## Chapter 1484 – 1484. Paladin: The Journey Of Eradication
I was descending the spire.
Salot Castle was starting to get chaotic.
It seemed they had discovered the remains of the undead and the bodies of the corrupted. They hadn’t yet realized my presence itself. Their vigilance had only increased.
I descended the stairs faster. All I needed was the Holy Spear. Then this game would be as good as over.
“Wait a moment! Please go slowly, slowly!”
Princess Polaris, who was following me down the stairs, said, panting. I sighed and stopped. I knew it was unavoidable due to the difference in our physical abilities, but I couldn’t help but feel frustrated.
After waiting a bit, she came down the stairs, sweating profusely. Something pale emerged behind her. It was a ghost. Without a moment’s hesitation, I approached Princess Polaris and swung my sword.
“Kkyaaaaak!”
The ghost screamed and vanished. Fortunately, the ghost’s scream only echoed within the stairwell and didn’t escape outside.
“…”
Princess Polaris’s face was pale.
“What’s wrong? It can’t be your first time seeing a ghost… Surely you weren’t startled by a scream?”
“…I thought the Paladin was trying to kill me.”
“You are not corrupted. There is no reason to kill you. Or… are you a heretic who has consorted with demons?”
“Absolutely not! Take that back! That’s an insult to me!”
“I take it back. Don’t be so noisy and follow me. I’ll slow down from now on. If you don’t want to die, stay behind me.”
I exited the spire. I could see the corrupted and the undead moving busily. Most of them were heading towards the entrance of Salot Castle. The corrupted were running around and shouting.
“Damn it…! The Holy Knights are swarming the entrance! You corpses! Move faster! Why are you so slow when you never get tired!”
“Weapons! Prepare the weapons!”
“It’s the demons’ orders! Defend the entrance at all costs! Hold the line!”
The Holy Knights and Inquisitors outside the castle had noticed the anomaly and were drawing attention. Thanks to that, I could move more easily. I took Polaris with me towards the castle’s underground.
The corrupted were taking weapons from the underground warehouse. They must be planning to arm the undead.
I concealed my presence and approached the corrupted from behind. I covered the corrupted’s mouth with my left hand while simultaneously stabbing them with my sword. I cleanly dealt with one of the corrupted.
I checked on Polaris’s condition. If her mental state was shaken by something like this, it would be troublesome in the future. She was calm. She looked down at the dead corrupted with cold eyes. Her faith was stronger than I had expected. I moved further underground.
The further down I went, the more corrupted and undead I saw. I killed them as I advanced. I didn’t assassinate them secretly like the first corrupted. I was already deep underground. Their screams wouldn’t reach the surface.
‘I’ll kill them all. Each and every one of them is experience.’
I even found and killed those hiding in the corners.
“…”
Princess Polaris’s gaze towards me was insolent.
“Do you have something to say?”
“…Weren’t you in a hurry? I don’t understand why you’re wasting time unnecessarily.”
“No matter how urgent it is, demons and the corrupted must be killed. They don’t deserve to live in this world. Or what is it? Are you saying we should show them mercy? Are you a heretic?”
I pointed my sword at her neck. She stepped back in surprise.
“No, no! I can’t be a heretic! The Paladin is right! Demons and the corrupted are vermin that eat away at this world! They all deserve to die! Hail the Goddess Herianne! Hail the Order! Hail the Paladin!”
“My apologies. I doubted your faith for a moment.”
I lowered my sword. She let out a sigh of relief.
“It’s enough that you understand… But were you really going to kill me?”
“Heretics are killed.”
“…Didn’t you want to break the seal on the Holy Spear?”
“I know how to break the seal.”
Princess Polaris shuddered. She wrapped her trembling body as if to protect herself and looked at me with fearful eyes.
“…If I die, my father won’t let it go.”
“Duke Astail doesn’t even know you’re here, let alone that you’re dead. And… if a daughter is a heretic, there’s a high chance that her father is also a heretic. If you are a heretic, I will later visit your family and interrogate them.”
“…”
Princess Polaris shut her mouth tightly.
It was a large space. All sorts of unholy energies were gathered there. In the center of the space, a spear was stuck upside down in the ground. The spear looked like a gray statue.
“Wh-what is that?”
Princess Polaris pointed to the area around the Holy Spear, Lottis. Strange symbols and human corpses were spread out as if forming a magic circle.
“Can’t you tell? It’s the demons’ handiwork.”
“I know that. But what is the purpose of this…”
“It’s obvious. They’re trying to destroy the Holy Spear. The mere existence of the Holy Spear in this world is bothersome to them.”
“Do you think the Holy Spear can be broken? The Holy Spear can never be broken.”
“There is no absolute in this world.”
I stepped onto the magic circle.
There was an immediate backlash. The unholy energy that had been pouring into the Holy Spear rushed towards me, trying to consume me.
‘Holy Aura!’
A divine aura burst forth from me. The golden aura counteracted the dark red unholy energy. I endured the pressure that was pouring over my entire body and approached the Holy Spear.
I grasped the Holy Spear. The spear, which had been turned to stone, regained its original pure white appearance. However, it was still just an ordinary spear because it was still sealed. I infused the tip of the spear with Holy Aura and swung it. The holy energy surged like a storm, sweeping away all the unholy energy.
