I hurled myself toward the direction from which the roar had come.
From the far end of the plain, the cry echoed, filled with a sense of pain.
‘At least it’s not the worst-case scenario.’
If it had been completely corrupted by Demonic Energy, it wouldn’t even be able to let out a sound like that.
Kwoooaaah—!
Once again, the roar tore across the plain.
The sound was so loud that even the withered, blackened weeds shivered where they stood.
I kept running, cutting down the occasional attacking Monster Undead that lunged at me.
At last, the creature’s figure came into view.
Grrrr…
It was the Divine Beast once revered as the guardian of the Baren Kingdom, and in the future, destined to be Leon’s partner Artifact.
The Lion King looked truly wretched.
“Tsk…”
I kept my distance and examined its condition.
Its body was as huge as a house, and its mane still exuded a sense of valor.
But its lower half had rotted away, leaving it hideously deformed.
“I almost arrived too late.”
The true terror of Demonic Energy is its plague-like nature.
Once infected, it spreads through the body in an instant, sending you down an irreversible path.
Humans become Demons, Monsters become even more wicked abominations.
“Come here.”
The moment I beckoned to the Lion King with my hand, it stamped the ground and charged at me.
Looking into its crazed eyes, it was clear that it was no longer a Divine Beast, just a rampaging beast.
Bang—!
The Lion King’s forepaw raked a deep scar across the plain.
I swallowed hard and leaped back.
Right now, no matter what I said, it wouldn’t understand.
Grrr……
“Let’s start with a few hits.”
I drew Dragon Tooth and faced the beast.
A moment of tense silence.
The Lion King crouched low, glaring at me as if searching for an opening.
Matching its rhythm would only waste time.
I wrapped my whole body in Holy Aura and stomped the ground.
Kaaang—!
Sword and claws clashed in midair.
A fierce shock ran up through the hilt into my hand.
But the Lion King didn’t give me a moment to recover from the impact.
Its claws, sharper than any famed blade, slashed at me again and again, slicing through the air.
If I dodged the claws, its massive jaws would snap wide open and lunge at me.
It reminded me of fighting the Fang Dragon.
‘Beast-type Monsters all have similar patterns.’
Claws and bites.
Then, as expected—
“Kraaaaah—!”
A Roar.
If you got caught by it at close range, it was threatening enough to make you lose consciousness for a moment.
“Ugh—!”
A shout filled with Faith burst from my mouth.
The thunderous sounds of our cries collided, echoing across the plain.
Grrr!
I was the victor.
For a creature being corrupted by Demonic Energy, Faith was fatal.
As the Lion King’s body trembled, I summoned Holy Aura and swung my sword.
Sssk—
I could feel the resistance as my blade sliced through its thick hide.
“Think of it as medicine.”
I muttered, wiping blood from my face.
It wasn’t just empty words.
There was a flicker of confusion in its eyes.
Holy Aura is woven from Sacred Power, the opposite attribute of Demonic Energy.
Not to mention the shout of Faith.
In other words, it was the perfect remedy to awaken the Lion King, who had lost its reason.
Quang—, quaang—
After that, we clashed again and again.
Every time the Lion King’s claws raked the ground, long furrows were left in the plain.
Its movements were so quick that if I let my guard down even for a moment, it would seize the opening.
‘Good thing I came.’
I barely avoided its ambush and let out a sigh.
No matter how I looked at it, this beast was worth coveting.
Just then—
I froze.
The creature that had been right in front of me only a moment ago had vanished.
And then, I felt a massive presence behind me.
“All right. After all this, you should be coming to your senses.”
I turned my head and looked at the Lion King.
It stood tall behind me, glaring down with an air of triumph, as if it had won.
Its eyes now held the clear energy unique to Divine Beasts.
“If you’d done it right, you would’ve won.”
Grrrm.
I could swear the corners of the beast’s mouth curled up a bit, which annoyed me.
Honestly, I couldn’t exactly ask for another round.
Suppressing my irritation, I spoke.
“Anyway, let’s have a talk.”
The Lion King couldn’t speak.
But it could understand human language.
“I’ll heal your body, so come with me.”
The Lion King’s menacing aura finally subsided.
Then, it glanced down at its lower body.
Black, dead fur, melting hide, and pus oozing in between.
“If you stay like this, you’ll become a hideous Monster. You know that, right?”
Grrrr…
Suddenly, it furrowed its brow and let out a roar.
The cry was filled with frustration and pain.
It was obvious at a glance that its pride was high; to end up like this must have been a huge blow to its self-esteem.
[2,000 Faith has been bestowed upon the target]
I placed my hand on the beast’s lower half.
The sticky pus was unpleasant, but I could endure that much.
The Lion King’s golden eyes fixed on me.
The darkness that had been eating away at its lower body began to recede, if only a little.
Grrr……
Soon, the beast sat down.
Then, closing its eyes, it became completely still, as if it had fallen asleep.
Only an occasional groan of pain escaped it.
“I’ll take that as agreement.”
I sat down next to the Lion King and poured Sacred Power into the corrupted area.
That was when the real work began.
The darkness swallowing the Lion King’s lower body did not fade easily.
A day passed like that, and then three more.
The method to treat the corruption was simple.
Once a day, I would bestow 2,000 Faith and Sacred Power, and the Lion King would circulate it throughout its body.
Because it had reached the level of a Divine Beast, treatment was at least possible.
