Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 426



Only Krnovel

Episode 426. Under the Beautiful Leather (1)

Doo doo doo doo doo─

The sound of horses’ hooves hitting the ground pounded the orcs’ hearts.

Orcs love their horses, which are durable and good at eating grassland weeds.

But the horses of the Kingdom of Elril were large, heavy, fearless, and were military horses created solely for use on the battlefield. The sound of their hooves was equally loud.

It was difficult to understand the taste of blowing trumpets and beating drums on the battlefield, but the sound of the hooves of the Elril knights’ horses filled the orcs with excitement and fear at the same time.

“You are a warrior.”

Atlan felt similarly.

He admired Aethelred slightly as he measured the bow of the underworld. He had heard that there was a kingdom of knights in the west, but he had not met anyone who could be called a rival since Isaac. Now, he had finally met a warrior worthy of being called a warrior.

I didn’t know he was the King of Elril, but I could tell he was a man of considerable rank. Since he was holding back the underworld, it must mean he was under the protection of angels.

‘Even the riders are not ordinary.’

Atlan also took note of Lyanna.

Even as the netherworld poured down, enough to blow away limbs with a single brush, Lyanna rode her horse to find a spot where Aethelred could attack, a weak spot where she could break through without being surrounded.

It was a courage and skill that even the orcs would admire.

‘The horse, rider, and warrior are all one in the same body. What an enviable combination.’

Kkuddeuk, bang! Another arrow from the underworld flew towards Aethelred. Aethelred, who had already shot four arrows, deflected this one as well.

Now we were close enough to see each other’s faces.

“Your Majesty, how about we step back and then shoot?”

Keshik asked cautiously.

Certainly, that is a more sensible tactic. Orcs’ horse archery boasts an accuracy rate that is beyond excellent.

If you keep shooting the Netherworld while moving away, even a knight protected by a great angel will not be able to withstand it.

But Atlan didn’t do that.

“No, that’s enough. The enemy general has come deep into the camp and is causing a ruckus. I can’t retreat.”

Khan is a leader and a guardian of the faith chosen by God. He cannot easily back down. In particular, he asked Manseongja to hold back the Sword of May in order to deal with that Knight of Elril.

Atlan carries the Netherworld on his back and draws a pair of curved swords. The Netherworld is a powerful weapon to begin with, but it is not one that Atlan likes to use.

His real weapon was this curved sword gifted to him by the angel Manseongja.

“Did you think that you could approach it somehow? If so, you were very mistaken!”

Doo doo doo doo doo! Finally, the horses of Aethelred and Lyanna broke through the last line of defense and charged forward. Their momentum was so fierce that they were able to trample down a single Keshik without slowing down at all.

“Cannes!”

Ethelred roared with lightning-like eyes from behind his helmet. Hearing the shouts of his sword, armor, and countless Elril knights following behind him, Atlan also sensed his identity and responded.

“king.”

There was no need for further greetings. Aethelred charged straight into Atlan.

***

“Ellie! Ellie! Ellie!”

The moment the king and the khan clashed, the knights’ cheers grew louder.

But Ethelred felt impatient.

In order to reduce the damage to the knights, Atlan had to behead him as quickly as possible. However, Atlan, who had already seen Ethelred’s immense power, did not do the foolish thing of confronting him head-on.

Kang, kara-rar-ra-rak, kka-gak!

Atlan, half-man and half-horse, was large enough to rival Aethelred on horseback, and was capable of exquisite and sophisticated movements that would be difficult to expect from a horse.

Atlan slid to the ground as he collided with Ethelred, cutting the horse’s knee.

Lyanna quickly jumped up and dodged the attack. But this was right in the middle of enemy territory. As if they had been waiting, the Keshiks thrust their spears, blocking the horse’s path and stabbing his body.

When the horse fell over, unable to stop its momentum, the two quickly jumped down.

The Keshiks cast their nets to capture Aethelred and Lyanna. However, the Elril knights quickly followed and rushed in, turning the battlefield into a mess.

