novelzi Chapter 116: Akasha, the Archduke of Slaughter (3)
Chapter 116: Akasha, the Archduke of Slaughter (3)
Chapter 116: Akasha, the Archduke of Slaughter (3)
When a Knight completes a quest and becomes a Holy Grail Knight, chosen by the gods, they are given three holy items.
The first is armor.
Whether lightly or heavily armored, the knight is given the strongest armor available, forged from stellar iron, to protect his body.
The second is the lance.
The knight is the one who breaks the enemy’s spear in the vanguard.
At the moment of breakthrough, the destructive power of the lance breaks through the tidal wave that is the enemy.
Third is the Holy Sword.
A metal of the gods, compressed from the energy of the stars. A holy sword forged by the best smiths of the blacksmith god Heto.
It is not just any blade.
It is the ultimate holy weapon, designed to embody the power of the god the Holy Knight serves.
Thus, the Holy Knight’s holy sword symbolizes the power of the gods.
So what is the Grail Keeper’s sword?
Kingdom knights are given an indestructible sword.
With unbreakable faith, they cut down the enemies of the realm.
Holy Knights are blessed with the Blade of Fury, a symbol that reflects the brilliance of the gods.
So what kind of sword does the Grail Keeper receive?
Those who are implanted with the Lionheart and become demigods, guarding the Grail, the holy relic of all the gods.
They cut down the enemies of the realm and ensure that the glory of the gods flourishes.
But
Lionheart Kings do not symbolize the power of the gods, they represent the will of the gods.
The Lionheart King’s holy sword is forged by the hammering of Heto, sharpened by the flames of Petos, and engraved with the light of Arianna.
In addition, countless gods put their blessings into the sword, and the divinity of countless gods is contained in it.
Thus the holy sword is a polarizing light. It is the power wielded on behalf of the gods, as their representative.
The will of the living demigod is the will of the gods.
The Lionhearted King is the will of all gods.
“Light.”
Come. I am the hope.
I am righteousness.
“Flame.”
Burn my enemies.
The flames of battle that the War Horseman will raise.
“Sea.”
Swallow up their footsteps.
The waves are always on my side, and the winds cannot harm me.
The mists of death unfurl and lead to eternal dreams.
Life grows in the salty earth, sheltering only one person.
The sky turns yellow and the thunder rumbles.
The sun shines with intense positivity, proclaiming one man to be the judge of the world.
Darkness falls, designating an avenging foe for the destruction of the world.
That’s not all.
More. More. More. More.
The gods protect him.
No end of favor and blessing for the representative of the gods.
The holy sword of extreme light blazed with a brilliant light that seemed to represent the power of all the gods.
“──Monster.”
Akasha grew tired of seeing Leon wielding such immense malevolent power, yet layered with divinity.
He had heard of several Lionheart Kings through rumors.
He knew that they were the strongest of the Grail Knights, and that they were far above the level of saints.
But in the end, they are human. Even if they were half-divine, they were still half-human.
Even their vessels had their limits. Even if they represented the power of a god, they could only take so many gods and so much power.
But what was this guy?
How many gods had he taken in?
Akasha did not know how a mere mortal held all the gods within his heart.
He was the strongest Grail Guardian of all time and the greatest Lionheart king of all time.
The gods may not approve, but he claims to speak for all the gods because he is a man who can.
“It’s dangerous, that catastrophe could be reenacted.”
In that war, the demons lost most of their leaders, especially the Lords of Chaos, Pleasure and Wisdom, and suffered a devastating blow.
Three of their four lords that participated in the war died at the hands of Leon.
Even the Demon Archduke of Slaughter himself has been killed by a damned orc.
This must be done now.
She realized instinctively that if Leon continues to survive and add to the source of its power, the Faith, he will become even more terrifying.
“Die, with your past glory behind you!”
“My glory is eternally immortal!”
A falling sword of destruction and slaughter was countered by a holy sword that represents the blessings and power of all the gods.
A beam of light rushes forward toward the falling blade but at the moment of collision, it is the demon sword that is crushed.
“──!!!”
The form of the demon sword crumbles and burns as the scream of a lifeless thing echoes through the world as it burns.
“Monstrous bastard.......”
Even the Archduke of Slaughter couldn’t stop the words from flowing out of his mouth.
Slashing through space, shattering swords, and slashing the sky, the holy sword sails into the far reaches of the universe, toward the stars.
* * * * *
Everything he touches disappears.
After devouring Akasha’s sword, he is not satisfied and transforms the atmosphere above Shikoku Island.
The entire world is bathed in the power of the gods, and otherworldliness spreads to areas that have never been touched by their grace.
In this space, the presence of evil gnaws at its existence just by being there. This is why holy swords, especially Leon’s, are so terrifying.
“.......”
Even after such a miracle, Leon didn’t look satisfied and he had every right to be.
He had just struck with the intention of extinguishing the Demon Archduke’s soul.
“K-k-k-k-”
At the bottom of the evaporated sea the fallen Demon Archduke Akasha was breathing heavily, or more accurately, the body of her host, Chun Ji-so.
“You’re as tough as a cockroach.”
