50
The Holy Knights’ total force exceeds fifty thousand, but less than a quarter of them are stationed in Kairya City, with most of the troops deployed in various cities. Originally, the Holy Knights had five captains, who would rotate as deputy commanders to guard the Bright Cathedral. However, in recent months, monsters have been attacking frequently, targeting the church’s leadership directly. Two captains have already been lost, and their successors have yet to be chosen. The Holy Knights are not the only military force of the Church of Light; there are also Inquisition Knights responsible for apprehending criminals, Radiant Knights who protect the churches, Glory Mages, Light Priests, and others. In times of war, all these forces are unified under the command of the Holy Knights, totaling over a hundred thousand. Even with Cooper taking over the position of captain to help share the burden, coordinating everything is still no easy task.
Monsters are generally level 30 or higher, and those in the Eastern Canyon exceed level 50. A difference in levels can’t be bridged simply by numbers, and what’s more, if the demon lord breaks free from the seal, monsters everywhere will revolt at the same time. I can’t focus only on the Eastern Canyon and abandon other regions, so in the end, I could only select a little over thirty thousand troops.
Even with the teleportation magic arrays operating at full capacity, three days is only enough time for one round of initial deployments. The Holy Knights stationed in various regions have already led their squads to the Eastern Canyon, and I must set out immediately to join them. Further deployments and logistics will have to be handled by Miller, who will remain in Kairya City. As an exchange, Hilier must stay at the Bright Cathedral. Only he can maintain the magic array for the faction, ensuring that the garrisons across the regions can support each other in case of an emergency.
On the morning of departure, we hurried through the final checks. The room was filled with a heavy atmosphere; everyone’s faces were unconsciously tense, except for Daniel, who was still caught up in the excitement of his first mission. He couldn’t sit still and kept running to the window to sneak peeks at the Holy Knights assembling in the plaza, clearly eager to leave.
I asked Hilier, “He’s still young. Are you sure you want him to see what a battlefield is like so soon?”
“He’s going to see it someday, better sooner than later,” Hilier said, watching Daniel’s back. “Daniel’s healing magic is even better than mine was at his age, but the worst injury he’s seen so far is when Cooper stabbed you… We can’t have him crying every time you get hurt. If he keeps it up, he could fill a second pond in front of the Holy Spirit Hall.”
Me: “…”
Feeling a little guilty, I said, “Am I really injured that often…?”
Hilier just stared at me.
“…At least not seriously injured that often.”
He kept staring at me.
I reflected on myself for a moment. It’s true that I’ve been getting hurt a lot recently—if it weren’t for the effects of the [Weakness] curse, with my defense stats, ordinary attacks wouldn’t even break through. The series of serious injuries before must have been too concerning.
“Don’t worry, I won’t get hurt easily.” I reassured him.
“I’m not worried about you getting hurt because I can heal you. I can definitely heal you,” Hilier said softly. “But Alvin, I can’t resurrect you.”
“…”
“Sixty years ago, on the [Day of Miracles], the Church of Light sent out twenty thousand people. Only three thousand came back alive. You know what decisions the Holy Knight commander made back then. Can you promise me you won’t make the same choice?” he asked.
—Back then, the Holy Knight commander sacrificed himself and half the Holy Knights’ souls to summon the God of Light.
I glanced at Luke, who was standing by the window next to Daniel—while Luke had indeed shown remarkable abilities when facing the Dark God, it was more of a clever trick. Rather than saying he defeated the Dark God, it would be more accurate to say the Dark God made a compromise with Luke to let him go fight the demons.
According to the Dark God, the demon lord is of the same race as Him. I couldn’t even discern the Dark God’s level, so it’s likely the demon lord is even stronger. And Luke, his level is still just 50. Even at full strength, the God of Light needed the souls of ten thousand people to seal the demon lord, so what about now?
“…I’m sorry, Hilier. I can’t make that promise.” I had a fleeting urge to lie, but we both knew it wouldn’t mean anything. “All I can promise is that the demon lord won’t step out of the Eastern Canyon before I’m dead.”
Hilier lowered his gaze and didn’t speak for a long time.
He was no longer the boy who easily showed his emotions. His expression was so calm that it betrayed nothing, except for a small crack in his lake-green eyes when he looked into mine. I instinctively looked away, unable to face whatever he was hiding.
Silence hung in the air for a moment before he moved closer and gave me a hug.
His voice came slow and soft by my ear: “Then Alvin, I promise you this—when you’re fighting the demons, you won’t need to worry about what’s behind you.” After he spoke, he released me and looked straight into my eyes, firmly declaring, “You’ll win, just like every time.”
“Yes. I’ll bring back victory for you, just like every time.” I echoed his words.
Outside the window, the bell that signaled the troops’ assembly rang.
