Lanterns (1)
Knight Commander Seon had devoted his long life to the Enya Kingdom.
Even back then, he was hailed as a once-in-a-generation genius, the object of admiration for countless knights.
But in front of Commander Lukio, he was little more than a greenhorn.
Lukio bore the same title of knight, yet operated on an entirely different plane.
Yes, just as the other knights admired Seon,
I too admired Sir Lukio.
Lukio was that extraordinary a figure.
Perhaps even more so than King Brad at the time.
Yet after the long passage of time, he had crossed paths with Lukio once more.
Commander...!
Knight Commander Seon and the soldiers around him rejoiced.
The man they had admired!
The undefeated knight who knew no defeat!
But then, some lord showed up.
Seeing him, Seon and his men couldn't hide their disappointment.
That nobody was the one holding Sir Lukio?
Absurd. Did they really think someone like that could command Sir Lukio?
A mere noble who isn't even a king?
In any given kingdom, the number of nobles easily exceeded two thousand.
And yet this piddling lord had the gall to declare,
Your place is not here.
He looked pathetic.
A lord who could barely command a thousand or two thousand troops at most.
Strutting around on the sole merit of having restored the lesser demon Lukio to humanity.
They snickered and mocked him openly.
No matter how many troops a worm like you brings, nothing changes.
Enya was, after all, a proper kingdom.
Its population might be low now, but it wasn't so frail as to be shaken by a single lord.
And yet, at this moment.
"......"
Seon couldn't believe the sight unfolding before him.
The lands around the Enya Kingdom were pitch-black as night. Thus, when the lanterns ignited, they blazed brighter than anywhere else.
Whoosh—!
Whoosh—!
Whoosh—!
One by one, the lanterns began to light up—tens of thousands flaring to life in unison.
The glow rising from them began to blanket the entire Enya Kingdom.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
From the rear came the massive advancing army, split into two formations.
One bore the crest of Goyad, to which Hyun-soo belonged.
What country is that?
Arrayed alongside Goyad was another kingdom, equally majestic and unyielding in spirit.
Flags emblazoned with a small world tree.
But what Seon found even harder to believe...
Impossible.
He had never seen or even heard of anything like this.
Only kings could mobilize an army of this scale.
It was beyond what any single lord could manage.
Yes, by conventional wisdom, that was true.
But Hyun-soo was the heir to a king and a hero of old who had saved his nation.
The man who had brought abundance to a starving land.
And one who had forged countless bonds, walking the path of a sage king.
Yes, the path of a sage king.
A glimpse of the power to unite the entire continent was now on display, if only in part.
Something else left Seon and his knights even more flustered.
"Grraaaah!"
"Kee-hee-heeek!"
Hideous soldiers massing in one spot and advancing.
They were undoubtedly denizens of hell.
"Hiiik..."
"No way... why are humans fighting alongside hell's army?"
It was an utterly absurd scene.
How could people of the human realm join forces with hell's denizens?
Soon, Hyun-soo's voice pierced the flustered Seon amid the massive army's advance.
"I said I'd hold back, didn't I?"
Seon swallowed dryly.
He had said he'd hold back for Sir Lukio's sake.
In that instant, an overwhelming pressure enveloped Seon and his hundreds of thousands of troops.
Just yesterday, they had seen him silenced, unable to even speak under the Blood King's and their own pressure.
[Overwhelm]
But now, the pressure emanating from Hyun-soo.
Seeing him in his brown coat, commanding a million-strong army, they were seized by towering dread.
"No more holding back. I'm done with that too."
Afflicted with Overwhelm.
Afflicted with Fear.
Afflicted with Terror.
Before the million-strong army, they couldn't even draw their bowstrings, couldn't move a muscle.
Their morale had crumbled under that immense majesty.
At last, as their assault began, soldiers atop the walls started getting swept away.
***
"Success."
Sword Sage Laisen wore an expression of admiration.
This success lay in cowing the Enya Kingdom army into preemptive fear.
The Enya forces' morale had plummeted before the million-strong army's might; they were in chaos.
A significant portion of their troops was being culled at rapid speed.
The amusing fact was that both Goyad and Praam Kingdom had sent only 100,000 troops each.
The actual force in play numbered just 200,000.
Yet to the enemy, it felt like a million.
"Lights piercing the darkness sow confusion in the eyes. Brilliant idea."
Hyun-soo was the architect of this plan.
He had timed it for the darkest hour.
Of course, could 200,000 truly appear as a million?
Impossible.
Not without some extraordinary power.
"What a man..."
Laisen marveled at the one wielding such power.
Hell's army mingled among the humans.
Though few in number, each was knight-class or better—equivalent to 20,000 regular troops.
Even more impressive was the power of hell's master, the Asura.
He wielded the ability to conjure illusions.
Through those illusions, he appended 800,000 phantom troops behind the 200,000 real ones, making a convincing million.
The effect was tremendous.
The Enya Kingdom army's morale had weakened by about 20%.
But not everything was ideal.
"......I'm not sure those things even qualify as soldiers."
