Chapter 33: The Twin Gorge (6)
Helia Munel is the Empire's youngest ArchPaladin.
Throughout her entire life, she had hunted down twenty demons single-handedly, with each demon possessing unique and treacherous abilities that required special wisdom to defeat. With every demon she killed, she gained valuable lessons and took another step toward becoming a great Paladin.
But none of those demons had ever taught her a lesson quite as visceral as this one.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
Warm liquid poured down from her forehead in thick streams. One side of her vision twisted grotesquely. The other eye filled with blood, turning everything a crimson red.
Pain so agonizing that death would've been preferable devoured her mind and body.
When she reached up with trembling hands to touch her forehead, sothing crumbled apart with a sickening crunch, and goosebumps erupted across her entire body.
"KYAAAAAAAH!!"
She was an ArchPaladin who had sworn to live her entire life wielding the sword of evil's destruction, holding the shield of glory, wearing the armor of faith, and bearing the helt of truth. But as it turned out, what she really needed was just a really damn sturdy helt.
The axe had split her forehead and shattered her skull, yet sohow Helia didn't die instantly. Her divine energy's resistance, her trained body, her reflexes that jerked her head back at the last second, all these factors combined to stop the axe just before it could cleave her brain in half. It could only be described as a miracle from the gods themselves.
Helia didn't have the luxury to thank Elga for that miracle. She had never experienced such horrific pain in her entire life. Her faith and devotion were buried beneath an avalanche of excruciating agony, leaving no trace of them to be found.
"Hhngh, hngh, hngh..."
Still, an ArchPaladin is an ArchPaladin.
Even as brain matter leaked from her skull, she didn't let go of her sword hilt. She'd taken a mortal wound, but so had that demon. She'd pierced his abdon and burned it to a crisp; he should be down for the count.
'Now I just need to deliver the finishing blow... huh?'
Her expectations were completely off the mark.
The damage was definitely severe. There was a massive, charred hole punched straight through the demon's abdon. But that hole was closing up at a rapid pace. Flesh writhed and regenerated, and burnt scabs fell to the ground with soft plops.
Helia's expression went blank with shock.
Kadim responded with a vicious smile.
"What? Did you want to shriek like a little girl just like you did?"
A heavy fist slamd into Helia's face.
CRACK!
Her twisted vision flashed white and the world spun in circles. Brutal dizziness and nausea surged through her, her sense of balance completely shot. Helia spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with broken teeth and barely managed to push herself upright.
"Uugh, demon, you demon, you absolutely despicable demon...!!"
What followed wasn't so noble struggle driven by a sense of duty to punish evil. It was just petty vengeance and desperate obsession. Her staggering movents and wild sword swings made the Paladin's actions look less like indomitable resistance and more like nothing but ugly and pathetic flailing.
Her condition deteriorated rapidly. The strength in her muscles, honed to their absolute limits, gradually drained away. The red divine energy that had granted her superhuman abilities slowly faded to nothing. Her green eyes, once filled with righteous purpose, beca murky and clouded like muddy water.
In that state, there was no way she could stand against a fully recovered berserker.
THUD!
Kadim kicked her breastplate and knocked Helia to the ground.
One more solid punch to the face finally stopped her struggling. He kicked the red longsword far away and looked down at the wheezing Archpaladin with cold calculation.
She was strong. Definitely a strong opponent. Had he continued to fight without offering up his abdon, he himself would likely be the one rolling on the ground right now.
And yet...
"...Why are you this weak?"
She was strong for sure... but that’s compared to a normal person.
For an Archpaladin, she was absurdly weak.
The Archpaladins he rembered weren't anywhere near this pathetic. When they called down hellfire, entire gorges would burn. When they swung their swords, the terrain itself would change. When they got hit with an axe, they'd just spit on the wound and keep fighting. Kadim honestly didn't think one little chop to the head would be enough to end it.
'I thought I'd have to hack at her skull a dozen tis before it'd crack open...'
Her equipnt was top-notch, but her overall combat ability was only about on par with the High Paladins of the past. He wondered if she was just green, still new to the job. But even then, the power level was way off from how things were 300 years ago.
Kadim looked down at the Paladin and asked, "Are you really an Archpaladin? Or are you just the warm-up act for the real one?"
"Ugh, shut your mouth, demon! Don't you dare insult one of Elga's chosen! You barely won with that disgusting cockroach-like life force of yours... You're a disgrace to the na Archdemon!"
"...Archdemon? What the hell are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb! I already know exactly what you are! Ugh, you disgusting bastard..."
