Paladin of the Dead God
Chapter 445: The World After the Ending (3)

Isolde thought the world she knew had ended. It wasn’t simply because the sun had turned into flowing blood, or that people had become undying bodies. What made her even more depressed were the stories coming from the east, which were nothing but grim news.

"A Holy Grail Knight attacked the Lighthouse Keeper? And they both disappeared?"

"That’s what I heard, miss," a soldier who had participated in the Dawn Army said, hastily shoving bread into his mouth.

The story that the Dawn Army had occupied the Holy Land Lua and that the Millennium Kingdom had descended was already well-known. However, the soldiers returning from the east all looked like deserters or survivors.

As more returning soldiers arrived, the events that had occurred in the Holy Land Lua became increasingly detailed.

"I ran away when some god named Elil attacked the Burning Maiden, so I didn’t see exactly what happened. I didn’t think it was my place to be there. In the end, my friend who participated with me went crazy and is still eating his fingers, so it was a good thing."

Isolde had led her soldiers east on the day the sky split. It was because she couldn’t bear the anxiety. The news the returning soldiers brought seemed to materialize all her fears.

"But what’s certain is that the Holy Grail Knight was a monster beyond imagination. For the Burning Maiden to rebuke him and for him to stand against the Lighthouse Keeper, he must have been a worse monster than the Immortal Emperor."

"......"

It was clear that this returning soldier didn’t know who Isolde was. Even if he did, he probably wouldn’t know about the engagement between Issacrea and the Brant family.

Instead of getting angry at the returning soldier who knew nothing, Isolde packed him food and sent him back to his hometown.

The returning soldier received the bundle Isolde had prepared, bowed his head in gratitude several times, and then said, "Oh, miss, if you happen to find a priest who participated in the Dawn Army, avoid him."

"Avoid a priest? Why?"

Because most priests had been deployed to the Dawn Army, it was already difficult to find priests within the empire. There were even stories that many priests had been assassinated within the Dawn Army. But the returning soldier avoided her gaze and whispered, "It’s hard to explain. Just avoid them. Those guys have become strange since the Millennium Kingdom arrived."

The returning soldier left after saying only that.

****

As Isolde stared blankly at the sky, a voice nonchalantly muttered, "It seems the world has finally ended."

Isolde frowned and turned her head.

"It would be better to be more careful with your words, Lord Zemer."

"I apologize, miss. But isn’t that what it looks like to anyone?" Zemer replied with a grin. The knights of the Brant ducal family beside him tried their best to pretend they hadn’t heard Zemer’s words.

No one questioned this unidentified masked knight ’Zemer’ who appeared after a series of shocking events: Emperor Waltzemer’s advance into Lichtheim, the Emperor’s excommunication, the death of Duke Brant, and the Emperor’s escape. Everyone just pretended not to know, even though they did.

From the beginning, the fact that he had chosen such a perfunctory pseudonym made one wonder if he had any intention of hiding his identity. That’s how fiercely the people of Brant territory were sharpening their knives against the Immortal Order.

But even those people couldn’t help but seek God on the day the Millennium Kingdom descended. Because it looked like the end of the world.

After that, Isolde led her soldiers east to assess the situation.

"I told you, shouldn’t we attack Lichtheim when the Dawn Army was in full swing?"

"And then what? We’ve already scraped together all the supplies, relics, and soldiers from Lichtheim and invested them in the Dawn Army. Even if we occupied Lichtheim, there would be nothing to gain, and we would have been punished after the Millennium Kingdom descended."

’Then is there a way now that the Millennium Kingdom has descended?’ Zemer didn’t ask. In fact, the reason they were keeping silent was because of the message Isaac had left.

Isolde turned to the priest, Claire, who had delivered Isaac’s message. Priest Claire, who had come to the ’Issacrea Dawn Prayer Meeting’ saying she had ’come to deliver good news,’ nodded with an unchanging expression.

"The Holy Grail Knight said that he would come after the Dawn Army. When the time comes, a clear message that no one can doubt will be sent, so stay in place until then."

Isolde became frustrated.

