Chapter 94: Holy Knight Jerea (5)
Eight hundred kilometers above the ground Yappy scrutinized the terrain below him, the movements of the creatures, everything.
-Lionheart Kingdom border. So far, so good.
Ever since the encounter with the Red Knight, he hadn’t paid attention to their movements.
Even in all the places Yappy knows of, they’ve remained stationary, as if under some sort of constraint.
Without knowing the conditions under which they operate, it is dangerous to make contact.
-Multiple movements on Imperial borders.
As far as Yappy knows, the Empire is an uneasy ally of Lionheart.
The so-called “unbelievers” are thriving, but they are the same human forces and a handful of survivors of the Last War are said to have stood with Leon.
-The Canyon Relic Convoys are traveling in sequence.
Two of the five relic convoys were cut off by orc pursuers but none of them had members of the Ten Thousand Gods Guild.
Beatrice’s convoy is unharmed and even if it encounters pursuers, it should be able to crush them.
The problem is with Koo Dae-sung and Han Ha-ri since he orc pursuers are not targeting Beatrice or the others, but rather Han Ha-ri.
Presumably, they’ve been prioritized, but that’s nothing to worry about.
-Observation of an experienced Holy Law user. Suspected to be an analog of the Holy Knight who joined His Majesty.
They should be able to reach the Imperial border without incident.
Yappy’s observations now point to the far end of the gate and are heading toward the orc gathering.
After Leon and Jerea’s unrestricted raiding, the main body of orcs who accepted the challenge have made it to the front of the canyon.
Gradually, new hordes descend from the north, where they were previously ‘unseen’.
-Check the orc population. Increasing.
Orcs and barbarians continue to push down from the unobservable area like black dots.
The sight of the ever-increasing number of orcs made Yappy feel compelled to drop his Earth-hacked satellite weapons like the Staff of God and Grizzly.
However, the space weapon platform that operates inside the gate is still incomplete.
Yappy decided to observe the orcs in more detail than think of the offensive systems that were currently out of reach.
As the magnified lens watched the orcs that gradually emerged from the blackness… something flashed.
-Kaaaaaah…!
Something rushed toward Yappy, and──
-Evacuation sequence activated
Moments after Yappy’s urgent ejection, the reconnaissance satellite was pierced by a green beam and destroyed.
Yappy’s fuselage burst into flames as it fell from 800 kilometers in the air.
* * * *
Maghar, champion of the Orc Shaman God, clicked his tongue at the arrogant knight before him.
All Holy Knights are mortal enemies to the Orcs, but the current Lionheart King is the worst of them all.
The number of orcs who have been buried by that terrible creature is well over a million.
The first thing he did when he took command of the Knights was to crush the orcs in the southern part of the kingdom that was actually his territory. In the province of Langquell, the orc seed has dried up.
‘A stumbling block.’
He heard the rumors, albeit in different places, that there is an Orc Butcher in the lands to the south.
“But you are arrogant and overconfident in your power.”
Maghar stepped forward as a dull green aura began to fog around his rotting, old-wood staff.
“I am the one who chants three hundred spells and eight hundred curses. King of the Snowfields. Lord of the Crater.”
The green energy dissolved into hundreds of curses as the wrath of this great shaman is directed at one man and the other Orc champions are not hiding their fury.
“A beast of prey. You have too much faith in your teeth.”
-Thud! Thud!
It was then. The floor shook as the orcs cried out.
-Dothrak the Destroyer!
-Dothrak the Destroyer!
It puffed ferociously and took grand strides.
Crunch, crunch, crunch, its heavily armored body rumbles.
Dothrak, the great boar of the northern mountains was captured and tamed by a great hunter with the blessing of the orc hunting gods.
Skira, champion of the orc hunting god Skunik, climbs onto Dothrak’s back.
“White Tiger, your blessing…!”
A barbarian tribe that worships the Four Great Beast Gods. The leader of Lionheart’s longtime enemies is protected by the ferocious White Tiger.
His physical form is enough to make you want to turn away.
His human body is enlarged, his fur grows in rakes, and he exudes ferocity.
This is why barbarians worship beast gods.
There is no code, no discipline. No long journeys, no tasks to complete.
Simply give yourself to the beast, sacrifice others, and it will bless you.
