After the emergence of the Pantheon and Leon, the position of wizards was pushed back miserably.
Like ranged archers who energized their arrows, those who wielded magic were subjected to outrageous verbal abuse by this medieval knight-king.
"Knights do not use cowardly ranged weapons."
"Magic is inferior to holy law."
His remarks sparked a huge backlash on Earth for a while.
-We are the key to the gate.
-Without the firepower of archers and mages, how the hell are we supposed to take the gate?
-Don't ignore ranged classes!
But
They see.
The sea splits at the clash of swords, monstrous beasts soar at the clash of horses.
They know that when human strength is pushed to its limits, the blade's wind is nothing short of magic.
Add to that the existence of the Holy Laws, which are unlocked by worshiping the gods of the pantheon, and the knight class becomes an all-around tank, dealer, and mage.
The rise of the Man-At-Arms, a ridiculously high quality heavy infantry that is B-class when under the aegis of a Holy Knight, signaled the return of the cavalry-centric battle system, with infantry as the anvil.
Ranged classes were allowed to remain as auxiliaries, but magic was strictly enforced by the Holy Law.
Surprisingly, however, Leon does not abhor the art of manipulating magic per se.
It's just that Earth's magic was absurdly inferior to the 'magic' he knew.
"Ugh---!"
Ha-ri gulped at the great magic battle unfolding before her.
Thunder crashed, and the light of destruction engulfed the space.
Each and every one of them was an A-ranked magic, mythical magic that far surpasses the battle magic system that Earth's humans have developed over the past 30 years.
The magic battle unfolded by Beatrice Alighieri Spero may seem like a monkey watching an aircraft carrier battle group fight from the perspective of an Earthling.
The wizards of the modern age are at the mercy of her overwhelming magic.
To this magician queen, the wizards of Earth are more like newborn babies who have just taken their first steps.
Despite his ignorance, Ha-ri could see how great a mage Beatrice was.
'And what is this orc that stands against her?'
A green beam of light flashed in opposition to the blinding light of destruction.
Lightning rods that guide and absorb the thunderbolts as they fall and boulders hurled in counterattack pierce the terrain.
Orc Shaman Kran.
Hailing from the same world as Leon, this orc is clearly a magical equal to the Magician Queen.
'Wrong level!'
Earlier, Ha-ri had seen the wizards of Leon's world.
They were called the Imperial Prelates. They were said to be at the pinnacle of magic in Leon's world but they were no match for the Magician Queen.
They were trapped by a giant named Lionheart, and despite dabbling in demonic magic, they were thoroughly defeated.
They were powerful people in their own right and would have overpowered the magic tower owners on Earth, but even they could not withstand a single slash from Vulcanus..
So the orc shamans were not considered great either------
'The queen is losing ground.'
The Frost Queen's castle stands in the center of the city, and it's not just the Magician Queen who has entered to attack it.
Ha-ri, the Knights, and two dragons also tried, but they fell victim to Kran's spell.
The frozen companions and dragons are being thawed by Ha-ri's flames, but they're barely clinging to life.
The High Shaman has tapped into the Frost Queen's coldness and made it his own.
Worst of all------
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAA────!!"
Screaming, the Black Orcs charge at the queen, and Beatrice uses the holy law to stop them.
She uses the holy spell to unleash a fog of dreams and death to keep the Black Orcs at bay. She fights the Black Orcs with holy law and the Kran with magic.
[Your role is important, Ha-ri]
Ha-ri swallowed hard at the suggestion of Lord Petos.
The only ally Beatrice has left is herself. She could choose to stay and protect Beatrice, but she refused.
"We'll be overwhelmed anyway, and my methods may work against orcs, but not against the frost soldiers."
Ha-ri, on the other hand, is the perfect match for the Frost Queen's subjects, for her fire spell melts ice.
Ha-ri's mission, then, is to single-handedly penetrate the Frost Queen's domain and defeat or hinder Kran.
Beatrice trusted Ha-ri to fulfill that role.
"But with the Holy Law of Waves blocked, can I defeat him with fire alone?"
On the other hand, she can't use the Holy Law of Waves, because using it will only serve as material for his ice.
[Believe me, Ha-ri, your flame is approved by the god of flame]
With Petos' encouragement, Ha-ri steeled herself. Yes, after all, it is not a question of can or cannot. It's a matter of doing.
"Here we go---!"
Ha-ri sees an opportunity and takes a step towards the ice castle...
