Episode 91

“Alright then! Can you stand up?”

Mediam helped the fallen Brand to his feet.

“Ugh…”

“Wait a moment. The Heavenly King’s Book of Truth has been stolen!”

Shati, the Naga agent, stomped her feet in frustration. It was understandable for her to be desperate after losing the copy of the Heavenly King’s Book of Truth, which was as precious as life itself. However, from the perspective of the Messenger Clan, it was infuriating. After all, how much blood had been spilled by the Messenger Clan to create that copy of the Heavenly King’s Book, only for a complete outsider—and an enemy of humanity, no less, like the Naga—to treat it as if it belonged to them?

“There’s a lot to say, but let’s get out of here first!”

“But miss, you still have that thread embedded in your body.”

“We’ll deal with it later—whether we pull it out or cut it. For now, let’s go!”

Mediam took charge and led the group out of the forest.

Ject watched the people fleeing and was about to move, but in that moment, he felt Azadine’s killing intent from the darkness of the forest. It was sharp, almost like arrows piercing his skin, forcing him to flinch and retreat.

“Surprised?”

“Impressive. Staying behind in this treacherous terrain to face me, all for the sake of protecting your people. Your self-sacrificial spirit is truly commendable.”

As Ject observed the boy and girl of the Messenger Clan attempting to flee, it was hard to tell whether his words were sincere or mocking.

“I’m not planning on sacrificing myself. The one who’ll be sacrificed here is you.”

“And yet, if you’re talking to me…”

Ject hurled needles in the direction of the voice. However, there was no reaction as if they’d hit anything. Instead, an arrow flew from a different direction to the north, striking one of the bandits chasing the group.

-Thunk!

The arrow tore apart the bandit’s upper body, shattering their ribcage and ejecting their lungs and intestines.

“…”

“This… this is impossible.”

The bandits reeled in fear. The arrow’s destructive force wasn’t just ordinary—it was akin to a spear throw, or even an attack from a siege weapon or cannon. Even these bandits, who could regenerate with the worm-like parasites in their bodies, couldn’t recover from this wound. The bandit, split in half, gasped and slowly died.

“Hmm?”

Ject’s eyes gleamed with interest as he watched.

“Fascinating, aren’t you?”

Ject licked his lips and smiled.

“Yeah, I’m fascinating. So why don’t you play with me instead? Stop tormenting the powerless.”

“I’d love to, but aren’t you just stalling for time?”

“Think of it like a game of tag. You don’t expect fish to bite as soon as you cast the line, do you? Even the waiting is part of the enjoyment.”

“Haha, that’s one way to see it. Well, I suppose I have no choice.”

Ject took out a censer and shook it. Flames ignited within the censer on their own, and smoke began to rise. As the smoke formed a circle, a sinister black energy emerged from the circle, racing across the ground toward the bandits.

“…!”

“What?”

“Ah!”

The black shadow enveloped the bandits.

“Eek!”

“Argh?”

The bandits began convulsing violently. At first, it seemed like they were trembling with a fever, but soon their shaking escalated to an unnatural, inhuman level. They staggered before suddenly freezing in place.

“Ah… uh…”

Saliva dripped from their mouths as they stood still, clutching their weapons, awaiting Ject’s orders.

“Go. Find them. Kill the Messenger Clan children and the others, as your desires command.”

Ject gave the order, seemingly for Azadine to hear.

“That’s not exactly the kind of order a Holy Knight should give.”

“The mission of Holy Knights is to eliminate the Messenger Clan on sight.”

“Isn’t this rushing things? You should try enjoying the waiting process.”

“Waiting and tormenting them further would be fun, but wouldn’t it also be thrilling to push them to the brink all at once? Quickly defeat me if you don’t want your cute disciples and people to die. Those monsters won’t be easy for them to handle.”

“…”

“Now, tag is over. Show yourself.”

At that moment, an arrow flew toward Ject. Knowing the arrow’s power, Ject didn’t dare deflect it with his threads or needles. Instead, he drew his sword.

Most warriors would need both hands to wield such a weapon, but Ject held it lightly in one hand, like a dagger, and slashed the incoming arrow. However, this arrow was unusually weak.

‘Huh?’

At that moment, Azadine appeared from the opposite direction. He seemed to have set up some kind of trap mechanism to fire the arrow while moving to the other side.

-Swish!

Azadine shot a flurry of arrows as he charged forward.

“Impressive skill!”

Ject swung his greatsword, deflecting all the incoming arrows.

Suddenly, Azadine shifted his stance, crouching low to the ground. He pulled his bowstring so tightly it seemed the bow might snap. To withstand the recoil, he widened his stance for better footing and loosed his final arrow.

The arrow was pitch-black, making it nearly invisible in the darkness of the night.

‘A black arrow? But it’s nothing special.’

Ject’s vision could pierce through the dark, so he struck the arrow with his greatsword. However…

-Clang!

The arrow, made entirely of steel—even the shaft—collided with his sword. The moment they made contact, Ject felt the protective spells surrounding his body shatter.

‘What?!’

Shadowsteel Arrow.

The ultimate weapon of the Messenger Clan was fired amidst the normal arrows.

-Thud!

Azadine’s Shadowsteel Arrow pierced through Ject’s golden armor, striking him directly in the solar plexus. The special arrow, forged from black steel, sliced through the metal armor and Ject’s ribcage as if cutting through paper, with its tip protruding from his back.

-Crack!

Azadine’s Moon Horn Bow couldn’t handle the recoil and snapped.

“Ha!”

