Chapter 282
Chapter 282
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 282
Chapter Title: Chapter 6-4. Azure Lance Knights
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The scattered Azure Lance Knights spotted the signal flare and began assembling at the Black Land. Soldiers stationed nearby in castles and forests would soon arrive under the command of Basilisk, captain of the Spear of Judgment—friend of Calicthes and member of the Imperial Guard.
The clanking of armor echoed as they quickened their pace. A faint sulfurous smell hung in the air now, proof that the Black Land was drawing near. The most undeniable sign, though, was the trees and bushes nearby, coated in black powder and withering away. Their once-vibrant leaves hung limp and shriveled. As he walked, gazing at the sight, his adjutant—who had been following a step behind—spoke up.
"Upon arrival at the Black Land, do we enter immediately?"
"No."
Calicthes paused for a moment before continuing.
"We'll hold position for now. Nothing's certain, so we'll wait until the nearby legions complete the encirclement."
"Then, upon reaching the Black Land, I'll fire a holding signal flare."
Calicthes nodded without looking back, murmuring his assent.
Paaang!
"Light?"
Calicthes's eyes widened. Light was shooting up from the Black Land—the very place they were heading. It was different from the earlier pillar.
"It's coming this way! Protect the commander!"
The Azure Lance Knights behind him swiftly positioned themselves in front of Calicthes, summoning shields and forming a defensive line. Unlike the tense knights bracing for impact, Calicthes made no move to prepare. Judging by the angle of the falling light, it wasn't headed for him.
Unless it suddenly changed course, it would crash right in front of them. He wanted to tell the blocking knights to fall back, but he couldn't be bothered to speak, so he stayed silent.
Kwaaaang!
The light smashed into a massive tree, crumpling it entirely. A small crater formed, and from it emerged a figure in silver armor and helmet etched with ornate patterns. He knelt on one knee, gripping a lance as tall as himself.
"Good heavens, Organ!"
The saintess's group had been trailing behind, but she rushed forward to the knight's side.
"Organ? That name rings a bell."
Calicthes rummaged through his hazy memories. The name wouldn't come to him right away. As he pondered where he'd heard it, the Azure Lance Knights who had summoned shields to guard him watched the knight and saintess briefly. Deeming them no threat, they dismissed their shields, withdrew, and returned to formation as if nothing had happened.
"It just won't come to me."
One thing did stick out, though. According to reports from the Azure Lance Knights monitoring the Black Land, a knight claiming to be the Saint King's apostle had entered about a week ago. That must be the one before him now.
Calicthes examined the knight with keen curiosity until his gaze settled on the left arm. It was impossible not to notice. The armor was intact, but an enormous amount of blood dripped steadily from it, and the arm hung limp.
"What kind of attack did that?"
The saintess noticed too and reached for the left arm's armor. Seeing it dangle loosely, her face filled with shock.
"W-what is this? What happened? No, take off the armor right now!"
"It's fine. Can't Your Holiness heal it with holy magic anyway? And since my holy power is depleted, I'd like you to summon a few bishops."
"Of course. I'll call the bishops, so hurry up and release the armor! Oh, seriously. I told you not to go alone!"
"For Metatron..."
"Even he wouldn't demand such recklessness!"
He watched as the saintess and knight exchanged words. The armor's design had given him a vague hunch, but her voice confirmed it—she was a woman. When the knight released her armor, her arm was in an incomprehensible state.
The sleeve of her undergarment fluttered in the wind. It was so soaked that blood poured out in streams if twisted. The saintess tore the sleeve away and immediately invoked holy magic.
The high-level holy magic unfolding before his eyes was astonishing. The wound bubbled and foamed, and a new arm sprouted forth. Even Calicthes, who rarely showed surprise, widened his eyes in shock at the spectacle.
"This... what an incredible sight."
Next, bishops arrived in robes that wrapped them tightly from head to toe—unlike the saintess. They extended hands toward the knight called Organ, pouring holy power into her. A warm glow seeped into her body.
Mana transfer.
He hadn't realized holy power could be transferred too. He'd thought only mages could pass their mana to others. As Calicthes watched them receive treatment, he stepped forward once the situation seemed stabilized.
"You seem to have come from the Black Land. Care to tell us what happened?"
"Who is this?"
"That's Lord Calicthes. Owner of the Empire's Spirit Sword and supreme commander of the Azure Lance Knights."
"Ah, looks like you succeeded in persuading him. Pleased to meet you. I am Organ, holy knight serving Metatron, wielder of her spear."
Organ glanced at the saintess, then nodded to Calicthes before continuing. In response to her greeting, Calicthes gave a brief self-introduction and repeated his earlier question.
"Ah, perfect. Since you'll be working together, I'll gladly explain. First, rest assured—the mage who rampaged through Byron's labyrinth to unseal the Seven Deadly Sins, no, the devil—I took care of him."
"Hoo?"
"But due to my minor lapse in vigilance, I couldn't stop the one who entered aiming for the fragment. He might be in the labyrinth's final chamber by now, breaking the seal. That is, if Judah Arsher hasn't been tempted by the Seven Deadly Sins."
"...? Hold on. Could you repeat that name?"
Organ frowned unpleasantly at the mere thought of it, fell silent for a moment, then spoke.
"Judah Arsher."
"Black hair, black eyes?"
"A sharp aura and the skill of a Spirit Sword owner, despite his youthful face that looks just barely of age. Do you know him?"
"Oh dear. If I know him, then yes, we're acquainted."
