The Second Son of The Marquis Runs Away from Home ~ Lacking Talent, He Abandons Everything and Becomes an Adventurer ~ - 58

Chapter 58: Bearer of the Holy Armor

“There they are! Fire!”

The knights aimed their repeating crossbows, chanted spells, and a volley of arrows and magic was launched towards us.

I immediately prepared my shield to block, but…

“Aegis Tear, the Heavenly Tear Shield!”

Before us, a watery barrier manifested and intercepted the incoming arrows and magic.

Aria swiftly swung her Ruskdite to seal off the knights’ path with flames.

I ceased using the shield and transformed it into a crossbow, then fired at the commanding knight. The arrow found its way through the gaps in his armor, piercing his shoulder. The commanding knight rolled on the ground in pain.

“We’re saved.”

“Yes, I can handle this much.”

We continued to be pursued by the knights, but thanks to Serena shielding us from the raining attacks, Aria and I effectively neutralized the knights chasing us.

“Look there!”

As we repeated this process, we reached a square. In the distance, the western gate became visible. We prepared to jump to the next building to head toward the western gate when…

“Wait! Aria!”

As I held Aria by my side and jumped from the building to the square, a colossal white slash tore through the building where we had just been standing.

The sliced building crumbled into a pile of rubble, its dust rising quickly, all within an instant.

“Faster than I expected. They’ve barely managed to catch up.”

After landing in the square and setting down Aria and Serena, a low voice echoed. I turned around and saw a man with a stern expression, holding a gleaming sword and shield at the head of numerous knights.

“Commander of the Knights…”

As Serena muttered, a rush of memories flowed into me along with a sensation as if my heart had just beaten, courtesy of Chaos Crusader…

—

With numerous arrows and spells taking their toll on my battered body, the Commander approached with the Holy Sword in hand. His eyes were as sharp and cold as ice.

Why? Why must those who believe in the same god and teachings turn their blades on one another?

“You are trying to escape from the Holy Land and take confidential information with you. This crime shall be atoned with your lives.”

Commander, don’t you ever have any doubts? Do you really believe that the current state of the Holy Land, as a nation of those who believe in God, is right?

“Knights should discard themselves and dedicate their lives to the Lord. Betraying the Lord for any reason is unforgivable.”

For knights like me, isn’t our purpose to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves from injustice, and to right the path when the powerful deviate from it? If the master we serve deviates from the right path, isn’t it the duty of the knights to set them straight?

“If it were you, you might have become the next bearer, but farewell, Grant.”

The swung Holy Sword extinguished the flickering flame of life, and as my blood flowed onto the ground, the heat I had felt in my body vanished.

Is this how it ends, without achieving anything, without changing anything, and unable to protect the people living their lives day by day…

—

Memories flowing into me in an instant and the sight of the man before me overlapped. Before I knew it, I had grasped the sword used by that knight, who had been integrated with Chaos Crusader.

“Aria, take Serena to the western gate.”

“Wait, I can’t…”

“I have to confront him.”

When I thought about it, it was the obvious choice. Among the knights and holy warriors integrated with Chaos Crusader, there might be some who were entrapped by the Holy Land. So, it was impossible that the Commander hadn’t come into contact with any of these souls.

“It’s reckless! The Commander’s Xenostand is an invincible weapon that can block all attacks! You alone, Bell…”

“Then all the more reason to stop here. Besides, this shouldn’t be a problem for the current Aria, right?”

“Alright.”

Aria nodded, taking Serena’s hand and running away. As the knights moved to pursue them, I dropped my massive sword, the Great Sword, in front of them.

“What the…?”

“Aargh!”

“Gah!”

I took down the knights who had stopped in their tracks with my sword and hammer mace. Then, I thrust the Pile Chain into the ground to create a barrier around the fallen knights.

In the square, there were knights hesitating and the Commander, with an expression as resolute as ever, and just me.

“If you don’t want to die, don’t move. If you’re ready to die, then come at me.”

With all the hostility I could muster, I spat out these words. Unbeknownst to me, the sky had become covered in heavy clouds.