Chapter 68: Towards the End of the Nightmare (2)

Once again, an undead horde invaded Riot Castle.

The corpses that had broken free from the control of the marble were drawn by the Sacred Aura.

Among them, a large number were former Knights.

Of course, to the current Union, they were not particularly dangerous.

“Don’t be careless. Deal with them.”

I told the Knights, whose horns flared as if they were about to charge immediately.

Just as thousands of mosquitoes make thunderous noise, complacency was always forbidden.

“Commander! I will bring them peace!”

“Open the castle gates!”

Kugugung—

The massive gates, reinforced with iron plates, creaked open.

Between them, rows of Knights stood ready to march forward.

Now, they showed a fierce bravery that made even bullets seem wasteful—they would take them down with their swords.

“Good, good! Finally, I get to wield my Sacred Sword!”

“Wait a moment!”

I stopped Moritz as he tried to join the formation.

His figure clutching the Sacred Sword he had received the day before looked comically eager.

Until yesterday, he had been grumbling about the unfairness of it all.

“Ah, why? I’m busy, just say what you want.”

“Do you even know how to use that Sacred Sword?”

At my words, he went completely silent, like a guilty bear.

He looked as if he had no idea there was a proper way to use it.

“Give it here.”

I snatched the sword from his arms and swung it wildly.

Nothing remarkable happened.

Hmm, as expected, a lowest-ranked Sacred Sword doesn’t have any standout abilities.

At this level, the Sacred Relic only holds one power.

“Here, try infusing Mana into the sword.”

I handed the sword back to him.

Moritz hesitated, then followed my instruction with a bewildered expression.

He suddenly gasped, his body trembling as if surprised by his own strength.

“My body feels energized… Is this the Blessing of God?”

The ability of the lowest-ranked Sacred Sword was nothing other than a buff.

For someone like me who could freely wield Divine Grace, it was trivial—but for him, it would be a great help.

Proving my point, Moritz gripped the Sacred Sword, which faintly glowed with light, and wiggled his hips excitedly.

Just as he seemed ready to rush headlong into the battlefield again, I grabbed him once more.

“Ah, why again?”

“Why are you getting so worked up after I showed you how to use it?”

I glared sharply.

He flinched and shut his mouth.

“I told you—you’re now a Paladin.”

The special skill Paladins acquire: Holy Power Conversion.

In my understanding, it was the ability to convert Mana into Holy Power.

The key was the ratio.

I needed to know how much Mana converted into Holy Power.

Moritz, curious, finally spoke.

“Only once, but at Polin Castle, I used the same amount of Mana four times. Is that the power of a Paladin? Magic!”

“Yeah. What’s the ratio?”

“About 2 Mana to 1 Holy Power, roughly. Around there.”

Not the best efficiency.

But the fact that he could use a different kind of Mana was truly astonishing.

Especially Holy Power.

I pictured countless Paladins pouring out Holy Power.

It must have been a magnificent sight.

“Alright. Go.”

As soon as I said that, Moritz dashed off excitedly.

He seemed even more thrilled after hearing about the Holy Power.

“The hero of Riot Castle is here! Fear my Sacred Sword and Holy Power!”

“Chwiik! Comrade, what a magnificent sword you’ve gotten!”

Just by adding one fool, the battlefield was twice as noisy as usual.

The morale was way too high.

They’d end up biting off more than they could chew at this rate.

“Daddy”

I was quietly observing the battlefield from atop the castle wall.

Adele approached and grabbed my arm.

For some reason, her expression was filled with doubt.

“Is that really a Sacred Sword? It looks so weak for one.”

“Well, it’s a lowest-ranked Sacred Sword, so you can’t expect much.”

“At that level, it’s just about the blessing a newly qualified Saint bestows.”

“That’s quite an accurate way to put it.”

Adele’s unintended factual blow left a bitter taste in my mouth.

But I didn’t care much.

My Divine Grace would grow soon enough.

By sacrificing those High Demon Liches.

Then many things would change once again.

“Waaaah!”

Suddenly, a cheering cry echoed, snapping me out of my reverie.

Looking back at the battlefield, the fighting had already ended.

It was a surprisingly tensionless battle.

“Good timing.”

I muttered as I looked at the drenched Knights on the ground.

To put it simply, the current Union was in a situation where life was worth living.

Faith embraced us warmly.

God sang songs, and even the Undead that constantly tormented us were now pitiful.

With everything going smoothly, it was natural that tension would gradually ease.

But that was not good.

The real enemies were still watching us with sharp, piercing eyes.

Could complacency really be allowed?

“When we grab our gear and push through the magic energy, we’ll come to our senses.”

Adele spoke wisely by my side.

I smiled softly and nodded.

