The carriage rocked back and forth on the unsteady terrain. Normally this would be a cause for concern as carriages speeding through this path can lead to injuries on the passengers.
This was a highway, no less so nobles would soon complain to the empire about the uneven terrain. Unfortunately, the road was the least of their worries, as the cause of the destroyed roads was not natural but rather the result of an exhausting, tedious battle.
"—Stop the carriage." A young woman's voice ordered. Her jet-black hair and black dress danced in the wind upon stepping down.
To say she was looking at an apocalypse would be an understatement. The sheer scale of this apocalypse was greater than any war she's heard of in history, perhaps on the scale of the Demon-Human War. But she's not the arbiter of determining that so it's just her opinion.
A shadow flew over her followed by a powerful wind and the sound of flapping wings resounded. When the culprit landed, a rumble shook the earth.
Tyrgavion surveyed the surroundings while standing silently beside the two.
He noticed that a flying creature that was struck by the knight with wings—hold on, wings and a halo above their heads? It was hard to tell if they were angels or Einherjar, as Valhalla—the Realm of Eternal Battle—grants them angelic powers in exchange for their souls. They are essentially expendable fodder that the divine realm would use when lacking soldiers.
--Anyway, what should've been a death blow turned out to be as harmless as a slap as the monster regenerated soon after and continued fighting. This same thing happened again with another pair that was fighting not far from them.
Tyr had heard of these types of creatures before. They are afflicted with the Curse of Dante, making them unkillable—only in the Layers of Hell.
"Our King wants us to slay Eternal Beings?" asked Tyrgavion as he lowered his head, not even trying to hide the bitterness in his voice.
"Not slay, but preoccupy until the time is right." Myrena didn't elaborate on what that meant—a sign she too was left in the dark.
"What time would that be? It seems these creatures have all the time in the world while those Einherjar are dying left and right."
"Our King was quite vague about it but I trust that he knows what to do."
"Humph, why does he not fight on the battlefield himself? A lazy king will lose the loyalty of his subjects no matter if he holds strong legitimacy. A lazy king will face as much scrutiny as a tyrant who mistreats his subjects."
She didn't disagree. But the accusation is quite insulting so she was about to talk back at him.
"Papa says he has a plan so all you need to do is follow orders!" Ceru, who was previously hiding in Myrena's purse, popped out into her human form and glared at the dragon, "We don't have time to waste so tell all the minions to land so that I can buff them. Divinity will give you a better chance at surviving."
"Do not speak of my children that way, girl." Tyr glared at her, "As this is the order of our King, I shall follow it."
There was no time for introductions but from what Myrena said, this person is one of their King's closest friends. But hearing her calling their King "Papa" while having the appearance of a young human woman in her 20s while the King is only 18, greatly disturbed Tyrgavion. It's not unusual for powerful men to have unique fetishes so he did not judge his king.
Coming back to the point, just from a glance, you could tell she's powerful despite having the physique and appearance of a feeble young woman. Her authoritative tone, while still carrying an air of innocence, was backed up with her aura.
He decided not to voice his displeasure at being spoken to like a child and roared, his roar shaking the heavens, making even the most powerful undying creatures look in his direction.
Hearing his roar, the dragons hurriedly landed. With this force that numbered in the thousands, Arnold could potentially take over every nation overnight as dragons are the most powerful race. These were not just wild beasts that adventurers hunted for coin, but a minority of them were true calamities—full-blooded heirs born of Ancient Dragons alone. Power did not tolerate dilution. Among his kind, blood was not bound by sentiment or taboo, only by strength and continuity.
Humans may recoil at such truths, clinging to fragile morals shaped by weakness and fear. Dragons had never suffered such limitations. What mattered was not who shared the blood, but how much power that blood carried forward.
Tyr knows that his children may die today but with the power of that Witch beside their King, they can be revived again.
"[Blessed Heart]" a bright glow surrounded Ceru's body before shooting towards the dragons. Golden hearts appeared before their chests before being absorbed into their bodies.
