Chapter 239
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 239
Chapter Title: The Star That Turned Its Back on the Light (7)
‘The Star that Calls for Peace,’ Paxstan, gradually took on the same wretched appearance as the warriors who couldn’t withstand the aftereffects of the divine miracle.
Thwack—crunch! Thwack—crunch!
“Kuh, kuhuk....... Kruuuuh......”
His plate armor crumpled like scrap metal. His face caved in, his bones shattered, and his organs were crushed. His right eye was bloodshot with burst vessels, while his left had exploded entirely, leaving only a tattered sclera spilling vitreous humor.
It was hard to believe this mangled state came from bare-handed beatings. Not a trace remained of his stoic, golem-like robustness. All that was left was a corpse-to-be, one step away from becoming ground meat, rolling on the dirt ground.
His extremely honed physique and the priests’ blessings barely clung to his lifeline...... but even that seemed to be running out. His movements grew sluggish, and even his token resistance was fading.
Kadim paused the beating for a moment and furrowed his brow slightly.
Killing this guy would be simple. With the next punch, he could easily snap his windpipe if he wanted. But that wouldn’t make him pay properly. Right before death, he might claim a mental victory, saying he’d fought to the end for ‘peace’ and become a martyr.
What Atala’s Great Warrior desired as the final outcome was for this man to deny his twisted faith and die bound by the stigmata’s ‘constraint.’
For a zealot, spiritual annihilation would be far more horrific punishment than physical death. Of course, he wasn’t going through this hassle just for revenge. It just so happened there was something he wanted to test upon meeting Elga’s star, and for that, this man absolutely had to violate the ‘constraint’ he guarded and die.
In other words, it would be a problem if he completely gave up resistance...
“......What are you doing.”
“Kuhuk, kuhuk, kruuuuh......”
“Get up. Do you think a so-called star should collapse already?”
......The ‘Star that Calls for Peace’ had already lost his will to fight.
It couldn’t be helped. How could anyone maintain their ‘fighting spirit’ against a monster who brooked no rivals even bare-handed? The fact that he hadn’t pathetically begged for his life was commendable enough.
Still, Kadim quickly found a solution. He’d gained some expertise in handling Elga zealots lost in fanaticism.
“Honestly, disappointing. The other stars eventually shattered, but they stood against me without giving up until the end. Yet you, faced with the ‘demon’ they call the root of all evil, won’t even fight......”
“......”
“......Was your will toward true ‘peace’ really that weak?”
Sparks flew in his blood-red eyes. His stone-mask face twisted with grinding teeth.
“Kruuuuh, kuhuhk...... Demon, you heaven-cursed demon bastard—!!”
The ‘Star that Calls for Peace’ forcibly dragged his rag-doll body upright. At last, his composure shattered, and emotions hot as molten lava flooded from within.
He released the now-useless ‘Absolute Peace.’ Instead, fueled by fervent faith, he summoned Elga’s miracle. Dazzling energy forcibly restored his broken body and spread out like swarming clouds.
————Whiiiiiish—!!
The miracle’s power was generally proportional to faith. The world turned pure white, enveloped in intensely condensed divine energy. It was as if a pristine paradise of true ‘peace’ had been achieved, free of all conflict and discord.
The ‘Star that Calls for Peace’ gladly appointed himself its guardian.
“[Love!! Peace!! Demon—!!]”
————Whooom, thwack—crunch!!
His movements and strikes accelerated several times over, and for the first time, Kadim took a solid hit. It only stung his forearm for now, but similar blows followed in succession.
——Whooom, thud—!! Whoom, whooom, smack—!!
The iron pigeon charged like a gale, pecking relentlessly. Its flight was more powerful and swift than any bird in the world. The symbol of peace became an iron mace judging discord, mercilessly punishing the demon.
As Paxstan unleashed his onslaught, he poured out a lifetime of suppressed emotions in extreme exhilaration.
“[Love peace!! Crave peace!! Pray for peace!! Yearn for peace!! Fall to hell for peace!! Become a sacrifice for peace!! All for!! A light brighter than the brightest light!! All for!! A true ‘peace’ more serene and tranquil than the most peaceful haven—!!!]”
————Whiiiish—! Whish, whiiiish—!!
Even in that frenzy, he didn’t cross the final line. He still upheld the mindset of ‘granting eternal life to the enemy,’ wielding his weapon without violating the stigmata’s ‘constraint.’
