Ch.75EP.20 – After He Fell Asleep (3)

“Retreat.”

The decision was immediate, and the lower priest raised his magical power as soon as he received the order.

Whoosh!

Dirty magical power reminiscent of muddy water surged.

It was the manifestation of a spell, and the lower priest tried to continue his incantation, but…

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Slash!

Fwish…!

The magical power was immediately cut, no, “devoured.”

“You dare use magic before me? How ridiculous.”

Absorption of magical power.

No, not simply absorbing magical power, but a power that absorbs everything containing life force and makes it its own.

It was the “Mystery of Absorption,” the second mystery following the “Mystery of Flame” possessed by <Lancelot>.

Since ancient times, mysteries were considered to overturn common sense, bestowed upon those who sought the fate of kings and the path of heroes… regarded as “miracles” granted by gods to humans.

Thus, even possessing a single mystery was considered no exaggeration to say one was chosen by the stars.

That’s why the Demon Sword was extraordinary.

The Demon Sword possessed a total of five mysteries.

This meant that three more mysteries comparable to, or perhaps even more powerful than, the Mysteries of Flame and Absorption remained, proving that the ancients’ assessment of the Demon Sword as a kingdom-destroying weapon was not unfounded.

Whoosh!

Flames enveloped them, threatening to burn them at any moment.

The effect of having one’s energy depleted and even life force absorbed.

Anyone with a slightly weaker constitution would have died immediately if present.

To that extent, the Demon Sword, no, the Duke who freely wielded that mystery was truly a monster.

Although the tool might be powerful, if the user’s capability was even slightly lacking, the Demon Sword would devour its user.

Just as the final moments of past users had been miserable.

“Hmm, it seems improper to simply flee, so I should get a bit more serious.”

“I’ve already started anyway, hehe.”

If he were an ordinary magician, he should have been frightened in this situation.

A magician’s arrogance and self-esteem naturally come from magical power, but that power was essentially sealed.

Yet the priest-magician showed no fear at all and instead smiled brightly.

As if pleased to be able to test this.

“[Come forth, being that feeds on death, bestow terrible despair upon the enemy blocking my path].”

…The priest’s spell was different from ordinary spells.

A spell that seemed like making a request to someone.

No, it was closer to a “wish.”

And the moment his wish ended.

Crack!

Crack!

Suddenly, something unspeakably horrific broke through the building’s outer wall and revealed itself.

“Summoning magic?!”

“How is this possible with the master present…!”

No matter how alien summoning magic might be, for a summoned beast to appear in a space under the Demon Sword’s influence…

It was unbelievable.

However, the Duke did not panic, and as he confirmed the identity of those gradually revealing themselves, his eyes widened like saucers.

“You… What kind of contract have you made?”

“Haha, it seems this power cannot be absorbed by the Demon Sword? That’s fortunate. I’ve gained some valuable information.”

The magician laughed endlessly.

Despite web-like burns spreading across his face, despite what must be excruciating pain…

He was simply rejoicing at having found a means to threaten the Duke.

“You bastards…”

For the first time, the Duke classified them as a threat.

Because he knew this was not the base emotion shown by those who simply disliked authority or had schemes to overthrow the kingdom, but something more persistent.

They had clearly made a contract with “beings from hell.”

‘They’ve accepted a life with even their souls mortgaged? They’re completely insane.’

Madness-filled resentment.

Duke Blake had to acknowledge that this man harbored no less resentment.

Resentment against the kingdom? Or perhaps against the world?

Whatever it was.

‘I must kill him now.’

He couldn’t leave such dangerous elements unchecked.

The Duke decided not to wonder about the other’s resentment.

Determining who was right and who was guilty would be endless.

So he focused only on the immediate task.

“Abandon capture. Kill them.”

Whoosh!

The moment the Duke’s order fell, the shadows charged without question.

And toward these skilled fighters…

“[Kill the enemy, hungry ghosts].”

The hungry ghosts, chimeras created using demons and humans as “materials,” collided with the shadows.

…When the kingdom’s forces finally arrived, they witnessed a scene of half-destroyed city district.

Rumble…

“…”

Fortunately, there were no human casualties, but no one considered this fortunate.

Everyone could only turn pale with terror.

And for good reason.

“Unfortunately, one got away. Galahad will compensate for all property damage.”

Seventeen buildings and an entire forest had been burned down, and the fact that this unbelievable destruction was caused by just one duke and fifty knights was astonishing.

Yet the Duke who created such a miracle still wore a dissatisfied expression.

“Are there any casualties, Lac?”

“I am deeply sorry.”

“I asked if there were any casualties, I don’t understand why you’re apologizing first, tsk.”

“…”

…The shadows were devastated.

Unable to face their lord who was concerned about them.

“…Empty shells, they’re certainly doing interesting things.”

“…”

The magician they had captured after destroying nearly an entire city merely had his heart beating, with no life in his eyes.

They had captured the body, but it was as if the contents inside had disappeared.

“They are truly bizarre creatures.”

In Duke Blake’s quiet murmur, there was not only anger but also melancholy.

Despite his status as a duke, the reality that there was still much he didn’t know.

And with that, he…

“I wonder if becoming a true king would allow me to know everything… I’m somewhat interested now.”

