The Holy Fire Guard Knights (1)
Najin, traveling alongside Helt Knight, learned a few things about him that he had no desire to know.
Contrary to his heavy and serious first impression, Helt Knight turned out to be far lighter in character than he had expected.
In other words, he talked a lot.
“Don’t you think lumping all people under the term ‘human’ reflects an incredibly narrow perspective?”
“What’s this nonsense out of nowhere?”
Moreover, much of his chatter consisted of nebulous musings and profoundly philosophical questions.
“Think about it, Najin. Animals eat other animals. Does that sound strange to you?”
“Not at all. It’s perfectly natural.”
“Exactly. Then how about this: humans eat other humans. How does that sound?”
“That’s… unsettling. Makes think of savages, honestly.”
“Exactly! That’s the point.” Helt Knight snapped his fingers. “Animals are divided into countless species within their kind. Predators hunt prey, and no one questions it because it’s natural. Naturally, no one considers lions and deer part of the sa species, but what about humans?”
His voice rose as he elaborated. “Different ethnicities. Different nations. Yet, we group them all together under the single term ‘human,’ so when humans eat other humans, it feels like ‘cannibalism,’ invoking an instinctive repulsion. What if they’re actually entirely different species?”
“Animals must eat other animals to survive. Humans don’t need to eat other humans to live, which is why it feels abhorrent,” Najin countered.
“Hmm, a valid point,” Helt Knight interjected, “but what about the Outland?”
“Pardon?”
“There are those in the Outland who must eat human hearts to survive. In their case, would eating humans still be abhorrent? If it’s essential for survival, would it then be acceptable according to your logic?”
“Well…”
“Don’t rush to answer. Think about it more deeply. Until we reach our destination, perhaps.” He smirked. “There’s plenty of ti.”
Taking the lead, Helt Knight pressed on. He had volunteered to introduce Najin to a battlefield suitable for soone of his level, citing his extensive knowledge of the Outland from wandering it for so long.
Najin glanced at rlin beside him.
- Hmm.
rlin pursed her lips.
- Is it just , or does it feel like he’s stealing my role?
‘It’s not just you.’
- …Fine.
While Helt Knight assud the role of a “guide,” rlin fell into silence. Sticking closely to Najin, she looped an arm around his neck and held up a piece of paper as if in defense.
- I was going to help too! See? I even picked so destinations. Here, take a look: Top 10 Outland Sites for Adventurers! A perfect route to accelerate your growth, carefully planned since our ti on the continent…
‘I’ll look at it later.’
- Really? Okay, but you’d better take a look!
Leaving the crestfallen rlin behind, Najin followed Helt Knight. While he planned to visit rlin’s suggested destinations eventually, the places Helt Knight had ntioned intrigued him more.
“Look at that.” From a hilltop, Helt Knight extended a finger toward a dilapidated fortress. “That’s our destination.”
He enunciated its na. “Atula Fortress.” He added, “It’s the fortress occupied by the Holy Fire Guard Knights.”
Najin stared at Atula Fortress.
The Outland was dotted with similar fortresses. He had passed by many ruins on his journey. Not just fortresses—cities, towers, ruins—abandoned structures were a common sight in the Outland.
They were remnants left behind by fallen or forgotten nations, cities consud as the Outland’s borders expanded or edifices constructed by constellations for mysterious purposes.
The architectural styles of the structures varied wildly: a thousand-year-old ancient tower, the fortress of a nation destroyed 700 years ago, ruins from 500 years back; buildings from 300, 200, and even just 100 years ago.
From antiquity to the modern day, every era left its mark in the Outland. Even in the lawless, transcendent domain, where the rules of reality were broken, humanity’s creations endured.
“The Holy Fire Guard Knights were active around 200 years ago. Do you know of them?”
“I’ve heard bits and pieces.”
“Good. They devoted themselves entirely to the Outland around 200 years ago. Their noble mission? To battle demons and corrupted transcendents.”
Helt Knight recited their creed: to prove that, even in the Outland, their holy fire would not be extinguished but burn brightly.
“However, following a certain incident, the Holy Fire Guard Knights beca a band of Forgotten Ones.” Helt Knight didn’t elaborate on the incident. Instead, he continued, “Now, they hunt humans. They consu human flesh to sustain their fire. Do you see the smoke rising above the fortress?”
Najin could see it: white smoke, faintly visible above the fortress walls.
“That smoke is proof their holy fire still burns. They’re determined to keep it alive at all costs, even if it ans hunting humans. Do you think their actions are justified?”
“It doesn’t seem very knightly.”
