King Lionheart.
Since the Cataclysm, many mighty men have been born, but this survivor from another world has redefined the world's standards.
The standard of 'strong'.
A surrogate for the gods, his power is equal to theirs, and therefore all-powerful.
The Flame of Petos is an overwhelming firepower.
Demera's life force, which grants her allies immense regeneration and combat sustainability.
Ultima's lightning that causes natural disasters, or Tatar's sun that melts enemies with area-of-effect protection and field-melting.
Arianna's light that cuts through anything and everything.
But is that all?
In the history of the Three Hundred Years War itself, he is the most powerful charge through any obstacle, the most prolific demon slayer whose mere presence makes evil tremble. The terror of evil.
He strengthens legions with his mere presence, and he is a superhuman whose power alone is unparalleled.
Everyone here realized that any unfavorable battlefield could be broken through with his mere presence.
Whether it was against the Yakt Spinner, the killing machine of Cheongju, the Magician Queen, who repeatedly destroyed the world, or the Demon Archduke, who subjugated all living things, the Beast Gods, the Slaughter Archduke, or the Demon Lords who could destroy the world with a wave of their hand.
The fate of the world is changed by a single being, the Lionheart King.
"We recreate the Lionheart King."
Therefore, on this extremely unfavorable battlefield, Koo Dae-sung believed that the only way to win was to recreate his power.
"But--- how?"
Even here, in the presence of the greatest power outside of the Holy Knights, Ha-ri was skeptical of Koo Dae-sung's words.
Literally, 'except for the Holy Knights'. Koo Dae-sung was a Holy Knight, but only one.
The reason why the Lionheart King is so powerful is not only his individual superhuman strength and experience, but also the near-universal utility of the Holy Law.
How can this be covered by the people gathered here?
In terms of sheer size alone, even the most powerful Han Ha-ri can't match Vulcanus in terms of firepower.
Not to mention the others, who are, at best, in the upper echelon of the Burning Sword Knights.
"Well--- maybe we can do it now."
"How?"
"Because His Majesty and the Holy Knights aren't using their powers."
The Holy Knights and the Knights of the Burning Sword, their situation was old news to Demera.
While they've regained some ground since the Great War, after settling on Earth, they're still nowhere near their former glory.
Leon knows this, which is why he does not use the full power of the Holy Descent.
Nevertheless, the holy power wielded by Leon, Vulcanus, Beatrice, Yakt Spinner, and Karina is immense.
They are not unlike a hippopotamus in that their power is unlimited, as they represent the power of the gods themselves.
But now, they are disconnected from their divinity and unable to utilize their holy power.
In other words, their vast reservoir of holy power is lying dormant, unused.
"We only need to break through the wires until we reach 'it,' and if we don't──"
-Gulp!
The knights who heard the plan swallowed hard and joined Koo Dae-sung plan. After all, if they fail, everyone will die.
They needed the power of the Lionheart King and the Holy Knights to resolve this situation.
If it must be done.
"Woo------"
Koo Dae-sung, who was in the lead, felt unspeakably awkward at his positioning.
His becoming a Holy Knight was, after all, a fluke.
He was able to become a Holy Knight because he met a gift called Jerea, who taught him how to live his life, and because there was Georgic, whom he never met, but inherited his power in the hammer.
Compared to the real Holy Knights, his position was a fluke. Would he be able to take on their role?
"Mr. Koo Dae-sung------"
At that moment, Chun So-Yeon spoke up from the side.
"Why, what's wrong?"
Chun So-yeon is the leader of the first Knights Templar organization in Naju. Even though she was much younger, Koo Dae-sung paid her respect.
"You don't need to respect me, Mr. Koo Dae-sung, you're older, and---it's a bit awkward for us to address you as Sir, but------"
You're a Holy Knight.
At Chun So-yeon's words, Koo Dae-sung suddenly realized that his position had changed.
"Can you put your big skills in the front, at the same time as advancing? We need to deal with the big guys first, and then dig into the gaps to break through."
Having led hundreds of charges as a Knight Commander, she had the right advice for Koo Dae-sung.
"That--- I'll try my hand at hammering."
"No, as the Holy Knight of Life and Abundance, you should be able to use the power of the earth."
Chun So-yeon told the story of the Holy Knight Georgic, whom she had seen and fought with.
And it was excellent advice for Koo Dae-sung, who had just become a Holy Knight.
"Prepare to charge!"
