Rakshar moved toward the last of the statues.
Not so much for the sake of destroying it, but for the sake of his long-standing grudge against the native creatures of this land.
It is only fitting that the enemies who sealed him and kept him should be prioritized.
-Kiruk!
– Kiruk!
From the islands all around came the clawed creatures, tens of thousands of them, the clans that instinctively came to stop Rakshar when his seal was broken.
[Obedience──!]
Rakshar's cry made the world tremble but the native creatures resisted.
[Hmm?]
Demon Archduke of Chaos Rakshar is an evil demon that taints life itself. All who face him descend into chaos, unable to maintain their sanity.
With very few exceptions.
[Holy Knight…!]
There was a divine energy on that island that could withstand even his own magic and Rakshar knew who they were, having invaded the world of knights long ago.
Chosen by the gods to change the laws of the land, they should have killed most of them, so how could they exist on that island?
He couldn't imagine anyone else being so favored by the gods.
[No wonder!]
Rakshar swung his giant tentacles around and slammed them into the Kikiruks.
-Boom!
-Bang!
A thunderous explosion struck Rakshar but mere firearms meant little to Rakshar.
His armor is so hard that the difference between an arrow and a shell is meaningless but these shells are different.
-Battery three, firing. Fall back to cool barrels. Move the ammunition carriers.
Holy Knight Yakt Spinner, Saint of the God of Iron and Blacksmithing.
Everything he touches is a holy object in itself, imbued with holy power.
It was these Holy Grenade shells that gave the overwhelming Rakshar pause.
It was a feeble struggle as Rakshar raised his claws high, slapped the water, and a huge tidal wave rose.
Forty-six meters high, a natural disaster capable of wiping out life on a single island.
The moment the terrifyingly high waves were about to overwhelm the island──
[Holy Law]
The waves, which seemed to be about to overwhelm the island at any moment, scattered. That's not all, the waters beneath Rakshar's feet swirled and turned upside down, trapping him.
──!
Rakshar's gaze is fixed on a single point. Above the blue expanse, a dazzling pure white divine beast stared down at him.
[Lionheart…!]
Leon and Han Ha-ri looked down at Rakshar.
* * * *
The moment Han Ha-ri used her miraculous holy power, the pressure of the deep sea that had trapped Leon temporarily cracked.
Like the miraculous parting of the biblical Red Sea, Leon didn't miss it.
"Stallion!"
He summoned his oldest ally and Stallion, who understood the situation in a flash, picked up Leon and spread his wings.
-Heh!
The Pegasus soared through the air as crumbling sea walls and deep-sea fish pounced on Leon, but the fastest and best steed dodged them all with ease.
"Stallion, let's get out of here first."
Leon used the power of Poma to pluck Ha-ri from the surface and grabbed by the nape of her neck, Ha-ri gasped for air.
"Your Majesty?"
Ha-ri gulped and spat out the seawater she'd swallowed, then looked up at Leon and smiled as if she'd found a savior.
"Well done."
Leon praised frankly, then tucked Ha-ri in front of him as she reported what happened.
"The Demon Archduke has been resurrected, and everyone is going crazy, killing each other and cutting themselves…!"
"I know. It's hard for criminals to stay sane in the face of great evil."
Leon quickly landed on the island where the Maverick Guild and the Temple of Ten Thousand Gods Guild were. In the midst of the scuffle, as each side swung their weapons at the other, he called out.
"I'm here!"
Leon's voice rings out. At that moment, not only the members of the Ten Thousand Gods Guild, but also the Maverick Hunters see a system window before them.
[Lionheart Aura]
◆Effect
: ──────
Grants Legion-enhanced Corruption Resistance.
Among the many effects of the Lionheart is the ability to purify pollution.
[Demon Lord Slayer]
With a great being in front of you who has slain even a Demon Lord, you regain your senses──
[Greatest Demon Slayer]
The effect of granting a percentage reduction to all demons' actions was granted to everyone.
Crucially, the light from the Holy Grail Leon took out healed their wounds and restored their shattered spirits.
"Uh, uh?"
