Chapter 57.
While the darkness comes

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Ivan decided his destination through the fragmentary scenes he had seen.
Focusing on the place where the connection with the fairy forest was cut off, he followed the path where the traces of the spirit had disappeared.
Huginn and Muninn led him through the skies.
“Is it right to go this way? I can’t see any trace at all.”
The accompanying paladin tilted his head.
He also thought that he was quite familiar with tracking, but there was no clue at all on the ground.
“This would be right.
Traces of spirits don’t lie.”
“There are footprints and things like that on the other side.”
“Isn’t the other paladins already tracking it? But I think it’s a trap.
The real one is this one.
At least the enemy’s core strength is certain.”
It was difficult to feel the energy of a weak spirit that could not even be embodied unless it was a spirit master.
So, others have no choice but to follow the visible traces, but Ivan and Irene would not.
Because it felt so clear to them.
Irene, who was following the path where the spirit’s energy had been erased, frowned and muttered.
“He’s such a terrifying guy that the spirits run away just by being here.
If I fight him, I don’t know if I’ll be able to win with my current power.”
An army of nearly forty priests was wiped out as it was.
It was truly a terrifying force considering that they were not just ordinary priests but also paladins, warrior priests, and heretic inquisitors who were accustomed to fighting demon worshipers.
The enemy was divided, but that wasn’t really good news, since the allies who tracked them were also divided.
“The other side has more numbers, but this one is more dangerous to me.
It’s like a demon who has descended on the material world.
The biggest problem is that we can’t predict what power he’s hiding.”
“A demon who has descended on the material world?”
“It’s almost like the incarnation of the demon.
I didn’t believe it because they were trying to summon the Great Demon, but maybe it’s really possible.”
In the meantime, the dimensional barrier had been shaken by the evil rituals that continued across the continent.
In addition to that, the incarnation of a demon that was close to the main body moved, and a quality sacrifice was obtained, so it was not an implausible story to summon the great demon who was active only in the myth era.
‘A corrupted relic, the blood of those associated with it.
It’s too dangerous.’
Ivan’s expression turned serious.
“Under the current circumstances, would it be possible for them to summon the Deathbringer?”
The exorcist Delfino’s opinion was the most accurate when it comes to demons.
Ivan asked him, and after a long silence, the answer came.
“I do not know.
This is my first time.
However, it still seems difficult.”

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Delfino, who had repeatedly been thinking in his head, said with increasing conviction.
“This is not enough.
The Deathbringer is too powerful.
No matter how much work they do and prepare sacrifices, he is a being that cannot be fully summoned into the physical world.”
He asserts that it is impossible unless it is a race that has strong power, so to speak, a dragon or a giant.
“Now, there is no way that the few remaining races have moved.
There would be no need for sacrifices or anything if they did.”
But at the same time, Delfino expressed concern that it was powerful enough to summon other demons.
“Even if they are not Deathbringers, there are many dangerous demons.
If they are summoned to increase their power, they may eventually become the land of demons.”
If that happened, it was not a matter of ending the lives of dozens of priests.
Perhaps the continent’s existence was at stake.
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, all of them shut their mouths and focused on tracking.
They were very wary and moved forward little by little.
Each of the denominations of Sanctus Populi received the call, and the Western Union Kingdom troops were moving, but it took time.
For a large army to move, it takes a lot of preparation.
He had to buy that time.
He couldn’t help but get tired easily because he didn’t know if that was possible or how much leeway he had in the future.
“It leads to the northern forest.”
“There’s a fortress nearby.
You’ll spend the night there.”
He was keeping track of his sleeping time.
They were all strong people, but they couldn’t be the best.
They had to prepare for not only tracking, but also what happened after that.
Taking a break at the right time was also part of the chase.
“Then we’ll rest there and then go.
If we go back to the forest, I don’t think there will be time to rest comfortably.”
When the party arrived nearby, the fortress was busy.
As strangers suddenly approached them, they seemed suspicious of some kind of attack.
“Stop! Reveal your identities!”
When someone shouted on the fortress wall, Ivan glanced at the paladin.
It was because it was comfortable for the paladin to go out in this kind of thing.
The paladin stepped forward and shouted loudly.
“We are the Knights Templar of the Kundara Order! We need a place to stay while we’re chasing demon worshipers!”
The Kundara Order, the Paladins, and the Demon Worshiper.
All of them were names that could not be ignored.
The inside of the fortress was moving in a hurry, and some knights and soldiers with spears approached cautiously.

