Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 288: The damn stage.

A loud noise erupted from across the hallway.Arthur muttered to himself as he saw the statues on the display case shaking precariously.

“This is absolutely ridiculous…”

Richt felt similarly.

They had thought that no one could stand against Laius until now.

Because of that, the presence of Roger, who was on equal footing with the captain, could not help but be shocking.

But as always, Arendt remained indifferent.

“It’s just the beginning, so don’t joke around.”

“You’re really something, you bastard.”

Arendt continued, listening to Arthur’s grumbles.

“Honestly, I don’t know what that monster’s weakness is, but I guessed a few things after fighting that guy’s subordinate earlier.”

“I know it’s helpful, but can you please refrain from doing that? It would be nice if you thought about the people watching your actions.”

Richt complained, but Arendt, of course, ignored him.

“At first glance, he may seem like a real monster. He doesn’t get tired, and his magical power is limitless. But he’s still human after all. It’s likely that some of his senses have been paralyzed by the divine power.”

“So… it seems like he doesn’t get affected much by injuries or fatigue, but it’ll accumulate over time?”

Arthur frowned and asked again, and Arendt nodded.

“Yes, that guy named Ain was like that earlier. He pretended to be calm at first, but when I provoked him a little, he got more excited than necessary.”

“That’s because you provoked him too much. I really thought you were a crazy bastard.”

Arendt continued speaking, ignoring Arthur’s grumbling beside him.

“And remember those guys who were burned alive? Ain also tried to rely on sight like those guys. Of course, he seemed to have a much better sense than the guy named Crow.”

Ain was caught twice in Arendt’s trick of drawing attention and then abruptly attacking him from an unexpected place.

For a swordsman with that level of skill, his reaction was quite dull.

It wasn’t unusual for ghouls to have their other senses dulled since their bodies had been modified, but it was definitely strange that non-ghoul Ain had a similar reaction.

“Anyway, if you hold on forcibly, when you reach your limit, it all explodes at once, and your senses become slightly dull. These two things might be side effects of the divine power of the Chernion Cult.”

Richt spat out a short comment at Arendt’s addition.

“I guess Roger might be similar.”

“That’s about right.”

The apprentice knight responded dryly.

It was a situation that they couldn’t say was particularly good, even as a joke.

The enemies were more desperate than expected.

Moreover, as those who did not spare their lives rushed forward with the sole intention of giving up their flesh and taking their bones, the knights and elf warriors could not help but grow tired.

Elf warriors who were not accustomed to this type of combat had already begun to lose their lives.

‘It’s better to finish it as quickly as possible, though.’

It was realistically impossible.

As he was thinking that, Arthur opened his mouth again.

“That means… while the captain is blocking him, we have to keep hanging on until the end. Until he shows his limits.”

“They may seem invincible, but they quickly fall apart the moment they start to show their limits. That’s why it’s advantageous to rush in together and drag out a long-term battle.”

After Richt finished speaking, Arthur added a word.

“And you’re saying we need to defend so that the captain can conserve his stamina during that time? Because if it’s not the captain, we won’t be able to fully handle that monster.”

“You’re seniors, but you understand well… wow, shit!”

The peaceful conversation was short-lived, however, as something flew overhead, causing the three to duck in shock.

!

There was a sound of something hitting the pillar behind them and then it suddenly crumbled.

Arthur asked stammeringly, his face pale.

“Ugh, what was that just now? It was a dagger, right? Is it possible to bring down a pillar with a dagger?”

“Is this the captain? Isn’t he really crazy?”

Arendt also looked perplexed as he glanced behind him.

The thick pillar with the unique decorations of the Luce Temple was shattered into pieces, without any trace of its original form.

It seemed that Laius had also loosened up and was fully prepared.

Richt muttered in bewilderment.

“I must apologize to the High Priest later.”

Richt was not happy to see the historic temple in disarray.

But Arendt, as always, was confident.

“It’s okay. The repair costs will be covered by the Imperial Family. To be exact, it will come out of His Highness the Crown Prince’s pocket.”

“Why did His Highness suffer misfortune again?”

“His Majesty the Emperor has drawn the line. He said that I should handle any accidents I cause on my own.”

Answering Arthur calmly, Arendt once again drew on the power of the Frosty Touch.

It was becoming clear that they were getting closer and closer to the two of them.

The Holy Sword was sleeping in a storage room deep underground in the Great Temmple.

Laius and Roger appeared to be fighting in front of the stairs leading down to the basement.

They ran down the hallway following the continuous noise and soon saw with their own eyes the scene of two people fighting.

“…!”

They came to a sudden halt without realizing it.

They felt a sweltering heat.

The small hall right in front of the staircase was damaged in places, with cracks and gaps. It was complete chaos.

The curtains that had been hung for decoration were reduced to ashes by the fire, and the decorations in the hallway were also shattered and engulfed in flames.

In the middle of all this chaos were Laius and Roger.

The two of them also appeared to be in no better condition.

