Chapter 63
Chapter 63
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Great Temple Raid Incident (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Roselia Great Temple plunged into chaos from an intruder it had never once permitted in all its history.
But even amid the turmoil, the response was swift.
This was the holy site where the church's acknowledged elites from every corner gathered, after all.
Every perimeter, outer and inner alike, was reinforced without exception.
Fully armed holy warriors and battle priests lined up around the Great Temple, while the summoned Holy Knights mobilized in unison.
And to the captain of the Holy Knights and the other powerhouses, a secret directive was issued.
Assemble at the seal immediately.
That was why.
A breathtaking sight unfolded before Heinrich's eyes, with figures rarely seen together all gathered in one place.
'Even after dispatching so many, this many are still left behind.'
Among those remaining in the Great Temple, these were the highest-ranking.
Even those who had already retired had donned full armor and assembled, numbering over a hundred.
At that moment, the Saintess came dashing down the passageway with a group in tow.
Her hair disheveled and attire disarrayed from how hastily she'd rushed over.
"Move out now! Everyone, follow me!"
Without pausing for a breath, the Saintess plunged straight into the passageway, and the waiting personnel hurriedly followed her inside.
'No need to guard this passage anymore, right? She said everyone follow...'
Heinrich, who had been gauging the situation, quietly slipped into their ranks.
"What's going on? Did they breach the Great Temple's defenses? Straight to the seal?"
The Saintess asked the one running alongside her to provide support.
A high-ranking female Heresy Inquisitor answered calmly as she ran without a sound from her footsteps.
"No signs or traces of intrusion from outside have been found. They didn't enter the seal through normal means."
"What does that mean? Are you saying they teleported directly inside the seal?"
"That's all we can say for now, but no traces of spatial transfer were detected in the Great Temple's defensive barriers either. It's as if they simply appeared there out of nowhere."
"That's impossible...! How many divine barriers surround this place...! Ignoring them to invade the seal where space itself is warped is impossible!"
But what they deemed absolutely impossible had actually occurred.
The Saintess, who had rushed over upon hearing only that an intruder had breached the seal, could only grow more flustered upon grasping the details.
"Just to be sure... the intruder isn't..."
"...Yes. There was a final message from the Director, who entered first."
[Encounter with the Immortal King's Heir, Hans. Engaging to buy time. Enter with full preparations.] "Contact has been cut off since then. We don't know if he's alive or dead."
"Hans...!"
Sparks flew from the Saintess's eyes as she ground her teeth.
"Saintess, calm down first. Getting worked up now won't help."
"Ah! Right. Hoo~ Hoo~."
She took deep breaths at the gentle voice of Cardinal Cordelia, who was moving alongside her, steadying her mind.
Though the leadership wore grave expressions, Heinrich was lost in his own thoughts as he watched them.
'Not a single one is out of breath even while running.'
The Saintess, still young, and Cardinal Cordelia, in her late fifties, conversed calmly even as they ran.
Likely because the immense divine power flowing through their bodies bolstered their physiques.
"Heh heh heh, this is embarrassing to even face the Main God. To allow heresy into this holy site, the deepest part of the Great Temple... Heh heh heh..."
A man in his mid-sixties let out a hollow, weary laugh.
He was Cardinal Pion, the voice that had issued orders via divine power at the onset of the incident.
"How could something from the far western edge of the continent reach the heart of the holy site's Great Temple? Or perhaps..."
Even after locating the Immortal King's heir, High Elf Rapori's search had continued to this day.
To detect immediately if it moved.
Its last confirmed position this evening had been the Monster Forest in the west, yet it had suddenly appeared in the continent's heartland.
At a most inopportune timing, no less.
"There is a record of combat with this generation's Immortal King, Hans, where it ignored Archbishop Latios's spatial blockade and escaped."
The Heresy Inquisitor, who had been moving silently as if unnoticed, quietly added.
"...Right. We can't be sure it was truly in the Monster Forest now, but breaching the Great Temple's barriers is fact. For it to have this much power when it's not even a complete Immortal King yet..."
"If we let it take this fragment... A true continental calamity will be born."
