Ch.143Sacred Flame Guardian Knights (4)

Two stars shone at the top of the fortress.

Najin’s star was a new celestial body that had risen not long ago. The untarnished star scattered pure white light. In contrast, Shulein’s star was old and worn. The weathered star could not shine as brightly as Najin’s.

If something that emits its own light is called a star, what Shulein possessed could no longer be called one. But if anything that simply shines is called a star…

It was certainly a star.

Shulein accepted the light created by Najin’s star. If he couldn’t shine on his own, he could simply reflect someone else’s light. Even an old, crumbling star could reflect starlight.

And so, two stars shone.

Shulein raised his horizontally held sword beside his head. He bent his knees and caught his breath. It was his most confident technique, one that had cut down countless enemies. In other words, it was Shulein’s best.

One must respond to the best with the best.

Najin willingly assumed his stance. The moment he saw that stance, Shulein couldn’t help but laugh.

“Atanga!”

Shulein exclaimed. He couldn’t help but shout. Atanga, truly a nostalgic name. A smile formed on Shulein’s lips. So, Atanga, is it? Isn’t this too generous an opponent to decorate the end of a broken knight?

But Najin stretched his right foot forward. Not the sword that punishes knights, but Atanga’s sword for facing a worthy opponent. Seeing this, Shulein could no longer even smile.

Truly. To this extent…

Their gazes crossed. No signal was needed. Conversation was even less necessary. The two kicked off the ground almost simultaneously. The distance closed instantly, and their eyes focused only on the sword in the other’s hand.

Both Najin and Shulein were Sword Seekers.

But their levels were not the same.

Shulein’s level when he surrendered to instinct might be lower than Najin’s, but his level when wielding his sword with his own will was by no means inferior to Najin’s. For he was already a warrior who had undergone germination.

Germination (發芽), the sprouting of a seed.

If a Sword Master colors an area with their mental image to unfold their domain, a Sword Seeker imbues their sword energy with their mental image. Then, what can a warrior who has taken one step forward and undergone germination do? Shulein demonstrated the answer.

His sword energy blazed fiercely. Shulein’s sword energy was modeled after a sacred flame. In his mental image resided an eternally burning sacred flame. Shulein imbued his sword energy with that scenery as he swung his sword.

The world turned red along the trajectory of his sword. Though the sword energy merely imitated a form, with each forward thrust of his sword came the sound of flames crackling to life. Where his sword passed, sacred flames remained burning.

Unable to color an area with his mental image like a Sword Master, but at least manifesting his mental image where his sword passes—that is the level of a warrior who has undergone germination.

Not yet in full bloom, not yet fully blossomed, but the sprouted mental image had taken root in the world. The flames burning there were the scenery Shulein could not let go of, even as he wore away.

-I don’t know either, why I protect it.

A voice echoed in his ears.

-It’s not particularly sacred fire. No star dwells within it. It’s just a simple fire.

Then, why do you protect it?

-Because people consider that fire to be sacred.

Because that’s the pride of the Sacred Host Guardian Knights.

Reflecting on a conversation from a drinking session, reflecting on the life he had lived, Shulein swung his sword. The fire he had protected for over 200 years swept across the top of the fortress.

His sword energy devoured everything—the corpses scattered everywhere, the stench they emitted, the sacred flames that consumed them, and the brazier that held those flames.

But there was something the fire could not consume.

Swoosh!

There was a star that glittered as it parted the waves of fire. The star approached Shulein, cutting through the fiery waves. Yes, that’s how it should be. Shulein swung his sword again as if he had expected this.

“Come!”

He shouted, intoxicated by past glory.

He swung his sword, recalling forgotten pride. While swinging his sword, while sacred flames surged from its tip, he could be a knight.

Of course, he knew.

He knew that he was no longer a knight.

This was just a dream that wouldn’t last even a single night, and he knew he would soon have to wake from it. And he knew that when he woke from the dream, a harsh reality awaited him. But what of it?

It was a feeling of lightness he hadn’t felt in 200 years. He didn’t want it to be disturbed by such trivial emotions.

‘Ah.’

Shulein groaned.

Here it comes. Reality approached, cutting through the fire. Finally breaking through the waves of fire, Najin emerged. Though his body was covered in soot, the boy’s eyes were clear.

Clang!

As the constellation and fire collided and scattered, sword met sword. In that moment, Najin’s eyes widened. He couldn’t help it. Half of Shulein’s body was burning away.

Najin had never seen a case where the mental image one created harmed oneself. Why? Najin soon understood the reason.

The sacred flame in Shulein’s mind was a fire that burned away the corrupt. Shulein himself was no exception. As the parts that had become undead burned away, Shulein’s body became lighter. As if telling the bewildered Najin that he had no time to worry about such things, Shulein swung his sword, pressing Najin back.

Sword clashed against sword.

Sword energy collided with sword energy, causing repulsion.

