Chapter 192
A storm of magic power was raging in the plaza.
Fragments from the shattered ground whirled chaotically in the Whirlwind. I had expected much, but never imagined such magic shells could exist.
The severe internal injuries began to heal gradually. Now, the primordial divinity, which had become my own magic power, was bringing me recovery. The wounds on my shoulder and side also slowly closed.
I rose to my feet, slowly.
Then, I walked toward the center of the plaza, now turned into utter chaos by the storm. As I walked, I spotted something and broke into a run.
A door of light?
On the other side of the plaza wall, there was a pitch-black sphere. I saw someone just enter it.
I ran swiftly, but another magic shell came crashing down. Jumping high, I sent a flying sword attack. The sword curved through the air and aimed for the rooftop.
Thud—
The figure hiding on the rooftop was struck by the flying sword and rolled down to the ground below. And then—
CRASH—
Another explosion of magic power erupted. The thrown magic shell and another that was being held both fell and exploded together.
The plaza wall collapsed all at once, and part of a building was half-destroyed, sweeping the ones hiding on the rooftop away. I looked at the door of light again.
It was gone.
They had collected the grand duke's corpse and escaped through the door of light. I wasn't sure if his head was severed.
If the neck is even half severed, you die.
Not even that powerful Flame could save you.
And yet, could the grand duke really come back to life?
If someone is hiding and building up troops, perhaps it is not the grand duke, but Art Syren. If the grand duke dies, the devil's essence, containing immense power, will surely go to him.
"Master!"
Donnie staggered over to me.
He, too, was severely injured but seemed to have recovered a bit and had come to find me first.
"You were hit by the large magic shell, right?"
"Yes. It flew in from outside the castle. It was unbelievably massive. Master, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. What about you, Donnie?"
"I've gotten a little better, too."
Our team began to appear, one by one.
All showed signs of having collapsed from shock, and then, after recovering somewhat, stood up. At least we managed to get back on our feet.
Across the wide square, countless Imperial Knights lay where they'd fallen in battle. Most of the grand duke's personal guard had been killed fighting our members before the explosion.
"Let's go. No one said anyone could leave."
I took the greatsword that the youngest, Nabak, handed over.
The storm of magic power still raged fiercely in the plaza. All of us walked straight into that storm.
/ / /
I stood atop the royal palace's front gate.
Flames blazed across various parts of the capital, and roars echoed everywhere. Battles were being fought in multiple locations.
In the palace square, the bodies of nearly 800 Imperial Knights were scattered everywhere. Fires had broken out in the palace itself, and chamberlains and officials rushed frantically to extinguish them.
With my team, I looked northward.
Black smoke was rising not far from the temple. It was the largest burning area in the capital.
"Hans."
"Yes, master."
"Were there any who remained?"
"Very few. The Syren members evacuated early, and only about one hundred knights tried to stop us. Together with the dark knights, we dealt with them all."
"What about Syren's intelligence chief?"
"He had already evacuated. Syren is now completely engulfed in flames and is collapsing as we speak."
"Now, return."
"Yes."
I had missed Sez, the grand duke's strategist and family's intelligence chief. Without the grand duke, he would be the likeliest to lead the grand duke's faction. He's sure to muster every hidden force.
The grand duke did say this:
Even if he fell fighting me, there were enough people to lead the family line. He meant Art Syren and Chief Sez. Now, they would hide and target us from the shadows.
"Intelligence Division, listen up."
"Yes, sir."
"From now on, every last remnant of Intelligence Chief Sez and Syren must be rooted out."
"I understand."
Just then, someone came riding hard on horseback.
An officer of the palace security forces.
"The situation is bad!"
"Have hidden troops appeared?"
"Yes! The commander sent me to report!"
"Get the horses ready!"
"Yes!"
I leapt from the gate.
"What's going on?"
"We had surrounded Imperial Headquarters, but suddenly Holy Knights appeared, and now the security forces are being forced back!"
"Holy Knights?"
"They seemed like Holy Knights! Every one of them powerfully strong! They looked like fanatics!"
Fanatical Holy Knights.
Have they moved via the door of light?
"We'll support the security forces!"
/ / /
Galloping toward Imperial Headquarters on horseback.
