Into the Enemy’s Heart

“…Elizabeth?”

Doyun repeated with evident displeasure.

Sensing his reticence, Dokkogamuyong maintained a benevolent smile as he carefully explained,

“You may be unaware, but Elizabeth has a past record of training an renowned assassin troupe. It is one reason she still retains advocacy.”

“An assassin troupe?”

Doyun perked up, lending an attentive ear.

If so, her tutoring abilities were effectively proven.

“Yes. Unfortunately, they were all annihilated, which became the catalyst for her…instability. That troupe had been like family to her.”

“I see…”

“The Reaper was known to wield dual daggers. Elizabeth is also a skilled Apostle duellist.”

The more Doyun heard, the more he felt himself being swayed.

‘Indeed…’

Her personal history was irrelevant – the crucial fact was her current status as a dangerous element.

Yet she was exceedingly well-suited for this purpose.

Her prowess went without saying, her tutoring abilities were validated, and she employed dual blades like the Reaper – Doyun had even witnessed her applying shadow magic to assassination techniques during their prior clash.

An extraordinarily efficient choice as Luna’s instructor.

However, Doyun still felt reluctant.

‘Sending Luna to her…’

It should have been an attractive proposition he readily accepted.

Yet strangely, whenever it involved Luna, impulsive emotions kept overriding his rationality.

“…Let us first inquire about her own wishes.”

“Pardon?”

“Her consent is important, after all.”

“Ah… Yes, I understand.”

…Was he not simply nurturing her as a war asset?

Momentarily taken aback by Doyun’s uncharacteristic response, Dokkogamuyong soon nodded in acquiescence.

+++

After concluding the day’s agenda, Doyun returned to the estate.

Creak-

Entering his quarters, he trudged over and leaned back against a chair by the window.

“…”

Closing his eyes with a deep exhale, as if reviewing the day, the bright moonlight filtering through the window drifted softly into the dark room like a curtain.

Some time later, upon opening his eyes,

“How about it.”

A young girl stood before him.

“Will you learn from her?”

It was Luna, having overheard Doyun’s entire conversation with Dokkogamuyong – no further explanation was needed.

“…”

As usual, Luna silently regarded him.

Facing her gradually maturing feminine form, Doyun felt she would undoubtedly blossom into a striking beauty.

The soft moonlight illuminating her only enhanced this impression.

In truth, Doyun had raised the matter fully expecting Luna to refuse, given her obsessive insistence on remaining by his side.

Logically, sending her to Elizabeth was the obvious choice, yet he felt reluctant. Inquiring about her wishes had been an unconscious pretext, a self-rationalization.

However, Luna, who had previously viewed him with a purely instrumental gaze, delivered an unexpected response.

“Sure.”

“…”

Doyun’s pupils faintly quivered.

Ever perceptive since birth, Luna sensed Doyun’s subtle reaction yet remained steadfast in her stance.

“…Truly?”

Luna nodded in affirmation.

Doyun could not comprehend it.

‘Why…?’

She had always clung to him, having witnessed Elizabeth’s volatility firsthand.

Unaware of the bloodlust Luna had harbored towards Elizabeth that day, Doyun was confounded.

Yet with her consent given, he no longer had any excuses to justify to himself.

“…Very well.”

Though reluctant to send her to such a dangerous woman, Doyun had no choice but to acquiesce with a nod.

Knock knock.

[Your Grace. An urgent report has arrived.]

As Doyun blinked again, Luna vanished from his sight.

Like Tiamat, she only revealed herself to Doyun unless absolutely necessary.

Even Elroar, already aware of her true nature, was no exception.

“Enter.”

Sensing Luna’s presence melding into the shadows beyond the moonlit area, Doyun admitted Elroar.

Entering, Elroar handed Doyun a parchment sealed with Dokkogamuyong’s emblem, prompting Doyun’s gaze to harden.

“The Dark Lord’s forces have begun mobilizing.”

The war was commencing.

+++

Given the prior preparations, the mobilization and deployment unfolded swiftly.

“Greetings. I am Rockfeller, Captain of the Pride.”

“Han Doyun.”

Doyun shook hands with the blond, full-plate-clad adonis before him, sensing an unwavering fortitude from the firm, substantial grip.

Surveying his surroundings, he saw around 80 knights like Rockfeller – heavily-built frames adorned with thick plate armor.

All were elite knights belonging to the Lion King’s vaunted ‘Pride’ cavalry, renowned as the Undying Army.

‘Indeed…’

The legendary Undying Army, hailed as the continent’s mightiest even by Doyun, a mere 8-month Apostle.

Moreover, these were shock troopers – units typically comprised of elite assault infantry. Members of the 3rd and 4th Pride Knightly Orders’ shock trooper battalions, specifically.

This remote, uninhabited hillside near the frontlines was where Doyun had rendezvoused with these 80 Pride knights.

For this war’s campaign, Doyun would be operating as part of this Pride detachment.

“It is an honor to share this mission with you, Apostle.”