Not just the conversation leaders, but even those quietly following and listening realized the gravity anew.
"...Let's hurry more."
The Saintess's halo intensified, divine power pouring out and enveloping those around her, propelling them even faster toward the seal's interior.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Thud—
The last remaining Heresy Inquisitor Director collapsed to the floor.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [...I expected as much, but this foe is far trickier than anticipated.] Hans surveyed his surroundings.
Around the fallen black priestly robes lay enormous numbers of undead remains scattered everywhere.
'Efficiency drops a lot in this space, but no choice if I need to buy time.'
Even infused with ample black magic power, their combat strength was less than half the usual.
He had no option but to make up the shortfall with numbers.
In this disadvantageous space, unsealing the fragment while fighting had taxed Hans in multiple ways.
He couldn't block the Inquisitor Director, who struck like an assassin with instant close-range attacks, even with undead.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [But the seal is almost fully released now. I can finish before reinforcements arrive.] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Mas... ter.] At that moment, the Death Wizard Malcolm, missing everything below the waist, crawled over using his lone remaining hand.
Like a scene from a horror flick.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Oh ho? You're still hanging on, huh.] He was already dead, of course... but fortunately not damaged beyond repair.
No time to hold back, so he'd deployed Malcolm too, and the grown subordinate had proven quite useful.
'That much damage is fully repairable.'
Another perk of undead.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Good work. I'll fix you up later, so rest inside for now.] [Yes...] Malcolm vanished straight into the shadow beneath Hans.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Gather the rest too. Salvage what can be repaired. Can't tend to them now.] Clatter— Clack!
[Groooar—]
The surrounding undead busily scavenged the remains into Hans's shadow.
The abandoned ones were total losses beyond repair.
Hans's gaze shifted back to the Heresy Inquisitors amid the wreckage.
'Didn't kill them, but crippled enough they won't move for a while. The Great Temple's barriers actually made them easier to take down.'
Overly sturdy from the divine barriers protecting the faithful inside, they wouldn't die instantly from any attack.
And seeing the barriers sustaining the near-dead bought him the freedom to go all out.
'Forcing restraint would've felt off anyway. No time for that. Lucky break there.'
They might find it odd he didn't finish them off.
But obsessing over details would've prevented the 'home turf drama' ploy from even starting.
Crack—
A crack formed in the last remaining altar pillar, and the connected silver chains crumbled to dust.
Thus, the final seal released.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [...Done. Kuhahahaha—!] Black magic power exploded from the fragment.
Hans savored the energy, seizing it fully.
Ignoring the negative emotions naturally invading his mind, he carefully drew it through the channel linking to him.
The final fragment clung as if one with the 'Immortality' essence he'd extracted.
Even entering his pseudo-subspace, it spewed uncontrolled black magic power relentlessly.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [...As suspected, it'll take some time to tame.] Sharing the same roots, it blended quickly, but matching the power of prior fragments, they tussled for dominance.
Hans poured all mental resources except for Heinrich's link, gradually claiming the heart as his own.
Dismissing the summon now might not fully conceal such turbulent energy flows.
Thus passed a brief moment.
As his black magic power surged and strength rapidly grew, filling him with elation...
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Hng... Just a bit more and it'd be done.] Regrettably, the time limit approached.
Boom—!
A thick beam shot from beyond the shattered door, shaking Hans's barrier.
Simultaneously, dozens charged at tremendous speed.
The church elites had arrived.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Too... late...!"
Those who rushed in ground their teeth upon seeing the altar's seal destroyed.
"Not yet! Save the survivors first!"
The Saintess bellowed to snap them out of it, issuing orders.
In sync, the shadowing Heresy Inquisitors leaped to drag the fallen to the rear.
Priests soon swarmed the wounded, pouring divine power, while Holy Knights arrayed at the front, facing off against the Immortal King Hans and his undead minions.
"Focus! Now that it hasn't fully absorbed the fragment's power is our last chance!"
Cardinal Pion roared in his booming voice anew, leading the battle priests in a unified incantation.
Whoosh—
Beautiful halos enveloped the Holy Knights.