The palace security entrusted palace defense to us and diverted to the Royal Swordsmanship Academy and Imperial Headquarters.
If the Imperial Knights attacked the palace, the security forces, which consisted of regular soldiers, would be hard pressed to stop them. Since our team alone was enough, they were sent to those sites.
I never expected hidden troops to emerge at Imperial Headquarters — especially as Holy Knights. It seemed they'd been summoned when the total Imperial Commander was surrounded.
Imperial Headquarters and the Royal Swordsmanship Academy weren't far from the palace. As we rode, I saw the troops retreating. The security force captain was defending the Swordsmanship Academy.
"I see Imperial Knights ahead!"
"Are they holding them back?"
"Yes! Oren and his knights!"
In front of Imperial Headquarters, knights were holding off the Holy Knights. About eighty strong — Oren and his men. The knights among the Imperial Knights who had not gone to the palace.
The Holy Knights emerging from headquarters were ruthlessly cutting down the security forces and spreading out. Their numbers exceeded two thousand — even from a distance, it was clear they were no ordinary men.
They all looked as if bereft of reason.
And yet, they distinguished friend from foe. Leading them were senior Imperial Headquarters officers.
"A devil worshipper has come!"
"Punish that one!"
As the officers shouted, the Holy Knights charged at me all at once. At the words "devil worshipper," the security forces hesitated — even while fighting, they kept glancing at me.
Our approach caused the retreating security troops to open a path. At once, one Holy Knight rushed me. I sliced off his head on the spot.
Then, together with my team, I lunged right into the heart of battle, leaping from my horse. About 300 Holy Knights had Oren and his men surrounded.
"Oren!"
"Long time, chief!"
"Your skills have improved a lot!"
"You too, chief!"
The tide turned the moment my team and I broke in. The Holy Knights were indeed strong in terms of magic power, but their movements were not quick.
Anyone would have thought these were Holy Knights.
They wore suits of armor and shields engraved with the mark of the Seven Stars, signifying the Seven Gods. Their appearance was exactly like the ancient Holy Knights.
"Where did these guys come from?"
"No idea! We were fighting a special force when they appeared, and then we started being pushed back! What's more, these guys! Even when injured, they heal right away!"
"They have the divinity of light!"
"Or perhaps the opposite?"
Did the grand duke make these fanatic warriors?
They were, in every sense, berserkers. A strange energy, similar to the power of darkness, lingered around them, yet I also sensed the divinity of light.
With our joining the fray, the momentum gradually shifted. Holy Knights who'd infiltrated our ranks were now falling in droves as they charged us.
Proof these Holy Knights weren't normal.
They charged blindly, without formation or tactics.
While fighting, someone ran up from the north. It was Hans, who'd just come from annihilating Syren. He now held the stone from the magic vault.
"Hans!"
"Yes!"
"Go inside headquarters and bring out the dark knights!"
"Yes, sir!"
It seemed the door of light inside the headquarters building was still open. Holy Knights kept streaming out. Where in the world were these people coming from? Then—
"Master! Something's wrong!"
"What is it?"
Donnie seemed to recognize someone.
"Among the Holy Knights, there are three who were once knights of your mother's family line!"
"What?"
"I'm sure of it! They disappeared when their family was exterminated! And it's not just the Stranger family — there are also knights from other wiped-out families!"
Oren's eyes widened.
"I've thought it strange as well! There's a senior from the swordsmanship academy among them! What on earth is going on?"
"Are these the missing people?"
"Many knights vanished when their families were destroyed! I thought that senior had simply left!"
Then, a communication voice came through.
"It's the squad leader!"
"What's happening?"
"News just in! Figures appearing as Holy Knights were seen in the Central and Northern Armies!"
"Are there many?"
"In the Central Army alone, over two thousand! And not only them! The same types have appeared in the city of Tris, stirring up the populace! Some appear to be priests!"
"How are they inciting people?"
"The priests are leading Holy Knights while shouting that we are devil-worshippers who destroyed the Order! Because of that, the citizens are becoming agitated!"
"Understood! Keep me updated!"
It was happening everywhere.
They were disguising themselves as Holy Knights in an attempt to frame us as devil worshippers. Even priests had reappeared.
