Chapter 159: The Second Grand War of Saints and Demons (1)

At some point, my heart began to race.

A sense of foreboding washed over me.

Whenever I felt this way, something troublesome was bound to happen.

I immediately activated Divine Sight.

In a corner of the vision floating in the sky, the eerie sight of Markus’s Fortress appeared.

However, there were no living souls within it.

Only remnants of what had once been human flesh remained.

Melted bits of meat, scattered strands of hair, and eyeballs with wide-open pupils rolled across the stone floor.

*Clack, clack—*

A skeleton standing blankly snapped its jaw shut.

Ghostly fire flickered within its empty eye sockets.

Since the fortress was pitch black, they looked exactly like will-o’-the-wisps.

One pair. Two pairs.

Soon, they multiplied into thousands of pairs.

“Fight and kill. Die fighting.”

“We shall become the sacrifices…”

I knew the identity of those skeletons muttering gloomily.

I couldn’t possibly not know.

Markus.

The family known as the greatest magic house and the arch-enemy of Bartenberg had transformed into a den of Liches overnight.

A dizzying chill crawled up my spine.

Humans are, in the end, just humans.

No matter how great a figure one might be, it means nothing to the monsters of the Demon Realm who view humans as mere insects.

I glared at them, intending to suppress the Liches’ power.

However, there was no longer a need for that.

*Boom—!*

Without warning, the Liches using Teleport began to attack the nearby Kingdom of Typhon.

“Aaaagh!”

“Save me…”

Innocent civilians were blown apart by indifferent gestures.

It started with a small village.

Then, a fortress of Typhon.

The Liches burned the Kingdom of Typhon without rest, like machines repeating a slaughter.

In the wake of that deadly touch, corpses rose to their feet.

The nightmare of the Undead that had unfolded in the Baren Kingdom was now striking the Southern Continent.

I deactivated Divine Sight.

I had been forced to watch innocent civilians turn into Undead, and finally, I had to look away.

Of course, I could have punished the Liches by raining down Heaven’s Wrath.

But I didn’t.

If I did that, I wouldn’t be able to use my strength where it was truly needed.

I ground my teeth so hard it felt like they would break.

Yet, only the screams I had heard moments ago repeated in my ears.

After taking a long, deep breath, I activated Divine Sight once more.

***

In a wide plaza, young children ran around playfully, laughing.

Patrolling soldiers gave the children warnings while laughing along with them.

Today, the Baren Kingdom was that peaceful.

The King of that peaceful kingdom leaned quietly back on the King’s Throne.

“O Hor… please, dispel the discord in the Southern Continent.”

However, the voice he muttered occasionally was tinged with a flicker of anxiety.

The King was well aware of the grim rumors and wars incessantly flowing from the Southern Continent, and that Richard was at the center of it all.

“Please look over the future of Lord Richard, and may peace dwell under your blessing…”

The prayer, brief but sincere, came to an end.

Only then did the King open his eyes.

A brilliant light stood before him.

[ Ruler of the Baren Kingdom ]

The shimmering Divine Power in the middle of the audience chamber was enough to make the King prostrate himself.

“O Hor!”

King Barentis’s hands trembled as they pressed against the floor.

It was a god.

That light was undoubtedly Hor.

[ I have seen it in the south ]

[ The deaths of innocent humans ]

[ The wicked power that defies providence ]

The King’s eyes, filled with emotion, flickered with shock.

The light was radiant, but the message it spoke was not bright at all.

[ Barentis ]

[ Assemble all the heroes who overcame the nightmare ]

[ Gather those brave knights at Riot Castle ]

[ I shall open the path through the sky and lead the Temple Knights ]

The King pressed his forehead to the ground.

His mind felt faint at the Divine Voice.

“O Hor…”

He had wished for peace, but what returned was a declaration of war between Light and Eodom.

If he sent his forces into the heart of that storm, countless soldiers would return as corpses.

For a ruler, rather than a knight with a sense of mission or conviction, this was not an easy decision to make.

However, the King complied.

He had once promised Richard that he would lead the way toward peace.

Beneath the surface of peace, there were always countless deaths.

The people at Riot Castle would surely participate in the battlefield willingly.

[ I, Hor, promise you ]

[ Those who sacrifice themselves in the fight for peace shall go to Heaven ]

[ And the wicked shall fall into Hell ]

[ I shall personally set this twisted world right once more ]

To the words that sounded like a divine oath, the King simply replied that he would believe.

***

It didn’t take long for the identity of the Liches that attacked the Kingdom of Typhon to be revealed.

This was thanks to the testimony of the only survivor of the Typhon royalty, the Third Prince.

A legion of Liches wearing robes engraved with the crest of Markus!

There was no need to verify the truth of it now.

The situation was clear enough to see who was Evil and who was Light.

Eventually.

At the same time the news of the Kingdom of Typhon’s annihilation shook the Southern Continent, a massive number of Wizards began to gather toward the capital of Laplace.

“I have come by the order of His Majesty the King of Tahar! Please forgive us for our wrong judgments and let us fight under the blessing of Hor!”

“I have come from the Duchy of Jan! Please grant us a place in the Laplace coalition! We will redeem our past mistakes of aiding the darkness with our own hands!”

The Kingdom of Tahar and the Duchy of Jan, which had previously supported Markus.

Ironically, they were the first to seek out Laplace.

Alisa accepted them readily.

In exchange, they promised to support the cause with ample troops and resources.