He recalled the whisper that the young lion had arrogantly uttered before leaving.

*

*

*

Drip, drip.

“Huff, huff…!”

Gasping for breath, the man clutched his arm.

While fleeing, his arm had been torn off by a strike from the knight named Lac.

Fortunately, he had managed to stop the bleeding, but he wasn’t sure how long it would last.

The knight’s strike wasn’t the only problem; the Demon Sword’s flames were also penetrating deep inside his body.

Before long, when these flames reached his heart, he would die.

‘Indeed strong, besides the three superhumans, two such monsters. Truly terrifying.’

The man continued to advance despite his mounting pain, barely making progress thanks to his subordinate’s sacrifice.

Giving up was not in his dictionary.

And so he…

“No, it ends now. Step down from the stage, Andrea Lorant.”

…Unfortunately, whether due to the peculiarity of fate striking unexpectedly, the high priest—

Andrea Lorant looked at the black-haired man with bloodshot eyes.

“…”

“Forty years ago, the temple raised countless warriors to oppose the kingdom. Although the previous king realized the temple’s ambition and destroyed it once, I heard those who survived still parasitically live within the temple… who would have thought they would be plotting to overthrow the kingdom again now?”

From the man’s mouth came not only his name but also his affiliation and hidden history.

How did he know this information about him?

“Did you think only the Duke was pursuing you? You filthy vermin, did you think you could spread the ‘plague’ called faith in the North and escape our eyes? You must have thought the North was easy prey…!”

Growl—!

It created an illusion as if a large beast was roaring.

When he growled in anger, the ground shook once.

Andrea Lorant finally realized.

The people they had planted in the North, those with weak faith, had finally spilled information.

“…This is why we shouldn’t have used those with shallow faith.”

“Their faith wasn’t shallow at all. It took over five hundred days of torture to extract that information. How severe was your brainwashing, I wonder?”

The man trembled with rage.

The damage the North had suffered because of just a few bugs was considerable.

Although not apparent on the surface, it would be easier to understand if described as being worn to the bone.

To that extent, their doctrine, or rather the ideology and thoughts they spread, and their brainwashing methods were vicious.

Even now, they hadn’t been able to remove all the remnants.

That’s why he had come personally.

He moved as soon as he got the information.

To find them and root them out completely.

“Speak up, where is the headquarters of you people, the so-called [Blood Crusaders]? If you speak willingly, I’ll grant you a merciful death.”

“…You even discovered ‘our name,’ impressive.”

The moment the name was mentioned, he realized their existence had been exposed.

Andrea Lorant wore a gloomy sneer.

What could he be thinking?

Suddenly, he…

“…There are too many powerless and sorrowful lambs in this world, so we shall cleanse and purify all tragedies with blood, and even if this soul falls into the pit of hellfire and suffers eternal agony, we shall purify the world through our pain—”

He held a cross, no, an inverted cross, and offered an eerie prayer.

It was an alien prayer not found in any scripture.

“Damn fanatic.”

The man, Magnus Julian de Lionel, shook his head in disgust.

He had heard their doctrine many times and was appalled by its extremism.

But knowing the meaning behind that doctrine, even he could sympathize somewhat.

And surely, if that ideology spread and seeped into the kingdom’s citizens, the rule of law… no, the kingdom would definitely collapse.

Therefore, it must be stopped.

Before it spreads further.

“Maximus.”

“Don’t need to capture him?”

“It would be meaningless.”

“Understood.”

The knight with a massive build, the North’s great warrior Maximus, stood before him.

This place was too cramped for the Dark King to rampage.

Shouldn’t the relatively smaller one step forward?

“I hear you hold the position of Thousand-Man Commander in the Blood Crusaders? I’d like to see that power.”

Although Maximus knew this man was an unforgivable criminal, he gave him a fair chance to fight.

So that no regrets would remain in a person’s life.

However.

“<Thirteenth Angel>, please bring blood purification upon these sinful unbelievers.”

Drip…

Blood overflowed from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, and he threw away the “opportunity” Maximus had given him to die as a human.

Drip, drip—

Andrea Lorant’s body gradually began to dissolve.

Blood dissolved his flesh and bones, erasing him from the world, and instead brought forth an alien power.

At this moment, Andrea Lorant had gained the power to fight alone against a Grand Duke-level knight order.

However.

“…How utterly foolish!”

The choice to become a monster with no rationality in exchange for power was not just foolish but tantamount to insulting life itself.

[Drip, drip…]

How could one choose to avoid struggle and become such a mass of blood!

Maximus was enraged.

He should have died as a human, how could he choose to meet his end in such a form?

“If you resented the world so much, you should have rebelled more.”

Rather than becoming like this.

[…Drip.]

“…”

CRASH!!

Maximus cast aside his usual cheerful demeanor and gripped his battle axe, a massive poleaxe, with an unprecedentedly fierce aura.

Whoosh!

Demonstrating his giant strength by freely wielding an axe larger than most battle axes like a club, Maximus faced the pitiful blood-colored monster trying to pounce on him.

“Hup!”

He struck with full force.

…After a knight drenched in fatigue had fallen asleep, during the dawn busy with cleanup.

They say that night was unusually long and filled with many loud noises.

For quite some time.