Chapter 375: Red Dragon Knight Order
『……』Greed seemed to let out a furious roar, though it was not something Jeremiah could clearly hear.
He only felt that the waves surrounding him grew even more violent, like a tangible millstone, and he himself was like a stubborn stone ground beneath it, his body seemingly on the verge of being crushed to dust.
However, his body remained intact; this sensation was but a reflection of his will and spirit.
He was a bishop of the Church, firm in his Faith, protected by the Lord.
Yet, in facing this Greed directly, even its mere voice was unbearable—enough to obliterate Jeremiah's will and spirit.
Suddenly, in his dazed state, Jeremiah seemed to hear a hymn.
This voice seemed to echo from deep within his heart, growing louder until it drowned out the voice of Greed.
At last, Jeremiah heard the hymn clearly.
It was a song praising the Lord, a voice glorifying the Heavenly Kingdom on Earth.
Clear as a pure maiden, and muddled as an aged sage.
The voice felt as though it echoed from the past, as if being chanted in the future, ultimately resounding in the present.
The sound gradually subsided, and with it the waves; Jeremiah could feel his body once more.
He was kneeling, upper body bowed to the ground, curled up like a newborn.
Jeremiah felt warmth ahead of him.
He dared not raise his head, only pressing his forehead tightly to the floorboards.
「Jeremiah, why did you speak with it?」 A voice both familiar and alien echoed.
Jeremiah, still prostrated, said,『Lord, I am Your servant, and those Old Testament deities are the ones You said should be buried in the past. Yet these deities are unwilling to be exiled—they yearn to return. But how could Your servant allow them to defy Your will? So, Your servant must ultimately face them.』
Before Jeremiah, above the Lord's Throne, Corleon's body stood suspended in midair. Behind him was the Sacred Cross, and in his hand, he grasped a grey shadow.
The grey shadow struggled and roared in his grip, but was suppressed by Corleon and could not make a sound.
Corleon gazed down at Jeremiah with eyes full of mercy.
He spoke faintly,「But that is Original Sin—second only to the Primordial Sin. They exist eternally, always have, always will. To merely know their names incites fear. To sense their presence shreds the will. To speak with them devastates one’s spirit and resolve.」
Jeremiah replied while still bowed,『It is precisely for this reason that Your servant must face them, to show them that Your servant shall never yield. To show them that even if they exist eternally, there will always be someone in this world who enslaves them.』
Corleon said,「This merely adds to your suffering. Even if, under My protection, you resist His temptation, your spirit now bears cracks. Just like the presence of your will, they cannot be erased. Only by forgetting them can they be removed.」
Jeremiah answered,『This is my duty. And the cracks in my soul—they are caused by the record of Them.』
Corleon sighed and said,「If this is what you believe you must do, then so be it. You are My servant, and I shall protect you.」
Jeremiah said,『I will remain forever faithful to You and remember Your Teachings.』
Corleon asked,「Then why do you not dare raise your head?」
Jeremiah replied,『Your image already resides within my heart.』
Corleon sighed once more and said nothing further.
Jeremiah spoke,『Lord, I have sinned. I confess to You.』
Corleon responded,「You are without sin. There is no need for confession. Whether in the past, the present, or the future, the gates of the Heavenly Kingdom shall always be open to you.」
Then, Jeremiah felt the warmth before him vanish.
Yet he continued to prostrate until hurried footsteps echoed into the Great Cathedral.
「Bishop, Sir J—」 The voice suddenly stopped.
The newcomer saw the prostrated Jeremiah and dared not speak further, kneeling down in turn.
However, Jeremiah’s gentle voice rang out,『Sir Paul, rise. I was merely praying.』
Upon hearing this, the newcomer slowly stood up.
Jeremiah was already upright, facing him, the Sacred Cross behind him.
Sir Paul was one of the knights of the Great Cathedral of Doyle. Some time ago, Jeremiah had dispatched him, stripped of armor and clad in linen, to hide among the commoners.
Paul said,「Bishop, Councilor Julian’s army is now twenty li outside the city. His envoy asked me to inquire whether it is time to act.」
Jeremiah whispered,「So, it has finally come...」
There was a sigh in his voice.
Then, he looked at Paul and said,「Tell Councilor Julian: as previously discussed, those people are in the first and second tiers. The troops are deployed outside the city, and the bards have already left. The commoners outside Doyle City who could be relocated have also been moved by the priests.」
Sir Paul bowed,「Understood!」
Jeremiah continued,「After you inform Councilor Julian, instruct the knights and warriors to seal the three exits connecting the second and third tiers. No one is to enter or exit.」
After speaking, Jeremiah handed Paul a scroll of parchment.
「This is my order. The city guards are to man the walls entirely and repel the Allied Nobles. They are not to be allowed entry. If necessary, the Governor of the City Guards may conscript civilians to aid in the defense.」
「Though perhaps it won’t come to that...」
Sir Paul took the order and turned to leave, leaving Jeremiah alone once more in the Great Cathedral, kneeling beneath the Sacred Cross in repentance.
……
Twenty li outside Doyle City.
From afar, all was pitch-black, but once closer and past a certain threshold, countless magical lights hovered in the air, illuminating the camp as bright as day.
Three tightly formed phalanxes of 500 men each stood holding spears nearly five meters long. Each carried three throwing spears on their backs and a spear with an iron tip and a shaft sheathed in iron.
