Ch.301EP.63 – A Knight’s Valor Contains No Recklessness (12)

…Whoosh, and the smell of burning spread thickly.

Though it seemed like an incredibly thin veil, the Great Archfiend encountered fierce resistance upon contact, and as if triggering a chemical reaction, the Archfiend’s hand gradually began to burn.

Yet even as his hand burned, the Great Archfiend remained utterly expressionless, merely lowering his hand as if he had only been testing it briefly, and slowly recovered.

“So this is how they use spiritual power? An interesting approach. To even damage a deity’s body… Hmm, this is not a power permitted to humans. It will collapse on its own before long.”

Perhaps his observation was complete after that brief touch, as the Great Archfiend leisurely demonstrated the recovery of the White Ghost Shield.

“How verbose you are with your excuses for being unable to penetrate this veil.”

It was Kain who mocked his opponent from just one step away from the Great Archfiend, and to him…

“Indeed, I cannot penetrate it. Forcing my way through would only harm this body. I’ve already lost one arm and feel ashamed before my deity; I can’t afford more injuries.”

“……”

“But don’t worry. The moment this veil falls, I’ll tear out your blasphemous throat first.”

He delivered a calm yet chilling threat, and Kain let out a hollow laugh.

“For someone once called a god, you resort to petty threats, Ninshubur.”

“…So it was Modred who taught my name to that dangerous hero.”

“One must know their enemy to defeat them.”

In truth, Modred had invested considerable time sending personnel to the Western Continent.

He employed countless archaeologists, explorers, and alchemists to research lost ancient history.

In the process, they discovered ancient knowledge and artifacts forgotten even by westerners, through which Modred achieved numerous breakthroughs.

Most notably, he obtained hints for new gunpowder formulas and the invention of flame cannons, and further succeeded in acquiring unique powers such as [Mixed Iron Armor], [Ghost Horse], and [White Ghost Shield], which are now Modred’s pride.

They had grown stronger by dedicating extensive time to killing powerful enemies.

In some ways, similar to Tristan, who collected hunting techniques, countless poisons, and medical technologies scattered throughout the continent.

“Everything was to kill you, Inanna, or rather you, the ‘Warrior of Betrayal,’ even more terrible than that accursed one.”

“…You truly speak recklessly.”

“Why? Do you regret your past now, you cowardly traitor…”

BOOM!!!

In that moment, Ninshubur could no longer contain himself and struck the veil with all his might.

Of course,

SIZZLE!!

This caused his hand to burn again, but the powerful impact hammered the fortress, accelerating its fractures.

Now even the foothold began to destabilize, as if on the verge of collapse.

“Don’t provoke me too much. I’m only proceeding cautiously to avoid harming my Lord’s body, not because I fear this pathetic veil.”

“That’s good, it means my provocation is working.”

“!!”

Ninshubur’s eyes trembled.

Learning that his opponent knew about his origin was more unpleasant than he had anticipated.

“Ugh…!”

Perhaps pleased that his opponent was shaken, Kain deliberately provoked him further.

The way to use an archfiend is…

“Ninshubur, the limb of Great Archfiend Inanna, the mystery of war among those who govern abundance and war. You originally betrayed your master, the Lord of the Sky who was king of the southern gods, to follow Inanna, and incurred the wrath of the Lord of the Sky, dying at just 15 years old. Looking at this alone, one might think you had a tumultuous life, but even in death, you became Inanna’s limb, and following Inanna’s orders, you spared no cruelty in slaughtering countless people. A murderous fiend who only listens to divine commands without thoughts of your own. You’re not really a god of war. You’re just an evil breed who went from human to demon! You wicked demon of massacre!!”

“Silence-!”

CRASH!!

Because this is how you expose an opponent with [Truth].

‘Yes, this is what I was hoping for.’

Ninshubur, who had maintained his composure even while being thoroughly defeated by Count Santa, finally raged, and Kain instinctively clenched his fist.

‘It worked!’

The life-risking ‘gamble’ had paid off.

‘Yes, even if called a god, he’s still a spirit.’

One of the most important aspects of an exorcism ritual is discovering the spirit’s true name.

Lower-level spirits can be subdued simply by calling their mortal names, and even for higher-level spirits, knowing their true name is half the battle.

Furthermore, if one knows what might be called their personal information, it may not be checkmate, but it’s certainly a check.

‘That was the best [Spirit Command] of my life.’

For those with medium abilities, words are like blades, hence called Spirit Commands.

However, to use a Spirit Command, one must thoroughly understand the opponent’s origin and true name; if the information is inaccurate, the medium could suffer greatly instead.

Especially when facing powerful spirits, extreme caution was necessary, and it might be a life-threatening gamble, but…

‘Three centuries of effort were not in vain!’

The fruits of the efforts of predecessors, those who had fought against that archfiend long before them, could not be dismissed as mere gambling.

It was like a well-forged blade.

