Chapter 462: The Holy Grail Knight Returns (2)
Ushak was a city built where two large seas met on either side, where the continent and continent barely touched. Because it had been the point where civilizations met since ancient times, it was already a large city even before becoming the capital of the Urdantu Empire.
In particular, the Immortal Emperor greatly contributed to the Immortal Order's expansion of power by successfully building a massive bridge connecting the narrowing straits. Even during the Dawn Army and the Khan's army burning and plundering everything, the solid bridge built by the Immortal Emperor did not collapse.
Isaac and his group waited on the outskirts without entering the city for the time being.
[For now, the sun is also flowing down, so let's rest here for a while.]
It wasn't just the scenery and public sentiment that had changed since the Millennium Kingdom.
Some vocabulary had also changed.
As Linde said, the sun was 'flowing down' to the west.
The sun was no longer a round burning ball, but light leaking through a large crack in the sky. Therefore, people began to express the sun as flowing from east to west.
[To pass through Ushak, you have to cross the bridge. There will be a lot of Millennium Brotherhood on the bridge, so I'll find a way to get through.]
"If there are a lot of Millennium Brotherhood, is there a way to get through?"
[We're going to use traditional methods.]
"Oh, so you're going to mobilize the undead inside and annihilate them?"
Linde looked at Isaac for a moment, then pointed to the fishing village under the huge bridge and said.
[Before the Immortal Emperor built the bridge, they crossed this place by boat. As you said, I have several acquaintances inside Ushak, so I'll ask for help.]
It was a less flashy but realistic method.
Isaac nodded. It wasn't unpleasant at all to cut down the Millennium Brotherhood, but he didn't want to become too desensitized to killing humans.
'It seems like there are already quite a few of those among the Scorched Ones.'
And for a slightly different reason, it was necessary to stop here for a while.
Isaac stared at Ushak with a complicated feeling.
***
The sun went down, and Isaac's group stayed on the outskirts of Ushak, under the house of a kind undead.
In fact, the concept of 'house' for the undead was quite different from that of the living. They lived well even if they were buried in the ground, since they were undead.
So, the house they were staying in was a building that only had the bare minimum form of 'walls and a roof'.
Nevertheless, the reason why the undead had houses and formed cities and gathered to live was because the Immortal Emperor pursued humanity.
Even after the Immortal Emperor disappeared, what he had pursued remained like a kind of deficiency for the undead.
Humans were social animals. And to communicate, meet, and mingle, there had to be a 'private' space.
In other words, the house they were staying in was closer to a columbarium full of grave goods than a house. The fact that the goods hoarded by the undead were mostly luxury goods or collectibles rather than practical items added to that atmosphere.
"Um, I can't get used to this kind of house no matter how many times I stay in one."
Isolde said awkwardly.
There were no toilets, kitchens, or beds. It might have some meaning to the homeowner, but even Isaac thought it was closer to a garbage dump where things abandoned on the street were picked up and gathered. It was a space that was uncomfortable even without a modern person's senses.
"At least it doesn't smell."
As can be seen in Linde's case, it seemed that there were no major hygiene problems due to the fact that they cared about cleanliness for the sake of 'pretty skeletons'. It was also easy to get water.
"The undead also create bases mainly around places where they can get water, but they don't use it as drinking water, so they can live in the middle of the desert with little water."
In other words, it also meant that 'it was difficult to obtain clean water that could be used as drinking water, but that was the same no matter where you went in this era, so he decided to let it go. If they were slightly less flashy undead, they could live even in places without water at all.
Still, it was something to be grateful for just to be able to avoid other people's eyes and stay under a roof.
When dawn came, Isaac quietly left the house, leaving his group behind.
Even after the climate changed, the desert's dawn air was cold.
Leaving behind long, scattered white breaths, Isaac slowly headed towards Ushak. Soon, the scenery of Ushak, where waves crashed violently beyond the cliff, came into view at a glance.
Isaac sensed one soul burning inside.
Isaac could sense his followers.
Followers of Nameless Chaos, or followers of the Issacrea Dawn Prayer Meeting.
Among them, this follower was a particularly old and deeply connected follower.
Isaac concentrated his mind and sent his will.
'Zihilrat.'
The soul immediately trembled and responded.
Zihilrat had a larger and stronger soul than before. He could even feel the subordinates attached to him. Just like he had ruled with countless subordinates in the basement of the Ariet Monastery in the past, he was now using the Ushak basement as his territory.
'I have been waiting for you. My soul's master...?
His vocabulary had also become richer and clearer. It was clear that he had been strong before, but his level had risen.
Isaac felt an even stronger burning faith in him than before.
'I will run to your side right now.'
'No, stay there for now.'
If Zihilrat had built a territory under Ushak, it was better for him to stay there. He could definitely get help, whether Linde created a route or not. If he needed Zihilrat right away, he could just use 'Summon' to summon him.
Isaac then used 'Summon' in a slightly different direction.
Just as the Caller had made his presence known to the entire sea, just as he had stirred from the deep sea to the surface to recover his strength, Isaac scattered his presence towards his subordinates.
