Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 506

It was an even filthier feeling than he had imagined.To come face to face in reality with the very being that had always tormented him in his nightmares.

‘No, not just in his dreams.’

That being had been watching him from all over the place and in all spaces for a very long time.

He didn’t even know that being on the front lines was actually a blessing.

Because each and every life-threatening attack brought him back to reality.

The gash on his neck from scratching it, the pain all over his body, and the occasional screams echoing around him.

Everything about this battlefield was telling him.

“Ugh!”

Arendt’s sword clashed with the massive tendril. Pushed back, Arendt barely managed to parry the homunculus’ attack.

Another strike came flying toward him.

Then, !

An arrow flying from behind pierced the center of the black tendril.

A black tendril, severed from its center, fell with a thud, accompanied by a crack. Arendt seized the moment and swung his sword toward the retreating tendril.

A frost storm swept through, freezing the cross-sections of the severed tendril.

The moment Arendt landed lightly on the floor…

Llewellyn’s next arrow struck the frozen tendril.

The tendril, hit directly by an arrow imbued with the power of Luna and the artifact, shattered into sparkling ice shards.

“Gasp, gasp…”

Llewellyn gasped for air as he drew another arrow. The tips of his fingers were torn open and slick with blood.

Normally, someone would have scolded him for pushing himself so far. Unfortunately, no one had the luxury of doing so.

The same was true for Arendt and Laius.

Arendt, who was barely able to catch his breath, was forced to throw himself forward after catching the attack that slipped past Laius’ guard.

But it was impossible for Arendt to endure the unimaginable power alone.

“Cough!”

Blood eventually spurted from Arendt’s mouth. But even as he was pushed back, he refused to release his grip on his sword.

The moment he bought them a few seconds, Laius cut down the tendrils blocking his path with one stroke of his sword.

A pure white sword light swept horizontally, completely slicing through the writhing homunculus. Before anyone could even see the enemy shattered into countless pieces, Laius also cut down the black tendrils pressing down on Arendt.

The fragments fell to the ground with a heavy sound and melted into the shadows.

Although it was significantly damaged by holy power and the Frosty Touch, most of it seemed to have returned to the main body, feeding its regeneration.

“There is no end.”

Laius clicked his tongue.

The Second and Third Knights under Diana’s command, and Zakar’s warriors were struggling just as much.

Occasionally, Luna and Ray would interfere with the recovery of the homunculi and help them, but the two spirits were not enough to deal with the monsters.

“Prepare the incendiary attack!”

As Llewellyn ordered, the archers around him began picking up arrows dipped in oil.

The same was true of the archers led by Shekhinah.

At Llewellyn’s signal, they grasped arrows imbued with Shekhinah’s magic.

“Lady Shekhinah, are you alright?”

An elf archer asked Shekhinah. She had already deployed defensive magic to protect the Luce priests. Furthermore, she was directly involved in the battle, already using multiple layers of magic.

Naturally, such exertion placed a heavy burden on her body.

“Of course.”

But Shekhinah answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get another opportunity like this again in my lifetime, consuming so many magic stones and casting so many layers of magic.”

Beneath her feet, several magic stones were already rolling around, their light extinguished.

Count Stadler, who joined just before the war, brought as many magic stones as possible from the mine.

Thanks to this, the knights, Shekhinah, Llewellyn, and Salem were able to run wild without worrying about running out of magic.

“Everyone, get ready! The target is the upper half of the homunculi! Each of you, aim for the closest one! The rest of you, continue to keep the ghouls in check!”

Llewellyn shouted, drawing his own bowstring. Luna, flying from somewhere, landed gently on the tip of his arrow.

“Ready!”

Fierce flames burst out from the archers’ arrowheads.

“Fire!”

Arrows of fire streamed down the path toward the three homunculi. The homunculi, recognizing this, launched a counterattack.

Tendrils shooting from their upper halves sliced through the arrows, scattering them in all directions.

The arrows rained down on the walls of the Great Temple, the ghouls below, and even the allied soldiers.

“Ahh!”

“Dodge!”

At that moment, a golden wind swept through and saved the soldiers from danger.

It was Ray who moved under Salem’s orders.

The scattered arrows began igniting everything around them.

Several successfully struck the upper halves of the homunculi.

The arrows that hit the homunculi were immediately reduced to ash by their divine power.

But the fire from the deeply embedded arrowhead was gradually expanding its reach.

As Shekhinah’s magic erupted, violent explosions occurred here and there, making the fire grow even bigger.

“Keeeeek!”

“Keeeek! Eek!”

Ghouls engulfed in flames writhed and screamed. But those who felt no pain continued to search for enemies even as they burned.