It was time to depart.
I picked up my greatsword and slung it across my back, hesitating for a moment but unable to think of anything else to say, so I just smiled at him. “I’m leaving.”
Hilier’s throat bobbed as if swallowing back some words. He closed his eyes, took a few slow breaths, and finally raised his head to give me a faint smile.
“Go on, my knight. When you return victorious, I’ll be standing at the door of the Bright Cathedral to welcome you back.”
“…Alright.”
51
The entrance to the Eastern Canyon is perpetually shrouded in clouds and mist, with a large concentration of elemental forces drifting about, forming colorful trails in the fog that occasionally collide with each other. This is said to be the result of the elemental chaos caused by the war long ago. Even the bravest rangers dare not venture deep into this area.
Those who have been blessed by divine power are unaffected by the chaotic elements, which is why only the Church can fight against the demons.
The Eastern Canyon is shaped like a goblet that has been split with a crack, surrounded by steep cliffs on all sides, with only one narrow exit. Walking down this steep, element-dominated path for about two kilometers leads to a broad area encircled by cliffs. The Holy Knights who arrived ahead of us had already begun setting up camp around the canyon. A few vague silhouettes appeared in the mist at the canyon entrance, but the Holy Knights walking around seemed accustomed to it, and no one paid much attention to that side.
Daniel had been excited the entire journey, and this moment was no exception. He pointed at the shadows hidden in the mist, nervously and eagerly asking, “Are those monsters?”
“No, those are the seals.”
He looked at me in confusion.
I hesitated for a moment, then gestured for Cooper to go and settle our people. I led Daniel toward the entrance of the canyon. As we got closer to the mist, the shapes of the shadows gradually became clearer. At a certain point, Daniel suddenly stopped moving. I could feel him trembling, his face unconsciously showing shock and fear.
—Contrary to what ordinary people imagine, the “seal” is not a circle of magic floating in mid-air, nor a huge statue of the God of Light, but rather… countless statues.
The long canyon looked like a frozen battlefield, with demons still in their attacking postures, only they had all turned into white stone. The warriors fighting them had also become statues, many of them with their limbs no longer intact. The warrior closest to the entrance had only his upper body left, his remaining hand desperately clutching a demon’s hind leg. In front of the demon, another person had stabbed through it with a spear, but a different demon was hanging from his shoulder, biting into his throat. Both the demons and the warriors had faces twisted in grotesque expressions.
These statues were only a few. If you went deeper into the canyon, you would see tens of thousands of white statues standing silently, showing the most brutal aspects of the battlefield.
“Alvin…” A hand gripped the corner of my clothes. Daniel’s clear golden eyes were trembling in their sockets. “Are they all…?”
“Yes.” I looked down at the warrior who had pierced through the demon. His messy hair and dirty blood covered his face, everything wrapped in white, making it impossible to see his expression. The demon’s sharp teeth hadn’t yet closed. It seemed like there was still hope for a different outcome—but I knew it was too late. He had already died sixty years ago.
This is the price of miracles.
Demons don’t have souls. The God of Light’s seal avoided all living beings with souls, but the warriors who sacrificed their souls to the Lord left their bodies on the battlefield forever.
52
I led the now-silent Daniel back. We were soon met by a group of Holy Knights running toward us. The one at the front wasn’t wearing a helmet, and his round face was covered in sweat. He was born with a face that seemed to always be smiling, even when he was serious—not that he was trying to be serious now, as he threw himself at me with a hug. “Captain! You finally made it! I’ve been waiting for you for three days!”
“Tod—”
“The east side is all set up, and the west side will be ready tonight! I haven’t seen Becken yet today. He’s been avoiding me, hiding in the canyon rather than coming out to meet me, but I figure he’s only got the south side sorted. The north side probably just got started—he’s not as fast as I am! Oh, by the way, Captain, I heard you brought Cooper back. Why haven’t I seen him?”
“Tod—”
“Hey, isn’t this Daniel? You’ve grown a lot taller since the last time I saw you! Are you hungry? There’s this fruit around here, I don’t remember the name, but it’s really good roasted. I’ll have someone bring you a couple to try… Haha, don’t be afraid. You’ll get used to it after a few days. The seal will hold for a while yet, it won’t break! Besides, our captain is here—nothing to be scared of!”
“Wait, Tod—”
“You guys are the last batch to arrive today. Let me think… Ah, there’ll be four thousand more tomorrow, then we’ll all be here! I didn’t let them into the canyon, they’re camped outside. The ones doing the setup inside are all seasoned veterans, Captain, you can be completely at ease! Oh, and leave the people you brought to me. I’ll talk to them, have them eat a meal and sleep, and I guarantee they’ll be in top shape tomorrow!”
