Chapter 159: Where the Sun Rises (5)

When Morak released his grip on Albert’s jaw, the High Priest’s body slumped to the ground. Then, Albert turned his head and his eyes fell upon a newly arrived cleric.

“Interesting.”

The cleric was wearing a white cleric robe that looked holy, with his hood pulled low over his face.

With a puzzled expression, Morak waved his hand dismissively. “I’m not sure how you made it this far... but kill him.”

Once again, the dark paladins of the Church of Muldine began to move. These were highly skilled paladins, numerous and powerful enough to have defeated the Solarian Paladins.

Having already assumed the cleric’s death was certain, Morak turned back to Albert. “Now, where were we...”

Shh-clink! Boom! Boom!

Loud explosive sounds echoed from behind, interrupting Morak mid-sentence.

Explosions?

The opponent was merely a cleric, not even a paladin.

But why is he able to resist more than the Solarian Paladins did?

His curiosity made him turn his head, and his eyes widened in shock. Three dark paladins of the Church of Muldine lay defeated on the ground.

Then, the cleric calmly retracted the chains in his left hand.

Shh-clink.

As Morak pieced the situation together, he suddenly began clapping.

“So that’s it! I see now! I didn’t recognize you at first with your hood pulled low. You’re the nuisance who dares to interfere with the grand mission of the church, Kai!”

“... You seem to know me.”

“Of course, I do. In fact, I had planned to come pay you a visit once this task was complete... Seems like you’re in a hurry to die.” Morak showed an expression of relief, as if a troublesome task had been taken care of. “Originally, I intended to use the second suitable candidate to kill you... but now there’s no need for that.”

As Morak’s right hand rose, dozens of dark paladins of the Church of Muldine drew their weapons.

“You’ve resisted the teachings of Muldine and repeatedly obstructed the church’s mission. Even if you’re a resurrecting adventurer... you’ll eventually lose the will to resist if we kill you enough times.”

“That’s too bad I guess.”

Kai drew his Ironwill Longsword and looked at the many paladins positioned within the gorge.

Thirty dark paladins. Twenty dark priests.

Additionally, the twenty dark priests were all stationed atop the cliffs, looking down on him. They were specialized in long-range support and attacks, clearly intending to take full advantage of their position.

Sending the priests up to the cliffs to protect them was a good tactical decision.

It was a move any competent commander would have made. However...

“You shouldn’t underestimate me.” With a sharp snap of his fingers, Kai shouted, “Enhanced Summoning, Mimic, Blizzard!”

Two magic circles sparked on the ground, each summoning a familiar creature.

Kai looked at his adorable pets and commanded, “Blizzard, fight alongside me in the frontline! And Mimic...”

Kai pointed toward the top of the gorge and gave the command, “King Sand Worm, attack!”

At the command, Mimic's size expanded frighteningly fast. Mimic grew to several times its original size in an instant!

“

Ooo

... so this is what was in the reports...” Morak, who had been observing Mimic now transformed into a King Sand Worm, snapped back to his senses only when it started burrowing into the gorge wall. “... Wait! King Sand Worm!”

There was only one thing Kai could possibly be planning with such a massive creature in such a confined space.

That bastard is planning to overturn the entire battlefield!

Realizing this, Morak shouted to the priests who had been supporting the dark paladins from the top of the gorge, “Run! No, get down from there immediately!”

The moment the dark priests tilted their heads in confusion, not understanding his words...

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The ground beneath their feet crumbled in an instant.

“

Whoa

!”

“W-what’s happening?!”

Flailing their arms in panic, they fell dozens of meters to the floor.

Of course, the dark paladins moved quickly to try to rescue the priests, but Kai wasn’t going to let that happen.

“Blizzard, make sure to give them a hard time.”

“

Krrr

...”

Blizzard showed his fangs with a sly grin and displayed his characteristic swift movements. Running along the walls, he slashed at the falling priests with his twin scimitars!

Meanwhile, Kai dealt with the paladins surrounding him while Blizzard rampaged.

Boom!

Countless sword strikes came at him in rapid succession from all directions, and he didn’t hold back his full strength.

“Supernova.”

All his stats surged to an insane level, and his movements became bold.

Supernova felt like a last resort in the past...

But not anymore.

Slash! Slash!

[You did 7,404 damage.]

[You recovered 700 Holy Power.]

[You recovered 550 Holy Power.]

[You recovered 1,200 Holy Power.]

With each hit he dealt, his Holy Power steadily increased!

Supernova was a skill that consumed a whopping 1,000 Holy Power per second. But with the advanced level of Swordsmanship of the Dawn, it became practically sustainable indefinitely.

And...

In the past, he had to conserve his Holy Power, limiting how often he could use it. But now, he could use it freely.

“Holy Explosion!”

Boom!

A beam of light shot from Kai’s fingertips and struck the dark paladins directly in the chest. The attack, scaled with his Holy Power stat, delivered devastating damage!

And enemies of the Church of Muldine are vulnerable to the holy power of the Solarian Church.

In other words, the dark paladins weren’t enough to defeat Kai.

“They should’ve brought a few inquisitors, at least...”

Even though two cardinals had helped organize this, the fact remained they were near the Holy Kingdom of Lapis. While lower-level dark paladins and priests could operate here, it was much harder for inquisitors of the Church of Muldine to act openly in this area.

“Well, judging by their reaction, they clearly didn’t expect to run into me.”

Kai had a history of taking down inquisitors single-handedly in the last war. If they had known he would be here, they wouldn’t have come with such a small force.

Finishing this will just be a matter of time.

