Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 287

No matter how noisy it was outside, the inside of the Great Temple was completely quiet.Laius was so busy that he couldn’t even visit the temple for a while.

So, even though he knew that now was not the time, he offered a long prayer in front of the statue of God Luce for the first time in a long time.

When he opened his eyes, which had been closed for a long time, he saw the statue of God Luce looking down at him with affection.

“…”

Laius looked up at the statue for a moment.

The commotion outside the Great Temple was heard with his keen senses.

And then, Zakar’s voice, which had come closer, woke him up.

“What did you pray for?”

“I asked for forgiveness for disturbing the temple and prayed that the enemy’s sword would not touch my men.”

Laius answered calmly.

“I think everyone will do well on their own, but I still have many worries.”

“I understand.”

Zakar nodded slowly.

Laius stared blankly at the statue of God Luce for a while before getting up.

“Thank you for waiting.”

Laius turned away from the statue without a second thought and strode out of the prayer room.

Zakar also took a look at the statue and followed Laius.

The gentle smile of the god pushed the two people’s backs into the battlefield.

Soon after, Roger noticed something strange.

‘They’re not stopping me.’

Occasionally, the Imperial Knights would come forward to stop him, but only for a short time.

They pretended to stop him, but when they decided it was too much to handle, they all withdrew without delay, as if they had a plan.

Moreover, those pursuing them also kept some distance.

It was a formation that seemed to lead prey into a trap.

‘Then…’

Roger’s face, hidden behind his mask, sank coldly.

He had a feeling who was waiting in front of him, and who had devised this operation.

Roger clicked his tongue and stood in place.

His sword was engulfed in flames again.

“Such a petty trick.”

Roger, standing firmly on both legs, swung his sword powerfully over his head.

The arrows that were raining down on him instantly turned into ashes in the air and scattered helplessly.

Amid the scattering ash, Roger spotted the elven warriors hiding on the roof of the temple.

Without delay, he took a dagger from the hem of his robe.

, a spark appeared on the dagger held between his fingers and was instantly released.

By the time the elves realized what was happening, the dagger was already deeply embedded in their head.

“…!”

The archer who died before they could even scream turned into a ball of fire and fell to the ground of the temple.

.

The corpse, engulfed in flames, hit the ground with a heavy thud.

But Roger didn’t even look back and started moving again.

The fire burning the corpse spread in all directions, creating a wall of flame between Roger and the pursuers.

In an instant, chaos unfolded.

“Don’t touch it! If it gets on your clothes, it’s over!”

“He’s the enemy!”

It was at that moment that the dark priests and soldiers who had arrived late began to bite and hang on to the knights.

Roger spotted familiar silver hair in the chaotic courtyard of the ruined temple.

“…”

The young man, with his silver-white hair, was staring this way with the same emotionless eyes as always.

Even as his comrades were busy cutting down enemies and putting out fires right next to him, he seemed to be alone and isolated.

For a moment, their eyes met.

But Roger was the first to turn around and leave the place.

‘If you want to follow, then follow me.’

Two huge pillars supporting the entrance to the main temple were shattered by the swing of Roger’s sword.

!

A thick cloud of dust rose, and fragments of the fallen pillars blocked the doorway.

Roger, who had blocked the entrance, rushed into the temple without hesitation.

The well-maintained temple of Luce was trampled by Roger’s muddy feet.

In the temple bathed in quiet light, black robes fluttered like darkness.

Roger, holding the hilt of his sword tightly, brought the sword engulfed in flames down with a sharp blow.

!

The sound of metal ripping through the air tore through the silence of the temple.

Beyond the roughly clashing swords, he could see the one who would one day become the master of the Holy Sword.

Roger’s mask was clearly reflected in his exceptionally blue eyes.

His unwavering gaze carried a steadfast will, filled with pure intent.

Roger knew full well that in a world designed on the premise that light was right, he was simply evil.

“Nice to meet you, hero.”

Roger paid his respects to the guardian of good.

Laius also responded briefly.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not a hero.”

The two people pushed each other away at the same time.

As their swords clashed and bounced off, Laius leaped backward, creating distance, then charged straight toward Roger.

As the Shadow of the Strong was activated, a clear sword energy formed on the sword.

!

Once again, the two swords clashed violently.

Even though flames that seemed like they would consume everything swept before his eyes, Laius didn’t even frown.

The two men fiercely clashed, with neither giving up an inch.

Protected by the Shadow of the Strong, Laius’ sword seemed completely unaffected by the fierce clash.

It meant that Roger and Laius’ magical powers were equal.

“You really live up to your reputation.”

“I should say that to you.”

Laius responded blandly to the short exclamation.

Roger’s flaming sword was imbued with dark divine power.

His eyes behind the mask took on a gloomy light.

“There shouldn’t be anyone who can interfere for a while, so let’s have a go.”

The knights and elf warriors were busy putting out the flames, fighting the ghouls and priests, and would not be able to join for the time being.