In the last twenty years, many family lines have been wiped out. Most of their members died or disappeared, and someone had used some trick to turn them into fanatical Holy Knights.
Almost half the Holy Knights had now been cut down.
We had to find out where these people were raised and how they were brainwashed. Not something I could immediately discover.
"Oren! You can hold, right?"
"Of course!"
"Clear things up here! We're going in!"
"Understood!"
As we cut down the fanatic Holy Knights, we pressed into the gardens. How had they gathered enough magic power for so many? Did they perhaps find the magic source in the Western Mountains?
There are just three sources of magic power.
Devil Island of Cattle. The Valley of Death in the Western Mountains.
And Tern's...
Wait a minute?
Could the commander of the Tern knight order have also been a fanatic Holy Knight? Then these strange ones must also have come from Tern.
Fighting through the crazed mob, I headed straight into the main headquarters building. At that moment, the special forces under the Imperial Commander were being pushed out.
Donnie mercilessly unleashed the Horizontal Swordline. He cut through the enemy, splitting them in two, and pushed ahead. The door of light was not far away.
Behind the headquarters, in the square.
The Imperial Commander could also be seen.
"Stop them!"
More than two hundred special-knights and Holy Knights charged us all at once. This time, all our members struck out with Whirlwind.
Blood sprayed everywhere and severed bodies flew into the air. The Imperial Commander took two arrows of light to the face and fell forward.
Immediately, I rushed to the door of light and cut down every Holy Knight that emerged. Since I didn't know how many there were, I eliminated as many as possible.
But they just kept coming.
Yet, I couldn't take the risk of entering myself. If incoming and outgoing flows collided, who knew what would happen.
Then, all of a sudden—
With a "peep," the door of light vanished completely.
It hadn't been us who made it disappear.
"Eliminate all the lunatics!"
Our team scattered in all directions.
The dark knights spread throughout the headquarters, engaging the Holy Knights in chaotic battle.
/ / /
I arrived in Tris.
Night had fallen. Countless torches lit the Tris plaza. Even the citizens had joined this group of fanatics.
"End the Central Army commander's family line."
"Yes, sir."
Hans galloped off alone.
We had failed to secure the Central Army. A half-failure. Thirty thousand troops led by the Central Army commander had set off for the capital.
The Central Army commander did not know we had almost taken the capital. Either he'd received false information, or, if informed of the truth, he'd have dismissed it as deception.
An influx of Holy Knights in the Central Army had prevented Duke Watts' two sons from taking control. They'd even been ambushed first.
"Roger Hader assassinated the Emperor!"
"The Hader family is a group of devils!"
"Eliminate the traitor faction!"
"Citizens of Tris, come into God's embrace! Only then will you not be deceived by devil-worshippers!"
Priests led the charge, screaming at the top of their lungs. Behind them stood ranks of crazed Holy Knights. Over two thousand just in Tris.
"And Brai?"
"He's coming to Tris with his older brother, the deputy-commander, and their troops."
"Count Mals is safe, right?"
"Yes. Mr. Kudo was the first to evacuate Lord Mals, merchant leader Barako, and others. By now, they should have moved to the Urada territory."
"Wait for my signal."
I walked up to the fanatics gathered in the square.
Capture them, then return to the capital. Afterward, I would leave Tris to Duke Watts' two sons and their 20,000 troops.
As I walked, I broke into a run.
And then I shouted:
"I am Roger Hader!"
With that, the fanatics and Holy Knights all charged at me at once. They truly rushed at me like madmen. Their actions driven by unwavering faith in their god!
"A devil has appeared!"
"He's the one who killed the Emperor!"
"A devil! Kill the devil!"
Injecting magic power, I ran. Instead of going in right away, I lured them out as much as possible. I no longer cared how the citizens regarded me. I would simply show them.
The moment when most of the fanatics had gathered in the plaza.
I jumped right into their midst.
Raising the greatsword high overhead.
Flash.
Whoooosh—
From the sword erupted countless streams of light. The beams formed a circle and then spread outward in all directions. Then, like a great waterfall, they crashed down.
CRASHCRASHCRASHCRASHCRASHCRASH—
The beams of light, with tremendous force, hammered down upon the plaza floor. As if stamping a great seal!
The brand of god.
That was the name of this sword technique.