Several exchanges took place. Najin laughed incredulously as he parried Shulein’s sword. Not stopping at defense, Najin continued his counterattack, facing Shulein directly.

‘I won’t accept a win by default.’

‘Is that so.’

‘My sword will be faster than you burning to death.’

He would settle this before that body completely burned up and could no longer wield a sword. Though Najin would win simply by stalling for time, he had no interest in such a trivial victory. He charged at Shulein more aggressively.

Though his sword energy output was inferior and he couldn’t handle sword energy as well as his opponent, that was no reason for Najin to be pushed back.

He just had to make up for what he lacked.

With what? With instantaneous judgment, technique, and Atanga’s sword. With each exchange of swords, Najin advanced forward. He moved forward relentlessly, pushing aside the flames.

Clang!

Shulein’s sword was deflected by Najin’s. Finally shattering Shulein’s technique head-on, Najin took another step forward. He put a period to the seemingly endless exchange.

Slash.

Najin’s sword cut Shulein.

2.

With a clang, Shulein dropped his sword.

He touched the long sword wound that ran from his shoulder to his heart.

His body began to rapidly wear away.

But this was different from becoming undead. What was coming to him now was death. Eternal death, as his entire body crumbled away. This was also a peace that Shulein originally could not have.

Eternal peace that he could not obtain on his own without the help of another star.

Facing the approaching death, Shulein exhaled deeply. It was time to wake from the dream. He looked around with human eyes, not the eyes of a burning undead. There lay the reality he had been avoiding all along.

Though a wave of fire had swept through, there were still corpses that had not turned to ash. A stench emanated from the bodies that had lost their hearts. All of this was the devastation Shulein had created.

Shulein, awoken from his dream, groaned.

Evidence that could not be excused by any words was spread before his eyes. The price for being intoxicated by a brief dream was heavy. He suffered, facing the reality he could no longer avoid.

But because of that.

Shulein could choose.

He looked at Najin. Najin also looked at Shulein. Though in pain, Shulein wore a relieved expression.

“Thank you.”

Shulein said.

“For making me make the choice I’ve been putting off.”

He grabbed the sword he had dropped.

Then he brought the sword to the fire that was burning his body. The sword, imbued with sacred flame, blazed. Leading the burning fire, Shulein jumped down from the castle.

Najin followed him down from the castle.

Below were undead who had been knocked down by the Helm Knight. There were still undead charging at the Helm Knight. But the moment Shulein stood before them, the undead stopped all movement.

They looked at the sword in Shulein’s hand.

The moment they faced the sacred flame burning from Shulein’s sword, they became knights, not undead. Clank! Their rusted armor made a loud noise. They stood in formation before Shulein.

The Helm Knight, who had been fighting the undead, lowered his spear. For a moment, Shulein and the Helm Knight’s gazes crossed. Shulein’s eyes widened, then he smiled bitterly.

“We are the Sacred Host Guardian Knights.”

He shouted.

“Knights who protect the sacred flame and burn with the fire.”

Shulein made the choice he had been putting off for so long.

Unable to let go of his comrades, he had postponed putting an end to the unfinished journey. But now he had to put a period to it.

“Let us advance together.”

It was time to let them go.

Perhaps, himself as well.

Shulein mustered his last strength and swung his sword. The sacred flame that burst from the sword engulfed the knights. The sacred flame burned fiercely, consuming their bodies. The sacred flame was not at the top of the fortress. The fire burning before their eyes now was the true sacred flame.

Of course, it might be a fire that has nothing to do with stars. It might be just an ordinary fire that could go out at any time, and it might not be particularly sacred.

But that doesn’t matter.

What matters is that those gathered here consider it a sacred flame.

The knights willingly accepted the fire. They used themselves as kindling to ignite the final fire. As their bodies burned away, consuming the starlight that remained in them, platinum-colored particles burst from the flames. The fire they ignited at the end was truly a sacred flame.

Najin and the Helm Knight silently watched the knights turning to ash.

That was the end of the Sacred Host Guardian Knights.

Not all of their living time might have been beautiful, but the flames they ignited at the end were beautiful.

3.

Shulein’s body, which had been burning fiercely until the end, silently crumbled. Among the ashes remained only the sword he had held all his life.

“……”

The Helm Knight retrieved the sword from the ashes. Then he thrust it into the ground so it stood upright. It was a makeshift sword grave. After briefly bowing before the grave, the Helm Knight exhaled deeply.

“In the Outer Continent, humans eat humans.”

He said.

It was a continuation of the conversation they had before arriving at the fortress.

“To survive, humans eat the hearts of other humans. Some say honor and pride should take precedence over survival, but in the Outer Continent, you must survive to protect those things.”

The Helm Knight turned to look at Najin.

“Because death cannot be peace here. If you don’t want to become undead, you should value your life.”

“If your heart is taken, can’t you die forever?”

“Half right, half wrong.”