"..."
Kadim frowned.
He knew her mind wasn't all there, but he hadn't realized it was this bad. If she was this deep into fanaticism and delusion, it'd be best to avoid pointless argunts.
He didn’t bother to raise his voice. He just pushed his thumb right into the bloody crack in her forehead.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
"No more nonsense. You're going to answer my questions now."
"KYAAAAAAAAH!! KYAAAAAAAAH!!"
"You're the weakest Arch[aladin I've ever t. You call a demon, but those guys were the ones who were the real monsters. And you don't even co close to their level. Screaming like a little girl after getting hit once with an axe; is that really all the discipline modern Paladins have?"
"Gaaah, ghk, huuk, uuk..."
"Tell , is there a real Archpaladin backing you up? Or have the Paladins regressed compared to the past? If you don't answer, I'll give you the lovely opportunity to see what's inside your own skull."
Helia's shoulders trembled violently.
Despite the horrifying threat, there wasn't a trace of emotion in the demon's eyes.
Fear took complete control of her, and her lips moved as if possessed.
"Uugh, huk, the Decagram..."
"...?"
"It's a group... of the special ones among Archpaladins. The strongest high-ranking holy knights gathered together... You must have encountered one of them... If I'd just defeated you, I could've beco one of them too..."
"..."
"Now that I've failed, they'll co for you... The Ten Great Stars will hunt you down... Their conviction is one with Elga's will, and their might is like Elga's manifestation... When brilliant starlight shines down from the heavens, all darkness in creation will fade, and even the most bloated evil will lose its life like a speck of dust..."
The more she spoke, the less it sounded like an explanation and the more it beca a prayer to cling to her sense of self.
Kadim let out a hollow laugh.
Ah, so that's how it was. Now he finally understood what was going on.
'So they've gathered the Archpaladins of the old caliber into a separate group. Makes sense, demons have been running rampant, so the Paladins couldn't have regressed. This one just didn't make the cut... basically second-rate...'
He looked down at Helia again.
Her reddish divine energy was now emitting only the faintest glow. He'd heard that while it wasn't always true, the intensity of divine energy was often proportional to the strength of one's faith. Facing death must have seriously weakened her conviction.
"H-hurry up and kill , demon... I'm not afraid of death... Elga is waiting for in heaven, where my place has already been prepared..."
Is that really so?
He wanted to let her find out right now, but he still had more questions. Kadim grabbed the Paladin's hair and lifted her drooping head back up.
"Let ask you sothing else. Have you ever heard the na Gordon? He's not from this era; he was a priest who served the Order of Elga a long ti ago."
"...Gordon?"
"Yeah, Gordon Elgaroc. Three hundred years ago, he was the priest who helped the Hero kill the Archdemon of the Demon Scape."
"...I don't know. Never heard of him. Uugh, if he accomplished such a great feat as defeating an Archdemon, there'd be at least one commorative statue in every temple..."
"..."
"Huh, huh, and even if I did know, do you really think I'd give a demon like you information about an Elga priest...?"
She genuinely seed to know nothing.
Kadim clenched his jaw.
He'd suspected it might be the case, but for even a high-ranking Paladin to not know the na... had the Order completely erased him from their records?
In any case, there didn't seem to be any more useful information to extract.
Ti to ask one final question and then end the Paladin's life.
Kadim asked her sothing, a question he'd sotis asked fanatics back in his first life too. When asked under normal circumstances, it usually didn't provoke much of a reaction, but when asked right before death, it always produced an entirely different response.
"Your scriptures say that the will of the gods is too deep and profound for re humans to ever comprehend."
"...That's right. How do you know that...?"
"So how can you be so certain that there's a place waiting for you in heaven? Those scriptures were also written by humans trying to comprehend the divine will. What if what Elga really wants is to see if your faith holds up while you're burning in hell for all eternity?"
Sure enough, the mont he asked, massive ripples spread across Helia's face.
"Wh...what?"
At the sa ti, what little divine energy remained vanished completely.
"W-wait, wait! Ah, ugh, just give a little more ti to think..."
"Can't do that. Let's just hope you guessed right about what your god wants, Archpaladin."
"N-no..."
CRUNCH!
The axe ca down rcilessly on her head.
This ti, it split her brain cleanly in half.
Red, viscous remnants of fanaticism oozed out from the crushed cross-section. Her heated body went cold and still, and the hellfire that had been burning the wreckage died out completely. Her bulging eyes rolled in different directions.
The Archpaladin's jade-green eyes no longer gazed upon her god.
