Chapter 112
The Empire's army poured out in droves.
However, Golas's great arch is not omnipotent. It cannot transfer the entirety of the Empire's army.
In other words, it has a limit.
'With five great arches and this number of soldiers, there are five Masters.'
There would be a little over ten captain-rank officers.
Before they crossed over, because one of the Empire's holy relics was stolen, one Master's presence was vacant.
That was the only hope.
The Kingdom's Masters numbered five.
Those who came from the Empire also numbered five.
If they could hold out.
If they could hold out even a little longer, it could be done.
-Kuwaaaaaaaah!!
Swish!
Callias, who had cut down an Imperial soldier, raised his head at the feral scream that echoed.
At the terrible voice coming from the Royal Palace, both Imperial and Kingdom soldiers trembled without exception.
'The Prince's roar.'
As expected, they drove the Prince into a frenzy.
Well, it was the Archbishop who recommended the Mad Dragon Sword to him.
Driving him into a frenzy wouldn't be difficult.
"There is no time."
The frenzied Prince's power rivals that of a Master.
At the end of that frenzy stands the Queen, so there is no time.
The Queen will either be killed by her own brother, the Prince, or by the Archbishop. One of the two.
There was no time to conserve strength.
"Lord Callias! There are too many enemies! Furthermore, distinguishing friend from foe is……"
Slash!
Looking at the falling soldier, Callias furrowed his brows.
"Allen."
"Yes!"
"Shut up."
Crackle crackle crackle crackle!!
As he swung his frost-covered sword.
Crash crash crash crash!
Ice walls surged up from all directions.
"……!"
At the immense cold, the fierce battlefield fell silent as if doused with cold water.
As the battlefield turned Asura-field quieted down, the outlines of those holding spears—and even those holding swords while trying to stab their own compatriots—gradually revealed themselves.
They didn't know who was ally and who was enemy.
If so, what needed to be done was simple.
"Consider all who block the path to the Royal Palace as enemies."
"Understood!"
Allen led his troops and charged forward.
Soon, as Callias gripped another sword in his left hand, a traitor let out a roar of fury.
"Zervan, you bastard!!"
Slash!
"Keugh!"
He tried to grab his severed neck as it fell, but collapsed vainly.
[Empire's Spy]
◆ Kill the Empire's spies and save the Kingdom that has stepped onto the path of ruin.
◆ Number of spies killed: 16/18
Only two remained now.
"C-catch the Wolf of Zervan!! That bastard is ruining the operation!"
"Thanks for telling me where you are."
Gratefully.
Whoosh—!
With a single swing, a path opened.
With a second swing, the enemies' feet froze.
With a third, their entire bodies froze.
There was no way to withstand it.
Stab.
"Kugh……."
Slash!
Now only one remained.
Only the Archbishop.
Just as he was about to charge again.
Boom—! As if it had been waiting, a massive figure dropped down.
Just as Callias was about to slice through it.
Bang!!
Screeech!
Splash! Pushed back by the force, Callias narrowed his eyes.
His strength, reinforced by Divine Grace, could rightfully be called monstrous.
Yet who possessed the strength to push back someone like him?
An Imperial knight?
Or a noble who joined the rebellion?
The one who revealed themselves within the pure white cold was a existence that turned Callias's expectations one hundred and eighty degrees.
"An orc?"
The left arm had an axe attached where the hand was severed.
In the right hand, a spear.
"Grrrrr. I remember. You."
Slurred pronunciation.
But this was clearly the continent's common tongue.
'An orc using the common tongue.'
He couldn't help but be surprised.
Yet somehow, it felt familiar.
Red hair. Swollen muscles and valiant strength. The massive axe attached to the arm.
And lastly, the large scars.
"No way."
He recalled the name of a warrior he had forgotten. Come to think of it, there was a great warrior in the North with whom he hadn't settled the match.
"Keltuk."
The one who had blocked Callias's path in the North, the great warrior Keltuk.
He blocked his path once again.
"What's with that appearance."
Callias couldn't help but ask.
Orcs revere axes and detest other weapons. So attaching an axe to the arm was one thing, but what in the world was that spear in his hand?
"Discarded. To fight."
What he held was a spear.
And an axe.
He had likely discarded his god.
"Obtained. New power."
Therefore.
"I fight. Callias. For honor."
Squeeze. Callias's lips twisted as he gripped his swords tightly. Even a god, solely for the sake of fighting him.
"Did you discard even your god for honor."
What honor could there be in that.
But he didn't mind.
For the battle left unfinished in the past was something he too had longed for.
"Fine."
