Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 244



Only Krnovel

Episode 244. Unholy Beings (2)

‘Now this is the Baelbaden I know.’

Isaac was satisfied as he recalled the appearance of Baelbaden in the game.

Of course, there is no such thing as a praying white tree in the game. However, for some reason, this pillar collapsed, and a hollow was revealed above ground, and a nameless ruin of chaos was discovered in the world… … That was the setting of this place.

By then, it had already become a dungeon-like place where nameless chaos monsters roamed, so it was clear that they had caused some kind of incident.

Isaac simply lit the gunpowder that will explode any moment today.

“Ah, uh, ahh… … .”

The believers who had not yet been able to escape were paralyzed by the mere sight of the praying white tree swaying toward the moon, and they flinched and imitated its form. It was bizarre to watch, as the body moved as if it had no joints or bones.

Of course, Isaac was unable to convey any feelings beyond discomfort. However, it was clear that this newly summoned praying white man was of a much higher order than the nameless Chaos Servants he had encountered before.

It was unclear whether Camille had been elevated in rank by becoming a member of the Nameless Chaos Force, or whether some higher-ranking, unholy being had stolen Camille’s face.

But when it comes to class, Isaac is not far behind.

[Nameless chaos watches you.]

[Nameless chaos demands punishment for that unpleasant being.]

[The rewards of chaos await you.]

The nameless chaos showed its displeasure at the being that dared to raise its tentacles before its agent.

His anger became Isaac’s anger.

“Kkieeeek!”

A believer whose body had been taken over by the tentacle flea ran towards Isaac. The believer’s body was entangled in the tentacles extending from the flea, and he moved in a bizarre manner that was contrary to normal joints and muscles.

Isaac easily dodged the oncoming believer. The believer’s outstretched hand was slammed into the rock with a loud noise. The tentacles rooted into the rock and crushed it from the inside. When Isaac cut the flea, it spurted blood excitedly and the tentacles quickly dried up.

Even a flea has the power to crush a human skull in an instant. An ordinary sword would not have cut it so easily, but Kachulain, clad in a sword, slashed the fleas that jumped out as if he were sweeping them away with a broom.

“ha…….”

Isaac looked up at the praying white tree that stretched endlessly. From the moment it saw the moonlight, it had been stretching toward the ground without any regard for Isaac. It seemed as if some of it had already risen above the ground.

The problem was that it didn’t seem to be over yet.

‘Dozens? Hundreds of meters? No… … It would be pointless to estimate.’

Beyond the wall where the praying white tree protruded, the thing’s ‘door’ was still open. Even though all the believers who were performing the summoning ritual had died or fled, the thing continued to wriggle out. And beside it, things like tentacle fleas and multi-faceted spiders also wriggled out.

It was clear that the praying white man was connected to Urbansus.

I was planning on destroying this ruins anyway. I was planning on blaming him for it, but since he was called by Isaac’s hand, I had to take care of him before the situation got any worse.

‘The situation on the ground is… Should I leave it to Captain Rottenhammer? He’s rested well, so he should earn his keep.’

Ian must have gotten a report since he seems to have escaped safely. Then he must understand what’s going on and be prepared.

Isaac stared at the praying white tree.

It seemed like normal means wouldn’t be enough to deal with this large newcomer.

***

“Hey, what is that!”

“Call the captain!”

As Isaac had expected, the situation on the ground was in chaos.

The paladins were shocked to see crimson tentacles crawling out from within after the ground collapsed with a loud noise. Along with this, nameless Chaos Forces also began to emerge, forcing the paladins who had been enjoying a leisurely rest to rush into battle without being properly prepared.

“Wake up, you idiots!”

At that moment, Rottenhammer appeared before them wearing full body armor.

“Haven’t I always told you that this mission is not a vacation, but a guard duty! Don’t get your weapons ready and form up right now!”

The shout of the Paladin Commander was a blessing that cleared their minds and inspired courage. The Paladins woke up from their confusion and immediately began to respond. They looked with respect and admiration at Rottenhammer, who was resting in this resort, even in the middle of the night, wearing armor.

‘… … If it weren’t for Isaac, I would have been embarrassed.’

After Isaac left, I sent Ian out to scout, thinking that something might happen. I never expected something like this to happen right away, but it was a good thing I was wearing my armor and resting just in case.

A tentacle flea climbed onto the paladin’s helmet and attempted to crush him, but the paladin burned the flea with a blast of flame from his hand, crushing it. The tentacle fleas were weak in durability, but they were quick and their tentacles moved unpredictably, making them difficult to deal with.

While the knights who were armed and standing guard were buying time, the newly equipped knights joined the front line, and the battle changed from a melee to a one-sided slaughter. However, they had no idea that they were winning.

While they were dealing with fleas, the tentacles that had crawled out from underground had grown to the size of a tall tree and were reaching up toward the sky. The sight of dozens of tentacle strands writhing and reaching up toward the moon was grotesque and nauseating just to look at. If I hadn’t been miraculously protecting my mind, it would have been difficult to handle.

“Captain!”

“Ian! What the hell is going on?”

