News quickly spread through the Paladins and the Inquisitors that Eugene Lionheart had crossed through the warp-gate and violated the temple’s barrier. The first three Inquisitors to confront him had been overpowered in an instant, while the three Paladins had stood helplessly as Eugene passed them.
With things turning out this way, Giovanni, the Captain of the Blood Cross Knights, could no longer leave things up in the air. The presence of the Blood Cross Knights in the temple wasn’t permitted by the knight commander, but Giovanni believed the ritual to be sacred and holy and felt tremendous joy at being able to abet the ritual as a knight serving God.
Giovanni wasn’t alone in the desire to stay true to his faith. All the Paladins who accompanied Giovanni considered it an honor and joy to have the opportunity to participate in the sacrament. So why did it matter that they were here without orders from the commander? This was the work of God, and nothing was more important for the devotees of Light.
Even if the intruder was the Hero chosen by the Holy Sword, his will to cause destruction could not precede God’s will. Indeed, it was an unacceptable act of rampage for Eugene Lionheart to have invaded the temple without consent, then hurt the Inquisitors.
He needed to be stopped, even if the Hero was injured in the process. The Hero, the Incarnation of Light, could never ruin the Sacrament of Light. Bodily wounds could be healed over time, but sin was irreversible, especially if it involved denying God’s will and insulting the sacrament. It was an even greater transgression if the sinner was the Hero, who was supposed to be nobler than anyone else and obedient to the Will of Light.
‘He must be stopped.’
Giovanni’s earnest, desperate desire was well conveyed to the Paladins. They sympathized with Giovanni’s wish while sharing his pain. They had to stop the intruder, even if he was the Hero…. No, he needed to be stopped because he was the Hero. The ceremony could never be defiled by the Hero.
Atarax was of the same mind as Giovanni. From the beginning, he had believed in meeting the intruder with full force. He never should have been allowed to set foot inside the barrier…. His regret drove him to give orders to the Inquisitors: they could not afford to hold back. They had to forget the fact that they were up against the Hero.
~
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The Paladins and Inquisitors could move unhindered through the haze that enveloped the temple. Their eyes were not misled by the fog, which meant that their search should have been a breeze, but… they were experiencing difficulties. They could not find Eugene anywhere, though he must have entered the barrier. Hundreds of Paladins and Inquisitors searched the ruins and surrounding forest thoroughly, but none of them managed to catch even a whiff of Eugene’s scent. Eugene had disappeared like a ghost after entering the barrier.
‘Where the hell did you go? How?’
The groups were naturally divided once orders came down. The Paladins stuck with their colleagues, as did the Inquisitors. In the first place, they belonged to different organizations, so they weren’t accustomed to working together.
A squad of ten Paladins was searching the outskirts of the temple, a place bordering the barrier. For anyone to gain immunity to the deception of the barrier, they needed to be blessed by Cardinal Rogeris. Without the blessing, it was impossible to approach the temple, let alone the spring. No matter how long anyone ventured in the fog, they would continue to circle the outskirts. For this reason, many Paladins were deployed to the outskirts.
Unfortunately for the devotees, Eugene was well aware of this fact as well.
“Huh?” The Paladins felt something. They were on high alert, and they could feel something slowly creeping up on them.
And then, they saw it. The thing encroaching on them was….
Their faces stiffened. Their lips fluttered in prayer, and they inched closer to each other.
Paladins did not wear armor. The only exception was when the Pope, the Agent of Light, gave orders to prepare for a Holy War. But this ritual wasn’t war. It was a sacred event of Light, so what need was there to wear their armor? At least, that was the idea, but unfortunately, they desperately needed their armor now. All ten Paladins felt as such when faced with the fierce, sinister energy that slowly paralyzed their senses.
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Their prayers gave rise to a stronger light, and the light wrapped around the bodies of the Paladins in the form of armor. It was a skill available to all Paladins of Yuras: Armor of Light.
This armament of faith would change in shape and size according to the depth of the user’s faith, and the Paladins of the Blood Cross Knights could even summon armor capable of defending against sword-force. They could block even stronger attacks and magic if they built a shield of light. It could be said that the Paladins of Yuras were characterized by the strong, unshakable defense they boasted.
Ten light-clad Paladins donned their helmets in unison. They raised their shields and drew swords, and the light twisted around the blades to transform their weapons into long spears. They hid behind their proud shields and connected them in a long line. The spears jutted out of the gaps, and a wall of light was completed in an instant.
They had trained for confrontations against large monsters, demonic beasts, and enemies with similar levels of threat, but… what they faced now was neither a monster nor a demonic beast.
Did that mean he wasn’t their enemy?
They weren’t sure. The Paladins were desperate. They wanted to deny that the young man they faced was the enemy. Was it perhaps because he was recognized by the Holy Sword? Maybe because he was the first Hero in three hundred years? No, that wasn’t it. If they designated him as the enemy, they had no choice but to fight him. But they didn’t want to fight. No, they could not fight.
