Chapter 79 – Founding the Holy Knights (2)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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The limits of a normal human were clear.

They wouldn’t even dare stand against a demon that even an angel could easily defeat.

However, their will was clearer and stronger than any other being.

After the stars of heaven abandoned the people who believed in them and fled, surviving was entirely their own achievement.

Although they fell for the temptations of demons and knelt to the frustrating reality.

They were also beings who endlessly yearned for a better future while tapping into their own narrow-mindedness, unable to see an inch ahead.

Due to their feeble physical bodies, they formed communities, and those souls engraved with the instinct to sacrifice for the community were just like stars.

They were called stars upon the earth because they burned themselves to illuminate their surroundings.

It was the same for those who sought to satisfy personal desires.

Abundant wealth, noble honor, envious gazes.

To get what they wanted, to shine, burning what they had to offer was natural for a star.

But this world could not satisfy the dreams mentioned above.

It was a world that was sinking into the Dark Light emitted by the Black Sun, eventually to be completely crushed to death.

Even so, the stars wished to shine even in a world where only pessimism and the end were approaching.

“Why can’t I do it?!”

“You are an only son. If you die, your family line will be cut.”

“I can have children after we win!”

“How long do you think that will take? In the first place, Star Creation commanded to avoid only children as much as possible. Go persuade your parents first.”

A man who looked like he had just come of age turned around panting angrily.

Ryugen, who had positioned himself as a recruiting officer, stared at his back and let out a sigh.

“To think even kids who should still be in their parents’ arms are swarming in.”

The signs of fatigue were clear.

I briefly revealed myself only to Ryugen and encouraged him.

“You did well. Continue to exclude young children as much as possible.”

“Yes, of course.”

They were simply called Holy Knights, but they were the ones who would travel the world as my proxies.

Especially since it was the first batch, I couldn’t examine them carelessly.

While Ryugen conducted interviews, I sat next to him, listened to their thoughts, emotions, and reasons, and judged if they were suitable, doing this dozens of times already.

“I can tell because I watched what kind of enemies you fight. Even we are afraid to dare fight under your name, but if we pull in kids who don’t know anything, they’ll end up broken.”

It wasn’t just teenagers.

My dramatic change in direction excited countless people.

The vast majority of them were those whose experience fighting was against Corpse Demons at best.

Ironically, the survivors of the Lion Shield Legion, including Ryugen, were reluctant and afraid to stand on the same battlefield as me.

Some teased them, calling them cowards, but I could understand the agony Ryugen and the soldiers carried.

“There’s no need to blame yourselves. It’s not because you are incompetent that I accept them. Remember that you have the right to rest.”

“…I’m sorry, Star Creation.”

Ryugen’s judgment, who had watched my fights up close, was rational.

While dozens, hundreds of volunteers flocked in and we narrowed down the list from there, the soldiers didn’t reverse their decisions.

Despite the bravery they had shown, Ryugen and the soldiers chose to remain as ordinary people.

They were satisfied with maintaining order around us.

The unexpected person everyone hadn’t anticipated was the coward Shek.

When Shek came before us, Ryugen, who was conducting the interviews, even fully revealed his personal feelings.

“Aren’t you the carpenter Ad’s friend? I heard the shock you received was severe?”

“….”

As soon as Ad’s name was brought up, Shek silently sobbed.

Then Ryugen narrowed his brow, looking at the weeping Shek with pity.

“It’s a pity what happened to your friend. But you don’t need to feel guilty about it. No one blames you. A desire for revenge is a good motive, but don’t you have a blood relative you decided to take care of?”

“U-Uh, a while ago I was accepted as a formal apprentice by the cartwright.”

“That little kid? He boasted so much about having good dexterity! Didn’t it turn out well?”

“Yes. That’s why I came.”

Shek wiped his tears with his rag-like sleeve and answered.

“When thinking about the best way to take care of both Ad’s nephew and my nephew together, I thought this would be the best.”

The resolve contained in those words was by no means light.

Ryugen also quickly noticed Shek’s sincerity, but he was just hesitating because of his sniffling appearance.

My judgment was like this.

I placed a hand on Ryugen’s shoulder.

“Being able to shed tears for others during difficult times is not evidence of weakness. Rather, it means your vessel is large enough to embrace others.”

“….”

“Of course, the man in front of you is exactly what you see. Shek is timid and cries a lot. But think back. Has he ever shed a tear just for himself?”

What moved Ryugen’s heart was the last remark I added.

“He might be lacking as a soldier, but he is enough to be my proxy.”

“…Yes, that’s right. It is as you say.”

“Pardon? What did you say?”

Because I only revealed myself to Ryugen, Shek was bewildered.

Looking at Shek with his eyes wide open, Ryugen sighed, then let out a hollow laugh.

“I said I welcome your enlistment.”

***

Easily seven hundred people flocked in, but those selected as Holy Knights for various reasons were exactly 30 people.

