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• Adventurer GrimV
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1:54 p.m.
Sab'bia Desert.
Kara, Uliah, Carr and another Crusader named Trym were standing on guard about 4 miles south of where the enemy's base was suspected to be.
They weren't riding a Karfax and they haven't pulled out their weapons.
Kara focused on keeping her breathing slow and steady as she held the grip of her Adamantite-Grade Poison Elemental Sword on her hip tightly while she had her Adamantite-Grade shield on her back. And despite the Cooling Magic Effect on her Orichalcum-Grade Crusader Armor, her body was still sweating a bit. Moreover, she could feel butterflies in her stomach and her knees felt a bit wobbly, making her want to jump and run around.
She shook her head mentally.
Focus on the mission…!
FOCUS ON THE MISSION…!
Kara was the daughter of a High-Tier Commoner Merchant who came from a long line of merchants, not fighters.
Ever since she was born, she was blessed with good looks and was born with the Light and Dark Magic Art Affinities, resulting in many people naturally fawning over her. And although she had some stalkers or whatnot growing up, her family was more or less able to push them away, thanks to their wealth and their connection with the Luxen Chapter Temple to whom they promised to have her join once she became 15 years old. Because of this, she never truly experienced true hardship, true fear and true violence.
However, that changed.
Before joining the Holy Crusade, just the idea of signing up for it already shook her to her core. It affected her so much that as the months drew closer for her to leave Luxen City for the Holy Crusade, she started developing insomnia and she also lost her appetite. However, she knew that she had no choice if she wanted to collect Holy Crusade Points to improve the type of jobs she could get at her Chapter Temple once she retires.
Fortunately for her, she made friends with Marie, Elena, Carr and etc. who were there to support her along the way. She also developed a crush on Carr and learned that he was part of the Infantry Division during his Holy Crusade contracts. In fact, it was Elena who suggested that she could join the Infantry Division and have the chance to fight alongside Carr.
When she finally joined the Basic Training, although she was looking forward to joining the Infantry Division and having the chance to fight alongside Carr, deep inside, she was still pretty much afraid which only worsened when Marie and the others finally had to leave for their respective Divisions. But after getting to know her classmates, especially Vivian, and spending time with them, that fear gradually lessened.
And after she graduated Basic Training and was sent to the Southwestern Front Infantry Barracks for her Training Course, and also reuniting with Carr, not only did the fear inside of her continue to lessen even more but she also started to believe that perhaps the Holy Crusade wasn't so scary after all.
However, once they graduated from the Training Course and they started being sent out for Field Missions, that's when reality finally struck her. For the first time in her life, she finally experienced what true hardship, true fear and true violence was.
Kara raised her head.
High up in the sky and from a distance, there was Draghorn on her left, a Rhonea on her right, and 2 Draghorns in front of her.
To be specific, there were 6 squads:
• Squad 1 was in charge of guarding the north.
• Squad 2 the east.
• Squad 3 the west.
• Squad 4 the south.
• Squad 5 had 10 members and they were in charge of entering the enemy's base.
• Squad 6 was the Air Division with 6 members; 2 were positioned at the center or above the enemy's base while the other 4 were positioned in the northwest, southwest, southeast and northeast.
"Do you see any movement, Brother Sergeant?" Carr asked.
Trym deactivated [Scope-Rune] from his helmet and turned to him.
He was in his mid-20s and from the Holy Chapter Temple. He was wearing an Orichalcum-Grade Crusader Armor with x2 Magic Effects and carrying two Adamantite-Grade Elemental Long Daggers on his hips.
"Nothing from the enemy, Squad 5 hasn't made any movement either, Brother High Sergeant."
Carr nodded.
"I see. Thank you, Brother Sergeant."
In their squad, as the person with the highest rank, Carr was their assigned leader while Trym was second-in-command.
Carr was in his late teens and had 3 Magic Art Affinities -- Light, Fire and Earth -- with a Physical and Magic Force of Adamantite-Rainbow Steel.