Compared to outside, the mana-filled Riot Castle was practically paradise.

It was time to leave and taste something harsher.

“We should depart as soon as we’re ready.”

At that moment, Leon caught my eye.

Seeming to catch my thoughts, he silently conveyed that he would hurry preparations.

The position of commander was not one to be snatched by just anyone.

I glanced toward the castle.

There were the 1,700 Knights who had all become my believers.

Alongside them were even Elves and the Cathedral Choir.

Faith that arrived daily was roughly 140,000 in total.

And currently, about 1.3 million was stored in my soul.

Despite using it generously here and there, I had still accumulated this much.

It was no small amount and certainly a formidable weapon.

“I’ve also thought of ways to mess with those petty fools.”

Ah, I was looking forward to it.

I smiled broadly, locking eyes with Adele.

***

Polin Castle was quiet.

Hundreds of beasts stood frozen under powerful coercion like statues.

Their noble demon masters’ only command was to eliminate the intruders.

Kuguguk—

At the very top of the castle where Serichi had taken a detour, a sinister aura trembled as if about to explode.

The ritual to open the Rift had just begun a short while ago.

They poured tremendous focus to flawlessly carry out their plan.

Many sacrifices had to be endured to get this far.

They couldn’t have progressed so easily by merely taking half of the kingdom.

At least one kingdom had to be swallowed by magic energy.

But it was impossible.

Such a large blaze would surely attract more attention.

They might even face powerful opponents they could not handle.

For example, an old man who wielded a Sword Star.

But now, it was all over.

Once the ritual was complete, the Demon King would descend and engulf the world in flames.

Although I could sense a repulsive aura far off, it was still weak.

Only cowards hiding in magic energy wouldn’t dare oppose the beasts guarding this place.

This castle was never meant to fall easily.

They were just a failsafe to foil their own plan.

Serichi thought like that and threw himself fully into the ritual.

He severed all outside connections and focused intensely.

It was truly a state beyond concentration.

No, it was on the level of mental forging.

For dozens of days, he cut off all distractions to focus solely on the ritual.

He didn’t even realize it was a huge mistake.

Now, at Riot Castle—the place they despised so much—what had been a faint spark of flame was burning brightly.

***

“The magic energy is becoming more and more volatile. Before it becomes uncontrollable, we must cooperate with the Knights.”

A young man insisted strongly.

But his argument was hardly feasible.

“Master Allen, cooperating with those ignorant Knights is absolutely impossible.”

“We severed contact with traitor Poland Helga long ago. The Knights have surely realized our intentions.”

On this side of Polin Castle, where Wizards gathered, no one supported the Knights.

Instead, they plotted to take advantage of this chance to torment them.

“Whether the Knights win or the magic energy’s master wins, all we have to do is survive, right? Even if those damned Knights anticipate our moves, they’re not in a position to counter them now.”

“That’s right. Opportunities like this are rare.”

Allen, who had been watching quietly, smiled bitterly.

He too shuddered at the thought of ignorant Knights.

But this time was different.

“Oh! Look at that magnificent magic energy! Doesn’t it look like the night sky?”

The Wizards cast sight-enhancing spells on themselves as they gazed toward Polin Castle.

A flicker of awe briefly passed their eyes—was it an illusion?

“This is madness. These people are definitely insane.”

Allen frowned deeply.

He had personally joined the Magic Alliance led by Rollanga here, hoping to teach the foolish swordsmen a lesson.

“The Knights are already annoying, but these crazy Wizards are even more detestable.”

It wasn’t always like this.

They had once been engulfed by magic energy themselves.

If not, would they have cast double or triple Barrier Magic?

Yet it was no use.

After months of enduring the small influx of magic energy leaking through the barriers, their minds had apparently gone astray.

Grinding his teeth, Allen stamped his foot.

“Wake up! Are you truly Wizards who seek the righteous Truth?”

His voice, filled with Mana, shook the Wizards’ consciousness.

Only then did those staring blankly at the magic energy snap back to attention.

The greatest magical prodigy from the Marx Family—the Wizard’s Army’s ace—was not easy to ignore.

By power alone, this young boy was probably at the top of the Union.

“I apologize, Master Allen. We have behaved poorly.”

Rollanga, the lord of the Union, bowed deeply to Allen.

Though polite and respectful, Allen’s expression stiffened further.

Behind that calm mask, one could clearly see how many serpents lurked.

“…Seize the opportunity properly. It seems cooperation with the Knights is already lost. So, just do whatever you can.”

Allen left his seat after those words.

With rough footsteps, a fierce promise burned in his mouth.

“If I eradicate all the Knights in this world, my next targets will be all the Wizards.”

And after that, every non-human race.

“For a world where neither sword nor magic is needed.”