"Krr---!"
She meets the gaze of the fierce orc shaman. At the same time, the cold air pouring from the ice castle binds Ha-ri's feet.
The overwhelming coldness makes Ha-ri unable to move forward.
'I can't believe he can afford to do this while being in a magical battle with the Queen------'
Her knees buckle but Ha-ri warms herself with the spark of her heart.
"Indeed, my only match."
Seeing the flame, Kran mobilized his forces. Ice spirits were recreated from the Frost Queen's heart, especially knightly spirits that had been steadily produced since before the formation of the Orc Continental Federation.
"Go, get that little knight's head."
The ice knights rushed toward Ha-ri. Backed by the Frost Queen's castle, the Frost Knight's ice pick, powered up with magic, swiftly strikes down.
"Hoo---!"
Ha-ri cranes her neck to dodge it. But at the same time, the Frost Knight from behind stabs Ha-ri in the back.
-Thud!
Ha-ri parries the stab from behind with her sword and turns around with a whimper. Her empty left hand grabs the Frost Knight's face, and words pour out.
"Melt!"
-Quang!
Flames resembling an explosion hit the Frost Knight's face from zero distance and with his head gone, the Frost Knight collapsed helplessly.
-Ta-ta-ta-ta!
The Frost Knights run across the frozen ground, their consciousness linked together in perfect synchronization.
-Kwah!
The wall of fire instantly blocks the Frost Knights vision, but they do not cease their attack, and through the flames they realize that they cannot see Ha-ri beyond their swings.
-------?!
No, she didn't disappear, she just blinded them with the wall of fire and dodged the attack by stooping extremely low.
An extreme dodge that would normally leave you unprepared for the next attack. However, the difference in reaction time due to their blindness and the flexibility of her body allows her to leap in a single bound like a cat.
-------!!
The Frost Knight thrusts his spear at Ha-ri as she leaps at him. However, she lightly corrects the trajectory with the blade of her sword, and her white knee smashes into the knight's face.
-Quang!
Flames burst forth once again. It was as if her entire body was the igniter of the flames.
She dodges another blow, and this time, she grabs the Frost Knight by the throat with her golden sword.
"Damn it!"
Without fail, flames devour the Frost Knight from the area that touches the flesh.
The Frost Knights are completely overwhelmed by the skill of the sword, the fluidity of her movements, and the supreme quality of the flames.
-Aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
But the Frost Knights are not the only enemies. While the Frost Knights are dealing with Ha-ri, a furry Yeti attacks her.
This massive beast is considered an S-class Field Boss. As the beast howled, the small girl attacked.
Holy Law
The blessing of the warriors who would normally bless the Legion was funneled it into a single sword──
"Cut it!"
The burning sword strikes down like a thunderbolt, from the crown of the Yeti's head to its hipbone, in a clean, straight line.
"Kruk?"
The Yeti doesn't even realize it's been cut, and the smell of burning flesh wafts up from the severed section.
"Hoh?"
Kran, who hadn't taken his eyes off Ha-ri during the magic battle with Beatrice, marveled at the sight.
"A knight of the highest order, indeed."
There were the orcs' archenemies, especially those who were born warriors.
The War Horsemen of Petos, believing in war and flame, these flame knights are the mightiest of the Lionheart Front.
And with a fire knight of that caliber, the next pattern would be──
"Huh!"
She gathers the fire that was used against the Frost Knights and the Yeti and unites it as one.
The pinnacle of the Flame Realm's holy laws demonstrated by Leon and taught by Vulcanus.
Divine Punishment
Red flames burn the ground and pour down as a meteor. An unprecedented natural disaster in which clouds split and ice evaporated. It was the moment when the pillar of fire was swung by a human hand.
"Hmm. That's it."
Kran snorted at the sight of the massive pillar of fire and the frost castle responded to his will.
-Kaaaaaaaah!
The gushing ice is inexhaustible and a gigantic ice pillar that threatened to engulf the world blocked the pillar of fire.
"What the---!"
"You think this is the end?"
Bestow
A green flash pierced through the wall of ice blocking the pillar of fire. The moment Ha-ri recognized it, the flash pierced her heart.
"KKK--?!"
"Miss Ha-ri!!!"
Before she had time to recognize Beatrice's urgent voice, ice blossomed from her pierced heart. It enveloped her in an instant, and the statue in the shape of Han Ha-ri crumbled precariously.