“Is that so?” Helt Knight neither agreed nor disagreed. Instead, he rely nodded and walked toward the fortress. “In the Outland, there are no answers, only the conclusions you reach yourself. Present your conclusion to the master of that fortress.”
Descending the hill, passing through a dense forest, Najin and Helt Knight approached the fortress. Knights manned the walls and towers, with guards stationed at the sturdy iron gate.
At first glance, the fortress seed normal. The problem, however, lay in its defenders—the knights’ vacant eyes and unnatural movents betrayed a lack of humanity.
“If I recall, a third of the Holy Fire Guard Knights were Sword Seekers. The order numbered about 30 knights, so roughly ten were at that level.”
“They’re not an easy foe.”
“True. Rember, they’ve been active in the Outland for 200 years. More than enough ti for another ten Sword Seekers to rise among them.”
At least ten, possibly more.
Despite his massive fra, Helt Knight crouched behind a tree, speaking in a low voice to Najin.
Whether soone of his size could effectively hide was questionable, but the defenders of the fortress didn’t seem to notice them, so it was apparently working.
‘Or maybe those Forgotten Ones just have terrible eyesight.’ Najin leaned toward the latter.
“How do we get in? Storming the fortress doesn’t look easy.”
“How do we get in?” Helt Knight clicked his tongue. “We’re knights visiting a citadel.”
“That’s true.”
“A knight must act with honor, especially when confronting soone’s beliefs and declaring, ‘You are wrong.’ That’s the way of the Knights of Atanga.”
Helt Knight rose to his full height. “How could a knight climb walls?”
“…Excuse ?”
“How could a knight sneak in like a thief? Unthinkable.” With a loud stomp, he struck the ground. The entire forest quivered from the impact. The display didn’t go unnoticed, the knights guarding the fortress turned their attention toward the forest.
Unbothered by their gazes, Helt Knight puffed up his chest as if shouting, ‘Look at !’ Bending his knees, he leaned forward, gripping his lance. “A direct charge, that’s true romance.”
With his lance at the ready, Helt Knight launched himself forward. Each step sent tremors through the earth, and the gap between him and the fortress closed rapidly.
By the ti the gate guards reacted, he was already upon them.
And then—
BOOOOOM!
The gate didn’t just dent or bend; it shattered into countless pieces. Even the fortress wall trembled from the impact, scattering debris everywhere.
“Wow.” Running behind him, Najin couldn’t help but marvel.
Smashing through a fortress gate was the pinnacle of a lance charge.
‘So, with enough power in your legs, you don’t even need a horse.’
As the shattered gate collapsed inward, the Forgotten Ones inside the fortress froze, their hollow gazes locked on Najin and Helt Knight.
Even without their souls, the sudden assault shocked them.
A mont of silence followed.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
They drew their swords, spears, and halberds, charging at Najin and Helt Knight. Their weapons glowed faintly with Imagery, further amplifying the threat.
“Is this really okay?”
“Well, romance aside, this is a bit…”
‘Romance, my ass.’
The knights stationed in the fortress responded impressively to the sudden assault, quickly forming ranks to surround their intruders.
Even though they had lost their individual wills, their movents were sharp and precise. Unlike the lone Forgotten Ones wandering the Outland, the knights operated as a cohesive unit.
Shiiiing!
A dozen cold weapons struck out simultaneously. The threat was undeniable.
As Najin swung his sword to deflect their strikes, he retreated to a safer position.
anwhile, Helt Knight brandished his lance in wide arcs, fending off the encroaching weapons.
With a spin of his weapon, Helt Knight gripped his lance in reverse. The massive polearm, at least three ters long, was treated as though it weighed nothing. With one hand, he hefted the lance back like a throwing spear.
Whoosh!
The lance soared through the air, striking a knight stationed atop a distant watchtower. “Struck” wasn’t quite the right word—the impact demolished the entire top of the watchtower, collapsing it and sending the knight plumting with the structure.
As if responding to its master’s will, the lance curved in mid-air and returned to Helt Knight’s waiting hand. He caught it effortlessly and slamd its base into the ground.
“What kind of technique was that?” Najin asked.
“It’s a basic skill for anyone wielding a lance in the Outland—throwing and retrieving. If we have ti later, I’ll teach you.” Helt Knight shrugged, exhaling deeply.
With a roar more reminiscent of a beast than a human, he called the attention of the charging Forgotten Ones toward himself.
Once he had their focus, he turned to Najin. “Do you see that smoke rising? It’s likely coming from where this fortress’s master resides.”
He slapped Najin on the back, sending him stumbling forward. “Go on.”
Spinning his lance in his hand, Helt Knight grinned. “The Forgotten Ones are mine to handle. Your target isn’t them… it’s the master of this fortress.”
User Comments
0 comments from readers