Trym was in his early 20s and had 2 Magic Art Affinities -- Light and Poison -- with a Physical and Magic Force of Orichalcum-Adamantite.
Uliah was in her early 20s and had 3 Magic Art Affinities -- Fire, Poison and Earth. Orichalcum-Adamantite. Her Physical and Magic Force during Basic Training was Orichalcum. But now, she was Orichalcum-Adamantite.
And lastly, Kara was in her late teens and had 2 Magic Art Affinities -- Light and Dark. Her Physical and Magic Force during Basic Training was Silver. But now, she was Mithril-Orichalcum.
Carr returned his gaze to where the enemy's hideout was.
There were no buildings, ruins or any landmark. Instead, it was just an endless plain of sand. However, to the ones who know where to look, there was a secret entrance that led underground.
Uliah glanced at Kara.
"Sister, are you okay?"
Kara gritted her teeth underneath her helmet for a moment.
"I'm fine, sister."
"Squad 6 is moving," Trym said.
One of the Draghorns flying above the enemy's base activated [Halo].
"Prepare for arms!" Carr said.
He pulled out his Adamantite-Grade Soul Elemental One-handed Sword with his right hand.
[Mana Sword].
A one-handed sword made out of blue mana appeared on his left hand.
[Blessing].
A red light enveloped his body.
The others followed suit.
Trym pulled out two Adamantite-Grade Elemental Long Daggers, one had Lightning while the other had Soul.
[Blessing].
Uliah readied her Adamantite-Grade Elemental Weapons as well, one was a Soul Sword and the other was a Lightning Mace.
[Blessing].
Carr cast a spell on Magic Class Spell on her.
Kara readied her Adamantite-Grade Poison Elemental Sword and Adamantite-grade Shield.
[Blessing].
Trym cast a spell on Magic Class Spell on her.
"Sister Crusader Kara, activate your [Halo]," Carr said.
"Yes, Brother High Sergeant!"
[Halo].
A golden ring appeared on her back.
Since she had the lowest Magic Force among them, they wouldn't be affected by her [Halo]'s charm effect.
They then made a triangle formation with Kara in the middle.
"If you see, hear or notice anything, report it immediately!" Carr said.
"Yes, Brother High Sergeant!" they replied.
A minute later, something happened.
Bang!
A Crusader from the Air Division flying over the northwest shot a flare.
"Gray flare between Squad 2 and Squad 3!" Uliah said.
"Keep your eyes open for any heretic!" Carr said.
Bang!
Another flare was shot.
"Red flare between Squad 2 and Squad 3!" Uliah said.
Bang! Bang!
"Gray and red flares between Squad 1 and Squad 2!" Trym said.
A dozen meters away, two holes began to form and a female Larker and a male human who looked to still be 10-12 years old with a giant [Dark Halo] on their backs emerged.
They wore nothing but a loincloth to cover their private parts.
As for their weapons, they carried no physical weapons with them. But they each had a [Mana Throw] weapon on their hands. The Larker had a blue-colored knife on his left hand while the human had a blue-colored stone that was the size of an adult's fist.
Vooom!
Vooom!
Both Necromancer children turned their attention towards Carr and his group and emanated with thick bloodlust before charging.
[Explosive Throw].
[Explosive Throw].
The children activated skills.
"I'll take care of them!" Carr said.
Whooosh!
Booom!
He cut down the blue-colored knife with one of his swords in mid-air and it exploded before swinging his other sword.
Whooosh!
Booom!
Vooom!
After cutting down the blue-colored stone, he moved to the children.
Bang!
The Crusader from the Air Division flying above them shot a gray flare.
"We've released a signal!" Kara said.
[Lesser Chaos Enchant].
Carr arrived in front of the Larker child, who activated a spell, and then raised his Soul Elemental One-handed Sword.
Whoo-ooo!
[Curse].
As the Larker child was sliced into two diagonally, a black light enveloped Carr's body.
Vooom!
The human child appeared next to Carr in mid-air with a [Lesser Chaos Enchant] on its fist.
