50
Chapter 50
Lucifer.
He was once a grand and beautiful angel who served the Lord alongside Archangel Michael.
But his pride pierced the heavens, leading him to covet the Lord's throne, and he eventually fell, becoming one of the seven great devils cast into Hell.
The Demon God created demons by mixing half devil and half human. Lucifer took a liking to one of these demons and slept with them.
Thus was born the Lucifer Family of the Northern Duke Family of the Demon Realm. Even now, the Lucifer Family remains prestigious, holding the position of Duke, one of the four great dukes of the Demon Realm, from generation to generation.
A [Devil] who is an enemy to the very core of Beatrice Constantino, a Holy Knight serving the Lord.
"How dare a wicked devil enter this place!"
[Because I was called? The lady wanted me!]
"Get out this instant! Do you think I, Beatrice Constantino, would simply fall for your vile tongue!"
I shouted sharply, thrusting my sword forward. The corners of Lucifer's mouth curled upward with an ominous glint.
[Keke! How feisty! Indeed, to contract with a devil, one needs desperation! You lack that desperation right now!]
"Shut your mouth! How dare a mere devil speak to me!"
[Soon, a moment will come when you need me! A time when you must realize a wish that even the Lord will not grant! When that day comes, call for me! I shall show you just how fantastic a Demonic Contract can be!]
Leaving those words behind, Lucifer leaped out the window into the night sky. By the time I rushed to the window, he had already vanished into the moonlight.
The sudden and incomprehensible encounter snapped me out of my drunken haze. I set the Greatsword on the floor.
Great Demon Lucifer.
He is someone I must unconditionally reject.
Yet, for a moment, my heart stirred when he offered to grant my wish. It was shameful.
That night, I did not sleep a single wink.
*****
Before the final battle, a divine hymn is sung.
The people of the Holy Nation have all come outside to sing together.
""The Lord is coming-.""
""My glorious Lord is coming-.""
""The horns of blessing, welcoming the Lord, resound-.""
""The day the Lord's grace descends upon the earth, thread by thread-.""
""On that day, my Lord walks the path of love-.""
""The Lord is coming- to save all creation-.""
The power of the hymn sung by tens of thousands at the top of their lungs is fierce. Feeling a pain as if my eardrums were being torn away, I march toward the battlefield with the knights. Mounted atop a White Horse.
It is a pleasant pain. For it is a hymn cheering us on.
"Open the city gates-!"
I shout toward the gatekeeper of the Holy Nation. With hundreds of knights behind me.
As it had been arranged in advance, the gatekeeper bowed his head briefly and prepared to open the gates.
Just then, my father came running toward us with heavy footsteps.
"Wait! Stop!"
"Your Holiness?"
"Holy Emperor! What are you trying to do right now!"
"I will join you! After all, if the Vanguard cannot break through, there is no future for us!"
"Your Holiness! What do you mean by that!"
At my father's sudden declaration of war, I leaped off my horse and hurriedly knelt. It was unthinkable for my father, the leader of the Church, to participate in the battle.
"Your Holiness! Please reconsider this order! How can you, who must lead the believers until the final moment, personally enter the battlefield!"
"Dame Beatrice! Lift your head!"
A deep voice pierced my ears. The voice was trembling. It was a passion from my father that I had never experienced before.
Following the order, I looked up and saw my father's face. His eyes were shaking violently.
"Do you have the confidence to break through that battlefield!"
"...."
"I am asking if you have the confidence to carve out a path!"
It did not sound like the voice that was always so stiff. It was hot and turbulent.
Now that his daughter is facing death, it seems he is finally showing some emotion. He did love me, after all.
But, even so.
I do not want you to die, Father.
"I do! Even if I lack the confidence, it is my duty to make it happen!"
As I shouted while staring into my father's eyes, the air around us shifted. The gazes directed at me turned into looks of deep emotion.
"Then, I shall change my question."
"Yes."
"Dame Beatrice, can you stop the King of the Nation of War, Agesiliad, their leader?"
"...."
"Everyone here knows. You have not yet stepped into the realm of the [Absolute]. Even if you lead the 1st Knights Corps, you will likely only meet your death, unable to overcome the wall that is Agesiliad."
A statement of fact delivered before I could even protest. I could offer no rebuttal. Everything my father said was the truth.
"I, Holy Emperor Constantino, will stop Agesiliad. In the meantime, lead the knights and break through the encirclement."
"...Yes, I will follow your orders."
"Now, open the gates."
The order was given.
Any further resistance would be nothing more than insubordination.
In an already chaotic wartime situation, I could not allow an act of disobedience to occur.
Following my father's words, the gatekeeper attempted to open the gates once more. My father stood before me while I was on horseback. He was so imposing that even though I was mounted, his eyes remained higher than mine. The heavy armor enveloping my body clanked.
I gripped the Greatsword in my hand tightly. So that I could swing it at any moment. Once these gates open, once this trivial sheet of iron blocking us from the enemy vanishes, I will face the army of the Nation of War that brings death.
I will not harbor clumsy hope. Even with my father participating, the difference in combat power between the Nation of War and the Holy Nation is incomparable.