‘I have to save Faith for battle…’
2,000 was the maximum I could use per day.
Thanks to that, I was so drained from drawing out all my Sacred Power that I was on the verge of collapse.
For a so-called Divine Beast, it was as much a spiritual leech as any Monster.
‘Damn it.’
Gradually, I started to get anxious.
The Demonic Energy of the enemy army advancing toward Riot Castle would draw near, then recede from a certain point onward.
That meant they had already passed the Nar Plain and were approaching Riot Castle.
Their marching speed was truly alarming.
It seemed the Knights had joined the advance…
“Hey. Are you done yet?”
My impatience made me urge the Lion King for no reason.
The beast lay sprawled on the plain, wholly focused on expelling the Demonic Energy.
The only relief was that part of its lower body had regained its original color.
Three more days passed in endless waiting.
At last, the Lion King managed to completely expel the Demonic Energy.
Kwoooaaah—!
It stood firm on all fours and let out a mighty roar.
It was a declaration to the plain that it had returned to full strength.
Grrrng!
Then, the Lion King cast its gaze at me.
At the same time, a System Window appeared before my eyes.
[The Lion King expresses gratitude]
[The Lion King seeks to fulfill its promise]
[The Lion King has met the requirements to become a Divine Beast]
Truly, a Divine Beast is a Divine Beast.
As proud as it was, it would never break a promise once made.
[Will you accept the Lion King as your Divine Beast?]
“All right, your name from now on is Narre.”
The beast let out a growl and passed gas.
Whether that meant it was pleased or not, who could tell.
[Narre] [Lion King]
-Specialties – [Earthstride], [Roar], [Transformation], [Superhuman Strength], [Undying], [Magical Synchronization], [Sixth Sense]
-Notes – [Natural Enemy], [Affinity], [Brilliance]
“Hmm..”
The main things to note were Transformation, Earthstride, and Undying.
Just then, Narre’s body began to turn to mist.
Fsssh—
With a sound like something crumbling to ashes, Narre’s massive body vanished without a trace.
All that remained was a single fang, as thick as my forearm.
This was the Lion King’s true form, and the reason it was called an Artifact.
“Transformation.”
I gripped the fang and infused it with Sacred Power.
This time, the fang was wrapped in white mist, and the giant form of the Lion King appeared.
Kwoooaaah—!
“Don’t cry.”
Narre’s new appearance was different from before.
A snowy white mane, snow-white hide.
The once golden eyes had turned a mysterious silvery-white.
“So this is Magical Synchronization.”
An amazing power that transforms itself according to the mana attribute of its wielder.
Narre, now a white lion, looked over its own body in wonder.
“We don’t have time for that. You feel it too, right?”
Grrrng.
The enemy army’s Demonic Energy surged near Riot Castle and beyond its rear lines.
We couldn’t delay any longer.
“Let’s head out right away.”
Narre nodded and lowered its body.
As if it considered it an honor to have me ride on its back, it even let out another fart.
It had ‘Natural Enemy’ in the notes, so I’d probably have to establish the pecking order for real later.
“Let’s go.”
I climbed onto Narre’s back and pointed to the front lines.
The next moment, an overwhelming sense of speed pressed in on me.
***
The dead do not tire.
Even the ghostly horses carrying the corpses of ironclad Knights were the same.
Thanks to that, they could charge at full speed day and night, and soon, they arrived at the hill overlooking Riot Castle.
Gulp—
The Knights of the Alliance Army standing atop the castle wall swallowed dryly.
The air was thick with the stench of Demonic Energy and rotting corpses.
“Commander, the enemy numbers are about four hundred! But the enemy is Poiro… the House Poiro!”
The Commander, eyes wide, screamed as he surveyed the front lines.
The House of Poiro, one of the Martial Union’s pillars who had defended the First Fortress.
No one here was unaware of how formidable their Knight Order had been.
“Eighty Death Knights, three hundred and twenty Zombie Knights…”
“The Death Knights seem to be composed only of top-class Knights!”
“They’re at the vanguard… and there’s still more Demonic Energy coming from far off!”
The Commanders’ frantic shouts rang out, and the expressions of the Alliance Army grew ever more rigid.
“Do not panic!”
To them, Leon shouted.
On his clenched fist gleamed the Ring of Richard, shining with its power.
At the same time, the unfiltered aura he unleashed awakened the spirits of the Alliance Army.
“Look to the Banner of the Allied Army! Remember your noble mission!”
“Will you cower in fear again? Or will you fight bravely?”
The leaders of the Martial Union also raised their voices.
There was only one order from Richard: Never let the morale of the Alliance fall.
“We can’t show the Young Lord any more disgrace!”
To them, Richard was not just a youth with power, but the rightful Deputy of Bartenberg.
Perhaps it was Richard’s mysterious and astonishing power that could bring an end to the war.
The family heads waited for him, raising their voices.
“Lord Richard…”
Aaron looked up at the banner and pounded his chest.
The Third Knight Division did the same, and Moritz looked ready to cry.
“Huger! Ri—Richard, that guy… isn’t he already dead? He said if anything happened, he’d come running right away…!”
With trembling hands, Moritz clung to Huger.
Just as Huger was about to say something to Moritz, someone slapped Moritz on the back.
“Big brother, big brother. Don’t talk nonsense.”
“W-what?”
“Adele, Lady Adele?”