But with the fuse already lit, explosion was inevitable.
Even on the defensive, Kadim remained relaxed. No need to activate his tattoos or drink demon blood for a counter. This was just a fleeting blaze roaring fiercely before extinguishing.
He parried appropriately, took hits in kind, matching the rhythm. To let the guy gain courage against a strong foe, realize his unyielding fighting spirit, and...... truly feel ‘the will to fight.’
How long did he play along with the frenzied holy knight?
When the moment ripened, Kadim clapped with a crooked smile.
“Excellent...... Impressive performance. Knowing you could fight like that, why were you sniveling like a tail-tucked pup earlier?”
“[Shut up!! Let’s see if you spout that nonsense even after falling to hell......]”
“Well worth the lesson. With that much ‘fighting spirit,’ you’ve earned the right to enter a paradise of endless war and revelry.”
“[......What?]”
“For one personally taught by the War God’s Great Warrior, fighting with all your soul for true peace, the name ‘son of the wilderness’ suits you better than Elga’s star. So how about turning your back on that voyeuristic god and serving Atala instead?”
A moment of stunned silence.
Paxstan’s remaining eye bulged so wide it nearly popped out.
Shock emptied his mind, confusion scrambled his brain. The soaring Elga miracle fizzled out like a mirage.
He wasn’t seriously tempting him to believe in Atala. Yet the humiliation felt like his soul dunked in filth. To dare tell the radiant Elga star, the foremost agent of Elga, who’d devoted his life solely to Elga and peace, that some filthy heresy suited him better......?
“[You...... You...... Heinous, blasphemous trash—!!]”
At that instant, Paxstan violated the stigmata’s ‘constraint.’
——Kuuuuh......
Too late to rein in his emotions with an “oh no.” The sun already blazed menacingly, altering the sky’s hue.
The stigmata ‘Star that Calls for Peace’ constraint: never harbor ‘killing intent.’
Paxstan had always suppressed emotions even when killing, bypassing the constraint. But feeling no ‘killing intent’ toward a demon denying his core faith was impossible......
——————Craaaack—boom!!
......Elga’s ‘heavenly punishment’ descended from the distant heavens.
Not toward the demon who openly mocked him.
Only toward the ‘star’ who violated the sacred blessing’s constraint.
Everything went according to plan. Kadim narrowed his eyes sharply.
He focused his mind to the extreme. He fragmented his time perception into 1/1000th-second units. Ignoring the corneal agony like burning, he meticulously observed the ‘heavenly punishment’ descending from the heavens and striking its target.
And soon...... realized his prediction was correct.
*
‘The Star that Pierces Truth,’ Hendark, stared vacantly at the sky.
————Craaack—boom......
At the sky flashing with the light of final judgment upon creation.
The reason for the ‘heavenly punishment’...... he could roughly guess. Someone violated their stigmata constraint. And that led to further realizations.
The man he’d told all stigmata info to, Kadim, was here.
And if the one just punished was ‘The Star that Calls for Peace’...... then he was the only one left to oppose him.
“......”
Deep shadows gathered again in the wrinkles of his face.
He’d known a day like this would come. No, he’d foreseen it from the first day dispatched to this front. But he hadn’t expected it to be today. His heart jolted like a broken cart, his mouth dry as a cracked wasteland.
......Could he stand against that warrior with his own power?
The wrong question. That was secondary. Before odds of victory, the priority was whether that battle served the right values.
And he knew the answer all too well.
After all, wasn’t he ‘The Star that Pierces Truth’?
He was the church’s star who always pursued only truth uprightly, even as the order rotted and decayed; who gripped noble convictions and faith like a spear; who guided the lost to the right path. Though now dimmed and at the threshold of a wrong path...... his discerning eye for what was right remained keen.
If he defeated Kadim, the alliance would have no means left to stop ‘Elga’s stars.’
What followed was obvious. The remaining Decagram mobilized to slaughter countless allies. After begging him to prevent that, causing it himself was absurd.
Hendark made his decision.
He gripped the divine spear, ‘Lucaon’s Meteor.’ Closed his eyes gently, pointed the tip at his throat. Exploding the weapon at full power, he could leave this world unknowing death.
Wuuuung—
But just before detonating the spearhead.
“......Even for a battle-hardened veteran, war is never easy, is it?”
An ominous presence approached Hendark.
