Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 400



Only Noblemtl

Episode 400. Under the Lamp (4)

“You get out too.”

Isaac planted a parasite on the head of another dog he had created—although its back was torn open and tentacles the size of logs dangled from it—and pushed it away.

The tentacle-dog flailed around weakly, then soon ran furiously south.

Repeating the words Isaac had told him.

“The traitor has arrived!”

Isaac stared at the grayish-white ground the tentacle dog had jumped onto.

This was once the cradle of civilization, but as the center of civilization shifted to Lichtheim over the millennia, the outer rim also eroded the land accordingly. As a result, the fertile land that could produce three crops a year became a wasteland, and strange plants and rocks twisted into shapes, creating an eerie appearance.

Even so, there remained structures left behind by an ancient civilization whose name was unknown, but even these were twisted and squeezed into physically impossible shapes, perhaps due to the influence of nameless chaos.

External diameter.

This was the ‘hunting ground’ that Isaac had chosen.

At the same time, it was also a ‘training center’ to simultaneously screw over the Code of Light and the Immortal Order.

“What should we do with these, Master?”

Hecatli asked the monsters that had fallen at her root-like feet.

As soon as Isaac arrived at the edge of the outer world, numerous monsters rushed at him. Unlike the monsters he encountered in the salt desert or the wasteland, the monsters that were not affected by order were incomparably violent. Fortunately, they were not enough to be a match for Isaac’s strengthened followers.

But Isaac was never arrogant. Rather, he was nervous.

These are mobs that are on the level of rabbits or rats in the realm of civilization. A little better than a human-faced spider? The real monsters of monsters are in the depths of the outer world, and Isaac did not want to go to the place where such things were lurking.

In the first place, Isaac himself had no idea what would happen if he went to that place.

“If it’s okay, may I eat it? Or should I just collect some of its essence for you, Master?”

Hecatli asked, licking his lips.

‘If anyone saw me, they’d think I was starving… … .’

Isaac felt a sense of bewilderment, but decided to understand that hunger was their nature. However, Isaac had no intention of letting Hecatli prey on them.

Isaac looked at the monster at Hecatli’s feet. It was the size of a small wolf, and had a funny appearance, like a jellyfish with chicken legs. It would have been even funnier if it hadn’t been for the way it dismembered its prey with the dagger-sized claws on its legs, then devoured them whole with the tentacles that took up half of its body.

Instead of devouring it, Isaac summoned parasites from beyond and swarmed several of them, just as he had done so far. As soon as the parasites took control of the monster’s internal nerves, Isaac gave them orders. But these orders were different from the ones he had given before.

“You guys go to the Holy Land, Lua.”

As soon as Isaac’s order was given, the tentacle-chickens immediately began to run fiercely in the direction of the Holy Land, Lua.

It was obvious that Isaac could not run to them directly to frighten them, and that it would not be very effective. So instead, Isaac decided to send them a gift that would be enough to scare them.

From now on, Isaac planned to send these gifts very, very often, and not very happily.

At first, the Immortal Emperor will be perplexed. But as time goes by, even the lighthouse keeper will be perplexed. Then, what will we do with the Watchmen’s Council that is holding the Dawn Army back and not moving?

With this one move, Isaac was able to whip both forces at the same time.

Run now.

‘Did you think I was isolated?’

Isaac thought with a smile.

The Undead Cult probably thought that the isolated Isacrea Dawn Army would be easy to deal with, and that they could easily crush them without the pressure of the Dawn Army’s main force.

But Isaac had a plan B.

Isn’t there such an excellent source of troop supply in this outer region bordering the Holy Land, Lua?

They don’t even need to be trained. Training is impossible in the first place. And they have the disadvantage of being somewhat over-consumed, but this is not a problem since they can supply themselves on the battlefield.

The biggest advantage of all is that it is endless.

That endless army was coming towards Isaac.

Thud, thud, thud… … From the south, a giant was crawling, writhing on its four… no, seven limbs. What looked like internal organs were poking out of its skin and acting like limbs, and it seemed like a monster that knew nothing about the human body was imitating a human shell.

And beyond that, there was a swarm of Night Stalkers, upside-down jellyfish with bat wings, and other strange things that were hard to even name.

“The bait is working well.”

If Isaac can’t go deep into the outer space, he can just make things in the outer space pop out.

First of all, the ones who planted the parasites and sent them south were the bait to draw out those guys.

“■■■■─!!”

Whether it was the roar of rage or the joy of reunion, the seven-limbed giant charged forward, letting out a roar. Isaac instinctively felt that this was a formidable opponent and prepared for battle. He then motivated his followers.

“You can kill that guy and eat him. Without leaving a trace.”

The followers were all fired up with enthusiasm at the permission to eat up the essence. The external beings boasted an absurd level of difficulty, and they also gave absurd amounts of experience points.

The Infinite Army was also a source of infinite experience and food.

From now on, it was just a series of tasks of killing, eating, and turning anyone they could find into servants before sending them outside.

Isaac wondered what the Immortal Emperor and the Lighthouse Keeper would think of the gifts that would soon arrive at Holy Land Lua. When the Grail Knights went to conquer Holy Land Lua, they just left it alone, but what would happen if the Holy Land Lua was suddenly threatened by absurd monsters?

Isaac was confident with the knowledge he had gained so far.

The Apocrypha is a place outside the realm of order, and even the lighthouse keepers do not set their eyes on it. Even the territory of the Undead Cult is fused with Urbanus, making it impossible to revise Urbanus.

And the Immortal Emperor will not be able to quickly detect the change, as the invasion of external monsters was a common occurrence even 300 years ago. The external monsters did not have souls that could be collected even if killed.

