Paladin of the Dead God - Chapter 413



Only Noblemtl

Episode 413. A Country for the Dead (6)

A hammer to strike the world.

Tukhalin realized what Isaac was talking about.

If he feels that the doctrine of the world’s crucible is going astray, he asks if he can correct it himself.

So then, what is the good that the world’s furnace pursues?

There are countless doctrines and discussions, but in summary, it can be said to be ‘endless improvement.’

To change, not to stagnate, for a better good, for a better justice.

It can’t be helped that small and weak things are eliminated in the process.

No, rather, it is worse to be eliminated.

Since there is always something ‘better’ in this world, it is a sin to not pursue something ‘better’. So we do not know if there is an ultimate ‘good’. Since they say that even God is insufficient, there may be no limit to the good they pursue.

But Isaac didn’t want to think that way.

People are not born to desperately live, to pursue a better future.

Just born.

A hero who struggles fiercely to reach the status of an angel is great, but an ordinary farmer who hopes that tomorrow will be the same day as today does not need to be punished.

God represents the will of man.

The fact that God is harsh to humans may also be an answer to how humans think of humans.

Isaac hoped Tukhalin would think about that too.

Because I wanted to stay with him for a long time.

And maybe one day Tukhalin will change the world’s melting pot for the ‘better’.

Tukhalin looked at Isaac in silence.

Originally, the absurdity of a group was best known to those who belonged to the group. That is why it is said that the most painful apostasy is committed by the most devout.

“You hit my head first.”

Tukhalin spoke bluntly. His tone was blunt, but not unpleasant.

“I need to think about it a bit more. I guess I should start by understanding the people of this town.”

He has been a devout believer for a long time.

It would be hard to believe that his attitude would suddenly change just because he heard a few words from Isaac. But it is true that the expedition of the past few months has had a greater impact on Tukhalin than the past few hundred years in the Svanvaar Archipelago.

No matter how hard the metal is, it will change if you heat it and hit it.

Tukhalin was a good hammer and at the same time a good iron.

Tukhalin stopped suddenly as he was leaving Isaac’s room and spoke angrily.

“I’m just saying this in case, don’t think that you’re teaching me! The world’s furnace has a doctrine of always improving for the better! Even if you hadn’t told me, I would have figured it out on my own!”

“Of course.”

Isaac answered with a smile.

***

A time when everyone is asleep.

Isaac went outside after making sure there was no one around. Hesabel, who had been watching the surroundings from outside the rooftop, stood next to Isaac without making a sound.

She whispered nervously.

“Please wait first.”

Isaac nodded and moved to the agreed upon location.

The village, isolated from the world, was eerily quiet.

As if it had nothing to do with the wars that turned the world upside down and the signs of heaven, the people here were only afraid of the monster in the closet called ‘Sarka Nua’, and were actually far removed from all the threats that plagued the world.

Isaac knows about the chaos going on in the Holy Land of Lua, and that all sorts of strange forces, including the Dawn Army, are gathering there.

The Isacrea Dawn Army will soon arrive there as well.

Until then, Isaac had only hoped that the soldiers would rest a little longer in this peace. He hoped that one day they would return home in the same state they left it in, both mentally and physically.

“You came.”

What was waiting in the darkness was a man wearing a mask and a cloak of strange colors.

The cloak made of colors beyond that effectively hid his, no, Isaac’s body.

Isaac took off his mask.

And the two faced each other.

Even though it was only a short time, we immediately realized that we were much stronger than before we broke up.

They both had the same thought at the same time.

A very brief moment of doubt, and a ridiculous laugh, a bland imagination.

[Nameless chaos watches you.]

The two Isaacs immediately grabbed each other’s hands and started calling without any agreement or mutual consideration. For a moment, the two of them seemed to be tangled up, but then they quickly returned to their original forms.

There was no confusion or bewilderment about who was real, because they perfectly shared each other’s memories.

The sense in which Isaac, who was divided from the beginning, thought of each other was similar to dealing with a game character. The conflict of having one’s ego taken away by a game character or being divided was nothing more than a frivolous imagination.

“Umm… … .”

“Isaac?”

Hesabel, who had been observing the situation, looked at it cautiously.

Isaac motioned for her to wait a moment, then went on to list his accomplishments and experiences.

The experience of devouring and bringing in countless monsters from the outside world, the sights and chaos seen in the Holy Land Lua, the two-day battle and bloody battle with the Graveyard Lord, the abilities absorbed through devouring…

[Preyed on the ‘Graveyard Lord (EX─)’.]

[Consumption efficiency increases with the ‘Dead God’s Guts’ perk.]

[You have acquired the ‘Exoskeleton of the Dead’ perk.]

[Defense power increases significantly.]

[Stamina increases greatly.]

‘Hmm, this is… … .’