He moved his steps. As he walked around the fortress looking for something, he continued his story.

“The more stars one possesses, the higher level one reaches, the more one becomes a monster. Even if their heart and star are taken, they continue to move until all the starlight in their body is gone. They become beasts that only crave starlight. If they’re lucky enough to consume starlight, their life will be extended even further.”

But can that be called life?

Undead who move while chasing only stars, having lost their sense of self. Come to think of it, he seemed to have seen undead moving even after losing their hearts.

“So when you encounter something moving without a heart, think that it must be quite strong. It must have reached a high level in life.”

“I see.”

“Yes. Shulein was the same. That man once possessed up to 4 stars. Now he’s lost them all and weakened, but… he was once quite a strong knight. That’s why he couldn’t choose death on his own.”

Shulein couldn’t even choose death for himself. Even if he pierced his own heart, he would obviously become undead.

“In the end, he chose to survive. If he too became undead, the entire Sacred Host Guardian Knights would become undead. He couldn’t bear to see that.”

“So…”

“Yes, so he hunted humans. He threw away his honor and pride to protect the pride of the knights. Foolish act. From the moment the knight commander made such a choice, they became no different from a group of undead.”

The Helm Knight searched inside the fortress.

Finding something, he reached out.

“What do you think of that choice? Is it right? Is it wrong? Should it be condemned? Is Shulein a sinner?”

“……”

Najin remained silent. To be honest, he wasn’t sure. It’s true that Shulein did something worthy of condemnation. But it was difficult to explain it in terms of good and evil. At least, that’s how Najin felt.

“You don’t have to give an answer. Just remember that such humans exist in the Outer Continent. See, experience, and ponder as many different things as possible. That is the path to transcendence.”

The Helm Knight chuckled and patted Najin’s back. Then he pulled something out of a box inside the fortress. What came out in his hand was a flag.

The military flag of the Sacred Host Guardian Knights.

Unfolding it, the Helm Knight said:

“Still, thanks to you, Shulein was able to face death. At the end, he was able to choose as a knight.”

“Thanks to me?”

“A pure white star. Only an untarnished, brilliant star can gift death to a worn star. A glorious death, that is. Though I don’t know why.”

The Helm Knight said he didn’t know the reason, but there was someone by Najin’s side who did know.

-Because stars are also symbols of natural order. Stars basically resist things that go against the rules of the world, like mysteries, demons, and witches. And undead who cannot meet a proper death are also beings that go against the natural order.

So a pure star can gift complete death to the undead. But, Merlin said:

-Stars are tainted by their owners. Just as demons or witches can possess stars, they are tainted according to their owner. Then the purity of the star disappears.

From the moment it loses its purity, a star no longer resists the natural order. It merely becomes a means to define the world in its own way.

-My star is like that, and most stars are like that. Even if they’re pure at first, as they wear down or as one gains more stars, the self strengthens and moves away from the essence of the star.

There was just one exception.

Arthur maintained the essence of the star even after obtaining 13 stars. Whether Najin could do the same was uncertain, but Najin’s star, which had risen not long ago, was pure.

“It’s paradoxical.”

The Helm Knight said.

“Because the star is worn, tainted, it wants to take its own life. But paradoxically, because it has lost its brilliance, it cannot take its own life. Brilliant starlight is needed for a complete death.”

He looked at Najin.

“When I first saw you, I had a feeling, but it seems your star still retains its purity. Well, you probably haven’t had your star for long. I hope you keep that purity for a long time. There’s nothing more valuable than that in the Outer Continent.”

Saying so, he knelt on one knee before the flag of the Sacred Host Guardian Knights. With his head slightly bowed, he spoke in a heavy voice:

“The Sacred Host Guardian Knights. The knights who protected the Rohast domain and the sacred flame. They did not abandon their duty until the end.”

It was a eulogy.

A eulogy for the Sacred Host Guardian Knights.

“Though they could not protect the domain, they did not turn away from their responsibility. They advanced to the Outer Continent. They did not advance because they could not retreat. They simply chose to advance. They chose to fight forever, and thus fulfill their responsibility.”

The Helm Knight recited the names of the knights written in the register wrapped in the flag. Krenkel, Callias, Torres, Selache, Schultz, Yubel, Kalsen… and Shulein.

“In their final moments, they were knights.”

May peace be with them.

Saying so, the Helm Knight draped the military flag of the Sacred Host Guardian Knights over his body. Only then did Najin realize that what the Helm Knight was wearing were not rags.

The old pieces of cloth that looked like rags.

They were all military flags.

The flag of the Sacred Host Guardian Knights was added to the numerous flags. As the Helm Knight rose, the flags wrapped around his body fluttered in the wind.

“Let’s go.”

Was that directed at Najin, or at the flags wrapped around his body?

Probably both.

The flags that had lost their masters were tied to the Helm Knight’s body, continuing their journey.