Chapter 278

The Pope and the Cardinal.

Their previously relaxed faces were now hardened with displeasure.

A request for reinforcements.

An urgent message had arrived through the communication channel, requesting reinforcements, something they hadn’t anticipated at all.

“…Does this mean there was a flaw in your intel?”

The Pope asked, his voice heavy with disapproval, as he rubbed his forehead.

Cardinal Laurencio gulped nervously.

“I apologize, Your Holiness, but the underground is a place shrouded in secrecy. It’s impossible to know everything…”

“Hmm.”

The Pope narrowed his eyes and stroked his white beard.

“Even so, this is a significant miscalculation.”

“I apologize.”

The Cardinal bowed his head, as if he had nothing more to say.

But inwardly, he was fuming.

‘Who could have predicted that hundreds of them would escape alive all at once…?’

He knew that people were periodically entering the forbidden underground.

But the underground was teeming with undead, monsters, and unknown creatures.

It was obvious that the survival rate for humans would be extremely low.

He had made a reasonable assumption that even if they gathered all the survivors, there would only be a few dozen at most.

Yes, a reasonable assumption.

But hundreds?

Who could have imagined such an absurd thing happening?

And even though he hadn’t predicted this, he had made preparations.

He had a reserve force ready, just in case.

If he hadn’t done that, they wouldn’t have been able to send reinforcements.

“Hmm, it’s good that you had a contingency plan. We would have been in a difficult situation otherwise.”

Fortunately, the Pope seemed to acknowledge his efforts.

The Cardinal’s expression softened slightly.

“I had hoped that we wouldn’t have to use them, but I believed it was necessary to prepare for any eventuality…”

“You did well, you did well.”

The Pope patted the Cardinal’s shoulder.

“An unwelcome situation has arisen, but I trust they will be able to handle it.”

“Of course, Your Holiness.”

Inquisitors.

They were the Church’s elite force, tasked with hunting down and eliminating heretics, no matter where they were on the continent.

They were the heretics’ worst nightmare.

Using Inquisitors for internal conflicts was undesirable and unsettling.

That’s why they had only been kept on standby.

But the situation had changed.

It wasn’t just the Saint faction that was a problem, but the residents themselves had become a bigger threat than they had anticipated, a threat that couldn’t be handled by the attack dogs alone.

The residents who had emerged from the underground were heretics, no doubt about it.

They could use the Inquisitors against them without any hesitation.

And most importantly,

The Inquisitors were strong.

That was why they were entrusted with the task of eliminating heretics.

“This time, there won’t be any mistakes, Your Holiness.”

The Cardinal said with renewed confidence.

“Haha, yes. I’m sure of it.”

The Pope smiled again.

They waited optimistically.

For the outcome.

* * *

He was a farmer.

He had farmed in his distant homeland, a place he could barely remember now.

He had been an ordinary man, but he had become strong.

He had become a warrior.

Because he had to survive.

Because it was a hellish place where the weak perished.

He had struggled and endured for decades in that hell, and he had finally escaped to the surface.

He had thought he was finally safe.

But now, a new enemy had appeared.

Despair? Annoyance? Anger?

No, those weren’t the emotions he felt.

His will to survive only grew stronger.

And that will was unstoppable.

Unstoppable.

“These bastards are nothing compared to the monsters in the underground!”

*Clang!*

The farmer’s shield deflected the attack dog’s blade.

And then,

*Thwack!*

“Ugh!”

He slammed his shield into the attack dog, pushing him back with force.

The attack dog stumbled backward, his footing unsteady.

The farmer’s strength and momentum had overwhelmed the Church’s trained assassin.

And it wasn’t just the farmer.

Thieves, merchants, hunters, coachmen, laborers, soldiers, knights…

The residents, diverse in gender, nationality, and background, were all united by their fierce will to survive, overwhelming their enemies.

“Bring it on!”

“You bastards! Who the hell do you think you are, blocking our way?”

