Episode 801 Standby (4)
The second servant of the Glory of the Dead walked around the hideout with her hands clasped behind her back.In her eyes, beyond the transparent glass, was reflected an ancient display cabinet on which the body parts of dozens of people were displayed.
“It really does feel empty without Landerck. He is the one who has survived the longest without ever disappointing us among all the servants in history. I wonder if it would have been a little better if Kaecilus were here.”
The space is quiet because the third and fourth servants are missing.
Although Kaesillus Chaeren was relatively quiet compared to Landerck, he was still quite talkative; however, since he met an unexpected death in the Republic of Beldirn, it was a great pity whenever I thought of him again.
He was an impressive black mage in many ways, having pioneered a unique magic that allowed him to be resurrected any number of times unless he died of old age.
“Landerk and Kaecilus. Both would have been worthy of being ordained as Knights of Xerion’s Glory. They are truly servants worthy of the Immortal Blessing.”
The first servant, recalling the ancient knight order that was the foundation of the glory of the corpse—the glory of Xerion—stood down quietly at the map of the ancient continent.
“With this, the locations of all body parts have been identified. We are just one step closer to the resurrection ritual.”“The problem is that we cannot lead that step from start to finish.”
The second servant frowned in displeasure.
“I won’t deny that we were able to find His Majesty Emperor Xerion’s body thanks to those guys, but can you really continue to trust them?”“The important thing is that even if our goals differ, we are on the same path. We just need to complete the ritual we couldn’t finish in the past.”
The moment the great corpse is resurrected, the continent will be ravaged.
Even the Saint praised as the strongest of all time, the Necromancer whose thoughts are unknown, the Provider whose principles of action are unclear, the Seven Great Magic Kings leading the glory of the current Arkenad Magic Kingdom, the Masters serving as the continent’s guards, the Arnark Empire said to have the greatest national power… and even the Holy Ones with whom there is strangely frequent friction.
On that day, all beings reigning over the continent will suffer a crushing defeat—no, even greater than the War of the Transcendents—and submit to death.
“But they’ve secured the head and aren’t handing it over to us. Isn’t it right to deal with them first before executing the grand plan? There can’t be that many unofficial transcendents.”“We must not jump to conclusions. Besides, to seize the body parts in the Luas Theocracy, we need to preserve our forces as much as possible.”“Above all, they are the ones who hold the initiative. I understand it in my head, but I don’t like it.”
The second servant gnawed at his fingernails.
The first servant tapped the outside of the map with a small head model.
“They will soon reveal the location of the Great Corpse’s head. That is the time to pour out everything we have prepared over the past few months.”“That sounds promising.”
The two people raised their gazes.
A huge sphere fixed to the ceiling flickers faintly. Something resembling a human face brushed past inside it.
Six great legends whose tales have not been passed down to the modern era due to the rift between ages.Among them, the first legend, the desire to manipulate souls—the Animus—whose actual form has never been witnessed, was waiting for full activation.
“At the earliest, it will probably be after the World Congress. But for now, are you just going to wait and see about the meeting?”“It is a gathering of the current world leaders. So, I suppose I can’t skip it. Aside from the need to secure information.”
The first servant gave the order.
“Go to Gargant, Lunesica.”
The second servant—’Lunesica Anternoa,’ the vice-captain of the Xerion Guard Knights—playfully bowed.
“Yes, Captain.”
* * *
Only the definition of light rectifies the confusion.
A light exploded in the middle of the horde of undead at the bottom of the pit.The moving corpses could not even offer a decent resistance; their entire bodies were crushed, scattering without leaving a trace of their spirit.
May the light be with you!
The high-density divine power bestowed upon the gauntlet cast a shadow over the zombie’s face.
The expressions on the faces of the zombies, whose bodies were rotting away but who were likely lovers or a married couple holding hands by chance, were simply empty and dark despite the dazzlingly bright light.
Boom!
Cardinal of the Three Courts, ‘Gregorban of Justice,’ completely wiped away the contamination of the dead that had permeated the earth and air solely through strength and faith.
No undead here could refuse the miracle of the largest cleric in the Theocracy.
The pinnacle of the Paladin.
His body and mind were so holy that one would have no doubt he would have become the owner of the Holy Armor [Arminel] had he not been a saint.
Then, the moment Gregorban twisted his waist hard and struck the ground, a source of light surged up from beneath and purified the surroundings.
“Ah… O God Luas, the origin of all light, grant glorious salvation to this land.”
Under the sunlight pouring into the pit, Gregorban stood tall and prayed.At his supremely devout appearance, Cardinal Serfania of Charity let out a long sigh and shook her head.
