Chapter 1499 – 1499. Paladin: A Journey Of Eradication
[Name: Eugene
Class: Paladin
Level: 99
Strength: 105 Agility: 81 Stamina: 85 Divine Power: 122
Skills: Holy Sanctuary (Lv. Ultimate), Holy Aura (Lv. Ultimate), Divine Sword (Lv. Ultimate), Sprint (Lv. Master), Holy Light (Lv. Master), Divine Enhancement (Lv. Master), Resurrection (Lv. Master), Descent (Lv. Master), Sacrifice (Lv. Master), Perfect Body (Lv. Master), Wings of Dawn (Lv. Master), Holy Fire (Lv. Master), Light Shackles (Lv. Master)]
I checked my status window.
These were the stats I had accumulated by hunting demons in major cities and drinking the elixirs I had asked the Saintess to make.
I had reached my limit. My patience had reached its limit, and so had my ability to raise my stats.
‘I’ve been repeating guerrilla warfare for three months. It was a tedious yet rewarding task. And now… I’m going to Valentiere. Let’s end this.’
Whether I die or the Great Demon Bleart dies, a conclusion must be reached. And that end will be Bleart’s death.
Thud.
Wearing my armor, I arrived in front of the city of Valentiere and gazed at it with deep eyes.
Kiiiiing.
Holy Sanctuary activated, scanning the state of Valentiere. An enormous amount of magic power was enveloping the city. Even without entering the city, the presence of the Great Demon Bleart was intensely felt. His power was much stronger than when I first saw him.
‘So, he wasn’t just sitting around doing nothing for three months.’
Bleart knew.
That the end of this situation would ultimately be a showdown with me.
I had to kill Bleart to eliminate the demons from this world, and Bleart had to kill me to resurrect the dead Great Demons. How many other demons or humans died was largely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.
I took a step forward.
The city’s gaze was fixed on me.
“Hehehe…”
“Just as Lord Bleart said.”
“He’s here.”
“The Paladin has come.”
The demons laughed. But I noticed a hint of fear mixed in their laughter.
The number of demons and corrupted individuals who had died by my hand was at least over 200,000. They knew that too. In the eyes of the demons, I must have looked like a slaughterer.
“Annoying.”
I raised my Executioner’s Sword. The demons’ laughter abruptly stopped. They exchanged glances and then dragged a human out of a dilapidated house.
It was a human wearing tattered rags. Their body was emaciated, and their face was filled with deep despair.
“Paladin! Don’t move! If you move, this human dies!”
“Paladin… please…”
I pursed my lips and stared at the hostage. Their face looked familiar. As I searched my memory, I remembered. It was one of the Inquisitors who had followed and praised me.
“…An Inquisitor. Was your name Max?”
“You remember my name…! Paladin! I thought everything in this world was over. I thought the Goddess had lost her light, and darkness had swallowed the world…!”
The eyes of the Inquisitor, who looked like they could die at any moment, gained strength. It was the light of faith.
“Shut up, human!”
A demon pressed the Inquisitor to the ground with a large hand. The Inquisitor groaned softly. Yet, they looked up at me. They wanted something from me. I knew what it was.
“Paladin. There are still humans alive in this city. They live as slaves, as livestock, serving us. If you want to save them, come with us willingly. Lord Bleart wants to see you.”
I didn’t even glance at the demon. I only focused on the Inquisitor.
“Paladin.”
“I’m listening.”
“I was once in despair and abandoned my faith. I thought there was no light. I thought the Goddess had forsaken us.”
“As an Inquisitor, you’re disqualified.”
“Indeed, I am. I will gladly accept the punishment for that sin.”
“You damn humans!”
The demon, enraged, swung its hand. The Inquisitor’s right arm was torn off. Yet, the Inquisitor remained calm. They looked at me without even flinching.
“But now, I see that you have regained your faith. Is there something you want from me?”
“Paladin! You are a ray of light sent by the Goddess! I just want the demons…! I want all demons to be eradicated from this world!”
“Don’t worry. I will do that.”
“I believe…”
Thud.
The Inquisitor’s head exploded.
The demon licked the brain matter off its hand with its forked tongue and grinned.
“I couldn’t stand the sound of the livestock. Eradicate demons from this world? You foolish humans. The masters of this world are not you, but us.”
The demon raised its hand and waved it. A foul stench of blood spread as demons gathered to surround me. They all had hostages.
“Aaaaaaah!”
“Paladin!”
“Please save us! Please save us!”
“We’re sorry! We were wrong!”
I looked around at them. They had lost their faith due to torture.
“Paladin. Don’t do anything foolish and come with us.”
“…Don’t you dare order me around, you filthy demon scum.”
I spoke through gritted teeth, raising my anger and fighting spirit. The demon flinched.
“Can’t you see the humans? I warned you not to do anything foolish! Lord Bleart wants to talk to you!”
“The only conversation I can have with a demon is shoving my sword through your torso!”
Holy Light.
