Chapter 415: Holy Land Lua (2)
[It has been a while, Lady Leonora Bessia.]
The Immortal Emperor spoke in a calm, resonant voice.
As always, he was cloaked in ragged, tattered garments.
Leonora recognized these as the attire once worn by the residents of Holy Land Lua back when it had functioned as a city. Yet she couldn’t understand why the Immortal Emperor still clung to this outdated garb. Even the coachman who had guided her here was adorned in jewels and holy relics.
[I apologize for guiding you to such a humble place. However, due to certain circumstances, I cannot leave this location.]
The narrow alley where the Emperor resided was far too squalid to befit a god or ruler, but Leonora didn’t mind. Simply securing an audience with him was enough to satisfy her.
“Your Majesty’s presence makes any place a temple and palace. What does it matter where it is?”
Her words were sincere.
Wherever a god resided became sacred ground, and anything touched by a god became a relic. In this case, Holy Land Lua itself was already a sanctuary among sanctuaries, the holiest of places.
Yet the darkness beneath the Emperor’s hood remained utterly still. His voice, however, grew heavier.
[Forgive me, but there’s no time for formalities. From what Al Theodore has told me, you possess some rather… valuable connections.]
This was the reason he had granted Leonora an audience despite the chaos unfolding. While her generous gifts played a role, such offerings mattered little amidst the ongoing assault on Holy Land Lua.
What truly mattered was what Leonora could do.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Holy Grail Knight Isaac is a fellow member of the Platinum Society.”
The Immortal Emperor let out a low sigh.
As someone privy to the secrets of the dead, he was well aware of the Platinum Society’s existence—there were even undead among their ranks.
[Is he also searching for the Midas’ Hand?]
“Not as desperately as our guild, but yes, he is.”
Isaac would seek to secure the Midas’ Hand if only to prevent anyone else from using it. Leonora had no doubt about his resolve.
The Emperor appeared to recall his prior conversations with Isaac before speaking again.
[So he has Angela with him. I suspected as much; she seemed to know more than she let on. But the Midas’ Hand… of all things, he’s after the one item that must never fall into his hands.]
Leonora wanted to ask why the Midas’ Hand should never be given to Isaac, but there was no time for questions.
A sudden tremor shook the dome of Holy Land Lua, dislodging dust and reverberating through the air.
Leonora instinctively looked up at the ceiling. The Immortal Emperor raised his hand calmly.
A deep, resonant vibration filled the dome—a low sound that was almost unbearable to hear. Outside, indistinct noises of explosions, collapsing structures, and the writhing of unknown forces echoed.
After a moment, the Emperor lowered his hand again.
[My apologies. A breach in the wall occurred recently, and ever since, the pests have been relentless.]
“A breach?” Leonora asked, startled.
Before entering the secret passage into Holy Land Lua, she had meticulously observed the surroundings. She had seen countless grotesque creatures surrounding and attacking the holy land. The monsters from the Outer Boundary were unmistakable, but she couldn’t fathom why the Outer Boundary had encroached now, of all times.
[My people are defending Holy Land Lua against the creatures, but time and strength are in short supply.]
Leonora refrained from asking why the Immortal Emperor didn’t simply eliminate the monsters himself.
She knew that he disliked forcibly imposing his will on his subjects, just as he refused to become an omnipotent being himself.
Yet personal convictions aside, wasting his power in the face of an incoming army of tens of thousands, including angels of the Codex of Light and Holy Grail Knights, would be foolish.
If he wasn’t careful, he might defeat the monsters only to find himself serving up Holy Land Lua as a well-prepared dish to his enemies.
[There is little time left, Leonora,] the Emperor said, his gaze steady on her.
[Can you convince the Holy Grail Knight to halt his crusade?]
Leonora savored the moment.
To see the wealthiest god in existence practically pleading for her help was as sweet as it was surreal.
Yet it was also bittersweet, for she knew she lacked the ability to fulfill his request.
What she could do, however, was negotiate.
“You already know what I want in return, Your Majesty,” she said with a coy smile.
A merchant never outright refused. They always started with "yes," then negotiated the terms.
The Immortal Emperor studied her silently as she held up her platinum ring, a symbol of her guild.
“As a member of the Platinum Society, I have one ultimate goal: to reclaim the Midas’ Hand. In exchange for aiding Holy Land Lua, I demand the Midas’ Hand.”
[And what would be the difference between giving it to you and giving it to Isaac?]
“It’s quite different, Your Majesty.”
Leonora’s smile turned cold.
“You’ve already said that the Midas’ Hand must never fall into Isaac’s hands. But if it’s with me, it shouldn’t matter, should it? I know what the Midas’ Hand is.”
[You know?]
“It’s a relic that grants wishes but never in the way the user intends—a cursed artifact.”
Recalling her conversations with Isaac, Leonora added, “I have no intention of using it. My sole purpose is to retrieve it for the Platinum Society. Nothing more.”
[Then why retrieve it at all?]
“Because, Your Majesty, rare treasures belong in the care of the Golden Idol Guild. Wealth derives its value from scarcity. If someone were to use the Midas’ Hand and flood the world with gold, the value of our assets would plummet.”
The Immortal Emperor seemed to approve of her reasoning.
He knew that while the Golden Idol Guild valued gold, they weren’t foolish enough to wish for infinite riches, as that would ruin their monopoly.
[You are mistaken,] he said suddenly.
“…Mistaken?”
[The Midas’ Hand is far more dangerous than you realize. It is an abomination, something that defies the natural order. It was never meant to exist, yet here it is for reasons no one can explain.]