Despite this vicious pact, the foolish and ignorant are drawn to it, as the warriors of the beast gods leave their human bodies for the flesh of the grasslands to be able to gain power so simply, without effort or sacrifice.
Even in the presence of horrific monsters empowered by evil gods, Leon was nonchalant.
“It stinks.”
“”……???””
A word that strangely touched a nerve. Under their focused gaze, the blonde nobleman frowned.
“An undignified odor. It belongs in a serf’s barn, not on the battlefield.”
The first to lunge is Dagil, his white fur fluttering.
The ground crunched under his spurs, his powerful body and speed a violence in itself.
He stretches out his arms, as though he could crush Leon with a single blow.
Dagil’s bleached arm is a vicious weapon in its own right. Its sharpness is enough to tear Leon limb from limb.
“Iron.”
In an instant, Leon’s body is protected by the divinity of iron and blacksmithing. The oncoming Dagil’s arm swings, and it hits Leon squarely in the throat.
-Boom!
The sound was too alien to be that of razor-sharp nails striking human flesh.
“What….?”
Dagil’s fierce eyes widened in bewilderment as Leon’s throat, which should have been sliced open like a tofu, was… intact, without a single scratch.
“One who represents the gods, one who worships them, one who reverently receives their teachings.”
The blue gaze turned to Dagil and he stumbled backward.
“But you have sought ignorance for ignorance’s sake. The gods you follow teach you nothing, and the followers that follow them seek to learn nothing.”
The holy sword is raised and it glows with a brilliant golden halo.
“You are a wretch. Your god is worthless. Your shallow faith is no match for ours.”
‘I must stop him…!’
Dagil raised his steel claws and vicious nails that could shred rock.
-Kwazik!
“……!”
The barbarians’ eyes widened. Dagil, the tribe’s most powerful divine warrior, had been cleanly cut down… even though he had been completely beatified.
As if a sharp blade had cut through a piece of paper, Dagil’s nails were split and a straight line was cut from his crown to his groin.
“You…!”
Maghar, champion of Gokrok, extended his staff as countless curses formed and stretched toward Leon.
Each one a venomous poison that takes a life or an evil curse that chokes the world.
“He who is protected by the Grail, no plague shall trespass.”
Behind Leon’s back, the Grail shimmered and produced holy water of its own, radiating a brilliant glow.
This spot, where the Grail sits, is holy ground. By the proclamation of the demigod, it shall drive out all that is evil.
“Great…!”
As all of his curses melted away under the protection of the Grail, Maghar pointed his staff at Leon, who charged at him.
Dozens of orc spells rain down on him. Firepower enough to annihilate a legion, the destruction spells he had stockpiled to prevent the canyon from being destroyed and the entrance blocked.
“……!”
But there is a lightning bolt that breaks through as most of the spells were deflected by the surge of resistance at the moment of the charge.
“A spellcaster, what good is it to know all the spells in the world if they are so shallow?”
Maghar tried to do something, but he could not envision a future where he would be able to escape that holy sword.
“Shallow all-rounder crumble before the ultimate one.”
-Boom!
The shaman’s bloody crest fell to the ground.
“Waaaahhhh…!”
A roar was heard as Skira, wielding a huge spear like a harpoon, charged with the giant boar Dothrak.
“How dare you, you insolent thing, charge at this king!
Leon called back Stallion and summoned a fire-breathing bull and the war chariot of the war god Petos.
[Ultimate Charge]
“Run…!”
-Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh…!
-Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh…!
The two bulls break into a ferocious gallop. The air is filled with the sound of their breathing and the heat they generate and the momentum makes the rest of the Northern Mountain Range tremble in fear.
-Ew!
Faced with the bull of Petos, Skira panicked and pulled on the reins as Dothrak stopped walking in fear but no matter what he did, Dothrak refused to listen to his commands.
In the next moment, the horns of the mighty war bull collided with Dothrak.
-Boom!
Skira’s seat shakes with the sound of popping meat and Lion leaps at him.
“You…!”
Skira raised his spear and pointed the doomed javelin at the charging Leon but the moment it collided with the holy spear…the javelin split.
“……!”
Before he had a chance to do anything, Skira saw the holy spear pierce his torso.
“”………….””
“”………….””
The surrounding fell silent at the carnage that was not even a duel.
Humans, orcs, and the others beyond recognize that the knight at the pinnacle of human history is here.
* * * *
His immunity to death was fading.
