The faces of Arahel and Mamon, which had been filled with joy just moments ago, suddenly stiffened. The expression of that red entity carried an incredibly ominous aura.
What was the Rift?
It was the only path to reach their Father, something the Five Creations had researched for countless years. For Kalgos, who was one of them, tampering with the Rift would not be a difficult task.
“I see…”
“Was this your intention from the very beginning?”
Mamon lowered his head and muttered. The Demonic Energy that began to crawl out from him wavered violently.
“I told you from the start that I came here to stall for time. Why are you acting shocked now?”
Mamon and Arahel grimaced at the sound of Richard’s nonchalant voice. Who could have known?
To think that the soul of Kalgos, whom they believed had perished long ago, was bound to his sword.
Furthermore, they could never have expected Kalgos, who resented their Father so much, to betray them like this.
The two Legion Commanders raised their heads and glared at the Red Giant.
The giant stuck out his tongue and laughed as if meeting his sworn enemies.
“Do not worry too much, my little siblings.”
“I have simply delayed the conclusion a bit.”
His excuse was far too brazen to be an apology, and his attempt to soothe his siblings was far too aggravating. A ghostly fire flared up in the eyes of the two Legion Commanders.
“You wouldn’t have been able to completely destroy a Rift of that magnitude.”
“You probably just swapped the positions of a few runes.”
“So everything was literally just to buy a fleeting moment of time.”
“How foolish. This is so foolish, Father!”
A measly delay from the likes of Kalgos wouldn’t change the predetermined end.
No matter how much time was bought, the Rift would eventually open completely, and this world would be thoroughly trampled by the beings of the Demon Realm.
The two Legion Commanders poured out curses toward Richard, claiming that the countless deaths he had endured so far would only end in a foolish sacrifice.
At that, Richard took a step forward.
“You shouldn’t be worrying about me right now.”
A brief respite had been granted by the sudden appearance of Kalgos. That short, momentary rest allowed the breath that had reached the tip of his throat to settle.
A small sense of ease settled on his face. Just the fact that this reckless plan had succeeded felt like a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart.
“The Demon King I know isn’t exactly a merciful character.”
Richard’s mouth curved into a smirk. For a man called a Saint by the world, his smile looked incredibly wicked.
“Since you’ve reached this point by playing around with me, your lives must be in serious danger.”
Only two choices remained for Arahel and Mamon. They could withdraw the illusion immediately and kill Richard and all the humans outside to appease the Demon King’s wrath even slightly.
Or, they could spend the remaining time within this illusion as they pleased.
The answer was already decided.
“…If I can spend even a little more time with you, this life is a small price to pay.”
Mamon drew a blade of sharpened bone. Arahel manipulated the illusion and summoned countless monsters.
The momentum of the two as they began to exert their full power was entirely different from before.
Kalgos, who had been standing still, turned to look at Richard.
“Do you require assistance?”
“No.”
Richard shook his head. A smile still lingered on his lips.
‘At this rate, I can increase it to eight swords. This is a real celebration.’
*Kuduek, kuduruek!*
The Aura that had swallowed the sword wrapped around his body once again. Eight chains overflowing with light and seven stars flew in all directions.
Soon, when a Magic Array was drawn within Richard’s eyes, Kalgos had to struggle to hide his inner shock.
It was intense and overbearing. The aura he felt from Richard was even more massive than his own during his prime.
Even though barely 10 minutes had passed in the outside world, Richard’s martial power had changed this much.
*Boom!*
The three beings created a massive collision. Amidst the exploding atmosphere, Kalgos covered his mouth and laughed.
“I am truly looking forward to this.”
“I want to see the fight between you and the King as soon as possible.”
***
The corpses were endless. The resentment of the dead toward the living became a massive wall, blocking the path forward.
“Damn it, damn it!”
Aaron let out a scream of frustration. His heart was already at the Castle of Bones where Richard was, but frustratingly, his body couldn’t move forward at all.
The trajectory of his lance naturally became rougher. The spear, filled with anger and impatience, only made his body feel heavier.
It wasn’t just Aaron.
“Die! I said die!”
“Curse it all!”
The eyes of the knights were filled with desperation. Even Moritz, who was swearing incessantly in the distance, and the usually cold-headed Lord of Orde Castle were biting their lips.
It was too quiet. The Castle of Bones, where Richard had charged in alone, was unnervingly silent. Could it be that it was already over?
Having experienced the power of a Legion Commander firsthand, only the worst-case scenarios filled their minds.
It was then.
*Cr-crack!*
A massive crack appeared in the sky. It was the same sight as the bizarre phenomenon they had seen when dealing with the dragon in the Seun Mountain Range—the sky tearing apart.
“Did you fail, Richard…!”
A hint of moisture gathered in Moritz’s eyes. It hadn’t been long since Richard had charged in alone, promising to buy time. But what could it mean that the Rift was already opening?
The moisture in his eyes gradually mixed with despair. The Knights of the Alliance began to cry out in grief one by one.
At that moment, Aaron shouted like a thunderbolt.
“No, that’s not it! The Rift hasn’t opened yet!”
