us as usual?”

“Well, the core of warfare in the human realm is cavalry, centered around knights, so it’s natural.”

“Those must be the last words of those who have never faced elves.”

Asha smiled knowingly. The children of the forest who had crouched for a thousand years were not weak beings. They simply had no will to fight. But the moment they declared they would earn the right to live freely in the world through strength, they firmly resolved to show their fighting spirit.

Grand Chief Asha caressed her bow made from the World Tree’s branch.

“I will prove our worth.”

“Well said, Grand Chief. Please enter the forest now.”

“What about you?”

“We’ll buy as much time as possible to prevent them from approaching the forest.”

“You’ll be identified quickly. If the clergy’s bombardment falls, you might not survive.”

Sacrifice is expected in war. But facing people who might be lost before his eyes made him uneasy. The Order’s knight smiled at the elf.

“Just as you fight for the rights of future generations, we fight for the faith that our descendants will inherit.”

“Demons? Or do you mean that forgotten goddess?”

“The scripture says: Death is peaceful rest and fertilizer for the future. If my body’s holy sacrifice can make one flower bloom in the world, that is my greatest joy.”

“Your goddess left truly noble words.”

“Just as your World Tree did.”

The descendants of those who bore similar but different duties—the saints of the Dark Order who had martyred themselves countless times and the World Tree that had protected the forest for a thousand years—faced each other and formed a bond of empathy. Now it was their turn.

“Stay alive. Don’t you need to watch over future generations with your own eyes?”

“I pray these won’t be our last words.”

“That’s an unpleasant thing to say.”

After clasping hands and strengthening their resolve, they parted ways. Asha watched the Dark Order knights galloping toward the road. The sound of hoofbeats spread loudly under the dark night. The Crusaders must have sensed the death approaching them.

“Prepare.”

The elves drew their bowstrings. The strings stretched to their limits, loading power into the arrowheads. Hidden in a forest different yet familiar, their breathing naturally steadied. The cold night wind brought calmness. Their eyes shone differently as they glared at their enemy, the Crusaders.

They directed their killing intent toward the Crusaders who, unaware, were busy with their internal divisions. Their target was the Crusaders regrouping on the road. The main prey was not the knights in solid armor but the clergy.

“Fire.”

Whoosh!

Arrows cut through the sky. With a sharp sound, dozens of thin shadows soared.

The second battle arranged by Durin began in the dead of night.