Whether desired or not, the one blocking his path. Since he so earnestly wished for death, shouldn't he grant it?
He crossed his two swords.
His cloak fluttered in the intense divine power.
As Callias took his battle stance, Keltuk roared.
"Callias!!"
Bang!!
The two clashed within the battlefield, and between them, a storm began to rage.
In the hand of the lost arm, an axe.
In the right hand, a new spear.
'A different flavor from back then.'
Along with the great warrior's axe that was hearty and seemed as if it would tear everything apart.
The single point of the heavy thrust was quite troublesome to deal with. The spear the orc wielded—calling it a spear was generous, as it had a wide blade and a long edge.
It looked like a small axe hooked onto a spear.
Thus, it was utilized not merely for thrusting but like wielding a long-handled axe.
However.
"How boring."
Clang—!!
In an instant, Callias's aura explosively surged.
Keltuk's spear thrust at him, but.
Crunch!
His layered sword qi cleanly severed Keltuk's spearhead in a single stroke.
Thud—! Boom!!
Keltuk, sent flying by Callias's kick, shattered a pillar.
He soon rose with a pained groan, but his sword was already hovering over his neck.
In Callias's eyes looking down at Keltuk, the earlier excitement was nowhere to be found.
"Did you receive divine punishment?"
"Kun-ta. Punishment. Honor. Reclaim."
The axe god, Kunta.
The gods of this world share their miracles.
They bestow authority and power upon those who believe in them.
To those who strive harder, and to those who merely stand still, the gods are equal.
'However.'
Betrayal is not easily tolerated by any god.
At the end of betrayal lies divine punishment.
Keltuk had received divine punishment.
'Kunta's divine punishment is pain.'
Pain comes whenever he uses his strength.
For a lifetime in a painful prison where it feels as if his entire body is being crushed and torn.
Even moving brings pain, and even in sleep, he writhes in agony.
It feels as if insects are gnawing at his entire body, and even when a chill wind blows, it feels as if his skin is tearing. Such is the pain he endures.
No wonder his movements were so poor.
"The mood is ruined."
Callias sheathed his sword.
As he turned away, Keltuk cried out in a fit.
"Honor!! Give me! Honor, I demand!!"
Did the heart of an orc wishing to die in battle lead him here.
"You have done a foolish thing, Keltuk. You discarded your god to gain greater strength, but because of that, you grew weaker."
This was why he could not carelessly discard his sword.
For a god's punishment is quite harsh. If one cannot endure the divine punishment, it will remain a lifelong yoke.
"The end of your foolish choice, you must determine. For that is what it means to find your honor."
Callias left him and ran. For the opponent who had given him such a hard time to have grown this weak.
It would have been better if they hadn't met.
It just ruined the mood.
"Honor!! Honooor!!"
Until the voice of the green beast howling for honor could no longer be heard.
Callias ran and ran.
"It's the executioner!"
"The Wolf of Zervan! Catch him!!"
"Stop him! The order is to let no one through here!"
The number of Imperial and rebel forces was considerable.
Callias immediately drew another sword.
In his right hand, Bitan.
In his left hand, the Lightning Sword Rakhan.
This was no time to be cautious.
"Stop him!"
Soldiers poured down like a torrent.
One against dozens, no, hundreds.
Common sense dictated he should stop his charge and fight defensively.
But Callias instead accelerated.
"Get lost."
One strike with Bitan.
Crackle crackle crackle crackle!!
The scattered sword qi became an iceberg that crashed into the army.
"Kuwaaaagh!!"
One strike with the Lightning Sword.
Bzzt bzzt bzzt bzzt!!
The sword qi slashing through like lightning was imbued with thunder.
Crashhhhh!
Callias, bearing blue lightning and freezing cold, roughly exhaled.
Yet with a single strike, the enemy's formation was devastated as if a massive hole had been torn through their center.
"This is ridiculous……!!"
"Get out of the way! I'll deal with him!"
Bang!
One of the Empire's captains drove his spear into the ground. From the cracked floor, a chilling sound flowed out.
"S-step back! Don't stand in front of the captain!!"
The Imperial soldiers recoiled in terror and parted to the sides. As a result, only rebels who couldn't flee in time stood between Callias and the captain.
And the Imperial captain unleashed his spear without hesitation.
Screech!
"Try blocking this too!"
Vrrrrm!
"Aaaagh!!"
The rebels screamed and collapsed. A bizarre, distorted sound reached their ears.
It pierced through their eardrums and began to disrupt their minds.
Callias, who faced it head-on.
He too couldn't escape the effective range of the illusion.
But Callias's ruby eyes glowed faintly.