***
The gorge was a wreck. The ground was scorched black and cracked like sothing out of hell.
You could tell just from looking at the ss how insane the fight had been, how strong the Paladin was, and how unbelievably powerful the barbarian who killed her had to be.
"Gods above, by Remillion..."
Enrico felt his mind go blank.
Killing a troll alone was already an incredible feat. But a high-ranking Paladin was a force that could slaughter a dozen trolls alone. The fact that Kadim had killed such a Paladin ant his combat power far exceeded anything Enrico could comprehend.
At the sa ti, a wave of panic washed over him.
A high-ranking Paladin violating the border was already a major incident. But that sa Paladin dying on the Alliance territory? If word got out, the entire continent would erupt into chaos. Enrico had absolutely no idea how to deal with the aftermath of this.
Kadim didn't have the luxury to worry about the counselor's situation. He'd acted fine earlier, but the aftereffects of having his abdon pierced were catching up to him. His insides felt like they were boiling, and nausea churned his stomach.
As he knelt on one knee with a grimace, Duncan rushed over.
"M-my lord, are you alright?! What happened to the Paladin... wh-whoa! U-uhhh... th-the Paladin is..."
The soldiers who'd followed the counselor had similar reactions.
They'd look at Kadim on one knee, then at the Paladin with her head cracked open, and just freeze, like they'd forgotten how to breathe.
Shock.
That was the only thing you were allowed to feel in this gorge.
Duncan finally ca to his senses and realized there was a massive hole in Kadim’s shirt.
"M-my lord... are you alright? Did the Paladin seriously injure you...?"
"I'm fine. It's already healed, so don't worry about it."
Kadim barely managed to suppress the pain.
Ignoring the dazed stares, he walked over to Enrico.
"The sun will set soon. Let's get to Ekul before it's too late, Consul."
"N-no... that's not the issue... Good heavens, Remilion help , what are we going to do about this..."
"...Who the hell is this Remilion you keep calling for?"
"You don't even know that? Lord Remilion united the fractured eastern territories 250 years ago... ah, no! That's not what's important! What do we do about this?! A Paladin, a high-ranking Paladin died on the Alliance land..."
"If I hadn't killed her, we'd be dead. Would you have preferred to just quietly burn to death here, Consul?"
His deep voice carried a power that overwheld anyone who heard it. The Consul's pupils dilated to twice their size before contracting again. He lowered his head toward his feet and spoke in a deflated voice.
"I'm sorry. I was in such a state, I didn't even thank you properly. You saved my life again. I owe you. But..."
"..."
"...Hahh, never mind. You must be exhausted after all that fighting. Let's head back to Ekul first, get so proper rest, and then talk about this."
Kadim stared at Enrico for a long mont, trying to see if he was planning sothing troubleso. The Consul didn’t show any suspicious signs. And to be perfectly honest, whatever he could co up with probably wouldn't be a big deal for Kadim.
Following Enrico's orders, the soldiers began collecting the Paladin's remains. The plate armor was so heavy that they couldn't carry it along with the corpse. Only after stripping off the armor and carrying it separately could they prepare to move the body.
But there was one piece of wreckage they couldn't even touch, let alone carry.
WHOOSH—!
"Aah!"
"Gah! Hot!"
The Archpaladin's divine armant, the Fla of Gehenna.
Just like Blessed Armants, they could only be handled by the Paladin to whom they were granted. It was blasting anyone else who tried with hellfire. Even a guy wearing padded gloves over his steel ones couldn't get near it.
Kadim watched the scene with keen interest.
The power of that red longsword was definitely impressive. Based on its performance alone, it easily deserved an Epic-grade rating. If one of those Decagram Archpaladins had wielded it, it would've been even more formidable. As a warrior, he absolutely couldn't accept just leaving a weapon like that behind.
The problem was that the Divine Armant's rejection was way too strong.
The flas were so intense that even indirect contact was unbearable. He could handle it if he drank the Hydra's blood, but he couldn't just go around drinking demon blood all the ti.
Besides, he didn't have much of that blood left anymore.
Kadim fell into thought.
How could he make use of that weapon?
If he could just create a heat-resistant handle and weaken the rejection's intensity, it might work sohow...
After mulling it over, a decent idea ca to mind.
'The buff from the Hydra blood... I wonder if there's any of that left in my system.'
Worst case, it doesn't work. Even if it failed, he wouldn't lose anything.
adim walked over to the helpless-looking soldiers.
"Step back. I'll handle that sword myself."
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