Episode 659: The Holy War Begins (1)
The temple has begun…
Soldiers from around the world, War Mage Knights, Holy Knights, Senior Priests, Saints, and Priests.
And the wizards of the New Magic Tower and Old Magic Tower school associations…
From mercenary hunters, bounty hunters, and global relief organizations…
In addition, armored weapons, steam golems, all kinds of gunpowder, firearms, artifacts, supplies, etc.
The firepower and power of the entire continent were concentrated in this place…
Their only goal is…
It was the overthrow of the demon king Heathcliff van Bretus.
For the cause, they responded to the crusade and were about to begin…
Salesin Van Bretus came forward in front of everyone.
“Everyone… Nice to meet you… My name is Salesin Van Bretus… I am also called the Holy King of the Holy Kingdom of Bretus…”
Let’s start with a brief self-introduction.
At the same time, by speaking as if lowering one’s head, he instilled a feeling of surprise in people.
Not everyone gathered here was there for a cause…
The leader who commands people is brainwashed, but the people under him are here to receive orders or gain something through this war.
Therefore, some people had some negative thoughts about Salesin.
Although the Holy Kingdom of Bretus is now a victim, they did not have a very good image in past history.
In a world where the color of religion has faded, their leader, Seonghwang, was in some ways the head of an uncomfortable group.
Arrogant, arrogant, and fanatical,
In particular, since this success is said to be young, most people harbored a prejudice that was not that prejudice.
However, with Salesin’s first greeting, such prejudices were considerably lightened, as if diluted in water.
“As you all know, terrible things are happening on the continent right now…”
The events that happened this year came to everyone’s mind…
Liberation Army terror? You can’t even lift something like that on an axle…
The Second Coming of the Kunst Stadium Nightmare·
A black storm occurred in the capital of the empire…
Kasar Basin Collapse Incident·
Seorn’s Demon Incident·
And even mass massacres, including those of cardinals…
“Behind it all, there was a man…”
Heathcliff Van Bretus·
The illegitimate son of the previous emperor Bretus and the younger brother of Salesin, who is speaking now.
“Yes, that’s right… Demon King Heathcliff is clearly my younger brother according to the family register… But he went astray… He abandoned his duty to serve Lord Lumensis and used his outstanding talent and power to serve the evil spirit that the heretics serve…”
Salesin’s voice was full of sadness, as if he was truly sad.
“And in the end, he caused an uproar in the home country of Bretus, took control of the capital city, and even brutally killed my sister and younger brothers, including all the people inside.”
It was quite a shock to those who were unaware of the fact.
Other brothers and sisters who were descendants of Seonghwang were killed…
It meant a very large loss of power.
But at the same time, I also understood it…
If they were alive and well, Galaharad Castle would not have fallen easily…
“But just before my brother died, he told me something important: The Demon King Heathcliff is currently trying to summon an evil spirit from the other world.”
An evil spirit…
Those words caused a stir among the crowd.
The children’s song quickly fell asleep, but the shock of Salesin’s words cannot be expressed in words.
Is it possible to summon an evil spirit?
It was questionable whether it was possible based on their common sense, but the events that have occurred so far were also far outside of common sense.
“The devil Heathcliff and his evil followers, as well as the demons who have been hiding and causing chaos in this world… The enemies we have to fight are by no means weak… They may be digging some kind of trap and waiting for us in the Holy Kingdom right now…”
Salesin clenched his fists…
“But still, we will not give up… because that is our history… the history of mankind… we have always faced crises, but together we have overcome them!”
The sacred power in that voice spread far and wide…
The intense divine power radiated by Salesin brightened the surroundings and spread a deep sense of elation.
“Even though many people get hurt and die because of this fight, we will always rise up because that’s who we are… that’s human history…”
Everyone was so absorbed in Salesin’s words that they even forgot to breathe.
Some people clenched their fists without realizing it, while others wanted to run out immediately due to their boiling desire to win.
“Heroes of the continent, the will to record the history of mankind and continue it, let us show that evil can never win in this world.”
Wow!
