Kugugugung—
At the entrance of Galahad Fortress stood a colossal tree.
The fine roots spreading out from beneath it tore through the surrounding earth, pushing back all intruders.
It was a branch of the World Tree’s root that had transformed into that form.
Those tiny roots sprouting from it were, in a sense, no more than the roots of the root.
Yet even that was enough to upheave the ground, split the earth, and fill the area with thick clouds of dust.
The shock reached deep inside Galahad Fortress, to where Ludger and Surna were.
Kugugugung—
The tremors from outside made the ceiling shake. Dust and faintly glowing moss rained down like snow.
Within that haze, Ludger and Surna faced each other.
“So that’s what it was.”
When Surna finished his story, Ludger’s eyes were calm and heavy.
Though they had joined hands for the same goal, Ludger still remained wary of him.
Yet now, the blue in Ludger’s gaze held not hostility, but a faint shade of sympathy—and kinship.
“You’re... the same as me.”
“What’s with that lukewarm reaction? Usually, people either don’t believe me or call me insane after hearing that.”
“Have you ever told anyone else?”
“Well, I did tell Setadel once. But not in detail. He’s known me long enough that he kind of figured it out himself. Honestly, I expected him to laugh it off.”
“I won’t laugh.”
“......”
“At the very least, I won’t laugh at you.”
Realizing Ludger’s words were sincere, Surna’s expression twisted bitterly.
“I see. I didn’t expect to meet someone here who would actually understand me.”
He had approached Ludger knowing this might happen, but hearing those words directly from him still felt strange.
At that moment, both Surna and Ludger turned their eyes in the same direction.
Their reactions were almost simultaneous.
The outer walls of the underground temple hid the view outside, yet both could clearly sense it—
A familiar wave of power emanating from afar.
“This power...”
Unlike any other holy power, its density and purity were of an entirely different magnitude.
Others would not feel it, but Ludger and Surna could.
“At least cardinal-level... No, perhaps even higher? It can’t be Salesin himself—yet this power’s scale...”
“It’s the Saint.”
Surna answered Ludger’s mutter.
“Saint Catherine. She’s come here.”
“......”
At the mention of her name, Ludger’s expression briefly darkened.
It happened too fast for Surna to notice—and he had no time to dwell on it anyway.
“She’s not alone. Judging from the energy, she must have brought all the priests with her.”
“There’s someone else too, isn’t there?”
At Ludger’s perceptive remark, Surna shrugged.
“Yeah. That girl came too.”
“So that’s why you needed my power—and the Saint’s power that Rine carries as well?”
“I won’t deny it. But I never forced Rine to come.”
“Still, you knew she would.”
“Yes. But does that change what we have to do?”
At Surna’s question, Ludger looked down at the relic in his hand.
“No. Nothing changes.”
Indeed—nothing changed.
No matter who came, no matter what awaited—
his task remained the same.
“If the Saint has arrived, the defensive line will fall soon. I don’t mean to underestimate your allies, but her and the priests’ strength... it’s beyond comparison.”
“I know. Then let’s begin.”
Ludger placed the relic atop the central altar of the temple.
The seven fragments joined into a single complete disk, and as it touched the altar, it began to rise.
Uuuuuung—
The relic started to vibrate.
The surrounding temple shimmered faintly with light, energy gathering through the altar and focusing into the relic.
Drdrdrdrdr—
The long-sealed underground temple came to life.
The relic absorbed the surging energy endlessly.
Pssss—
White letters began to appear across its surface—ancient hieroglyphs so old that even Ludger, with his knowledge of archaic languages, could not decipher them.
One by one, the characters slowly formed, covering the relic’s face.
“Finally...”
Surna gazed at the transforming relic, eyes filled with longing and rapture.
“It begins.”
* * *
“Damn it.”
A curse slipped from Ambella Burke’s lips.
Though she often spoke coarsely, her subordinates rarely heard her sound this irritated.
“This is insane. So this is what a war between superhumans looks like?”
Ambella frowned as she received reports through the roots.
“Lady Ambella, the damage is severe.”
“The thorn barriers are all breached. Over half the flower field has burned away, and the concentration of the sleep scent has weakened.”
According to plan, that area shouldn’t have fallen yet.
The barricade that was supposed to hold off the infantry had vanished—now all focus had to be on halting the advancing army again.
‘No. The problem isn’t that—the real issue is that she isn’t stopping.’
Saint Catherine, and the priests following her.
A small, independent unit, without paladins or ordinary clergy.
Yet their power alone could overturn the tide of battle.
A report came through the roots.
They said the sun itself had descended to the earth.
Ambella didn’t even ask what that meant—because far beyond the dark clouds, near the second checkpoint city, a blinding light had erupted.
It was Saint Catherine’s sacred spell.
That divine light erased every swamp and lotus that had been holding back the knights.
The swamps dried and cracked like fields in drought; the lotuses vanished without even ash remaining.
Even the choking fumes that caused unbearable pain couldn’t stop her.
‘She’s bypassing the second checkpoint entirely.’
All alternate routes had been laced with traps—but none of them worked on her.
Where Catherine walked, there became a path.
Even the genetically enhanced plants raised under the World Tree’s blessing collapsed before her.