Just as Kai was about to swing his sword in a relaxed manner, a sharp shout stopped him in his tracks.

“Stop right there! That’s enough!”

Kai turned his head to see Morak holding Albert hostage.

“This is the end of your rampage.”

“

Hmm,

but I haven’t even warmed up yet.”

“Anyone with eyes can see it. With our current forces, we can’t stop you.”

Morak admitted their defeat without hesitation and calmly declared it.

... What’s he planning?

As Kai furrowed his brows, Morak smiled and said, “I have a proposal. Join forces with us.”

“... What did you just say?”

“Your talent, your divine power, and your combat sense—everything about you impressed me. And above all...” Morak lifted the trembling wooden box. “The Essence of Darkness has chosen you even though High Priest Albert was the intended recipient.”

“... What does that mean?”

“

Heh

. Let me explain it simply.”

Morak opened the box and put on a special glove. Then, he grinned and pulled out the Essence of Darkness.

“To start, do you know what this is?”

“I’ve never seen it before, but...”

Even just looking at the strange orb made Kai frown. He had seen items like this a few times before.

“A fragment of the Essence of Darkness... No, is that the original?”

“Exactly. This isn’t some mere fragment. This is the Essence of Darkness itself. The Church of Muldine has finally perfected it, making it usable on people.”

“On people?”

“Have you heard of the name Veghas?”

“The King of Looters.”

“So you do. He’s another one of our church’s creations.”

“... You say that like it’s something to be proud of. Don’t you feel any shame?” Kai muttered, glaring at Morak.

Morak burst into mad laughter. “Shame?

Hahaha!

What are you talking about? If anything, Veghas would be grateful to us. We turned a petty thief into a figure of terror.”

“So? What’s your real motive for offering me this alliance in this situation?”

“The Essence of Darkness always seeks the strongest suitable candidate. And right now...” Morak gazed lovingly at the Essence of Darkness and continued to say, “You are the strongest candidate here. It means that you can absorb the Essence of Darkness even more naturally than Albert.”

Even though he had destroyed their army and ruined their plans at every turn, that man was still proposing an alliance without any hesitation.

Is this the way of the Church of Muldine?

If they could become stronger, if they had a way to win, they would choose that path without hesitation, no matter the cost—a selfish but effective approach.

As Kai shook his head in disbelief, Morak pressed him. “So, what will you do? Will you join us? If you say no, the Essence of Darkness will enter Albert’s body as planned.”

“... I...”

Just as Kai was contemplating how to stall for time, a message suddenly appeared before him.

Ding!

[Helik is watching this situation closely with a weapon in hand. If you betray him, Helik will not hesitate to strike you down with divine wrath.]

How could a god be so narrow-minded! Especially when he was racking his brain trying to save the head of his own church!

As Kai shook his head, Morak interpreted the gesture as a rejection and wiped the friendly smile from his face.

“So, that means negotiations have failed.”

“What? No, wait...!”

Startled, Kai tried to stop him, but Morak was faster. It was a surprise attack that left no room for reaction.

“

K-kugh

...!”

Albert, forced to swallow the Essence of Darkness through his pried-open jaw, displayed a face of agony.

“

Agh

...

Aaargh

...

Kugh!

”

The faint golden holy power that had always surrounded his body flickered like a dying lightbulb.

Looking down at him coldly, Morak continued, “With our current forces, we wouldn’t stand a chance against you anyway. And if I let this chance slip by, it may never come again... So even if I have to die, I’ll make sure the high priest falls. This should throw the Solarian Church into chaos.”

Morak sneered at Kai with a mocking expression, as if to ask what he would do now. There was a clear sense of satisfaction and relief in him, knowing that he had already completed his mission.

“... Move.”

Crack! Slash!

Swiftly dealing with the paladins before him, Kai hurried to Albert, who was struggling. By the time Kai reached him, Morak had already darted behind the cover of the dark paladins.

Laughing loudly, Morak shouted from behind them, “

Hahaha!

I swear the Essence of Darkness, infused with Muldine’s power, is the most perfect creation in the world. Once it’s inside the host, no one can purify it.”

Thud.

Ignoring Morak’s taunts, Kai helped Albert.

“Your Holiness, are you alright?”

“

Argh

... P-please...”

His face was contorted with bulging blue veins.

He looked at Kai and pleaded desperately, “Kill... Kill me before I bring more disgrace... to Helik...!”

“Kill you? You’re asking a cleric like me to kill the High Priest of the church?”

“

Kugh

... The darkness... I can’t hold it back! If you wait too long... it will be irreversible...”

“High Priest Albert,” Kai spoke softly, almost like a teacher scolding a young child. “A cleric’s duty is to heal those who are suffering. Leave it to me.”

“This... this is different! It’s my body, I can tell... no ordinary cleric can purify this...”

“Yes. An

ordinary

cleric wouldn’t be able to.” As Kai laid down his weapon, both of his hands began to radiate immense holy power. “When I became a Cleric, I declared it clearly. A cleric must always be pure and righteous, follow your teachings to stand for the weak, and destroy evil with your power to protect the vulnerable.”

“The Lapis... oath...?”

It was the oath that every cleric and paladin made before the statue of Helik when they changed their class.

Hearing those words after so long, Albert shed tears.

Kai gently wiped the tears from Albert's wrinkled face and reassured him, “So please, don’t worry.”

The overwhelming holy power radiating from Kai’s hands finally reached its peak.

“I will fulfill the duty of a cleric.

Oh

, and by the way...” Kai’s golden hands touched Albert’s forehead. “I’m no ordinary cleric.”