Ch.89Chapter 89 – The 12 Heroes (1)

LONGINUS!!!!!!

The death cry faded away. Shin Jaehyuk watched the knight falling from the rooftop as he aimed his spear.

“Falling from this height would normally turn someone into a bloody mess… but considering his strange regenerative abilities earlier, I can’t afford to let my guard down.”

Shin Jaehyuk remained vigilant. Kyle was an extremely dangerous individual, and leaving any room for error when dealing with such a person would be foolish. Mercy is an unnecessary virtue when facing the Fallen. Shin Jaehyuk recited an aria.

“In the beginning, the Lord created the firmament, dividing the waters below from the waters above. The Lord looked down upon the earth from above the waters and gathered the firmament, and light struck down.”

CRASH-!

Lightning poured down. Holy Spell, Thunderstorm. It drops lightning spears like a shower in rapid succession, making it powerful but difficult to aim and requiring concentration, which makes it hard to use during chaotic battles. But no spell could be more useful than this right now.

The Black Knight floating in midair was an immobile target, and there was nothing around to disturb Shin Jaehyuk’s concentration. When the Black Knight’s body had fallen to the height of the thirtieth floor, the grand miracle, fueled by half of his remaining holy power, was complete.

CRACKLE, BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-!

A bundle of lightning bolts that burned through the air pierced through the Black Knight’s body. Shin Jaehyuk’s vision captured the body convulsing as it was electrocuted by a billion volts. The body that spasmed like a fish out of water soon stopped moving and finally crashed deeply into the concrete ground.

‘This should definitely have killed him.’

Having confirmed the kill, Shin Jaehyuk slumped down in his spot. As the tension released, his legs gave out. Now that he had overcome this hurdle, all sorts of thoughts came to mind.

Among all the opponents he had faced since his reincarnation, this was the third strongest after Kim Jaemin and Belial. He couldn’t even face Kim Jaemin properly, and with Belial, he had been one-sidedly beaten until a dramatic awakening allowed him to win with a single strike, so he couldn’t accurately gauge that power. But Kyle Leonhardt was an enemy whose terrifying strength Shin Jaehyuk could clearly feel to the extent of his knowledge, which made him all the more frightening.

“A Sword Master who trained for four hundred years… Good thing he wasn’t a mage.”

Shin Jaehyuk shuddered at the thought of how terrifying a mage with that level of talent would be after four hundred years of training.

He stroked his goosebump-covered skin. New flesh was already growing from the wrist that Kyle had cut off. By concentrating his holy power to drive out the demonic energy, his regenerative abilities had returned to normal. Soon, a new hand was created.

Shin Jaehyuk experimentally clenched and unclenched his newly created hand a few times. It moved perfectly, just like his original hand. This was the power of holy energy, the opposite of demonic energy. Demonic energy destroys, holy energy creates.

Of course, that didn’t mean holy energy couldn’t cause destruction, or that demonic energy couldn’t create. It was just a matter of efficiency. Ancient demons with vast amounts of demonic energy showed regenerative efficiency comparable to holy energy-based regeneration simply by crudely pouring in massive amounts of demonic energy.

And that was exactly what Shin Jaehyuk had witnessed in Kyle’s regeneration earlier.

‘But there’s no way a mere Death Knight could possess that much demonic energy. The magical power I sensed from him wasn’t even that great… Ah, whatever. It’s a bit unsettling, but he’s already dead, so I don’t need to worry about it.’

Shin Jaehyuk used his new hand to push himself up from the floor. His body had recovered, so it was time to move. Kwak Taewoo and the others would be waiting anxiously at the rendezvous point.

Shin Jaehyuk let out a deep sigh.

“Shit… This is fucking exhausting. I’ll take the elevator down.”

***

Rise,

“Lion King.”

Flash. Bright light pierced between his eyelids and struck his retina. Kyle Leonhardt opened his eyes. His disheveled golden hair fluttered like a lion’s mane. Rubbing his eyes, he responded in a voice heavy with fatigue.

“Ah… Was I asleep? I apologize. I’ve shown an unseemly side. Thank you for waiting, so…”

The Lion King, rising from his throne, looked at the one who had awakened him. A holy knight in elaborate platinum armor unsuited for the battlefield.

“Longinus.”

He always wore that armor. The face-covering visor concealed fear from enemies and prevented allies from seeing any wavering. The armor, a splendid mix of white and gold, drew the enemy’s eye and concentrated their attacks on him.

He was the very model of an ideal holy knight, sacrificing himself for his allies.

‘And his skill matches his mindset… They say he reached that level through self-study without a proper master?’

Kyle inwardly marveled at Longinus’s greatness. As Kyle stared blankly, Longinus sighed, thinking Kyle was still half-asleep.

“…Kyle, today is the day of the decisive battle. You should be maintaining your best physical condition, but instead of resting, you spent the night in such a tiring manner?”

For a mere holy knight to scold the Emperor of the Empire! This would be considered an outrageous challenge to imperial authority by the Papal State, but Kyle remained unfazed. He and Longinus were comrades who had traversed countless battlefields together, and perhaps even more trustworthy than his own Silver Lion Knights.

Understanding the concern hidden in his friend’s reproach, Kyle wasn’t displeased at all. He stretched to shake off the stiffness.

“A stamina recovery potion will take care of that. Or I could order the court mage to cast a spell to awaken my mind.”

“Still, mental fatigue accumulates. When we cross the gates of hell, we’ll need to be constantly alert for ambushes from wicked demons…”

Though his expression couldn’t be seen behind the visor, it wasn’t hard to imagine what face that earnest and meticulous holy knight was making under his helmet. Kyle smiled slightly and replied nonchalantly.

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry for staying up all night. I wanted to clear as much work as possible before crossing the gates of hell.”