They had trained their will to be unwavering, but now, it was like a burning candle, fragile and easily shaken. The Paladins were afraid of facing this young man, Eugene Lionheart.
Eugene observed the Paladins from a distance. He was coming from the source of the Fount of Light. He had contemplated destroying it and following it to wherever it led, but it was difficult to discern exactly where the complex mess of pipes led. He also had to think about the consequences of destroying the source, since it would affect the fount.
It wasn’t yet time.
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Thus, he left the source behind, and after taking a mere few steps, found himself in this place. He tried to make sense of it from a wizard’s perspective. This barrier divided space into different zones and connected them in complex, contorted ways. The source of the fount would have been the heart, the most secretive location within the barrier, an impossible place to enter, unless… the miracle… unless the damn miracle guided you.
“Are you going to stop me?” asked Eugene while glancing at the Holy Sword in his hand. The divine weapon was emitting a subtle glow, and Eugene glared at it with a contorted expression.
“…..”
The Paladins did not answer. They could not. They couldn’t think of an answer to the obvious question. A fierce battle was taking place in their minds. ‘I don’t want to stop him.’ ‘Just open the way and let him through.’ ‘No, let’s just run away—’ But they could not. Their lips were chapped, cold sweat drenched their foreheads and spines, and their hearts were pounding like mad.
Fear forced silence on the Paladins, but in their silence, they quietly put their spears forward. They shifted closer to each other and tightened the wall of shields. The Paladins were overcoming the sinister fear with their faith in God.
Eugene could feel it as well — the Paladins were gradually loosening up. The tighter their shields wove together, the more intense their light became. Finally, the quivering tips of their spears stabilized with faith.
Such a sight ignited an explosion in Eugene’s heart, and he felt his ash hair stand on end. He had told them to move, but they seemed set on blocking his path. Didn’t that mean there was only one thing left for him to do?
The flickering tongues of the White Flame Formula surrounded his body, and he took a step forward. A step was all it took. The gluttonous hands of the flame quickly engulfed the entirety of Eugene’s self.
Shatter!
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The light fractured into countless pieces. The flames surrounding Eugene burst forward and greedily devoured the debris of light. Taking a long breath, Eugene continued moving ahead. The Paladins’ wall of shields could not stop Eugene. The wall of light, bound by faith, was shredded by the raging flame as if it were nothing more than a sheet of paper. The spears they raised in determination were crushed even before they could be thrust. Their armor of faith only served to barely save their lives as they were crushed and smashed to an unrecognizable form.
This was the work of the Holy Sword. Eugene’s flames fluttered bigger than the light emitted by the blade, and he used the White Flame Formula to condense the sword-force into a coat surrounding the blade of the Holy Sword.
In truth, he did not need to use the Holy Sword. The beautiful ceremonial blade was, in fact, not practical at all as a weapon.
Eugene already knew this. Nevertheless, he swung the Holy Sword because he wanted to. The Holy Sword Altair was an artifact left behind by that old dog ‘God of Light,’ and they believed in their god unconditionally. So he wanted to destroy their light with the Holy Sword.
‘…It’s hot,’ Eugene thought.
His heart was racing, even though he had not used Ignition. The blood raged its course through his body far faster than normal, and his mana was stoking the fire instead of cooling it down.
Heavy fog arose from nothingness. The ancient barrier recognized the enemy threatening the temple, and all the believers within the temple were alerted of Eugene’s presence. All but the three conducting the ceremony at the fount began to move toward Eugene.
Eugene wasn’t aware of this, but even knowing would have changed nothing. He had no intention of backing down; if anything blocked his way, he would destroy it. If they fell and still attempted to stop him, he would trample them. If they held his ankles, he would cut off their hands.
Each of his steps caused the fog to tremble, despite the lack of wind. But the laughter, screams, groans, and cries of the girls resonated as clear as a bell from a distance. What exactly was so omnipotent and omniscient about this light and whatever god?
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The flame surrounding the Holy Sword swelled as something leaped at him from beyond the fog. Eugene swung without looking, and the pale light of the sword parted the mist. The flame followed shortly after, ripping through the fog with an even stronger light.
Screams passed him by, but it was none of Eugene’s business. It didn’t matter how many he had cut down with his strike. He could feel hostility radiating from all sides. Their anger overpowered their fear and amplified their hostility into murderous intent. The Hero was denying the Sacrament of Light. He was attacking the believers, those he was supposed to protect and lead. Most importantly, neither hesitation nor mercy could be found in his strikes.
Not just that, he was striking down believers with the Holy Sword. It was truly unimaginable and sacrilegious. The devout Paladins wept, and the Inquisitors, the punishers of pagans, bled from their chewed lips.
They charged Eugene without hesitation.
The fog continued to pulsate. But since it was too thick, Eugene couldn’t clearly distinguish his opponents. However, he could smell the blood from beyond the white haze. He could hear their chants and sobs.
