Chapter 67 : Chapter 67
Chapter 67. Holy City Moirai (2)
Entering the headquarters of the Torch Knights under Gaspar’s guidance, Blanc turned his head and scanned the surroundings.
“It is like a castle.”
“You saw correctly.”
Gaspar explained to Blanc with a smiling face.
“Our Torch Knights is an organization created to oppose warlocks. They were things that dyed the world in evil and summoned demons they believed in into this world.”
As expected of the Butler of the Torch Knights, Gaspar didn’t hide his hostility toward warlocks.
“Naturally, the place they targeted with top priority was Holy City Moirai. There were several terrorist acts targeting the Pope and the Saintess alone.”
The headquarters of the Torch Knights was built like a castle in Moirai to block direct threats from warlocks and secure the safest possible place.
During the time when the warlocks’ evil influence was at its peak, the leaders of the Goddess Order had even stayed at the Torch Knights.
“The evacuation plan for the Pope or Cardinals of the Goddess Order to flee to our knight order is still maintained validly.”
Hearing Gaspar’s words, Blanc nodded.
Due to the structure of the temple where people inevitably frequented, it would be vulnerable to defense.
The Butler guided Blanc to the very center of the Torch Knights.
It was a massive lobby.
The circular lobby was open, allowing one to look up at the entire view of the Torch Knights built up to the 5th floor at once.
And in front of that lobby, a narrow but long corridor stretched out.
The Butler showed a smile to Blanc as if asking if he was ready.
‘Commander of the Torch Knights, Flame Knight Ronbrando.’
Blanc closed his eyes and pulled out memories of Ronbrando from his head.
Aselheit was a knight called a legend among legends, but Ronbrando, currently serving as the Commander of the Torch Knights, was also a knight who could be called a legend.
Ronbrando was a knight active in the same era as Bartomyu and Edwin.
That era was a time when the power of warlocks was running out, but it was also a time when they were making their last desperate struggles.
Knight Ronbrando.
He was a knight who blocked a bridge alone to protect refugees fleeing from things revived from graves and defended it for three days and nights.
He protected refugees from the endlessly rushing black waves and bought time for them to escape.
By burning himself.
Ronbrando’s skill was skill, but the act of throwing himself to protect people was truly a noble and heroic act.
Aselheit was deeply impressed by Ronbrando’s heroic action and visited him personally.
Unfortunately, since Ronbrando had already received knighthood, he couldn’t become Aselheit’s knight, but instead, Aselheit bestowed upon him the title of Keeper of the Torch.
It was the moment the 2nd Commander of the Torch Knights was born.
Blanc felt his heart racing just like when he met Aselheit.
To Blanc, Aselheit was like a person in a distant legend, but Ronbrando was a person with substance.
Regrettably, Ronbrando couldn’t join the Liberation Front in the last life.
Ronbrando burned the last flame together with the Grey Knights of the Torch Knights to evacuate people against the Void that swept Moirai at that time.
And that was the end of the Torch Knights Blanc remembered.
‘It will be different now.’
But since the existence called Blanc appeared, their fate would be different.
Because Blanc wouldn’t sit by and let that happen.
“Please guide me.”
Hearing Blanc’s words, Gaspar nodded, passed the lobby, and began to guide him to where the Commander’s room was.
Blanc took a deep breath thinking about what would be good for the first greeting and stepped into the corridor.
However, there was an existence greeting him before Blanc could.
“……!”
From the end of the narrow and long corridor, a sword holding black flames was rushing violently toward Blanc.
***
Blanc dodged the flame sword with instinctive movement.
Blanc, who quickly threw his body and rolled on the lobby floor, drew Aselheit’s sword, raised it to identify the opponent, and glared.
“Who is it!”
Who was the figure daring to ambush the Knight of Aselheit in the middle of the Torch Knights?
Blanc didn’t wait to hear an answer from the opponent.
Blanc quickly coated Aselheit’s sword with White Thunderbolt and overlaid his world.
“Hup!”
Then he quickly rushed toward the one wielding black flames, but.
A blood-red pattern floated up from the black sword held by the knight covered in black armor all over his body.
‘This is!’
As the pitch-black knight chanted a spell, pitch-black hands like corpses’ hands stretched up from under Blanc’s feet trying to grab Blanc.
Blanc quickly twisted his rushing direction, kicked off a nearby pillar, and ran along the wall.
‘Damn it! I can’t get close!’
Around the knight in black armor, pitch-black hands were already packed densely like reeds.
Blanc extended White Thunderbolt and cut down the evil things, but as if that wasn’t enough, black hands regenerated quickly.
‘I can do it, but!’
If he brought out the world burning white through White Thunderbolt, there was a possibility, but that was a major technique requiring some time.
However, since the black hands were continuously flailing to snatch Blanc running on the wall, there was no time to prepare the technique.
‘Evil is drawn to Evil. Furthermore, it has a characteristic of naturally submitting to Evil of a higher rank than itself.’
‘If you cannot defeat it!’
Blanc remembered Tarania’s words and heated the brand of Tiday on his left shoulder.
Since Aselheit’s sword rejected the energy of Evil, Blanc gathered the energy of Evil into his left foot this time.
“Haaaaap!”
Blanc stomped strongly toward the Flame Knight with a shout, putting his will strongly into it.
The shockwave mixed with Evil created by Blanc’s rough foot stomp spread instantly toward the black hands, and indeed as Blanc predicted, the black hands lost energy and fell.
