Chapter 414: The State of the War (2)

After reclaiming Fort Harlan as their base, Serati's ten-thousand-strong army continued purging the remaining cultists in the surrounding regions. Stability returned faster than expected. There was still a central figure capable of uniting the imperial populace. The fleeing emperor had returned.

"I knew you would come back." Gottfried II, reunited with Karnak's party, wept with emotion. Then, without delay, he resumed his duties as emperor. "While heroes save the world, I too must fulfill my role."

Though he had been on the run, the emperor had not simply hidden away without purpose. He had worked to coordinate with regional nobles, the imperial army, and the goddess church to prepare for a counteroffensive.

Though his strength had been insufficient to act decisively, his efforts had not been in vain. Thanks to that, the governing system had been preserved to some extent, allowing order to be restored quickly after the Black God's Cult was driven back. The emperor also made an official proclamation.

O followers of Twilight, who pursued justice amid hardship and adversity.

Your courage and sacrifice have given hope to all, and through that hope, you have united them as one.

Thus, in the name of the empire, I declare to all people of this land:

Welcome the new age. Under the blessing of the seven goddesses, we shall stand together with Twilight.

Thus, the Twilight Order was formally recognized as the eighth faith of the empire. It had already surpassed the other seven goddesses' faiths and stood as the sole force capable of saving the empire. From the emperor's perspective, whether he liked it or not, he had no choice but to acknowledge it.

In fact, there was no reason to dislike them. After all, they had saved him, and might yet save the empire. In the western Seven Kingdoms Alliance, an implicit agreement had already been reached, and so the Twilight Order came to be accepted across the entire continent.

Of course, not everyone was convinced. Many priests and followers of the seven goddess faiths still harbored doubts.

—Is it really alright to officially recognize them?

—Wait, don't they use necromancy?

Yet just as many supported the Twilight Order.

—At this point, what's there left not to accept?

—It's not like seeing undead is anything new.

In any case, opposition remained significant, and to be honest, opposing it was the natural reaction.

Maloka came up with measures that resolved such issues. No matter how righteously it was used, necromancy was a forbidden art. The more one used it, the more one would be tainted by evil.

Even among the Twilight Order's necromancers, there were those who, intoxicated by power, crossed the line. Maloka entrusted their punishment to the seven orders. By not shielding wrongdoers and instead handing them over externally, she demonstrated that justice was upheld. The resistance within the Twilight Order was eased with a reasonable argument.

—If we judge one another internally, how often would false accusations arise for the sake of gaining power?

Necromancers could grow stronger by absorbing the necromantic power of others.

—Can you guarantee you won't become a victim of that? Might the order not fracture as a result?

The argument that members must not turn against one another carried undeniable weight. Since the measure was also framed as a temporary arrangement until the world was saved, most accepted it.

Karnak exclaimed with a grin. "As expected of Maloka. She's good at everything except fighting!"

Serati looked at him with concern. "I feel like she'd get really depressed if she heard that."

"She actually likes it."

"Really?"

"She wasn't even a combatant to begin with."

"Then why do you keep making someone like that fight all the time?"

"What, you want me to keep a ninth circle mage out of a fight just because her combat sense is a bit lacking?"

With this, even the seven goddess faiths came to accept the Twilight Order. The atmosphere wasn't exactly warm, but at least they were no longer at each other's throats as before.

After pacifying the western empire, the Twilight army marched out once more. Their destination was the south, where the fallen guardian of the elves, Archmage Giyen Ren, was stationed.

***

In the southwestern empire, within the Zenkabil Forest of the Fel Katas region, a fierce battle raged amid towering ancient trees that blotted out the sky.

Knights advanced in formation between the massive trunks. The sound of bones colliding echoed throughout. Low, guttural howls of monsters shook the leaves.

At the forefront stood a gray-haired girl wielding a golden sword. The new supreme power, the Martial King of Zestrad, roared with power as she tore through the undead ranks with unstoppable momentum.

Behind her followed the silver knights. Varos, Leven, and Drel carved through the battlefield with their silver aura blades, turning the dead into shattered remains.

Once that tide of destruction swept through the forest, the mages followed, incinerating the rotting undead with fireballs.

Immediately, a scolding voice rang out. "What are you idiots doing, using fire magic in a forest?!"

The voice belonged to a child who looked barely thirteen or fourteen. They stepped forward with a chant. "O frost storm, become the spear of the polar lands and sweep forth!"

The Staff of Dusk shone brightly. Hundreds of ice spears surged forth, sweeping through both forest and enemy alike. In an instant, the surroundings were transformed into a world of pure white.

At that overwhelming display of power, the Twilight army's mages could only click their tongues in astonishment. Is that the blessing granted by the Twilight Goddess?

No matter that he was the apprentice of the Evil-Slaying Mage, there was no way someone that young could have mastered such magic by ordinary means. It had to be the goddess's power.

I'm jealous.

When will the goddess grant me strength?

But why does a kid talk like an old man?

The mages entertained various thoughts. Meanwhile, Dios's scolding showed no sign of stopping. "Lightning magic isn't allowed either! If I told you not to use fire, what kind of nonsense would it be to switch to lightning?!"

By the time the mages had swept through the enemy ranks, the finishing blow arrived. It was a red-haired beauty whose presence far surpassed all those before her, the Saintess of Twilight, Serati. Rising into the air, she drew her blade in a long arc.

Twilight Swordsmanship, Prelude of Night.

