Chapter 1496 – 1496. Paladin: A Journey Of Eradication
Kwaang!
My heavy body, clad in full plate armor, crashed through the ceiling and landed on the floor.
I looked around.
It was a slightly different place than before. The floor was damp, and thin membranes stretched across the walls. Inside the membranes, creatures that looked like a cross between newborns and larvae writhed. In one corner, human corpses were scattered. They were the creatures’ food.
‘I’ve successfully reached the hatchery.’
This meant that the Colossus’s heart was beneath the floor where I stood.
It was something to be happy about. But I felt uneasy.
‘Why aren’t there any demons managing the demon hatchery? Even if the paladins above are drawing the demons’ attention… this is too empty.’
Even I, in my current state, am quite powerful, to the point where I can’t be ignored. But there was no one in the hatchery right now.
‘Something seems to have gone wrong….’
The problem was that I didn’t know where things had gone wrong, and even if I did, I couldn’t stop it.
I swung the Execution Blade at the wall. The wall cracked open. Orange liquid and demon seeds poured onto the floor. Demons with the faces of newborns and the bodies of larvae. I crushed them all to death and then plunged the Execution Blade into the floor.
‘Divine Release!’
Kwaang!
The floor collapsed, and my body fell. I landed successfully again and quietly glared ahead.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
A huge purple heart was beating.
It was the Colossus’s heart. Every time the giant heart pulsed, a huge wave of magical power was felt.
I took a step toward the heart.
The magical power wave pushed me back. I strained my body and took one step at a time toward the heart.
‘Die, Colossus.’
I thrust the Execution Blade into the heart.
The blade was so sharp that it felt like inserting a knife into tofu.
Black blood poured out of the giant heart. It was blood condensed with the magical power of the Great Demon Colossus. It was a mass of curses in itself. I wrapped my body in divine power. The Colossus’s blood couldn’t dare to corrode my flesh.
I slashed the Execution Blade downwards. A large amount of blood drained from the heart. The heart shrank slightly.
Kiiiiiiiiing.
I used the Holy Eye to examine the inside of the heart.
There was a heart within the heart. That heart was small enough to fit in one hand.
The large outer heart was the heart to maintain the Colossus’s giant body, while the small heart inside was the heart where the Colossus’s soul was located.
To kill him, I had to cut this small heart, of course.
‘And I can enhance my master skill with this small heart.’
I tore the small heart out with my hand and cut it with the Execution Blade.
Kwoooooooaaaaaaar!
The Colossus screamed. And immediately after, the floor began to shake as if an earthquake had struck. Even explosions could be heard. I realized that the Colossus’s giant body had collapsed.
The Colossus’s soul clung to my body. The aura of corruption swept from my toes to the top of my head. But I didn’t even bat an eye and endured the aura of corruption. This level of corruption couldn’t do anything to me now.
‘The Colossus is dead. Now all that’s left is to escape.’
I looked at the ceiling. I had to go up.
‘Wings of Dawn.’
Golden wings appeared behind my back. I instinctively used the wings. My body soared toward the ceiling.
I returned to the five-way intersection through the broken ceiling hole. I retracted the wings of light and ran through the passage. The Wings of Dawn were great, but the consumption of divine power was too high. It was better not to use them unless necessary.
‘There it is.’
I found the exit. I went outside without hesitation.
There was no time to enjoy the fresh air.
“Kkyaaaaaaaaak!”
With a desperate scream, a paladin’s body was torn apart in mid-air. Limbs fell and rolled on the floor, and blood and guts flowed from the torso. The paladin’s head shot up into the sky like a rocket, then was chewed up in the mouth of a demon that resembled an eagle.
“What is this….”
Demons were overflowing. Even if this was the Colossus, there were too many.
From below the Colossus, tens of thousands of demons were endlessly surging, and above, winged demons swarmed, covering the blue sky.
I gritted my teeth. Seeing the demons, irritation and anger surged. I swung the Execution Blade toward the sky. The divine sword manifested, and golden sword energy instantly swept away half a dozen demons.
“Paladin of Valentier!!”
Just as I was about to swing the Execution Blade again, someone called out to me.
It was a paladin of Jigolas, his whole body soaked in demon blood. He was missing his left arm, and three paladins around him were fighting against the demons. The corpses of two paladins were lying around him.
“Paladin of Jigolas! What happened?!”
“It’s a Great Demon! A Great Demon has appeared leading the demon army!”
“A Great Demon…?!”
I regained my composure. Then I felt a presence more intense than any demon. My gaze turned to the sky.
It was standing against the sun, daring to do so despite being a demon. The sun seemed to peek out like a halo.
The demon had the body of a woman.
She had bat wings, and her hair was as black as the abyss. Her voluptuous breasts and genitals were barely covered. Her knees and calves were those of a goat, and six horns grew around her head.
The Great Demon Bleart.
The demon, with a face that looked very much like the Goddess Herianne, was smiling in the sky.
‘Why is that demon here?!’
Bleart turned her gaze to me and smiled slyly. She was confident in her victory.
‘It’s blasphemy.’
She was spreading evil with an appearance similar to Goddess Herianne.
Bleart’s very existence was blasphemy.
I gripped the hilt of the Execution Blade tightly.
‘I’ll kill her.’
A demon was in front of me. What I had to do as a paladin was clear.
‘Divine Sword.’
Golden divinity gathered on the Execution Blade, forming the blade. I swung the sword toward Bleart. The brilliantly shining golden sword energy tore through the air and flew. But the sword energy never reached the Great Demon. Numerous demons flying in the sky came and acted as a shield, blocking the sword energy.
