Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 367



Only Krnovel

Episode 367. The Land Where Life and Death Collapse (4)

The scary thing about the Immortal Cult is not that they don’t die.

Of course, that’s scary, but what’s really scary about them is that ‘new recruits with rich careers come in without limit, and they don’t even retire.’ In this world where an individual’s power can increase superhumanly through effort and talent, it’s absurd.

Let’s bring in the closest example, Captain Horace of the Salt Council.

Horace, as a captain, had accomplished feats that would only come once in a century. And yet, he never retired, but continued to live on, building up his own achievements.

Of course, in the process, I lost my mind a bit and accumulated self-deception and absurdity, but the scale of the achievements I could achieve also became much more vast.

Even in the Immortal Church, these career new recruits keep coming in, and unless they are caught, they work forever.

Because of this, the number of Paladins/Priests per capita in the Undead Order is overwhelmingly high. This is thanks to the Light Code generously donating manpower through the Dawn Army.

And now Isaac has heard that a great hero from Elril who once dominated the ages may stand in their way.

‘Red Sword, Rua Belin… … .’

Isaac thought about Lua.

Lua Belin was, in Isaac’s personal opinion, the ‘strongest in the world’ in the game.

Of course, she can’t compare to the gods, but she has even ‘defeated’ angels several times. It’s embarrassing to say this, but it’s a feat comparable to Isaac himself.

There are quite a few soldiers from the Dawn Army from Elril. Although there is a sharp conflict between the Elril Kingdom and the Gertonian Empire, the Elril Kingdom is too peaceful an island for them to live on their own.

Since the Code of Light is the only one that causes wars by taking sides here and there, it was common for the knights of Elril to participate in battles as individuals or families. However, this was not for the purpose of recapturing the Holy Land, but rather for personal glory or honor.

In that respect, Rua Belin was a unique being.

She sincerely wanted to reclaim the Holy Land of Lua, and indeed, she achieved a terrifying feat in the 11th Dawn Army. At one point, she threatened Ushaq, the capital of the Urdantu Empire.

However, when the Light Code Church unilaterally declared the defeat of the 11th Dawn Army, they were completely isolated in enemy territory, and then suddenly disappeared.

At least that’s what it seemed to the Eliel believers.

‘But… … That person wandering around here isn’t Lua Belin.’

Isaac knew where ‘Red Knife’ Lua was.

The rumors that Lua has become undead, is wandering around as a dead person, or has escaped from the outside world, as many people speculate, are not true.

Lua Belin is alive and well.

But I couldn’t explain that to Ethelred. There’s a limit to the excuse of receiving a revelation from an angel. If that was the case, the angels on Elril’s side would have heard about it long ago.

“Thank you for your words, Your Majesty. It would be an honor to have the opportunity to compete with such a renowned senior.”

Isaac answered politely at first.

“As you know, the Immortal Church… … does not die. Not only that, they are willing to steal and use the corpses of other religions. From now on, the enemies we will fight will be our ancestors, our seniors, our teachers.”

It’s like fighting the remnants of the past that should have died long ago. The deeper you go into Urdantu, the more old ruins and the past appear, and you fight against legends and mythical beings from long ago.

As if going back in time.

Like walking through Urbansus.

That’s what could happen when you walk this land where life and death are broken.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared, but I am prepared for any situation.”

“Me too.”

Ethelred answered resolutely.

The Ellil believers do not avoid coming fights. Even if it is the strongest knight of the old era who could defeat angels.

The reason why Ethelred came to see Isaac with a pensive expression was not because she was afraid of being defeated, but for another reason.

As expected, Ethelred spoke cautiously.

“If we ever encounter that renowned senior, we must do whatever it takes to recover his remains. I hope you will understand this, sir.”

In short, it means that the paths of the Isacrea Dawn Army and the Knights of Elril may diverge.

It was understandable. Reclaiming the Holy Land was not an urgent goal for Ellil. But Isaac did not want to imagine a situation where his already insufficient forces could be drained.

If I were to refuse with the authority of Cachulin and the Commander-in-Chief, I would have no choice but to obey the order, but I did not want to do so.

“If that situation comes up.”

Isaac said with certainty.

“I too will join the Knights of Elril. I too owe you much, Your Majesty.”

It would have been better for Isaac to intervene and resolve the issue quickly.

Ethelred smiled brightly, as if she was happy.

However, Isaac came to regret this answer after a while.

***

Isaac was on top of the pyramid. The gray sky was undulating ominously. He held a curved dagger in his hand and wore yellow clothes.

Isaac sighed first.

‘It’s this dream again.’

A nightmare where you become an old man dressed in yellow and perform strange shamanic rituals.

Isaac didn’t pay much attention to the nightmares because they were always the same, even though he occasionally had similar nightmares. Even when he saw scary scenes, he knew that they were dreams, so he just waited for time to pass.

But today’s dream was something different.

‘… …Why is there no one here?’

There was no sacrifice, no believers looking at him, and no Death Knight coming to cut off his neck.