Ian, who had returned from the underground, came running in a hurry. He too was covered in blood, as if he had dealt with quite a few tentacle fleas as he ran, but he did not appear to be seriously injured.

“There were cult temples and cultists underground! They brought out this blasphemous thing!”

Rottenhammer glared and gritted his teeth.

What kind of disgusting things were those cultists doing underground? His throat was filled with curses against the cult’s blind members. The only one who warned and warned about this situation was Isaac, a wandering Grail Knight.

“Can you tell me more?”

“I don’t know. I ran away when that guy was first summoned… … I saw the tentacles running wild inside, but they didn’t seem to be targeting anyone. The cultists were probably all crushed to death underneath. Or maybe those fleas sucked their blood out.”

Rottenhammer looked up at the praying white tree.

If that’s the case, then the summoning ritual was also interrupted, but the bastard was still growing.

***

Squeak, squeak, squeak-kicking.

As he got closer to the moon, the tumor-like mass that had grown in the crevices of the praying white tree’s body began to grow larger. As if photosynthesizing with the moonlight, another tentacle grew from the tumor, and from that tentacle, another tentacle grew, transforming into a giant tree.

However, each branch was different in that it was not a solid tree-like form, but rather a tentacle that moved and swayed endlessly. And at some point, instead of tentacles, the tumor began to produce fruit. The fruit grew in an instant and burst out of its own amniotic membrane.

Pfft, pfft.

It had the shape of an upside-down snail with bat wings. They poured down from the back and covered the Paladins.

Rottenhammer recognized their names from his shallow knowledge of nameless chaos.

“It’s the Night Stalker! Be careful not to get caught!”

However, none of the paladins were accustomed to enemies attacking from the air. One paladin, who was paying attention to the tentacle fleas that jumped out from under his feet, was suddenly caught by the tentacle of a Night Stalker that fell from the sky. The Night Stalker flapped its wings and instantly picked up the paladin, flying into the sky and slamming the paladin into its body.

Rottenhammer glared at the sight and slammed his hammer into the ground.

“Your anger will come like a thief!”

Boom, boom! A sudden lightning strike from the cloudless sky, and the Night Stalker who had snatched the paladin was struck. It was not an ordinary lightning, but a divine miracle lightning, and the Night Stalker screamed and fell.

The other knights who had been waiting immediately smashed the fallen one with their spears and swords, shattering it into pieces.

“Is your brother alive?”

“A little injured, but alive!”

For Paladins, who can heal anything with miracles, the standards for injury are a little different.

‘Slightly injured’ meant that if treated, he would be able to return to the battlefield soon. On the other hand, ‘seriously injured’ meant that even if treated, it would be difficult to live a normal life.

Rottenhammer was also relieved because he had faith in the paladin’s sturdiness and struck down the lightning.

But there were already about ten Night Stalkers flying around in the sky. Even though they still hadn’t figured out how to deal with that giant tentacle monster.

There was a limit to how much Rottenhammer could do to kill them one by one by dropping lightning bolts.

“They’re coming again!”

The Night Stalkers flew through the sky in unpredictable, chaotic movements, then suddenly dived all at once, targeting the paladins. This time, the paladins responded strongly, but their tentacles were equipped with sharp things like teeth and claws, so if they hung on without thinking to avoid having their shields and swords taken away, they could be lifted into the sky in an instant.

Kurururung, kurrururur!

Then a sudden lightning storm passed by, carrying the Night Stalkers. The Paladins who were scorched by the lightning fell, but not as much as the Night Stalkers who had been hit directly. The Night Stalkers, who were burned to the ground with only wing skeletons left, fell to the ground and struggled. The Paladins were able to finish off the fallen ones easily.

“Captain, you are amazing!”

“It’s not me. Look over there.”

The knights, who had naturally assumed that it would be a Rottenhammer miracle, looked up to the sky.

In the moonlight silhouette, something hazy was hunting the Night Stalkers. It had huge wings and a body larger than the Night Stalkers, and it used its talons to snatch, bite, rebel, and roast them with lightning.

Even though it was a darkness where only silhouettes could be seen, the knights shuddered as they recalled the legendary being.

“Dragon? Is the dragon helping us?”

“Yeah. I don’t know why, but I guess so.”

Dragon’s intervention brought some relief to the battle. However, it seemed that a priest of at least bishop rank would be needed to find a way to deal with the praying white tree. Everyone knew that if they left it like this and the Night Stalkers swept over the city, something close to disaster would occur.

Ian looked back at Rottenheim and asked.

“Should I go and request support right now?”

“No. I don’t need support.”

If it was that big, it would have already been seen in the surrounding villages and churches. If it was support, it would have come without even asking. And the person who should have shown up a long time ago has not shown up yet.

Isaac Isaacrea. The Grail Knight who foretold and warned of this disaster.

Rottenhammer didn’t know what the dragon that was flying in the sky did, but he was sure that Isaac had arranged it. Rottenhammer, who was already extremely disappointed in the church, trusted the Grail Knight who was fighting for his life somewhere more than the ten bishops.

“The only one who can solve this situation is already fighting. We will prevent this disaster from spreading anywhere else and help him as much as we can.”