The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 157

“Haa… This is why I shouldn’t follow Rael, hyung-nim….”

Carlson sighed, pointing his sword at the unidentified demon.

A demon that looked like a grotesque mix of goblins, orcs, and trolls was crawling towards them.

The entire plaza was surrounded by a massive, pulsating mass of flesh, and all of this had happened in less than a minute.

-Gurgle- Grrr….

“Sir Carlson! Focus!”

Lucas shouted, turning around after cutting down an approaching demon.

Fortunately, Lucas was used to such sudden attacks and could react quickly.

-Come this way….

“I’m plenty focused!”

Clang-!

Carlson’s divine power-infused sword aura rushed towards the demon’s neck.

Like the succubi they had encountered in Arconia’s red-light district, the demons emitted seductive voices meant to lure humans.

The energy they sensed was around mid-tier demon level.

One-on-one might be manageable, but there were too many of them for the two to handle alone.

“O-Oppa… what do I do?”

“Nia! Don’t come out of the Saintess’s barrier!”

Carlson stepped forward, protecting Nia, Harry, and the other priest candidates.

He had been focusing all his attention on guarding Nia and Harry at Rael hyung-nim’s request, so he was able to react immediately to the demons’ surprise attack.

“Sir Carlson, Lucas-nim. Don’t worry about us!”

Whoosh-

Cecilia, standing next to the children, unleashed divine power.

Cecilia cast a barrier, blessing Carlson and Lucas.

The demons melted powerlessly whenever they touched her divine power barrier, but their numbers were simply overwhelming.

“Demon King Manifestation, Myriad Demons Adoration!”

It wasn’t just the demons.

Even the Cult of Gaia followers, whom they had failed to find when they turned Arconia’s red-light district upside down, were joining the attack.

“These crazy bastards… why are they attacking with demons!”

“They’re Cult of Gaia followers! We must cut them down without hesitation!”

“I know! It’s just annoying!”

Carlson complained, moving his sword relentlessly.

He had no hesitation in cutting down the Cult of Gaia followers.

It was just annoying that so many were swarming them.

“S-Sir Carlson. What suddenly happened?!”

At that moment, the Silver Cross Knights, who had been resting in their lodgings, appeared.

As soon as they saw the sky turning dark, they armed themselves and rushed out, encountering Carlson and Lucas fighting the demons.

“Can’t you see? It’s an attack! With Captain Marco and the Hero not here, I’m taking temporary command of the Silver Cross Knights. Join the battle immediately! The primary objective is to protect the clergy and priest candidates!”

“Y-Yes! For Gaia!”

At Carlson’s words, the Silver Cross Knights immediately jumped into the battle.

Carlson, the hope of the Silver Cross Knights and the next captain, unleashed a divine power sword aura.

His orders carried considerable weight.

“Everyone, don’t worry about injuries and fight!”

Whoosh-

Cecilia’s divine power, spreading around, imbued the holy knights.

The holy knights widened their eyes at the tremendous influx of divine power.

At this rate, they could recover quickly even if their limbs were cut off.

“This should make things a little easier. Lucas. Let’s hold out until Rael hyung-nim arrives!”

Lucas nodded, looking at Carlson, who was smiling.

And he spoke with a sense of respect.

“…Sir Carlson, you looked very impressive just now, commanding the Silver Cross Knights. I’m seeing you in a new light.”

“Huh? Really? Keuheuheu. Let’s take care of these guys first, and then introduce me to your girlfriends around here, Lucas.”

“I’ll try my best when we return to the capital!”

Kwaang-!

Carlson continued to fight, throwing out jokes.

Fortunately, the Silver Cross Knights joined in time, and the battle situation didn’t worsen.

Squeak- Squeak-

But at that moment.

Demons with immense magical power, far surpassing mid-tier demons, began to shamble forward.

Each one was partially submerged in a massive mass of flesh, emitting palpable demonic energy.

“…Lucas. We need to be quite careful with those.”

“No. It’s alright now.”

“What? …Ah. Is he already here?”

Carlson sighed in relief and turned his head.

At the same time as feeling a familiar magical power nearby, the demons in front of him began to be torn to pieces.

– Kuaaaaak!

– I-Impossible! Upper demon Raphael-nim, defeated with a single sword…!

Thud. Thud.

Rael, who had arrived at the branch unnoticed, looked around.

He shook off the remnants of corrupted energy [Dapcheon] from the Holy Sword and turned his head.

“You guys were doing well on your own. Carlson. Lucas.”

“Rael hyung-nim!”

“Sir Rael. Are you alright? How did you get in?”

Lucas looked up at the sky.

The disgusting mass of flesh covering the entire plaza was still there.

“I just made a hole and came in. By the way, Carlson. Where is Archbishop Aldebaran?”

“I’m not sure either. He’s been missing since before the attack started.”

“Tsk. I’ll have to mobilize the Silver Cross Knights. Silver Cross Knights! From now on, split into pairs and scatter….”

“No need. Rael.”

Kent, who was behind Rael, walked forward with an axe in his hand.

The giant race, who inherited the blood of warriors, could sense the location of their comrades better than anyone else.

“It’s over there.”

Kent started walking ahead.

*

The statue of Gaia, not far from the Arconia branch.

Rael discovered a huge secret door open in front of it.

The footprints and recently disturbed earth all pointed to this place.

“Kent, Carlson, Lucas, and I will enter with the Saintess. Captain Marco, please remain here and command the Silver Cross Knights. You still have to protect the priests and priest candidates.”

Rael said, looking around, feeling the eerie energy emanating from within.

“No. Rael. I’ll follow too.”

At that moment, Marco, who had followed Rael, stepped forward.

“Yes?”

“The mid-tier demons here can be handled by the holy knights blessed by the Saintess alone. There’s a high possibility of a battle breaking out below, so I’ll help too.”