At their left hips hung longswords, on the right were three sling chains and a flanged mace. Their left wrists bore small round shields, and their right forearms had simple hand crossbows mounted.
Each man wore full-body heavy armor and an iron mask, with only small holes over the eyes.
These were three fully armed phalanxes—every one a third-tier high-level warrior, absolutely elite. Each formation was commanded by five mounted knights.
But beyond them was something even more eye-catching—five magic cannons.
These cannons had no barrels, only bases stacked with two-layered, decreasing-diameter two-meter cylinders, and a final third-layer cone nearing three meters.
Each cannon was manned by five men wearing well-crafted leather armor beneath loose robes—Julian’s battle mage corps.
Julian sat on horseback behind the cannons.
He had received Sir Paul's message.
「After applying magic to warfare, I feel only sorrow facing these relics of the Old Testament era,」 Julian sighed.
A twenty-li message on horseback would take half an hour, with a risk of detection by stationed troops.
But with magic, the round trip took just five minutes—most of it spent transcribing the message received from the mage.
「It’s simply that those people are too arrogant, still indulging in the glory of old, unwilling to face the world of the New Testament Era,」 his adjutant replied.
Councilor Julian smiled,「Then let us bury those still clinging to old glories. When the sun rises, one must live in the New Testament Era.」
「Yes, sir.」 The adjutant tugged his mount and entered the magic cannon ranks.
Soon, faint blue lights ignited on the cannons. The etched patterns on the first and second layers lit up, channeling mana into the third.
Upon reaching the third layer, spiral lines lit up and converged at the cone tip, then shot a beam into the sky.
The beam streaked like a meteor, landing on the first tier of Doyle City.
Even from twenty li away, Julian could see the glow of a miniature sun rising from the ground—and within it, the Doyle Castle, a mere black dot, was obliterated.
The ground quivered faintly, and the warhorses neighed uneasily.
「From this day forward, the nature of war shall be rewritten,」 Julian muttered, voice complex.「Perhaps this is how war in the New Testament Era should be.」
Then Julian turned his horse and looked behind him.
There stood a hundred-man knight order.
Unlike the warriors at the front, they bore fewer weapons—clad in dark red armor covering their entire bodies, wielding long spears, with swords at the horse’s side and round shields on the left arm.
Their warhorses were significantly larger than average, their eyes glowing faintly red.
At the front, three knights held flags—grey banners bearing a dark red dragon, matching the dragon patterns on their armor.
Julian gazed at them and proclaimed loudly:
「Lundex’s First Knight Order—Red Dragon Knight Order. Today is your first battle, and the most significant battle of the New Testament Era. You will bury the Old Testament remnants still within the kingdom, cast them completely into the grave. You will be praised as members of the Red Dragon Knight Order. The bards shall sing of your war epics, and the loyal shall follow your example.」
「You are knights of Lundex. You shall purge all enemies of Lundex. You shall always be loyal to Lundex’s king. This red dragon banner is your soul granted by the king. This red dragon insignia is your token to the Hall of Heroes.」
「Now, you shall charge forward. Before you lie rebels—enemies of Lundex, your enemies. They should not bask in Lundex’s sun. So, before sunrise, kill every enemy within ten li outside Doyle City.」
「After sunrise, everyone within thirty li of Doyle City is your enemy. In sunlight, these rebels cannot hide. Kill them all.」
「They may raise arms and resist. That is courageous and worthy of respect. So respect them—by killing them with all your might.」
「They may kneel and beg for mercy. That is pitiful. Do not mock them. Life is the Lord’s gift. All crave survival. But now they are your enemies, so kill them.」
「Only the Church is the Lord’s sanctuary. Lundex is the nation protected by the Lord. Those who can enter the Church have been forgiven. Only they may continue to live within the kingdom.」
「Aside from them—men, women, elderly, children—they have but one identity: your enemies. Enemies who have rebelled against Lundex. Your greatest mercy is to kill them cleanly.」
「Remember, this is only the beginning. They started the rebellion. But only you can end it.」
「Red Dragon Knight Order—advance!」
As Julian's voice fell, all one hundred knights roared in unison:『Red Dragon!』
They spurred their horses and charged out from the illuminated zone. Instantly, the crimson glow in their horses' eyes pierced the dark, while a faint blue light seeped from the knights. Yet it quickly shifted to dark red—as though each knight became a burning dark red torch.
These torches linked together, forming a united blaze.
The red-dyed Red Dragon Knight Order departed as the second volley of magic cannons fired.
Julian gave another command,「Legions! Advance!」
Immediately, drums thundered, and the heavy infantry marched in unison.
……
Doyle City was in chaos.
Or rather, the knights and officials on the second tier were.
The commoners on the third tier had long been warned by Jeremiah to bar their doors and ignore any sounds from the first or second tiers.
The officials and knights on the second tier had awakened from their feasting.
How could they not?
Just moments ago, five arcs tore across the sky, turning the grand Doyle Castle into rubble.
The entire castle was now a ruin. Even a glance told them—no one inside could’ve survived.
But how could they admit this brutal truth?
Perhaps the officials thought of escape, but the knights? They would only seek their liege.
A knight without a lord—can he still be called a knight?
Could a wild knight truly be called a knight?
Should they, like the laughable Oath Knights, cling only to their vows and still claim knighthood?
No. That was wrong.
They told themselves—only the traditions that sustained humanity through recorded history were correct.
Thus, the knights rushed toward the ruins like madmen.
Even as another five arcs once again streaked across the sky.