[Power Fist].
TANGK!
The skill landed on Carr's helmet and left a mark in the form of a child's fist on his left cheek.
[Cleanse].
Whoo-ooo!
Green light enveloped Carr's body as he spun around with his blades.
The human child was sliced in two from the waist.
[Lesser Chaos Transformation].
[Lesser Chaos Transformation].
Blaaak!
Blaaak!
Both of the children transformed into a 3-meter-tall Lesser Demons.
Bang!
This time around, the Crusader from the Air Division flying above them shot a red flare.
"We've sent another signal!" Kara said.
"Brother Sergeant, I'm going to help Brother High Sergeant!" Uliah said.
"Okay!" said Trym.
Vooom!
She rushed over with her Elemental Soul Sword and Lightning Elemental Mace.
"Brother Sergeant… W-West…!" Kara said and gritted her teeth as if she were in pain.
When Trym turned to the west, a male Monkeigh in his late teens was already 10ft above the ground with a giant [Dark Halo] on his back.
[Mana Fist].
[Lesser Chaos Enchant].
The Monkeigh teen twisted its body as it cast a skill and spell.
Vooom!
Trym appeared in front of Kara.
[Explosive Fist].
[Dual Eplosive Dagger].
BOOOM! Booom!
Tangk!
"AAAH!!!"
Thud! Thud!
When the Monkeigh's skill and Trym's skill clashed, Trym was blown away and bumped into Kara, causing Kara to cry out and then both of them to crash to the ground.
Kara got up and immediately checked on Trym.
Most of the frontal part of his Crusader Armor set and clothes were destroyed, leaving nothing but bloody, naked and mangled flesh.
Chud!
As she was about to cast [Greater Heal], a 3-meter-long blue-colored Mana Tail weapon suddenly wrapped around her neck and brought her in front of the Monkeigh teen while still keeping her feet a few inches above the ground.
"Dae-I dae-think dae-I dae-heard dae-a dae-female dae-voice~" the teen said with a smile.
Cra-ang…
The grip of the Mana Tail around Kara's neck tightened, causing her to hold onto it with both hands and the metal collar of her armor to creak as she gasped for air.
The teenager's eyes glanced at the [Halo] on Kara's back.
"Dae-And dae-you're dae-the dae-weakest."
[Dark Arrow].
Bam!
Bam!
Bam!
When the teenager noticed that Kara was trying to cast a spell, he immediately swung her up and then violently slammed her to the ground like a ragged doll.
"Dae-Stupid dae-human."
And then brought her back in front of him.
"Dae-Now dae-let's dae-see dae-what dae-you dae-look dae-like dae-before dae-I dae-gouge dae-your dae-eyes dae-out dae-and dae-eat dae-them~!" he said with an excited expression as he reached out for her helmet.
[Power Arrow].
Woo-rii-psssh!
"Aaargh!"
An arrow with the Poison Elemental ripped out the right leg of the Monkeigh teenager and a green mist exploded. And as he lost his balance and fell to the ground, he noticed two people.
The first one was a Crusader riding a Draghorn in the sky holding a Poison Elemental Bow and aiming at him.
Meanwhile, the other one was Carr who was no longer wearing his helmet and charging at him.
He deactivated [Mana Tail], releasing Kara.
[Lesser Chaos Enchant].
Light red lightning appeared on his hand.
[Lesser Chaos Transformation].
BLAAAK!
He transformed into a 6-meter-tall Lesser Demon.
Woooh!
[Power Arrow].
As the Crusader riding a Draghorn threw another skill, the Lesser Demon raised its foot above Kara.
"DAE-DIE!!!"
[Power Leg].
Carr's eyes widened and he quickly activated a skill to propel himself forward.
[Power Leg].
BAA-RIIIP!
Unfortunately, Carr was too slow.
Woo-rii-psssh!
The arrow took out one of the Lesser Demon's four arms and its right leg.
"KARAAAAAA…!!!" Carr screamed and his eyes turned red.
