Vol 2 Chapter 42

"Damn it! What are you trying to make me do now! Goddess or not, I'll kick her awake myself!"

"For crying out loud. Why are all your quests like this?"

Palton, who was holding back Kion's arms as he was delivering terrifying kicks to the sacred altar, was definitely not in a good mood either.

"I'm already going crazy, and you're doing this too?"

After about an hour of cursing at each other and venting their directionless anger, the two barely regained their senses and stood in front of the altar again.

"...Yes. What... kind of... proof are you talking about?"

Despite Kion's extremely disrespectful words trembling with anger, the altar continued its speech without any reaction.

[The proof is none other than reversing the situation when the goddess fell asleep.]

"Hey, do you understand what nonsense this thing is spouting?"

Whoosh!

Regardless of Kion's bewildered question, the heartless altar arbitrarily burst into light and began to unfold a vision that was now even familiar to him.

'If you don't want to explain, it's always this! Argh! I don't want to see this anymore!'

"You... Why did you come back here? ...Didn't you say it was your principle not to fight battles you can't win?"

The white-robed priest standing in the middle of the blood-soaked battlefield asked with a frown.

Kion already knew all too well who that guy was.

The priest of Skaga, known as the legendary Holy Knight. Having to progress through the quest by unwillingly watching his memories, that face had already become as familiar as his own. The red-eyed man who smiled a mocking smile at the Holy Knight's words and suddenly embraced him, the Bloody Knight, was the same.

"That's right. I don't fight battles I can't win."

"Yeah, that's the kind of guy you are. Crazy, unpleasant, and heartless. So just leave quickly, like yourself! Have you really gone mad from all the fighting? Why did you come back? Why do I have to be with you even at a moment like this!"

The Holy Knight, who had been shouting sharply, raised his head as he pushed the other away with a pained expression. But when the Bloody Knight saw his slightly reddened eyes from the excitement, he suddenly smiled as if he had gone mad.

This was the first time Kion had seen the Holy Knight and Bloody Knight, who had been constantly growling at each other throughout all the memories he had seen so far, show such an appearance.

'What, what kind of performance is this all of a sudden?'

"Seeing how much you hate it, I feel it was worth coming back."

"...This is no time for jokes. It's not too late even now, go back and protect those you really need to protect. I'm enough here alone."

"No."

Regardless of Kion's puzzlement, the Bloody Knight was beaming with a smile that seemed genuinely happy rather than unpleasant.

"I'm crazy, unpleasant, and heartless, so I'll do as I please. When have I ever listened to you? So if you want to protest, do it after you finish what you said you had to do. I'll listen then."

"Did you hate those words that much? Then I'll take them back, so go!"

"I don't like that either. You're the only one who calls me that."

"So what?"

"I've been thinking, you're quite oblivious."

"What did you say?"

And towards the endless horde of monsters approaching and surrounding them without their notice, the Bloody Knight launched himself.

"Kyaaah!"

"Hahahahaha!"

True to his inhuman nature that made Kion click his tongue every time he saw it, the Bloody Knight relentlessly cut down enemies even though he was alone. However, an ill-fitting joyful smile still hung on his lips.

"What are you doing! I told you to go!"

The Holy Knight shouted, but the Bloody Knight was already too far to hear, busy slaughtering all the incoming monsters. In just a few minutes, dozens of corpses had piled up, yet there was still no end in sight to the monsters. Despite this, the Bloody Knight looked as relaxed as if he was on a picnic, making the Holy Knight wear an expression that looked like he might cry.

"...Damn it. Why until the very end..."

Suppressing his legs that wanted to rush out to help immediately, he knelt in the safe space secured by the Bloody Knight and clasped his blood-stained hands tightly. Before entering the 'ritual' for the last time, he left a choked cry.

"You son of a bitch! If you dare say nonsense later about getting hurt because of me, I won't let you off! If you're going to protect, do it properly!"

"Hahahaha...!"

A familiar mad laughter responded from afar. Hearing that laughter, the Holy Knight closed his eyes.

"Crazy bastard. Even if you succeed... my body will become a divine vessel. ...I told you to leave because I didn't want to show you that sight... Whatever happens now is all your fault."

After muttering so it couldn't be heard, the Holy Knight began to chant. The incantation, which Kion couldn't hear clearly, started low, but gradually grew louder and faster, until it became almost a scream towards the end. At the same time, as if responding to that heart-wrenching cry, the light that started from his hands grew stronger, finally becoming sacred flames that enveloped his entire body and blazed up.

Whoosh!

Even Kion flinched at the sight that looked as if the whole body was burning, but the Bloody Knight, who had been sweeping away enemies in the distance with an attitude of not caring whether he got hurt or not, was even more surprised. The Bloody Knight, soaked in blood and bodily fluids to a degree that was frightening to even dream about, began to run towards him, cutting down enemies like a mad lion.

"What? What's happening!"

But before he could reach him, the flames completely expanded and engulfed the Holy Knight's body, and then continued to grow until they finally exploded with a bang and soared to the edge of the sky. For a moment, it looked as if the sky and earth were connected by a pillar of fire. It was such an overwhelming sight that one could barely open their eyes.

Kion could no longer tell if the Holy Knight was alive or not inside those flames. As if surprised by the flames that reached the sky, even the monsters that had filled the plain stopped moving. It seemed as if time had stopped for all existing things.

A moment later, the pillar of fire exploded with an intense roar, melting hundreds of monsters before disappearing. While the remaining monsters, screaming as if they had just been unfrozen, were panicking in fear, someone walked out of the bursting light.