A middle-aged man in a stained bishop’s robe, unassuming. One of the field bishops loyal to Archbishop Erensko. Hendark examined him and couldn’t hide his shock.
In the man’s hands was a pure white box like an ark.
“Still, don’t lose heart, ‘Star that Pierces Truth.’ Somewhere in this world, disciples admire you like a morning star, don’t they?”
“......”
“To commend your efforts, the archbishop sent a gift. May it help you regain your strength...... Oh!”
Hendark lunged like a demon and snatched the box.
Cold sweat dripped, hands trembled. Blood stench at his nose let him guess the contents before heat faded. But this time, he didn’t hesitate to check. He flung open the lid to reveal......
......Eyeballs.
Eyeballs of all kinds, starting to rot, reeking of fishy decay.
Some larger than fists, others bean-sized. Most too heterogeneous in size and shape for humans. The field bishop shrugged nonchalantly and explained.
“Eyes from rare monsters like ogres and hobgoblins. They look rough, but soak them in liquor and you’ll feel refreshed like morning sunlight.”
Hendark didn’t believe him.
No way the gift was for that. He knew the archbishop’s vile nature too well. He swept aside the mound of eyes, rummaged the box thoroughly. At the bottom, he finally found it.
A small pair of eyes, sparkling flawlessly like lapis lazuli.
He recognized them instantly. Whose eyes they were.
The particularly frail child, always lagging in training, constantly anxious about not becoming a holy knight, but one day summoning the miracle faster than anyone, eyes sparkling as if holding the world’s light in his soul.
‘M-Master! Master! C-Can I become a holy knight? I-I won’t be kicked out from here, right? Right?’
Briden. Those eyes would never sparkle again.
The field bishop glanced awkwardly and said.
“Ah, oops. Regrettable, sir...... I hoped you’d notice after I left......”
“......”
“But it’s fortunate, isn’t it? The box isn’t full of your disciples’ eyes yet—just one for now. All thanks to the merciful archbishop’s grace.”
“......”
“Of course, if you keep not catching the ‘demon’ and dragging your feet...... who knows.”
Hendark’s face twisted ferociously as he gripped the spear shaft until his hand bones creaked.
‘The Star that Pierces Truth’ ultimately strayed from the righteous path, plummeting into abyssal darkness.
*
No need to hunt him down. No long wait. Whether the heavenly punishment was the signal, he appeared before Kadim’s eyes soon enough just by staying put.
Kadim looked at the holy knight mounted on his radiant horse.
- Whiiiiiish—!!
“......”
His face was hidden under the lowered helm. Sensing hostility wasn’t hard. Taut muscles, spearhead blooming with brilliant light, rising killing intent—nothing suggested a friendly chat.
Still, slaughtering him without words felt awkward. They’d traded meaningfully twice, after all.
Kuguung......
Kadim rose from the corpse he’d been sitting on. He lifted the Star Pulverizer in one hand, then nudged the charred ‘Star that Calls for Peace’ with his foot.
“Here for revenge over your fallen comrade?”
“......”
“Or to deliver the remaining promised reward. I’ve already taken down over four Decagram.”
Heavy silence pressed on the vast plain.
The reply came after a long pause. From behind the coldly set visor, a voice cracked like vocal cords shredded by a blade.
“In the name of the Eternal Lord of Radiance...... Elga...... I shall judge you....... Heinous demon......”
“......”
Kadim asked no explanations.
Right, this was inevitable from the start. Even the cleanest cloth becomes rags rolling in mud; even the brightest star loses light buried in darkness. With beloved disciples held hostage, the noble morning star inevitably became a baleful pretender.
He’d braced for it long ago, no regrets. Just better to settle the remaining trade cleanly.
“Your proposed deal was three rewards for blocking Elga’s stars.”
“......”
“Stigmata info, helpful holy relic, and future aid. I’ll take the two unreceived ones as something else.”
Kadim nodded at Hendark’s hand. Then slightly raised the Star Pulverizer.
Meaning: he’d claim the stigmata ‘Star that Pierces Truth.’
No reply this time.
Hendark answered by raising his spear shaft. For a star who’d betrayed convictions, all human qualms vanished. Within burned only hollow slaughterous will.
A desolate wind howled across the blood-scented field.
————Kwaaaang!!
The ‘Star that Pierces Truth’ who turned from truth, and the ‘demon’ who’d saved the world twice, charged at each other.