Shouts erupted for the world to go away…
Soldiers boarded landing ships and airships
Armored vehicles and steam golem self-propelled guns were loaded onto large transport ships.
The continent’s elites have prepared to cross the sea to prevent the return of the evil spirit.
With the opening of the holy war, ships set sail and airships took off…
Salesin looked at the sight with satisfaction.
‘Now, little brother, how are you going to deal with them?’
Of course, Salesin was also planning to accompany him.
However, I was planning to take the lead first and then arrive leisurely when everything was over.
‘I don’t see many other people than that…’
Originally, the saint was supposed to be at this place, but she and the priests did not even show their faces.
‘Well, the saint and I have been at odds with each other for not even a day or two…’
Saint Catherine did not like Salesin very much.
Other priests followed the orders of the Holy Emperor’s flesh and blood, but the Holy Virgin did not need to listen to anyone’s orders because she was a complete being in herself.
However, even though Catherine was a created saint, it was difficult to brainwash her, and the power within her was real.
The power to discern evil and see the future gained through fragments of power left behind by Saint Archenis.
That’s why the power of brainwashing didn’t work on Catherine…
‘Well… Still, my hostility towards Heathcliff is the same as mine… It feels like we joined hands for one purpose…’
Catherine hated Heathcliff
There was a time when we were close to each other, but that happened in the distant past, 20 years ago.
Catherine did not forgive Heathcliff for abandoning her and running away from the castle.
‘It would be kind of fun for the two of them to fight and destroy themselves…’
Salesin’s eyes shone sharply…
‘Now Heathcliff, so what on earth are you trying to do in the Holy Kingdom? Why were you captured on purpose? How on earth are you going to deal with this army? What about the heroes that will come later?’
Come see it…
The truth you are hiding…
* * *
“The sea is calmer than I thought…”
On a ship crossing the strait heading to Seongguk, a bombardier muttered as he checked the sea with binoculars.
A colleague who was listening next to me asked…
“Isn’t it good to be quiet?”
“It’s not always this quiet… The wind blows often around here, causing storms…”
“We’re on our way to subdue the devil, right? It seems like God is blessing us.”
“Baby, I normally didn’t believe, but have I suddenly become a believer?”
“What about believers? Still, it’s a temple, but I even felt that way. Is that okay?”
As we gradually headed towards Bretus, the sea became calmer and clouds gradually began to form in the sky.
We definitely set off in broad daylight, but it was dark due to the dark clouds…
At a time when I couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling, a shape began to appear in the distance…
“Survey report! Distance ahead 2000! “Something is coming!”
As the observation report was received, an alarm sounded throughout the battleship.
It was dark because of the dark clouds, so I couldn’t see it clearly, but something from Bretus was coming towards me…
Infantrymen came up on deck and grabbed their guns.
Afterwards, wizards and priests prepared magic to prepare for an unexpected attack.
The moment you reach the shooting range, you are about to pull the trigger…
“Now wait a minute! Stop shooting! “Not the enemy!”
As the distance got closer and the shape could be clearly seen with the naked eye, everyone was astonished.
“Are those… people?”
What was coming from the other side were people…
Ordinary citizens living in the Holy Kingdom of Bretus…
They were taking refuge on a regular fishing boat, Seongguk’s ship.
“What is this…”
There was no strength in the faces of the refugees…
They just stared blankly in the direction the ship was going, as if their souls had escaped them.
Even when they saw the large number of ships heading for Bretus, their faces did not brighten…
What is more abundant than the light of hope is fear and despair.
gulp·
The soldiers who were staring at the scene from the deck swallowed their saliva as they felt a strange feeling that was difficult to express in words.
Parents hugging their children
An old woman covered in a blanket
A child sleeping soundly
That despair was somehow quiet. It felt like I was looking into the darkness of a deep forest where no one exists.
Then an old woman sang a song…
It was a folk song in an unknown language, and it appeared to be a hymn from the Lumensis Church.
However, the chant, which was supposed to be sacred, made me feel weak and depressed, like I was sinking in the deep sea, perhaps because my voice was weak.
