Ch.159Fortress of Collapsed Faith (3)

# Hero.

At last, a hero to save humanity has appeared in the south.

The Holy Army, which had been fighting a grueling battle, regained hope. The betrayal of the Southern Army and the subsequent offensive by the Order had pushed the frontlines to the brink, but now new life was breathed into them.

“We can win!”

“Those southern bastards are finished now.”

“We’ll drive out that demon and rebuild our great faith.”

Morale was soaring high enough to pierce through the dark clouds. Justiani also gained strength from the atmosphere.

“All knights, prepare! When the Hero arrives, we shall march to battle.”

This was their chance for a reversal. While the Order’s forces were hesitating in confusion, they would sweep them away in one strike.

With the Hero’s power, it was entirely possible.

The sharpest spear would pierce through the solid defense like a knife through soft flesh. If the knights charged through the broken formation and attacked at once, victory would be assured.

Even if a demon came to interfere, it wouldn’t matter.

The Holy Army believed in the Hero. Reciting the legend of the Hero who had vanquished the Great Demon, they would gladly sacrifice themselves for victory.

There was no greater joy than being able to fight without retreating an inch.

They rebuilt their fortress of faith and raised their fighting spirit.

“Lord Justiani! The Hero has arrived!”

The timing was perfect. Just as the Holy Army was preparing for the final battle, reinforcements appeared as if heaven had sent them.

Justiani’s expression finally brightened.

“Earlier than expected.”

“That’s not the issue!”

“What do you mean? Explain yourself.”

The messenger, who should have been speaking as if they had gained a thousand allies, trembled with fear. Justiani couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

“What’s happening? Speak slowly.”

“The Hero… the Hero…”

The reluctant lips finally released the heavy words.

“The Hero is laying waste to the entire southern region. Killing everyone, human or not.”

“What!”

Justiani shouted in shock.

“You mean civilians are being killed too?!”

“The Hero keeps saying that those already tainted by heresy deserve to perish…”

The rest of the words were barely audible. The shock was too great. Though Justiani had abandoned civilians before, at least he had never chosen to kill them with his own hands.

That was the final psychological line.

Though it was for victory, he had maintained that last shred of humanity.

But the Hero had destroyed human decency with their own hands.

Victory. For that alone, they cut down everyone.

“We must go. We must stop this. If this news spreads to the central region, great chaos will follow. A massacre in areas where heresy hasn’t even been declared!”

“We cannot stop it. How can we stop the Hero? We only have a small number of knights left. The moment we rush out of the fortress, we could be devoured by demons. Then who would protect this land?”

“The Hero will stop the demons. That is their true duty, which they’ve forgotten!”

“We’ll all be dead before that happens!!”

The messenger glared at Justiani. A low-ranking soldier who normally wouldn’t dare raise his head was openly defying him. It was an unforgivable offense. He could have drawn his sword and beheaded the man on the spot, but Justiani couldn’t bring himself to reach for his scabbard.

“What if the Hero brands us as heretics? Here, beyond the reach of the Pope’s influence, the Hero is the inquisitor.”

“…”

“If they kill all our remaining brothers and even the civilians, then merely confront the demons afterward, in the end, only those who lived on this land will have lost.”

The messenger knelt down.

“Please give the order so that those who remain might survive.”

It was time for a decision.

Either stay and die by the Hero’s hand, or lead those who could be saved back to the central region.

“I commend your courage first.”

“No, Lord Justiani. I overstepped my bounds.”

“The one who failed to understand the situation was me. A commander of the Holy Army, yet I only hesitated.”

It was time to set things right. Justiani spoke with a determined expression.

“Take the remaining knights and go around the nearby villages immediately.”

“I’ll prioritize children and women.”

“Entrust them to the clergy; they can move them quickly. Have the able-bodied men conscripted as soldiers for the fortress.”

There was no capacity to care for the elderly. They needed to save as many as possible.