Crimson flames flowed along the blade. Then she swung it out in a long stroke.

Twilight Swordsmanship, Evening Shadow.

A pillar of sunset light, over ten meters in length, rose upright, then gently flowed downward toward the earth.

Severing Strata!

The massive blade of light cleaved through forest, earth, undead, and monsters alike. A deafening roar erupted as the entire forest trembled. It was a tyrannical strike, so overwhelming it seemed as though the very layers of the earth had been exposed.

Giyen Ren clicked his tongue while brushing away the leaves raining down over his head. "They're certainly running wild."

Such was the overwhelming strength of Karnak's group that even against tens of thousands of the Black God's army, the ten-thousand-strong Twilight army was pressing forward with dominance.

And yet, he merely observed everything from the rear. "Well now... even if I wanted to fight, I can't."

Though Karnak himself was nowhere to be seen on the battlefield, that didn't mean he could act recklessly.

Giyen Ren slipped a hand into his robes. His fingertips brushed against a pitch-black cube. At this rate, I'll only gather about half the target amount.

The other half would likely be taken by that accursed Saintess of Twilight. But he could lose everything if he became involved here.

After a moment of consideration, he let out a faint chuckle. Come to think of it, there's no need to deliberate at all.

This was no longer the Karnak 's of the past. Serati, now the Saintess of Twilight, possessed strength rivaling a martial king or an archmage. On top of that, a new martial king had appeared, and the rest had grown stronger as well.

On the other hand, he only had himself. Even without Tesranach's orders, if they fought, defeat was inevitable.

Right. I should know my place. With a bitter smile, the green-haired elf youth was enveloped in shadow and melted into the darkness.

***

The battle ended. Once again, a great victory had been granted to the Saintess of Twilight. And yet, she did not rejoice. How could she, when the surroundings were filled with burning wreckage and the traces of death?

The saintess began to walk. She knelt before the countless corpses. These were people who had died unjustly and whose fate had been toyed with even after death.

"O Serakal of Twilight," she whispered.

The sky above the forest opened. The light of sunset spread across the land, casting a gentle glow. A soft radiance illuminated the battlefield, and countless small, faint lights began to rise into the air. It was as though the souls of the fallen soldiers were awakening within the light.

"Guide them..."

Heaven and earth connected. Countless lights ascended toward the sky.

"Grant them eternal rest..."

Amid that transcendent mystery, all bowed their heads reverently along with the saintess. They whispered prayers for the fallen and reverence for their goddess.

All except for a single white cat diligently casting illusion magic at her side.

—Good, it's working well.

Illusion magic did not consume much mana, but its difficulty was extraordinarily high. Moreover, it could easily be seen through unless there was a significant gap in skill between the caster and the onlookers.

In other words, if the gap in skill was overwhelming, it would never be exposed. Though she now looked like this, the white cat was still the dragon emperor who had lived for thousands of years. If she truly committed to casting illusions, deceiving ordinary humans was effortless.

Especially now that Serati's acting had improved greatly, the whole scene looked even more convincing. She continued to act as a beautiful saintess, hypnotizing herself. I'm beautiful. I'm sacred. I'm graceful.

Suddenly, Serati's expression twisted. Reality struck her all at once, and a wave of self-loathing washed over her. What am I even doing right now?

From where she hid, casting magic, the dragon emperor let out a soft meow.

—Watch your expression, Serati. Your expression.

—Yes.

I'm beautiful. I'm sacred. I'm graceful...

***

After securing the Fel Katas region, the Twilight army continued eastward. Their next target was Jedex, the Fallen Pope of the Sun. Jedex held dominion over the southern imperial region of Nophos. Upon hearing the news, Varos and Leven showed interest.

"So Jedex has returned as well."

"It's been a while since we've seen him, hasn't it?"

That anticipated reunion never came. After all, what chance did a lone fallen pope have against Karnak's current group? Only powerhouses like archmages and martial kings could make excuses about not being able to fight against Karnak due to strict orders.

Jedex fled before the Twilight army even arrived, taking only what he had gathered of the Shadow of Doom with him. The army of the Black God had no chance against the Twilight army, especially after being abandoned by their leader.

Taking advantage of this, Karnak's group decided to rest for a while. Well, except Serati. She still had to rampage around to maintain her popularity. "Why does it feel like I'm the only one suffering here?!"

After sending her out to the battlefield despite her complaints, they were leisurely observing the situation when they encountered someone unexpected.

As an elder of the Twilight Order, Demphis had been operating within the empire. He had arrived with over a hundred new followers.

Karnak was surprised by the reunion. "Huh? Demphis? What brings you here?"

"I have come after carrying out your orders, Lord Karnak."

Karnak took on a puzzled expression. "My orders?"

Demphis pointed toward the battlefield. "I found him, as you commended."

Among the hundred twilight followers who had joined them, one warrior stood out in particular. It was a man in his early thirties, about the same age as Drel, with black hair and black eyes, wielding a massive greatsword in both hands. The man's blade was wrapped in brilliant silver aura as he cut down the undead.

In turn, Leven and Drel muttered in surprise.

"Silver aura?"

"There was another silver knight in the empire we didn't know about?"

Meanwhile, Varos and Karnak wore uncertain expressions.

"Huh? He looks kind of familiar."

"Who is this again?"

Demphis looked at them in disbelief. "You told me to find him, and you don't even recognize his face?"

"Ah..." Only then did Karnak realize who the man was. "Is that Malican Thun? Where did you find him?"