Punitive forces and refugees intersect with the quiet sea…
Meanwhile, the gloomy singing sounds formed a strange harmony…
Among the refugees were paladins and priests…
The captain brought them to the ship and asked them the whole story to get an explanation.
“Who are you and what is happening now?”
The paladin responded to those words with a trembling voice…
“My name is Paol, a paladin belonging to the 3rd Checkpoint City… I am currently trying to escape the country with the citizens of Bretus…”
“what? escape? “What about other troops?”
“All the troops in the first and second checkpoint cities were annihilated. Those who went to Galaharad Castle to fight never returned.”
Paladin Paol trembled his parched lips.
“The citizens of the 1st and 2nd inspection cities have taken refuge in the 3rd inspection city… We were planning to gather them and buy time like this… But…”
“however?”
“Suddenly it… Hee hee! Ouch! “I don’t want to think about it!”
Before Paul answered, he suddenly grabbed his head and had a fit.
“hey! calm down!”
“what’s the matter!”
The priests who had accompanied him in advance cast a holy spell on Paol.
Despite the divine power that calmed his fears and calmed his mind, Paol’s seizures showed no signs of stopping.
“How did this happen?”
The senior priest answered the captain’s question on his behalf…
“It seems like a greater fear has been imprinted in my mind, even greater than our sacred spell.”
“Fear? Isn’t this person a paladin? I heard that paladin knights are armed with a faith of steel and their hearts cannot be broken…”
“How can a person always maintain composure? Perhaps indescribably terrible things are happening in their home country right now…”
“What on earth does that mean!”
The captain shouted in frustration, but there was no way to tell that he was a high-ranking priest.
At that time, Paol shouted to the captain…
“You can’t go! You can’t go to Bretus now! If you go, everyone will die! What a monster! Hey Iik! A monster is coming! “Wolf, wolf, coming!”
Paol kept muttering like a crazy person, then closed his eyes and fainted.
The soldiers on the bridge were shaken by that sight. They were no different from the officers.
“What on earth is happening back home?”
We faced difficulties from the very beginning.
Even now, refugees from Bretus continue to cross the sea.
As a result, the ships naturally had no choice but to stop sailing.
If we move like this, we don’t want to collide with each other or cause damage to citizens on small fishing boats due to the swell of the ship…
“Whew, okay… well, it’s just a little bit of a delay… Besides, we have an airship…”
The ship has stopped, but the airships crossing the sky are still heading for their home country…
At that time, a radio signal came to the captain with a crackling sound.
The captain who received the artifact that exchanges signals asked…
“What’s going on?”
[Chijik· This is the second flight group· Requesting support·]
“Support? Could this be an enemy attack?!”
[It’s not an enemy attack, but – Chijijik! Weather conditions are not good! The closer you get to Bretus, the stronger the wind becomes, making it impossible to approach with an airship!]
“what?”
What do you mean wind? Is the sea this calm?
Is it because the airship didn’t stop while this place was stationary, so it traveled far away?
‘No, that can’t be happening…’
It was said that the wind was so strong that it was difficult for the airship to approach.
Even if the distance was increased during that time, if the weather conditions were of that level, there would have to be an aftereffect that could be seen with the naked eye even here.
That was common sense…
“What are you talking about! The sea is calm! “Are you dreaming?”
[what? It’s almost like a typhoon here! The wind is so strong! I can’t move on at all!]
In fact, as if it was not a lie, I could hear the sound of a violent wind blowing along with a whooshing sound from beyond the communicator…
“What on earth…”
[Now wait, what is that?]
At that time, the person on the other end of the communicator shouted as if he had discovered something…
[What on earth is that among the dark clouds? wing? No, there is such a deformed structure floating in the sky in the first place?]
“what? What are you talking about now? What did you discover? hey!”
[Observer! Check that…!]
The captain asked, but there was no reply from the other party.
This is because the signal suddenly cut off as if someone had planned it.
There was silence on the bridge after a time of commotion…
“how·”
The high-ranking priest looked out the window with trembling eyes toward the sea of his home country where Bretus refugees were flooding in.
“What is going on over there?”