Isaac raised his left hand and whispered.
"I have returned."
There was no need to explain in detail who 'I' was. The trembling of their souls would tell them.
Isaac's voice was as small as if it would be extinguished even if the wind brushed past it, but the wave through 'Summon' quickly spread out like a spider web towards the entire continent.
For a moment, Isaac felt his followers' and subordinates' souls throughout the continent burning brightly like candles that had sucked in the wind.
The followers who were sleeping had a strange dream of seeing a rainbow-colored chaotic figure standing on a cliff above the sea. It was both terrifying and beautiful, but an indescribable sense of fulfillment filled their hearts.
It said.
"I have returned."
The followers who woke up from this strange dream that they couldn't understand had a sleepless night.
The minor followers only felt an unknown feeling, but it was different for those who were stronger, such as priests or subordinates. They felt Isaac's call much more clearly and strongly.
Jacquette, the captain of the guards of the Issacrea estate, had already been unable to sleep for several days due to an unknown strange feeling. She, who had volunteered to stand night watch instead of her subordinates, suddenly witnessed Isaac's figure in the sky like a clear revelation.
No, in fact, it couldn't be said that it was Isaac.
It was a burning rainbow, it was a benevolent finger that sought out humid places, dirty places, and shady places, and on the other hand, it was a tooth, a horn, and a claw that was ready to bite the whole world.
No description could clearly explain it.
It said.
"I have returned."
"I already knew that you had returned."
Claire, who had been moving with Isolde and scattered, also smiled at the sky and murmured.
Nearly a hundred Millennium Brotherhood soldiers were scattered in pieces at his feet. Like a carpet welcoming Isaac.
However, those who felt Isaac's call more strongly than anyone else were the subordinates whom he had brought in directly and shared his power with.
Tens of thousands of rats in the Ushak basement began to run wild in excitement at the same time. They had sensed their master's excitement. Ushak residents panicked at the sudden flood of rats and screamed.
A remote forest near the Wallachia kingdom.
It was a deep forest that already had all sorts of terrifying legends attached to it, but as countless Scorched Ones disappeared after the Millennium Kingdom, the 'Witch's Forest', which was said to be cursed, trembled as if convulsing.
Thousands of crows soared and screamed all at once in a woman's voice.
"Yes, Master! Yes, Master!"
Underground in a fortress city on the outskirts of the Empire.
This huge underground warehouse and prison, which had been newly built under the name of 'Second Secret Archive' to welcome the Millennium Kingdom, was facing the biggest crisis since its founding. The huge beast that they had captured from the Dawn Army was ramming its head against the wall and thrashing as if it would run east right now.
On the outskirts of the Issacrea estate, the ancient lord who had been cutting down enemies infiltrating beyond the fog for a long time also felt the call. Just as he had been silently protecting the Issacrea estate for a long time, this time as well, he did not waver at Isaac's call and silently sent him his will of loyalty.
The whole world was responding to Isaac's call.
As parched land opened its thirsty throat to the pouring rain.
***
Isaac was able to confirm that many of his subordinates and acquaintances were safe through the Summon.
He wouldn't be able to confirm the pagan believers, but they had the power to survive in this world in their own way. In this ruthless world, it was only his own followers who were powerless and weak.
He couldn't even imagine how much mental distress priests like Claire or Neria, let alone Zihilrat and Hectali, must have gone through.
However, he had yet to receive a response from the most anticipated subordinate.
'Hesabel.'
From Hesabel, only feelings of bewilderment and shock were conveyed, and no message or will of loyalty was conveyed.
Isaac sensed that Hesabel was in the Wallachia kingdom, but he didn't know why she wasn't answering. But her presence was definitely felt. It meant that she was still a follower who pledged allegiance to Isaac.
If so, there was a high probability that she was in a difficult situation or being watched, to the point where it was difficult to even express her emotions.
'I should find Hesabel as soon as I finish my business at the Gehenna Fortress.'
Now that he had roughly grasped the current situation of his subordinates, Isaac stopped the Summon.
As soon as the Summon was stopped, the followers writhed in an inexplicable thirst as if the oracle had been stopped. But all of them felt that something was starting to change.
Chaos comes to this solid and suffocating kingdom of hypocrisy and deception.
Chaos will sharpen its teeth and claws and tear apart the immortals.
The followers all had a strange dream of quenching their throats with that soft flesh and blood. It was not the pleasure of murder, but the pleasure of liberation. A dream of achieving liberation after shedding the blood of the oppressor.
All the followers who woke up in the middle of the night fell asleep again with satisfaction.
This Summon had a greater impact than Isaac thought.
'Our hero has returned.'
The rats, crows, and the bottom-dwellers who shared secret secrets throughout the continent shared the dream from last night and created rumors. They began to talk about the return of the 'true hero' Holy Grail Knight, imagining the exhilarating act of boring holes in the walls of the Millennium Kingdom that were pressing down on them.
'Drive out the usurper Lighthouse Keeper, and the true successor of the Codex of Light will come!'