Isaac, who remembered that time, stretched out his arm and checked the power he gained from preying on the Grave Lord. In an instant, his entire arm was cut open and dark red bones protruded, thickly covering his arm. Bodily fluids dripped down, but it was not Isaac’s blood.

[Exoskeleton of the Dead (EX─)]

[If the soul had a shell, it would be called flesh and bones. People wrap their bodies in flesh to protect their fragile souls. This power exposes the hardest parts and protects the soul instead. However, it causes a lot of bleeding while using it.]

‘Is this… a tentacle bone?’

It’s hard to imagine that those flaccid tentacles had bones, but given the teeth, they might have had a jaw.

Moreover, they were strange and vicious bones that could not be imagined if they were not tentacles.

Isaac moved his thick bone-covered arm around. It was a little heavy and thick, but it wasn’t uncomfortable to move. The bone itself was quite flexible and tough, and it seemed like it was made with joint structure in mind. It felt like he was wearing a large glove.

‘If you wear it all over your body, it’ll feel like you’re riding a robot.’

Isaac imagined a grotesque, bone-covered robot with blood oozing from its body. It looked even more terrifying than the Grave Lord. The mere sight of it would be enough to instill fear in enemies, but Isaac focused on the fact that the core of its power was focused on ‘protecting the soul.’

‘Shedding blood is no small risk. Protecting your soul, on the other hand… … .’

This may mean that God and angels can prevent the soul from being manipulated.

Isaac thought that this ability could be a significant variable in the fight at Holy Land Lua. He was already able to pull out his armor from inside his body at any time, but this ability could protect both spirit and body.

Isaac put the bones back into his body and turned around.

“Oh, Isaac. Are you done cleaning up?”

“Yeah. Was everything okay here? I was informed of the situation, but… … .”

Isaac didn’t feel any discomfort, but Hesabel might feel something different.

Hesabel chuckled.

“Oh, nothing happened. I was surprised that even your thoughts and judgments were the same. Isaac told me not to think about who is real and who is fake… … There is something like that, right?”

Hesabel said, shaking the index fingers of both hands from side to side.

“It was a bit of a feeling? A feeling like it wasn’t real? That’s what it was. So it was a bit difficult to treat him like Isaac.”

“Isn’t it just my mood?”

“Well, I guess it’s not a matter of rational distinction, but rather a matter of the heart. I think that even if you ask Hecateli or Jihilet, they’d probably give you the same answer.”

Isaac seemed to know what he meant. If we look at it in a narrow sense, it could be said to be a relationship between a master and his subordinates.

The subordinate instinctively recognizes the location of the soul where the master is located. And on a larger scale… … it seemed to have something to do with religious beliefs.

Because there can’t be two nameless chaoses.

Isaac suddenly remembered the conversation he had with Tukhalin.

‘Are you ready to become the hammer that will strike the world?’

That question was actually a question Isaac asked himself.

Isaac, who had once warned you to be careful because you too had become a sharp corner of the world, was now heading towards a scene that might rewrite the world.

Isaac realized that although he may be weaker and less brilliant than the famous angels, he was becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Now we must fight not just to survive, but to create a world in which we can live.

Now Isaac had to decide what to show and prove to the gods with his sharp edge.

Because the nameless chaos can be anything.

***

A few days later, the well-rested Isacrea Dawn Army left the village.

The villagers welcomed the soldiers, who did not speak the language very well, and sent them away. Some of the soldiers seemed to have become attached to the village, but none of them wanted to stay. They must have known what it meant to stay in this village.

“Rather, if it’s for these people, we should win the expedition.”

Tukhalin asked with a puzzled look at Isaac’s words.

“These people probably lived their lives learning that the Immortal Church is the absolute good anyway?”

“At least we have a choice.”

But it wasn’t just the residents who were seeing them off as usual. As the Isacrea Dawn Army began to leave, a young man hurriedly grabbed a wooden spear and ran out to catch up with Isaac.

“Please take me too!”

Because it was such a simple statement and so clearly demonstrated in his actions, the soldiers could understand what he was saying.

Rottenhammer tried to pull the young man away with a troubled expression. They were not the Immortal Cult in the first place, and they had no intention of dragging a young man who was not even an adult yet to the battlefield. However, the young man did not seem to be giving up easily.

“I want to get out of this town! Please take me with you!”

It seemed that he did not want to serve in the military out of loyalty or doctrine to the Immortal Order, but simply wanted to get out of the village.

Tukhalin looked at Isaac, wondering what he would say.

“Just stay here.”

The young man looked disappointed, but Isaac continued.

“The egg you live in will soon break anyway. Until then, enjoy the peace.”

As soon as the horse started to move, the Isacrea Dawn Army also followed suit.

“Once the egg is broken, no one can go back.”

Gods, angels, monsters, and humans.

We were now moving towards a critical point of no return.