What if I knew? The Immortal Emperor was the enemy from the beginning. Nothing would change.

As the saying goes, it’s darkest under the lamp.

“The trials are mine, not yours.”

Isaac muttered, raising the corners of his lips.

It was just a shame that I couldn’t see their faces.

***

As Isaac had predicted, no one was aware of the changes taking place in the outer world.

Because of this, there were no immediate signs of change and everything went as planned.

The advance of the Isacrea Dawn Army suddenly encountered a thick fog. Since winter fog was a common occurrence, it was not particularly unusual. The fog rose from the ankles and slowly, as if slowly soaking in, mixed into the army.

As visibility became limited, Tukhalin sent out additional scouting parties. However, less than half of the scouting parties sent out returned.

Isaac, who noticed the change, immediately stopped the advance and prepared for battle.

“This is the enemy. It is likely the main force, so prepare for defense.”

At the same time, Isaac sent Nell flying into the sky to get an accurate picture of the situation.

‘Hesabel, how big is the enemy?’

Nell quickly flew through the fog, but it was not easy to see through the artificial fog.

‘Hmm, the fog is so thick I can’t see clearly. But something seems strange… … Huh!?’

A feeling of embarrassment burst out from Hesabel.

At the same time, a blizzard suddenly began to fall over the heads of the Isacrea Dawn Army. It was a powdery snow created when the air above suddenly froze.

Hesabel’s shocking report continued.

‘Bone dragon! It was a bone dragon! There’s a dragon over there too!’

Looking up at the sky, I saw a dark silhouette beyond the fog. A gigantic bird-like figure with a thin frame. Some of the Bone Dragons that had been defending the capital city of Ushaq had moved towards the Isacrea Dawn Army. I could see how seriously the Undead Cult was taking the Isacrea Dawn Army and was beginning to deal with it.

‘The dispatch of the Angel Cemetery Lord has already been planned. Then, the question is how many troops he has under his command… … .’

If it was a Bone Dragon, it would already be like bringing a top-tier relic and divine beast to this battlefield.

What about ground forces then?

The clatter of boots could be heard from the front. Now the Immortal Order had no need to hide.

“Chief Rottenhammer, please clear this fog!”

“Okay!”

At Rottenhammer’s command, the paladins and priests began to chant in unison. As the warm, warm light spread, the fog began to disintegrate and drift away.

Soon, a sinister, discordant chant flowed from beyond the fog. As the chant of the Code of Light was daunted by the bone-grinding, creepy voice, the fog no longer retreated, but kept a certain distance.

“Knights of Elril, prepare for battle!”

“The bone is coming! Are you all ready to bite?”

The Isacrea Dawn Army, far from being demoralized, displayed a fierce spirit and boosted their fighting spirit. This was true not only for the knights and priests, but also for the common soldiers.

They have won every fight so far without a single defeat.

Even if the enemy’s angels appear, there is no problem. They have gathered together the Holy Grail Knights who even destroyed the angel Pale White and the heroes of various faiths.

Thud, thud, thud.

But as the sound of footsteps around me grew louder over time, I began to feel that something was wrong.

In war, soldiers line up and parade not only for military discipline, but also to break the morale of the enemy.

The low sound of boots, like the drums of a battlefield, shook the ground and even the heart. It is easy to keep up with the undead army, which is easy to control, but it is not easy to make that much noise because they are light in weight.

That is, most of them were elite troops who were heavily armed enough to make a loud noise.

Kung. Then, at one moment, the sound of footsteps stopped at the same time. The Isacrea Dawn Army felt fearful that enemies might be hiding in the fog surrounding them. However, the commanders remained unfazed and stared blankly at one point.

Soon, someone appeared, cutting through the fog like a stream.

It was a giant, the Graveyard Lord, made up of piles of skeletons that were dozens of meters tall.

Next to him, Death Knights appeared in a long line. Each Death Knight was holding a blood-stained flag in his hand. Aethelred and Rottenhammer let out a low groan as they saw the flag.

“These are the military flags of the units that were dispatched to the Dawn Army but never returned.”

“There are also flags of the families that fought in the Kingdom of Elril and did not return.”

The history of countless failures of the Dawn Army.

It was clear what this meant.

It was a warning that you too would end up in the same situation, and a proclamation that the elite force of veteran heroes from the Immortal Order had arrived here.

Aethelred thought of the infamous army of veterans who had lost their will to live after their conversion and were buried underground, only to be forcibly raised and conscripted when called upon by the Immortal Emperor.

The Lunar Eclipse Force, a reserve force that can never be discharged.

***

The Graveyard Lord slowly looked around the Isacrea Dawn Army.

Having been warned sternly by the Immortal Emperor, the Graveyard Lord also approached with considerable caution. He chose a plain with fog, a good place for fighting, and brought his elite troops here without causing excessive disruption to the capital’s defenses.

Indeed, the Isacrea Dawn Army did not disappoint him. They had already sensed his approach, the knights responded quickly, and despite having the Archangel before them, the morale of the soldiers barely waned.

It is not madness due to fanaticism, but trust and faith in the commanders.

The strict discipline pleased the graveyard monarch.

‘It’s definitely a well-disciplined army. But… … .’

It is not without its flaws. The flaw of the Allied Forces. The command system and ranks are separate, and the soldiers form gangs due to differences in religion and culture. They cannot be forcibly bound. It was a flaw that was so big that it was ridiculous to the cemetery lord.

But still, they got here without even a single defeat.

There was only one reason the Graveyard Lord could think of that was possible.

‘The Grail Knight’s presence has filled this gap so far. He is definitely a hero.’

That’s why he felt doubtful as he stared at the Isacrea Dawn Army.

‘But where is the Knight of the Holy Grail?’