“I understand. Then let’s go together, Captain.”

Rael hesitated for a moment before nodding.

He was prepared to extract the brainwashing by force if he insisted on following, but if he forcibly extracted the brainwashing like with Cecilia, his memories might not be intact, which could be even more troublesome.

‘Well, it might be better to keep a dangerous person where I can see him.’

Marco might suddenly turn around and attack Nia and Harry, so it seemed better to take care of him directly.

Rael went downstairs and touched the wall.

Then, a cold chill permeated his body.

It was a very familiar feeling to Rael.

“W-What is this? The wall is cold.”

“…An alloy of Adamantium and Eternal Ice Iron.”

Rael answered Carlson’s question and moved on.

This place was similar to the Prison of the Evil King.

In other words, there was something as important as the Evil King below.

“Eternal Ice Iron and Adamantium?! Why is something like that here?”

“Well, obviously, it’s to ensure that what’s inside is never discovered.”

If it was covered with the empire’s most outstanding anti-magic metal, it was understandable that no one knew about the holy ground under the plaza.

The eerie energy began to envelop his body as he descended the stairs, one step at a time.

Rael covered his whole body with divine power and reached the end of the stairs.

“…To think there’s such a wide place under the Order’s headquarters. Is this place the holy ground?”

Marco narrowed his eyes and looked at the huge circular hall at the end of the stairs.

There were several rooms around the hall, and a huge crystal pillar in the center of the hall stretched to the ceiling.

It was a place he, who had worked in the Order his whole life, didn’t even know about.

‘That’s… divine power.’

Rael approached the crystal and raised his hand.

Familiar divine power was emanating from it.

As expected, this divine power was being ‘produced’ in the Order’s holy ground.

“The atmosphere is strange. Sir Rael.”

“I agree. Be careful, as enemies might attack at any moment.”

A strange tension and the palpable wave of life force flowing in the air.

A sense of unease that was completely inappropriate for an Order’s facility was felt.

Rael carefully opened a nearby door.

“This is…”

And, Rael bit his lip after seeing the inside of the room.

About dozens of humans were lying on what looked like altars, with their limbs restrained.

“Sir Rael. I can feel demonic energy in this room.”

Lucas frowned, looking at the air.

A small amount of demonic energy was flowing from the air into the bodies of the humans lying on the altar.

The magic engraved on the altar was drawing the demonic energy embedded in the Eternal Ice Iron and Adamantium into the human bodies.

Buzzing-

[This is… Unbelievable, how can humans create artificial divine power…?]

At that time, the Holy Sword Saint trembled as if in fear.

It was a reaction that had never happened before.

“Saint. Do you know something?”

[By constantly injecting demonic energy that doesn’t kill into humans with divine power talent… stimulating their survival instincts, they force them to seek Gaia-nim…. That human becomes an existence that extracts divine power until the life force in their body runs out. How could they do such a thing…?]

The Holy Sword Saint was genuinely amazed.

He was amazed at how they came up with such an idea; turning demonic energy into divine power was like a challenge to God.

“…So, can these people be saved?”

[They can be saved. They’ll need recovery, but… they can definitely be saved.]

Whoosh-

As soon as Rael heard Saint’s words, he cut off the flow of demonic energy.

At the same time, the fire on the altar went out, and the divine power leaking from the people also stopped.

“Saintess-nim. Please heal these people.”

“A-Alright. Rael-ssi.”

Cecilia watched Rael’s expression and entered the room.

She was also surprised by the state of the people, but she immediately began to heal them, emitting divine power.

“Captain Marco? Do you happen to know anyone here? They’re likely to be priest candidates.”

“…I recognize a face I guided to the Arconia branch last year.”

“Tsk. As I thought.”

Creak-

Rael clicked his tongue and looked around the other rooms.

The people in the rooms near the entrance still had vitality, but the deeper he went, the more the vitality disappeared from the people’s faces.

After looking around about half of them.

Saint spoke in a sad voice.

[The people in this room… cannot be saved. Their bodies have already been irrevocably changed due to being injected with demonic energy for so long. Even if you inject divine power, they will not be able to live as humans again.]

“…”

Rael narrowed his eyes and opened the door to the next room, but the result was the same.

Next room. And the next room.

Finally, when he opened the door to the last room.

A deep sigh escaped from Rael.

“…Jeremy. You were here.”

He had turned into a mummy, but Rael could recognize him well enough.

It was Jeremy, who had spent 10 years in the orphanage with him.

He was the guy who had a pure smile, saying he would become a priest and save people in need.

“Rael hyung-nim. Are you saying that’s Jeremy hyung…?”

Carlson slumped down, looking at Jeremy, who had become a husk.

“Saint. Is this room the same?”

[…Yes. While maintaining this state for more than 10 years, he has already lost his human reason and has been turned into a machine that produces divine power. Even if you heal his body and cut off the supply of demonic energy, he will continue to extract divine power until he dies.]

“Ha.”

Rael chuckled and cut off the flow of demonic energy.

And he slowly lowered Jeremy’s body from the altar.

He was still emitting divine power even now that the flow of demonic energy had been cut off.

“I saw you after 15 years, but I can’t even have a conversation. I was going to fix that stupid personality of yours.”

Rael closed his eyes and got up from his seat.

He thought he knew the disgusting reality of medieval fantasy well, but the reality was even more disgusting than he thought.

“Kent, where are the giants?”

“They’re deeper inside. Rael.”

“Before destroying the Gaia Order… should we take care of the guys in front of us first?”

Swish-

Rael raised the Holy Sword.

Tremendous divine power poured out from the enraged Saint.

This was a holy and sacred power different from artificial divine power, but Rael didn’t even like this divine power now.