With the awkwardness of leading a group of people who looked up to him as a genius, Koo Dae-sung shouted, and everyone raised their swords and spears.
'I will use the power of the earth. How------'
Koo Dae-sung imagined.
Demera had said that the earth was definitely on his side.
Also, the Holy Law is a miracle that comes true as the knight wishes. If the Holy Knight wishes for a miracle from the earth, the earth will give in to his wishes.
He raises his foot.
He doesn't know why but he focuses his power on the closest part of his body that is vaguely connected to the earth, and pushes it down, spreading it like roots into the ground.
Great Technique
-Kwaaaaah!
A tremendous vibration rumbled through the city of Pyongyang.
The Holy Power that penetrated deep into the earth became the giant spear that Koo Dae-sung had hoped for, reshaping the terrain and sending out a huge mass of earth.
-Ki Yip?!
-------!?
It was a spear of overwhelming mass. The giant monster that charged at the Hunters was cut in half by the sharp earth spear, and the demons and monsters that were pushed back in the aftermath were crushed.
The horde of monsters tore apart like dolphins against a giant battleship. And when the spears stopped stabbing, they became a giant 'road'.
Chun So-yeon remembered the knights riding on this great road.
"Now! Charge through that land!"
With her shout, hundreds, perhaps thousands of Hunters charged in unison.
They charged through the completely hollowed-out earth on their spears, covering hundreds of meters in a single bound. And just as they were about to leap off the cliff at the end of it──
"One big one!"
At the bottom of the cliff, a spearman of Ultima raises his holy lance at the demons who have gathered in anticipation of the enemy's leap.
Holy Law
-Crack!
Lightning concentrates in the dry sky but the thunder is far too large for an ordinary holy spell.
The holy spear left behind by Ulan, the Holy Knight of Sky and Thunder, is the best relay for channeling the thunder of God Ultima.
The focused lightning strikes where the wielder wishes, amplified many times over.
-Quack, quack, quack!
The sound of hundreds of bombs exploding simultaneously was heard as powerful thunderbolts rained down on the dense mass of monsters that would otherwise block the allies' path.
When the knights leapt from the spears of the earth, all they saw were charred corpses.
[You bastards---!]
The Archdemon commanding from the rear cursed then commanded hundreds of high demons.
[Stop them on landing, melt them down with firepower.]
Without legion-wide ranged armor, the knights were exposed to the enemy at their most vulnerable.
And with the worst debuff of ranged weapon nullification removed, the demons unleashed a frontal assault of city-crushing firepower.
"I'll stop them!"
Han Soo-ho, standing by Koo Dae-sung's side, raised his shield. The shield left behind by Lord Amalek, the Holy Knight of Light and Justice, absorbed the light of the goddess Arianna and summoned a giant protective shield.
-Kaaaaaah!
With only the front to defend, the shield did an excellent job of protecting all the Hunters in the rear.
"Uh, is this working?"
"That's a lot of firepower, won't it pierce the shield?"
Regardless of their worries, Soo-ho's expression was confident.
The Holy Relic of Lord Amalek, the Holy Knight of Light and Justice, is invulnerable, and its confidence is not an illusion.
Summoned at the will of the caster, the shield of light is more than just a barrier of light.
It is a complete barrier to physical interference. It creates another barrier between the worlds, making absolute defense a reality. No attack can penetrate the front of this shield.
[Chit---! Annoying item! Aim for the flank!]
With the front unable to be interfered with, the commander, the Archdemon, let his massive army dig into the flanks. In the end, this overwhelming difference in numbers would be insurmountable.
"Huh---!"
Ha-ri placed her hand on her heart.
Ha-ri inherited two holy items from Isabelle the High Priestess of the Moon and Purity.
The Bracelet of Waves from Maroon, High Priestess of the Seas and Waves and the Heart of Fire, from the Duke of Renia, Saint of the First War and Flame.
The Bracelet of Waves controls water, while the Heart of Fire generates fire of its own accord.
That these opposites can coexist is a testament to the specificity of the Holy Law, but also to the enormity of Ha-ri's own vessel.
"Sorry, citizens who will be using it later, we'll just have to rebuild the infrastructure!"
Ha-ri decides to pull out all the stops. She pushed herself to the limit, something she hadn't done before, worried about the aftermath.
"What? The ground is shaking?"
"What is Koo doing?!"
For a moment, the ground rumbles to the point where they wonder if the Holy Knight, Koo Dae-sung, is using another holy technique. But they soon realize that it's not an earth manipulation technique.
