Chapter 286 : Day and Night Will Clash Like Twilight

The platinum-blonde knight in front of me was one of the strongest in the world, one of the Eight Sword Masters.

The master of the Pure White Sword, also known as the Holy Sword.

She was younger than I thought.

Perhaps around my age.

To have become one of the Eight Sword Masters at such a young age.

She was truly a monster.

Normally, I would have been busy trying to figure out how to shake off this monster and run away.

But right now, I was full of confidence.

I was filled with the confidence to make the whole world kneel before me.

It was because of the immense power and sense of omnipotence surging within me.

Ah!

This endless power is...

I can say with certainty.

Right now, I am the strongest.

The winged hero, who had been pushed back a few steps by my power, also had her eyes wide open in surprise.

But rather than being truly surprised, it was more like, 'Not bad?'

[Calm your excitement.]

"Hooo..."

At the Heavenly Demon's calm but strict voice, I let out a long exhale.

He was right.

I was drunk on power, and my head was getting hot.

Let's calm down.

'Calm down. My inner fallen angel.'

[...?]

I cooled my head, which had been like hot iron with uncontrollable power.

Because in an excited state, I couldn't look at the current situation calmly.

Just because my excitement had subsided didn't mean I had become dull.

I quickly rotated my cooled head.

First, why did the Hero of Light come?

For what purpose did she come?

Seeing that she had teleported from the main branch, there was a high probability that the archbishop had contacted her while I was on a rampage.

But I remember that Bishop Trout's face had turned pale when I had mentioned the Hero to test him.

It was certain.

He did not want the Hero to come here.

Because he didn't want his dirty laundry to be aired.

It seemed it was too much for him to drag the Hero into his mess.

'Then?'

He wouldn't have told the Hero directly.

But in order to find out the truth about my witty lie of being a shadow paladin, the process of confirming with the Hero would have been essential.

Since I had deliberately brought up one of the highest positions so that the truth could not be found out in a short time.

Did I catch the Hero's interest by asking questions in reverse?

Then the Hero came to see the shadow paladin in person.

But was it such an urgent matter?

For the Hero of Light of the empire, who was busy with public and private affairs, to come rushing over in the middle of the night, crossing the deep night?

And as soon as she came, she rushed at me like a shooting star, saying she had been waiting, asking if it was me, and greeting me.

And judging by the way she recited the prophecy without being asked.

I think she had a good grasp of the situation through that famous prophecy.

There was a high probability that she had been looking forward to meeting me.

This was good news.

At least it meant that her interest in me was greater than her interest in Siri.

Then, second.

What was our current goal?

To take Siri and leave this false city of Perpetri, to leave the corrupt Hilden Kingdom, to leave the land of the Holy Hilka Empire, and to return safely to the friendly Maia Kingdom, where the magical beasts would welcome us.

The empire wouldn't be able to chase us all the way to Maia.

Because on the way, there would be a welcoming greeting from the numerous magical beasts that would welcome them.

Third, what was the current situation?

We had successfully abducted the Saint of Pure White.

The holy knights were chasing us hard to get the saint back.

But it was not a difficult task to shake off their pursuit.

Because our feet were faster than their horses.

But, the Hero was different.

Because she was a Hero with wings.

For a person to be able to fly in the sky?

Did that make sense?

[That's not for you to say.]

'Hmm.'

Was that so?

Since I could also walk on the sky.

But that didn't mean we were on the same level.

Being able to fly in the sky was amazing, but it wasn't a big problem.

The problem was the speed.

She had closed the distance from the sky of the city to where I was in literally the blink of an eye.

She had literally become a ray of light and shot at me.

As long as this Hero was chasing us, escape was a distant dream.

So, the conclusion.

I had to defeat this winged Hero of Light.

This monster that had suddenly appeared could not be shaken off unless it was broken.

Therefore, to get rid of this winged monster, there was no choice but to break at least one of its wings so that it couldn't chase me.

I finished these thoughts in the time it took to take a few breaths.

Did Siri's blessing also increase the speed of my head's rotation?

In any case, it was a situation where I had no choice but to fight.

My heart began to pound.

The corners of my mouth twitched on their own.

My fighting spirit was boiling.

'While I'm fighting, how about I try to snatch her sword and hold it once?'

I wanted to rush at the Hero, who was looking at me with strange eyes, right away.

But I let out a long breath and held back one more time.

'Calm down, my inner red devil.'

[...]

If I had to fight, I would fight without hesitation.

However, as Dofang had said.

There was room for conversation in everything.

Following the teachings of the talkative Dofang, I decided to try to talk first.

"Ashuban... you said."

The Hero of Light, Lasol Grace, smiled at her white, sparkling sword.

"Good. Today is the day of the prophecy."

And then, she took a stance.

She was a Hero who was as full of fighting spirit as I was.

"Hey, Lasol."

At my call, the Hero's eyes widened.

"? Why are you so surprised?"

Lasol answered with a flustered face.

"Ah, it's nothing. It's just that I'm not used to someone calling my name so casually."

"Then?"

"Everyone calls me Hero."

"So, you don't like it?"

The Hero looked at the ground for a moment, thinking deeply, and then shook her head.

"...It's not that I don't like it."

Since I was going to call her whatever I wanted even if she didn't like it, I called her without hesitation.

"Then, Lasol."

Lasol looked at me.

"Speak, Ashuban."

