Chapter 138: Over the Fortress Walls
The shrine of the Trolls and Asbestos’s god, who used to be called the Intertwined God and was now known as the Binding God, was desolate. Among the giant pillars lining the path leading to the shrine, more were titling or had fallen than standing upright, and next to the pillars were the scattered remains of the building that had once been intact.
Among the ruins, there were pieces of rock too broken to make out the original shape of, and between those pieces of rocks were what remained of the wood that had once stood. A careful look would reveal the dead bodies lying beneath all the debris. The smell was repulsive.
Beyond the ruins was a spacious open area that had been cleared to make a path, and at the edge of the open area was a wide slab of stone with the pattern of a labyrinth on it, which symbolized the Binding God.
The labyrinth embodied the attributes of complicated entanglement that Binding God had. It also symbolized the irregularity of the collapsed shrine as well as the ability to find order within chaos and build another shrine—the Great Temple of Binding God.
Redin BR Oser, the new king of Asbestos as well as the high priest of the religious order of the Binding God, had destroyed half of the royal palace to seize the throne from his father, Delmardin BR Oser, and he called what remained in the aftermath a temple.
“Today, a new history will be written for God.”
Everyone called Redin a crazy Troll behind his back, but no one dared to say so in front of him. And all those in Asbestos followed the new order created by Redin.
People often speculated that something might have happened to Redin when his father sent him to Mangul, as when Redin got lost underground for a while, many of Mangul’s priests had suddenly said that they were following God’s will and disappeared without a trace. Therefore, Delmardin BR Oser suspected that his son had fallen under the influence of the Overflowing God, the god of the Kobolds, instead of the Binding God, the god of the Trolls; he thus attempted to use the excuse to punish Redin. However, that wasn’t the truth.
Whatever Redin had experienced in Mangul, it was revealed that it was the will of the Binding God. The priests of the Binding God testified to that fact, and Redin proved it himself by destroying the royal palace, killing his father, and taking the throne.
Asbestos quickly accepted the new order. And those who couldn’t accept it were either the ignorant individuals who remained trapped in Delmardin’s shadows, or opportunists who tried to take advantage of the chaos to expand their territory. These people gave Redin, who was perhaps chosen by both Binding God and Overflowing God, a chance to spread his eminence.
Radin turned the Grand Temple of Deception into his palace. Unless there was an urgent matter, he would often sit or stand in front of the monument symbolizing deception and gaze at it. Many people had already realized that Radin was different from the ordinary kings, so his strangeness was easily accepted.
Now, Redin felt that the past he had been so bound to until now was insignificant.
‘Revenge for mother? The truth about father? What use does all that have?’
The Binding God’s command was what allowed Redin to come to true realization.
To be exact, it was all about following that command, or to be more exact, how fast and how well he could carry out Binding God’s command. Whenever Redin fulfilled Binding God’s will, he felt a dose of pleasure. And it was greater when he accepted the orders like an automaton and immediately carried them out, instead of interpreting the order and thinking about it to get to a different conclusion. Redin wouldn’t know why, but it was because he had a unique ability called Faithfulness. Individuals with this ability showed a stronger level of trust and belief in their god depending on the level of the ability, and it also increased proactivity when carrying out a player’s will.
And Redin BR Oser, who had this ability, received a new command.
-There’s a task for you.
“Apostle Redin, at your service.”
-It is difficult and challenging.
“I will risk the lives of everyone under my control.”
The Binding God, Wisdom, thought that wasn’t enough, but there was nothing he could do about it now.
-Kill Night Sky’s apostle, Lakrak.
“I will obey your command.”
Only after Redin responded did he understand Binding God’s words. He was to kill the apostle Lakrak, also known as the Great Hunter, Thunder Lizard, the First Chosen One, and God Killer. However, it never even occurred to Redin that he could refuse or protest.
***
Sung-Woon looked at the collapsed walls of the Asien Fortress.
The New Danyum soldiers defending the fortress were running away, but there were also some who didn’t.
‘Is one of them Crampus’s…no, Wisdom’s creation?”
Sung-Woon had encountered this creation a few times before. Wisdom had turned almost all of his creations into anthropoids, and that was also the case for the creation called Ostro. Ostro was particularly familiar to Sung-Woon because it was Wisdom’s destroyer.
Among the types of creature creations, a destroyer was the most common, as their large size and overpowering physical strength allowed them to attack the enemy’s troops, break down fortress walls in sieges, instill terror in enemy cities, or fight other similar creations. For example, Sung-Woon’s destroyer was Sratis, which looked like a mantis and had a skill that granted it supernatural strength. Among anthropoids, Ostro looked like a gorilla. Except Wisdom’s preference was incorporated, so Ostro had white fur and an extra pair of arms, which was a common trait for a destroyer.
‘Is it about 45 meters tall? It grew a little compared to last time. Its level isn’t much different though… And skill-wise, Sratis is at an advantage, so there shouldn’t be much trouble to deal with it. However, Ostro is nothing but a distraction.’
Usually, a giant creation like Ostro wouldn’t be used as a distraction, but Sung-Woon realized that was the case this time.