Tyrgavion received the same buff.
'T-This power…!' the moment he was blessed by her buff, he felt himself grow several times stronger. The pits of his lungs burned with the heat of a collapsing star, his muscles grew thicker, scales harder, teeth sharper and his body grew a bit bigger. From hundreds of miles away, you would be able to see this behemoth of a dragon that once stood beside the Black Dragon Lord.
When Tyr stepped forward, his weight pushed him into the earth, much more than usual. He moved faster than he did before receiving the buff.
Lifting his gargantuan wings that cast a giant shadow over the grasslands and town, Tyrgavion let out a ferocious roar, making the behemoth titans turn their attention to him, forgetting all about the angels they were fighting.
With a gust of wind that felt like standing right next to a tornado, he took off, his wings rumbling like thunder, sending vibrations so deep, that any regular human within a 10km radius could feel the shockwaves.
He moved through the air in a blur, landing right in the middle of a group of titanic Undying Beings within mere seconds. Before they could even react, his thick tail filled with hundreds of spikes, tore their bodies in half. His maw opened and head moved swiftly, biting off the heads of several titans. Any small monster that dared try to climb him was instantly scorched by his smoldering hot skin that radiated the heat of a volcano.
Thinking they could make up strength in numbers, the behemoths and small monsters alike charged at Tyrgavion. However, his scales began to vibrate with a whirring sound.
With another roar, a massive energy pulse was released from his body that turned into lightning that burned everything in its path.
Undying Beings struck by Tyrgavion's pulse were hurled backward like broken dolls, bodies crashing into one another, limbs torn free only to begin knitting back together mid-air. But regeneration meant nothing when their forms were scattered across hundreds of meters, buried beneath molten earth and shattered stone.
The ground collapsed.
A crater formed beneath Tyrgavion's feet, lightning still arcing across his scales as the curse-bound creatures struggled to rise.
Seeing that even the strongest and biggest titans couldn't take down the dragon, the others hesitated to approach. This gave the angels a window to use divine spells to finish or subdue them. Tyrgavion roared once more, this time buffing the dragons with his own power. Feeling the spirit and power of the Ancient Dragon, the dragons charged at the monsters.
Watching this happen from the side made Myrena remember the tales her father told her. No, they were more like his experiences on the battlefield during the Demon-Human War. The invasion may have been on a greater scale than what she was currently seeing but it felt like she was in the middle of the war.
'Hm, I sense an immensely strong signature on this battlefield. An aura greater than even my King and the Dragon Lords.' Tyrgavion surveyed the surroundings to track that great warrior. What caught his attention was a light cutting through enemies left and right, with zero resistance as if they were made of paper.
'Who is that? A third God's Champion…?'
**
Tyrgavion may not be the King of their species, but he demonstrated the leadership and power of one.
How would the tides of battle change if Arnold, their King, were here? She felt her heart race imagining his powerful manly back as he cut apart hundreds of monsters in seconds.
Myrena turned to Ceru, who was watching the battlefield with a focused gaze. Their meeting was quite short at first since she appeared out of nowhere while Myrena was preparing to depart.
She had the power to amplify the strength and defense of the dragons, something the average priest can't do for a force this size. In addition, earlier she was floating without the aid of spells, wings or magic items.
Only demigods, like angels, can fly.
Could it be true that their King contracted with an Angel?
Looking at the battlefield—at the numerous knights with golden wings—you would think this was a battle between the denizens of Hell and the Angels of Melis, with King Arnold's dragons serving as a third party.
"—You there!" the voice of a young man called out to them, "It… It is dangerous here! Evacuate at once!" when they looked over, they saw a man in a white hood, wearing a mask, approaching them.
He was walking in a rather slouched manner and his steps were heavy.
"We are the backup Lord Arnold sent to help." Myrena bowed her head slightly before stating the reason of them being here, "The dragons who are fighting for their king was ordered to come here by him."