Not only assorted buffs, but channels opened via divine power alone for seamless coordination.
The man at the Holy Knights' vanguard adjusted his shield and warhammer, stepping forward.
["I'll take the front. Sires, focus on supporting me."] ["Understood, Lord Jonien."] He was the sole Paladin left in the Great Temple; no better frontline fighter existed here.
["Kuhahat! Church dogs. Too late! The Immortal King's heart is wholly mine!"] "Don't be deluded! Attack!"
Battle priests' holy spells flew at Hans, and the Holy Knights charged with Paladin Jonien at the lead.
Heinrich was among them, of course.
'Ah, stalling isn't working.'
Having absorbed some of the fragment, black magic output had surged, but full combat was still burdensome.
The church side seemed aware too, showing no intent to give more time.
"Haaap!"
Divine power infused Heinrich's sword, forming a radiant blade of light.
Without hesitation, he swung, cleaving the undead blocking his path.
Pity, but now he had to immerse in his true role.
[Kieeeek—!]
Clatter, rattle—
Undead kept crawling from around Hans to obstruct the Holy Knights...
"Hyah—!"
["These fools are nothing! Focus on breaking through!"] "O Main God! With your glorious light, incinerate these abominations!"
Even bolstered by his amplified black magic, they melted away swiftly under the divine power-clad Holy Knights and the barrage of holy spells from the rear battle priests.
'All the ones I gathered over time!'
Hans inwardly fumed, squeezing out every last undead.
He needed the numbers to hold just a bit longer.
Kaboom—! Boom!
A beam from the Saintess and Cardinal Pion's summoned light hammer cracked Hans's barrier, exploding.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [These pests!] Black mist rose from Hans's staff, coalescing into a massive demonic hand hurled at them...
"O Main God— protect your children!"
Crunch!
It vanished against Cardinal Cordelia's blue shield.
A pattern repeated several times now.
'Ganging up like cowards!'
Cardinal Cordelia focused on defense and healing the wounded.
Cardinal Pion on supporting Holy Knights and checking Hans.
And Saintess Riesta solely targeting Hans with raw power.
From his position, fending off the others steamrolling in, it was infuriating.
'Without this final fragment, I'd have fled by now.'
Yet he endured because he grew stronger even now.
Dominance assertion neared completion.
"Haaap—! Die, Immortal King!"
Paladin Jonien, having broken through the undead, swung his massive hammer.
Hans casually extended a hand, blasting a shockwave to repel him.
But in that split-second gap.
Two Holy Knights exploited it, bursting from thin air to assail him.
A stealth holy spell-enabled covert maneuver.
The timed holy attacks punched a temporary hole in his barrier, twin greatswords and spear thrusting from both sides at his heart.
A dire ambush.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Hng...] Hans ducked naturally, gripping his black magic-wreathed skull staff in his right hand.
Clang—
Stepping back, he deflected the incoming spear tip with his staff.
Clang!
Twirling it fully, he smacked the greatsword's flat from the right.
Exchange in a flash.
By the instant's end, black flames in his left hand locked on them.
Kaboom—!
"Kuhk!"
"Ugh—!"
["Hurry back here!"] The Holy Knights, blasted away by point-blank black magic, were rushed rearward for emergency treatment.
Their elaborate gambit dissolved into nothing.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Kuhahat! To think you could fool this body—a century too early!] Hans laughed confidently.
No ploy would work against him.
Every situation was firmly in his grasp.
["Tch, its reactions are faster than expected!"] ["Martial arts? Holy Knights were a beat slow reacting to the unexpected moves."] This situation too.
Real-time eavesdropping via Heinrich let him preempt and counter every church ploy.
'Ah!'
And thanks to that...
'It's done.'
He'd secured the time to seize the fragment's dominance.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 《Achievement Accomplished! You have become the 'Immortal King', calamity of the Outerica dimension.》 《Having experienced death, overcome it, dominated it, and transcended it. As reward, special privilege 「Instant Death Immunity」 granted.》 《You have accomplished an achievement influencing the world greatly. Karma rises further.》 Thus, Hans truly became the Immortal King.