Chapter 117 : Chapter 117
Chapter 117
The gods of Soul Calibur were no different from humans.
They enjoyed luxury items like humans, had clear intentions, and occasionally conveyed their desires to the clergy who followed them.
The oracles that would sometimes descend upon high-ranking clergy with deep faith were one such example.
But now.
“Bbi-iit- bbit- bbi-it-.”
After the lightning-like streak of light struck, a glow was flowing from Bitdori’s two eyes.
It was a phenomenon he had encountered recently. At that time, it was not Bitdori’s eyes from which the light had burst, but Dalton’s.
‘Don’t tell me it’s an oracle?’
It was not an Incarnation.
If it were, Truma would have spoken directly.
Bitdori was explaining something to Reinhardt with vigorous gestures.
Its gaze was serious, and its ‘bbit-bbit’ cries were firm.
“Bitdori.”
“Bbit- bbi-ii! Bbi-iiiit!”
It was an attitude as if it were being chased by something.
As if there was a fact that had to be conveyed.
As if he had to persuade Reinhardt and move right away.
‘It is an oracle.’
It was not an impossible situation.
A god borrows the eyes and mouth of a believer.
Bitdori, in a broader sense, was no different from a believer of Truma.
“Someone needs help.”
“Bbi-ii-.”
Reinhardt first accepted the given situation.
He tried to grasp the meaning of Bitdori’s gestures.
“Someone, a person close to me. A person close to me needs help. A person who is also close to Truma.”
“Bbi-i.”
“They need help, but where? The Capital? No, it’s on the way back from the Capital to Serigel. What’s the exact location?”
“Bbit. Bbit. Bbi-i.”
“I can’t understand this.”
FLUTTER.
Reinhardt took out a map from his [Inventory].
“Pinpoint it exactly. Where is it?”
“Bbit.”
A short hand pointed to the middle of the map.
Somewhere between the Capital and Serigel.
It was on the precarious border of the area that could be called the ‘eastern’ part of the Empire.
“What kind of enemy is it?”
“Bbit.”
“A warlock. No, something stronger than a warlock. Are there many? There are many.
Something stronger than a warlock is leading them.”
It was obvious who was in danger.
Archbishop Dalton.
A human who was close to Reinhardt, close to Truma, and above all, had a residence in Serigel.
Then the enemy who attacked him?
It must have been the Dark Order. A high-ranking warlock and a horde of Magical Beasts under his command were the predictable enemies.
“At this location, Dalton is in danger. The enemy is a large number of warlocks and Magical Beasts. Is that right?”
“Bbit.”
“Let’s depart immediately.”
“Bbit!”
Reinhardt gave a brief report to Ethan and hurried to prepare for departure.
“Dirk!”
“Huh? Sir Knight? What’s going on?”
“Hurry and come out. We’re going to battle.”
“B-battle? Yes, sir! Wait, let me just quickly pack my things……”
“I have prepared them. Come out now.”
His only companion was Dirk.
The more he rolled, the stronger he became. Also, this situation was a rare opportunity for Dirk.
“You know how to ride a horse, right?”
“I learned it during training.”
“Let’s depart.”
Reinhardt mounted his warhorse and spurred it on.
Dirk seemed to be struggling to get on, but he followed Reinhardt quite skillfully with a good posture.
“Sir Knight. Are we fighting Magical Beasts?”
Right after passing through the gate.
Dirk asked while they were galloping on the main road.
“Not just Magical Beasts.”
“So there are warlocks too? Am I fighting warlocks too?”
“No, you will face the Magical Beasts.”
“That’s good to hear. But is it okay to just go like this? Since I’m a knight, I always carry my sword, but without armor or anything……”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, sir.”
He had a full stock of minor supplies in his [Inventory].
“Bitdori.”
Reinhardt lowered his voice so that Dirk could not hear.
“Bbit.”
“Was there nothing else? It will take quite a while to arrive. Are you sure we won’t be late?”
“Bbit- bbit.”
“So it doesn’t matter.”
He did not know what Truma’s intention was, but at any rate, it meant he did not have to worry about being a step too late.
‘Maybe he warned me in advance. It’s not that a problem has already occurred, but that he knows a problem will occur soon. Like he figured out that the enemy is preparing a surprise attack.’
If so, it made sense.
But.
‘Why did he tell me? Couldn’t he have just warned Dalton directly?’
A question still remained.
Archbishop Dalton had already received Truma’s Incarnation.
He had received countless oracles.
If so, there was no need to borrow Bitdori’s mouth.
‘Or maybe he judged that it would be helpful to me. It could be a situation that helps Bitdori.
If he’s trying to give it a chance to grow…….’
Either way, it made sense.
Truma was favorable to Reinhardt.
He could not tell if it was simply interest, or if it was more than that.
‘It would be faster to ask directly.’
Reinhardt was able to use his hands freely even on a running horse.
It was because the skill [Mounted Combat] helped him to freely control the horse’s speed and direction with just the strength of his thighs.
[Community]
Reinhardt opened the community.
He opened the series of posts he had written and called for [Aslan].
ㄴ(Reinhardt): Are you there? I think there’s a bit of a problem here.
***
“We will bring down the light.”
Rosmein, the new Archbishop of the Agrio-s Order, said so.
“Agrio-s has spoken. Cast the hypocrites who serve Truma into hell, and let the hot flames swallow the light.”
Rosmein had received an oracle.