“Todd!” I finally found a chance to interrupt his endless chatter.
Todd immediately shut his mouth.
I thought for a moment, but then realized I didn’t actually have anything else to say—despite his nonstop talking, this guy had actually covered everything…
“Never mind, go find Cooper and make arrangements. He shouldn’t have gone far… Two of the people we brought along were pulled from within the Bright Cathedral and don’t have any experience fighting demons, so pay extra attention to them.” I instructed.
“Got it! Don’t worry, Captain, I’m best at this!” Todd pounded a fist to his chest and grinned at me. “I’ll make sure to get the job done!”
“…”
Todd might seem a bit unreliable, but among all the captains, he’s the best at calming people’s hearts. Cooper might criticize him as useless, but he doesn’t realize that Todd’s role on the battlefield is more important than anyone else’s—war requires not just the ability to command and make judgments, but also to rally the troops.
I handed the still-dazed Daniel over to Todd and walked into the canyon alone.
Before she defected, Selina had taken me to the Eastern Canyon a few times, and I had also brought Cooper here before. Walking among these pale statues is not a pleasant experience. I navigated through the silent statues in the mist until the space opened up before me. The mist thinned, spreading across the entire canyon floor, revealing the situation around me. Countless ropes and planks hung down from the cliff walls, connecting the many platforms that had been carved out by hand. Huge, magically powered ballistae had been set up, with most of their barrels pointed toward the sealing array at the bottom of the canyon.
Some Holy Knights were inspecting the state of the seal. I saw Becken’s back from a distance but didn’t approach him, instead continuing toward the center of the battlefield, eventually arriving in front of a massive statue. This statue was at least five meters tall, making humans look small in its presence. It stood like a giant tree rooted in the battlefield, with countless tendrils hanging down from it—some had pierced the attacking warriors, some were gathered together to fend off attacks, and many more ends were bulging, forming the shapes of demons about to break away from its body.
—This was the demon lord, the source of all demons.
I saw that the surface of the white statue was covered in countless cracks, with a foul, blood-red color pulsing through them—something that hadn’t been there before. It was clear that the demon lord was about to break free—our time was indeed running out.
Surrounding the demon lord, the statues of demons and warriors were layered upon each other, leaving hardly any gaps to pass through, except for one spot that seemed strangely empty. There, a lone statue knelt in a calm posture. He was on his knees, his back bowed under an invisible heavy weight, his head lowered, with his right hand resting on a sword planted in the ground and his left hand pressed to his chest—a position somewhere between loyalty and repentance.
Luke stood in front of this statue, his hands resting on its shoulders, staring at it in a daze.
I had grown used to his sudden appearances, but seeing him still made me pause—his level had somehow risen by another ten, and his hair had turned a very light platinum color, with faint markings on his exposed skin that subtly resembled the cracks on the statue behind him.
I didn’t ask about these changes. Instead, I followed his gaze to the kneeling statue. “…Do you know him?”
Luke slowly nodded. “He’s my knight commander.”
—Yes, this statue was the Holy Knight commander who decided to sacrifice himself sixty years ago.
I looked at the statue’s bent back, feeling something indescribable, and asked, somewhat surprised, “Have your memories returned?”
“Mm.” Luke stared at the top of the statue’s head. “I remember him. He tasted terrible.”
He lifted his head to look around, his pale eyes taking in the countless statues. He slowly said, “They all tasted terrible.”
“They used to taste really good…” Luke’s expression remained his usual blankness, but something glimmered at the corners of his eyes. He blinked, and that something rolled down his cheek, dripping onto the ground in front of the statue. He repeated, “They used to taste really good.”
“…”
I looked out at the endless statues, and beyond them, the Holy Knights climbing on the cliffs, so small they looked like a swarm of ants. Perhaps they knew what they were about to face, or perhaps they didn’t, but either way, there was no turning back—beyond the canyon lay the entire continent…
Finally, I turned my gaze back to the kneeling statue, and for a moment, I felt like I could understand how he must have felt when he sacrificed his soul. At that moment, what he must have been thinking was…
“I’m sorry.”
Human strength has its limits, unable to protect everything we wish to defend on our own, so we place our hopes in you, asking you to bear their wishes.
“Wishes…” Luke murmured, then suddenly asked me, “Is this your wish too?”
I was taken aback.
Images flashed before my eyes, and I seemed to see the forest on the outskirts of Xinchou City. A faint white light hovered in the clearing between the trees, with semi-transparent tendrils floating around it like ribbons. One of those tendrils lightly touched my forehead, and a soft, hollow voice asked me—[They all pray to me to grant their wishes, but you’ve never asked me for anything, why?]
In my mind, the codex lit up, and at that moment, the plot for my personal affection level of 10 finally unlocked, with a simple two-word title—
[Soul]
