Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 402



Only Noblemtl

Episode 402. Graveyard Lord (2)

“Hold on? Is that all? Where are the reinforcements coming from?”

Tukhalin asked Isaac in disbelief. This was in the middle of enemy territory, and our forces were far across the sea. From the Svanvar Archipelago, where the World’s Furnace Cult is located, this place was so far away that it could be said to be the polar opposites of the world.

“There is no way to explain it now. The enemies will try to retreat after some time. We can then attack the retreating enemies.”

“Explain it properly… … .”

“Tuchalin.”

Isaac said, feeling a little tired.

“I understand that it is difficult to trust my unfounded words. If you want me to go out and solve the problem on my own, I will do so.”

Tukhalin stared at Isaac.

A Holy Grail Knight whose whole body was covered in blood, sweat, and dirt.

Meanwhile, Tukhalin had been secretly feeling uneasy about the ‘fake’ in front of him.

But Isaac’s attitude, confidence, and mindset were no worse than any of the Grail Knights he knew.

Also, the fact that there was no ‘real’ Grail Knight in this place right now meant that he was already struggling to overcome this difficulty alone.

Tukhalin bowed his head slightly.

“I apologize. I seemed to be suspicious of our Commander-in-Chief.”

“No. It’s hard to trust a commander who keeps many secrets.”

It was a shortcoming that Isaac had no choice but to accept. It was a secret that had to be kept from no one but even the second-in-command.

Ultimately, trust can only be earned through actions and results.

Meanwhile, the battle was raging again.

The Lunar Eclipse Army dispatched its second force.

Isaac took out the Ruaddin Key and lit the flame.

“Three days left, Tukhalin. The victory or defeat of the Dawn Army will be determined by whether our army can hold out for three days.”

***

The battle continued tirelessly day and night.

The undead army neither eats nor sleeps, but humans cannot. While the soldiers in the front line fought, some had to eat and rest, even if it was only for a short time. Thanks to this, the Graveyard Lord was able to eat the Isacrea Dawn Army with an efficiency close to tens of thousands with only a few thousand troops.

It wasn’t his favorite style, but it was an effective fighting style.

It was fortunate for Isaac, who was trying to hold on somehow, but honestly, he couldn’t be relieved. The attrition of the troops was not trivial. If the soldiers hadn’t been forcibly restored to their bodies through a miracle, their hearts might have burst or they might have gone crazy from nervous breakdowns.

“Thank you for your hard work, Knight of the Holy Grail.”

Ethelred said with a face with hollow eyes.

The Elil Knights fought their enemies almost without rest. The Elil believers are warmongers who find more energy on the battlefield, but their horses are not. With many of the horses exhausted and dying, the Elil cavalry’s power was also significantly reduced.

In the meantime, the Swordmasters, Aethelred, Lyanna, and Cidrik fought without sleeping at all. Not only them, but most of the commanders did the same. Isaac was the same.

“Still, the Grail Knight seems to be in better condition. Sir Cidric looked like he was going to faint, but he refused to sleep, so Sir Lyanna just knocked him out.”

“Well done.”

Isaac was also tired, but he was able to recover his strength through prey.

Of course, they couldn’t eat it openly in front of their enemies, so they supplemented their lack of stamina by eating dead horses and such under the pretense of eating.

Fortunately, the situation on the battlefield had changed a lot since the first day.

The formation of the Isacrea Dawn Army had moved to a slightly higher ground compared to before, and was smaller and more compact.

Large fires were lit here and there to prevent the cold air from invading and to prevent Phantom Steeds from flying overhead. If a Phantom Steed was flying in, the fires were lit even larger. This was a well-known defense measure, as Phantom Steeds would lose strength and fall if exposed to too much heat.

Meanwhile, Tukhalin and the priests of the furnace redesigned their formation and quickly created something like a moat.