"My, what did I do....?"
The awakened Hunters stare at each other and it wasn't long before they turned their gaze to Leon.
"You lowlifes, if you've come to your senses, prepare now."
"What are you talking about?"
Allen asked naturally, waiting for Leon's instructions. All the Mavericks fell to their knees, feeling the holy power radiating from the Lionheart King and the Sea saintess.
"You are of no help. Run for the gate now."
"What?"
Inwardly, I was relieved that this wasn't an order to fight Rakshar, but run for the gate?
The gate was in the middle of the ocean and there weren't enough boats to take everyone.
"You have before you a new daughter of the sea god. Have faith, and you will walk on the surface of the water."
A new system message flew in front of them.
[Protected by the saintess of the Sea and Waves]
Effect:
-You gain a 35% advantage on actions in the sea.
-Waves are favorably affected.
-Penalties for being underwater are removed.
-You can walk on water.
It was a favor given to those who worship the sea god but now that she's awakened as a saintess of the sea, she's able to bestow them to even the most ignorant of unbelievers.
"It's real."
"I can walk on water?"
They marveled at the miracle of not drowning and walking on the surface of the water.
"Lionheart, what are you going to do?"
Allen asked politely. Do you think even two people can stand up to such an evil? It was a natural thought.
"Save as many survivors as we can. We cannot win against it in this world."
The oceans of this world are Rakshar domain and their force was powerful enough to temporarily block even the power of the gods so they had no chance of winning in this world.
Leon would buy time until he could get as many survivors to retreat.
"Let's go, Stallion!"
Stallion leaps to his feet at Leon's shout, then Leon grabs Ha-ri by the scruff of the neck.
"Your Majesty, Rakshar, Rakshar is attacking Lord Yappy!"
"We'll have to bind his feet first. Han Ha-ri, you do it."
"Me?"
Leon sighed at Han Ha-ri's half-question.
"The whole world is an ocean, so how can you argue the impossibility. Manipulate the flow of the ocean and tie his feet."
"Eh, eh…!"
Ha-ri was at a loss, and Leon grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her face close.
"Your Majesty?!"
"Close your eyes and concentrate. You have already heard the sound of the sea."
Whether Ha-ri blushed or not, Leon spoke from his experience as a senior priest.
"The ocean is a flow. Think of it as one giant living thing. Manipulating the current is nothing more than moving your hands and feet. You will feel it now."
Leon was right. Ha-ri had awakened to the power of the ocean and its waves, and she could feel its flow.
She did as she was told, manipulating the currents around Rakshar to submerge the hulking Demon Archduke and trap him within.
Sensing that this was his limit, Leon continued to order.
"Next, ignite the flames. You have been chosen by the God of War and Flame."
"What?! Flames? It's underwater, so it won't work──"
"You fool, how dare you reduce the power of a god to a set of intelligible laws. The Holy Law is the power to change laws. No common sense you know applies there."
Stir up fire. A sacred flame that will burn brightly even under the sea.
Ha-ri stoked the fire as usual. Once awakened, her powers bend to her will.
"This fire cannot be extinguished by water. It flows like the currents and moves like the waves at your will."
Leon took Ha-ri's hand to assist her. Then something amazing happened.
Ha-ri's fire began to envelop Rakshar under the sea like a giant wave. The fire was indeed underwater, burning Rakshar without being extinguished.
"I did it, I did it, Your Majesty!"
"Well done."
Leon gave Ha-ri a rare pat on the head and landed in front of Yappy, who was still resisting Rakshar.
"Your Majesty!"
There was not only Yappy, but also Yong-wan, Ha Yuri, and Kim Jae-hyuk from the Firebird Guild.
"Lord Spinner. We need to get out of this gate right now."
-Enemy Severe blow. Gradual retreat possible.
"No."
Leon denied Yappy's speculation.
-kraaaaaaaaaa──!
A monstrous roar was heard as dozens of tentacles clawed at the bottom, breaking through the vortex of fire and the backwash of waves.
"Close the gate and retreat."