Leon shot him a scornful glance.
“Kkkkkk-weak. No, you’ve lost all your strength.”
To escape his pursuit, this must be no ordinary gate but perfect space, an absolute safe house.
An ‘estate’ that is unaffected by the system and can be closed by itself.
“You...!”
Leon’s complexion fills with anger. He doesn’t care about winning the battle, all he cares about is the destruction of evil.
Having lost the final battle and slaughtered each and every demon that fled in every direction, the fleeing demons are a terrible stress for him.
“Stop him! I need time!”
Dozens of Field Bosses, hundreds, even thousands of monsters rush towards Leon at that very moment──
-Critical targeting. Annihilation weapon activated.
Plasma beams fall from space.
It was a charged particle cannon shot at Akasha and the Field Bosses, piercing their skulls.
“──!!!”
Akasha blocked the attack, but turned around and her gaze stared off into space.
“You-!”
His gaze crosses with the Mechanical Holy Knight, albeit through the camera eye but he’s not the only one.
-Crack...!
Dozens of lightning bolts fall from the black clouds that Leon activated with the Sky and Thunder Holy Art.
“I have to conserve my magic just in case.”
Above the sea, atop a cliff-like formation, the silver-haired Magician Queen smiles bewitchingly from a horse.
“Leave the supporting fire to me, Ms. Ha-ri.”
Behind her were dozens of horses and hundreds of soldiers.
They walked on the sea, a miracle wrought by the goddess of the sea and waves.
“Are you sure we can just walk from here?”
Standing on a cliff in the middle of the sea, Ha-ri looked anxiously down at the blackness below as Jae-hyuk asked.
“Ugh! Senior Ha-ri, you lack faith!”
Jae-hyuk chuckled and stretched out his hand.
“Lord Ultima will protect us!”
Jae-hyuk takes the reins and plunges off the cliff as pure white clouds gather in his path.
“Hahahaha, I’m going to ride these clouds and land like Geun Doo-woon, that’s what I’m saying──!”
-Swoosh!
But Jae-hyuk’s wish was not fulfilled because the moment he landed on the gathered clouds, he crashed through them.
“Oh, I see, you’re not quite up to speed yet.”
Beatrice extends a beautiful finger in regret and at that moment, gravity reverses in the area.
“Oh, oh, oh.......”
Jae-hyuk flies through space in a sort of weightlessness, landing with a splash. He is followed by dozens of Knight Cadets and Man-At-Arms.
“.......”
Akasha couldn’t hide her frustration seeing this scene.
It was only four months ago that the world had announced the existence of the Lionheart King, and yet he had already assembled such a large army along with two Holy Knights: that hunk of scrap metal and that silver-haired magician.
There are still only a handful of Kingdom Knights, but they’re a threat even to himself.
“Soldiers of the Kingdom...!”
Leon shouted, the army of the Lionheart King gathering behind him.
“Raze the enemy...!”
“”I will fulfill your orders!!!”
With the Lionheart King’s shout, the Hunters of the TTG Guild charge toward Akasha without hesitation.
Even the terrible debuffs that Akasha’s mere presence inflicts are nothing to those in the Lionheart King’s Legion.
-Quack!
-Quack!
-Crackle...!
Lightning crashes and flames rage as light protects them...along with the vengeful power of darkness.
It was overwhelming.
A part of the Field Bosses had been sniped beforehand or hadn’t been able to block the initial bolt of lightning. But.......
-Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...!
“The gate is open!!!”
Akasha managed to hold on long enough to escape.
Leaning into the black rift, the Archduke of Slaughter proclaimed.
“I will not forget, and I will return, even if it takes a thousand years!”
That period was not a long time for an immortal being and since this was not the only place to slaughter, there will be plenty of time to regain strength elsewhere.
“Where... are you running!!!”
Just then, Leon threw something in the distance. It was a holy spear, retrieved from the subspace.
-Kwak!
It cut off Akasha’s arm as she tried to cross over the gate but that was all.
Akasha frowned, but didn’t stop running, and soon the gate was closed and the rift disappeared.
“”................””
They stared at the vanished rift.
.........
......
...
The battle was overwhelming.
Leon, Beatrice, and Yappy could not be stopped by a bunch of monsters that had lost their leader.
“I see what we feared has happened.”
Beatrice came to Leon’s side as he stared at the disappearing rift.
“Yes. It was a waste.”
...They missed the Demon Archduke. Still, Leon didn’t feel too bad.
“Your Majesty, have you secured insurance just in case?”
Beatrice asked and Leon twisted the corners of his mouth as a fierce smile that would have horrified the demons if they had seen it appeared.
“Here it is.”
Leon held up Akasha’s severed arm.
“Can you summon the gate with this?”
“Of course.”
Beatrice smiles, her bewitching smile somehow exuding a similar aura to Leon’s.
“They’ll see that there is no safe place for them anymore.”
“Exactly. No place is safe for them anymore.”
“Hoohoohoohoohoo...!”
“Kkkkkkkkkk...!”
The laughter of the two kings, twisted with hatred, echoed eerily beneath the surface of Shikoku Island.