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“Paladins? What do you mean looking for demon worshipers?”
“Didn’t you hear that they roam lately? We’re on the move to deal with the demon worshipper.”
The knights guarding the fortress could not have known that.
Because even in the Western Union Kingdom, there was a lot of chasing after demon worshipers.
So the article casts doubts.
This is because the patterns engraved on the armor of the Paladins were definitely those of the Kundara Temple.
Sanctus Populi’s authority was spread across the continent.
Religious authority is different from actual power, so no matter how noble, they could not ignore the paladin of the Temple.
“You said there are any evil servants here? Beyond the wall, there is nothing but a forest infested with monsters.”
“It must have been that he was hiding his body after aiming for it.
We have only followed the trail.
Can we stay for one night? I’ll go into the forest as soon as tomorrow morning.”
The knight did not refuse.
He didn’t know what was going to happen if he came out uncooperatively with a demon worshiper.
It would be very difficult if the denomination suspected he had something to do with the demon worshipers.
“Khmm, I see.
Then it’s just a shabby place, but please come inside.”
When the knight brought them directly, the soldiers guarding the gate were very nervous and straightened their posture.
Being photographed by high-ranking people was painful everywhere.
As Ivan passed by, he made eye contact with a soldier on top of the wall.
He was so young that Ivan thought he was only fifteen.
It wasn’t particularly strange.
In this world, fifteen is enough to be recognized as an adult.
It was a world where the price of life was cheap.
It’s a difficult place to survive if you don’t pay for food from a young age.
The knight who was guiding looked at Ivan’s eyes.
Ivan did not introduce himself, so it seems he was thinking of him as a member of the Kundara Temple too.
He didn’t come forward, but he must have regarded him as a high-ranking man because everyone treated him as a leader.
“Is there anything that makes you uncomfortable?”
If there was anything that stood out to the Knights Templar that they had come to defeat the devil, it would have been a disappointment.
When the knight asked the question with a hint of anxiety, Ivan shook his head.
“Nothing.
Just seeing the young soldiers.”
“Oh, that’s right.
The new recruits arrived a while ago.
Now that they’re in the stage of adaptation, they may seem lacking.”

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A certain emotion flashed through the knight’s eyes.
Ivan noticed this and smiled bitterly.
Because he knew what he was thinking.
‘I’m sure he’s thinking that he’ll roll the soldiers to death after the paladins go.’
Ivan added quickly to save the poor soldiers.
“It’s not really lacking.
The standards are raised and the days are getting better.
It’s probably thanks to all the great knights.”
At those words, the corner of the knight’s lips rose slightly.
He’s complimenting him, can’t he be happy?
“Haha, not at all.
Let’s eat inside.
It’s not enough, but I’ll prepare a welcome dinner.”
“I am grateful for your sincerity, but I will decline.
Everyone is sharpened to fight the devil and can’t afford to enjoy dinner.
Let’s do that on the way home from beheading the demon instead.”
“As expected, you are the Knights Templar of the Kundara.
I respect you.”
Ivan went inside, chatting roughly like that.
The fortress commander tried to give them a room, but they refused.
There was no room left because it was a small fortress, so the person who was originally staying had to be thrown.
Instead, they pitched a tent on one side of the parade ground.
The knights and soldiers who saw Ivan taking things out of his inventory were also murmuring that he was a high mage, but Ivan pretended not to know.
He’s just a mercenary now, and he can’t say that they’re wrong.
“I’ve been asking around, but they say that recently, the forest is strangely noisy.
Monsters come out of the forest and small raids continue.”
“Is that something special?”
“Well.
I’m just saying this because the Knights Templar have come.
I’m trying to answer by saying that I felt the demon’s energy.
But there were quite a few things that could be saved.”
“For example?”
“Everyone seems to have strangely frequent nightmares.”
Delfino spoke seriously, but others did not understand at first glance.
Because they didn’t know if that was evidence.
“Aren’t the new recruits coming in? I don’t think it’s strange to have nightmares.”
Shortly after Ivan enlisted in the military, he had many nightmares.
He realizes that reality is more than a nightmare when he opens his eyes, and he becomes depressed.
‘Sergeant Kim, you motherfucker!’
Ivan, who burst into exclamation at the memories that flashed through his mind for a moment, hardened his expression.
Because Delfino started explaining with a more serious face.

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“Not just new recruits, but veterans as well.
It may not seem like much, but nightmares are the most common demonic sign.
If one in three people have nightmares every day, that’s suspicious.”
“Then we’re almost there?”
“Yes.
It seems that there is a hiding place for them in that forest.”
Everyone nodded at that.
“We must prepare well.
It’s going to be a tough fight starting tomorrow.”
And that night, when everyone fell asleep.
Only the invisible bundles were standing with their eyes open, and a damp energy passed through the sky.
Neither the soldiers guarding the fortress nor the knights noticed, but the priests and party sensitive to the devil’s energy left their beds at once and went out.
An evil force spread all around, and a damp darkness descended.
The torches that were illuminating here and there lost their light at the same time.
Above -.
Kiyak-.
Suddenly, a harsh wind blew in the quiet fortress, and a roar began to resound.
Only then did the knights realize that something was strange and shout.
“Turn on the lights! Light the torches again!”
Delfino got down on his knees on the spot and said a prayer.
He called upon Arun, the god of light.
“Lord of splendid light, grant your mercy here!”
A white ball of light floated above Delfino’s head.
A light-filled with divine power brightened the surroundings.
Originally it should have been.
Kiiik!
The light emitted by the beads of light did not reach far.
It was blocked by the dark energy like fog, and only the surroundings were lit.
The demonic energy is strong enough to block the divine power.
Ivan instinctively threw the axe.
Whoosh!