-Bam!
It started out as a small stream of water gushing through the asphalt.
-Thud! Kwak-kwak-kwak!
-Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack, quack!
And then it gushes from all directions, forming a tsunami-like wave.
"Did the water pipes in the whole city burst?!"
The rumor is true.
Ha-ri is a goddess of water. The powers granted to her by the god Poma allow her to turn all that water into waves.
Holy Law
The water pipes burst all over Pyongyang, creating a tsunami of water in the city. But that's not all.
"Lord Petos---!"
Ha-ri poured out all the holy power generated by her heart, creating a huge flame.
For this war, the gods of the Ten Thousand Gods had channeled all the power they could spare into the Temple of the War God.
This was to ensure that there would be enough power for the power-hungry Vulcanus and the Burning Sword Knights, the most powerful force in the pantheon.
And now, with Vulcanus and the Knights of the Burning Sword unable to utilize their power, a great deal of it remains in the Altar of the War God.
It is all being poured out through Ha-ri, the Goddess of War.
The flames merged with the waves formed by the waters of the entire city of Pyongyang, creating waves of flame and──
"Crazy------"
She covered the entire city but she was not alone.
The Holy Law users who have been ordained as knights and use the Holy Law so far have generously poured out their holy power to fill the void left by the giants called Holy Knights.
It's an endless series of miracles.
They had poured out everything they had for just one moment's breakthrough, and it was clear that──
"Forward!"
In this one moment, they had recreated the Lionheart King.
* * * * *
Although the Holy Knights had lost their powers due to the cutoff from the divine, they had not lost their physical bodies.
Holy Knight Vulcanus was the most powerful monster of his time even without his holy powers, and Magic Queen Beatrice was always a magician.
They resisted Rakshar with their holy powers cut off, but there was one Holy Knight who could not.
-Severe airframe damage. Reactor power reduced to 0.2%.
Yakt Spinner, the Holy Knight of Iron and Blacksmithing, this strong, intelligent robotic knight is a malfunctioning piece of equipment that should have been disabled long ago.
The reactor that powers its fuselage has been destroyed and is unable to provide its own energy, leading to a natural shutdown.
However, Yappy was reborn with the blessing of the TTG Temple.
The reactor that had been destroyed had generated energy that no amount of science could understand, and the source of that power was divine.
In such a situation, the Marquis-class airframe, whose connection to the divine was cut off and filled with safety energy, was completely destroyed.
Only a tiny amount of residual energy is currently powering Yappy, and even that is about to run out.
-Crack! 6.8% residual energy.
Yappy hobbled along on his broken leg, busily scanning his surroundings with his broken camera eye.
-Thud! Qua-qua-qua-qua!
Rakshar is in the midst of a battle. But whether it should be called a battle is questionable.
Vulcanus, Karina, Beatrice--they were still desperately fighting, even without their holy powers, but they were child's play before the Lord of Chaos.
Worst of all──
-Your Majesty.
Leon was the first to fall, mortally wounded and unable to recover.
It was inevitable that he would be the first to fall, as he had forced himself to continue fighting.
As he fell to the ground unconscious, he continued to fight in a strangely reckless manner. As if he was waiting for something.
-------
That is not a sentiment that a machine can understand.
From the first time he encountered him at the Cheongju Gate to now, Leon has been a mystery to Yappy.
[A knight of loyalty, to whose service all living things are indebted beyond measure.]
But the words he spoke that day, at the end of Yappy's long defense, are deeply etched in the data.
-Emergency use of residual energy. No consideration of object maintenance costs.
Disassemble body. There weren't many parts that could be salvaged from a broken body. But in the millennia of defense, Yappy had disassembled and reassembled its body thousands and tens of thousands of times, learning how to utilize its resources most efficiently.
The armor that protected the shattered reactor is removed, and the lead bullets left in the fuselage are melted down and glued together.
A broken bridge was disassembled to become a "sack" to connect something else.
When it took shape, Yappy funneled all of the reactor's remaining holy power into it.
Yappy even stores its own energy in the form of save caps.
-144 seconds to shut down.
With barely enough energy left to move, Yappy lifted the 'thing' that had been created by disassembling his own body.
[Sir Yakt Spinner, I hereby solemnly declare that your quest is complete.]
On the day his old duty ended, Yappy had a new one, and it was clear──
-to begin the work of polishing.
The final hammering of the Holy Knight of Iron and Blacksmith has begun.