What exactly was a ’clear message that no one can doubt’? Was he going to become a god and deliver an oracle?

In fact, Isolde had imagined Isaac gaining a firm foothold in the Codex of Light by achieving clear military achievements in the Dawn Army, and then gaining a voice comparable to that of an Archangel to reform the Immortal Order in a moderate way, but the Millennium Kingdom had descended, and both the angels and even Isaac had disappeared.

"Whatever the case, it is clear that Lichtheim is empty now, miss." Zemer said again, as if inciting her.

"Now that most of the soldiers have been swept away by the Dawn Army, the Brant territory has the most powerful military force in the Empire. The angels have all disappeared, too. Hmm, in my opinion, I think the Holy Grail Knight sent us a message as an ’opportunity’ that no one can deny."

"Shut up, Zemer."

Zemer did not get angry or disappointed even after being told to shut up by Isolde, who was his niece and subordinate. He had dragged Isolde’s father to the battlefield and caused his death, and he owed his life to the Brant family. Even though he was power-hungry, he still had a sense of shame.

"If it’s okay with you, miss, I think it might be better to part ways here," Zemer said.

Isolde glared at Zemer.

"You’re going to act separately from the Brant family?"

"I’ve been greatly indebted to you for the help I’ve received so far. But I expected the Brant family to not only protect me, but also to help me, as the previous head of the family did. But if that’s not the case, it might be better to part ways here."

When Isolde continued to glare at him without answering, Zemer said as if making an excuse, "We’re not parting ways with hard feelings. I won’t ask for supplies or troops. I still have many friends left in the central government. They will also be watching the power vacuum in Lichtheim. I don’t want to drag the Brant family into unnecessary danger."

He meant that it would be better to part ways with good intentions since their intentions were different. It also meant that if they didn’t attack Lichtheim now, their relationship would end there.

Since she was only protecting him because she hated the Immortal Order, there was no reason to hold onto him.

"People don’t die anymore, so how do you plan to fight?"

"I’ve researched many ways to ’neutralize’ them even if they don’t die. If this is all there is to the Millennium Kingdom, I think there’s a lot that humans can do."

Even though an immortal world had arrived, people were still preoccupied with research to kill each other. Isolde was scared by this fact.

People suffer, but grudges remain. Time used to bring forgiveness, but now only hatred accumulates.

"There’s no reason for me to hold you back. Then..."

"Young Lord, someone is approaching. It looks like another group of returning soldiers."

At that moment, a knight quickly reported.

Isolde, who was about to say goodbye to Zemer, sighed. There were no more stories to hear from the returning soldiers anyway, but the hungry and weary men wouldn’t ignore Isolde’s group. As expected, they were heading straight for Isolde’s group. But Isolde realized that their appearance and clothing were somehow different. Instead of being a group of survivors like before, they were loudly chanting hymns and their skin was blackened.

In addition, the light reflected from their gleaming eyes was visible from here.

Zemer muttered in bewilderment, "Human soot?"

"Those are the Scorched Ones. It’s best to be careful because they are fanatics among fanatics," Isolde said.

Isolde, who was from the Inquisition, immediately recognized who they were. The Scorched Ones, one of the signs that the Millennium Kingdom was approaching. Finally, even they had begun to return to the empire.

Click, click, click, the Scorched Ones walked in unison, stopping precisely in front of Isolde’s group.

"The brilliant radiance has illuminated our path to this place, so praise the Codex of Light!"

"Praise! Praise!"

Isolde was slightly fed up, but she had her soldiers bring out food. But the Scorched Ones didn’t even look at the food she offered. Eventually, Isolde placed her hand on her sword and said, "Praise the Codex of Light. I am Isolde Brant, the Young Lady of the Brant family. Who is in charge?"

At that moment, the Scorched One in the front shouted, "Isolde Brant! I am a nameless soldier serving the Codex of Light! I am just one of His swords, so I don’t need a special name!"

Isolde felt briefly dumbfounded, wondering if she should call him something anyway, but the Scorched One continued without paying attention, "We have come to find the excommunicated Waltzemer. Praise the Codex of Light that has illuminated the path to this place!"

