Chapter 223

“Wait, what? They were all wiped out?”

Deep in the Eastern Jungle, the King of the Immortals, Astevan, had his stronghold brimming with Undead Soldiers. This was where the Abyss Worshippers had gathered, and out of nowhere, a shocking report came in.

“No way, I can’t believe that!”

Estelle Autra, the head of the Abyss Worshippers, widened her eyes in disbelief. The report was that the Undead Legion, which had split into three directions under Astevan’s orders, had been completely annihilated.

“So you’re telling me that not only did the Endrak Kingdom and Arpen Duchy face defeat, but the legion heading towards Shulfern was also wiped out? And they couldn’t even breach the capital?”

“According to the report, that’s correct,” answered Karon Bartenzan, one of the worshippers and Estelle’s uncle—definitely not someone who would make such a ridiculous claim.

“It’s hard to believe. I didn’t think Shulfern had that much strength left…” Estelle bit her lips in frustration. She couldn’t care less about the other two kingdoms, but Shulfern was their initial target.

Just when she was frowning in exasperation, Karon added, “But there’s at least one silver lining to this.”

“What’s that? In this situation?”

“A brother of ours stationed at the outskirts witnessed what happened.”

“……!”

A witness among the worshippers? Estelle’s eyes widened in surprise, and suddenly, the reason for the Undead Legion’s annihilation became clearer.

“The real culprit is the Holy Nation.”

“S-Sacred Nation?”

“Yes. The Knight Order and Inquisition Officers from the Holy Nation intervened in the battlefield at Shulfern, which led to our army’s defeat.”

Estelle’s expression went blank. Why on earth did the Holy Nation get involved?

A moment of questioning crossed her mind but quickly faded as she pieced it together.

“Could it be because we took out their priests…?”

“That’s probably it.” Karon nodded gravely. They had previously taken down a group of priests who were digging into Sven Isaac’s background.

Recalling that moment, Estelle bit her lips even harder. ‘We really shouldn’t have touched the priests.’ No matter how much she was following Rakus’s orders, to provoke the priests of the Holy Nation was a colossal error. Regret washed over her, but it was too late now.

‘If it goes on like this…!’ The entire plan would go belly-up. The Holy Nation could send additional reinforcements. If that happened, things would only escalate, and that was the last thing the worshippers wanted.

In this crisis with no solutions, Karon, deep in thought, suddenly said, “But there’s one thing to be thankful for.”

“In this situation? What is it?”

“Our brothers on the outskirts witnessed what transpired.”

“……!”

There were witnesses among the worshippers. Estelle’s eyes widened. And that explained what led to the Undead Legion’s defeat.

“The Holy Nation is the root cause.”

Estelle’s expression was one of shock. “The Holy Nation, you say?”

“Yes! The Knight Order and Inquisition Officers from the Holy Nation burst into the battle in Shulfern, and as a result, our legion was decimated.”

Estelle stared blankly, trying to grasp how and why the Holy Nation was involved.

“Could it be because we struck their priests…?”

“That seems to be the case.” Karon nodded thoughtfully. They had previously taken down some priests who were digging into Sven Isaac’s affairs.

Estelle ground her teeth, horrified. ‘Why did we provoke the priests?’ Even following Rakus’s orders could not justify their blunder, and alas, it was too late to reconsider.

‘If things continue like this…!’ An enormous hitch in their plans loomed ahead.

Then, anxious while pacing, a surreal voice split through the jungle’s darkness.

【No need to panic.】

Strange creatures with beast heads emerged from the shroud of darkness.

【The earlier soldiers were merely fodder.】

【We expected this outcome.】

【The true army of the king is here.】

These were the Undying Minions. As three of the twelve minions revealed themselves, countless corpses’ arms shot up from the damp earth.

Ugh! Krrr!

The army consisted of around three thousand Undead Soldiers. But unlike the ones that had invaded the three kingdoms earlier, these felt different.

‘The Power of the Abyss…!’ It was so much stronger and denser.

Each Undead radiated strength that rivaled even decent knights, and there were even high-ranking Undead presumed to be Liches among them.

Suddenly, the explanation behind calling the previous Undead ‘fodder’ clicked.

“A-are they finally deploying?”

“Could it be that the king is also…?”

Excited voices broke out among a few worshippers. But it didn’t take long for that excitement to die down.

【Don’t get ahead of yourself, mortal.】

With a voice as cold as ice, the Undying Minions glared at those worshippers who mentioned their king, Astevan.

