Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 254



Only Krnovel

Episode 254. The Coming Temple (3)

There was only one reason why Gebel wanted to join the Dawn Army.

“What I want is always the same: revenge.”

Originally, his target of revenge was the one who betrayed and drove the Avalanche Knights to their deaths in the past. However, it does not change the fact that the ones who essentially killed his comrades were the Immortal Cult.

Gebel confirmed that the madness of the Dawn Army was running wilder than ever before. People all over the continent were talking about the Dawn Army and burning it as if there was no end to it.

That meant two things.

This war will result in enormous casualties, but at the same time, it may finally lead to the recapture of the Holy Land, something that has failed since the 7th Dawn Army.

“That means, if we miss this dawn army, there will be no more opportunities for revenge.”

Tak. Gebel said, putting the bottle of wine down on the table.

“And Basul will also join the Dawn Army, and there is a high probability that we will encounter the high priest who led the Avalanche Knights to their death on the battlefield. Then there may be another chance for revenge there. At least there won’t be another chance in the remote monastery.”

Isaac didn’t ask what would happen if the man who was the swordsmanship instructor of the Isacrea clan killed the high priest. He was willing to help with the revenge of Gebel.

I could say that I had repaid the favor by helping him to some extent.

But Isaac couldn’t help but ask one question.

“Baschel said that the one who gave the order was an angel. What would you do if it was one of the angels who ordered you to do it?”

Gebel was excommunicated, but it was because of the false accusations against the Avalanche Knights. He had done nothing wrong. But what if the ones he needed to take revenge on were the angels, the Word, the will, and the expression of God?

But Gebel just looked at Isaac with a gloomy expression.

“Then we need to let them know that if they treat the believers like dogs, the angels will end up like dogs too.”

Isaac just saw a glimpse of Gebel Kranz in him back when he was called ‘Mad Dog’. Gebel would have been a man who would have been kicked out at any time, even if he hadn’t been excommunicated by the Avalanche Knights.

To him, the object of his faith was more like the Knights Templar he belonged to than the Code of Light. It was just that the organization’s faith was the Code of Light.

The moment the Knights Templar were annihilated, his faith had no meaning to him.

Isaac had a feeling that Gebel would die the moment he finished his revenge, or even during the revenge. That was not what Isaac wanted.

But what if he found a new faith, one that wasn’t the Knights Templar?

***

There aren’t many people who would dare cause trouble in the Isacre territory protected by the Knights of the Holy Grail.

So Jacquelet and his guards spent more time on road maintenance and patrols, and didn’t really feel the need to risk their lives training. Of course, they needed a period of peace to soften their tempers from the days of robbery, but their long vacation ended when Gebel came in as their swordsmanship instructor.

Isaac deliberately gave only a brief introduction and position, and left the rest to Gebel. Those who use swords can’t immediately make someone who came down by parachute into their position as their superior.

In the end, bruises and nosebleeds are the only means of persuasion.

Gebel’s first greeting was brief.

“All fully armed, assemble at the parade ground.”

The quick-witted Jacquelet quickly obeyed the order, but some were suspicious of the middle-aged man who suddenly appeared. However, the system was corrected when Gebel selected five of the rude men and knocked them down at once.

Gebel’s position is not captain, but swordsmanship instructor.

And the authority of the teacher is superior to any other power.

The guards grew by leaps and bounds every day through blood, sweat, and tears. And while on patrol, they began to accept certain concepts under Neria’s gentle comfort.

‘If there’s Gebel, then it won’t be a problem even if something happens in the territory right away.’

Until now, I thought no one would dare touch the Isacre territory, but from now on, it will be an era where each person must survive for themselves. As soon as a force capable of replacing him was established in the territory, Isaac headed to a place a little further away.

‘This way.’

Isaac, who had flown on Nel, landed in front of an old castle on the side of a mountain. It was in the center of a mountain range a little to the west of the Isacre territory. It was a location that had been kept in mind because it was located on a mountainside that had to be passed through in order to get from the center of the empire to the Isacre territory.

