Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 276

Panic rippled through the Holy City. Shouts echoed in the grand halls of the Central Temple, not prayers, but angry accusations. Rumors, like dark smoke, were spreading from Noviens, reaching even the quiet corners of the McClean Kingdom.

In the McClean Kingdom, far from the Holy City, a different kind of storm was brewing. It started with a simple message, but it carried the weight of the world: trouble for the Pope.

The Sword Duke spoke calmly, but his eyes were sharp. “Cardinal Essel, it seems urgent news has arrived. You are needed back at the Temple.”

Essel’s face went red. “Nonsense! We are close to finding the truth! We will not leave until those… *abandoned ones* are handed over!” He slammed his fist on the table.

But the Sword Duke didn’t flinch. “Cardinal,” he said, his voice now a little sharper, “rumors say there are calls to impeach the Pope himself. Surely a Cardinal’s place is at the Temple in such times?”

Essel stopped shouting. His mouth opened, but no words came out. “Impeach… the Pope?” he finally whispered, all the color draining from his face.

“Indeed,” the Sword Duke continued, “It might be wise to see what is happening, wouldn’t you agree?”

Essel hurriedly rushed into the tent and soon reappeared.

“The investigation team will return to the temple immediately!!”

With that urgent cry, the course of the investigation team was decided.

Behind the frantically galloping investigation team, complaints erupted from among the elite of the Second Corps, who were also speeding up.

“Are we really going to let those lunatics go back like this?”

The knights around him nodded unconsciously at Louis’s disgruntled voice.

The Inquisitors, in their eyes, were nothing more than mad fanatics.

If something didn’t align with their religious views, they would swing their maces to smash heads or demand burning at the stake for the slightest pretext.

If the knights hadn’t stopped them, it was impossible to guess how many innocent lives would have been unjustly taken.

The Sword Duke understood their anger, but he simply shook his head calmly.

“At least we can’t let them cause damage within our kingdom. That alone would give the temple a pretext.”

“Tch. That’s a pity.”

“He’s just a selfish man, rushing back to look good for the Pope, not caring about the Temple’s real problems. The rest are just brainwashed puppets. There’s no need to hold it against them.”

Louis, who had been nodding at his calm voice, tilted his head at a sudden question.

“One vote?”

“It seems that all the high priests of bishop-level or higher gather to vote on the impeachment resolution. Even a cardinal is just one vote there.”

“Huh…… Just for that, he’s in such a hurry……. Ah, then the Inquisitors’ votes will be included too. Didn’t you say that those acting agents have bishop-level divine power?”

“Since they are bishops in charge of each diocese, they will not be included.”

“So, really, he’s just going to cast one vote?”

“That fellow will prioritize his own position. He probably wants to look good to the Pope.”

The logic behind the leader of the lunatics moving so urgently was that simple.

“Goodness. I’ve seen him for weeks, and I still can’t get used to that kind of person.”

Louis sneered and ridiculed Essel.

Of course, Essel, unaware of their thoughts, was simply hurrying along the road with an urgent heart.

After riding for three days, the Sword Duke, who had finally passed through the trading city of Kyle and reached the border, said to Essel with a relieved expression.

“Well, this is as far as we go. Please return safely, Your Eminence Cardinal.”

“I will never forget this grace.”

Essel gritted his teeth as he replied to the Sword Duke, who even had a smile on his face.

He hadn’t done anything he came to do because the knights stopped him, it was only natural that he would grind his teeth.

But there was no time to complain further.

“Return as quickly as possible!”

Watching the departing back of the investigation team as they hurriedly crossed the border, Louis joked.

“Now all that’s left is to return to the capital. You must be happy to see Miss Stella after a long time.”

“No, there is still important work left.”

Unlike Louis, who was smiling brightly, his superior made an unexpected remark with a stern face.

“Yes?”

“Lead the knights and return first.”

“M…Me?”

“There was an order from His Majesty. Put someone of similar build to me on my beloved horse and place them at the front. You and all the knights must treat them as if they were me, at least outwardly.”