Laius, who had been hesitating for a moment, gripped his sword more tightly.

“Unfortunately, this is not a showdown or a duel.”

“…”

“If that’s what you wanted, you should have come to me separately, instead of leading troops and defiling the sanctuary.”

Laius tensed his lower body even more.

The tendons in his hand that gripped his sword stood out.

Roger furrowed his brows beneath his mask at the unexpected answer.

“What does that mean?”

“There’s no real meaning behind it. I just don’t want to be insulted more for acting like an easy target.”

As someone once said, there was no need to play fair when dealing with a bad guy.

For a moment, Laius released the strength from his body and let his sword fall to the side.

“…!”

Although he lost his balance for a moment, Roger quickly regained his balance and swung his sword towards where he sensed Laius’ presence.

!

But in the next moment, he heard a slightly different sound than before.

“What?”

Roger belatedly confirmed his opponent with his eyes.

A determined elf warrior stood in front of Laius, blocking his sword.

It was Zakar.

Roger was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.

But he soon regained his composure.

“There was an ambush.”

“Excuse me.”

Zakar answered blandly.

It wasn’t an honorable fight for two men to corner one man, but now was not the time to be picky.

“Good.”

A dry exclamation burst out from behind Roger’s mask.

If he hadn’t started a fire and toppled the pillars to block the path in advance, by now, the Imperial Knights and the Elven warriors would have joined forces to pressure Roger.

“Not a bad plan.”

With a brief compliment, Roger drew out the artifact’s power.

Zakar felt something suspicious under his feet.

Almost at the same time, Zakar quickly lowered his sword and stepped back.

!

Flames shot up with a loud noise where Zakar had just been standing.

Roger, who had excluded Zakar, deflected Laius’ sword that flew towards him.

Roger took a step back and quickly threw himself at Laius.

His sword that was engulfed in flames was deflected by Laius’ blue blade.

Roger took a step back and spoke.

“But I don’t think this is the way you prefer to act.”

“Does that matter?”

Roger was easily convinced by the short reply.

“Well, I see. I agree that there is no need to be picky about the means and methods to achieve the goal.”

The entrance to the temple became noisy.

Before he knew it, the fire had been put out and the knights were rushing in.

‘It’s faster than I thought.’

It wasn’t particularly surprising, given that Arendt von Eckhart had the Frosty Touch over there.

Zakar and Laius stood at a distance, watching Roger’s movements.

If he moved even a little bit, they seemed ready to rush at him.

Roger spoke, adjusting his grip on his sword.

“Let me ask you one thing. Was it the apprentice knight who conceived this board?”

“Why are you curious about that?”

Laius asked warily.

A stiff answer came from behind Roger’s mask.

“No. I just want to say that he’s great.”

The next moment, thick darkness enveloped Roger.

Roger, who disappeared from their sight for a moment, soon reappeared a few steps behind Laius.

“But you underestimated me too much.”

“…!”

He ran into the interior of the temple, leaving the two men behind.

First, he planned to go to the underground storage room and destroy the Holy Sword.

“This bastard!”

While Zakar was gritting his teeth, Laius had already started to move.

He started to chase after Roger at a fast speed.

Zakar also tried to follow, but was stopped by the sudden opening of the entrance and the rush of enemies.

“Ghoul?”

“Keeeeeek!”

The ghoul lunged at Zakar, making a strange noise.

Even in his confusion, Zakar moved his sword and tore his enemy into pieces.

The Imperial knights and elven warriors rushed into the temple.

They too seemed bewildered by the sudden increase in the enemies.

“How did this happen?”

“A large number of ghouls have suddenly been summoned! They are far more numerous than the number that initially attacked the temple!”

As Zakar shouted, Rider answered urgently.

The situation was such that they hadn’t even been able to deal with those who had first invaded.

They may find themselves facing an endless stream of enemies with a limited number of allies.

What Arendt once said turned out to be exactly right.

“Fuck…”

Zakar, who had cursed, glanced at where Laius and Roger had disappeared, and then began to fight the ghouls that were rushing at him.

It was because he knew that if this place was breached, it would be even more difficult for Laius to deal with Roger.

At that moment, a cold chill swept past him.

Zakar followed the movement of the cool air as if possessed.

Pure white frost was fluttering along his loosely tied silver hair.

“If this place gets breached, know that everyone will die later. Once things are somewhat sorted, follow right away.”

It suited him surprisingly well, barking orders despite being just an apprentice knight.

Arendt froze all the ghouls surrounding Zakar and quickly ran pass him, following where Laius went into the temple.

“Please, Instructor.”

Richt, who had joined in the meantime, left a short sentence and followed Arendt.

“Hey, don’t go alone!”

Arthur also quickly passed Zakar and followed Arendt like a shadow.

Who the hell is giving orders to whom?

Zakar, who had been following their backs with his eyes for a moment, burst into laughter.

“…The discipline is a mess.”