Calicthes exhaled through his nose with a hum, choosing his words carefully.
"Acquainted, huh. Anyway, this Judah Arsher has been collecting fragments across the world. To become a lord of the demon realm."
"Collecting fragments?"
"Yes, already two—no, three of them."
"Three? Hard to believe."
It defied reality. Possessing even one fragment was extraordinary, yet a single individual holding three? And it hadn't been known until now? It was astonishing, so disbelief was natural.
"I confirmed two myself. The third is almost certain, and if he retrieved the one here, that makes four now."
"...Huh?"
"Four fragments—the unleashing of a Seven Deadly Sin. You know how dire that is without me explaining."
Organ, who claimed to be the Saint King's apostle, wouldn't lie. Calicthes's face twisted.
Killing the devil that stirred the labyrinth was a stroke of luck, but unsealing the Seven Deadly Sin Asmodeus was a disaster. According to records, just seeing Asmodeus would drive ordinary humans mad with lust, turning them into beasts bereft of reason.
Asmodeus surely harbored grudges against the empire that sealed her and would act to destroy or harm it. To reseal her, they'd need the fragment used in her original sealing.
"Judah Arsher."
The spirited young man he'd met at his friend's restaurant in the capital. He'd dreamed of traveling the world—a dream that had impressed him, as it wasn't easily acted upon. Becoming a Spirit Sword owner at such a young age was impressive enough, and pursuing that dream with such resolve had endeared the youth to him.
"What a shame. I thought he'd make a fine connection."
He'd really taken a liking to him, so it was regrettable. With three fragments already, he'd inevitably become an enemy of the empire to claim the ones held by Calicthes and Basilisk. Above all, to reseal Asmodeus, they'd need the fragments he possessed—they had no choice but to kill him and take them.
If it had been some trivial matter, he might have overlooked it for old times' sake. But this was beyond that. They needed to hurry.
"No time to dawdle here. We've delayed too long already—we'll resume marching."
"I'll come too."
Organ said. She was going with the saintess anyway.
"As you wish."
Calicthes replied indifferently and started moving again. His pace quickened once more.
"Adjutant."
"Yes."
"I've changed my mind. We enter the Black Land immediately upon arrival."
"You won't wait for Captain Basilisk?"
"From what she said, we don't have time to wait for the encirclement. Once we attack, the net will close naturally anyway. Head straight for the labyrinth on arrival."
"Understood."
Calicthes increased the marching speed. In an hour and a half of brisk walking, they covered a distance that should have taken three. Not a single one of the hundreds of trailing Azure Lance Knights fell behind.
"They keep up well."
The saintess, Organ, Holy Knights, and bishops followed admirably despite the forced march. More than admirably—their pace rivaled the Azure Lance Knights'.
Holy Knights were one thing, but the bishops keeping up without stragglers was remarkable. They didn't seem to have used recovery magic with holy power either.
As they neared the Black Land's boundary, Azure Lance Knights from other directions came into view. Some had arrived early and waited; others arrived late. Watching them gather, Calicthes signaled a halt.
"Halt the unit. Brief rest. We'll depart again after 30 minutes—recover fully."
At his command, the Azure Lance Knights stopped in sequence from the front, assuming relaxed postures for rest. Exactly 30 minutes later, blessed by the bishops and Holy Knights, the knights from other positions drew scrolls from their pouches, activated them, and prepared to enter the Black Land.
Once preparations were complete, the adjutant fired the advance signal flare at Calicthes's order. Amid the acrid sulfur stench and rising black flames filling the hot air, thousands of Azure Lance Knights entered the Black Land's domain, forming ranks. It didn't take long to reach the labyrinth's entrance.
Figures paced at the entrance—familiar faces. He remembered their names. Arhil the priest, fellow companion of Judah Arsher; the mage Lime; and Iris, who hadn't specified her class. There they were, standing at the entrance, watching the encircling Azure Lance Knights with anxious, wary expressions.
"Wait—it's fine to kill them, but spare the priest."
The knight called Organ approached and spoke. Calicthes, fully armed, peered at her through his visor slit, about to respond.
Hwaruruk!
Black flames roared fiercely nearby. Not just nearby—symptoms appeared everywhere.
"Has the seal broken?"
He knew these black flames stemmed from Asmodeus's magic sealed in the underground labyrinth, so Calicthes felt urgency rising. He glanced at Organ, who awaited his reply.
"Interfere as you see fit. The empire's Azure Lance Knights serve His Imperial Majesty, not your subordinates."
Spitting the words curtly, Calicthes summoned a conical lance into his hand. Silver particles gathered, forming a long, pointed spear etched with beautiful relief patterns that gleamed in the sunlight.
"Unit, form up! Ready javelins!"
His booming voice rang out. The thousands of Azure Lance Knights surrounding the entrance assumed javelin positions. Naturally, the faces of those watching from the entrance darkened. A bitter taste filled his mouth at their fearful expressions.
But duty was duty, and personal matters were personal.
They had entered the empire's secret labyrinth and were companions of the one breaking the Seven Deadly Sin's seal. Even if they claimed ignorance, there was no reason to offer surrender and let them go.
"Javelin volley!"
He hurled the lance from his right hand with all his might. Thousands of silver arcs streaked through the air.
========== Author's Note ==========
1) I didn't answer the questions from previous chapters because I worried they'd get buried in the illustrations—I'll address them in tomorrow's post!
2) The difference between the pure version and temptation version isn't the outfit, but the pose and expression. Haha...
They didn't request different outfits, after all.