Ch.324Bloody Paradise. Kreeks Hall (3)

“The Sun!”

“Extinguish it! The radiance of the Sun shall crumble!”

The main corridor connected to the engine room.

Thousands of enemy soldiers spewed blasphemous remarks upon seeing Viktor’s divine countenance, and Viktor raised his massive purifier, calling down lightning upon them.

Rumble…. CRASH!

“AAAAARGH!!!”

“Insolent creatures! Do you think you can tarnish the majesty of a god with your human bodies?!”

With a thunderous divine strike, thousands of enemies were annihilated in a single blow, not even leaving ashes behind. From a distance, the Sun’s soldiers who had been pouring bullets cheered as they witnessed their lord executing divine punishment with lightning.

The corpses piled beside them testified to their devotion; the fallen would find eternal rest by the Sun’s side.

“Soldiers! Our master has arrived!”

“Long live the Sun!”

Like children witnessing their father chase away thugs, the soldiers cheered.

This was their true lord, the rightful master who would sit on humanity’s throne. Those who dared interfere deserved to be crushed under the name of light and heat.

“My soldiers! In my name, deliver death to these rogues who dare invade the Sun’s flagship!”

“””DEATH!!!”””

After inspiring his troops, Viktor used his divine power to completely heal the wounded soldiers.

With fatigue and injuries gone, the soldiers broke through the barricades and ran down the main corridor with manic expressions. Soon, screams and shouts could be heard from the distance.

“Where are the Dwarf twins?”

“In the engine room, my lord. The engines have sustained heavy damage. The main engine has stopped, and 30% of the auxiliary engines are destroyed. The Dwarf twins are repairing the machinery.”

“I see. Have enemies infiltrated the engine room?”

“I’m not certain. There were none when we left, but since the invasions continued afterward, the situation may have changed by now.”

“…I see. Very well. I will head to the engine room. My dear, please remain here and command the soldiers.”

“Yes.”

After appointing his wife as the field commander, Viktor headed to the engine room alone.

His steps toward the engine room subtly quickened. His urgency had created a brisk pace.

Even now, Viktor thought that if he had paid just a bit more attention to Karil, they wouldn’t have been ambushed.

It was his arrogance—thinking that Karil’s gaze wouldn’t turn toward the Sun even as they headed to Karil’s ascension site rather than birthplace—that had triggered this battle. He bore responsibility not only for his party members but also for the futile deaths of the soldiers who trusted and followed him.

“Berkman… Haukman… Please be alive…”

Viktor muttered as he made his way to the engine room, toward his comrades.

*

Clang!

“Urgh.”

It was quite an awkward sight to see a massive war hammer weighing 30kg in the hands of a dwarf.

Their short legs were not suited for wielding long weapons. Indeed, the shaft of the long war hammer was snapped in half, exposing the wood grain, and blood still dripped from the sharp end where it had been used to impale enemies.

“Brother! How much longer?!”

“Almost done! Just hold on a bit more!”

The one handling the machinery was the firstborn, Berkman, while Haukman commanded the maintenance crew and dealt with the intruders flooding into the engine room.

Given Berkman’s expertise with bombs, he had a far superior understanding of the complex machinery designed to withstand explosive pressure. So while Haukman held off enemies with a flamethrower, Berkman was completing repairs on the main engine.

Currently running on emergency batteries, the energy consumed by a battleship weighing 100,000 tons was enormous.

If they were just sitting still, it might be manageable, but they were currently engaged in fierce artillery exchanges with enemy aircraft and ground-based anti-aircraft guns, so the power consumption was undoubtedly tremendous.

While the firing mechanism of the guns was purely mechanical, the fire control systems and elevation adjustment devices all used electric motors.

With the main engine—which produced both power and propulsion—malfunctioning, it was uncertain how long the Sky Warden could maintain combat readiness.

With bad luck, all lights might go out in a matter of minutes.

“They’re repairing the engine!”