‘I did sense that they had been hiding something until now. They could have acted more proactively, but stepped back and acted as if they weren't prepared. And I think I know why now.’
What Sung-Woon was looking at was a long procession of troops. From their appearance, they didn’t seem much different than the troops that Sung-Woon knew of. They wore armor made of iron, and the majority of them were riding Elks. Even with their visors down, it was clear that they were Trolls, and most of them were likely aristocrats who descended from the founders of Asbestos. Moreover, they and the Elks had on their chest a piece of cloth with the pattern of a complicated maze, which symbolized the Binding God; that meant they were Holy Knights.
‘Binding God’s Holy Knights. One would be hard-pressed to question whether they make a proper army…and that’s not the end of it.’
Sung-Woon looked at the one leading the Holy Knights. It was Asbestos’s king, Redin BR Oser.
Riding on his Elk, Redin appeared on top of the fallen walls of the Asien fortress as if he had nothing to be afraid of.
Redin looked down at Black Scale’s army and shouted to his men, “Are you afraid?”
“No!”
The 200 knights cheered. Even though there weren’t many of them, instead of being intimidated, their confidence shot up to the sky.
‘The Paladins of the Celestial Order. It's hard to describe them as anything less than a formidable force...but there's more to it.’
“Are you afraid of Night Sky’s army?”
“No!”
“Are you afraid of Night Sky’s apostle?”
“No!”
Redin shouted, “I am the apostle of the Binding God! If there is one thing you should be afraid of…”
Naturally, Vasen Lak Orazen, who commanded Black Scale’s army, didn’t wait for the enemy’s morale to rise.
“Fire!”
The improved cannons used to break down the fortress walls aimed at Redin and the Holy Knights. In an instant, it seemed like the cannonballs were going to crush Redin and the knights, but through the dust, Redin’s voice could still be heard.
“...it should be the Binding God.”
As the dust settled, Redin and the knight became visible. The knights should have been on the ground after being hit by the cannonballs, but Redin and the knights appeared fine as if the cannonballs hadn’t even grazed them.
When Redin strongly pulled the reins, his Elk raised its front legs.
“Charge!”
Sung-Woon frowned.
‘...He’s an apostle.’
Sung-Woon’s first question was how Wisdom came to gain an apostle.
‘Well, I mean, there were ways for him to get one. I see he tried to do something.’
It was simple logic to create another apostle to deal with an apostle, but Sung-Woon was curious about what Wisdom had sacrificed to make Redin one.
Sung-Woon’s second question was why the Holy Knights were unaffected by the cannonballs as well rather than Redin being the only one impervious to the attacks. About that, a possibility immediately popped into Sung-Woon’s head.
‘Compared to Lakrak, who was pretty much made an apostle under special circumstances, Redin was a latecomer, so it’s only natural he'd be weaker. Therefore…Wisdom used a trick.’
To be exact, it couldn’t really be called a trick. An apostle’s strength was determined by their skills, and their skills were determined by their reputation. However, what if an apostle’s personal reputation was weak?
‘Then they would borrow collective strength.’
After Redin BR Oser killed his father and became king, he hadn’t dealt with the rebellions and suppressed Asbestos with his own strength. He used Binding God’s Holy Knights as if they were his own hands and feet. And through this process, Redin’s reputation intertwined with the Holy Knights’ to some degree.
A player couldn’t freely look at the stats of another player’s apostle, so there was no way to tell for sure. Still, Sung-Woon was able to guess the skill that Redin had.
‘When the Holy Knights are with Redin, and Redin with the Holy Knights, there’s likely a skill that allows them to buff one another’s faith level and abilities.’
Their combined reputation created a synergy that increased their levels and abilities, but the effect would be limited in range.
‘Still, that doesn’t matter because they only need it in their battle against Lakrak, don’t they? That’s reasonable.’
Sung-Woon judged that he had to get involved now.
‘Sratis!’
-...Destruction, Annihilation, Murder. Which one would you like?
‘Murder.’
Sratis was Night Sky’s barricade.
A level 24 giant monster with a strength of over 500 broke through the fortress walls and charged at the white gorilla with four arms.
Meanwhile, Lakrak called out to his descendent, “Vasen!”
“Oh my, apostle Lakrak!”
“Anyone would be surprised at a flashing Lizard, but save the admiration for later.”
Vasen glared at his laughing adjutant.
Lakrak then said, “As you can see, they are not enemies that an army of people can face.”
“...Then what?”
“Retreat. Looking from the sky, it seems like New Danyum’s army is retreating, but Asbestos’s army is joining them from the rear. They’re going to attack the main force.”
“Southwest or northeast?”
“Southwest.”
“Understood.”
Lakrak looked at his shrewd descendant and smiled.
At Vasen’s commands, Black Scale’s army immediately began to move. However, they were incredibly slow compared to the speed at which Redin and the Holy Knights were charging toward them.
‘Is he aiming to ruin the main force’s formation?’
Lakrak had no intention of letting the enemy have their way.
“Anakse, let’s go! It’s going to be a busy day.”
On the vast field in front of the walls of the Asien Fortress, Lakrak charged toward Redin, and Redin toward Lakrak.
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