There were fights everywhere.

“Ellie! Ellie! El… … .”

Boom, thud! Atlan grabbed the knight who was rushing towards him and swung his spear, and slammed him to the ground. The knight, whose head had disappeared, shuddered and fell limply. Ethelred also cut the Keshik who had come near him in half with the net wrapped around his body.

The only people who could deal with the two people who were under the aura of the angel were each other. As space was naturally created, a battlefield was created for the two.

Atlan looked at Aethelred and smirked.

“Aren’t you the one in a hurry, King? Come first.”

Ethelred charged forward with a distorted face. The ones isolated in the middle of the enemy were the knights of Elril. The Dawn Army led by Tukhalin was approaching, gradually destroying the Khan’s army, but there was no telling when they would arrive.

Boom, boom! A thunderous noise like a lightning strike echoed as Kaldbuh and Mangokdo collided. Ethelred was astonished as she looked at Atlan, who had blocked Kaldbuh.

Atlan is a man with incredible strength that even Isaac admired. Even if Aethelred borrows the power of the Lion Knight, Atlan is bound to be a formidable opponent as he has the power of Khan and the blessing of the Angel.

Ethelred swung his sword roughly, feeling impatient. Even at this moment, knights were dying. Since he was the one who brought them to the battlefield, it was Ethelred’s duty to send them back alive.

Boom, boom. Just the clash of weapons between Atlan and Ethelred sent shockwaves through the surrounding area, and it was enough to cut through the flesh.

But Atlan frowned.

‘Strong. Strong, but… … young.’

The expected power when charging seemed to be due to the outstanding rider named Lyanna. Although Aethelred was borrowing the power of a strong angel called the Lion Knight, he was unable to utilize that power properly as if he was wearing clothes that did not fit his body.

In fact, it was an expected result. The gap in years lived and experience itself is more than double. In addition, Ethelred is a young man who is difficult to call a young man, and Atlan is a seasoned warrior who is in the prime of his physical life.

Sometimes, the sharp sword energy would make my liver shiver, but that was all. The deceptive power of the sword energy was not something that could not be blocked by the blessed curved sword. Perhaps because of the impatience to end the battle quickly, he kept aiming only at the critical points, which made it easier to block.

‘After all, no matter how sharp the sword is, it is meaningless if it can’t reach.’

Crunch, crunch! At that moment, Atlan barely avoided the sharp sword stroke of Ethelred grazing his neck.

In an instant, cold sweat broke out on Atlan’s forehead.

“what?”

Aethelred did not understand Atlan’s question, which did not make sense. Instead, he swung his sword again, seemingly absorbed in it.

Chin, thud! Atlan quickly stabbed the curved sword into the crosshairs, pressing down with force before the attack could be fully effective.

‘The attack must not be allowed to continue until the end.’

It was an attack that could have been easily avoided earlier. But this time, it was close. The time that Atlan and Ethelred fought was extremely short, but in the meantime, Ethelred had ‘grown’.

Atlan had only ever seen such an absurd improvement in skill and technique from one person.

‘There’s another monster like that in the world?’

“this guy!”

Ethelred shouted in anger at the sword being blocked and roughly shook it off. It was a force that shook Atlan’s body. The next moment, Ethelred’s sword moved at a strange angle. Isaac Sword Technique: Eight-pronged, he rushed forward with ferocious momentum to bite Atlan.

Thud, thud, thud, thud! Atlan calmly deflected each attack and retreated little by little.

It was certain. This was the swordsmanship of Isaac, the Knight of the Holy Grail.

Atlan felt a chill down his spine as he recalled the monstrous swordsmanship he had displayed, but he still felt immature compared to Isaac.

Atlan gritted his teeth and dug into Aethelred, who was making his final attack. If there was one unfortunate thing about Aethelred, it was that Atlan had already fought against one who had achieved the pinnacle of this swordsmanship.

Compared to Isaac, all his attacks seemed slow and boring. Ethelred was no match for him.