Leon wanted to slice the Demon Archduke in front of him, but he lacked the strength.
At the very least, if he didn't recover the Holy Sword, he wouldn't be able to defeat Rakshar.
With his power limited, the best he could do was to save as many people as possible.
"Lord Spinner. We must close the gate now."
-Gate closing conditions. To destroy the statue.
Destroy the statue, then, and that's it. Then, Yappy made an additional suggestion.
-The Kikiruks. The clans that sealed the demon. Not 'NPCs'.
"Then?"
-Survivors. Suggesting they leave.
"Do you think we have time? It won't be long before the divine punishment binding him is extinguished."
-Possible. Willing to use the last resort.
While Yappy was worshiped as the savior of the Kikiruk, he read the island's remaining records and their epitaphs.
As only he could interpret their language in real time he could read even the most weathered traces of civilization.
And he knew that the Kikiruk had a last resort.
* * * *
[The 'Statue of the Great Rakshar' has been destroyed]
Destroyed Statues 3/3
All the statues have been destroyed.
Rakshar, who had been imprisoned and sealed in the statues for hundreds of years, immediately recognized the change.
[He intends to escape]
Rakshar knew the terms of the gate's closure: if his seal was broken the gate would close.
Of course, Rakshar had no intention of sparing the visiting Hunters, so it would be pointless, but they would flee while this pillar of fire bound him.
With the help of Ha-ri, the Sea saintess, all of the Kikiruks raced across the surface of the water toward the gate.
The Holy Knight, revered by the Kikiruks, the beloved of the sea, and the Grail Keeper, who could bind even the mighty Rakshar.
Three miraculous beings, all in one place.
[A foe of the demons, indeed, but one step short]
Rakshar crawled out of the fire vortex.
As a Demon Archduke, the holy laws of the newly awakened priestess only served to bind his ankles for a moment.
[Do you think you can escape?]
A resounding roar that was enough to make all those fleeing stop in their tracks shook the sea.
[Lionheart!]
A steed and a knight with a spear swooped down. Just as Leon's spear was about to pierce Rakshar by surprise, a long tentacle slammed into his flank.
-Puck!
With a fierce crash, the steed plummets toward the sea. Just before its wings touch the water, the awakened Stallion barely manages to fly above the surface.
"Stallion!"
Stallion dodges the threatening tentacles and Leon strikes with its lance at those it cannot.
He closes in until the sharp tip of his spear touches the giant beast.
[Ugh!]
Rakshar's gaze is fixed on Leon, and in that instant, his eyes glow with an immense amount of magic.
-Kaaaaaahhhhh!
The light cut through space as the two reacted at the same time.
Throwing themselves at each other, Leon and Stallion sliced through the magic beam with a juggling move. Leon was defenseless in the air, but he had a footing.
Leon steps on Rakshar's tentacles as they unfurl and keeps running.
-Kwaah──
Just as it was about to unleash its light once more, a spear pierced its eyeball but Rakshar didn't stop his massive display of magic.
The magical light, centered on the spot where the holy spear pierced, tore the sky into dozens of splinters.
A dark light filled the sky but Leon and Stallion ran through the light.
Tentacles lunge at Leon, but Stallion's acrobatic flight evades them, and his holy sword slices through the flying tentacles.
[Swatting like flies…!]
Stallion is knocked back into the air by the shower of magic light.
[Holy Law]
A spell that blocks all ranged attacks. However, in an instant, it is forced beyond the limit of his defenses, and the magic irradiation is more like a piercing blow to a massive mass than a ranged attack.
"Stallion, hold on!"
-Phew!
Leon is finally pushed into the sky by the immense energy.
In the end, Leon is unable to reach Rakshar, and Rakshar is unable to finish him off with the blow he just delivered.
Even in that moment, the two beings continue to pressurize each other.
[Chaotic Curse] hits Leon Dragonia Lionheart, the Lionheart King]
◆Effect
: Weakness, Chaos, Eeriness, Confusion, Tetanus, Screaming, Horror, Confusion, Despair, Physical Decay, Mind Pollution, Soul Erosion────
It was a powerful curse that can kill a normal human instantly and drive a Hunter insane but the Grail Guardian's has protection against it.