As soon as Isaac descended, something began to rise from the shadows of the forest, as if it were crawling. It was Jihileth, who had been ordered to investigate the surrounding area for any traces of the Old God while he was away.

“The ancient gods in other places were either mine to deal with or were already dead. But the one here was beyond my power.”

“You took care of the rest?”

“yes.”

Isaac looked at Jihilet. He certainly spoke more intelligently than before, and his powers seemed stronger. It was probably because he had eaten the ancient gods, but it was also because he had grown stronger under Isaac’s influence, just like Hesabel.

Isaac didn’t seem too sorry to hear that he had already killed the Old Gods.

The Ancient Gods have a negative impact on their surroundings just by being alive. It would be right to kill them as soon as they are seen, like cleaning up cockroaches. And Isaac had become so strong that it would be difficult to expect much growth even if he ate the Ancient Gods.

‘At this point, I guess I can send Jihillet to handle things that aren’t that important.’

Isaac was satisfied with the growth of his followers. Even more so because they grew on their own without him having to worry about them. So this time, he decided to create a growth event for his followers.

“let’s go.”

***

The castle, whose construction date is unknown, was already in ruins, with many parts collapsed. The ceiling had collapsed, revealing the sky, and a desolate wind howled through the cracks in the walls.

“The ancient god of this place is called Traelgul.”

Jihileth whispered to Isaac, flattering him, something he had not asked for.

“It is said that in the past, a great general was accused of being a traitor and died fighting here. However, it is said that after that, all those who falsely accused the general died mysteriously. There are records that after that, local residents held a ritual to appease the curse of the general, or offered sacrifices when they wanted to kill someone.”

“You did a good job researching.”

In fact, Isaac also knows what kind of place this is and who lives there.

Traelgul, the lord of Gosung Castle.

He is a high-ranking one among the mediocre ancient gods. He was a military god before Elril, but now he is just an undead monster in the outskirts. However, he is definitely strong. He is strong enough that Jihillet, who mainly uses assassination and infiltration, has a hard time dealing with him.

But Isaac had no intention of fighting himself.

After walking for some time, fog began to gather around Isaac as he headed toward the castle’s throne. It was a strange fog to anyone who saw it, considering the weather had been sunny up until the time he entered the castle.

Isaac stopped and gave instructions to Jihilet.

“Gihillet, call the rats.”

Without a word, Jihillet gathered the rats that had already been infiltrated into the castle. They were all infected with the parasites from beyond. When the swarm of rats piled up and piled up until it was as big as his head, Isaac activated his enhanced ‘Children of Chaos’ ability and gave a command.

“Come here.”

Wood, thud, crack, squeak.

The swarm of rats began to gather in one place, with an eerie sound and a crushing crash. In an instant, flesh and bones that had lost their form condensed, splattering blood everywhere, but not a single drop was wasted and they gathered again. The flesh condensed and swelled repeatedly as if pulsating. And each time, it grew bigger and bigger, until finally, like a flower blooming, a pure woman appeared.

“I respond to the summons, Your Excellency.”

“Hecatli.”

The witch, who was once an ancient god of Elil but is now a servant of Isaac, appeared, offering a swarm of rats as a sacrifice. As if responding to Hecatli’s appearance, the fog became thicker.

Isaac made a slight gesture.

“The two of us should be roughly balanced. Go hunt Traelgul with Jihilet and Hecatli. You can eat the meat as much as you want.”

“I will accept it.”

Isaac’s command made the castle tremble in anger. Soon, a heavy voice burst through the fog.

[Who dares to speak evil in the territory of Traelgul!]

Isaac answered coolly.

“Shut up before you start babbling.”

“I will accept it.”

Jihillet swelled up into a gigantic mass, tearing at its robes. It was the same beast it had been when hunting the Walaika headhunters, but it was bigger and had two more legs. The tentacles that sprouted from its nape swung fiercely.