I am now advancing toward annihilation.
Toward the end of the path of the Holy Knight that I chose.
Screeeeeech—.
The gates of the Holy Emperor's Palace open.
The overwhelming military force of the enemy, stretching endlessly, fills my vision.
I must not be afraid.
Behind me now are my precious members of the Holy Knights Corps.
I must not hesitate.
I must become a single, searing ember and make them shudder.
I must not hold back.
Since I am destined to die anyway, I must cut down as many enemies as possible.
"Holy Emperor Constantino-! I was planning to storm in myself if you didn't show up by lunch, but you finally appear-!"
Agesiliad, the greatest warrior and commander of the Nation of War, shouts with all his might. His voice is so clear that the hundreds of meters of distance feel meaningless—a shout truly befitting an Absolute Strong One.
My father took a deep breath and responded. His voice was slightly smaller than Agesiliad's.
"Agesiliad-! How can you be so arrogant-! Do you not fear the Lord-!"
"The only god I serve is the almighty and great Zeus-! Do not speak of your heresy-!"
"Is such a barbaric and ignorant life the one your god ordained-! How far can the Nation of War expand in such a manner-!"
At my father's shout, Agesiliad drew his long spear and swung it through the air in response.
"As far as this spear can reach-!"
"...!"
The earth seems to rumble violently. The buildings of the Holy Emperor's Palace seem to tilt, if only slightly.
If we, hundreds of meters away, feel this much, what of the warriors of the Nation of War standing right beside Agesiliad?
I sharpened my gaze to examine them. What followed was an unbelievable sight.
None of the warriors of the Nation of War bowed their heads or covered their ears. Even as blood streamed from their ears, they stood firm, exposing their iron-like bodies under the sun.
It was a sight befitting warriors who spent their entire lives devoted to training. I silently shook my head in awe and bowed.
"Dame Beatrice...?"
Seeing me, my father casts a questioning glance.
I did something I could never have imagined doing normally. I looked at my father and smiled brightly.
"It seemed that you... did not love me, Father."
"Beatrice, what are you talking about?"
"Even so, I love you, Father."
Leaving words that sounded like a final will, I kicked the horse's sides powerfully.
"Giddyup-!"
"Be, Beatrice! Wait!"
Coming in all at once wouldn't allow us to break through that ironclad formation. Someone who wouldn't easily fall had to dive into the center of the enemy lines and stir up chaos first. Only then could the main force attack.
No one was better suited for this than me on my horse. Therefore, I chose to charge. It was a perfectly rational decision.
Prrr! My white horse began to gallop. My beloved steed, the fastest in the Holy Nation, surged forward at full speed, white mane fluttering. The cold wind swept past my cheeks like a blade.
The surrounding landscape blurred in a rush. My father and the Holy Knights, realizing my charge too late, rushed after me, but they could not overtake me on my white horse.
I did not head toward Agesiliad. As my father said, he was not someone I could handle. Instead, I charged toward the left side of the battlefield.
"Hyaaaaa-!"
In an instant, the distance closed between the Nation of War, my horse, and me. The soldiers of the Nation of War, in a dense formation, glared at me behind round shields the size of a person and pointed spears.
Riding a horse requires only the strength of the lower body. I gripped the Greatsword with both hands and infused Holy Power into the blade. A white, radiant energy flickered and wrapped around the greatsword.
Wooooom—.
The distance closed to under five meters. Sharp spearheads glinted in the sunlight, ready to pierce me at any moment. Without slowing my white horse even slightly, I swung the greatsword with the full force of my momentum.
Shwaaaa-!
Kwakhwakhwakwakwa-!
The aura of Holy Power exploded, colliding with the line of shields of the Nation of War's soldiers. I possessed far more strength.
"Urgh!"
"We're being pushed back! Move!"
"Everyone be careful! It's the Leader of the 1st Holy Knights Corps, Beatrice Constantino!"
Unable to withstand the aura, the soldiers of the Nation of War were knocked flat on their backs. The dense formation collapsed. Without hesitation, I charged inside with my white horse, gathering Holy Power in my sword once again.
I had no intention of returning alive. I would kill, kill, and kill as many as possible to be of even the slightest help to those following behind me.
Shwaaaa-!
"Aaaagh!"
"Watch out! She's firing aura!"
"This isn't normal aura! Block it with shields, no matter what!"
"Do not be afraid! We are the Nation of War! To die in this battle is the very glory we have long desired!"
Indiscriminately unleashing Holy Power, I fired circular auras that expanded in all directions. Far from faltering, the soldiers of the Nation of War grew more spirited and lunged at me.
Part of me wanted to see how the main force was fighting, but I had no such luxury now. I immediately prepared the next strike.
"There is only one opponent! If you can't catch her, at least kill the horse!"
Swishswishswish-!
Dozens of spears aimed their tips at me. Then, they surged forward all at once.
I swung the Greatsword in a wide arc, but it was not enough to block dozens of spears. A few blade tips flashed momentarily, and red paint bloomed vividly. My white horse collapsed, crashing into the ground.
I tumbled several times across the dirt, but there was no time to mourn my beloved steed. Keeping my body as low as possible, I delivered a low strike toward the ankles of the warriors, where the shields could not protect them.
