Paladin of the Dead God
Chapter 436: The Millennium Kingdom (4)

The Lighthouse Keeper was not a righteous angel.

He was a vengeful prophet, a sword-bearing herald, a being who had descended upon this land for judgment.

Thus—

There was no hesitation when he used Leonora as a shield.

Of course, an ordinary human like her—

Lacking any miracles or divine protection—

Could never have survived a god’s strike.

Between Elil’s attack and her fragile body,

The difference was no greater than between Elil’s sword and a single grain of dust.

Elil’s blade ripped through her,

Tearing her apart before she could even register what had happened.

Boom! Boom! Boom! BOOM!

Elil’s devastating attack passed through Leonora and struck the Lighthouse Keeper.

In that instant, the six lighthouses surrounding him flashed violently,

Dismantling Elil’s assault, scattering it apart.

Heat and light surged outward,

Threatening to engulf Elil himself—

But the divine flames dissipated into the gentle breeze,

Losing all force.

["Did you think presenting a golden chalice would change anything?"]

Elil sneered,

But the Lighthouse Keeper did not answer.

He merely gazed down—

At the ruined remnants of Leonora in his palm.

She no longer resembled a body.

Her form was mangled, scattered, a puzzle with shattered pieces.

Yet—

Something within her stirred.

The Lighthouse Keeper moved delicately,

His hands working gently to reassemble her.

***

"Kuhh…!"

Leonora coughed,

Spewing the blood that had filled her lungs.

She had no time to process what had just happened before she realized—

She was alive.

And Elil—

Elil roared in fury.

["You had a death insurance contract?!"]

["You would’ve been better off staying dead!"]

Leonora could barely speak, her voice shaking.

"No… I…"

She had never intended to become undead.

Before dying, she had planned to destroy the contract, to die as a human.

Countless others had done the same.

She had thought she would change her mind at the last moment—

But up until the very end, she had been certain.

Yet now—

She had been brought back.

And the Lighthouse Keeper spoke to her,

His voice tired.

["Good. Now you can never be broken again."]

"No… what… what are you saying?!"

["No one can harm you now."]

["This is how it begins."]

["From you—to all of the world."]

["The transformation of this world… has begun."]

She had not wished to become undead.

If that alone could fulfill her wish,

Then the Immortal Emperor would have already succeeded long ago.

But now—

The Lighthouse Keeper had declared it.

["So it shall be."]

["LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER!!"]

Enraged, Elil struck again,

Hurling his wrath upon the Lighthouse Keeper.

But this time—

The Lighthouse Keeper did not counter his attack.

He merely unfurled his wings—

And ascended.

He did not care to fight Elil at all.

Not because Elil was weak.

That was not the issue.

It was because Elil had no purpose.

Elil had no place in the Millennium Kingdom.

His only role left was to become a sacrifice for it.

To the Lighthouse Keeper—

Elil was already dead.

And as he rose,

The Lighthouse Keeper turned his gaze downward.

He felt a presence.

A single gaze—

A single breath—

A single existence—

That captured his attention entirely.

There was still one person left who mattered.

From the far end of the pyramid,

Isaac was watching him.

Isaac had slipped away—

While the crowd’s attention was focused on Elil and the Burning Maiden.

He had refused the Sword of May’s offer,

And had fought his way through Holy Land Lua,

Making his way to the pyramid.

Though he had never physically been here before—

It felt as familiar as his own home.

He had seen it countless times in the game.

But this—

This was something else entirely.

It wasn’t him who felt this.

It was something inside him.

Something with tentacles.

["The Lighthouse Keeper will now bring down the Millennium Kingdom."]

The Sword of May spoke in his mind.

["Every martyr will return. Every soul will receive their due reward."]

["You, Isaac—you have been promised a throne at the highest place."]

She was persistent, her voice almost desperate.

Her words should have reassured him—

Yet they terrified him instead.

Did she mean them literally?

Or was it metaphorical?

He did not know.

"ISAAC!"

A voice called to him from below.

He looked down to see—

The wounded Holy Knights.

Rotenhammer.

The Lycanthrope warriors.

They had barely escaped the battle between Elil and the Lighthouse Keeper.

"Did you… really defeat the Immortal Emperor?"

Rotenhammer’s voice was dazed, his face bloodied.

He had rolled down the stairs, his words barely making sense.

Isaac saw at a glance—

The knights and warriors were badly wounded.

["Isaac. Use the Luadin Key."]

The Sword of May ordered him.

Isaac complied.

The Luadin Key pulsed with divine energy—

And in an instant,

A shower of radiant light spread over the injured.

Their wounds closed.

Their breathing steadied.

Many had narrowly escaped death.

"Thank you… Sword of May."

She did not answer.

Isaac checked their numbers—

And noticed several were missing.

And among them—

One name had to be spoken.

"Where’s Gebel?"

Rotenhammer’s lips tightened.

He hesitated—

Then spoke, calmly.

"Dead."

Isaac froze.

The words—

So calm, so casual—

Struck like a sledgehammer.

To Rotenhammer, death was routine.

One knight’s life was no more valuable than another’s.

But to Isaac—

Gebel was different.

He was his mentor.

His only parental figure.