“…Phew.”

Kain felt like he might cry but held back.

The ritual wasn’t over yet, and now was the time to press forward while Ninshubur had lost his composure-

STAB!

“Kuhak…!”

“My lord!!!”

The aide guarding him screamed.

Kain’s chest had been pierced, and he was spitting blood.

[Hmm, you may not have inherited your father’s talent, but your medium abilities and eloquence are good? Oh, and you’re lucky too! I meant to pierce your heart, but who would have thought you’d dodge it.]

“…For someone called a god, you’re incredibly cowardly.”

SLASH!

Kain swung his sword at the one who had pierced his chest.

Despite the archfiend’s insidious words about talent, his movements showed remarkable skill, and his sword precisely!

“…Huh?”

“I must truly be distracted. I’ve never raised an aide.”

“My, my lord…?”

“Stop your nonsense, creature. My comrade would never pierce my chest.”

SWOOSH!

The neck of the man called an aide was cleanly severed, and the man melted away.

“…A doppelganger.”

A monster that mimics human form and can even warp human perception with its brainwashing abilities.

Disgustingly, it kills people without hesitation while sincerely expressing sympathy for the humans it kills, truly believing itself to be human.

So that’s why it screamed after stabbing him.

“How foolish…”

Kain couldn’t help but smile bitterly at having been deceived, even if the opponent was a doppelganger.

However, despite witnessing his self-reproach, the opponent…

[I wish you had just died.]

…revealed its malice without restraint.

* * *

…It was an incredibly chilling sight.

[My attendant requires so much attention.]

“I apologize, my Lord.”

[It’s alright. I am merciful, after all.]

“Ah…”

The terrible noise of Inanna and Ninshubur’s voices mixing wasn’t the only thing; Kain saw it.

What appeared to be gently embracing its attendant was actually the “true form” of the Great Archfiend, looking as if it might devour Ninshubur at any moment.

‘What in the world is that…!?’

It had six beautiful wings, but they merely adorned what looked like a lump of flesh covered with dozens of eyes and mouths.

It was deformed, and Kain doubted whether it could even be called a living being.

Inwardly, he was relieved that the soldiers couldn’t see this.

…Their morale would have been crushed.

Only those with spiritual sight could see the true form of the Great Archfiend; those without would not be able to see it at all.

It was truly fortunate.

‘If that, if that were to be resurrected with a complete physical body, what would happen?’

Just the spirit’s appearance made his skin crawl and filled him with the terrible urge to gouge out his eyes!

It stimulated instinctive fear and even created the impulse to slit his wrists, and beyond that, his head began to ache unbearably.

Just looking at it seemed to pollute his mind!

‘That’s supposed to be a god?’

No, that is!

“A demon…”

His true thoughts escaped as a voiced utterance.

[How rude. You should rejoice at seeing my beautiful true form, not speak such vulgar words.]

“……”

[I’ll give you some credit though—maintaining your sanity after seeing my beautiful ‘true form’ is rare. Most people’s minds collapse and go mad, but Modred’s bloodline is truly exceptional. That makes me even more excited—what an amazing vessel will your daughter become?]

“You evil fiend!! Don’t you dare speak of my daughter…!!!”

[I’m not a fiend—I’m a god, remember?]

WHOOSH!

In an instant, as the six wings spread wide, something strange happened to the monsters.

SPLAT!

In one breath, dozens of monsters’ heads exploded.

To ordinary people’s eyes, it might have looked like they suddenly burst, but those with spiritual sight saw it.

They were bursting from light rays spreading like pollen from the Great Archfiend’s wings.

One might think it was deliberately killing the monsters, but…!

GURGLE!

Things like maggots clinging to corpses gradually devoured the dead monsters and grew in size.

The powder scattered by the Great Archfiend was eating away at the monsters’ flesh, blood, and even bones, growing at an incredible speed.

It was abnormal, completely overturning the laws of biology.

WHOOSH!

The maggots that completed their growth had become an army of insects.

They resembled a hybrid of ants and wolves, the very creatures they had fought to exhaustion.

[That’s 600,000 in total. With so much food, they grow quickly.]

“……”

[They’ll keep multiplying, by the way. I’ve infused them with my power. In an hour or two, they might reach ten million. Their lifespan will be extremely short, of course, but it should be enough to annihilate you all.]

“……”

[I wonder, how will you struggle when that veil is lifted?]

“…Ha.”

The monsters they thought they had reduced had multiplied again.

To about three times the number that first surged forward—600,000 troops…

He couldn’t help but laugh hollowly, overwhelmed by despair.

Wooong…

The White Ghost Shield, Modred’s ultimate secret art, gradually subsided.

Its limit was approaching, and the veil seemed to express their desperation.

The reliable guns, cannons, and gunpowder had long been depleted.

The soldiers’ stamina was pushed to the limit.

The knights were still struggling against the chimeras.

…The strong man was still fighting his lonely battle.