Chwaaaaa-!
A spray of blood erupted. The warriors of the Nation of War fell all at once. These incarnations of fighting spirit, who held up glorious flags even in their final moments, collapsed with their ankles severed.
Still, there were many more. Though my aura continued to extend, splitting every piece of flesh and bone in its path, the army of the Nation of War was simply too vast.
After buying a moment of time, just as I gathered Holy Power in my greatsword to swing again.
Puk-!
"Kh!"
A spear flown from a blind spot pierced through a gap in my armor, stabbing into my thigh. Turning my gaze quickly, I saw several soldiers, who were dying of blood loss from severed ankles, join their strength to thrust a single spear.
A searing pain surged through my entire body, but I bit my lip and regained my composure. It felt as if my legs would give way, but no further mistakes could be allowed.
Klang-!
After barely parrying another incoming spear, I leaped high into the air. In a one-versus-many fight, such an act was practically suicide, but since my Greatsword was wider than my own body, it was fine.
A flash of sharp energy gathered at the tip of the blade. As soon as it was complete, I unleashed strikes in all directions. The encirclement tightened around me, but I fought back even more aggressively.
Drawing Holy Power from deep within my body, I dropped back to earth as if driving my sword into the ground. Simultaneously, a massive shockwave erupted, causing the air to surge violently.
Crimson blood splattered, and screams erupted everywhere.
Kwaaaa-!
A fierce gale whipped around. Even within it, invisible spearheads flew. Hovering on the threshold of death, I struggled just to keep defending.
My breathing gradually grew shallow. I had to endure longer, but my reserves of Holy Power were becoming precarious. No, to be honest, they were nearly exhausted.
As the wind subsided, my vision cleared. Hundreds of spears were still aiming for me, using the dozens of corpses on the ground as stepping stones.
I had been driven into a corner.
My legs trembled. Squeezing every last drop of strength to push out Holy Power and deflect the incoming spears, I lifted my head. Beyond the helmets of the Nation of War's warriors, I could see the main force of the Church and my father struggling.
Even at a glance, it was clear they were at a disadvantage. Almost all the Holy Knights had deep lacerations on their bodies, and several had already become cold corpses.
My father was facing off alone against Agesiliad, the strongest warrior of the Nation of War. However, even though both were Absolute Strong Ones, it was clear that my father was being pushed back.
"Kh...! Just what should I...!"
A spear flew toward him.
I swung my sword.
Blood splattered, but compared to the sheer number of enemies, it was a negligible amount.
I saw no hope.
I had become the bait, yet the main force seemed to be in a worse position than I was. If I hadn't drawn their attention, my 1st Holy Knights Corps would have already been annihilated.
Death was staring me in the face.
I was afraid.
Not of my own death, but of theirs.
The death of the ones I love, and the death of my father, who had always been so dignified and great.
I was simply terrified.
Clang-clank-!
"Beatrice! It seems you've finally run out of strength! You monster of a girl!"
A monster... that is the highest compliment a warrior can receive. I spent my entire life wishing for my father to acknowledge me as a warrior, yet here I am, recognized by the enemy only as I face death.
"I admit it! You fought well! The honorable goddess of war, Athena, would praise you! Now, just close your eyes!"
Another spear flew in.
I wanted to swing my sword, but my arm felt numb. Looking down, I saw a red spear had pierced through my armor and gone straight through my shoulder.
The situation was desperate. I needed to struggle more, but my eyes were slowly closing.
The Lord.
Why does He not appear before us?
Oh, Lord.
I wish to ask.
Your children are losing their lives at the hands of the wicked.
Why do You show no miracle?
I am a profane sinner. Therefore, I have no complaints about my own death.
I feared my father more than I feared You. That is my blasphemy.
But the ones currently fighting the main force of the Nation of War are different.
They are all faithful, good, and noble warriors of Yours.
Why, Almighty One, do You watch as their flesh is ruthlessly torn apart by the blades of savages?
Why... just why...
My consciousness faded. My vision became blurred, as if drenched in rain. Or perhaps it was turning red.
I was completely delirious. Doubts, resentment, and complaints toward the Lord bloomed like flowers in the face of death.
Even so, it was all meaningless...
[Now! How about thinking about this one more time!]
Black wings unfolded before me from nowhere.
The man I had seen last night shouted at me with his arms wide open.
"...!"
[Still haven't figured it out? That arrogant and haughty Lord will never help you! He always just stands by and watches!]
"You...!"
[But I'm different! I am a devil! When I make a contract with a human, I always fulfill my promise! So, take my hand!]
I don't know what I was thinking at that moment.
Perhaps I was possessed by the sheer reliability of those words—that he would absolutely do it.
[Tell me anything! The wish you desire most right now!]
Without a second thought, I screamed.
"Power!!"
I shouted with all my might. Like someone who wouldn't regret losing her voice for the rest of her life, I screamed with everything I had.
"The power to save everyone!!!"
Grasping the hand of the devil stretched out toward me as if it were a lifeline.
"Whether it's the Lord or a devil...! I don't care! As long as I can save them!!"