Chapter 347 – Confrontation (2)
There was not a breath of wind.
The white clouds adorning the blue sky stood still, and beneath them, the vastness of nature lay in utter silence.
To human senses, the passage of time could not be felt.
And in that place, there was but one thing weathered by the years.
A faded ruin.
An ancient structure that had lost its color, unable to withstand the passage of centuries.
Facing it, Archbishop Joseph, leading the Paladin Order, exhaled a deep breath.
"At last, we have found it."
The scene resembled what had been recorded in the old scriptures of the Luas Church.
Vague descriptions, ruined illustrations, yet when compared, the resemblance was undeniable.
Even beyond the sealed door, it could already be felt.
Beneath this ruin… a sacred power, indescribable, lingered faintly.
A sublime light, perceptible only to those of archbishop rank or higher.
"Fortunately, the seal has not yet been undone."
The matter that had caused concern was now settled.
Yet precisely because of that, suspicion arose.
Paladin Railver voiced his vigilance.
"The seal remains intact… I do not doubt your judgment, Archbishop, but it is curious. Why has the Glory of the Dead not closed off this entrance and left it unattended?"
What lies beneath this ruin is no less than their ultimate purpose.
To so easily relinquish it—such a thing defied reason.
Paladin Shane agreed with that view.
"Moreover, the Fourth Servant seems to be beyond the left gate, not here. Leaving two gates open, could it be to deliberately divide our forces?"
"That may well be part of the reason."
Joseph answered calmly.
"It seems that the Glory of the Dead wishes for us to unseal this place."
"...!"
Why, having found the ruin first, had they not broken the seal?
Why had they left the entrance to the ruin exposed?
The answer was simple.
The Glory of the Dead lacked the strength to break the seal, until the Luas Church arrived.
Had they possessed such power, they would have vanished long ago, without needing to lurk in shadows.
As they had in the Kingdom of Estiria.
"In other words, unsealing it would mean dancing to their tune. Yet we cannot retreat. With the ruin's location discovered, leaving it alone is not an option… besides, we have more than enough power."
Sunlight glinted off the necklace, where a special crucifix hung.
"Thus, as planned, we will break the seal and retrieve the body of the 'Ancient King'."
Archbishop Joseph took the lead.
"All forces, advance into the ruin."
"Yes, Archbishop."
The Paladin Order moved.
As they drew near the ruin, countless Undead poured forth from the darkness within, like a tidal wave.
"They block the path, even as they wish for us to unseal it…"
Was it to buy time?
Perhaps there was another hidden purpose, but the task remained unchanged.
"To subjugate the Undead swiftly, and reach the objective."
The Fourth Servant was not of immediate concern.
One recognized by the Transcendent, Asher.
His current realm was so advanced that even Joseph could not gauge it—surely he could stand against the foe.
At least until reinforcements arrived, he could endure.
That conviction, as much as their true mission, was why the task could be entrusted without hesitation.
Joseph revealed his radiance.
Bathed in dazzling divine power, the Paladin Order clashed with the Undead.
***
"It is the first time we meet face to face, Asher."
At last, they confronted the leaders of the Glory of the Dead.
Verden's blue eyes, scanning all directions, tilted slightly.
"There are only two Undead here."
To the left, a massive Undead sat perched on a fallen pillar.
Clad in grotesquely distorted full armor, it had the form of a knight.
Slung over its shoulder, a massive, matte-finished flamberge, its rippling blade exuded menace.
And to the right, standing tall, an Undead clutching a magic-imbued tome.
Beneath the robe of shifting darkness was a rotting corpse.
From its hollow sockets blazed a red glow, filled with hatred and contempt.
"These are of another order than the Undead we've encountered thus far."
The ominousness surpassed even the Grim Reaper that Verden himself had subdued in the Kingdom, one who had possessed the Orb of the Undead.
Whatever they were, they were surely among the highest of their kind.
Yet stranger still was the figure commanding the two.
"Should I even call that… human?"
A presence unlike any Verden had ever felt.
Upon its ashen skin, age and youth coexisted.
As though poised upon the boundary of life and death, it seemed more akin to an abnormal species than a man.
His gaze lowered slightly.
The compass of the Black Hour pointed squarely at that figure. Its magic power was near identical to what he had sensed in the Kailiens.
By all measures, it could only be the Fourth Servant.
Activating Raindia, he stored the compass into subspace.
Having concluded his observation, Verden spoke.
"It should have been an ambush. Yet it seems as though you were expecting us."
"Though the timing is early, this situation itself was already decided. Just as you sought me out in the Republic of Beldirn, as I intended."
The Fourth Servant gave a mocking laugh.
"Of course, it should have been DarkWarton's disciple standing here. But in Kailiens, a new variable appeared, and thus the outcome naturally changed. If anything, this is more pleasing."
His demeanor was unshaken.
This was no mere bluff—clearly, something still lay concealed.
Verden did not bother speculating.
Whatever it was, his plan was to smash through it head-on.
The logic of overwhelming power.
What he pursued was absolute strength, touching the realm of the Transcendent.
"But before that…"
One of the reasons Verden had pursued the Glory of the Dead alongside the Luas Church.
Instead of unleashing magical bombardment at once, he drew an old tome from subspace.
The Fourth Servant narrowed his eyes.
"That is…"
"It is an ancient tome Viola once possessed. I discovered that the script upon it belonged to a nation that existed eight hundred years ago."
