Paladin of the Dead God-Chapter 374: Division (4)

The division of the Dawn Army inevitably delayed their progress, though Isaac felt a measure of relief. If the enemy had resorted to sowing discord, it meant they lacked the overwhelming force to confront them directly.

Lacking sufficient strength, the enemy was compelled to adopt more cost-effective strategies.

‘The main force of the Dawn Army must be stronger than they anticipated,’ Isaac thought, a bit surprised.

Isaac was well aware of the limits of the Codex of Light’s influence.

As the largest and most powerful religious order in the world, the Codex of Light wielded immense authority. However, influence alone could not solve issues of tactics, strategy, logistics, or command. Faith could not overcome those barriers.

Historically, Emperor Waltzemer had managed these domains, combining his authority with the protagonist’s power to barely achieve success. Yet, the Codex of Light was now demonstrating an unexpected strength.

‘Could it be that Waltzemer’s downfall actually benefitted the Codex?’

Perhaps the nullification of the Licht Treaty and the proclamation of the Gerthonia Holy Empire had triggered some unforeseen effects. Isaac could not ascertain the situation within the Dawn Army’s main forces. However, given the dismal results of the Ciero faction, he was convinced something dramatic had occurred.

Isaac wondered whether the Dawn Army he would reunite with after Lua’s campaign would still resemble the force he knew.

***

“Death Knight troops spotted on the northern ridge!”

Two days had passed since the army’s division.

Finally, a knight from the scouting party returned to deliver the report to Isaac. A group of Death Knights, suspected to belong to the Avalanche Knight Order, was lingering just out of reach, maintaining a tantalizing distance. The intent to lure them in was obvious, but rejecting this invitation was hardly an option.

As Isaac prepared to thank the scout for their efforts, he realized the knight’s face looked familiar. It took only a moment to recognize him.

“Well done, Ansel,” Isaac said.

The paladin Ansel’s face lit up at Isaac’s words.

He had been one of the few knights who had defended the lord’s castle in Issacrea when the Liberated Bishop Al Durad invaded under Juan’s orders. Unlike most, who served under Rottenhammer, Ansel had been with Isaac from the start.

“You remember my name, Sir Grail Knight! It’s an honor!”

“You’ve earned it. A paladin willing to enter an unknown, possibly ambushed region deserves recognition. I also remember the valor you showed in the past.”

To be honest, Isaac remembered Ansel less for his battlefield exploits and more because his name had appeared on the List of the Doomed—but he had survived. Isaac had forcibly altered his fate, and though he might not have recalled Ansel’s face, the name had stuck.

“You saved my life that day, Sir Grail Knight,” Ansel said with gratitude. “Since then, I’ve considered every moment of my life borrowed time. I’ll gladly repay your kindness, no matter the cost.”

His voice grew more fervent. “And with you, I feel I won’t die anywhere. Under the banner of the Issacrea Dawn Army, I am invincible!”

Isaac offered a sheepish smile at Ansel’s excessive praise. As they began moving toward the Avalanche Knight Order, Isaac struck up light conversation with him.

Isaac recalled that Ansel had no formal affiliation. He was one of Juan’s independent paladins, akin to a free knight. Such paladins, unaffiliated with any specific order, were not uncommon, often serving as personal guards or local defenders. Gebel, for example, could also be considered a free knight.

“You’re not officially part of the Issacrea Paladin Order, then?” Isaac asked.

“Well... Commander Rottenhammer did extend an invitation, but honestly, our styles don’t quite match. Besides, there’s a pride in having fought under you first, Sir Grail Knight,” Ansel replied.

Isaac nodded, noting that Ansel and others like him had formed their own group. To these veterans, the newly established Issacrea Paladin Order felt like outsiders.

‘It makes sense. The former Brient Paladins won’t integrate easily. I’ll need to find a way to bring them together. Hopefully, this battlefield offers that opportunity.’

However, Ansel’s next words made Isaac doubt whether that would happen anytime soon.

