Paladin of the Dead God

Isaac grabbed Ciero by one ear and yanked hard.

The top of Ciero’s ear tore slightly, and blood trickled down. Isaac could have ripped it off entirely, but he held back just enough to inflict pain.

Ciero screamed and pleaded for help from his subordinates.

Finally, one man couldn’t take it anymore and tried to step forward.

“Sir Holy Grail Knight, Priest Ciero only—”

“If you keep talking, I’ll rip something off and shove it in your mouth each time you open it.”

Unable to imagine what part of Ciero Isaac might rip off next, the man quietly shut his mouth and backed away. Ciero called out the names of his followers several more times, begging for help, but no one dared to intervene.

“You may have been followed by a bunch of simpletons, but they were your followers all the same! If you pointed the way, you should’ve gone with them, not run off on your own!”

Isaac was already seething over how Ciero had incited religious fanaticism across the empire and led countless people to their deaths.

But he hadn’t initially planned on killing Ciero. It wasn’t solely Ciero’s fault. Isaac himself had contributed to the momentum that pushed the Dawn Army forward, making him just as guilty.

However, if Ciero had stoked the flames of others’ madness, then he should have been willing to perish in that very same fire.

Not run away like this.

“W-wait! I was only trying to call for reinforcements from outside to help them—”

Isaac’s eyes turned a deep shade of violet. With the Eyes of Chaos, Isaac saw through Ciero’s lie and tore off a piece of his ear.

Blood spurted as Ciero let out another scream.

Isaac didn’t stop. He was so furious that he couldn’t even bother to conceal the violet hue in his eyes.

Isaac grabbed Ciero’s other ear. Ciero, who had relied on his Nephilim charm to get through most of his troubles, was at a loss, unable to comprehend the situation. No matter how much he begged, his pleas were drowned out by the sheer terror Isaac exuded.

And finally, in this desperate situation, Ciero managed to speak the truth.

“If I hadn’t done this, I would’ve been dead!”

Isaac froze.

“What?”

“If I hadn’t done this, I would have been discovered by the Codex of Light and killed! You know it, too! This was my only way to survive! Surrounding myself with people who liked and worshipped me was my only protection!”

Isaac felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. Ciero’s desperate cries hit uncomfortably close to Isaac’s own past.

Isaac, too, had fought to become an important figure within the Codex of Light just to survive in this world.

“There was nothing else I could do! In an era where everyone was going mad, I had to use that madness, or I would have been swept away and killed too! I just tried to survive with the talents I had within my circumstances!”

“Then you should have died there!”

“Why should I? I just wanted to live! Didn’t you kill people to survive too? Haven’t you done insane things? At least I never killed anyone with my own hands! What about you? You’ve probably killed so many that their bodies piled up like mountains!”

Isaac could feel his anger boiling over.

Ciero’s words were painfully accurate, but fundamentally wrong. Is it only murder if you do it with your own hands? A few words or a single signature can kill hundreds of thousands, and Isaac had only ever faced those who aimed a blade at him.

He had never driven his own people to death and then turned his back on them.

But it wasn’t about how many people one killed. Isaac found himself relating, even slightly, to Ciero’s desperate attempts to survive, and he acknowledged the good fortune he’d enjoyed in his own journey.

‘I could’ve ended up just like this piece of trash.’

If Isaac had only focused on finding the easiest way to live comfortably in this world, he could have ended up like Ciero.

Unlike Ciero, Isaac had been chosen by the Nameless Chaos, had cleared the game, and knew how history would unfold, giving him the upper hand.

But Ciero had nothing but a bloodline that marked him for death the moment he was discovered. In a time overflowing with madness, Ciero had simply learned to use it.

Isaac understood Ciero.

But that didn’t mean he was convinced.

“That’s your excuse? After dragging your followers into a death trap and running away? You piece of garbage. With that kind of mindset, no wonder Ciero’s Dawn Army ended up like this!”

Isaac tore off the remaining ear and punched Ciero hard enough to knock out several teeth. Ciero, now a bloody mess, lay sprawled on the ground, unable even to scream. Only faint, rasping breaths escaped from his split throat.

Though Isaac wanted nothing more than to kill him right then, this was not where Ciero should die. His death would come at the very site where his followers were being slaughtered.

After ensuring Ciero wouldn’t bleed out, Isaac forced him upright.

“From now on, you’ll take responsibility for your choices. I’ll make sure of it. You won’t escape. Even if you die, I’ll bring you back to life just so you can face your consequences.”

Ciero’s glazed eyes held a faint trace of confusion. Isaac, irritated by the look, slapped him again before explaining.

“We’re going to Kran to rescue your scum who are trapped there. Your fate will be decided based on what you do when we get there.”

***

Isaac grabbed Ciero by the scruff of his neck and marched toward the scorched wasteland once more. Ciero staggered behind him, following Isaac’s lead with a resigned expression, as if he had given up completely.

Isaac was displeased.

He had never felt such intense disgust since arriving in this world. He wanted nothing more than to unleash his full power and raze the city of Kran to the ground.

He wanted to erase every trace of Ciero and the legacy he had left behind.

[The Nameless Chaos watches you.]

The Nameless Chaos, as if chastising Isaac for his emotional turmoil, sent him a message. Isaac took a deep breath and acknowledged that his anger was irrational.

The repulsion he felt toward Ciero was like seeing an unforgivable flaw in his own reflection.

Isaac understood all too well that Ciero’s only way to survive had been to walk this path, that this was the only way he could utilize his talents.

And it was precisely because he understood that he was so furious.

