The armored knights were sent flying, one after another. There was no point in striking them directly while they were encased in heavy armor. Instead, I used their own momentum, throwing them to the ground, the weight of their armor adding to the force.
The impact was enough to cause immense pain, and depending on how they fell, some might even snap their necks and die instantly. But I held back. I wasn't about to let them meet such a grim fate.
"Father! I leave Mother to you!" I called out, my voice calm despite the chaos around us.
"Understood! But you—" father started, worry flashing across his face.
I didn't even spare him a second glance. He turned and rushed forward. Normally, I would have tried to find cover and assess the situation, but our cover had already been blown. The only option was to face them head-on. I glanced around quickly—about fifty knights. If I tried to take them all on at once, I wouldn't survive. No. The key was to eliminate their leader. The knight with more ornate armor—the one barking orders moments before.
Without hesitation, I fixed my gaze on him and charged forward.
"Captain! Be careful!" one of the knights shouted.
"What's going on?!" The captain, who had been so confident just moments ago, faltered, his eyes filled with panic.
"Idiots! Get rid of this insolent one in the name of the Light Goddess!!" the captain roared.
A handful of knights surged forward to intercept me, but I sidestepped their attempts, striking with precision when necessary. Slowly, I closed the distance between myself and the captain.
"Don't come any closer!" The captain's voice cracked with fear. In a panic, he threw down his sword and pulled a dagger from his waist.
I paused, momentarily confused. A dagger? Why choose that when a longsword would be far better suited for a fight? It didn't make sense.
Then I saw it—the dagger was glowing with a brilliant light.
"Holy Light Blade!!" the captain shouted, thrusting the dagger toward me.
"What?!" I blinked in surprise. A beam of holy energy shot from the dagger, fast and bright like an arrow. If it hit, the damage would be catastrophic.
I instinctively raised my arm to block it. The impact was strong, but I managed to deflect the beam, my momentum briefly stalling as I regained my balance.
"You deflected the Holy Light Blade? That's impossible!" The captain's voice was filled with disbelief. "The Ilocos Knight Corps was granted the power of the Light Goddess! This Holy Light Blade—infused with holy power—was repelled by a mere villager? No way!"
Momentarily stunned, I allowed my own power—the darkness inside me—to leak out just a bit. "Don't mock the countryside when you've come invading our village!" I growled, my resolve hardening.
Without a second thought, I charged again. The captain, now panicked, unleashed a barrage of light arrows. "Holy Light Blade! Holy Light Blade! Holy Light Blade!" His voice trembled with desperation, but his frantic shots only made him less accurate. I dodged each one, closing the gap between us.
"This is the end," I muttered, my voice calm as I prepared to strike the captain's trembling face.
But just as my fist was about to make contact, something stopped me. A shield.
"L-light Hero?!" The captain's voice cracked with a mix of fear and relief.
A figure appeared between me and the captain, standing tall in radiant white armor. She was the complete opposite of the panicked knights around her—her aura regal, controlled, and commanding.
"Light Hero?!" The captain stammered, his voice shaking as he dropped to his knees.
The girl in the gleaming armor turned toward the captain, her gaze cool and authoritative. "Captain Cook," she began, "Why did you act on your own? I gave you clear instructions to wait while I checked on the seventh recruitment corps."
The captain, now looking every bit like a child caught in a lie, sputtered, "T-That's… uh…"
She sighed in exasperation. "And what is this? It looks as though you've captured the village. Captain Cook, what exactly were you trying to accomplish here?"
Cook stammered, "We, uh… were recruiting…"
The girl's attention shifted to me, her eyes focused on me now. "You're from this village, correct?"
"Y-Yeah…" I replied, instinctively matching her formality, though my mind was still reeling from the sudden change of events.
She bowed deeply. "I am truly sorry. I deeply regret the trouble caused by the actions of my knights. I gave them strict orders not to disturb the villagers, but clearly, my negligence led to this. Please accept my heartfelt apology."
I was taken aback by the sincerity in her voice. Around us, the knights, who had been so aggressive just moments before, lowered their heads and sheathed their weapons at her command. The tension in the air began to dissipate, but I noticed that they didn't seem intent on leaving just yet.
"They're not going anywhere until we hear them out," I thought, my gaze shifting from the girl to my parents, who had arrived on the scene.
"Jack," my father called, his voice filled with concern.
I let out a heavy sigh, nodding. "Fine. I'll hear her out."
The girl straightened, her presence still graceful and commanding. "We come from the Light Capital, from the Light Church," she explained.
"The Light Church?" I echoed, my confusion growing.
"Yes. We follow the Light Goddess Theia, one of the five Gods of creator."
My mind raced. The five seraphims—now they are called Gods and the creators of the world. The ones who had sealed me away as the Dark Seraphim. Yet here, in this village, they were revered, worshipped.
"And I am Rosy Thompson," she continued, "the Light Hero, sent by the church."
"Hero?" I asked, the word unfamiliar even to me, considering my past life as a Dark Seraphim.
"So, what exactly is the Light Church doing in such a remote place?" I asked, my voice steady despite my curiosity burning.
Rosy's expression softened just slightly. "We are here to recruit new knights."