"…Arnold sent those things?" his mutter went unheard of.
"Are you an inquisitor, sir? I apologize if I sound rude but you should heed your own advice and leave. You needn't throw your life away anymore." She could tell by his slouching posture and cold sweat that he sustained an injury. He was trying his hardest not to show it.
"You sound just like my childhood friend… Nonetheless, you are right. This is beyond my capabilities—I have done all I could to make sure there were survivors." he took off his mask after sheathing his two swords. The mask was quite bloody so he wiped it off before taking a long look at the battlefield, his face pale, "Lady Gwyn saved that town over there so I stayed behind to repay that debt. It is the duty of us Inquisitors to save the people from the demons, yet we arrived too late to save the thousands who perished, some whose hands were still clutched in prayer."
His frown deepened and his mouth twitched as if remembering a bitter memory.
"This situation seems hopeless and yet she continues to fight on, as if waiting for something. These monsters come back from any death you can think of, putting a heavy burden on only their opposition. Since Lady Gwyn is so strong and possesses numerous powerful skills, she has been able to hold on without showing signs of exhaustion but I fear that won't last long." He turned back to Myrena and Ceru, "Who are you two? Are both of you that man's wives?"
"Yes."
"Yes."
The two answered at the same time and without hesitation.
"Just to make sure I heard you correctly earlier… When you said the dragons came here for their king—did you really mean Arnold?"
Myrena nodded. He didn't have a major reaction, as if hearing about today's weather.
"…The king of dragons, huh. I could barely recognize him on our second meeting. Maybe this is how soldiers feel when meeting an inexperienced boy on the battlefield then meeting him again when he grows up to become a strong knight? Haha…" Lancelot suddenly collapsed on his knees before spitting blood and coughing violently.
Myrena noticed that he was clutching his stomach over his robe, which began to stain with blood, finally revealing his wound.
"A-Ah!"
Ceru hurried over towards him and began to heal his wound, "Why would you continue fighting a hopeless battle just to settle a debt!? You were given a precious life! Lady Guine—Gwyn wouldn't want you to throw it away like that!"
You could almost hear the anger in her voice. It's not that strange for a priest to be this upset that someone would risk their life like this. They're taught how precious life is throughout their studies.
"Ha… Hahaha… You speak as if you know her…"
"W-Well, sort of…"
"I'm jealous… I wish I had met her sooner… But a day is enough, as I will keep her name in my heart even after death… It would be nice to hear where she comes from…" he closed his eyes, "I know this fight was hopeless but at least I was able to fight alongside my comrades until the very end…" Lancelot looked at the barrier that kept the monsters enclosed, unable to escape into the outside world, "Lady Gwyn is so incredible, isn't she? I feel like a young boy again seeing the Inquisitors fight on the battlefield for the first time, believing I could become as strong as them."
His eyelids closed and went open slowly, "All my comrades were killed… What will Angelica think of me for putting them all and myself in danger like that? I promised her I would return safely… It may have been their wish to fight for the people but it is my duty as their superior to look after them…"
His breaths sounded like wheezes and his dead eyes glistened like pearls.
"Maybe I was too arrogant in this life… Just because I was told by Justice as a boy that I might surpass him someday, my arrogance went to my head and I thought I could face any danger… But I was able to fight Oriel in the end and come out on top. Even if that may not have been his true power, I consider that my greatest achievement."
He lifted his hand above his face and smiled before his face drooped as he opened his robe, revealing the large gaping hole in his stomach.
"…It pains me that Angelica will have to fight that demon without me." His voice grew smaller.
Myrena asked Ceru in a hurry, "Why is he still weak? Is the spell not working? His injury doesn't seem to be too severe."
It was only his stomach, so surely…?
Ceru stopped infusing divinity into her spell and looked closer at the wound, noticing a char-like pigmentation around the hole.