Technically, he still has the power, but it’s more like he’s taken it from himself.
“Are you going?”
“Yes… I think I fought pretty well, but… Your Majesty is still amazing.”
Jerea was proud of Leon for his display of transcendent strength.
Two hundred years from now, when the world was finally destroyed and he fought alone in the midst of this tragedy, how strong had he become?
He was saddened by it, but also proud. How could he not be proud of his king… such a dazzling man.
“I have the Grail. It will be with you, if need be, until the end of this world.”
Jerea shook his head in disbelief.
“Your Majesty, do not dwell on the past. Do not waste your precious time. You have shown me how proud you are, and what more can I ask for?”
We were not wrong.
The gods were not wrong.
The young king before us… nay, the glorious Lionheart of the Eons to Come, would triumph in the end.
Leon looked at his knight, so unselfish and loyal, and made a decision.
“I will perform the rite of ascension. Receive.”
“Your Majesty… the fight is not over yet…!”
Rite of Ascension is a religious ritual performed by the Lionheart King for Holy Knights who are mortally wounded and about to die.
His soul is taken by the Lionheart himself and led to Paradise but it takes a great deal of holy power, and Jerea didn’t want to burden Leon with it.
“The orcs and barbarians have retreated. Unless you wish to pursue them, there will be no more fighting for you.”
“But I have already…….”
He is a fake. His soul rests in the paradise of the gods, and he is but a reproduced memory. How can one such as him…….
“Holy Knight Jerea Bertum, second son of Jordic Bertum, Knight Templar of the Order of the Riona Sunset. First knight in the service of Dreams and Death.”
The ascension ritual began without question as Jerea knelt before Leone, hastily drying his blood-soaked body.
“Greet the lady.”
In response, Jerea prayed to the woman who had granted him the quest, the woman who had given him the opportunity.
“You who lead from the lowest places. Lady who rules the ends of all things. Here your servant comes to the end of a long journey.”
“I leave behind a dear friend, a proud comrade-in-arms, and a great king.”
“All your life you have shunned vainness and falsehood, you have hated gold, you have defended and fed your subjects, my lady.”
“If thou wilt bless my merits in this life, enlarge my royal domain; if thou wilt lead thy subjects, let my royal cares and tribulations be without.”
“Do not make me poor, do not make me full, and protect my king with the merit that remains. Lighten the dark path of Vanya.”
Leon filled the chalice with holy water and washed Jerea bloody head.
It cleansed and blessed him of all uncleanness.
“Dreamer. Death’s protector. Your honor has made Lionheart prosper, and your glory has pleased the gods.”
“Divinity of dreams and death, here is your first knight on his final journey.”
“His honor shall be remembered by the living, and his glory by you.”
“May this knight drink a cup of wine at your table. May his name remain for all eternity.”
“I, the Fifteenth Lionheart, guardian of light and justice, horseman of war and flame, beacon of the sea and waves—the agent of all the gods, promise you that we will be together at the table of the gods.”
The Holy Grail brilliant light enveloped Jerea and he closed his eyes against the warmth that washed over him.
Stripped of his flesh, he shone like a purplish jewel, and──
The Holy Knight ascended.
* * * * *
The home of tens of thousands of orcs.
Even in the face of the unthinkable, the loss of three champions of the Orc God, their spirits remained steadfast.
“Defeated.”
His tone was stern for an Orc, but his pupils, which glowed with a lingering rust-colored aura, were filled with rage.
Shame, embarrassment, and fear of the fury that the presence before him would unleash.
“I apologize, sir. My apprentice wasn’t good enough.”
Another champion of the Orc Shaman God, Golgotha, the cunning warlock, bowed deeply.
Now he would decide whether they would continue to sweep through those meager kingdom troops, or would follow tradition, admit defeat and retreat.
“Retreat.”
The voice was calm and grave, but with an undisguised ferocity however his conclusion contradicted his voice.
“I did what I was paid for. No more.”
With that, the Great Chief stood up from his throne.
The Great Chief who united fifty tribes and the champion blessed by all the orc gods seemed unwilling to take any more losses.
“The Lionheart King.”
-hhhhhhh…….
His voice was eerie.
“When the stars align, we can have a fight.”
But now is not the time.
His agenda is to wrap this up and head to the other side of Lionheart.
Once he has circled the world, he will make his final conquest.
