Disciple of The Three Kings [EN]: Chapter 98

The Three Kings’ Disciple (99)

098

‘Red Devil.’

Pile spoke the name of the person she believed was the mastermind behind everything.

‘Red Devil, Kwon Cheol.’

The leader of the Red Army, one of the two volunteer groups in South Korea.

However, his infamy had spread even to the other side, Einheart.

Unlike the Blue Army, which focused on activities within South Korea, the Red Army’s main base was in South Korea, but

‘The whole world.’

It could be said that their reach extended across the globe.

The bio-weapons they created were taking the lives of countless people around the world.

‘Peace treaty…’

It seemed like she knew what the Red Devil was aiming for.

The peace treaty between Eun and Einheart.

‘He’s planning to break it.’

The Red Devil was planning to nullify the peace treaty.

The Batella Knights, with their special status as first visitors.

At the same time, they were a representative force of Einheart, like the Nine Great Sects of Eun [a powerful group of martial arts schools].

If they died in South Korea.

Even if it was the Red Bomb, the Red Devil’s doing.

‘Eun cannot avoid responsibility.’

The result of all this was one thing.

‘War will start again.’

She knew.

How utterly useless this peace was.

And what kind of calculation it was born from.

But even so….

Clench.

There were those who needed this peace.

‘We must evacuate.’

Lee Shin-woo said in a hurried voice.

‘If the Batella Knights, especially Pile, are killed or injured here, it will be uncontrollable.’

Not the Empire’s knights, but the Church’s knights.

The Church would not take the sacrifice of their knights lightly.

Even if that wasn’t the case, the worst-case scenario remained.

‘The hotel explosion could be blamed on the Batella Knights.’

The dead have no voice.

The Batella Knights would become scapegoats in the upcoming chaos.

The reason why that was possible was.

‘There’s someone on the Red Devil’s side in the Association.’

It was Ro-woon’s voice.

‘There are those in the Association who don’t want peace either. In the first place, the Red Devil couldn’t have made these preparations without their help.’

The worst situation.

‘So…’

They had to evacuate.

They had to survive, reveal the truth, and prevent the agreement between Eun and Einheart from breaking down.

That was the role of the Batella Knights Commander, Pile.

Wooong.

The space rippled.

Lee Shin-woo had finished preparing to evacuate Pile.

‘Red Bomb, huh…’

But Pile didn’t move, as if nailed to the spot.

‘Can this barrier block it?’

The hotel’s barrier, which even the Batella Knights couldn’t easily break.

But what about the infamous Red Bomb?

‘The barrier will be destroyed, and the aftermath will spread everywhere.’

Pile looked out the window.

Beyond the barrier, countless buildings and people could be seen.

They seemed to have started evacuating after sensing the anomaly, but it was unknown how many could evacuate in such a short time.

‘Thousands, tens of thousands.’

More innocent people would die.

Clench.

Pile clenched her fist as if she had made up her mind.

‘I won’t run away.’

‘What are you talking about!’

Lee Shin-woo shouted in an agitated voice.

‘Are you going to watch tens of thousands of people be sacrificed meaninglessly?’

‘You…’

She was peculiar.

‘I know. It’s hypocrisy.’

Einheart.

They were not much different from Eun.

Although their methods and direction of domination were different from Eun, they were still occupiers and invaders.

The resistance against them was not spared by Einheart’s blade, and the persecution and oppression of players and ordinary people were no less than that of Eun.

But.

‘I can’t do that.’

That was Pile’s will.

A brief glance at Ro-woon.

‘I was saved by someone too. I’m saving someone too. Even if it’s heresy, Seran wouldn’t want a life to be wasted.’

Those who opposed the Church’s will were all heretics.

The Church considered Pile’s ideology dangerous.

That was why Pile spent more time outside the Church than inside.

She didn’t think her thoughts were wrong.

‘I’ll stay. I’ll try to block the aftermath of the Red Bomb as much as possible.’

Wooong.

‘Blue Devil, take the members and evacuate.’

‘Really…’

‘You… run away too.’

Pile said to Ro-woon.

Her body was already enveloped in a bright light.

Saint Knight.

Saint Berserker.

A term used to mean a holy berserker, but also literally.

‘Saint Light.’

It also meant a knight of holy light.

If Eun had divine weapons, the Church had items that surpassed them.

‘Holy Artifacts.’

Items known to imbue the wearer with the power of God.

‘Batellanos.’

Golden armor, wings fluttering behind it.

Holding a long spear, she looked like a knight of heaven who had just fallen from the sky.

‘I’m going.’

The moment her spear struck the floor.

Kwaaaang!

She was no longer there.

‘That’s crazy.’

Lee Shin-woo said, biting his lip.

But what could he do?

‘For such a person to die.’

Her will was noble, and it was something he would do if he could.

But the Red Bomb was not something that Lee Shin-woo was confident he could stop.

‘What are you doing?’

Ro-woon said, looking at Lee Shin-woo.

‘If you were asked, move.’

He was asked to save the knights.

‘What about you?’

Lee Shin-woo asked Ro-woon, but Ro-woon didn’t answer.

Instead.

Swoosh.

He was looking out the window, somewhere.

***

-Batella Knights, listen up.

Pile’s voice pierced through the space and reached everyone inside the barrier.

Saint Speech.

Her will was amplified by mana and spread out.

-Everyone evacuate.

She made her intentions clear.

-I will not accept insubordination. Also, if anyone remains, know that you will die by my hand.