“Does it really matter if I belong to an order? For me, serving under you is enough, Sir Grail Knight. I’d face any danger for that.”

There was an almost religious fervor in Ansel’s tone. Isaac, in fact, could feel the waves of faith emanating from him. Ansel was no longer merely a paladin of the Codex of Light—he had become Isaac’s personal follower. And Isaac suspected there were others like him.

At least they didn’t seem to reject the chain of command, which was a relief. Yet Isaac couldn’t ignore the implications of having a group united more by personal devotion to him than camaraderie with their fellow soldiers.

***

“There,” Ansel said.

As he had reported, the Death Knight troops were perched on the ridge. Just as Isaac, Rottenhammer, and Gebel were observing them, the Death Knights seemed to be watching the Issacrea Paladins in return.

Isaac scanned the terrain. Frozen dunes undulated like waves, and the ridge where the Death Knights stood was the highest ground in sight.

“The terrain isn’t ideal, but it’s not the worst either. Not that we have much choice with everything within hundreds of kilometers looking like this,” Isaac muttered.

Though the enemy held the high ground, it wasn’t an insurmountable disadvantage. Their positioning seemed less about launching an ambush and more about determining that the Dawn Army factions were sufficiently separated to engage.

Isaac gestured to Gebel. “Gebel, bring it out.”

Without a word, Gebel reached into his bag and retrieved a sealed skull. The remains of a Death Knight from a prior skirmish, it was tightly encased in wax infused with the light’s energy, effectively neutralizing its resurrection ability and psychic emanations.

Gebel peeled away the seal at the base of the skull.

A piercing wail echoed across the frozen expanse, less a message or expression than a siren’s call. Isaac gripped the jawbone of the skull and stepped forward. He might have respected this Death Knight as a senior in life, but as an undead, it warranted no such courtesy.

“This was your comrade! Will you just leave him here like this?”

The skull’s shriek served its purpose—whatever its intent, the Death Knights reacted.

As Isaac anticipated, a single Death Knight descended the ridge on a phantom steed, gliding smoothly across the frozen dunes.

The figure was slender and graceful, with a lithe frame. Undead often lacked clear gender markers, but Isaac had a strong sense that this one was female.

The Death Knight’s hollow voice reached out.

[Not Rottenhammer. Not Gebel. Who are you?]

The Death Knight’s voice, sharp and rasping like that of an elderly woman, echoed through the frozen expanse. She seemed to be of similar age to Rottenhammer.

"Isaac Issacrea. And you are?" Isaac asked.

[No courtesy titles left, but the name is Amarande. Most just call me Linde,] she replied, her psychic voice deliberately amplified for all to hear.

The sound of grinding teeth came from behind Isaac—Gebel, seething in anger.

Linde turned her gaze toward the hill, her tone dripping with derision.

[Ah, there you are, my little pup. And the old hammer geezer, too.]

She tilted her head slowly, mockery in every movement.

[What’s this? Have the two of you retired to let this greenhorn take the lead? Is it that time in life when everything else has died?]

“Linde,” Isaac cut in before Rottenhammer or Gebel could explode in fury. His own eyes had already gone cold, however, with an almost irresistible urge to cut her to pieces.

“You’re speaking to me. They’re silent out of respect. If you’d like to have a civil discussion, the floor is yours. But if you disrespect me again, we’ll continue this conversation with your skull in my hand.”

Linde’s glowing sockets fixed on Isaac, gauging his strength. It didn’t take her long to see that his words weren’t empty bravado.

Not that it mattered to her. What irritated Linde most was Isaac’s very presence.

[I came here to speak with my subordinates. Not some upstart brat I’ve never heard of. Rottenhammer is an old comrade who’s earned that right. But you? What makes you think you can talk to me?]

Isaac slowly drew Kaldwin. Linde, unperturbed, didn’t flinch or ready herself. Isaac pointed the blade toward her.

“Because I’m the last heir of the Avalanche Knight Order. And I have a duty to cleanse the name you and your kind have stained.”