Although they tried to save money, they could only use the shells a few times. Instead of using them as mortars, they were buried underground and detonated like landmines whenever they wanted.

It was a trace of Tukhalin struggling to do something about Isaac’s instructions to ‘just hold on’.

Although Tukhalin, as a craftsman, deplored the existence of these makeshift fortifications, the soldiers certainly felt that they were more convenient to defend than before.

Ethelred spoke cautiously, making sure there was no one else around.

“I heard that you set a time limit of ‘three days’, but the soldiers are very tired. There is a limit to the miraculous recovery, and many priests have vomited blood while singing hymns.”

“Yes, I heard.”

Isaac answered calmly. Ethelred spoke cautiously.

“I’ve thought about it, sir. Rather than just holding out like this, wouldn’t it be better to intercept the Grave Lord while we still have strength left? I’ll ask the angels for help.”

Isaac wasn’t surprised. It was a suggestion that had been made several times before. But he had rejected it every time. The chances of success were not high in the first place.

“As I said, Your Majesty Aethelred, the Grave Lord’s power is not limited to this. If we ask for help from the seraphs, they will also come forward, and powers comparable to theirs will also appear.”

“But aren’t they already receiving help from the Graveyard Lord?”

“Your Majesty also borrows the power of the Lion Knight, and Tukhalin also borrows the power of the Thunder Craftsman.”

Ethelred made a stinging expression.

Isaac said calmly.

“The Graveyard Lord is currently on guard against our army that defeated Pale, so he is unable to exert his full strength. If we start calling for the Angel of Honor, he will immediately unleash all his power. Even if His Majesty, the Sword Masters, and the commanders hold out somehow… … the casualties among the soldiers will be enormous.”

Isaac met Ethelred’s eyes.

“We cannot reclaim the Holy Land of Lua alone. This is the only way to win with the least amount of damage.”

“okay…….”

Ethelred nodded, but the shadow on his face did not disappear.

“But, sir, what if the Graveyard Lord attacks us with all his might first? Wouldn’t the casualties to our soldiers still be great?”

Isaac chuckled with a tired face.

“If the Graveyard Lord ever loses his patience… …then that will be our chance to eliminate him.”

***

Multi-faceted, multi-faceted, multi-faceted.

On the morning of the second day, the battlefield was calm for once.

However, the Isacrea Dawn Army could not relax their guard. It was not a good omen at all for the undead army, which could attack without rest, to have stopped attacking.

Eventually, as countless blue lights appeared through the morning fog, the Isacrea Dawn Army held their breath.

As on the first day, the banner bearers marched forward. But this time there were more banners, new and blood-red, not worn and worn. Isaac spotted the Death Knights standing at the center of the line, still clad in pristine armor.

The soldiers did not have enough knowledge to recognize each and every symbol on the banner, but the paladins were different. Rottenhammer sighed as he looked at the banners of the Death Knights at the forefront.

“Military Knights… … .”

The Knights Templar of Karlsen Milter.

The paladins who had built legends along with Karlsen stood before them as death knights. Some among the paladins guessed at the nicknames or legends they had received from their armor or impressive weapons.

‘Bone Armor’ Roche, ‘Bloody’ Anton, ‘The Man with the Stitched Mouth’ Trael… … These are the legends of the Milishar Knights, the strongest knights in the Code of Light, overshadowed only by the majesty of Carlsen.

Isaac felt something stirring inside him as he looked at them. For a moment, he unconsciously touched his chest.

‘Carlsen? Is he still there?’

It was unclear whether it was Carlsen’s emotions reacting, or the part of him that was being preyed upon, for Isaac was deeply affected by him.

But their appearance made one thing certain.

“The Graveyard Lord is finally ready to unleash his full might. Be careful.”

As he said, the Graveyard Lord had finished assessing the situation and was preparing for the final battle.

The Grave Lord slowly emerged from the fog. A large number of bones were dragged out like a cloak, rattling. He spoke softly, holding a sword entangled with flesh, bones, and blood on his shoulder.