"These fires are lukewarm compared to the flames of Vulcanus."
After the taunts of the old orc who had fought against legends, Ha-ri's vision turned black.
* * * * *
Han Ha-ri is not, strictly speaking, a true believer.
She is just, gentle, and respectful of her elders. These days, she is pure enough to be considered a natural monument, but that does not lead to faith in God.
"Well...I am not a religious person."
She knew the gods were real, and she knew the greatness of the holy law, but that was it.
There was nothing desperate or wanting in her life that would lead her to faithfulness.
Perhaps it was her purity that attracted the gods.
[Wake up---! You'll die if you fall asleep like this!]
How?" Ha-ri repeated in her fading consciousness.
Her pierced heart is hollow, and a chill creeps over her, both outside and inside.
Power is lacking and the flame will not spread. I think it will be easier if I leave it to my fading consciousness like this.
[If you give up here, your comrades will die, and you are not the king of knight that would give up]
At those words, she holds onto her fading consciousness. Yes, if she gives up here, everyone dies. Not just herself, but her comrades.
Being just means pure altruism, the nobility to be strong for others. That purity is the most valuable virtue in chivalry.
'But, Petos, my heart--my heart--my heart is gone.'
[Foolish one, what is thy heart, what is thy heart]
'That's------'
Suddenly, Ha-ri remembered the existence of her heart.
The Heart of Fire, implanted in her by Isabelle, the High Priestess of the Moon and Purity.
[The Heart of Fire left behind by Rena is apparently in the form of a crystal, but flames are not crystals by nature]
A flame that sways easily in the wind, yet never goes out. Its searing form is fire's true form.
[Stoke the fire, for the flame of your heart is an eternal flame that never goes out]
She feels the residual fire in her heart at Petos' advice.
One day Vulcanus said.
"It is a holy object, like the Lionheart, that produces its own holy power──I'm sure you would have no shortage of holy power if you were implanted with the Heart of Fire."
Lionheart of Lionheart, the Dragon's Heart of Dragonia and the Orc Undertaker's Heart of Fire were the three guardian holy symbols of the Lionheart. Think of the honor, the miracle, of being implanted with one.
"------!!"
The remnants of the heart burned. As if the flame cannot be extinguished even if only a small ember remains.
And the tiny embers soon grew into a great flame.
-Kaaaaaaaah!!!
The roaring flames attracted everyone's attention. Kran, who was gradually overwhelming Beatrice, was distracted by the unexpectedly huge flame.
"What the------"
There was a knight wrapped in fire. A knight who could melt all the ice that grew from her heart, manipulate it into waves, and pour out flames.
"No way------"
Fire and waves. Could there be a being who could wield those two opposing forces with the power of a saint?
No, not in history. There are many who have been blessed by the gods to wield those powers but to wield it with the power of a living saint, one must be extremely talented.
"Coming!"
The saint ran, as hundreds of frost knights and frost troopers in her path, all swung their weapons at her as she ran in a straight line.
-------?!
-------!!
But their ice picks melt before they can reach her, and a swirling wave of fire consumes them.
The melted ice then joins the Saint's wave of fire, growing even larger.
The ice melts and the fire grows just by moving forward. Only the strongest entities in the Frost Queen's domain can stand against it.
─────!!
A frost giant roars. The giant, who even treats the Yeti like a child, throws a giant fist at Ha-ri as she rushes toward the castle.
"I'm on a wave!"
But the wave of fire that accompanied the saint struck the frost giant first.
Even the greatest giants are no match for the waves of nature itself. The Frost Giant was swept away by the wave, floundering and melting in real time.
"Orc---!"
"You---!"
In an instant, she reaches the top of the wall where the shaman is. The sturdy, high walls no longer mattered.
Everything burned and melted before Han Ha-ri's wave of fire.
"Then---!"
Kran devoured the Frost Queen's heart in his arms, and it was-─
"What?!"
The Frost Queen's castle scattered. No, more precisely, it concentrated in one place. Toward Kran, the massive ice compressed and clung to him like armor.
"It makes no difference!"
Ha-ri slams her blazing sword of flame straight down on Kran. But------
-Bam!
Kran's frozen arm blocks it as red energy surged from Kran's arm, which was protected like a suit of armor.
The fist slams into Ha-ri's face and Ha-ri barely blocks it with her blade, but it doesn't stop her body from flying.
"What the---!"
A shaman in melee combat?