At those words, Louis’s face immediately hardened.

“Don’t tell me……”

“I’m counting on you.”

The Sword Duke, who patted him on the shoulder, soon disappeared from the horse.

It was the movement of the Ghost Shadow, which the Sword Duke was so proud of.

However, Louis, who had been watching and learning by his side for many years, could vaguely tell that the movement was directed towards the west.

“Ah. Don’t tell me……”

Although he felt uneasy, Louis soon recalled the Sword Duke’s order and steered his horse straight towards the capital.

“Faster! Faster! We’re late! We’re going to be late!”

Since entering the Empire’s border while the McClean knights waved goodbye, Essel urged the Inquisitors, gradually increasing their speed. He himself, riding at the front, was having the hardest time, yet he even poured divine power into his horse.

‘Impeachment? What nonsense.’

If the Pope was impeached, he would be finished too.

Because the Pope he knew would never die alone.

‘He’s the kind of person who would drag me down with him.’

That guess made him anxious.

Even among fallen priests, there was a limit. The temple wouldn’t severely punish him for mere bribery, but his secret tastes were taboo even among the rotten priests.

If revealed, excommunication was a given, and he could even be executed.

That was why the Pope could use him like a pawn.

Even though he was a cardinal with clearly independent authority.

He regretted his immature past.

‘Why did I leave evidence behind?’

Of course, he didn’t believe that the Pope would be impeached without a fight.

That’s why he had to return as quickly as possible and prove his loyalty.

That was why he was hurrying so much, when a sudden voice came from behind the galloping horse.

“Your Eminence Cardinal. Obstacles ahead!”

Obstacles?

On the hill where they were busily riding, stone statues stood silently beyond the setting sun.

‘What are those?’

Since they had chosen the shortest shortcut from the Empire’s border to the Central Temple, the road could be rough.

But since they had used this road before, there was no way they wouldn’t know if there were such impressive obstacles.

“Huh? They’re mov, they’re moving!?”

“What?”

“They’re Golems!”

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

Instead of the panicking Essel, Robe shouted towards the entire investigation team.

The horses were tired. They had run all morning and climbed many hills. They were not fast anymore.

*Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.* The sound grew louder.

Before the Inquisitors could get ready to fight, the stone statues came closer, their feet hitting the ground hard.

Right in front of them stood the stone statues. They were huge, like giants from old stories. They towered over the soldiers, blocking out the sun.

These giant statues wore armor and carried huge weapons that needed two hands to hold.

They had big swords and hammers. These weapons looked simple but strong, and their edges were sharp enough to cut through bone.

Over fifty stone statues charged at them, weapons ready.

Fear froze the faces of the Inquisitors. Their eyes were wide as they stared at the giants.

Oooooong.

At the same time, a sudden wave of strong energy crushed them.

“Magic!! Everyone, use Holy Power!”

With Robe’s shout, pure white light exploded from the bodies of the Executors.

A wide-area Holy Art called ‘Sanctuary Declaration’ was used. It was a high-level spell that could only be cast when many Executors who knew Saint Aura and pure Holy Power were together.

The spell boosted the combat power and morale of the Inquisitors.

“Uwaaaah!”

Hearing his comrades’ battle cries, Robe felt his fighting spirit return.

‘We can crush any of those blighters quickly.’

They were the Executors of divine punishment, doing God’s will on Earth.

‘Only Sword Demon is strange; we are the strongest!’

Robe felt sure of this as he raised his iron club with all his might.

‘Danger!’

He felt a sudden, chilling feeling and quickly ducked his head.

Snip.

He saw the arm holding the iron club float into the air with a small sound. It looked strangely familiar.

The sharp pain that followed also felt strangely familiar.

Of course, the pain itself was something one could never get used to.

“Aargh!”

“Tsk. Only two dodged?”

Robe screamed without meaning to. A voice he had heard often over the past few weeks echoed from right beside him.

The voice was more chilling than the severed head of his comrade now rolling on the ground.

“S, Sword Demon!!”

As if answering the shout, a masked figure appeared before Robe.