Leonora couldn’t tell if his words were a rejection, a boast, or a warning.
But to her surprise, the Immortal Emperor answered with unsettling ease.
[Still, your ignorance is… strangely appealing to me.]
“What…?”
[Even just keeping that abomination has been a burden. Take it. If anyone can be entrusted with the Midas’ Hand, it’s a silent and untouchable god like the Golden Idol. Perhaps it’s simply returning to its rightful master.]
Leonora’s heart raced. The Immortal Emperor was truly going to hand over the Midas’ Hand so easily?
But the Emperor was not so simple.
[However, the reward will only be given after the Holy Grail Knight withdraws from Holy Land Lua. When that time comes, I will personally hand you the Midas’ Hand.]
Leonora smiled, bowing her head slightly.
“I will ensure it is done.”
***
Beneath the deep blue of the desert night, a lone soldier emerged.
One by one, more soldiers followed, until a vast army of hundreds of thousands stretched across the horizon.
The exact number was unknown.
Neither generals, officers, knights, nor even the priests had a clear count of their forces, their precise location, or the strategy for their campaign. Logistics and planning were irrelevant under the absolute authority of the Archangels.
All that mattered was their divine mandate: Move forward.
Even the most decorated commanders and knights had been reduced to foraging for food and sleeping wherever they could as they marched relentlessly toward Holy Land Lua.
When the massive dome of the holy land finally appeared on the horizon, the soldiers felt not exhilaration but relief.
Relief that their grueling march was over.
[Behold!]
Suddenly, a radiant light burst into the sky.
Standing atop a massive holy effigy at the center of the Dawn Army, Dera Heman was wreathed in flames that climbed like the branches of a fiery tree. Possessed by the Burning Maiden, she lashed out with blazing tendrils, her voice booming across the desert.
[Holy Land Lua lies before you! The gates of glory open wide! The Millennium Kingdom is at hand!]
With all systems of hierarchy effectively dissolved, the Dawn Army was now led by the Archangel herself.
The Lighthouse Keeper had vanished after the fall of Ushak, and the Sword of May showed no sign of appearing unless a dire enemy emerged.
Dera Heman, though still recovering from her wounds sustained in the battle against the Lord of the Graveyard, had regained much of her strength thanks to the Burning Maiden’s influence. However, the Maiden’s growing dominance over her was impossible to ignore.
[Gather, warriors of the Dawn Army! Open the gates of heaven with your hands!]
A thunderous roar erupted.
“Oooooohhh!”
The Scorched Ones, now numbering well over ten thousand, beat their obsidian-like bodies in unison, their cheers echoing like rolling thunder.
Their glistening, hardened skin had become a source of pride, and they walked bare-chested as if to flaunt their transformation. Some even mocked and taunted the Holy Knights openly.
Those who had witnessed the Scorched Ones’ devastating power on the battlefield saw them as symbols of divine favor. Many envied them, wishing to become "chosen" themselves.
The Dawn Army was steeped in fanaticism, leaving little room for rational thought.
***
“Everyone is losing their minds.”
But as the light grew stronger, so did the shadows it cast. Among the Dawn Army, a few retained their clarity, most notably the knights of the Imperial Order from Feltren.
“This isn’t war—it’s a death march.”
“I serve the Codex of Light, but this… This doesn’t feel like the actions of a god who cherishes their followers. Is this yet another test?”
Feltren listened to the knights’ bitter laments.
Their unease was understandable. The knights of the Imperial Order, influenced more by Feltren’s pragmatism than by blind faith, were naturally resistant to the army’s fanatical fervor. Moreover, Ciero had been covertly spreading sermons disguised as warnings, subtly fueling their doubts.
“If only His Majesty the Emperor were here to lead us…”
Even the unthinkable—treasonous—statements began to surface. But no one dared challenge or silence the speaker. They merely glanced around nervously, as if afraid of being overheard.
Most of these knights had once fought alongside Emperor Waltzemer during the assault on Lichtheim.
Though their loyalty had wavered when the Emperor was deposed, it had not disappeared entirely. Seeing the chaos and degradation within the Dawn Army, they couldn’t help but yearn for the days when their Emperor and nobility stood as equals against the church.
“They’ve forgotten how the Emperor himself discarded the Licht Treaty,” Feltren thought.
Even if the Emperor were here to lead the Dawn Army, the outcome would likely be the same. If anything, it would be the Emperor, not Dera Heman, standing ablaze atop the holy effigy.
The knights could never know this.
Feltren hid his contempt behind a neutral expression. The upcoming battle was what truly mattered now.
“Commander, will you let these fanatics dictate the course of this campaign?”
Feltren considered the timing. While their current strategy had been disrupted, the moment was ripe.
The grueling pace of the march had bred widespread dissatisfaction among the ranks of the Dawn Army.
Feltren surveyed his knights slowly.
“Do you all feel the same?”
There was no dissent.
Though he had orchestrated this sentiment, Feltren acted as though he were reluctantly yielding to his subordinates’ wishes.
“Then we have no choice.”
He turned to Ciero, who stood quietly to the side.
“While the Archangels are preoccupied fighting the Immortal Emperor, we will withdraw from the front lines at the appropriate moment. Ensure the soldiers under our command survive this meaningless battle. Fortune will favor us.”
Feltren’s quiet rebellion had begun.
If the Dawn Army wouldn’t fail on its own, he would ensure it did.
The Red Chalice Club had already sent their bounty hunters to infiltrate the ranks.
And the most decisive wild card was approaching from the west.
“The Holy Grail Knight… He’ll create all the disruption we need.”