"Pathetic trick."
"What?!"
Slash!!
Beside Callias, who had grazed past him like a sliding shadow, only the enemy captain's arterial blood remained.
"Keugh! Cough, cough!"
The enemy captain collapsed, spouting a fountain of blood.
Callias walked forward through the center with cold eyes.
Though only one advanced, the hundreds surrounding him were instead backing away.
"D-do not fear! The enemy is only one!!"
"How can we call ourselves the army of the Sacred Empire after being frightened by a single man!!"
"O-oooooh!!"
"For Lactus!!"
"Present the Empire's honor to Laktur!!"
At the vice-commanders' orders, they charged again.
The Imperial soldiers gripped their spears and charged at Callias.
But this time, it wasn't the Wolf of Zervan who attacked them.
Boom!!
"Uwaaagh!"
A figure crashed down like a meteor among the soldiers.
Then, a pure white sword strike emerging through the dust began to slaughter the nearby Imperial soldiers.
"W-what is that!"
Behind the bewildered vice-commander, ink surged up.
It curved like a snake, ruthlessly severing the vice-commander's neck.
With the vice-commander killed in an instant, the Imperial soldiers couldn't hide their agitation.
"Lord Callias, you look like you're having a hard time?"
"Count! Are you alright?!"
Water-blue hair and red hair.
Esther and Helena had appeared.
"The Queen is in danger."
"!!"
Behind them, the elite forces of the Kingdom who followed shouted loudly as they approached.
"For Carpe!!"
Waaaaaaah!
Once again, swords and spears clashed.
Callias tried to push through the gap, but.
"Where do you think you're going!"
The Empire's spears wouldn't let him pass.
Just as he was about to draw his sword.
"Go!"
Esther deflected their spear.
"Insolent! What can you do with a toothpick of a sword like that!"
"And don't think you can do anything to me with your skewer either."
As Callias advanced through that opening.
Another spear-wielder appeared before him.
But at that moment.
Clang clang clang!
Helena, wielding dual swords, began to block them while riding through the shadows.
"Hurry and go! I'll put this on your tab!"
"Thank you."
Crashhhhh—!!
He swung the Lightning Sword in a single stroke, unleashing lightning to shatter the door and entered.
Along with a momentarily reeling sensation throughout his body, what came into view was a barren desert.
A desolate land where not a single blade of grass grew.
Strange rock formations and the desert were formed in disproportionate positions.
'This is a Sanctuary.'
A tremendous upheaval shaking his entire body.
Surely, a battle between Masters was taking place, and smaller energy waves were occurring on one side as well.
He wanted to help if he could, but the Queen's safety took priority now.
If the Queen died, Carpe would truly collapse beyond recovery.
Callias immediately ran and thoroughly searched the surroundings.
This Sanctuary was likely the work of Judgment Gerald and the Strange Spear Paseton.
If it was the Sanctuary of those two who needlessly drew everything in, the Archbishop couldn't have failed to prepare a way to break through it.
'Where is the Queen's location?'
Callias stowed Bitan and drew the Conqueror's Sword.
Then, he spread his gravity sense infinitely wide, as if spreading his energy perception.
He spread it, spread it, and spread it again.
Now there was only a minute force that couldn't even be called a gravity field, but for detecting something within another's Sanctuary, there was nothing better.
"Found it."
As he immediately ran toward that location, there was a small, healing crack.
Callias drew the Lightning Sword.
"Huu."
Focus.
Only focus.
Even if there was a crack in the Sanctuary, it was a Sanctuary where Masters were mixed together.
Piercing through it was by no means an easy task.
But he had to do it.
He began to pour a massive amount of divine power into the Lightning Sword.
From the sword raised high to the sky, blue lightning persistently streaked out.
Rumble boom boom!!
As if a thunderstorm was raging, along with a tempest, Callias's entire body was dyed with lightning.
And at that very moment.
The Pianhwa of the Silver Flower Sword Technique was mixed in.
Craaaaaash—!!
A flower of blue lightning bloomed.
As the Sanctuary shattered, Callias was sucked in by the powerful suction force, and before him appeared the Archbishop.
He was about to plunge his ominous spear into the Queen's neck.
'Thank goodness.'
He wasn't too late.
Callias's figure shot forth like an arrow.
Crash!!
"You bastard."
The Archbishop. No, the traitor's face contorted fiercely.
"Count!"
"Executioner, how did you—!!"
At Alhamtra's cry, his face twisted like a fearsome evil spirit, Callias spoke with a sneer.
"I heard there was a traitor here."
The traitor's face crumpled even further.