Hecatli also broke away from her pure appearance and revealed her face split into eight parts. Her soft and elegant movements were beautiful, like a flower bud blooming, but the stamens fluttering in the middle were all tentacles, and the lips sprouting from each of the eight petals were constantly reciting curses.

As Hecatli muttered something, the mist parted to reveal the throne of the castle. Beyond it sat a headless general, his huge axe resting on the ground.

Traelgul was indignant at the guests’ rude behavior and immediately ran out with an axe in hand.

The battle soon began.

Isaac found a suitable place to sit and watched the battle.

***

The battle was unexpectedly fierce.

Jihilet, who was strong in ambush, was not used to a direct confrontation, and Hecatli, a witch, was also limited in her power without her own workshop or followers. A witch without followers meant that she had to rely solely on curses.

However, Traelgul could not let his guard down against Isaac even while fighting the two.

In other words, it was the same in that I couldn’t give it my all.

‘Still, I don’t think I’ll lose.’

Even though it was their first time meeting, the two worked together to steadily inflict wounds on Traelgul. Hecatli would curse and grab Traelgul’s ankles, and Jihillet would make unexpected moves to inflict wounds on Traelgul.

Just Traelgul’s fighting spirit against those two was impressive. Isaac estimated Traelgul’s level to be roughly the same as Rottenhammer or Gebel.

‘Should I bring you into my family?’

I was a little tempted when they said he had the power of a commander of the Holy Knights. However, I thought about it for a moment and decided not to. After all, his size and stench were too noticeable. If I were to use him, it would be in a large-scale battle or a direct confrontation. If the Dawn Army took off his helmet and found out that he had no head, who knows what they would say.

In addition, priests from outside also participated in large numbers in the Dawn Army. There was no way they could not have noticed.

‘There’s no need to be needlessly greedy. Faith is also wasted.’

Traelgul also realized that the result was only a matter of time. He shouted urgently when he realized that it would be difficult to win against these two, let alone worry about Isaac.

[Hey, human! Are these your servants? Let me talk to you for a moment… … .]

“You are ugly, Traelgul. Meet your end like a general.”

[What on earth do you have against me… …!]

There is no grudge, but when an ancient god like Traelgul is present, the people around them are swept away. Just as Jihilet spread plagues and Goluwaru encouraged greed, being near Traelgul will make you feel more violent or murderous.

He is nothing but a living sin.

Isaac judged that the match was not far away and moved on to another matter.

‘Let’s see… … There must be a sanctuary here too.’

The Undead Cultists were good at finding sanctuaries and installing an Old God in each one. The sanctuary of the castle was right under the throne. As Isaac began to search for the hidden space under the throne, Traelgul shouted something. Of course, Isaac ignored him.

It was my first time occupying a sanctuary in a long time, but it wasn’t difficult as I just had to insert my tentacles. Soon, blood vessels and nerves took root throughout the castle, centering around the pulsating heart.

As soon as the sanctuary was occupied, Isaac’s nerves were completely captivated by the environment and the movements of the creatures around the castle. Since this place was located at the crossroads leading to the Isacre territory, it seemed like a good place to occupy.

At that moment, Isaac’s expanded senses caught sight of a considerable number of people heading towards the Isacre territory. Isaac focused his consciousness on them.

And for a moment Isaac did not understand what he felt.

‘… …What the heck is this bunch of beggars?’

Then, another group of people were captured. This one was a familiar sight to Isaac.

It was Isolde and her party.

Isaac came out as soon as he caught them. Just then, Jihillet took advantage of the gap and bit Traelgul’s right leg. Traelgul, who lost his leg, fell down with a loud noise.

Hecatli quickly chanted a spell and poked at the gap in Traelgul’s armor with her long, sprouting fingers, and soon a huge swarm of maggots crawled out from between the armor.

Traelgul couldn’t even scream.

Jihilet and Hecatli looked back at Isaac as if asking for permission.

“Sorry. He has other things to do.”

Isaac could not give them the meat he had promised.

Because I just remembered the appropriate use for Traelgul.