[Power Slash].
Whoo-riiip!
He cut down one of the legs of the Lesser Demon.
Thud! Thud!
The Lesser Demon lost its balance but caught itself with two of its remaining three hands.
[Power Slash].
Whoo-ooo!
[Power Arrow].
Woo-rii-psssh!
As Carr was cutting the Lesser Demon down and also stealing its mana, the Crusader riding a Draghorn in the sky was also bombarding it with skills.
[Power Slash].
Whoo-ooo!
[Power Arrow].
Woo-rii-psssh!
"DAE-ANNOYING DAE-PRIESTS!!!" the demon growled in annoyance.
[Lesser Chaos Enchant].
Light red lightning appeared on its hand.
And as it was about to cast [Curse], some of its demonic eyes noticed Uliah and a naked Trym rushing over him.
[Power Tail].
[Explosive Sword].
BOOOM! Booom!
The Lesser Demon's [Power Tail] infused with [Lesser Chaos Enchant] collided with Carr's [Explosive Sword].
Just like Trym earlier, Carr was blown away -- most of the frontal part of his Crusader Armor set and clothes were destroyed and his skin was left bloody and mangled.
Cra-ack!
His Soul Elemental One-handed Sword on his right hand disintegrated into dust.
Thud!
"Blargh…!"
When he crashed to the ground, he coughed out blood before gritting his teeth and tightening his grip around his Mana Sword.
[Greater Heal].
A yellow light enveloped his body.
[Blessing].
A red light enveloped his body.
As he got up, he saw Trym, Uliah and the Air Division Crusader bombarding the Lesser Demon with attacks.
He shed off his broken armor and clothes, and then swept his gaze around to search for something.
Vooom!
He appeared next to his broken belt pouch and took out a High-Mana Potion.
Plok!
Gulp…
Gulp…
Vooom!
He threw the empty bottle and then immediately rushed over to join in.
***
Some time later.
Carr and Trym, who was now both dressed -- a simple white shirt and brown pants -- along with Uliah and an Air Division Crusader were on their knees inside a crater and digging with their hands.
"Ignore the parts covered in blood. Focus solely on gathering the flesh and metal. [Resurrection] requires more than half of the deceased's remains for it to work," the Crusader said.
The deceased was Kara. What used to be a beautiful 18-year-old woman with long pink hair was now nothing but a bloody, flattened and severely mutilated corpse with broken bones, tattered internal organs and scraps of metal mashed up together. Had they not known whose remains they were digging, they wouldn't even be able to tell the gender.
The Crusader laid out a piece of thick cloth engraved with Runes on the ground.
"Now let's move her here."
"Sister Crusader Uliah, you carry the legs. Brother Sergeant Trym and I will then carry the rest of her body with her cape," Carr said.
The Crusader Armor set had a white cape. Fortunately for Kara, the back part of her body was still more or less intact.
"I'll hold her head," the Crusader said.
After lifting the corpse up and transferring it on top of the piece of thick cloth, the Crusader started wrapping the body like a cocoon.
Uliah removed her helmet and then wiped the tears off her eyes.
"Sister Kara…"
Carr gently placed his hand on her back.
"Don't worry, she will be fine," he said and then gave a reassuring smile.
Trym nodded.
"Brother High Sergeant is correct. I've been in more horrific injuries myself and I've also seen more horrific injuries. The [Resurrection] spell would definitely work."
"I know…" Uliah said and then bit her lip for a moment. "But… she…"
Carr slowly pulled his hand away from her back but didn't say anything.
When the Crusader was finally done wrapping Kara's body, he activated the Runes on the cloth, causing a white thin layer to envelope the whole cocoon for a moment before disappearing, and then turned to them.
"The body is now secured, Brother High Sergeant."
Carr nodded.
"Thank you, Brother High Sergeant."
The Crusader picked up the cocoon and then carried it over to the Draghorn.
Carr turned to Trym and Uliah.
"Let's gather the demon corpses and then regroup with the other squads."