Isaac was alone on top of the towering pyramid.

Isaac looked around with a strange feeling as he realized that the nightmare was not going as he had thought. He began to notice the surrounding scenery that he had not seen before.

The pyramid was built in the middle of a huge city.

Around the city, there were high walls that felt magnificent, and bastions and towers lined the area to guard the four sides. It was a fort that was more like a fortress than a city, but the traces of an old city that seemed to be thousands of years old could not be erased.

Because it was the cradle of civilization, the holy land of Lua.

Isaac slowly descended after looking around this desolate city where there was no one. The eerie silence was so eerie that it gave him goosebumps. When he reached the bottom of the pyramid, Isaac noticed that the ground was covered in snow.

‘Is this the scenery after the Immortal Cult took over?’

Isaac thought as he stepped on the snow, and realized the eerie truth at the strangely soft sensation.

It was white sand.

The remains of those who knew the now forgotten name of chaos were bleached white and died, a trace of the White Plague. Isaac looked around with a creepy feeling. The entire Lua was covered in pure white sand.

Almost the entire population of this huge city was wiped out.

‘Then me?’

Isaac looked at his hands.

Is the caster who performed this miracle still unaffected, or has the disease escaped him? Or is it a dream that has been dealt with exceptionally?

At that moment, a presence was felt on one side of the city.

The Death Knights who always ended Isaac’s dreams were making their appearance.

The one at the forefront was shabby, but he had on his shoulders the sash that bishops wear. His eyes were shining brightly, and he looked around in disbelief as he approached Isaac in a dazed manner.

“Beshek.”

Isaac’s mouth opened on its own. His voice was filled with laughter.

[why…….]

Beshek also answered with a voice full of despair.

[Why did it fail, why… … .]

Isaac tried to answer, but Beshek charged at him in a fit of rage.

Isaac’s body moved painfully slowly. Before he could even raise his hand, Beshek’s cold blade pierced his neck. It was the same death as always.

This time, it was after the ceremony was over.

***

Isaac opened his eyes.

It was still dark in the early morning. Isaac muttered a curse and shook his body as he had a nightmare for the first time in a long while. The temperature had dropped a lot during the night, so even inside the house, his breath was steaming.

It could mean that the undead army is approaching, but there is no sign of it yet.

‘What on earth is this dream?’

Isaac wondered if his nightmare had any meaning.

The man in the yellow suit seemed to have succeeded in spreading the White Plague, and the Undead Cult had tried and failed to stop it. In previous nightmares, they had always succeeded.

But looking back now, it was a strange situation.

The Immortal Cult appeared after the White Plague.

Because after the White Plague, the fear of death spread, and the Immortal Cult was born based on that fear.

In other words, the Immortal Cult could not have been born without the White Plague, and it would have been impossible to disrupt the nameless ritual of chaos in the first place.

‘No, is it possible with Urbansus?’

If so, then it also means that the Immortal Cult tried to prevent their own birth.

Isaac gave up trying to understand the situation because it didn’t make sense. As far as Isaac knew, the Undead Cult loved his immortality too much.

‘… … I can’t even sleep.’

He thought about going back to bed, but he didn’t think he would be able to sleep again. He could dispel the chills instantly if he had the Luaddin Key, but Isaac decided to take a quick walk to be on guard and come back.

As I went out the door, a patrolman who happened to be passing by met me with a surprised look on his face.

“Sir, Holy Grail Knight. What are you doing out this late at night…?”

“Um, is everything okay?”

“Yes. There’s nothing wrong. However, since it’s a small and unfamiliar town, it seems like there are a lot of people who can’t sleep.”

Isaac, who was about to let it go with the words that nothing was wrong, looked puzzled at the news that there were other people who couldn’t sleep besides him.

“You can’t sleep?”

“Yes. Thanks to that, there are a lot of guards. There are also people looking for late-night snacks.”

A person who does not sleep when it is time to sleep and does not eat when it is time to eat is disqualified from being a soldier.

Isaac went to find those evil soldiers. They were sitting around a few bonfires on one side of the town square.

“What are you guys doing now… … .”

Then Isaac noticed someone who stood out.

The little girl sitting around one of the campfires was none other than Angela.

“Angela?”

Angela turned her head to look at Isaac. She nodded with a rare, gentle smile. Isaac, wondering how to rebuke this girl, turned his gaze to the large soldier sitting across from him.

At that moment, Isaac placed his hand on the knife with an eerie feeling.

The soldier, wearing a hood pulled down low, covered his entire body with armor and a cloak, leaving no part of his skin exposed. Isaac immediately tried to pull out Cachulain, but a voice stopped him.

[You’re a good girl.]

The moment he heard the voice, Isaac felt his breath catch.

Even though he hadn’t asked who it was yet, Isaac felt like he knew who the other person was.

If you say it’s because of a dream, you’ll laugh, but Isaac has heard that voice before.

Just a little while ago.

“Immortal Emperor Beshek?”