His finger pointed toward the sky. The sky remained frozen in its cracked state.
Normally, it wouldn’t have been strange for the Rift to open immediately, but the sky they saw now was quite different from the sight they had witnessed before.
“The Saint succeeded!”
Aaron shouted again. His voice, filled with Mana, echoed loudly across the battlefield.
“It’s not too late yet!”
“We have to help the Saint immediately!”
The atmosphere among the knights changed drastically. These were the eyes of men who realized it was not the time for despair or to be pushed by impatience.
“Concentrate on the enemies in front of you!”
“Sweep them all away! Don’t let a single one escape!”
The Lord of Orde Castle and the commanders of the Alliance led the knights. In the middle of the battlefield where only shouts and screams had echoed, a Holy Song began to ring out.
“…Richard. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you don’t die.”
Determined, Moritz caught his breath. Two paladins approached him.
“We feel the same way.”
***
Alisa looked up at the sky. The crack that had sent a chill down her spine remained as it was. She didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry.
“Uooooh!”
The knights suddenly burst into a roar of excitement and surged forward. The heat was so intense that the wizards joined in, raising their voices as well.
However, the faces of Alisa and Alan remained stiff. The number of living corpses was immense, and the Liches led by Markus in the distance were still perfectly intact.
Although the number of wizards gathered here reached 10,000, numbers were practically useless against them.
“Sister. If we don’t deal with those Liches, it will eventually turn into a war of attrition.”
Alan spoke with frustration. Alisa knew this as well, of course. However, breaking this tight balance was not as easy as it sounded.
“There is only one way.”
If someone could dive in among the Liches and distract them, then even a momentary opening would allow her to turn them into dust.
However, that someone would have to be a knight with exceptional physical abilities, and of course, their life could not be guaranteed.
It was a strategy Richard would never have agreed to if he were here.
“…It’s difficult.”
Just as Alisa was frowning deeply, she saw three knights fighting on the front lines break away and run toward her.
Their faces were blurry, stained with black, dead blood, but they were definitely Richard’s closest aides.
Soon, the three men arrived before Alisa.
“I have a good plan.”
The first to speak was Moritz. At his air of resolve, Alisa listened.
“Send us in among the Liches. We will draw their attention. If the wizards launch an all-out attack during that gap, the tide of the battle will turn.”
It was a strategy Alisa hadn’t dared to propose first. As expected of the knights who followed Richard, they were truly reckless men.
“…I’m not sure if I should accept this proposal. Since I am not your lord, I know Richard wouldn’t have accepted this strategy.”
At that, the men spoke while gritting their teeth.
“Who was the one who did something reckless first? That guy Richard has no right to lecture us. If we happen to die, blame it all on him.”
“That’s right. This is a good chance to teach him a lesson.”
They were saying things they didn’t mean. Alisa let out a small sigh. Their resolve was too firm to reject the request of these stout-hearted men.
***
“…Things are really going just as you said.”
Ludwig spoke in a blunt tone. But no answer came back. Occasionally, only a voice filled with shock was heard, heavily suppressed.
*Hmph.*
Ludwig thought that his old natural enemy must have lost his mind as he aged, so he didn’t take it too seriously.
The mental state of his rival wasn’t what was important right now. The biggest problem was what that cracked sky implied.
“Hey, Vallach. That brat actually dared to give me an order.”
His voice was very fierce. He thought it was ridiculous enough that Richard was using his own swordsmanship master as a mere messenger, but the message the messenger delivered was even more absurd.
To use the prestige of Bartenberg to assemble all the forces of the Northern Continent.
Although a preliminary explanation followed that a war for the fate of the world would soon occur, the fact that an order had been given to Bartenberg remained unchanged.
Ludwig, who had been frowning, soon let out a chuckle as if it were amusing.
“I suppose I can take this as a declaration that the Church of Hor has gained more power than Bartenberg.”
When was it? There had been a bet like that. If Richard gained more influence across the Continent than Bartenberg, then Bartenberg would also serve the god known as Hor.
Richard was acting so arrogantly, as if he had already won the bet…
It was then.
“Se-seven… seven blades…”
Ludwig’s thoughts were interrupted. He turned his gaze to look at Richard’s messenger, Vallach. The old man’s wrinkled face was filled with shock.
“Is it already time for you to die? I don’t want to deal with a corpse, so go die peacefully on the back mountain, Vallach.”
It had only been a few minutes since Vallach had visited the study to suggest a drink of Holy Water. But immediately after that, Vallach’s state had become strange.
He couldn’t even speak properly, let alone drink Holy Water.
“Gah, huff!”
Vallach suddenly stood up and let out a bizarre scream. The mixture of astonishment, shock, and fear on his face was very strange. Was the passage of time really this terrifying?
Ludwig clicked his tongue and downed the Holy Water. At that moment, Vallach began to speak haltingly.
“Eight… eight blades… Richard has opened the eighth star! He opened four of them in an instant!”
“…What did you say?”
Eight. It was a realm Vallach had barely reached in his later years. It was a star too high for Richard, who was not even 20, to have attained.
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