It was a bizarre scene, the attackers being pushed back by the defenders.

“D-Damn it!”

“D-Don’t fall back!”

The attack dogs gritted their teeth and held their ground, but they were already losing momentum.

‘These guys are good at fighting as a unit.’

Gwen didn’t know the attack dogs’ true identities, but he could see it at a glance.

They might be skilled individuals, but they lacked coordination.

Most of them were assassins who operated in small groups, so Gwen’s assessment was accurate.

‘We’re fine here. The problem is…’

Gwen’s gaze shifted to the rear, where the newly arrived enemies were attacking.

They were clad in fine armor, their red robes, a symbol of their status as Inquisitors, clearly visible.

They wielded maces and shields.

Their choice of weapons alone showed that they were accustomed to fighting as a unit.

It was a stark contrast to the other attackers, who were lightly armored and only carried a single blade.

‘So… the rumors were true.’

Inquisitors.

The Church’s elite force, said to have slain countless heretics, including fearsome groups like dark mages and necromancers.

And the rumors were true.

They were powerful.

“Purge the heretics!”

“Purge!”

“Purge!”

“Purge!”

The Inquisitors chanted, their voices sharp and grating, echoing through the forest like a prayer.

*Whoosh!*

*Thud!*

Their maces swung in unison, their movements synchronized.

It was a terrifying sight.

*Boom!*

*Clang!*

Their maces collided with the residents’ shields.

The clash of metal against metal.

The air filled with the smell of burning metal.

*Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!*

The residents’ spears shot out like a porcupine’s quills.

A coordinated counterattack.

The Inquisitors raised their shields, blocking the spears.

*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*

An earsplitting cacophony of metal against metal.

A brief but intense exchange of blows.

“Purge the heretics!”

“Who the hell are you calling heretics, you bastards!”

Neither side gave an inch.

They were evenly matched, even in their verbal sparring.

Their shouts were so loud that it hurt my ears.

‘This is the decisive point.’

Max thought to himself.

The side that faltered here would lose.

It was clear to see.

And one more thing.

*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*

“Ugh!”

The red-haired beastman, Duncan, was struggling against the Armored Man’s massive greatsword.

His face was red, his veins bulging, as if he was about to explode.

He was using every ounce of his strength.

“Raaaaargh!”

He barely managed to parry the greatsword with his twin axes.

Blood trickled from his lips, his teeth clenched so tightly that they had drawn blood.

“Damn it! Why is this bastard so strong?!”

Even the red-haired beastman, a monstrously strong individual, seemed overwhelmed by the Armored Man’s strength.

Max realized.

That he had to do something about that monster quickly.

If Duncan was being pushed back like this, no one else stood a chance.

He had to be the one to face him.

But before that,

“I need a shield if I’m going to fight that monster.”

Max grinned and grabbed something.

* * *

“Hey, Red Fur! Move aside!”

I shouted, stepping in front of Duncan.

Duncan, who had been on the verge of collapse, quickly retreated, his face filled with relief.

“Huff… Huff… About time you showed up!”

“You were doing just fine.”

“Ugh, you bastard! What are you doing?!”

A voice interjected.

It wasn’t the Armored Man.

He didn’t speak.

It was Kador.

The Guardian Knight I had taken hostage.

I had brought him here, his body bound tightly with ropes.

“You’ll see.”

I grinned mischievously.

Kador glared at me, his face contorted with a mixture of confusion and apprehension.

At that moment,

*Whoosh!*

The Armored Man moved.

The sound of his greatsword slicing through the air was chilling.

I instinctively raised my sword to block.

*Clang!*

“Whoa, that’s no joke.”

My eyes widened in surprise.

I stumbled backward, taking two steps to absorb the impact.

My hand tingled from the force of the blow.

It was an incredible amount of power.

I had faced many strong opponents, but his strength was unmatched.

‘He has no weaknesses.’

Even Hero’s Eye couldn’t detect anything.

As expected of the Armored Man.