【You have no right to know.】

【Do not question our king’s affairs; do not even entertain any doubts about him.】

【If you ever speak of the king again, you will pay the price with your life.】

The harsh rebuke froze the worshippers in place. After a moment of chaos, the minions turned away.

Thud, thud!

Following the three of them, the three thousand Undead marched toward the jungle’s outer edge, heading for the three kingdoms the vanguard had aimed for.

A while later, as the Abyss’s power the minions had scattered vanished, Karon and Estelle slowly lifted their heads from bowing.

“They’re gone.”

“Fortunately, there seem to be no casualties today.” Estelle sighed in relief.

The Undying Minions were known for their arrogance and cruelty. Yet this time, no one had suffered a serious injury unlike the last encounter.

“W-we’re sorry! Karon! Estelle!”

Suddenly, two worshippers who had been frozen in place bowed low to the ground. Estelle waved her hand dismissively.

“It’s alright. This isn’t your fault.”

“Estelle is right. Just pay a bit more attention next time.”

“Yes, of course! We will!”

Perhaps relieved by the forgiveness, the worshippers repeatedly bobbed their heads. Estelle then spoke once more.

“Oh, right. And about the question I threw at the Undying Minions earlier, if I were to answer it, our Lord of the Immortals is currently creating a Maze.”

“A Maze, you say…?”

“I’m not entirely sure; that’s just what I heard.” Estelle shrugged. She only knew that they were creating a maze.

But she could guess the reasoning. Rakus had mentioned previously that the Gate of the Abyss had not opened yet, making it hard for the Abyss Lords to operate in the world.

And the reason was simple: ‘They lacked the Power of the Abyss.’

If the Abyss Lords could not channel this power, they couldn’t maintain their existence in the world.

So to avoid exhausting their mysterious power, the Lords typically kept their main bodies hidden and used clones to navigate, just like how Count Dermore’s real self stayed hidden in a secret place.

Estelle figured Astevan was constructing a maze for similar reasons to save on magical energy—probably setting up a stronghold of sorts.

“Either way, once the maze is complete, our Lord of the Immortals will also initiate action, and we must focus on our own duty.”

The worshippers still had a task at hand.

To eliminate a certain boy named Sven Isaac, who would one day become a hero. Remembering their original goal, Estelle gazed at the southern sky where Shulfern lay.

Then, on the other side, unbeknownst to Estelle, Sven was not in Shulfern but was making his way through the Eastern Jungle.

“Whew, whew!”

Heaving breath that rose to his throat, his dry mouth felt parched with a taste of blood.

If only he could sit down for just a minute… but he had no time to waste.

Only one reason loomed behind him: his pursuers.

Monstrous eyeball creatures floated ominously, and the men behind them, each one a formidable magic user at the very least, were pursuing hot on his tail.

‘I managed to escape barely, but…’ The speed of their pursuit was alarming. If he dared slow his pace even a little, they’d catch up. Hence, Sven pushed himself to the limit, leaping further into the jungle.

During the relentless chase, he finally felt a shift in the fate of the chase as more of his pursuers arrived.

“……!?”

A spear of flame shot towards him from the front—a volley of fire-spitting spears targeting Sven. Fortunately, he sensed it in advance and managed to dodge them all, but new troubles quickly arose.

‘…I’m surrounded.’

His ears perked up as he sensed a multitude of presences closing in around him, encircling him like a noose.

‘Should I climb a tree to escape?’ He briefly considered that but quickly dismissed the thought upon spotting the eyeball monsters hanging like fruits from thick branches.

【There’s no escape now.】

【Surrender, mortal.】

The monsters doubled in number as the hooded men grew in sight. A bleak situation, but Sven refused to give up, scanning for an escape route.

And then it hit him.

‘There’s no way out.’ No matter how many scenarios he played out in his mind, a successful escape seemed impossible.

These eyeball monsters usually deployed invisible attacks that operated on instinct alone. If he blinked, he’d be dead before he had a chance to react.

“Whew.” Feeling the pressure close in on him, Sven started fiddling with an object tucked away.

It was the signal flare Milena had given him before he arrived.

「Shoot if you need help.」

If he fired the signal flare, Milena would come rushing to him, no matter the situation. The Milena Arma-Din he knew was just that kind of person.

However, Sven hesitated.

‘These monsters are strong.’ Even with Shulfern’s forces under his command, it felt hopeless. If he called for help, he might just put Milena in danger.

It was far better to fight and die alone. Making his decision, Sven dropped the flare and grasped an arrow instead.