“If it weren’t for those foolish muscles, he would have been an exemplary figure for all clergy.”“What?! What are you talking about, Serphania! These muscles, brimming with faith, are the very proof of my belief in the Goddess Luas! Only justice in action can draw closest to the Light!”“Fine, so if you are a Cardinal, act like one and keep your dignity! My Lord, Luas. Please have mercy on Gregorban…!”
As Gregorban placed his hands on his hips and thrust his chest forward, his back muscles spread out wide as if they were wings.The grain of his muscles was clearly visible through his screaming uniform. It was a sight too shameful to be called that of a Cardinal.
Serphania, unable to bear the sight, immediately offered a prayer.
Cardinal Delo of Patience, who was manifesting his own unique miracles beside him, spoke calmly.
“The Saint has just purified the last large horde of the undead. There would be no problem declaring the end of the situation right now. Since the Third Servant has been dealt with, the Bloodcry Plague should completely disappear by early next year.”“It is a relief that we were able to eliminate the culprit before the year ended. The help from our allies was unexpectedly significant. However, the truly important issues begin now.”
Serphania’s bracelets bumped against each other.
“The first servant and the second servant. Have you identified the locations of those two transcendents?”“It is silent. They haven’t moved directly in this situation.”
The leadership of the Glory of the Dead cannot openly cause trouble in the front, even if they operate in the shadows.This is because the moment they reveal their full power, the Holy Nation can detect them and continue the pursuit, no matter where they are on the continent. That was also the reason why Landerk of Manyeon gave up on escaping.
Darkness cannot dare to invade the light.
“They held the continent’s humanity hostage with Landerk’s plague to cripple the Holy Kingdom, and behind the scenes, obtained something more important than Landerk’s life. It is reasonable to assume that the head of the Great Corpse has already been taken.”“In the end, they failed to seal it forever in oblivion.”“Even the previous saints could not have predicted that the servants who guarded the Great Corpse would be able to survive until this time.”
The first and second servants who established the glory of the corpse have been alive for over 800 years. That was the cause of the current situation.Since they have lived for such a long time without forgetting the distant past, it is impossible for it to be forgotten.
“Hahaha, so what are you worried about? The Great Corpse can never be resurrected unless the entire body is gathered, and our Ruas Theocracy has already secured a whopping half of those body parts.”
Gregorban climbed out of the pit holding onto the edge.
“Moreover, what if the Great Corpse were to be resurrected into the world? The past and the present are different. Rather, His Holiness the Pope, the New Saint, and the Most Powerful Saint of All Time might completely eliminate the Great Corpse that was destined to remain merely sealed away. I am convinced that this is possible! Is it not so, Your Holiness?”“……Yes.”
Saint Leonhardt walked out of the forest with the holy sword [Luens] strapped to his waist.Although he still appeared visibly uncomfortable in his position as the greatest force of the Luas Church, his presence alone was already in the ranks of a saint.
Leonhardt controlled the divine power boiling within him and quietly muttered the teachings he had learned from Gregorban.Teaching a young saint was the duty of the Saint, the Pope, and the Cardinal.
Everything follows the guidance of the light.
Even though he was a farmer until recently, he now shows quite the demeanor of a man of prayer. While the cardinals smiled with satisfaction, Leonhardt swallowed his personal feelings.
Kingdom of Ronia.
King Ronia, who issued a massive quarantine order to burn the people of Tyr village to death and even kill his mother and younger sister, is scheduled to attend the World Conference as if he were the king of a nation.
The poor neighbors who met a brutal death flash through my mind. Even the final moments of Uncle Roland, who tried desperately to save everyone.
I will definitely hold you accountable.
Leonhardt was now looking forward only to the day he would head to Gargant.
* * *
Although the Ark did not move in earnest during this Bloodcry Plague and Undead Crisis, its candidates were active across the continent as always.
Some of this year’s new candidates, who had never overcome a trial before, contracted the plague, and of course, the Ark helped with their treatment. Thisis because it is the Ark’s duty to protect the candidates and help them take on the trials.
anyway.
The Ark tried to broaden its perspective as much as possible to keep a close watch on the entire situation of the continent, so that the history of humanity being robbed and exploited would not repeat itself.
The current leader of the Ark looked down upon the world surrounding the Sky Island.
The glory of the dead.
Although he never had direct conflict with it, he was involved with the Ark during the middle of the War of the Transcendents about 800 years ago.