‘The Holy Aura amplified for a moment. Even when sealed, the Holy Spear is still the Holy Spear.’
I approached Princess Polaris and held out the Holy Spear.
“Break the seal.”
“Understood.”
She took out a dagger from her pocket. It was something she had picked up on the way here. She gripped the blade of the dagger tightly with her left hand. Blood began to flow from her palm. She sprinkled her blood on the blade of the Holy Spear.
The Holy Spear began to shine brilliantly. The seal was broken.
“Breaking the seal by feeding it blood… It’s more like a demonic spear than a holy one.”
“…It’s a measure to prevent anyone other than our family from using the Holy Spear carelessly. Not only that, but the Holy Spear is picky about its user… Seeing that the Holy Spear is being docile, it seems to recognize you, Paladin.”
“Even if it’s a Holy Spear, it’s ultimately an object created by the power of the Goddess. I am a Paladin who has received the Goddess’s revelation. Follow me. We’re going up.”
“What are you going to do now?”
“Open the entrance to Salot Castle. The Holy Knights and Inquisitors will rush in. You will wait outside the castle with the Holy Knights until the battle is over.”
“I will. As you know… the power of the Holy Spear is not infinite.”
The Holy Spear, Lottis.
It’s a concept of accumulating and releasing power.
Right now, Lottis has been accumulating power for a very long time. Roughly over 200 years. It seems the Astail family used it sparingly along the way, but it’s negligible compared to the enormous power accumulated now.
“There’s no time to hesitate. Let’s go.”
I went up with her.
As soon as we reached the surface, the enemies’ gazes turned to me. It was because of the Holy Spear. It was impossible not to notice it, as it was emitting a brilliant light and divine power, exuding its presence.
“Th-that armor…! A Paladin! It’s the Paladin of Valentier!”
“The Paladin has the Holy Spear!”
“Where are the demons?! Where are the demons! Ask the demons for help!”
“Undead! Attack the Paladin quickly! Hurry!”
I unleashed Holy Aura. The Holy Aura reacted with the Holy Spear. Feeling the holy power gathered on the blade, I swung the Holy Spear at the enemies.
A massive surge of energy swept through the enemies. Dozens of undead and dozens of corrupted were swept away in an instant.
“Very good.”
I killed all the enemies in sight as I headed towards the entrance. I operated the mechanism to open the castle gate.
“The gate is opening!”
“The Paladin has opened the gate!”
“Charge! Eradicate the evil!”
The Holy Knights and Inquisitors shouted and rushed into the castle. They quickly attacked the undead and the corrupted.
The undead fought to the end, and the corrupted began to flee in panic. The Inquisitors relentlessly chased after the corrupted and killed them.
I called over two Holy Knights nearby.
“This is Princess Polaris, who was captured by the demons. Escort her out of the castle and protect her.”
“We obey the Paladin’s command!”
With this, Princess Polaris’s safety was secured. It was as good as making the Astail family owe me a debt. I gripped the Holy Spear tightly and headed towards the center of the castle. I ordered the Holy Knights to deal with the enemies scattered throughout the castle.
The corridor leading to the Grand Hall was filled with blood. It was proof that the Great Demon resurrection ritual was progressing successfully. I was relieved.
‘I was worried I came too early… but it’s a relief.’
My goal was to kill the Great Demon. To kill the Great Demon, the Great Demon had to be resurrected first.
‘The ritual must succeed.’
Everything was going according to my plan.
I arrived at the entrance to the Grand Hall. I could feel a foul and evil energy emanating from the door. I put strength into my hand and opened the large door.
It was a damp place. In the center, an altar was set up, and around it were countless human corpses. More than a dozen demons were gathered around the altar. The demons glanced at me and then focused on the ritual. One of the demons climbed onto the altar himself.
“Suton! I offer this being to you! Uaaaaaaaah!”
The demon tore out his own heart and placed it on the altar. The demon’s heart and body burst into flames. The demons around the altar lowered their heads and began to murmur something.
“Stop this nonsense right now! You vermin!”
I shouted, spreading Holy Aura. The demons flinched, but they didn’t stop the ritual.
“Oh dear. An uninvited guest has arrived. As you can see, they are very busy with the ritual right now. Paladin of Valentier, I will be your opponent.”
A man in a black robe approached me. He was holding a staff decorated with a skull.
“Babaroyaks! A demon who betrayed humanity! How dare you show your face before me!”
“Betrayal? I have never been on the side of humans. It’s troublesome if you think that all humans believe in the Goddess Herianne. Of course, I’m not on their side either.”
“You’re so brazen despite selling your soul to a demon. Do you not know shame?”
“I didn’t sell my soul. I evolved.”
“Evolved? That’s laughable. It’s just corruption. And the end of corruption is only death. I will kill you and all the demons behind you.”
“I see that words are useless. Paladin, I will kill you to celebrate the resurrection of Suton.”
Clack.
Babaroyaks tapped the floor with his staff.
In that instant, the space where Babaroyaks and I were shook.
The scenery changed.
Red sky, black earth.
Babaroyaks smiled at me.
“Welcome to the Plains of Death.”
The ground rumbled, and thousands of undead began to rise.