"I am an orc warlord. Previously, I was an Orc Lord who united countless Orc tribes. I subdued the orcs with my fists alone."
It was a stereotype. Common sense dictated that shamans couldn't punch.
But this was an orc shaman who had once been the pinnacle of orc power.
An orc was still an orc, even if he was a wounded beast who had been defeated by a great orc high khan.
"Come on, I was getting a little tired of this boring spellcasting."
Kran ordered all his men on the battlefield to subdue Beatrice. It was hard enough to deal with the magician queen while dealing with Han Ha-ri, who had awakened as a saint.
"Whoa---!"
Ha-ri gripped her sword with both hands but soon, Kran's figure disappeared before her eyes.
"What the---!"
Kran, who had shifted all of his energy into his guard, closed in on Ha-ri with overwhelming physicality. But Ha-ri, awakened as a saint, responded in kind.
Her sword sliced through Kran's shoulder. The blade, reddened with fever, seemed to cut through ice as easily as before. But------
-Kang!
A dull thud is heard and in the next moment, Kran's fist rushes in.
"Thud---!"
She ducks for a moment but a powerful force passes over her temple.
-Thud!
He is pushed back by the force and bounces away. Goosebumps rise all over her body as she realizes that if she had been hit head-on, she would have disappeared instantly.
"Not yet!"
With a flick of his arm, he unleashes a storm of ice, a natural disaster large enough to match Ha-ri's waves of fire.
It blocks Ha-ri's full force, buying time.
"Cckk, you're not going to survive this, by my calculations, you've got a minute."
"One minute------"
In other words, she had to face an orc with monstrous physical strength and overwhelming defense for one minute.
"But I'll fight."
The fire still burns in her heart and her hand grips her sword.
The indestructible holy sword is as strong as the knight's will and will never break.
"Come!!!"
They clash.
In the disaster scene, where the power of holy law and power clash, it is savage boxing and swordsmanship that will decide the outcome.
"Hmph---! My power will bring you down!"
Space seems to be crushed by the advancing waveform of the swung fish and Ha-ri was sure that her sword swing would be easily deflected.
"My sword will never break!"
"------!"
They meet head-on but Kran manages to deflect the sword, and he strikes Ha-ri's shoulder. There's a crunching sound of bone, but──
"------!"
Kran's fist, which deflected the sword from the front, also splashes with blood.
The ice is shredded, and even the hard fist inside is cut.
"How is that possible? My fist is now imbued with the power of Battle God Helkan.
Of course, no matter how hard one's flesh is, it is impossible to defend against the swords of the Holy Knights. Orcs, too, are inherently armored. Kran fights with his bare fists because it's hard to use weapons while wearing the compressed castle.
And more than anything, he was confident that if it was at the level of the 'Holy Sword of Fire', it would not be able to cut him.
'Is that it?'
The corner of the orc shaman mouth twitched at the possibility.
"Kkk, good, good, good, the day will come when I can lock fists with a Holy Knight once again!"
It brought joy, not despair, to the old orc. The inevitable moments when he had to save his life as a shaman and the regret of having to give up a tasty opponent to the younger ones but this struggle before him now was all his own.
"Die, tin can!"
"Die, you!"
The sword is swung. Ice slashes and cuts. A fist strikes. Bones crunch.
But it's the orc shaman wounds that are increasing. For this young knight who cuts down enemies with quick and agile movements, the compressed ice actually hinders his movements.
"Then---!"
"------!!!"
The ice disperses in an instant. The ice armor that was supposed to be so defensively strong has been shattered by him? After a moment's pause, Kran's gaze turns green.
In response to the beam of light being emitted, water is instantly poured into the air, creating waves. The beam passed through the waves easily, but only grazed Ha-ri's shoulder.
"------!"
"Light is easily refracted!"
She learned in middle school but it didn't go that far since the real attack wasn't a flash of light.
Red energy concentrates in his fist. Abandoning his icy defenses, the power, much faster and more powerful, reached out to erase Ha-ri's existence.
The moment she saw it, Ha-ri involuntarily gripped her sword with both hands.
The sword that Han Ha-ri, who had been elevated to sainthood, struck down with all her might...
A holy sword of flame that will burn and illuminate the world.
"------!"
She split his fist and cut down the greatest orc shaman in history. For a split second, time seems to stop, and Kran's lips twist.
"Kkk---Great Khan."
The orc's soul left his body, snapped in half.