“Why are you the ones crying?” he called out. Eugene had many cards up his sleeve. He had Akasha from Sienna, and he had the Lionhearts’ treasures: Storm Sword Wynnyd, Thunderbolt Pernoa, Dragon Spear Kharbos, and Devouring Sword Azphel.
He had the Moonlight Sword.
However, he did not want to use anything else. Here and now, he would only use the Holy Sword. He would deny their very essence with the sword left by the god they cried and sobbed for.
Eugene’s flames continued to blaze. He continued forward with a fierce, sinister expression. The sword whipped with every pulse of the fog, then came the screams and blood. Some dodged the sword and rushed in, but they only delayed their deaths by a second.
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It looked almost as if he were swinging without thought, but no one was able to approach him. No one could come hastily without preparing themselves to be cut. Even if they prepared themselves and approached with caution, they would be cut. Impatience seemed to push them forward, but they were greeted with gut-wrenching blows.
The formation of the Paladins was forced to change due to the continued blows — a thoughtless approach only served to reduce their numbers. Nevertheless, the Paladins could not let Eugene continue down his path.
Dozens of Paladins recited the same prayer, and the armor of light protecting their bodies shattered before wrapping around their entire formation.
Fwoosh!
The gigantic wings of light drove away the fog as they spread in their full glory. Eugene stared straight at them, noticing the accumulation of power united by the prayers of dozens of Paladins. Faith gathered with prayers and swelled endlessly. Even though the sun was gone and the sky dark, the light emitting from the Paladins descended like an artificial sun.
The large wings of light soared high into the sky, and the prayer of the Paladins intensified accordingly. Their heightened chants resonated like a hymn.
After rising high enough to pierce heaven, the wings came crashing down. Countless feathers of light poured down toward Eugene like a meteor shower.
Eugene glared at the sight as he raised his sword.
Craack!
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An intangible force started pressing down on Eugene. The Inquisitors had gathered their prayers during the Paladins’ chant in unison.
The force that suppressed Eugene was different from the typical use of magic, but he couldn’t feel the unique characteristics of divine magic from it either. It was likely ancient magic, something similar to blood magic.
Hundreds of years ago, the Holy Empire had spearheaded the magic hunt, and the Inquisitors of Maleficarum were now monopolizing the very magic they had previously labeled as heresy.
Eugene could feel the suppressing force growing stronger by the second, and it wasn’t simply binding him physically. The bond interfered with the flow of mana inside his body and neutralized him completely.
“Huh,” Eugene scoffed before willing his core to spin. The Ring Flame Formula caused his production of mana to increase explosively.
Kiieeeng!
Agaroth’s Ring reacted to Eugene’s explosive mana from his left ring finger. The ring was a relic left by an ancient, perished war god. Although Agaroth’s will no longer lingered in the ring, it was imbued with a spirit resembling its former master’s temperament. Agaroth’s Ring reminisced about the battlefields of the myths as feathers poured down from the heavens.
The Ring knew the duty it needed to perform at times like these.
Rumbleeeee!
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Agaroth’s Ring caressed the mana Eugene poured out, and the divine power contained within the ring strengthened the mana further. Lightning Flame became intertwined with the flow of mana.
The torrent of mana surging from Eugene caused the Inquisitors to lose control. Although it would be difficult to find anything superior when it came to binding spells, and dozens of Inquisitors were combining their powers to hold Eugene in place, the best they could do was to restrict him for a short moment.
The moment their bind was broken, the feathers were already in contact with Eugene’s body. However, the feathers failed to hurt Eugene. Instead, the flames surged upwards, burning away the feathers in their rampage.
Eugene raised the Holy Sword amid the chaos. Something strange blended with the mana he controlled using the Ring Flame Formula. It was different from the Lightning Flame. Eugene felt it to be foreign and strange, but it wasn’t impossible to control either.
The divine power contained in Agaroth’s Ring combined with Eugene’s mana rather than flowing separately.
The White Flame Formula of the Lionheart.
Empty Sword of the Dragonic.
Crack.
Lightning swirled around the flames covering the Holy Sword, and lightning pulled mana from the atmosphere back into the flames. The Empty Sword caused the flame of the blade to swell, then shrink. The Empty Sword condensed the unstable mana by binding it, then coated the blade in a repetitive process.
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One.
Rumbleeeeee!
The materialization of the Paladin’s chants transformed from wings of light into a large sword. It was clear that the Second Form of their gospel could easily sweep away its enemies, as well as anyone in the vicinity. As such, the Inquisitors retreated to the side of the Paladins, then joined in the prayer to provide support with their divine power.
The Sword of Judgement exuded an even more brilliant light, and Eugene tightened his grip on the Holy Sword while looking up. Agaroth’s Ring radiated a bleak glow.
Crack! Craack!
Sharper tongues of lightning permeated the flame.
Two.
Twice refined by The Empty Sword, the white and blue flames of the blade spread as black spots.
The Sword of Judgement started its descent toward Eugene, and the flame engulfed the light.