Although it is the Ark’s principle not to intervene in worldly wars, the scale and level of the war intensified by Emperor Xerion have crossed the line.It has even led to predictions that if things continue this way, humanity itself could suffer damage.
The Ark provided full support to the Continental Allied Forces without revealing itself.
Of course, back then there was no Sky Island, and the system of trials for the candidates’ growth was not clearly established, so their strength was much weaker than it is now.Still, it was not to the extent that they were unfit to be part of the group known as the Ark.
In the end, the war of the Transcendents came to an end as the Ark also suffered immense damage.
Emperor Xerion was sealed as the Old King after being split into six parts by the Luas religion and the Dark Warton Magic Tower.Later, the survivors of the Emperor’s Guard Knights referred to the Old King as the Great Corpse and founded a group called the Glory of the Corpse.
After the war, the Ark returned to its original duty and concentrated its efforts on protecting humanity, weakened by the war, from other races.
This was one of the histories of the Ark passed down only to the leader of the Ark.
The current military strength of the Ruas Theocracy must be its strongest in history, yet to think the reins were snatched away by the Glory of the Dead, a mere remnant of a defeated army. Did they become arrogant intoxicated by peace, or is there another variable at play?
I could not know that far ahead, but whatever the case, at least for the time being, I had no intention of intervening in the execution of the Glory of the Dead on the Ark.Even after receiving Legritt’s report, that conclusion remains unchanged.
Because that is the duty of the Luas religion.
The Ark is not a guardian of humanity that cleans up after the pitiful human race, but rather a group that is always for the sake of the weak ‘species’ called humanity itself.For humanity to become stronger, there must be trials.
And… actually, what was bothering him was not the glory of the dead, but the world conference to be held in Gargant.
Human.Beastman.Dwarf.Elf.
Four races classified as human gather in the continent’s largest city.Selfish dwarves, bystander elves, and savage beastmen. Humanity sits at the same table with the three races that pose the greatest threat to it.
The clouds at the edge of my vision split apart,as if cut by a sword.
I don’t like it.
However, setting aside personal feelings, the current situation in the world is highly chaotic. As I said, this is not a story about the glory of the dead.
The tail scales of the Red Dragon Sarkandra, said to have been found in the Mirror of Death and the Desert of Silence respectively, the Tuhar Divine Bird, the First Magic Tower, and… the Administrator and the World Tree are sharply piercing his intuition.
Demon King, where are you now?
The voice still lingers.
───Protect the Ark. For the salvation of the world.
He averted his gaze from the dreamlike scenery of the Sky Island as he pondered once again the meaning of the last words the First Demon King had left behind while showing him the Ark.
“Elder Sheorn.”“Speak.”“It feels stifling here today.”
A wine glass was quietly placed by the window.
“I need to go down for a moment.”“……!!”
The Ark’s superior decided the destination.To Gargant.
* * *
The depths of the Black Hour.
Around Verden, who was concentrating in a confined space, a fierce surge of magical energy, dense enough to obscure his vision, raged.
As various thoughts flashed through my mind, the first thought I grasped was my own strength.
“Thanks to my master’s teachings, I have advanced a level as I expanded the concept of the Infinite Demonic Path. However, it is still not enough.”
I recalled the decisive battle after obtaining annihilation from Dahit’s memories.
The magical battle with Baloch Vesias.The three-way battle with Kirondar and Ishur.
He turned the situation to his advantage and decisively drove the wedge to seize the victory. It was the best decision at the time.
However, the downsides were just as clear.
The speed at which it reaches maximum power is too slow.
The time and effort required to maximize the power utilizing the domain do not fit well with the fast-paced battlefield.
What if I could have cast
I can say with certainty that I could have annihilated their existence entirely by striking without leaving a gap before Ishur and Kirondar could do anything.
The opposite is also true.
What would happen if I were to one day encounter a being more powerful than myself? It is highly likely that I would collapse without being able to exert my full strength.Just as I suffered a near-fatal injury from the fanatical old man of Gargant…
Therefore, as a high-ranking Seventh Rank with the Eighth Rank within sight, it is necessary to simplify all magical processes to harmonize with the current level.So that I can unleash my full power on the spot, no matter who I face.
First, let’s start with Madou
The destruction of Dahit inevitably requires the elimination of something to increase its power.For example, just as one must annihilate a certain amount of objects or power by deploying *Total Eclipse* to open the realm of *Lunar Eclipse*.
Here, Verden thought.
‘then…….’
Infinity remains infinite no matter how much you add or subtract, but what would happen if the infinite magical power residing in the heart were ‘constantly’ extinguished?