“……”

They had reached their limit.

[I told you to surrender.]

The Great Archfiend smiled.

As if making an offer that couldn’t be refused.

[Bow your head and press your forehead to the ground until it’s soaked with blood, and say, ‘I will be your slave from now on and follow you even in death.’ If you do that, I’ll let you live. Don’t worry about becoming a slave. I’m merciful, remember? If you serve as a slave for about 10,000 years, I’ll set you free afterward. How about it? Isn’t that merciful!]

The Great Archfiend’s dozens of mouths cackled, and the lump of flesh writhed.

[Ahahahahahaha!!]

As if even it was moved by its own mercy.

“……”

Kain seemed momentarily dazed.

A sword was still lodged in his chest, and his strength and stamina had already reached their limits.

He had used every means at his disposal.

No one would blame Kain if he despaired.

They would likely comfort him, saying it was understandable.

…Nevertheless.

Crack.

Shing.

He finally raised his bent waist.

Even as he bled profusely, he stood up again.

And Kain raised his sword.

“Even if I die, I will live and die as a human.”

[…How foolish, truly.]

“It’s not foolishness. We…”

The warriors of Modred raised their swords and spears, shouting loudly despite seeing the overwhelming army of monsters.

Kain’s sons raised their weary bodies, their eyes shining brightly.

As if none of them knew the word surrender.

Even as certain defeat and death approached.

“We fight only to maintain our [Pride].”

To be proud of themselves.

It was Modred’s belief, restored by a brave knight.

Whoosh!

“Come at me, you damned demon!! Even if you kill me, I’ll become a ghost and make sure to kill you-!”

He declared his resolve with a roar, and Modred roared in response to their lord’s determination.

An honorable and brave sight.

Seeing this,

[…Disgusting.]

The Great Archfiend merely pouted, expressing displeasure.

It utterly despised these vile and insignificant creatures who rejected its mercy and raised their swords against it.

[Ninshubur, remove that veil.]

“But the damage to your divine body…!”

[It’s fine. I’ve been using this body for thousands of years already. I’ll just eliminate all these contemptible things and get a new vessel.]

“…Understood.”

Following the Great Archfiend’s order, Ninshubur pounded hard on the White Ghost Shield.

BANG! CRASH!

The veil rang out repeatedly, and though Ninshubur’s body burned from the veil, he paid no attention.

As if he would continue pounding now that the god’s permission had been granted.

Furthermore, the monsters advanced as if responding to Ninshubur.

THUD THUD THUD THUD!

“We won’t last a minute, no, not even ten seconds.”

The veil, already weakened, had reached its limit just from Ninshubur’s continuous attacks, and with the monster army approaching, they could no longer hold out.

“In the end, we couldn’t even last an hour…”

He had thought they would last more than an hour, but they couldn’t even manage this much?

Truly…

‘I’m sorry, Count Santa. I couldn’t keep my promise.’

Kain recalled his words to somehow hold out for ‘one hour’ and smiled bitterly.

In the end, he was nothing but a failure who couldn’t protect his family, his people who believed in him, or keep his promises.

Utterly pathetic…

“No, you were magnificent, Margrave Kain.”

CRASH!

…The next moment, the monsters were swept away.

“…?”

Kain tilted his head in confusion.

For a moment, he couldn’t understand what had happened.

But soon after,

Thud.

“It’s been a while, Kain. Have you been well?”

“It’s been nearly 20 years.”

“Where is Lord Ganok? Not welcoming his comrade, what a shame.”

“…!!”

He was astonished.

The faces of those who appeared, lightly patting his shoulder, were faces he could never forget even after decades.

And shortly after their appearance, Kain heard the sound of hoofbeats approaching from behind the fortress and turned his head to see five tall banners.

A banner with ‘a dragon and white lion intertwined.’

A banner of ‘a black lion in black armor.’

A banner depicting ‘a lake and fairy.’

A banner with ‘a red eagle and arrow.’

A banner with just ‘a single iron sword’ drawn on it.

Those were undoubtedly…

“One hundred and fifty from the Silver Lion, eighty from the Black Iron Lion, sixty from the Cyan Unicorn, fifty from the Crimson Eagle, and one hundred from Ophen. How about it? Is this a decent reinforcement?”

“……”

“You haven’t changed at all. You haven’t aged a bit. Did you enjoy a five-year vacation?”

“…Ha, unlike the old days, your jokes have slowed down, Princess.”

“I’m not a princess. Address me as Crown Princess now!”

“…Ha.”

Kain couldn’t help but laugh at the words of Crown Princess Isis, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Not because it was absurd, but…

‘What kind of reinforcements did you call?’

The reinforcements he had called were too reliable, too impressive.

Kain was speechless with admiration.

Meanwhile, the person who actually called these reinforcements,

“…Why is that lady so late?”

Was simply grumbling with dissatisfaction.

Complaints directed at the tardy arrival.