Kkwaddeuk! The moment Atlan’s curved sword struck Kaldbuh, Ethelred showed his opening. Without hesitation, Atlan struck Ethelred’s chest with his horse’s hoof.

It’s a back kick that can blow off the head of an adult man.

Ethelred was knocked out in an instant. Despite wearing the armor reinforced by Kaldbuh, the pain was so intense that it was hard to breathe. It felt like at least a few of his ribs had been broken.

“your majesty!”

Lyanna tried to run towards him, but Atlan approached her without her knowledge and placed his horse’s hoof on Aethelred’s chest, aiming his sword at her, forcing her to stop.

Atlan looked at Aethelred, conflicted.

‘This is a monster cub. Did he give birth to a cub? Or is he an incarnation of Elril?’

At this point, I couldn’t even imagine how great a monster he would become when he fully grew up. Maybe I was seeing the childhood of another hero who would achieve unprecedented feats and join the ranks of the great angels.

For the sake of Olkan, and for the sake of winning this war, this monster had to be killed now.

“What is your relationship with the Knights of the Holy Grail?”

But at the same time, I wondered how much greater this little guy could become.

Atlan finally couldn’t suppress his curiosity and asked. Aethelred tried to ignore Atlan’s words, but she couldn’t do that since Isaac was mentioned.

“He is my teacher.”

‘I see.’

Atlan laughed bitterly and struck the curved sword sharply, sending sparks flying.

“Step back. Lead your people and return to your village. If you step back now, I will make sure you return safely.”

***

Ethelred suspected that Atlan was up to some trick.

But Atlan had no reason to lie. It was clear that Atlan’s strength was superior to his own, and his knights were completely surrounded.

There was no reason for Atlan to lie.

‘You’re going to send me back?’

Aethelred’s gaze turned to the fallen and dying knights. He saw Lyanna and her escort knights fighting fiercely, trying to save him.

There are things that can only be seen when you lower your gaze. Knights who are already dead, knights who are rolling in the mud and crying out in pain, knights who are crawling around with some of their limbs missing.

Scenes that are difficult to see from horseback, far from honor and courage.

‘What do these miserable authors want, leaving behind their wheat fields and families in their hometown, to come this far and risk their own deaths?’

Ethelred felt saddened by the foolishness of the knights who had fallen while running in pursuit of honor and courage. Ethelred still hated knights. He hated that they were men who were willing to die in this faraway land only to gain honor and prove their courage.

But there was a chance to save them.

‘I’m going back.’

Although I had started the expedition with the determination to die, my heart began to beat faster when I thought that I could somehow save the knights. It didn’t matter why Atlan was showing such sympathy. However, I couldn’t miss the opportunity.

At that moment, Ethelred’s gaze fell on the holy land, Lua.

To the place where Isaac risked his life.

‘I’m going back leaving the teacher behind… … .’

At that moment, Ethelred grabbed Atlan’s foot. Atlan quickly jumped back to prevent his leg from breaking due to the tremendous pressure on his foot.

Ethelred staggered to his feet, coughing up blood-tinged coughs.

Anyone who looked at it saw that it wasn’t normal. It seemed difficult to compete again.

But Atlan felt a strange energy from him that was completely different from before.

“I’m sorry, everyone.”

Aethelred whispered to the knights who followed him. A sudden breeze carried his voice to all the knights amidst the commotion of the battlefield. The knights listened to Aethelred without realizing it.

“Right now, right here, I need the honor to protect my friends. On this final battlefield, I ask that you all die courageously with me.”

Leaves blew in from somewhere and scattered everywhere. The orcs felt the fresh air of grass and leaves that they had never smelled since entering the Urdantu Empire. And at the same time, hundreds of thousands of orcs felt the killing intent that made the air tremble and held their breath.

[Atlanta, step back!]

An urgent message was delivered from the Manseongja who was holding back the Sword of May.

[Elil has appeared to the young king! Does this madman really intend to make this war his last?!]