Before the Hero went further out of control and turned the entire region into a sea of blood.

“Select the elite from the remaining Holy Army and form an interception unit. If the Hero tries to kill people…”

Justiani trailed off. It was a difficult decision.

But there was no choice.

“Protect them. Even if it means making the Hero our enemy.”

Holy Knights.

Those who served the God of Light lived for their faith. They could sacrifice themselves for the god they believed in.

The beings that god cherished most were the people. This was written in the scriptures.

-Save and serve those who live at the bottom.

Justiani gripped his sword.

It was ironic that the one he had to prove himself against wasn’t a heretic, but it didn’t matter.

He was already mad in this battlefield anyway.

“We must inform His Holiness the Pope of this tragedy. This is no longer a holy war.”

The one thing he wanted to protect amidst all this.

He didn’t want to corrupt pure faith.

#

“Aaaaargh!”

“Run away!”

A village burns. Strangely, the flames were black.

At first glance, it was a color reminiscent of demons.

And indeed, that was the power at work.

“Hmm. Everyone’s so weak they barely burn.”

The Hero stood alone in this hellscape devoid of survivors, speaking indifferently. She looked around. Corpses were piled high, burned beyond recognition.

“This lacks satisfaction. I wonder if this is enough punishment.”

Her disappointment was palpable. Her cruel nature was fully exposed.

The cleric was already in a state of shock.

When the Hero said she would begin purification, the cleric had vaguely expected something terrible, but reality exceeded imagination.

This was not something a human should do. Inwardly, the voice calling for salvation grew louder.

“What’s wrong? Finding it difficult? Is it because this is the first time you’ve come outside and seen such a sight?”

The Hero approached, dragging her sword. Her grinning smile was horrifying. The cleric unconsciously turned away.

Feeling disgust toward the one she was supposed to serve, she decided not to show her face.

“How cute. You’re still young.”

These words came from a girl much younger than the cleric.

She was evil to the point of purity. No, it was hard to tell if “evil” was the right word.

It just seemed natural, as if she had been born that way. As if she truly believed this carnage was right.

“You still don’t understand war. This should be much more cruel.”

The Hero sat on the pile of corpses. A black liquid, possibly blood, spread across the ground.

The horrible sound echoed, and the cleric covered her ears.

“This… this is wrong. You’re supposed to be someone who saves humans.”

She gathered courage to speak. The Hero giggled at her words.

“That might be true for past heroes. But I’m different.”

The young girl who had killed thousands opened her hand. A dark red flame burned fiercely in the air.

“My power comes from Death, buried beneath the Papal Territory.”

“Is… is that a demon’s power?”

“The mother of demons, actually. But that doesn’t mean she’s evil. Literally, this is the power that governs death.”

The cleric couldn’t comprehend this at all. Looking around only reinforced that feeling.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand. What you need to know is simple.”

The Hero looked down at her.

“Serve me and kill all demons. Leave none alive.”

“…”

“This request came directly from an archangel, not the Pope. You know that heroes receive divine revelations.”

The cleric bit her lip. Would an angel really say such things?

If it were true, her faith would crumble. The world she believed to be right would be broken.

“As long as I kill demons, I can do whatever I want. Just like I’ve eliminated everyone here. I need to create this much chaos to draw them out.”

The Hero left these puzzling words. As the cleric turned her head slightly in doubt.

“See for yourself. How I fight.”

BOOM!

The mountain of corpses shattered. The impact from the Hero’s leap was too much. Filthy blood splattered, causing the cleric to let out a shrill scream.

At the same time.

CLANG!

A sharp metallic sound echoed from the distant sky.

The startled cleric looked up.

“Let’s fight! It’s been a while!!!”

Before the delighted Hero, she witnessed a black figure being cut in half.

“Hahahahaha!”

As a cleric, she could sense it. That was a demon.

And.

“I’ll kill you all!!”

The Hero hunting demons came clearly into view.