[I saw it well. Your level… … I’m bored to death.]

The Graveyard Lord swung his sword once in the air and then slammed it into the ground.

[If you want to draw power, I have to step forward myself. Okay. I’ll go.]

Whoosh. The Graveyard Lord revealed the angels sent by the Immortal Emperor who had been hiding behind the fog—the Harvesters. The messengers who appeared silently stared at the Isacrea Dawn Army with empty eyes and long scythes.

The Isacrea Dawn Army held their breath at the appearance of the infamous angel who once put Isaac in danger.

[I will deal with the Grail Knights. You deal with anyone who might interfere.]

‘Taxes and death are unavoidable’ They are not cursed, but rather angels created by the immortal emperor for this moment, so they cannot be summoned back by paying ‘taxes’.

Tukhalin and Ethelred also immediately recognized the threat of the harvesters. They also realized that it would be difficult to fight them with human power alone.

Kurururung. Lightning shot out from Tukhalin’s entire body, and the sound of a storm echoed. The power of the thunder craftsman surged hotly. At the same time, a green armor covering Ethelred’s entire body sprouted. The sound of drums resonating from somewhere filled the hearts of the soldiers who were being consumed by fear with fighting spirit.

A gentle heat and light began to spread from Isaac’s body.

Isaac immediately realized that the Sword of May was empowering him. However, instead of directly approaching her, she was only spreading the warmth of her blessing around Isaac.

The soldiers who felt the heat felt their bodies, which had been pushed to their limits after two days of fighting, quickly recover and regain their stamina. The blessings that had been bestowed upon the main force of the Dawn Army were now being bestowed upon this place.

Although Isaac was grateful for the blessing, he had a harder time understanding the lighthouse keeper’s intentions.

It is difficult to imagine that the Sword of May would stand alone against the Lighthouse Keeper’s orders.

Does the lighthouse keeper want the Isacrea Dawn Army to overcome this situation, or is this also part of his grand plan?

‘No matter what, just don’t bother me right now.’

Isaac decided to stop relying on ambiguous beings who were either friend or foe and focus solely on the battle.

The all-out war with the Lunar Eclipse Army was the moment he had been dreading, but it was also the moment he had been waiting for.

There really isn’t much left now.

Now that we have the blessings of the angels, we must deal as much damage as possible to the Lunar Eclipse Army.

The Graveyard Lord was neither surprised nor discouraged by the newly appeared angels. They did not appear directly, but only added blessings. There was no sign of a variable like Dera Heman.

Still, the Lunar Eclipse Army was superior to the Isacrea Dawn Army in numbers, quality, and miraculous power.

It was only natural, since they were the elite of the Immortal Cult.

The Graveyard Lord proclaimed the Immortal Emperor’s solemn command.

[Go. Recruit.]

Kung. The Death Knight army of the Lunar Eclipse Army advanced forward in unison. The soldiers gritted their teeth as the earth-shaking footsteps echoed.

Tukhalin looked at Isaac with longing eyes.

I hope he can create a miracle this time too.

***

At the same time, Isaac, who had heard news of the main camp from the divided Isaac, made a mischievous expression.

Coincidentally, he was also preparing for an ‘all-out attack’.

Isaac here has also been constantly eating, consuming, and running around for the past two days. Thanks to that, he was able to get the timing just right.

‘Actually, I wanted to fill it up a bit more, but I guess I’ll have to be satisfied with this much.’

Isaac gestured slightly toward the front.

“Attack. Eat it.”

At the same time, countless monsters that Isaac had created from the outside world rushed forward, roaring with hunger and starvation. The holy city of numerous faiths, the Holy Land of Lua, was right before their eyes.

It was the largest offensive the Holy Land Lua had faced in hundreds of years.

I wondered what kind of expression the graveyard lord would make when he heard the news.