Chapter 246
Chapter 246
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 246
Chapter Title: New Holy Knight Azadin 7
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“You can’t kill me. I’m Azadin, the younger brother of Arael. Even if you’re the nightmares from old tales, do you really think you can so much as touch the tip of her power?”
Because he was Arael’s blood kin, he couldn’t possibly lose to the likes of these things. Azadin stressed that point.
Even though he hadn’t gotten along with her while she was alive, he knew how she had rebelled against the Herald Clan for her freedom, gathering many to her side, and how strong and beautiful she had been. Now, all of that had become his pride.
There was no way these whispering devils lurking in the shadows could harm him, who had inherited Arael’s power.
“The very fact that you spoke as if you knew my future was your first mistake. At the very least, I know I won’t die by your hands.”
“What impressive confidence, child. But you have sinned against the Salvation Knights.”
“You’re using necromancy to mine true silver. Do you not know that true silver was originally our gift?”
“Those who serve us are scattered everywhere in this place. We could have them denounce you.”
Shockingly, the Shade Hags even knew that Azadin was using necromancy to mine true silver, and they threatened him with it.
Kallan and Legion, listening in, felt a chill run down their spines.
Using undead was an unforgivable act for the Salvation Knights.
Yet Azadin showed no fear.
“Devils who once pretended to be gods, now appealing to human means? Don’t you realize how ridiculous you’ve become?”
“…….”
“So? Is that all the means you have to oppose me?”
Azadin paid no heed to the Shade Hags’ threats or persuasions.
“It seems you doubt our power, child.”
“We promised her that we would kill the knights assigned here.”
“We thought your talents might be useful, so we considered forgiving you if you served us. But now, you must die.”
“Before killing you, we wanted to let you dream sweetly if possible. But the souls of the Herald Clan belong to the Emperor—how pitiful.”
The Shade Hags’ voices faded, replaced by a guttural roar echoing through the air.
An ogre with bizarre tumors bulging from its face and a swamp crayfish about three meters long with enormous claws charged into the village.
“Ha.”
A smirk curled at Azadin’s lips.
“How crude. Unable to win with words, you resort to force. How do you expect to deceive anyone and survive like that?”
Azadin mocked the Shade Hags as he steeled his resolve for battle.
The soldiers were bound to restrain themselves against the illusions. Only a handful could fight right now. And in that situation, these monsters had suddenly appeared.
Even if the soldiers had been in perfect condition, these were dangerous beasts.
Unfortunately for them, their opponent was Azadin.
“Are you seriously putting up just these against me right now?”
Azadin drew the Herald Clan’s bow, the Moon Horn Bow, and nocked an arrow.
-Whoosh!
The arrow flew straight before curving sharply at an angle, piercing the ogre’s ear.
The massive ogre toppled sideways from a single small arrow.
Writhing in agony on the ground, the ogre couldn’t get up. The arrow had struck its semicircular canals, destroying its sense of balance.
It wouldn’t die immediately and flailed about, but having lost its equilibrium, it was utterly useless.
It might eventually adapt to the damage and regain its balance after a very long time, but for this moment, the ogre was nothing more than a rolling lump of meat.
-Grrr.
The swamp crayfish, its body covered in scales, ignored its fallen comrade and advanced.
But Azadin indifferently loosed a second arrow.
This one also shifted trajectory midair before curving right in front of the crayfish.
‘Did it miss?’
Everyone thought so. Azadin’s arrow had flown toward the crayfish only to veer off to the side.
But moments later, they realized their grave mistake.
The crayfish thrashed about, unable to orient itself.
Azadin’s arrow had severed both of the crayfish’s eyestalks protruding from its body.
Blinded, the crayfish instinctively backed away and tumbled down the fortress slope.
Legion and Kallan couldn’t help but be awestruck by how Azadin had dispatched the ogre and the giant swamp crayfish with just two arrows.
‘Incredible.’
‘The Herald Clan bears the grand title of Godslayer King Assassins, and it’s well-deserved—no, the rumors don’t do him justice.’
Azadin himself, displaying such prowess, looked bored enough to yawn.
“I was hoping you had more to show. Shade Hags? Surely this isn’t the end?”
He even went so far as to provoke them.
“How dare you.”
“Insult us like this!”
The Shade Hags’ enraged voices echoed from the darkness.
It was a horrific, terrifying sound that would make any living being’s hair stand on end, freezing them in place. But Azadin only mocked them further.
“So that’s all you can do? Nothing but tremble helplessly?”
“Captain, do you really have to provoke them...?”
Legion and Kallan panicked at Azadin’s needless taunting of the Shade Hags. But Azadin’s intentions were clear.
“You can’t kill me. If you can’t fulfill the wish of that poor soul who cursed the Salvation Knights and devoted herself to you, then she doesn’t belong to you.”