Hyun-soo nodded in agreement with Laisen.
The Enya Kingdom army outleveled a typical kingdom's forces.
They boasted far superior defense and total HP for their levels.
Hyun-soo recalled the demonic energy he had sensed from the Blood King's fingertips.
We'll know once we test them.
Hyun-soo addressed Laisen.
"All forces, strike the Enya Kingdom army from range. We must minimize losses to Praam and Goyad."
One justification for their participation was a measure of honor.
This is a one-time ploy.
He could never borrow their armies again.
Sharing the world tree sapling.
Repaying the debt from his days as a hero.
And since these were borrowed troops, not his own, losses had to be kept minimal.
"What now?"
"Time to meet the Blood King."
Laisen looked puzzled.
Meet the Blood King without committing the army?
Soon, watching Hyun-soo soar into the sky, Laisen grasped his intent.
......He's going to punch through alone?
Laisen's heart raced.
It was proof that Hyun-soo now trusted in his own power.
Laisen closed his eyes.
Around the walls, behind them, every direction—immense armies would bar Hyun-soo.
***
"......The mad bastard."
That was Commander Seon's honest impression.
The gaze of the soldiers and knights crowding the walls fixed on Hyun-soo.
At this moment, when no enemy had yet scaled the walls.
There appeared Viscount Hyun-soo, brown coat draped over him, a massive odachi slung across one shoulder.
Seon realized it.
Hyun-soo meant to charge straight to the Blood King.
An insane notion.
Even a straight path meant facing over 50,000 troops.
Especially since Seon figured he had already caught on.
"......You know we possess uncommon power."
For centuries upon centuries.
No humans had been born in the Enya Kingdom.
By rights, they should have perished.
Yet they had endured all this time.
At last, under the moonlight, their true forms emerged.
Enya Kingdom Army reveals their demon-human form.
Indeed.
The reason they had survived thus far: transformation into demon-humans.
New species discovered.
Demon-humans are half-human, half-demon beings infused with demonic energy.
Fame +200 acquired.
Overwhelm +50 acquired.
New species always brought unique traits beyond humans.
Swordsmanship, magic, skills, etc., used by humans are downgraded.
Base attack and defense greatly increased.
Heirs to a battle race's blood. Reflexes and attack prowess surpass ordinary humans.
Enya Kingdom Army levels updated!
Blood King's Commander Seon Lv.528
Seon and all his men had gained at least 25 levels.
The foes Hyun-soo now faced were far stronger than before.
Seon sneered.
"Even with a million troops, when the commander falls, all morale crumbles."
Seon exhaled, feeling the surging power within him.
"Don't you sense the mighty force writhing in my veins?"
Hyun-soo furrowed his brow.
"......Has your mouth turned demon-human too? Like that Black Flame Dragon."
Black Flame Dragon? What was that?
Well, that's exactly how it struck Hyun-soo.
The hundreds of thousands of demon-humanized troops, unable to contain their power, were chortling "keh keh keh"—it made his toes curl.
Then the quest triggered.
Hidden Quest: Purification
Grade: S
Restriction: Those who fight the Enya Kingdom
Reward: EXP x3, Possibly recruit the purified
Failure Penalty: Purification fails
The people of Enya Kingdom were turned into demon-humans by the Blood King, who sold their souls to the demon Gremory. Yet many did not wish it. Killing them will strip their demonic power and purify them.
Hyun-soo marveled at the sight.
An unexpected windfall...
For the Great Atlas War in three weeks, he needed to muster every troop possible.
And these demon-humans would revert to humans upon death, through purification.
Those restored humans would likely have nowhere to go.
Where would the homeless flock?
......To this country.
Hyun-soo glanced around.
The people here.
And.
The knights and soldiers here.
They could become his people.
And perhaps.
This guy Seon isn't some villain... seems decent enough...
"......I'll rip you to shreds and feed you to the dogs."
Or not?
Either way, it was a new opportunity for Hyun-soo. He hadn't expected them to reveal their true colors so soon.
Fast, sturdy, and strong-looking.
The armies atop the walls charged solely at Hyun-soo.
"Charge!"
"Kill him!"
Facing 50,000 alone, Hyun-soo licked his lips.
"Even better."
Better to face them stronger?
Soon, Hyun-soo shouted.
"Hey, friend! Help me out!"
The demon-humans were baffled.
Hey, friend? Help?
Hyun-soo had once acquired the one-use skill Hey Friend, Help Me.
It referenced him.
And the name of his ally, arriving fashionably late.
The greatest good illuminates the world.
The greatest good.
She unfurled divine wings at the base of the wall and ascended to Hyun-soo, bestowing buffs.
She also handed him the sword in her grasp.
Hyun-soo stowed his Twin Dragon Swords in his inventory and gripped it tight.
Grip—
Sacred relic of the Ares Church.
Equipped Four Signs Sword.
Saint's aura flows.
Attack and defense vs. evil rise to absurd levels!
All preparations complete. How long can you hold?
Today, Hyun-soo would exterminate all evil.