He spoke of what he had heard from Ark.
Of that nameless country, erased from history by the Luas Church, after it had burned half the continent.
And then, he asked.
"Was it coincidence that you possessed this tome?"
The Luas Church conceals information about the Glory of the Dead.
Thus, he had no choice but to ask the party involved.
The friction that began in the Kingdom of Estiria, once entangled to this extent, he had to know.
Whether the foe answered or refused.
He had nothing to lose either way.
"..."
Silence descended.
The Fourth Servant, eyes fixed on the book, spoke.
"That history, from whom did you hear it? The Archbishop?"
"Had it been him, I would not be asking you."
"Ah, indeed… there is no way the Luas Church would share everything with one not of its fold. Then let me change the question."
His gaze shifted to Verden.
"Why question what the Luas Church conceals? Do you not believe in religion?"
"I believe in the existence of a god. But I neither trust, nor worship."
Divine power itself is proof of a god.
Therefore, he could never deny the existence.
But to depend upon a god, to serve a religion, to hold unconditional faith in its followers—that was entirely different.
Verden's personal view was nothing short of caustic.
For those who worshipped Goddess Luas, most would take offense upon hearing it. Even Archbishop Joseph would have found it hard to maintain composure.
"To acknowledge existence, yet dismiss it as irrelevant… that is hardly human-like."
The Fourth Servant let out a low chuckle.
In those eyes, where life and death could not be discerned, deep intrigue stirred.
"It was no coincidence that you obtained that fairy tale book from Viola."
***
He admitted the connection.
This was no deception, for not once had Verden referred to the tome as a fairy tale.
'He can read the ancient script.'
The Fourth Servant's eyes were clearly reading the book's title.
That alone was proof enough.
"Have you nothing else to ask? I am willing to answer."
"I refuse."
There was no point in hearing more.
Unlike with the ancient tome, here there was no means to discern the truth.
Listening further would only cloud judgment, an unwanted backlash.
"Wise."
The Fourth Servant twisted his lips.
At the same time, the seated Undead knight rose.
Intense hostility radiated in every direction.
"Ah, introductions are overdue. I am the Fourth Servant of the great Glory of the Dead, 'Kessilus'. And here stand the 'Knight of Apocalypse' and the 'Arch Lich'. Their true names."
At the calling of his name, the Knight of Apocalypse leaned forward, a foot stepping forth.
An extreme intent, as if to charge at once.
"I shall take care of him."
Adrian grasped the Demonic Sword Cadence with both hands, lowering his stance.
Here, there were no witnesses.
Even if his identity as one of the four strongest of Central Continent was revealed, it no longer mattered.
From Adrian's whole being surged violet aura, the demonic blade shimmered with murderous intent as sword-qi flared.
"Very well."
That was the signal.
Adrian shot forth like lightning, cutting a line across the air.
At such speed, no ordinary master could hope to react, but the Knight of Apocalypse was different.
[To you. I declare. The end.]
A chilling voice, imbued with the will of the dead, whispered in his ear.
At once the Knight of Apocalypse rushed forth, spinning rapidly, swinging his blade.
KWAaaaaang!
A violent strike collided.
The stone floor crumbled, unable to endure the shock.
A series of clashes followed, driving Adrian and the Knight of Apocalypse apart, distancing them from their lords.
The air quaked.
Against the backdrop of erratic metallic echoes, the Magi also began to move.
Mana seethed within.
Kessilus gripped tightly a jet-black staff of ancient wood.
"With numbers against you, do you mean to face both myself and the Arch Lich alone? Truly, you have grown beyond measure since slaying Viola and Nosa. Even I cannot glimpse the bounds of your realm."
A young Magus, gifted with talent that defied time itself.
Even such words failed to encompass the grotesque speed of his growth, and his strength.
No reason to underestimate.
And thus, he anticipated.
"Asher, how vast shall your death be? Without question, it will bear unrivaled might… Yet there is no need to fear."
In Kessilus's eyes, a strange curse flared like fire.
"For death itself is not the end, but merely a temporary state."
Oppressive mana surged forth.
Verden, unfazed, countered by fully activating his mana circuits.
Vast mana, driven by
Kurururung…
Whirlwinds surged around, distorting the heavens.
From the dark clouds lingering in the gray sky, countless bolts of lightning writhed, rumbling thunder echoing.
The overwhelming presence of a Transcendent.
As a Quasi-Transcendent, Verden could manifest it, albeit within limits.
It was the same phenomenon he had invoked during the exchange match against Warlord Legrit.
Then, he had not wielded it in earnest, for it was not a battle to the death. Now, it was different.
"…?!"
Kessilus's eyes widened, instantly overpowered by the mana.
Unable to conceal his shock, for this he had not anticipated. Even the Undead Arch Lich recoiled instinctively.
"If death is nothing more than a temporary state,"
Verden's right eye flared, the magic circle of Defying the Heavens shining within.
"Then it matters not if you die."
A falling serpent.
The thunderclouds blazed all at once.
Gathering light, a colossal serpent of lightning, a sixth-tier spell, plunged vertically.
KWA GWA GWA GWA GWA!
The ancient ruin collapsed, unable to endure the pressure.
Explosions of lightning spread in all directions, mercilessly engulfing Kessilus and the Arch Lich.
At that instant, Verden, steadying Orient, launched himself into the flash.
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