His eyes twitched and trembled due to the lingering pain, and his head was dazed.
It was because the oracles of the Dark Order originally came with intense pain.
But his eyes were clear.
“The target is Truma’s Archbishop, Dalton. His companions are also the target. They are being escorted by a group of priests and warriors, and our forces are more than enough to break their wings.”
Around Rosmein were the priests of the Dark Order, clad in robes.
There were as many as eight of them.
And the horde of Magical Beasts they controlled was on a scale that could swallow a city in a single day.
“You’ve informed Archbishop Timarim as well, haven’t you?”
“Yes, I have. He said he would gladly join.”
“Good. Starting with me, the order will shed its old customs. We must unite, face each other, and share our will to overthrow the enemy.”
The priests of the Dark Order did not know each other’s faces.
The story was different for someone at the level of an Archbishop, but their basic disposition was that of people who disliked gathering.
But that should not be the case.
Because the enemy was tightly united and had gathered their strength in one place.
To stand against the bright light, the darkness also had to become correspondingly deep.
“We will wait here. Then, as soon as we capture the hypocrite of Truma, we will advance on the city.”
That was not Agrio-s’s instruction.
The oracle that had descended was only to capture and kill Truma’s clergyman.
But, Rosmein had a big dream.
After today, Agrio-s would make its name known to the world. In addition, if they saw them making progress, the other Dark Orders would also gladly hold their heads high.
“The distance is close. We will encounter them soon. The enemy has not yet grasped our existence.”
Just then, a priest who had borrowed the eyes of a Magical Beast spoke.
The minions of Truma were approaching. And their scale was.
“One Archbishop, seven from the warrior group, and five from the priest group.”
It was a force that could be sufficiently handled by those gathered here.
“Let’s begin.”
At Rosmein’s command, the priests of the Dark Order simultaneously spread a sticky Magi in all directions.
The sleeping horde of Magical Beasts awoke.
With their bright yellow eyes wide open, they ran towards the enemy at their master’s command.
Rosmein looked down from a high hill.
The horde of Magical Beasts, surging like a wave, and the clergy of Truma became entangled.
“Let there be light!”
“Protect the Archbishop!”
“O Sun!”
Light and darkness fought fiercely. The warrior group’s maces shattered the skulls of the Magical Beasts, and the claws of the Magical Beasts tore apart the priests of Truma, robes and all.
Looking at it so far, it was a close fight. It was impossible to predict which side would win.
An ignorant person would evaluate it that way, but Rosmein was smiling.
“I’ll cast you into the fiery pits of hell.”
Blood containing Magi flowed from the dead Magical Beasts.
The pitch-black blood stained the earth black, and the once-lush weeds quickly withered and died.
Land affected by Magi is not suitable for humans.
It was the same no matter how much they were protected by divine power.
“Aaaah!”
“R-retreat! Reorganize!”
“Archbishop!”
The balance tilted in an instant.
The Magical Beasts grew stronger, and the clergy of Truma grew weaker.
Every time they fought hard and defeated one Magical Beast, the contamination worsened.
“It would be good to keep a few of them alive as sacrifices.”
There were not many humans left alive now.
One Archbishop, one warrior, and two priests.
Even then, except for the Archbishop, they were in a near-death state.
Soon, the Magical Beasts retreated. They looked very disappointed, as if smacking their lips.
Rosmein descended the hill.
Unlike in the past when he was always busy hiding in the shadows, he now confidently revealed himself before the light.
“Archbishop Dalton of Truma.”
“Yes, I am Dalton, who serves Truma.”
Dalton’s gaze was still unbroken.
An unhideable light was revealed.
“Let me ask you one thing. Will you sacrifice yourself for your comrades?”
“I am willing to sacrifice myself. If you spare these people, I will give up my life.”
“I have no intention of killing you. Archbishop of Truma. If you just open the barrier in your mind, I swear I will spare all your comrades. On the name of the one I serve.”
“Agrio-s, is it? Are you saying you will dominate me?”
The name Agrio-s came out. Unlike in the past, Rosmein could now affirm it without hiding it.
Amidst the surging sense of victory, Rosmein answered powerfully.
“That’s right! If you choose a noble sacrifice, your comrades will survive! What will you do!”
“I cannot do that. Truma does not wish for it. Also…… I’m sorry, Priest Valio.”
“It’s alright. If that is Truma’s will.”
Rosmein watched Dalton’s actions with a bewildered look.
He was aiming his mace, from which blood was dripping, at his near-death comrade.
‘Is he going to attack the priest who follows him?’
Judging from the atmosphere, it was certain.
But both the one attacking and the one waiting with his neck outstretched were treating this situation as if it were natural.
“I must also apologize to Priest Hampton and Warrior Deodor.”
“If it is Truma’s will!”
“Archbishop! Carry out the will of the god!”
It was a truly fanatical aspect.
Even Rosmein, who served Agrio-s, could not help but be dumbfounded.
He does not think of saving them.
He cuts their lifelines himself so they do not fall into the hands of the enemy.
All for the single reason that it is Truma’s instruction.
It was at that moment.
“This too, was not what Truma wished for.”
Dalton, who was about to swing his mace, lowered his arm.
Smiling brightly, he sent his gaze toward Rosmein.
‘No, he is not looking at me.’
Dalton’s gaze was directed behind Rosmein.
CLIP-CLOP-
The sound of fiercely galloping hooves pierced Rosmein’s ears.