***

Isaac’s declaration drew a heavy silence across the battlefield. Linde broke it with a derisive laugh.

[A stained name, is it? You’re speaking of the Avalanche Knight Order?]

“Yes,” Isaac replied curtly.

Linde glanced past Isaac, her glowing gaze falling on Gebel. She seemed to expect him to answer, but he remained silent. Though this was the moment he had long awaited, he had agreed to let Isaac handle the conversation.

It was a deliberate choice on Isaac’s part.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

‘When those directly involved speak, emotions run high. If there’s a chance to uncover the truth or avoid conflict, I must be the one to step in.’

Isaac had the standing to do so.

[I’ve never seen your face before. Pretty women might be common, but handsome men are rare enough that I wouldn’t forget one. A dainty newcomer to the order, huh? And yet I, the commander of the Avalanche Knights, know nothing of you.]

With a slow, deliberate motion, Linde drew a long blade. Its craftsmanship bore all the hallmarks of the undead artisans of the Immortal Order, laden with intricate design and menace.

The moment the blade left its sheath, it emitted a sharp, wailing sound—like the cries of tortured souls. The blade’s aura was unnervingly malevolent, a weapon far too sinister for a paladin commander. Or perhaps it was a weapon only a commander could hope to wield without succumbing to it. As a Death Knight, Linde clearly no longer cared about restraining its dark energy.

‘Is that their equivalent of a holy sword?’ Isaac wondered.

He didn’t know much about Linde herself, likely because she hadn’t been a major figure within the Immortal Order. But the sword in her hand was no ordinary weapon.

With a flick of her blade, Linde scattered the air around her and charged directly at Isaac.

[Let’s see what the rookie’s made of.]

Her phantom steed glided forward with eerie silence, its movement so fluid and unpredictable that it was almost impossible to anticipate. Isaac, however, reacted instinctively, his body moving to counter before his mind had even caught up.

Clang! Crack!

The clash of blades sent a shockwave through the frozen landscape. Both combatants were momentarily taken aback—Linde by Isaac’s skill, and Isaac by the sinister energy emanating from her sword.

The weapon’s aura felt like swarming ghosts, gnashing at Kaldwin, trying to tear through Isaac’s defenses.

Before Isaac could analyze it further, Linde attacked again, her strikes coming fast and relentless. Each blow bore the unmistakable precision and brutality of the Avalanche Knight Order’s swordsmanship.

‘This is the essence of the order Gebel described,’ Isaac thought. ‘Even three Gebels might struggle against her.’

But Linde’s opponent was Isaac.

‘If this were before the Dawn Army campaign, I might not have stood a chance,’ he admitted inwardly.

But Isaac had grown significantly through his experiences with the Dawn Army. Linde, formidable as she was, could no longer match him.

Isaac hadn’t stepped forward to simply duel her. He had come to prove his right to speak on equal terms. By now, Linde should have recognized him as a disciple of the Avalanche Knight Order, yet she refused to relent, pressing the attack.

‘She’s leaving me no choice,’ Isaac thought.

Raising his blade high, he prepared a decisive strike. The flames in Linde’s skull flared wildly as she sensed the attack’s power. Even Gebel, watching from behind, stiffened, his back straightening instinctively.

Isaac’s blade fell with devastating force.

The ground itself seemed to buckle, ice fracturing and sand spilling like an avalanche. Linde countered with advanced sword techniques, her movements desperate but precise.

Boom!

The clash sent shockwaves across the battlefield, throwing up a massive cloud of dust. For a moment, neither combatant was visible.

Then, through the haze, a figure retreated rapidly. It was Linde.

Her blade remained intact, but its back edge had caved in her armor and pierced into her chest. Though the weapon hadn’t shattered, it had turned against its wielder.

Isaac emerged from the dust unscathed, his expression calm but resolute.

As Linde withdrew toward the Death Knight forces, Isaac called out after her.

“Is this proof enough of my right to speak? If you return, come with respect and civility. Otherwise, my respect for my predecessor ends here.”