Trym nodded.
Uliah wiped away her tears one more last and then wore back her helmet. She went over to a corner and picked up Kara's sword and shield before finally turning to him.
"Okay," she said and nodded.
***
3:13 p.m.
Inquisitory Division Headquarters, Holy City, Holy Kingdom.
Pen was inside his office and sitting behind his desk. Laid in front of him were a dozen reports about 3 cases and other documents related to something completely different that he needed to complete today because tomorrow, he had to travel for 2 days to meet and entertain 3 different VIPS from 3 different locations.
As the current Chapter Master of the Inquisitory Division, when it comes to doing Field Missions and reviewing Pre-Reports and Post-Reports of cases, most of it was done by the Inquisitors under him. The only Field Missions that he would take and Pre-Reports and Post-Reports that he would read are high-level ones with very sensitive information that requires the attention of someone of his rank. In actuality, 85% of his "job" required him to travel to places and "socialize" with very important and influential people.
And if he were to be honest, after being a Chapter Master for a few years now, he realized he preferred doing Field Missions. But unfortunately, he couldn't go back anymore because there were too many lives and things at stake.
The moment he was chosen as the next Chapter Master by the previous Chapter Master, that was it. There were 3 potential candidates, but he was the one chosen in the end, the one who triumphed. At the time, although he didn't show it by maintaining a cool and calm demeanor, inside, he was so proud that he won. And as a smart man, he, of course, was aware of the tasks and responsibilities of a Chapter Master. But despite that, he still looked forward to it because he had so many ideas and plans that he wanted to implement which he believed would benefit the Inquisitory Division.
However, once he became the Chapter Master and as time went on, he experienced a feeling that was hard to explain because it was humbling, enlightening and sobering -- if that makes any sense.
On one hand, as a smart person, he already knew or understood that observing something and actually doing something were two completely different things. He also understood the importance of Physical and Magic Force, resources, politics, and all the things that are needed in governing a successful organization. Meanwhile, on the other hand, to truly accept and embrace those things, that was the part that caught him off guard.
As a matter of fact, although many would call him crazy or out of touch with reality for saying this, he felt more powerless as Chapter Master compared to when he wasn't a Chapter Master. To him, the most powerful person was actually a High Captain. Because at least with that rank, that person could still go or try on different routes and fail.
Nevertheless, the only thing he could now is to continue playing the role of the Chapter Master of the Inquisitory Division until he officially retires at 65 years old (best case scenario) from both the Holy Crusade and Temple of Priests while not only maintaining the political influence of the Inquisitory Division and maintaining the alliances with the VIPs, but also improving or expanding them.
Knock, knock.
Ka-cha.
There was a knock on the door and then it opened.
"Honored Priest Inquisitor, you've been working for hours, so I've brought you some tea," Nina, his personal secretary, said while carrying a cup of tea.
Pen stopped what he was doing and turned to her.
"Thank you as always," he said and smiled behind his Inquisitor Full-Mask.
Nina placed the tea on his desk and bowed.
"It's always a pleasure," she said before taking out a piece of folder paper and placing it beside the cup of tea. "Honored Priest Inquisitor Blanch also gave this to me while I was on my way bringing this cup of tea to you. He said it's urgent."
"I see. Thank you."
Nina bowed once again.
"Please excuse me," she said and then left.
When Pen was back alone, he removed his mask and then picked up the cup of tea.
Sip.
After taking a sip, he placed it down, picked up the folded paper, and then opened it.
Cough…!
The tea he just drank almost backfired.
"She murdered another Aristocratic Noble and arrested another one…?"
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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
By the way, I've posted this chapter at WebNovel, Royal Road and Patreon. However, the main is P-a-t-r-e-o-n (Immortal_Shades) because I want to post pictures and videos there without any restrictions.
https://www.patreon.com/Immortal_Shades
Don't worry, the chapters there are free. And if you want to donate because I have no talent in being a writer, feel free to consider any of these titles:
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Thank you once again and I will see you at the next chapter.