Having said that, she looked ahead.

‘You guys evacuate too. There’s someone who will open the door for you.’

Standing in front of her were Cainrich and Goliath.

They were blocking the way, having cornered those presumed to be Red Bombs on one floor.

The Red Bomb had already proven its destructive power in Einheart.

‘You can’t touch them carelessly.’

If they were accidentally killed, they would explode.

First, they had to be gathered in one place, their actions restricted, and then the aftermath of the explosion minimized with the maximum barrier and shield.

That was the only known way to deal with the Red Bomb.

‘Commander.’

Goliath, also wearing a holy artifact, said.

‘I’d rather die by the Commander’s hand.’

‘What?’

‘If we run away like this, the honor of the Knights will be tarnished, right? The Commander said that tarnishing the honor of a knight is the same as death, didn’t you?’

‘Goliath.’

‘It’s the same for me.’

Cainrich, also wearing a holy artifact, said.

He was the top brain in the Batella Knights.

‘I can’t let the honor of the Knights be tarnished.’

When even he stepped forward, Pile sighed.

‘You idiots.’

They didn’t know the value of their lives and were stepping forward.

Smirk.

But she didn’t hate it.

‘The rest of the rookies can run away, but strictly speaking, we’re your seniors, Commander.’

The two had been in the Knights before Pile became commander.

‘Do as you please.’

Having said that, Pile infused her holy artifact with power and said.

‘How many Red Bombs are there?’

‘At least…’

Cainrich said with an awkward smile.

‘There are ten of them.’

‘Huh.’

A hollow laugh escaped her lips.

The Red Bomb that exploded in the Paroln Cathedral of the Church in Einheart was the work of two people.

As a result, the Paroln Cathedral, which was protected by the Holy Shield, disappeared without a trace, and everything within a two-kilometer radius was erased.

And there were more than ten of those Red Bombs.

‘They’re worse than us.’

‘Who would say otherwise?’

She could feel the terrible malice that was trying to erase everything completely.

‘How much time is left until they explode?’

‘I don’t know.’

The activation conditions of the Red Bomb were unknown.

According to the investigation results.

‘Command.’

They would only explode when someone gave the order.

Otherwise, they would explode if they were killed.

‘So, you’re saying we don’t know when we’ll die.’

‘Who’s going to die?’

Having said that, Pile grabbed her spear with both hands and moved forward.

Charrrr!

The lance, which was taller than Pile, unfolded and transformed into a shield-like shape.

Haaaaaa-!

A holy song that vibrated the air.

‘Seran, grant me your protection.’

The bright light that spread from her spear, which had turned into a shield, began to envelop everything.

‘I will add my strength.’

The light emanating from Cainrich and Goliath’s holy artifacts became one.

They had rolled around on the battlefield countless times, so they could instinctively feel it.

‘Now.’

The Red Bomb was about to explode.

Kooong.

At first, it was just a small vibration.

But then, all sound disappeared.

‘Ah…’

A white space, as if encountering Seran, the god of the Church.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!

Then, a shock that shook her whole body followed.

‘Kuh!’

Blood flowed from Pile’s mouth.

Pile glared as if trying to pierce through the white space.

‘It’s still a relief.’

Smirk.

‘I paid my debt.’

Ro-woon, who had saved her.

If he was really him, then this time, she had saved him.

With that….

Hwaaaak!

It was enough.

The white light broke through Seran’s protection and began to envelop Pile’s body.

There were three layers of protection left.

Jjeoeong!

One.

Jjeoeoeong!

Two.

And with the last one remaining, Pile closed her eyes as if praying.

* * *

Pile, who had closed her eyes as if praying.

‘……?’

She had prepared for the shock that would follow, but she didn’t feel any pain.

Only then did Pile quietly open her eyes.

In a bright world.

‘……!’

A large back was visible.

The curves that could not be hidden by thin clothes.

The man with that back was nonchalantly reaching out his hand.

Hwaaaak-!

The light that covered the world was being sucked into his grasp.

‘Se, Seran-nim?’

Pile said, thinking of the only being capable of such a thing.

Their god.

He had heard her prayers and offered salvation….

‘What are you talking about?’

He slowly turned his gaze.

‘It’s distracting, so quietly step back.’

‘……!’

He was not Seran.

‘This time…’

He looked ahead again.

‘I need to concentrate too.’

Pile couldn’t believe it.

The man she thought had run away.

The man who had saved her.

‘How…’

He had reappeared and was reaching out his hand to save her again.

‘Don’t misunderstand.’

He said.

‘It’s just a good opportunity I’ve been waiting for.’

He was spouting incomprehensible words.

Only then did Pile turn her head and look at Goliath and Cainrich.

The holy artifacts and skin were charred black.

‘…….’

She could see that they had sacrificed their bodies to save her from the Red Bomb explosion.

Fortunately, she could still hear their breathing.

‘Ah…’

Then, she felt her own consciousness fading.

The maximum protection.

There was a ritual required to use the holy artifacts, and the price for using them without even doing that was rushing in.

‘I have to help…’

I can’t be saved again.

I’m different from the me back then.

She thought that, but Pile couldn’t hold onto her fading consciousness.

Thud.

When she finally collapsed.

‘Finally fell asleep.’

Ro-woon said, reaching out with his other hand.

‘Circle. I’ll make it this time.’

All the power contained in this massive explosion was being sucked in.

Chaaaaak!

The flames of the holy fire and blood-red wings spread out behind Ro-woon’s back.