“The honor is mine to serve alongside Pride’s esteemed knights.”

Their specially-assembled detachment’s mission was infiltration.

The Alliance’s main force and the Dark Lord’s armies were expected to clash on the Apophis Plains.

Doyun’s detachment had been tasked with operating independently – circumventing a considerable distance to ambush the Dark Lord’s battle lines from the flank amidst that Apophis confrontation.

Hence this elite shock trooper contingent from Pride, combined with Doyun’s Heroic combat prowess, had been assembled into a single strike team.

“With the briefing concluded, shall we depart? We have quite the journey ahead – a treacherous one indeed!”

A perilous, critical mission that already sounded life-threatening based on the description alone. Yet Captain Rockfeller spoke with an exuberant tone, enlivening the atmosphere.

Doyun grinned in response,

“Yes, let us be off.”

“Lads! Move out!”

“”Aye!””

The knights responded with equal vigor.

Doyun could already sense Rockfeller was an admirable man – an ideal comrade-in-arms.

Each Pride knight deeply revered the Lion King, striving to emulate his exemplary character. Hence the members were renowned for personalities mirroring the Lion King’s.

‘The Lion King has… such a disposition?’

An infamous extremist solely fixated on efficiency, war, and the Alliance’s cause. The bravest of sovereigns. The Undying One of the battlefield.

The impressions conjured by his known information seemed… at odds with their demeanor here.

“What a fine moon tonight! On nights like these, we ought to train up a sweat, eh?”

“Clouds are likely approaching soon.”

“Even better! Clouds to obscure the moonlight will conceal us from the enemy’s sight!”

Doyun smirked, abandoning that line of thought. If the Lion King truly possessed such a personality, it would not be unwelcome.

Comrades whose vibrant spirits reinvigorated the wearisome, grueling march – Rockfeller and the Pride knights were precisely that.

‘Quite the admirable knightly order.’

Regardless of ability, Doyun thoroughly appreciated their characters as individuals.

“Please take the rear, Apostle. We shall tread the path firm with our iron boots…”

“I shall lead from the front.”

Declining Rockfeller’s courtesy, Doyun took the vanguard position for the march himself.

Trailblazing was far more strenuous at the front, requiring pathfinding and ground preparation.

Hence Doyun, with Level 8 Endurance, deemed it more efficient for him to take point, his regenerative abilities easily offsetting any fatigue.

Additionally, he needed to present a dependable image to these new comrades.

‘Hmm…’

Observing Doyun’s relatively diminutive back, Rockfeller nodded in approval.

His deft traversal – cutting through branches, flattening undergrowth, and ascending the rugged hillside – belied unexpected veteran poise.

Despite his limited campaigning experience commensurate with his junior standing, this Apostle exhibited unanticipated seasoning. Rockfeller had expected a privileged scion who had only trodden elite training paths.

With a grin, Rockfeller called out from the rear,

“Lads! The Apostle seems more valorous than you lot!”

“”No, sir!””

Soon the knights jostled to take the lead, vigorously preparing the path ahead of Doyun – a heartwarming sight.

Though newly acquainted, Doyun and the Pride knights swiftly fostered camaraderie in the face of imminent war.

As elite Apostles all, they conversed amiably even amid the brisk march’s exertions.

“I heard Apostle Han Doyun also recently entered the Cradle.”

“Merely a brief stint as an auxiliary instructor – a shameful comparison to your esteemed service.”

“Haha! So you were aware!”

Most Pride knights had exclusively followed elite training regimens.

And ‘elite paths’ in this world typically included tenures as Cradle instructors.

Rockfeller and many knights had served such postings to bolster their credentials.

“Experiencing the Dimensional Gate’s power firsthand was quite sobering. Such a diverse array of prodigious individualities crossing over from other realms! Even humans exhibited stark variations based on their environments.”

“Is that so?”

“Indeed! Martial artists tended to possess high combat prowess from the outset, bearing profound martial disciplines from their native realms. Those from realms on the brink of apocalypse were coarse, abrasive yet adaptable. Of course, there were also cases like the Earthlings on the opposite extreme.”

Intrigued, Doyun inquired further,

“What about the Earthlings?”

“Hmm… While they rarely caused strife, which was commendable, their combat evaluations were rather dismal. Possessing the lowest bodily capabilities, and their civilized realm leaving residual impurities clogging their meridians, their growth potential was quite poor. Most ended up being culled eventually.”

Doyun nodded – that did indeed resemble the Earth he had lived on.

“Speaking of which, Apostle Doyun, you too hail from another realm, do you not? Which realm were you from originally?”

“Allow me to guess. You must be from Realm 2 Martial – students from there demonstrated exceptional potential!”

“No! Based on his superb marching prowess, he surely came from an Apocalypse Realm!”

By now, the knights who had grown quite familiar with Doyun chimed in as well.

‘Should I tell them…?’

Listening to their conjectures in wry amusement, Doyun inwardly suppressed a bitter chuckle.