Everything after that was easy.

Even before the news that Tahar and Jan had sided with Laplace could spread far, the various nations that had been waiting and watching began to move.

They had already learned of the existence of the ‘Hor Church’ through numerous envoys.

The justification they put forward was simple.

“The Principality of Hotin will join the great cause of the Hor Church!”

“Since Light has already found a place in the heart of the Kingdom of Tar, I cannot bear to see the darkness run rampant!”

“I have come at the call of Hor!”

The prestige of the Hor religion, which could not overlook the evil deeds of heresy.

Even if those were just hollow praises for Hor shouted to follow the trend, Laplace accepted all the military forces.

“As they face and fight the darkness directly, they will have no choice but to rely on the Light. The darkness is that terrifying and cruel, while the Light is that warm and benevolent.”

That was Alisa’s argument.

According to the Queen’s decision, the troops gathered at the massive fortress near the capital reached 100,000.

It was an unprecedented army composed only of the elites from each nation.

However, Alan, looking down at them, furrowed his brow deeply.

The behavior of the nations, following Hor only with their words, seemed like nothing more than being swayed back and forth by the flow of power.

Looking at her younger brother, Alisa smiled bitterly.

“Alan. Do you know how Markus became the greatest magic family?”

“Did they not reach that position through repeated victories?”

“Indeed. But do you truly think that was the only qualification?”

Alisa pointed a finger at the Wizards standing in formation.

“It was because of their recognition. Because there was an acknowledgment that ‘Markus is the first among magic families,’ they were able to rule the Southern Continent.”

“It is the same logic now. They have gathered here because they recognize the Chur Church as the countermeasure to the darkness.”

Alan did not respond.

However, his deep frown had softened before he knew it.

His heart eased as he considered this also a process of the Hor religion’s growth.

“Hmm. But they are afraid. I wonder if it is fear of opposing Markus, or an instinctive fear of the darkness…”

“It is because they do not truly believe in God, so they have nowhere to lean. Their only comfort right now is their numbers.”

If they entered battle in that state, sacrifices would only increase exponentially.

As Alan agonized over a solution, he suddenly looked around.

“Sister, where is Richard?”

“He said he would come to the fortress in time and told me not to enter his room. Honestly, I thought he was a teenage boy. He looked a bit suspicious while he was cooped up. Hmm, is it really puberty?”

In reality, he had been unable to move his body due to the aftereffects of the revelation, but there was no way the two of them could know that.

“This is troublesome. Richard would be able to comfort them well.”

They were scheduled to begin their march in just one day.

Morale had to be raised before then.

Just as Alisa’s anxiety was beginning to grow.

“Alan?”

Suddenly, Alan walked to the front of the Wizards.

To be precise, in front of the Heretic Inquisition Unit standing in formation.

*Hummm—*

Light rose from his staff, drawing everyone’s attention.

“I, the Judge of Heresy, ask you.”

As he spoke in a rhythmic tone, the momentum of the Heretic Inquisition Unit changed.

They straightened their hunched backs and steadied their breathing.

A strange light flickered in Alisa’s eyes at the sight.

“What does the Light desire?”

“He desires the eradication of the heretics who serve the wicked!”

*Thump, thump!*

The 2,000 Inquisitors answered while stomping their feet.

“Then, who are the heretics who serve the wicked?”

“It is none other than Markus, whose eyes have been clouded by arrogance!”

*Clang—!*

They hoisted their staffs high.

“Is there no seed of heresy under heaven other than Markus?”

“There is! We, who prioritize authority and power, are the very seeds of heresy and the prey that the darkness constantly covets!”

“If that is the truth, will you become heretics?”

“We are the seeds of heresy, yet we stand with the brilliant light! As long as this faith does not scatter even by a handful, we shall not walk with the darkness!”

There was a strange power in their shouts that pounded fiercely against the hearts of those listening.

It was more like a resonance of the soul than a mere cry of firm determination.

Alisa smiled faintly.

At this moment, she was very pleased with Alan and the Inquisitors for stepping forward to boost morale.

“I, the Judge of Heresy, ask once more. What does the Light desire?”

“The annihilation of evil! The corrected discipline of the world! Let the Hor religion stand at the center of the world!”

*Whoosh—!*

A pure Light of Purification erupted from Alan’s staff.

The flames swelled in size in an instant, covering the entire Heretic Inquisition Unit.

“We shall execute divine punishment with these flames! We shall be granted qualification by God through the killing of heretics! We shall willingly commit the sin of slaughter to execute the sinners! Even if our bodies are eventually burned away, the flame of God is the hellfire that incinerates the guilty!”

Amidst the blazing white flames, the Inquisitors shouted toward the heavens.

It took only a moment for those 2,000 shouts to transform the army of 100,000.

The anxiety and tension that had been lingering vanished, replaced by thunderous cheers.

“Ho…”

At the familiar voice, Alisa turned her head.

Richard, having arrived at some unknown point, was leaning against a wall, watching Alan.

“You’re late.”

“Well, I was busy relaxing my nerves.”

“Ahem. It’s good to relieve stress, but make sure it doesn’t interfere with the schedule.”

Richard tilted his head at her strangely odd tone.

Then, he soon turned his gaze toward one side of the sky.

A smirk played on his lips.

Far off, a path of light spanning the sky stretched out.

Along that path, familiar men were approaching.

Accompanied by a thunderous Sacred Song.