“My lady, what shall we do?”
“For now, have the druids focus on restoring the flower field. Stay hidden while doing so. The Saint doesn’t look back at the paths she’s cleared. We must intercept the following units before they enter her trail.”
“B-but the Saint—”
“Unfortunately, she’s beyond our ability to stop.”
Ambella could buy time if she went out herself—but the moment the commander left her post, the balance of the battle would crumble.
Caroline, who was leading guerrilla attacks, was currently fighting another Lexeler-rank mage.
The Archdemon Surna was with Ludger inside Galahad Fortress—unavailable.
Thus, the command authority had to remain here.
This position couldn’t be abandoned even for a second.
“In that case, we’ll have to call for support.”
If the enemy was a superhuman—
then only another superhuman could stand against her.
“Summon the Black Knight.”
* * *
Catherine did not stop walking.
Her unwavering stride made it seem as if the world itself cowered before her.
All the traps that should have triggered in her path remained silent.
Catherine bared her teeth in a grin.
“Smart move. They must’ve realized these tricks won’t stop me, so they’re saving their strength for the next wave.”
A wise commander indeed.
Normally, being breached like this would have hurt one’s pride, driving them to recklessly push back.
Moreover, the plants used in those traps were extraordinary—
each brimming with powerful life energy, their special properties deadly enough to affect knights, mages, even priests.
‘If they can control this kind of power... at least elf druids. No, more than that—the strength they’re showing surpasses that.’
It was certain—the Elf Kingdom was involved.
But why had the elves come to aid the Bretus Theocracy?
Revenge against the Lumenis Doctrine that once branded them heretics?
Yet the elves were known for their reclusive nature, rarely leaving their forests.
If they wanted revenge, this—when the continent’s entire might was concentrated here—would be the worst time to seek it.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’
Catherine dismissed the thought and simply kept walking.
The fewer obstacles, the better.
Whether or not the following forces could catch up was none ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) of her concern.
Then, from behind, Rine spoke quietly.
“Um, Sister Catherine.”
“Hm?”
Catherine stopped for a moment and turned to her.
“What is it?”
“I was just wondering if the two priests we left behind are going to be all right...”
“They’ll be fine. Those two may not look it, but they’re very strong—you saw them, didn’t you?”
“Ah...”
Rine hadn’t been able to say it at the time, but watching Priests Lemria and Anisha fight had shocked her deeply.
She had thought of them merely as attendants following the Saint, but when battle began, their prowess was anything but ordinary.
No—extraordinary, almost superhuman.
Even so, she couldn’t help but worry.
Their enemies weren’t weak, and on a battlefield like this, anything could happen.
“Fufu. You’re really kind, Rine—worrying about us like that.”
“Ah, I just...”
“You don’t have to. I’m grateful for your concern, but that’s exactly why we have to move faster. You can sense it too, can’t you?”
“Yes...”
Rine nodded.
She was worried about those left behind, yes—but if they slowed down to help them now, something even worse could happen.
To prevent the worst, they had to endure the lesser evil.
Catherine smiled warmly at her—then suddenly narrowed her eyes and tilted her head slightly.
Rine blinked in confusion, until she realized why—
A crimson flash had just torn through the spot where Catherine’s head had been moments ago.
And it didn’t stop at one.
From multiple directions, blood-red streaks shot toward Catherine’s vital points like arrows.
The attacks were so powerful that blocking them seemed impossible—their speed almost rivaled lightning.
To Rine’s eyes, it was as if countless crimson threads crisscrossed the air like a web.
Yet Catherine remained perfectly unharmed within the storm of flashes.
She stepped forward.
Turned her shoulder slightly.
Tilted her head back.
She avoided every strike with the smallest, most graceful movements.
Her motions were so fluid it looked like she was dancing.
Even more astonishing—she wasn’t looking at the attacks. She evaded them all without her eyes.
When the barrage ended, Catherine’s gaze lifted straight ahead.
“Mmm. I expected someone to show up soon, but it seems quite a formidable one came first.”
The man before her, wearing black armor, tightened his grip on his sword.
Verom.
Having fully accepted the Living Armor, Verom no longer looked like a bulky knight.
His frame was slim, sleek—his helmet sharp like a dragon’s head, crimson mane flowing down to his waist.
His sword had changed too—from a heavy greatsword to a slender, curved blade, vastly increasing his speed.
Yet even with that newfound swiftness, he hadn’t landed a single blow on Catherine.
‘This is madness.’
It wasn’t just that she was the Church’s Saint—she was dodging without even seeing his strikes.
Even his sudden ambushes, devoid of warning, she avoided with ease.
He’d always believed there was no such thing as fairness in battle, striking first to win—yet she had nullified that effortlessly.
‘So she wasn’t just some symbolic figure after all. No wonder that elf woman asked me not to defeat her, but to hold her off.’
Ambella clearly knew Verom’s strength, yet had requested him merely to stall the Saint.
He hadn’t understood the difference back then—but now, seeing Catherine fight, he did.
“Hm. Still, I’d rather not be delayed here.”
Catherine rubbed her chin with mild annoyance.
Then one of the priests behind her stepped forward.
“I’ll handle this.”