Laius, who had been neat and tidy when they parted ways, was now covered in wounds here and there.

His uniform was blackened and stained with blood in many places.

Roger was in no better shape, his appearance just as disheveled.

His mask was cracked and his arms and legs were covered in cuts, though none of them were fatal.

His leg that absorbed Laius’ swings seemed solid at first glance, but it was trembling with small spasms.

“…!”

In an instant, Roger struck Laius with force and then thrust his sword forward.

Laius turned his head slightly to avoid the attack and slashed his sword horizontally, aiming for Roger’s torso.

But that attack was also blocked by a sword engulfed in flames.

!

The air vibrated as the two swords clashed.

Sparks flew in all directions again.

Sparks flew to where the three people were standing blankly, but it quickly died down as it collided with the coldness of the Frosty Touch.

It seemed only a matter of time before Laius’ stamina would be depleted in the scorching heat.

“I’ll intervene.”

When Arendt spoke, Arthur replied in a weary voice.

“You want to squeeze in between those two?”

“Then you can just suck your thumb, senior.”

There was no way that joke could lead to a good response.

Still, the reason he insisted on talking was to relieve the pressure he felt without realizing it.

When he heard Arendt’s calm tone, he felt like the tension in his shoulders was relieved.

“First, I need to put out that damn fire.”

That way, Arthur and Richt could move around comfortably.

Arendt’s eyes narrowed.

The huge door blocking the stairwell was still firmly shut.

The door was triple locked, and the key was held by High Priest Lumiel.

There was only one way to get through there.

There was no choice but to destroy it.

‘Then…’

After a brief moment of deliberation, the apprentice knight was the first to move.

Laius and Roger, who had been focused on each other, suddenly raised their heads at the sudden cold.

The place that had just been engulfed in flames was now frozen white.

The next moment, Arendt took advantage of Roger’s distraction to grab Laius’ shoulder.

“Arendt?”

When Laius called out to him in surprise, Arendt responded curtly.

“Catch your breath.”

The apprentice knight, who had pushed the captain back, swung his sword at Roger.

Roger was momentarily taken aback, but soon responded with even bigger flames.

!

Ice shards and sparks flew everywhere.

‘Wow, shit.’

He was so shocked that he almost swore.

It felt almost the same as when he collided head-on with a homunculus.

However, Arendt gripped his sword tightly with both hands and held his ground.

One fortunate thing was that the power of Roger’s ‘Blessing of Karma’ and Arendt’s ‘Frosty Touch’ were polar opposites.

Every time he swung his sword, the flames that spread out slowly subsided and the temperature of the surrounding air gradually decreased.

“You’re such an impertinent brat.”

A sinister, subdued voice was heard from beyond the mask.

It was a completely different look from before.

‘He’s excited.’

Emotions were running high as he exchanged blows with Laius.

Arendt forced a grin.

“All of a sudden?”

No answer came back.

Instead, Roger pushed Arendt away with great force.

Arendt didn’t even bother to resist, but instead took a big step back.

Roger tried to swing his sword straight at Arendt.

“…!”

But the attack was blocked by Richt.

As the surrounding flames died down, Arthur and Richt were able to approach him.

As if his brief agitation had been a lie, Roger spoke calmly.

“It seems like you want to treat me like prey.”

Roger knocked Richt’s sword away and kicked him.

“Huh!”

At the moment when Richt was hastily trying to distance himself, Arthur jumped in to take his place.

The plan was to minimize stamina consumption by quickly striking and retreating.

‘It’s annoying.’

Roger frowned under his mask.

It wasn’t hard to guess what their intentions were.

But Roger had no intention of going along with them just like that.

“Ugh!”

Roger swung his sword at Arthur.

Instead of blocking, Arthur chose to step back.

Richt followed suit, but he too had to quickly distance himself from the strong flames.

Roger, who had been keeping everyone in check, drew further on the power of his artifact and swung his sword towards the door blocking the entrance to the stairwell.

But the developments unfolded beyond his expectations.

!

A cold chill seeped through the cracks in the flames and blocked his sword.

“…!”

Roger’s eyes widened.

The apprentice knight who had been blocking the door belatedly came into view, as if he had expected from the beginning that this place would be his target.

“Where are you running away to?”

Then, right behind him, he felt killing intent cut through the air.

Roger reflexively threw Arendt away.

Arendt rolled on the ground and crashed into the wall.

But Roger couldn’t afford to worry about him.

As soon as he checked behind him, his eyes met with those of Laius, who raised his sword.

While Arendt briefly distracted him, Laius approached him.

“…!”

It was already too late to stop.

Roger kicked the ground and stepped back.

!

By a hair’s breadth, Laius’ sword dug deep into the ground.

If he had acted just a little bit later, he might have lost his neck.

Laius, who had lowered his sword, raised his head and met Roger’s gaze.

“…”

Roger unconsciously gripped his sword.

For the first time in a long while, he felt a chill run down his spine.