More than 30 demons fell to the ground. But Bleart didn’t even raise an eyebrow. Rather, she laughed loudly as if she was enjoying the situation.
“Hahahaha! Do you think you can kill me with that? Wake up to reality. The reason you humans have survived until now is not because you are good. It’s not because of Herianne, that damned bitch. You are just livestock. Our food. A source of nutrients. The only reason you have survived until now is because we have kept you alive.”
The Great Demon Bleart’s voice was a carbon copy of Goddess Herianne’s voice. Because of that, I was filled with rage at her ridiculous nonsense.
“You damned bitch…. I’ll kill you right now.”
I’ll wipe them out with the strongest attack I can muster.
‘Sacrifice!’
I’ll throw away my life.
It’s okay.
I have one resurrection and full recovery.
I tasted the sensation of the cells in my whole body exploding. Immediately after, a miracle occurred due to Sacrifice.
Divine energy began to gather in the sky. The clouds were pushed away, and golden light took their place.
The Great Demon Bleart’s expression hardened. Bleart glared at the sky as if she could kill it and muttered.
“That damned bitch. She’s using tricks?”
The light of the heavens fell.
“Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiik!”
The demons screamed in unison. The demons flying in the sky fell to the ground after being hit by the light, and the demons on the ground burst into flames. Thousands of demons were eliminated at once. Only a large crater was left in the place where they had been.
And the Great Demon Bleart was unscathed.
She was still flying in the sky with her arms crossed. She looked at the sky with a displeased expression, then lowered her head and looked at me.
I had resurrected. I took a stance and pointed the Execution Blade at Bleart.
“I don’t know where a human like you came from… but the game is over. You’ve gone too far for a piece of livestock.”
Snap.
Bleart snapped her fingers. At her command, demons began to surge in like a tidal wave.
Even after eliminating thousands of demons, tens of thousands of demons still remained.
I was about to use Sacrifice again but stopped.
‘…No. It won’t work. Even if I use the light of the heavens again to kill thousands… I won’t be able to endure it.’
The souls of thousands of demons clung to me, causing an aura of corruption. The aura of corruption was enveloping my body. It was hard for me to endure it in my current state.
‘Holy water…!’
I summoned holy water and sprinkled it on my body. The aura of corruption decreased, but that was it. It wasn’t a fundamental solution.
“Now, demons. Go. Go and die.”
Bleart was trying to corrupt me by discarding the demons. What an inefficient yet wicked scheme.
“Paladin of Valentier! We have no chance of winning right now! We have to escape!”
The paladin of Jigolas touched my shoulder. I didn’t want to admit it, but he was right.
“…Do you think we can escape? Demons are everywhere.”
“We’ll open a path. You focus on escaping.”
“……That just sounds like you’re saying you’ll sacrifice yourselves.”
“If you die, the Saintess of Valentier will also die. It means the Great Demon’s soul will be released. Even if we all die, you must survive. Only then will you be able to kill those damned Great Demons!”
“The paladin of Jigolas is right!”
“Even if we all die, you must live!”
“Paladin of Valentier! Survive! And kill that bitch and eradicate the demons!”
The paladins shouted.
Having reached their limits, they threw themselves at the relatively weaker forces to open a path.
“Paladin of Valentier! Unleash your wings! I’ll lead the way!”
The paladin of Jigolas manifested the Wings of Dawn.
‘…Escaping is the best option here.’
I also unleashed the Wings of Dawn. The wings of light fluttered and flew in one direction.
“Chase him.”
Bleart ordered the demons. The demons chased after me like crazy, but the remaining three paladins blocked their path.
Bleart didn’t move.
‘No, she can’t move. She’s pretending to be fine, but she was damaged when the light of the heavens fell. It’ll take time for her to recover.’
While flying, winged demons attacked. They were the demons that the three paladins had let slip. Before I could step forward, the paladin of Jigolas said.
“I know you’re at your limit. I’ll take care of the demons. If you become corrupted… everything will be over.”
A 30-minute chase.
The exhausted me and the paladin of Jigolas landed in a quiet forest. The paladin of Jigolas grabbed my shoulder with one hand.
“Paladin of Valentier. Listen carefully. Bleart is going to start a massive invasion. The Order will fight back as much as possible… but they’ll only be able to hold out. Flee to a safe place with the Saintess of Valentier. And… deal with Bleart in your best condition. If Bleart dies, the demon forces will naturally scatter. That’s how they are.”
“You’re talking like you’re going to die. First, take out your return stone and go back to the sanctuary. We’ll figure out a plan after that.”
Since there were no demons around, we should be able to return to the sanctuary right away.
“…No. I can’t go back. I’ve already exceeded my limit.”
Kiiiiiiing.
I used the Holy Eye.
The paladin of Jigolas had already begun to fall into corruption. The aura of corruption was transforming his insides. Since he had already started to fall into corruption, the return stone wouldn’t react.
I raised the Execution Blade and stabbed the paladin in the chest.
The paladin coughed up blood and laughed.
“You’re quick. You truly are the Paladin of Valentier, with no blood or tears.”
“…Any last words?”
“No. I have no family. Well, I have one, but… she’ll die soon. I just feel sorry for her. Paladin of Valentier! Swear to kill the Great Demon Bleart and eradicate all evil!”
“I swear on my name and my faith. I will eradicate all evil.”
“…I believe you. You can do it.”
The paladin of Jigolas’s head dropped.
Immediately after, the paladin’s fallen head was lifted.
“Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”
A reddened face, elongated fangs. It was not the paladin’s face.
Swish.
I beheaded the corrupted one.