[Grail Guardian] resists the curse]]
◆Effect
Vitality, Order, Fear Immunity, Confusion Immunity, Wound Regeneration, Valor, Perfect Body, Pollution Resistance, Great Soul────
Perfect Resistance. No, rather, the power of the blessing that surpasses him strengthens Leon, and even the greatest of demons cannot help but be affected by it in his presence.
[Fear of Evil] weakens Demon Archduke Rakshar]]
◆Effect
Force Fear, Eerie, Decreased Resistance──
[[Demon Archduke Rakshar] resists this]
[[Greatest Demon Slayer]────]
[[Demon Lord Slayer]────]
[[Demon Archduke Rakshar]────]
There was a flurry of system messages however the two beings were not the direct recipients, but the Hunters who saw them were horrified.
Each one was a Legendary… an Epic Traits, a narrative of power built from experience and self-created legends.
How many battles have they fought, how many limbs have they broken, that they have such Legendary Traits that are constantly activated?
A mere mortal would suffocate at the mere thought of stepping foot in that realm of blessing and curse.
They were powerful beings, weighing down space with their mere existence.
Leon raised his spear.
"I punish evil."
The holy spear was raised high as the 'battlefield flame' began to focus at the tip.
The flames that envelop Rakshar surge like a tornado, then ignite into a pillar of fire. At the end of it all is Leon's lance.
-What?
-What, what, that?
The flames were concentrating on the tip of the spear as a terrible heat was gathering at the tip of the spear, foreshadowing doom.
Warriors of Petos, the god of war and flame, have powers.
One of those powers is immunity to flame and control over it.
Among them is War's favorite, War Knight Leon Dragonia Lionheart, who can control even the fire used by others.
"This is the fire that burned the Lord of Chaos to death. His screams as he burned in these flames for thirty days still echo sweetly in my memory."
Instinctively recognizing the grotesqueness of it all, Rakshar gulped down a mouthful of seawater and spat it out at Leon.
The thousands of meters of water shot from the behemoth was enough to cut through the city. But it did nothing to extinguish the flames Leon had ignited.
As Rakshar concentrated his power in order to use the attack he used earlier.
-Giruuuuuuuuuu!!!
A giant being moved the waters and a raspy cry drew Rakshar's attention.
A huge presence that even Rakshar could not ignore surrounded him, clawing at him.
This was the last bastion of the Kikiruks that Yappy had found, they were ancient guardians.
[There were still living ones!]
They were the last of the Kikiruks to be slain when Rakshar destroyed this world.
The giant Kikiruks charged at Rakshar.
-kraaaaaaaaaaa──!
The beast roars even while being held back by the three giant Kikiruks and shoots out a black light of doom.
At the same time the beast is engulfed in roaring flames.
[Divine Punishment]
A black mass and a red meteor accelerate toward each other. It took less than 0.2 seconds before they collided.
──────!!!!
The terrible collision destroys the space between them as clouds parted and seawater evaporated.
Leon shouted.
"To the Lionheart…! Glory be!"
The flames from the Spear of Flame pierce through the black magic.
[Divine Punishment]
A flame so powerful that it finally breaks through the black magic and flashes a divine light towards the Demon Archduke.
[Lionheart…!]
At that moment, the pillar of fire that evaporated the entire ocean rose into the sky.
"What, what, is that....?"
"Is that the power of man....?"
Many people were left speechless as they watched the pillar of fire burn through the clouds.
No one could believe it was human power except for a few guild members of the Ten Thousand Gods Guild: Soo-ho, Ha-ri, Jae-hyuk… and the members of the Firebird Guild, who remembered the divine punishment of the majestic Georgic.
They knew that the pillar of fire was a miracle wrought by human hands.
Miracles in human form, embodiments of a gift to be honored.
"Holy Knights."
The culmination of those great beings is the rider of that heavenly horse.
All were silent, gazing in adoration and reverence as the pillar of fire poured forth a prelude to destruction.