"Praise! Praise!"

The knights barely managed not to look at Zemer with superhuman patience. Zemer didn’t show any signs of tension, but his hand was already on the spear shaft. Waltzemer’s identity was a secret that was whispered only within the Brant territory, but it couldn’t have spread outside.

Isolde couldn’t understand how they had come to this place so accurately.

"I don’t know anything about the excommunicated Emperor. What are you talking about...?"

"Lies!"

At that moment, the Scorched One shouted loudly and emitted a brilliant radiance from his eyes. The horses, startled by the piercing light, bolted, and Isolde lost her grip and fell. The Scorched One lashed out and whipped the ground.

"Lies are ingrained in your mouth, you fallen one! No lies can exist in the Millennium Kingdom! The Codex of Light illuminates everything and separates light and darkness!"

The knights reflexively drew their swords, but Isolde barely managed to get up and stop them. She then realized that the worn and faded clothes the Scorched One was wearing were priest’s robes.

’If you happen to find a priest who participated in the Dawn Army, avoid him.’

The returning soldier’s warning flashed through her mind. And right in front of her was a priest who had participated in the Dawn Army. The light emanating from his eyes was so bright that it was difficult to look at, and everything in front of it was clearly dismantled and analyzed.

Isolde had already seen this phenomenon before.

From Isaac, no less.

’Lightouse of the Watcher?’

The Lightouse of the Watcher, which calls heaven around the caster, was being cast through the eyes of a mere priest. No, it was scattering strange brilliance through the eyes of all the Scorched Ones around him. Under that light, everything was clearly pieced together and completed.

Isolde realized that it was a fragment of the ’real Millennium Kingdom’ that should have come down in the first place.

"The Lighthouse Keeper has shattered the glass himself and scattered it throughout the world. Now we see the world through His eyes! The Millennium Kingdom will be completed by building bricks with our own hands, and the excommunicate Waltzemer is the first cornerstone!"

"Uncle, run away!"

At the moment Isolde shouted urgently, the Scorched One’s priest swung his whip at her. At that moment, Zemer charged at the Scorched Ones with the sound of fierce hooves.

Thud! Zemer’s spear instantly struck the Scorched One and knocked him down.

Waltzemer was the man who became Emperor by killing his brothers with spears and swords. He was an excellent warrior even without the relics, blessings, or the Holy Body presented by the Immortal Order.

"Run away, Isolde!"

But even he realized the reality the moment he collided with the Scorched Ones. They were not simply sturdy and unburning fanatics. They were workers dispatched to complete the unfinished heaven.

Bang! Only three or four Scorched Ones grabbed and stopped the horse Waltzemer was riding. They mercilessly broke the horse’s legs and reached out their hands wrapped in holy light towards Waltzemer.

"See the Millennium Kingdom with those two eyes!"

Waltzemer, who made eye contact with the Scorched One, felt his mind being dismantled. His soul was stripped naked and thrown into the depths of heaven.

At that moment, eight streaks of black energy suddenly flew from somewhere and tore the Scorched Ones apart in an instant.

Crack, crack, crack, the Scorched Ones who had been holding Waltzemer were dismantled into several pieces and scattered, along with the sound of metal crumbling rather than flesh and bone.

The surroundings were enveloped in a strange silence.

The eyes of the Scorched Ones turned towards the direction from which the eight streaks of energy had flown.

Priest Claire of the Issacrea Dawn Prayer Meeting was standing in that place.

"Huh?"

But Claire, who had reached out her hand, was the most embarrassed. As if she hadn’t known that something like this would come out of her hand.

That wasn’t the only strange thing.

Around Claire, unknown, bizarre, colorful hues were spreading, staining the plants and land with chaotic colors.

The power to forcibly bring down heaven and change the world.

The Scorched Ones knew best what that meant.

It was the Lightouse of the Watcher.

Faiths of all colors began to stain the world with their own colors.

***

And somewhere far in the Outer Boundary.

Isaac opened his eyes in the illusion that he had swung his sword without thinking.