“Stop them!”

“Haukman! More enemies coming!”

“Everyone down!”

As intruders poured through the breach once more, Haukman roared and unleashed a stream of fire from his flamethrower.

The intruders pushing through the narrow opening were instantly engulfed in flames and began screaming in agony. When no more intruders appeared, the maintenance crew gripped their tools tightly and slit the throats of the burning intruders to prevent the fire from spreading.

“Brother! Damn it! Hurry up! I’ve only got enough fuel for one more blast!”

“Just a little more… damn it… Got it!”

Whirrrrr!!!

After tightening the final screw and turning the switch, the fully repaired main engine roared back to life, generating power once more. Simultaneously, the rapidly depleting emergency battery reserves slowed their descent, then stopped, and finally began to recharge.

“The main engine is back to normal!”

“Find materials for welding! We need to seal the breach!”

Normalization.

What a glorious sound.

Once again, the sweet melody of grease burning in the bearings and belts rotating on springs could be heard—this was how civilization protected humanity.

And exactly 30 seconds after normalizing the main engine, Viktor arrived, opening the door leading from the main corridor.

“Viktor!”

“Berkman! Haukman! The enemies?”

“My lord. The Dwarf twins have defeated them. We’re currently sealing the breach.”

“I see. The main engine?”

“Stabilized. Power issues are resolved now.”

“Then we can breathe easier. Berkman, Haukman, Kasia has been critically wounded. Lucia is defending the flight deck with the soldiers. I will deal with the apostles who have invaded this ship. You must protect the engine room at all costs.”

“Understood, my lord!”

Though the maintenance crew showed signs of exhaustion, their god soon bolstered their spirits, and they raised their blood-stained tools, expressing their determination to fight to the death.

Their god had commanded, and they, being human, would obey.

And now, the Sun God would go to execute the apostles of war.

*

He sensed the presence of the apostles.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

Whether these were truly all of them remained uncertain, but at least within the Sky Warden, only five souls could be felt.

Unlike the faintly glowing souls of other humans that resembled torches, these souls shone with the grandeur and majesty of campfires or lighthouse beacons.

Those with souls tinted in the blood-red symbolic color of Karil would soon have their lives extinguished by Viktor.

“Come forth and face me! Apostles of War! Fight honorably and offer your lives to your god by your own hands!”

As Viktor’s thunderous voice rang out, the outer and inner walls were torn apart in unison, and five apostles appeared.

The Apostle of the Scythe, the Apostle of the Greatsword, the Apostle of the Mace, the Apostle of the Bow, and the Apostle of the Gun.

These weren’t their actual names, but was there any need to ask the names of Karil’s apostles?

“You! Apostles of Karil! Did you think you could disrupt a divine flagship and still leave alive?!”

The apostles momentarily faltered at the avalanche-like spirit. Their god’s protection allowed them to withstand it, but had Karil not been watching over them, they would have been forced to kneel and disarm.

+++Sun.+++

“Karil…”

The five apostles called out to Viktor simultaneously, as if moving a single mouth.

Now, they were merely terminals and amplifiers for their god.

+++Moneta was wounded by you. You inflicted painful, slow-healing wounds. All because she couldn’t care for a creature too weak to fight.+++

“Yes. And you too shall be wounded. You, Karil! How do you intend to atone for the original sin of granting power indiscriminately to both righteous struggles and mad terrorism!”

As Viktor demanded accountability from Karil, Karil spoke through five mouths.

+++Accountability…+++

He murmured in an eerie voice.

+++Since when must gods answer to humans for their sins?+++

With a laughter tinged with madness, the five apostles’ eyes regained their focus.

Karil no longer controlled their bodies, but they were apostles of war and slaves to bloodshed.

Viktor drew his purifier against them and infused it with divine power.

The inscriptions on the purifier began to glow blue, signaling the start of battle, and as bullets and arrows rained down, the fight between Viktor and the five apostles commenced.