Even though he knew the person and voice, the masked figure asked, pretending to be innocent, “Hmm? Who? I don’t know anyone like that?”

“Don’t play dumb, you fiend! Aren’t you afraid of God’s punishment!”

The answer to that shout didn’t come from the Sword Demon, but from somewhere else.

“This is God’s punishment!”

A calm but strong voice spoke. Golden light exploded from the center of the team. A dozen Inquisitors nearby were torn apart like paper. They died without even a scream.

Right after that, the ground fell apart with a loud roar.

Rumble!

The path the team had been running on disappeared. The ground around them sank seven or eight meters.

Heeheeheeing!

“Aargh!”

“Be careful!”

“It’s high-level magic!”

Of course, that alone couldn’t kill all 300 Inquisitors, but the horses were already unsteady from the gravity magic. They were killed, and their death cries filled the air.

Everyone on the battlefield looked at another masked figure who had suddenly appeared. The team was trying to recover from the shock of the sudden, huge destruction and the appearance of the one who had caused it.

However, a few Inquisitors who were still thinking clearly saw that the masked figure in the center was breathing hard.

“The enemy used too much power!”

“Now’s our chance! Kill him!”

“Receive God’s punishment!”

But at that moment…

“Not a chance!”

A beam of red light shot out and hit the Inquisitors who were trying to get to the central masked figure.

“Sword Demon! You heretic! You will be punished by God!”

Cardinal Esel was the only one who had only been hurt in the fall. He limped and cursed.

However, the Sword Demon didn’t answer. He just kept killing the Inquisitors. Soon, another scream came from the back.

“Aaaargh!”

“I’ll grind you all to dust!”

A silver storm hit the side of an Inquisitor.

A thin, masked figure appeared. A silver wind swept through the Inquisitors.

Crack! Crunch!

“Aaaaargh!”

The silver wind went through the middle of the battlefield. It went through the gaps in the armor, cutting the Inquisitors’ bones and flesh.

Even some of the Chief Inquisitors who blocked the silver wind with pure white light were stabbed by the sharp sword of the thin masked figure.

The silver storm had become a red storm of blood. It destroyed the back of the team. Taking advantage of that, the fifty stone statues jumped down below the broken ground.

Wham!

The golems jumped down like falling rocks and began to swing their big weapons.

“Th, this can’t be!”

“Fight!”

“Stop them!”

The Inquisitors could have handled one golem in normal times, but they were easily swept away without even attacking.

The fate of the Inquisitor team was decided when the masked figure in the center, who had been resting under the protection of his allies, began to glow with golden light again.

“No one escaped, Your… ahem, Lord.”

“Those Executors were enemies worth cutting down. If you tell that guy who couldn’t come, he’ll be sad. Hee hee.”

“You both did well.”

The masked figures who had destroyed the temple’s best soldiers gathered around one person.

It was hard to believe that just four people, including the mage who came from behind the golems, had done this. But it was what they had expected and planned.

“Not at all. Your power was the greatest, Lord.”

“That strike is amazing, no matter how many times I see it.”

“The advice my master gave me was very helpful.”

Logan, the leader of the masked figures, smiled under his mask.

The sixth form of the Divine Sword Secret Technique, ‘Severing the Source,’ was supposed to be a killing move that could destroy anything, no matter how strong. But it needed too much power to use on a few people.

Therefore, Sword Demon had said it might be better to change the form into a wide-area attack that broke the ground or objects around them.

The changed form, ‘Cataclysm of All Things,’ had now been used for the second time, after the civil war.

“I was worried about not being able to bring Ru… that fellow, but I didn’t need to be.”

“It’s his fault for being so big. There’s no way that guy could go unnoticed.”

The swordsmen laughed and criticized the missing member, but the mage didn’t laugh.

“But, Lord, even if I erase the memories of the earth and clean up perfectly, people will still suspect us. I’m worried that instead of the chaos you want in the temple, it might focus attention on our King, ahem, on us.”

“I know what you’re saying, but you don’t need to worry about that.”

Logan dismissed Clayton’s worries with a confident voice.