Azadin demanded the female slave who was the root cause of the Shade Hags’ curse on Vermilion Fortress—the one who had become a witch.
“You wretch! That child is now part of us! You want us to hand her over?!”
“You fool!”
The darkness began to churn. A black vortex swirled in the heart of Vermilion Fortress, and a hag devil cloaked in pitch-black shadows emerged.
A massive hag devil the size of a great dead tree had suddenly appeared in the middle of the plaza. Had a Shade Hag finally revealed itself directly?
“It’s in bad shape.”
Azadin frowned.
“That’s right! It’s me! You filthy, hypocritical Salvation Knights! You preach virtue from your mouths while ruthlessly indulging your desires behind closed doors! I was just one knight away—one more knight to sacrifice to the sacred number six of wild magic, and I would have truly become a Shade Hag! And you ruined it!”
The Shade Hag before him was none other than the female slave who had cursed the holy knights assigned to Vermilion Fortress.
The Shade Hags had contracted with her, promising to grant her wish in exchange for her soul and body.
Her wish was to kill the holy knights arriving at Vermilion Fortress, completing the sacred number six of wild magic to be reborn as a Shade Hag.
But now, with Azadin assigned as Vermilion’s platoon leader, if they couldn’t kill him, her wish would go unfulfilled. Thus, the Shade Hags had deployed the source of the curse herself.
“I can’t allow you to become a Shade Hag.”
“Don’t make me laugh! You think you’re here to save me? For me, salvation is revenge! Killing you hypocritical holy knights is my salvation! The only way you save me is by offering up that pathetic knight’s life!”
As the half-transformed female slave chanted her spell, horrific shadow monsters burst from her shadow.
Shadows of massive wolves, bears, bulls, and moose-like wild beasts materialized from the thick darkness.
The already pitch-black night made the shadow beasts hard to discern.
“Go! Kill them! All the cursed wretches in this fortress! Especially the knights!”
The witch, trembling with rage at the mere thought of Vermilion Fortress, ordered even the civilians slain.
“Eek?!”
“U-Us too?! Why?!”
The terrified villagers tried to flee, but they were currently bound to pillars. They had tied themselves to resist the Shade Hags’ illusions, and now it hindered their escape.
Of course, the ropes were meant to be untied by themselves, but untying knots with monsters flickering before their eyes was no easy task.
“Legion! Kallan! Free the soldiers! Camilla! Kuntachi! Bernard! Protect the people!”
Azadin shouted that and kicked off the ground. At the same moment, his ceramite longsword, Aurelia Dunn, burst into golden flames.
Beautiful golden swordlight separated the shadow beasts from the night’s darkness, golden halos dancing along their sharp outlines. The blazing holy sword sliced through the wolf’s neck.
“Impressive, you bastard! Yes! Is that the sword of the Emperor’s herald!”
The woman who had become a witch from the Salvation Knights’ immoral deeds spat curses like blood and attacked Azadin.
Azadin severed the hag devil’s hook-like arms reaching for him and began carving her body to pieces.
The ceramite longsword felt blunt compared to finely honed steel, but the more it burned, the sharper and keener it became.
Flashes of swordlight repeatedly slashed the Shade Hag, whittling down her massive, dead-tree-sized body.
“Urk!”
“Give it up. You can’t kill me. Your contract has failed, and the Shade Hag’s power will fade.”
Azadin briefly sheathed his flaming holy sword.
Chopping her down too quickly would kill the witch inside the shadow as well. Even after Azadin withdrew his blade, the Shade Hag’s power was draining away—the black shadow dissipated, revealing the witch’s naked body within.
She desperately gathered the scattering Shade Hag power around her like clinging garments, trying to force it back onto her body.
“No. I don’t want to lose this power now and become a powerless being again! I don’t want to be something you lot can trample at will!”
The witch thrashed in hatred, but the Shade Hag’s power was leaking from her body.
“As long as my power holds! At least here, no one will be unjustly violated! So give up!”
Azadin extended his hand instead of his sword.
“How can I trust your words? All men said the same! They claimed to be different! But in the end, they were all the same!”
“If you can’t trust my promise, then distrust the Shade Hags’ promise too! You’ve already achieved your revenge—why offer your soul?!”
“What?! No. My revenge isn’t over yet! I’ll kill all you hypocritical knights...”
“Kill every Hospitaller in the world? Did the Shade Hags promise that?”
“…….”
“Of course not. The Shade Hags just needed one more kill to claim your soul! Why would they bother fighting Hospitallers after that?!”
“Ugh!”
“I’ll avenge you and create a world where the weak aren’t violated! At least wherever my power reaches! If you want to believe this promise, take my hand!”
Azadin extended his hand to her again and stepped closer.
She hesitated.
Her heart wavered at the light pouring from Azadin’s Aurelia Dunn and his violet eyes.
But...
“Kraaak!”
Suddenly, a scream rang out.