“Whew.” He steadied his breathing, and his trembling eyes began to focus.

His gaze emanated a soft glow, a hunter resigned to survive in an act of desperation.

‘They’re working with the monsters.’ It made sense given how the eyeball creatures reacted in tandem. This realization meant they were enemies to Milena and Shulfern.

‘Then I’ll take one down at least!’ Until my heart stops beating.

With a fierce resolve, Sven thrust down the earth and leaped forward. The surrounding eyeball monsters snickered at his foolishness.

【Foolish and stupid.】

【There’s nowhere left to run!】

In their minds, they probably thought he’d run again. But they were mistaken. Sven sprinted straight toward a massive tree. He hid himself behind it and promptly drew his bowstring.

Bang, bang, bang!

A torrential downpour of arrows rained down. It was a swift, unexpected ambush, yet the robed figures managed to adapt but not perfectly.

“……?!”

“Fall back!”

“He’s coming!”

Before those shouts could be fully formed, Sven swiftly closed in on them. Like a flash of lightning, he lunged forward, drawing a dagger to slice at the hearts of the sorcerers. His hunting began with that surprise attack.

“Get back! Keep your distance!”

“We’ll attack in unison!”

But they weren’t going down easily. Equipped with their eyeball monsters, they relentlessly engaged Sven, leaving him hurt with various wounds.

The battle raged on fiercely. Moments later, as Sven felled around six of the sorcerers, a crisis struck him.

“……!”

A barrage of invisible attacks surged toward him. They were the handiwork of the eyeball monsters. He narrowly evaded their assault but didn’t foresee the sneaky attack lurking beneath.

‘From the ground…!’ This invisible ambush had concealed itself until he took off, and then it descended with a wrathful strike.

It was a devastating blow.

“Guh!”

Hit in the gut, Sven collapsed to the ground, crashing against the old tree trunk. Blood gushed out, carrying bits of his insides with it.

“Cough, cough! Gah!”

Vomit painted with blood spilled from Sven’s mouth. His blurry vision caught glimpses of the eyeball monsters and sorcerers drawing nearer. He struggled to grip his bow in defiance.

But the pain immobilized him.

‘M-my body won’t…’ Was it that strike’s sheer force? His limbs, his fingers—even a twitch was impossible. The monsters loomed closer, their eyeballs wide open.

【It’s over, Sven Isaac.】

【Now the stars shall be consumed by darkness.】

【Glory to our king!】

A gaping maw wide enough to swallow Sven whole appeared. A random thought flickered in his mind – strangely, it was not fear of death that overwhelmed him but regret.

If only he had expressed gratitude to Milena… to thank her for saving him from being sold into slavery, for treating him like family.

Just as regret flooded his consciousness, the monster’s mouth closed in on him.

The shadow of death loomed over his regret-riddled face. Just when the monstrous teeth were about to pierce his skin—

BOOM!

A sudden explosion erupted wildly.

Bright light flared brightly enough to dispel the darkness, overwhelming Sven’s vision.

“…Huh?”

What? What just happened?

As he blinked in confusion, a powerful voice resounded before him.

“Divine Being! Protect your servant!”

The voice belonged to a young knight with azure hair, standing tall with a pure white sword and shield as he shielded Sven.

At the same moment, invisible attacks rained down. Sven instinctively sensed the danger, wanting to shout a warning, but it was unnecessary.

Swish!

With a sound akin to a rope being cut, the invisible assaults vanished completely. Staring in astonishment at this miraculous turn of events, he heard another unfamiliar voice.

“Are you Sven Isaac?”

It belonged to a middle-aged knight resembling the younger one, but his tone was much deeper and weightier.

“W-who are you?”

“We are the Holy Knights from Eloden.”

“We have come to save you by the name of the Saintess.”

Eloden? Holy Knights? Saintess? Sven’s face twisted in confusion, bombarded with these foreign concepts. Meanwhile, as the middle-aged knight examined his wounds, he directed a comment to the azure-haired boy.

“Ian, recite the Healing Prayer.”

“Understood. What of the Master?”

“He will fulfill his duties as a Holy Knight.”

With that last phrase, the middle-aged knight, Kadel Dun Shanktus, turned away, heading straight for the location of the monsters and sorcerers.

“Divine Being, my Star,” he whispered, supplicating in prayer. However, his demeanor radiated an aura of malice.

“I offer victory to you.” As his declaration echoed, a realm of justice and punishment unfolded around Kadel.

It was the domain of the Paladin Master.

Chapter 51: Unexpected Reinforcements