"Let me ask you again. Why did you come? Did you come to fight me?"

Lasol answered immediately.

"You could say that."

"I thought you came rushing because I took the saint. Wasn't that it? Wasn't that written in the prophecy?"

Lasol blinked.

"Ah, right."

"..."

Then, she turned her head and looked for Siri.

In the place she looked, there was the debauched knight, Lyle, with his hand on the hilt of his sword, and Siri, who was hiding behind him.

Lasol called her.

"Saint."

"What."

It seemed they knew each other, as Siri answered, peeking her head out from behind Lyle.

"Let's go back."

"I don't want to."

"..."

Lasol, who had been rejected outright, became quiet for a moment.

And then, she looked at me for a moment.

It seemed she was examining the blessing of light that Siri had cast on me.

"No matter how I look at it, it doesn't seem like you're being dragged away by force. May I assume that you are leaving the father's embrace of your own free will?"

"Yes. I'm going to the mother of the night."

A rather sudden declaration of apostasy.

"Why?"

"Because Ketel saved my big brother."

"...Big Brother?"

Lasol tilted her head for a moment, and then looked at me blankly.

"What are you looking at?"

"..."

Lasol asked me.

"May I ask where you are taking the saint?"

"To the place where she should be."

"And where is that?"

"Her hometown."

"...I see."

Lasol slowly nodded.

"I also had a hometown."

Lasol, who said that, looked somewhat wistful.

Just then, the sound of horse hooves was heard, and the holy knights came rushing in.

"Hero!"

Lasol looked at me and Siri once, and then ordered them.

"Wait for a moment."

"Yes!"

Neigh—

The holy knights stopped their horses without a second word, following her command, and waited at a distance.

Lasol looked at me as if she were caressing me, and then opened her mouth.

"Ashuban."

I nodded.

"Lasol."

"I will not chase the saint."

My eyes widened.

Because it didn't seem like she was lying.

"...Really?"

"Yes. I promise on my name."

This was unexpected news for me too.

I had tried talking to her just in case, but I hadn't expected to get such an unexpected harvest.

But since I was a suspicious man, I didn't take her words at face value and asked again.

"Why?"

"I remember when the saint received the baptism of light."

Lasol answered my question readily.

"The saint shone with a brighter and more dazzling light than anyone who had ever received the baptism of light, but her expression did not look very happy. To me, it looked rather sad and pathetic."

"Hmm."

"I had a feeling that Archbishop Holio had not brought the saint in a just way."

Was Dofang's word not wrong after all?

The situation was going smoothly as soon as I opened my mouth instead of raising my sword.

"However."

"Hmm?"

Lasol pointed at me with her sword, which was imbued with sunlight.

"You shall receive my sword."

I looked at the sparkling sword and asked.

"Why?"

"Why, you ask."

Lasol, with her sword pointed at me, shouted.

"State this man's crimes!"

Then, one of the holy knights shouted in a loud voice.

"The crime of impersonating a paladin, the crime of trespassing in the royal palace, the crime of destroying a special public building, the crime of abuse of power, the crime of assaulting a clergyman, the crime of intimidation..."

The list of crimes went on and on.

It just came out smoothly without any blockage.

Soon, the long parade of crimes ended.

And Lasol looked at me.

"So it is."

"How petty to remember all that. You cowards."

Lasol did not accept my nonsense.

"Seeing that you brought the saint out, you must have taken care of Archbishop Holio too?"

"I didn't do that."

"Then?"

"Our Siri, with all her pent-up anger and sorrow, gave him a good blow. It seems he had been threatening her and harassing her all the time. It's clear that he had been tormenting her by beating her up. It was self-defense."

Siri shouted.

"That's right! I gave that swindler a good blow!"

"...Is he alive?"

"I wonder."

"If he is alive, there will be a just judgment of light."

'...Is she saying she's going to burn him to death?'

[I hope so.]

"Same here."

"What?"

"It was a thought to myself. Don't mind it."

"In any case, as a hero of the empire, I cannot just stand by and watch this. I cannot let you go peacefully."

Lasol looked at me.

"Ashuban. You'll have to play with me."

Twitch—

The corner of my mouth rose uncontrollably.

"What a coincidence. I was also feeling a bit sad to just leave."

I stroked the blade of my sword and muttered.

"Ah, this is really a strange situation. I have no choice but to fight."

Lasol ordered the holy knights.

"Children of Hope. Watch our fight. It will be an unforgettable sight."

"Yes!"

I raised my sword diagonally and took a stance, and then asked.

"Let me ask you one thing."

"What is it."

"You said our meeting was written in a prophecy?"

"That's right."

"Then, was the result also there?"

"That's not certain. It's a word that can be interpreted in many ways."

"Let's hear it. I'll predict the result."

Lasol recited the prophecy reverently.

"Day and night will clash like twilight. In the battle of the two apostles, night will turn into day, and day will turn into night."

"And?"

"And... a band of light will be engraved on a circle as black as night."

I smiled.

"That means I win."

Lasol also smiled.

"Nonsense. It sounds like my sword will cut through your darkness."

"Shall we check? Whose word is right."

"Good."

We glared at each other for a moment, in our stances.

Lasol held her shining sword with both hands and raised it straight up.

And I raised my black Night Sky Sword diagonally, as if to cover my face.

"Big Brother! Blow her away!"

With Siri's cheer.

I rushed at the Hero of Light.

(End of Chapter)