His only true teacher.

"Who killed him?"

Isaac’s voice felt alien.

As if his tongue had transformed into a tentacle.

For the first time—

Isaac felt his own words sounded unnatural, foreign, and terrifying.

Each syllable felt as if his tongue had transformed into a tentacle.

Rotenhammer said nothing.

He simply looked up—toward the top of the pyramid.

There—

The Lighthouse Keeper was ascending, carrying Leonora with him.

And at that moment—

Isaac felt something.

Though it was impossible to tell where the Lighthouse Keeper’s face or eyes were—

Somehow, he knew—

They were staring at each other.

His brilliance was like a second sun,

Blinding, overwhelming.

But Isaac did not look away.

Instead—

He spoke the name.

"Lighthouse Keeper."

***

The Lighthouse Keeper had many things he wished to say to Isaac.

Isaac was important—

From the first moment to the tenth, from every step of this grand design—

He was at its center.

The Lighthouse Keeper had watched him for so long,

So much that now—

He almost felt like an old friend.

But now—

There were too many distractions.

For now—

He simply cradled Leonora gently, ascending further.

Leonora—

Encased in his overwhelming light—

Felt as if she would go blind from it.

Meanwhile—

Elil burned with fury.

The Lighthouse Keeper’s indifference only enraged him further.

["What kind of cursed ritual are you preparing?"]

["Do you want to become a god—just like the Immortal Emperor?"]

For the first time—

The Lighthouse Keeper turned his gaze toward Elil.

And he laughed.

["A god?"]

That was all he said.

A low chuckle, as if he had heard the dumbest thing imaginable.

Then—

He ignored Elil again.

And that was the final insult.

Elil’s flames roared,

His eyes blazing.

He roared.

["My army—answer my call!"]

And from his ranks—

His knights surged forward.

["We answer your call, Elil!"]

["Point us to the enemy! To the fortress that must fall!"]

Two warriors—

Miana and Cedric—

The strongest of Elil’s knights.

The Lady of the Lake and the Lion Knight.

At Elil’s summons,

They charged.

Isaac—

Felt something vibrate in his hands.

His own blade—

Kaulien—

shook.

He nearly stepped forward,

As if he, too, was being summoned.

For a brief moment—

He had to fight the urge to charge with them.

Elil—

Led the charge.

The Lady of the Lake and the Lion Knight flanked him.

Behind them—

A tempest of knights and war banners,

A storm of crystal dust, fallen leaves, and divine wind.

A scene straight out of legend.

And then—

As Elil bellowed,

["Arrogant Light—FALL!"]

A new voice interrupted.

["Stop, Elil! This cannot be!"]

It was Calurien.

The Archangel of Wisdom.

The tactician, the advisor, the one who foresaw the battlefield.

And at that moment—

Isaac realized—

For the first time—

Calurien had never stood by Elil’s side today.

The Lighthouse Keeper watched.

Despite being the strongest Archangel,

It was uncertain if he could withstand Elil and his knights.

But that did not matter.

Because gods—

Were not meant to be fought with brute force.

They were meant to be outmaneuvered.

Isaac—

Could not stop himself.

He whispered.

"A puzzle to be solved."

As incomprehensible power gathered at the summit of the pyramid—

Isaac felt something impossible.

A fear so ancient, so deep,

That it shook something inside him.

It was a primal terror,

One that even the warriors of old could not name.

And not only Isaac—

Everyone felt it.

Like how animals sensed earthquakes before they struck—

Every human in the area was frozen with dread.

None of them knew why.

They simply understood.

Something was about to happen.

And then—

It did.

There was no sound.

No explosion.

No screams.

Just—

A crimson storm of blood.

Shattered fragments.

Cracks in the air itself.

A world torn apart.

A wound upon reality.

Like a silent plague,

It spread—

Settling into the empty void,

Sinking roots into this world.

And then—

Something stepped through.

An ancient god,

Long dead,

Had once again placed a foot upon this world.

And in the eerie silence—

A scarlet tide began to flow down the pyramid’s steps.

Isaac saw—

A cascade of armor pieces, broken crystal, and fallen leaves—

A ruined procession of destruction.

Among the debris—

Shattered remnants of Caldevar’s blade.

"Ah…"

Isaac barely breathed.

And then—

A lone knight,

A humble crusader,

Convulsed as he pointed toward the pyramid’s peak.

He screamed.

And then—

He clawed out his own eyes.

Blood poured—

Mixing with the rain of the fallen knights.

More screams erupted,

More shouts of agony.

Isaac knew.

He already understood what had happened.

But still—

He looked up.

And there—

Standing at the peak of the pyramid—

Drenched in Elil’s blood—

Was Leonora.

She trembled violently.

Behind her—

Like a divine halo—

The Lighthouse Keeper’s light shined.

And above him—

Something that should not exist.

A malformed scribble upon reality,

A grotesque shape.

From it—

Hundreds of tendrils slithered through the air,

Twisting into this world.

Isaac—

Locked eyes with the Lighthouse Keeper.

And the Lighthouse Keeper—

Smiled.

A gentle smile,

And spoke.

["Isaac."]

["I grant you a seat at the throne of the new Millennium Kingdom."]