"T-There is a Hex on his wound. I'm not able to break hexes just yet as they are advanced curses." Ceru shook her head while looking away from Myrena, "Whatever cast it is a powerful witch or necromancer."
'So it's not an ordinary curse…' Myrena suddenly remembered Elizabeth, who could revive Tyrgavion multiple times. 'That girl should be able to lift the curse on the wound…'
But how do they even get to her in time?
"—Coooorrect, Love~" a boisterous old lady's voice interrupted them.
Lancelot's face twisted at hearing that voice and he tried to get up but then groaned while gritting his teeth. The next moment, a cloud of smoke appeared nearby before vanishing, leaving behind a fat tall humanoid creature wearing a veil which covered its head entirely. It wore a long black robe and wielded a staff decorated with bones.
"Goddess Sersei!?" Ceru's blinked blankly, "How are you still alive!? All-Father Zephyros killed you!"
Sersei, the Goddess of Sin and Plagues—once given the duties to absorb the malice from the worlds, turned to committing every crime you could think of to eliminate the Gods in an act of rebel to take over the divine realm. Her story has been repeated many times throughout history and there are countless legends but none mentioned her fate. Of course, not everything should be believed just because it's recorded in history. One should question where such knowledge even comes from. But since Valkyries used to roam this world, it doesn't seem that unbelieve, does it?
In any case, it was believed she was captured and thrown into a prison world that's guarded by Leviathan, the World Serpent. Prison worlds are small artificial worlds, constructed by gods mainly to serve—as their names imply—prisons for interdimensional threats.
Such prisons are inescapable since each of them are created specifically to cage threats.
Yet this is apparently her? Legends say she's a beautiful half snake, half human with glistening red eyes and a gorgeous curvy figure.
But what was in front of them is an obese old lady with weird green skin and pimples on her skin. You could not even call her human or human-like since she resembled a troll more than anything else.
"That old coot had a soft spot for me so instead of killing lil' ol' me, he threw me into the Nine Layers of Hell where I had to fight my way up to Limbo—kidding! He wanted me to suffer instead of giving me an honorable death. After 600 grueling years, an opportunity presented itself and set me free! That dumb goat, Suluvuk did something useful for once after failing to help me kill that Zephyros fossil!" she looked down at Lancelot with an exaggerated 'hmmm', "It seems this little boy couldn't even handle a tiny [Cell Decay] Hexe, kukuku Human priests are still far inferior than the mortals in the divine realm who practice directly under angels. Eh, now that I say it out loud, who can blame em for being so weak?"
She shrugged her fat shoulders, "Come on, boyo! That's just pathetic—dying to one of my weakest hexes, kukuku! It may be ancient but it ain't invincible!" though she screamed encouraging words, she was slapping her knee laughing at his pale face.
"Why must you torment humans even though you have tasted it eternally? Why wish it unto others? I don't remember you like this, Goddess Sersei…"
Ceru shouted at the Witch.
Judging by her familiarity with the Witch, her telling Myrena that she's an angel doesn't seem so crazy anymore… Of course, Myrena's perception of the world was changed entirely when a human—her King—defeated an Ancient Dragon and is looking to fight a Hero. She doesn't question everything anymore, even with her once sheltered lifestyle.
"Why? Well, it's because I imagine Zephyros' old wrinkly face on every living thing I squeeze the life out of." She clenched her four thick fingers, "That bastard weakened me, to the point where I can't maintain my human-like body, and I can't use powerful curses until I've collected enough miasma. Small fry like this boy is easy with simple curses but if I were to run into the Oracle in this world, I would have nothing to fight her with. So, save your crying, love. It is my right to let out my revenge on Zephyros' little creations~"
"These people are not his creations, Sersei! They are Goddess Melis' who has never stood against you!"
"Bah! What does it matter? That Melis harlot has no right to complain when she copulated with an outer god and had its bastard. In fact, she deserves to rot in that dimension as much as I did."
"S-She did not know… S-She was d-deceived..."