Ject looked at the Shadowsteel Arrow piercing his chest, startled. His magic drained from the wound. This arrow was no ordinary weapon.

“This pathetic… How could I…”

Panicking, Ject pulled the arrow out of his chest. Blood gushed from his mouth and wound. Even someone with immense vitality couldn’t endure such a critical injury.

“Thanks for letting your guard down. Is it farewell time? Strangely enough, after exchanging a few words, parting feels a bit bittersweet.”

Azadine discarded his broken bow and drew his sword, charging at Ject. Despite the Shadowsteel Arrow’s fatal blow, Azadine didn’t let his guard down and aimed to sever Ject’s neck to finish him off.

-Clang!

Even with a gaping hole in his chest, Ject managed to block Azadine’s attack with his greatsword. Azadine’s blade was instantly shattered, and the greatsword’s edge bore down on his head.

Azadine barely dodged by turning his head and countered with a punch to Ject’s face. However, Ject grabbed Azadine’s sleeve and flung him into the air. Azadine’s body soared as high as a two-story building.

“…!?”

Twisting mid-air, Azadine regained balance and landed. But Ject was already rushing toward him, his greatsword slicing through the air with terrifying speed.

‘He has a hole in his chest, and he’s still moving like this?’

Unable to counter, Azadine focused entirely on dodging the blade.

Perhaps due to this distraction, Ject’s kick connected with Azadine’s torso.

-Thud!

Though Azadine blocked the kick, it sent him flying. He crashed into tree branches, snapping them as he tumbled to the ground.

“Argh!”

Azadine screamed in pain. The impact left him disoriented, and he suspected his ribs were cracked, making it hard to muster any strength.

“Ha ha ha! What a masterpiece. Truly a masterpiece.”

Ject spoke as he approached, his chest wound bubbling and boiling ominously. With every step, the surrounding trees withered, and the grass shriveled. His eyes burned with a fierce red light.

“You’ve been entertaining. I must admit, I grew fond of you after our little exchange. However, as a Holy Knight, I don’t let personal feelings interfere with my duty.”

“Urgh…”

Azadine struggled to stand, grimacing in pain. His broken ribs dulled his movements. He had barely survived their last exchange, and now he was up against an opponent who had endured the Shadowsteel Arrow. Escape seemed impossible.

“Allow me to return this to you.”

As Ject spoke, the Shadowsteel Arrow rose into the air and launched itself back at Azadine. Startled, Azadine dodged, but the arrow arced in a semicircle and targeted him from behind.

“Damn it!”

Azadine hastily drew a new sword and deflected the Shadowsteel Arrow, but the blade shattered instantly. The arrow continued its relentless pursuit, forcing Azadine to grab its shaft with his bare hands to stop it.

-Crunch!

Azadine’s feet dragged across the ground, leaving deep furrows as he was pushed back. The earth beneath him was plowed like a farmer’s field as the arrow pressed forward, piercing his leather armor and digging into his chest. Blood trickled down, yet the arrow did not lose its force.

“Well then…”

Watching Azadine struggle, Ject shook his censer. Black shadows erupted from the censer’s smoke, racing across the ground toward Azadine.

Though Azadine could see it coming, he was paralyzed, fully occupied with holding back the Shadowsteel Arrow.

At that critical moment, a mace of light descended from the heavens and exploded.

-Divine Strike of Punishment!

The shadows recoiled, writhing in pain, and the Shadowsteel Arrow reverted to a normal arrow.

“Ah?!”

“Messenger!”

A knight burst through the bushes, extending a hand to Azadine and pulling him onto his horse.

“Sir Zebec!”

“Sir Zebec?!”

Both Ject and Azadine exclaimed in unison.

“Time to retreat!”

Sir Zebec cast a spell of encouragement on his horse and galloped away at full speed.

“Sir Zebec, stop! Damn it, they’re getting away!”

Ject whistled sharply, summoning his horse, which galloped along the stream toward him.

Suddenly, a saddled mountain goat darted out of the bushes, blocking Ject’s horse and charging after Zebec and Azadine instead.

“What the—!”

Ject watched in disbelief as the goat obstructed his horse’s path and bolted after the fleeing pair.

“Unbelievable. A hero among men and a miraculous beast. Or is that an alpaca?”

“Are you alright?”

Captain Maya arrived belatedly to join Ject.

“Sir Zebec has escaped with the Messenger. Unexpected, isn’t it? He didn’t seem the type.”

“Well, it appears Sir Zebec and the Messenger were already acquainted.”

“Acquainted? Hmm. How could a Holy Knight and the Messenger Clan cross paths?”

“I’m not sure either. By the way, Sir Ject…”

“Yes?”

“My father, the Undead Knight, has been completely destroyed by the Messenger.”

“Has he now?”

“So… about his remains…”

“If he’s been completely destroyed, there’s no chance of him turning undead again. There’s no need to recover his remains.”

“What? But my father dedicated his life to the church. Are you suggesting we leave him in this forest? At the very least, we should recover his body for a proper burial…”

Maya grew conflicted as she watched Ject indifferently retrieve his weapons and remove his damaged armor.

“Sir Ject, the Messenger and Sir Zebec claimed my father killed civilians. Is this true?”

“It is.”

“What?”

“During his time training knight apprentices, a misfire caused the deaths of civilians. That’s why, when he became an Undead Knight, we used him for tracking instead of purifying him. Of course, we won’t publicize this, as it would tarnish the knight order’s honor.”

“…”

“You may bury him. Go ahead and take care of it.”

“…Understood.”

Maya bit her lip and withdrew from Ject.