The mysterious monster who guarded the forbidden underground.

His strength was definitely among the highest in this world.

Even I might not be able to defeat him.

‘I might have to risk my life…’

But if I wasn’t sure, I would find another way.

That was who I was.

I grinned provocatively.

“Come on, try again.”

*Whoosh!*

As soon as I finished speaking, the Armored Man’s greatsword sliced through the air.

I didn’t panic. This time, I raised my shield instead of my sword.

*Thud!*

“A-Aaaaaargh!”

A human scream.

The Armored Man’s greatsword screeched to a halt, stopping just before my shield.

Just before my human shield.

“Y-Y-You demonic bastard!”

Kador, the human shield, cursed, his voice trembling with terror.

His face was pale, having narrowly avoided being bisected by his comrade’s greatsword.

“What? Iam a heretic, right? Then this should be nothing to you.”

I sneered.

And then I carefully observed the Armored Man’s reaction.

That flinch I had felt earlier.

It was the first time I had seen him react that way.

His expression was hidden behind his helmet, but I could sense his body stiffen, as if turning to stone.

That was also a first.

As expected, he…

‘He can’t kill a Guardian Knight.’

I didn’t know the exact reason.

But I suspected that he didn’t have the authority.

He was probably bound by some strict rule.

Anyway, it seemed like my gamble had paid off.

I beckoned him with my finger.

“Come on, try again.”

“…”

“Not coming? Then I’ll come to you.”

*Whoosh!*

I charged forward, swinging my sword with all my might.

*Clang!*

The Armored Man blocked my attack effortlessly with his greatsword.

Of course he would.

It wasn’t a special move, just an ordinary attack.

But,

*Whoosh!*

If he switched to offense, it would be a different story.

I grinned and moved Kador into the path of his greatsword.

“Aaaaaargh!”

Damn, he screamed like a scared chicken.

*Flinch.*

The greatsword stopped abruptly, its movement unnatural.

Now I was certain.

The Armored Man couldn’t attack properly with the human shield in the way.

“Hey, you’re pretty useful for a lackey.”

I taunted him.

“S-S-Shut up!”

Kador’s face was contorted with rage, as if he was about to have a stroke.

I would be pissed too if I was a Guardian Knight, taken hostage and used as a human shield.

“K-Kill me! If you have even a drop of human blood in you, just kill me!”

“No thanks.”

“W-What?”

“Why would I kill such a useful human shield? I’m going to keep using you as a meat shield.”

“Aaaaaargh!”

Kador screamed like a zombie, his eyes bloodshot.

And then he turned to the Armored Man, his voice filled with desperation.

“P-Please kill me! Kill me! I’ll take all the blame! It’s all my fault!”

Oh?

It seemed like he wasn’t going to cling to life like a typical Guardian Knight.

I should have gagged him.

I had deliberately left his mouth uncovered to make it more dramatic for the enemy.

I narrowed my eyes, carefully observing the Armored Man’s reaction.

There was no outward change.

It was understandable, considering he was completely covered in armor.

At that moment,

*Whoosh!*

The Armored Man’s greatsword sliced through the air with even greater force.

I instinctively felt it.

That the shackles that had been holding him back were broken.

‘Well, I guess I have no choice. I’ll kill him first.’

I moved the human shield aside and retreated.

A Guardian Knight, slain by his comrade’s blade.

That scene would definitely demoralize the Church.

It was then.

*Clang!*

A sword suddenly intervened, stopping the Armored Man’s attack.

Surprised, I turned to see who had intervened.

It was a familiar face.

Sister Marianna, the Guardian Knight.

“Sister?”

Logically, she was an enemy.

She was undoubtedly a member of the Church.

But,

Kador, who had narrowly escaped death, looked strangely uncomfortable.

And so did the Armored Man.

Could it be?

“Stop violating the agreement with Him. It’s unacceptable.”

‘Oh, this is it.’

A smile spread across my lips.

The crack I had been waiting for.

It had finally appeared.