Several beams of light fell from the sky onto the demons.
“Kaaaaaak!”
The demons screamed. Their bodies burst into flames. Ordinary Holy Light didn’t have this much power, but… right now, my Divine Power stat is over 100, and Holy Light is at Master level. With Holy Light alone, I could kill most demons easily.
“Paladin…! You’ll regret this!!”
The demons acted. Instead of attacking me, they killed the hostages in plain sight. Human blood, flesh, and screams filled the air. I didn’t stand still either. I raised my Executioner’s Sword and charged at the demons.
“You can resent me all you want. But one thing I can promise you is… these demon bastards will die by my hand!”
The demons, having killed all the hostages, charged at me in unison.
‘Holy Aura.’
A holy aura spread from me, sending the charging demons flying. A halo of holy light appeared behind my head.
The demons, startled by the Holy Aura, didn’t charge again. They realized the difference in strength, and their fighting spirit instantly broke.
The demons turned and began to flee.
Of course, I wasn’t flustered. I was used to it.
‘It’s a common trait of these filthy demons.’
If they think they’re going to die, they run without hesitation. Whether their comrades die or not, they only care about their own survival. That was the basic nature of demons. The reason these demons followed Bleart’s orders was simple. If they didn’t follow Bleart, they would die.
‘Holy Fire.’
Whoosh.
Golden flames rose from the ground, blocking the fleeing demons. The demons didn’t dare jump into the holy flames.
I started by killing the winged demons first. Even if they spread their wings and flew into the sky, it was useless.
‘Lightning.’
Golden lightning struck down, punishing the demons fleeing into the sky.
I didn’t stop there. I circled the outskirts of Valentiere, killing any demons and corrupted individuals I saw.
Kwarururung! Kwakwakwang!
Golden lightning struck the demons.
The humans, who had lost their faith due to the demons’ schemes and torture, regained hope as they witnessed the demons’ deaths. The humans prayed, and the demons screamed.
“That’s enough.”
Thud!
A huge demon landed in front of me. I braced myself on the shaking ground. I looked up at the demon.
It was a 5-meter-tall red demon. A giant-type demon. In some ways, they were more troublesome than demons with special abilities. Their physical abilities were so powerful that even I couldn’t ignore them. In game terms, they were closer to named demons.
“If you have no intention of talking to Lord Bleart… die here.”
A large fist came flying at me. I jumped up to avoid the fist. The fist smashed the ground, and debris flew everywhere. I landed on top of the fist and ran towards the demon’s head.
‘Sprint.’
The demon tried to grab me with its left hand, but my legs, using the skill, were much faster.
Thwack.
I shoved the Executioner’s Sword into the demon’s forehead. The Executioner’s Sword was sharp on its own, but it cut through demon flesh better than anything else.
‘Divine Sword.’
The blade of the Executioner’s Sword flashed golden for a moment.
‘Tempest.’
I used the power of the holy sword, Volbreia, which controlled the wind.
The power of the Divine Sword was infused into the wind generated by the Executioner’s Sword. Golden wind swirled inside the demon’s head. The wind didn’t stop at grinding the demon’s brain; it went down and shredded its torso.
I landed on the ground with the finely shredded pieces of the demon’s body. My whole body was soaked in demon blood. I was used to it. But that didn’t mean I liked it. Suppressing the rising disgust, I looked at the main street.
There were demons.
Not the mass-produced, run-of-the-mill demons. They were all named-level demons with menacing appearances and intense presences.
“Is that the Paladin of Valentiere who killed the Great Demons?”
“Birose died instantly… He’s definitely not ordinary.”
“Even so, there’s no way he can fight us alone.”
“Lord Bleart told us to bring him, but… he also said it was okay to kill him if he resisted too much.”
“Kill him.”
They were demons.
I didn’t back down and raised my Executioner’s Sword.
‘Come, angels.’
Even for me, it was difficult to fight them alone, so I summoned my tools.
The air split open, and three archangels appeared.
“Archangels, huh? I’ve heard of them, but it’s my first time seeing them in person.”
“They don’t look that strong?”
“Kill them!”
The demons and angels clashed. I put the angels in front and methodically killed the demons.
Victory was mine. I was a little tired, but I was able to win without any major injuries.
‘Bleart is… inside the Valentiere Cathedral. You filthy bitch. Are you going to desecrate the divine to the end…?’
Suppressing my displeasure, I opened the door to the cathedral.
As soon as I saw the scene inside the cathedral, I frowned. The floor was stained with blood, and human skin was hanging on the walls. It was an act to desecrate and mock the Goddess Herianne.
Kiiiiiiing.
Holy Sanctuary clearly showed the traces of the Great Demon. I ignored the prayer room, the chapel, and the dining hall and headed to the innermost part of the cathedral.
The place I finally arrived at was the sanctuary of Valentiere.
The place where the Saintess stayed, and where I had rested.
I slammed my fist into the door of the sanctuary.
Bang!