"Oho? The all-knowing Goddess these humans worship could not even foresee treacherous deception? Kahahaha! Don't let the temples hear you, love! They may burn you at the stake for doubting your Goddess so!"
Ceru frowned then looked back at Lancelot.
"Hm?" Sersei did the same, noticing that Lancelot had gone silent. Then her boisterous laughter shook the surroundings, "Kyahahahahahaha~ Humans are so fragile—no wonder they needed the Valkyries to protect them against the demons."
The air suddenly whirred and the ground rumbled—Lancelot's body began to convulse as his skin slowly glowed golden by the second.
"What's happening to him? Isn't he supposed to be dead...?"
...
—The Moonlight may bring hope—awakening the Holy Sword when the world is cloaked in darkness…
—but the Sun—
A single ray of light pierced the heavens.
It struck Lancelot's body directly.
—the Sun opens the pathway to heaven, allowing divinity to descend unfiltered into a single source.
That source is an infinite vessel… through which the power of the brother of Zephyros—the Solar Divinity, who sacrificed his metaphysical body to keep the realms aligned and anchored to the World Tree—awakens.
...
The ground exploded outward as his body rose from the earth, suspended in that column of radiance.
This was the birth of the Sun Knight—a mortal chosen not merely to wield holy power, but to walk the path toward ascension.
Should this sleeping warrior breath his last under the sun, its infinite energy will make him reborn again at his full potential until the sun says goodnight to this world.
The golden light hardened his flesh like divine metal, veins etched with blazing sigils as his wounds sealed themselves shut. Each breath he took scorched the air, every heartbeat resonating like a tolling bell across the battlefield.
Standing upright, Lancelot opened his eyes then took a quiet glance down at his body.
"Revived under the rays of sunlight… guided by the will of the Solar Divinity," Ceru muttered, her voice barely above a breath, "So this is the one destined to become the Sun Knight."
"Sun Knight…?" Lancelot's voice sounded soft yet powerful at the same time. He remembered a moment in the past—
Arnold referred to him as the Sun Knight back then. But he never quite knew what it meant and forgot about it the very next day, never choosing to do research.
"What is… this Sun Knight?" even when there is a war going on nearby and an Eldritch Witch stood before him, he was calm, "Am I… an angel?"
Ceru shook her head, "You are… a servant of the Gods, much like Miss Angelica… You inherited the Will of Divinity but are not meant to carry his burden, only protect the humanity alongside the other servants."
A servant to a God is no mere cleaner or housemaid—they are the people that are destined to stand beside Melis, serving her directly once the "Divine Envoy" is sent down to fetch the Hero to meet with the Gods.
Just like Angelica inherited the will of Melis, he inherited the Will of another God. And much like her, he is not expected to suddenly become a God to protect and rule over the mortals.
His purpose has not changed at all.
"Like Angie? Then… I will be able to hear the words of Melis?"
She nodded at his question.
So even destiny says the two of them are fated to be together, not in the lovers' sense but two souls chosen to walk the same path, to stand beneath the same divine light.
It hurt a little but he was grateful that his purpose is this deep.
"Ah, I was in such a blur that I forgot about this battle." Lancelot looked towards the dome. With his enhanced eyesight powered by power of the Sun's divinity, he could see Gwyn fighting her hardest.
She was like a Goddess.
If he did not have this purpose to serve Melis, he would've asked to become her subordinate.
"First," he turned back to Sersei, who stood there petrified, as if aware of the dangers his powers can pose, "You will have to die. Though, I suppose this isn't your real body. But I will find you soon... Witch."
A moment later, a pillar of light struck the witch, burning her like a piece of paper over a flame.
"H-How is this power hurting my astral body!? Ackkkk!!!" Sersei screamed as her body was ripped apart by the power of the sun.
Sweeping his hair back with his hand and creaking his neck, Lancelot said calmly:
"Now, I shall assist Lady Gwyn and rid this world of these monsters."