If he hadn’t received the blessing of the Nameless Chaos, if he hadn’t had a kind mentor like Gebel, if the Abbot hadn’t taken care of him and the other orphans with integrity and diligence, Isaac knew he might have ended up just like Ciero.

Perhaps he was angry because he wanted to deny that possibility.

[The Nameless Chaos watches you.]

That was why Isaac was dragging Ciero along—to set things right.

If Isaac had been given a chance, then it was only fair that this trash had a chance, too.

Isaac was determined to help Ciero, life or death, just as the Nameless Chaos, Gebel, the Abbot, and all the kind people in his life had done for him.

He intended to show Ciero that goodwill still existed in this world. That kindness was just as prevalent as malice. The world wasn’t as terrible as it seemed; it just happened to pass him by.

And in the process, Isaac hoped Ciero would finally display some sense of responsibility.

Otherwise, Isaac would be left with an uneasy feeling for the rest of his life.

***

Thump.

Isaac came to a stop before a massive rocky cliff and the towering black fortress that loomed above it. Below, a sea of zombies surged and writhed. To the mindless zombies, the walls of the fortress were an insurmountable barrier. Thanks to this, the fortress of Kran was still holding out despite being heavily outnumbered.

‘The real threats are those up there.’

Isaac carefully observed the few Phantom Steeds hovering in the air. Raising so many undead was usually the work of a Lich, so there was likely one nearby.

Ciero, who had been shuffling along in resignation, immediately doubled over when he saw the sheer number of undead swarming the area.

“W-wait a second. Surely you’re not planning to break through the front?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Wait, the dragon’s not here, and your Issacrea Dawn Army isn’t around, and you’re just… Aaargh!”

Isaac dragged Ciero along as he charged straight into the zombie horde. The Luadin Key cut through a handful of zombies like they were scarecrows with the first strike.

Isaac’s initial attack was immediately detected by the force controlling the zombie horde. As if a single will commanded them all, the zombies surrounding the fortress turned and rushed toward Isaac.

“Ahhh! Aaaah! Agh!”

Ciero screamed as he unleashed a burst of flames at the zombies charging at him.

It was a basic ignition miracle. Isaac had expected that if Ciero were impersonating a priest, he’d be capable of performing some miracles.

Nephilim could steal their parents’ miracles. This confirmed that one of Ciero’s parents, either on his mother’s or father’s side, was an angel associated with the Codex of Light.

‘Let’s hope he’s not my sibling. One complicated history is enough for me…’

In any case, Ciero’s frantic resistance and Isaac’s sword aura tore through the undead horde like a hot knife through butter. The flames left a blazing trail as they ripped apart the zombie horde.

But of course, this reckless charge couldn’t last.

“Graaaargh!”

The zombies, using their overwhelming numbers, began to press down on Isaac. Even if they were weak, the mass of their bodies was no small thing. And no matter how skilled Isaac was, once the pressure of several tons began to weigh on him, he would be reduced to nothing more than a bloody pulp.

Isaac knew of a particular sword technique suited for just such situations.

Crack, crunch.

Forcing his limbs to move against the bone and flesh pressing down on him, Isaac followed a specific sword movement. In an instant, an explosive sound erupted, and the surrounding zombies were shredded apart.

Boom! The distinctive thunder of Avalanche Swordsmanship echoed as if a landslide had struck, causing the zombies to ripple like waves in response. The deafening noise not only ruptured Ciero’s eardrums but also attracted the attention of the nearby Death Knights.

“Ah… ugh…”

“Stop acting like an idiot and keep up.”

Isaac grabbed the staggering Ciero, whose eardrums were still ringing, and marched forward. A burning pain had already spread through his palms. And now, even more zombies were swarming toward him, far more than those he had just obliterated with his Avalanche Swordsmanship.

But that thunderous noise had been a clear signal.

To everyone within earshot.

Whoosh! A Phantom Steed screeched sharply as it dove toward Isaac. Once again, Isaac used the Hand of the Drowned, but the creature dodged by sharply ascending at the last moment. It seemed the Death Knight that had previously faced Isaac had dutifully reported back.

“The Holy Grail Knight! It’s really him!”

“The description matches. Report this to Lord Al Retma.”

One of the Death Knights quickly flew off. However, Isaac had no intention of letting it get away.

Isaac activated the Hand of the Drowned again, faster and with more precision this time. The fleeing Death Knight tumbled out of the air, crashing from its Phantom Steed.

The Death Knights were stunned by the unprecedented maneuver. The Hand of the Drowned was a technique meant to pull distant foes closer. Although its power was reduced, toppling an opponent was simple enough.

The fallen Death Knight, its blue flames flickering in fury within its helmet, tried to shout something, but a sudden spear thrust pierced through its abdomen.

“Priest Ciero!”

It was the remnants of Ciero’s Dawn Army, charging out from Kran’s fortress. They had been holed up inside, but seeing Ciero running toward them and Isaac fighting had spurred them to rush out.

“Priest Ciero, are you unharmed?”

“We knew you’d come back, Priest Ciero!”

Ciero, deafened, couldn’t hear their voices. But he could clearly see them risking their lives to charge forward.

The Death Knight grabbed the head of the militiaman who had thrust the spear into its side, though it had only managed to pierce its cloak, as no mere militiaman could breach the Death Knight’s armor.

But before the Death Knight could retaliate, Isaac’s blade sliced silently and swiftly, cutting through the creature’s skull vertically.

Isaac then grabbed Ciero by the scruff and shoved him toward his approaching followers, whispering as he did.

“There they are—your subordinates. They’re your last chance.”

Though Ciero couldn’t hear the words, he could clearly grasp their meaning as he watched the militia throw themselves into battle to protect him.