“The Prince will surely handle things well. Doesn’t he possess the excellent qualities of a king, just like you?”

“What father would want to burden his son? While I’m still here, I should lighten Nicholas’s load as much as possible.”

Kyle Leonhardt spoke lightly as if it were nothing, but in reality, this was a significant issue. The very fact that the Emperor who ruled Eden, the largest nation on the continent, was personally venturing into hell was problematic. How could the ruler of the Empire leave his post? It was obvious that various political issues would arise in his absence. In the worst case, there might even be plots to assassinate members of the imperial family while the Emperor was away and imperial authority was weakened.

The court ministers had submitted petitions and strongly opposed this, but they couldn’t change the Emperor’s mind. Crossing the gates of hell to assassinate the Demon King! This was already a reckless plan akin to a suicide charge, but Kyle Leonhardt believed that to increase the chances of success even slightly, he had to participate in the plan himself.

Kyle Leonhardt was acknowledged by all as the continent’s strongest swordsman, and he could confidently say he was among the top ten strongest individuals of the era.

After deciding to participate in the “12 Heroes” project, Kyle Leonhardt rigorously trained his eldest son, Nicholas Leonhardt, to serve as regent while he was away. And in case he lost his life, he had also arranged with the chancellor for Nicholas to succeed him on the throne.

“…Even without me, Nicholas has an excellent brother, doesn’t he? George, I mean. My two sons are very intelligent, and I believe they will support each other and lead the Empire admirably.”

“…Hmm. Father and son, is it.”

Somehow, Longinus’s response came a beat late. Ah, Kyle inwardly groaned in dismay. Longinus had no father.

‘Did I bring up my sons unnecessarily?’

Longinus was born from a secret Papal project called “God’s Hand.” A project to “create artificial heroes” that was carried out with the approval of the Pope and the previous Emperor, known only to those of at least Cardinal rank. A project to create humans who could wield the power of God through human means…

Thinking that Longinus might be sensitive to his boasting about the father-son bond, Kyle readily apologized.

“Um, I’m sorry. Was that an uncomfortable topic for you?”

“No, not at all. It’s just that… the storge between father and son moved me. …And I do have someone I consider a father.”

“Hmm.”

Someone Longinus regarded as a father. Kyle thought he knew who that might be.

The fallen priest, Iscariot.

It was quite ironic. A holy knight excellent enough to be called a Master Paladin regarding a fallen black mage as a father figure. Moreover, Iscariot had abandoned the light even before Longinus was born. By the time Longinus knew him, he was already a full-fledged black mage.

“…I can guess, but it would be better for both of you not to make it public. For his sake and yours.”

“…I know. I can speak honestly because it’s you.”

Master Paladin. The title given to Longinus by the Papal State when the only successful product of the God’s Hand project truly wielded God’s power with a human body. An honorable title meaning the greatest holy knight in history.

If it became known that the greatest holy knight in history, recognized as a saint by the Papal State, supported and followed a black mage who had betrayed the doctrine, neither side would fare well.

“Still, he taught me many things when I was young. Unlike other priests who always treated me formally, he was the only one who approached me as a human being and imparted wisdom and teachings about life.”

“…But he is a fallen one, isn’t he?”

“Yes, but he’s not an evil being like other black mages or fallen knights. Rather, with his excellent medical skills and anatomical knowledge, he’s the only one the Papal State didn’t execute even after his fall.”

That was true. Iscariot, originally a priest and an excellent doctor, became a fallen one for researching taboos that violated the doctrine of light. Kyle didn’t know exactly what research he had conducted, as it was classified information of the Papal State, but he knew it was roughly related to chimeras and the human body.

Because his conduct hadn’t been corrupted by evil even after his fall, and because of his excellent skills and rich knowledge, Iscariot was able to preserve his life through a plea bargain with the Papal State. He became the only case where the Papal State didn’t punish a fallen clergyman.

However, through complex oaths and top-tier geas, Iscariot couldn’t harm humans and had to unconditionally obey the Papal State’s orders. If he violated these conditions, his blood vessels would twist and his heart would burst, resulting in death. So he was essentially a slave of the Papal State.

“Indeed, the Papal State announced that they would allow him to be included in the plan as a servant to assist you and Saint Orthesia, but of course, it was because his safety was guaranteed that Iscariot could be named as one of the 12 Heroes.”

Iscariot learned black magic under the Papal State’s supervision. Without permission for overly dangerous techniques, he could only learn content that would help advance medical science. For minimal self-protection, he could only learn basic low-level black magic like Dark Arrow.

Nevertheless, Iscariot’s talent was catastrophic. Like a sponge absorbing water, he absorbed black magic.

The Papal State’s information control was useless. From a single trivial word in a basic black magic book, from a mere nuance, Iscariot gained insight. It was as if he had been born to become a black mage rather than a priest.

Iscariot’s growth exceeded the Papal State’s control. Ironically, the clergy had raised one of the continent’s strongest necromancers with their own hands. With his mastery of the human body and medical science, Iscariot could raise far superior undead compared to other necromancers using the same quality of corpses. The undead he raised had firmer muscles and more flexible movements.

The clergy feared the overly powerful necromancer. Incomprehensible talent fostered fear rather than reverence. The leadership of the Papal State, the Cardinals and the Pope, held a meeting regarding his treatment. As they say, a hunting dog that has outlived its usefulness gets eaten. When the meeting’s opinion was leaning toward disposing of Iscariot, he secretly proposed a deal, offering “something” he possessed.

“And even beyond that meaning… he is like a father to me. You know that, Kyle.”

The Pope accepted the deal, and Iscariot was able to survive by becoming the person in charge of a certain project using that “something.”

“He raised me.”

The name of that project was “God’s Hand.”