‘As expected!’
As Tarania analyzed, the Evil embedded in Blanc’s left shoulder was not ordinary Evil.
When Blanc revealed his skill in handling Evil, the knight wearing black armor stopped quietly and looked at it.
Blanc, discovering the opponent’s opening, stomped his left foot containing the energy of Evil strongly once again and shot like an arrow toward the knight wearing black armor riding that momentum.
“Haap!”
White Thunderbolt burst out from Blanc’s hand dyeing Aselheit’s sword white.
Soon, in the blink of an eye, Edwin’s signature technique, Meteor Shower, was perfectly reproduced in Blanc’s hand.
‘Done!’
Although improvised, feeling that the breakthrough power using the energy of Evil, White Thunderbolt, and Edwin’s swordsmanship combined perfectly, Blanc extended his sword confidently.
The White Thunderbolt riding the black gale struck fiercely.
However, the moment he got close to the Flame Knight, Blanc saw it.
The deep smile hanging on his mouth hidden between the helmet.
“Blanc Cadmus!”
The knight wearing black armor laughed as if happy and strongly struck away Blanc’s sword that extended rapidly.
“……!”
Blanc was astonished seeing the Flame Knight who easily struck away the blow he thought was the most perfect among the Meteor Showers he had shot so far.
“The skill handling Evil is excellent!”
However, the Flame Knight wasn’t satisfied with just blocking Blanc’s blow and threw a strong kick at Blanc.
‘Ugh!’
Although he blocked it through the sword, Blanc, losing balance by overwhelming power, flew and crashed into the lobby wall.
BOOM!
Blanc bounced roughly from the wall with a loud resonance.
However, rather than agonizing in pain, Blanc quickly steadied his posture and took a stance preparing for the next attack.
Although he allowed effective hits, the White Thunderbolt and energy of Evil extending from Blanc didn’t lose momentum.
Blanc spitting out saliva and regulating his breath as if nothing happened.
Perhaps really liking such momentum of Blanc, the knight in black armor raised his thumb out of the blue.
‘……?’
Blanc was flustered seeing the knight acting suddenly toward him, but wondering if this was also a spell calling out black hands, he didn’t relax his tension.
However, instead of attacking Blanc, the knight in black armor raised both arms and shouted with a loud voice toward the upper part of the lobby.
“How does it look to you Sirs! Does that young knight look like one consumed by Evil!”
It was a massive voice filling the lobby.
Wondering what this sound was, Blanc hurriedly looked up at the upper part of the lobby.
‘When did they!’
Above the lobby open in a circle, people wearing gray cloaks were packed densely before he knew it.
Starting from the 2nd floor, filling up to the 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors, they were quietly looking down at Blanc and the knight in black armor.
No matter how focused Blanc was on the battle with the knight wearing black armor, failing to notice this number of personnel gathering meant.
‘They are experts!’
It meant at least the ones wearing gray cloaks were those who knew how to hide their presence.
“…….”
Blanc was checking the surroundings quickly, checking if there was a retreat route first.
It was then.
Those wearing gray cloaks from the upper floors answered the question of the knight wearing black armor.
“Knight Trez of the Torch Knights is certain he is not consumed by Evil!”
The knight revealing himself as Trez lifted the gray hood he was wearing.
Then he threw something glittering into the lobby.
Something falling into the lobby making a clear sound.
“……!”
It was a silver coin.
“Knight Martin of the Torch Knights is certain he is handling Evil with his own will!”
Grey Knights revealed their names one by one and threw silver coins toward Blanc.
Blanc couldn’t judge what this meant looking at the silver coins falling toward him.
Grey Knights throwing coins mixed with silver, which repels Evil, at Blanc.
The act of Torch Knights’ Demon-breaking Knights throwing silver coins now meant acknowledging Blanc.
The acknowledgment of Demon-breaking Knights allowing Blanc to wear the name of a Demon-breaking Knight.
Also, it was a guarantee staking their names and respect for Blanc who passed a difficult test.
The Grey Knights were convinced through the fight between Blanc and the knight in black armor.
That Blanc was not consumed by Evil.
And that he was using abilities while completely subduing Evil according to his will.
Instantly, the silver guarantees shouted by Grey Knights fell noisily onto the lobby of the Torch Knights.
Blanc raised his head and looked at the knights of the Torch Knights.
Then he glared at the knight who fought him until just now.
“Explain what is going on……!”
Blanc’s words couldn’t continue.
Because the knight wearing black armor took off the helmet covering his face.
“Blanc Cadmus!”
The man who took off the helmet was a man with semi-white hair with a red aura.
Thick eyebrows were expressing his impression intensely.
“Indeed, the knight acknowledged by Sir Aselheit is different!”
The man who laughed heartily as if truly happy immediately made a serious expression.
Then he declared.
“I declare in the name of Ronbrando, Commander of the Torch Knights!”
‘Ronbrando!’
Blanc could only now know that the person who fought him until now was Ronbrando.
Flame Knight Ronbrando.
2nd Commander of the Torch Knights.
The hero who saved the Goddess Order from the Void by burning himself in the last life.
That massive hero was speaking in front of Blanc now.
“From now on, I appoint Knight Blanc Cadmus as a Demon-breaking Knight who can handle Evil!”
Finally revealing his identity, Ronbrando looked at Blanc and laughed loudly.
Then he took out a silver coin and threw it in front of Blanc.
“I acknowledged it!”
Glittering silver coins were full around Blanc.