As a result, the fire spread even further.

“Oh, it’s hot!”

“Those who lack confidence, retreat to the rear! From now on, it’s chaos!”

Richt shouted at the confused soldiers and security guards. He then turned to Arthur, who was struggling with the homunculus behind him.

“Arthur!”

“Yes!”

Arthur left his position, seeming to understand without being told a separate order.

Arthur’s vacant position was filled by Rider.

Arthur and Richt swung their swords at the horde of ghouls that was advancing towards them.

“Those who cannot wield magic, fall back! Those who are not injured, join the rear support!”

Richt ordered, opening the way out.

“Move back! Fall back!”

“Carry the wounded! Don’t increase the number of casualties!”

Arthur, along with Richt, began slaughtering the ghouls while guarding the retreating forces.

The summoning circle that had been pouring out ghouls had stopped moving.

The enemies had also unleashed their full might. All that remained was to reduce their numbers and launch an all-out attack against each other.

As the commotion outside intensified, Lumiel’s hands began to tremble more and more. Iris, who had been watching her intently, spoke.

“Are you cold?”

“…”

But Lumiel didn’t answer. Iris asked again.

“Or are you afraid? Why?”

“…”

“Or do you regret your choice, High Priest?”

To the gentle question, Lumiel finally answered.

“…No. I have no regrets. I did my best.”

“I see. Honestly, it’s something I can’t understand.”

Iris nodded slowly.

“If it were me, I would not have left the priests in the hands of infidels and apostates.”

A huge rumble was heard from far away.

“It would have been better to stay here together or choose death.”

Iris said with genuine regret.

“The faith of the Luce Church is incredibly shallow. Is it the result of the complacency of a long period of peace?”

“Regardless of any choice…”

Lumiel, who had been silent for a moment, spoke slowly.

“There is nothing worse than death.”

“Even if struggling to survive is meaningless?”

“It would be better than giving up on life on my own. My life’s weight isn’t as light as yours.”

Lumiel wrapped her arms around her chest, as if trying to calm her own unease.

“That’s what I believe. And I believe the priests who have received my teachings, or rather, Lord Luce’s teachings, will certainly think the same.”

“Hoo…”

The Saintess, who had been listening quietly, tilted her head, clearly interested.

“Are you saying that as long as the priests survive, there is no problem even if they turn their backs on their god?”

“As long as they’re alive, they can change their minds at any time. Even if they turn their backs on Lord Luce because of today, as long as they’re alive, they can always return to faith someday.”

Despite her unsteady voice, Lumiel tried to speak as calmly as possible. Iris, aware of the strange discomfort, tilted her head.

“High Priest.”

“Please speak.”

“Then why did you remain here?”

Only then did Lumiel lift her head.

“As I just said, I just made the best choice.”

Her pale face looked as if she might collapse at any moment.

“It’s a choice for everyone… and also for me and Lord Luce.”

“That’s a strange statement. Could you elaborate?”

“If I had told them to stay, the priests would have certainly done so.”

Lumiel continued speaking slowly.

“Choosing to die honorably in the name of Lord Luce would not have been a bad choice for my priests. Rather than owing their lives to the young knight they had turned their backs on… it might have been a better path for them.”

To have their lives saved by Arendt and Laius meant turning their backs on Lord Luce.

It was tantamount to denying everything they had lived for until now.

“I know how painful that is. That is why I did not flee this place.”

A loud explosion erupted again. The remaining Chernion priests in the temple could be heard yelling, demanding the fire be put out. The fire now seemed to have spread to the Great Temple.

“It’s true I wanted to save the priests. Even if they were to die on the battlefield, I could not bear to leave them to perish meaninglessly at your hands. But that wasn’t the only reason. I…”

Lumiel swallowed dryly. Until now, she had seemed nailed to the sofa, but now she slowly rose.

“I believe in Sir Arendt.”

There was a deep sorrow in Lumiel’s eyes as she looked down at Iris.

“With such a simple thought, I sent the priests into that battlefield. Sir Arendt would save them all… And I placed the burden on that child’s shoulders.”

In her hand she was holding a small knife, the kind used to open envelopes.

“I’m more than happy to stand by Lord Luce’s side until the very end. At least, I have a duty to stay by His side until the very end. But young people have the right to find new paths.”

Lumiel held it awkwardly with both hands.

Iris stared at Lumiel with an indifferent face.

“This old woman’s death is inevitable. I’ve lived long enough… As I’ve said many times, I have no regrets.”

The tip of the knife, held more tightly than necessary, was shaking uncontrollably.

“I only hope that my death will not become a long-lasting sorrow for that kind young man.”