With sheer numbers, we could never beat the Black Sun’s faction even if we woke up from the dead anyway.

Furthermore, procuring the materials needed to move a large army was madness.

If we were going to do it, it should be a small elite group, divided into a squad format.

A military group focused on guerrilla warfare, thoroughly aiming to achieve their objective and escape… That was the image of the Holy Knights I desired.

Aiming to escape first before the demons could act.

Walking down the alleyway full of shabby tents, the small path where the 30 Holy Knights were gathered, I captured each one in my eyes.

Among them, the most familiar face was, of course, the coward Shek.

However, there was no superiority or inferiority in the resolve they all harbored and their faith towards me.

The 30 people who came seeking to become Holy Knights all prostrated themselves and bowed their heads simultaneously.

“”Godfather of Stars, young father, your godsons serve you. Fill the night sky with stars as you will, and illuminate a new heaven with your sun.””

They even matched their voices perfectly without getting a single rhythm wrong.

Their appearance was just shabby, but seeing their words and actions, it seemed discipline had been established.

Perhaps it was a touching sight for him, Bartol, who was watching from the side, was wiping his tears with his index finger.

“It was worth grinding down two candles to ponder over the prayer. To think this day would come.”

Amidst everyone’s excited expectations, I responded to their faith.

“If you serve me, prove it with your lives.”

There were exactly three commandments I demanded from the Holy Knights.

First, look at the stars rising in the sky before sleeping.

Second, share in both the joys and sorrows of others together.

Third, do not run away leaving innocent people behind.

I gave it as simply as possible.

There were commandments that seemed easy, but there were also ones that were difficult to keep.

However, if they dreamed of being Holy Knights serving a god of heaven, it was an acceptable set of commandments.

The ones chosen as Holy Knights willingly accepted the given commandments.

“”We will prove it.””

They were people of various ages and backgrounds.

Some had graying hair, some had pitch-black hair down to the roots.

There was one who couldn’t take off a signet ring symbolizing his noble birth, while there were also hands wrinkled and scarred from digging the earth their entire lives.

After looking clearly at all of them, I orbited the stars inside my flesh.

The trajectory left by the passing stars soon drew a shape of O-O.

-Bestow Miracle, Oath of Twin Stars.

“As long as you keep the commandments, I will not spare my power either.”

The Oath of Twin Stars was a miracle mainly used when creating priesthoods or Holy Knights.

If the Rising Seed increased the total amount of divine power, you could think of the Oath of Twin Stars as increasing the output spewed out at once.

And it was also the reason combat-oriented gods were evaluated as good for the early game.

The moment my fingertips glowed and scattered faint sunlight, the ones who had been quietly bowing their heads began to be astonished one by one.

“T-This is.”

“My neck. I was definitely… pierced?”

“Blegh, ugh. Cough.”

Some panicked while feeling their perfectly fine body parts, and some threw up watery gastric juice.

Even Bartol, who was watching from behind, was slightly surprised.

“Star Creation, is this also the doing of demons?”

“No.”

The Oath of Twin Stars was a miracle for a god to bestow power to humans.

And power did not simply mean physical strength.

Intangible power also clearly existed in the world.

The state of martial arts a person built up by training their whole life while crossing the border of death, the instinctive intuition polished in numerous crises, the knowledge completed after countless trial and error, the crossroad of life and death realized the moment one experiences death.

Unsparingly pouring out countless powers that an ordinary person would never obtain.

I was distributing all the power possessed by the Elysiums and souls I harbored to them.

“Everything the dead felt right up until the moment they died. It’s natural since they are receiving all of that.”

“…T-That’s!”

I could state it affirmatively.

Angels were certainly strong, but they were not superior to human-based Holy Knights.

Because angels, who had already escaped their mortal destiny, had lost the instincts they possessed as living beings.

Angels freed from the limit of death were not very desperate.

Even if you tried to forcefully inject the instinct of life, it mostly backfired, resulting in them becoming fallen angels or losing their fighting spirit.

“There’s no way a human can endure that! Star Creation, are your expectations not too great…”

“Do you understand now what it means to stand on the same battlefield as me?”

I answered while looking at the continuously panting Holy Knights.

It was already a world where the dead vastly overwhelmed the living.

Since the souls I harbored far surpassed the living, the memories they would accept were not just one or two.

“The battlefield they will head to is a hell where those memories are reproduced exactly as they are. If they face it then and falter, they won’t even be able to save those they can save.”

I knew it was a cruel thing to say.

That was why I hesitated.

But since I made the decision, they must become strong.

They had to be tempered with a will much stronger than even angels and gods to be able to stand against demons that devoured gods.

**

The power bestowed by the Oath of Twin Stars soon showed its prominence.

The Holy Knights, who slept straight through while two candles burned out, were transcending ordinary people in all aspects.

To the extent that Ryugen, who stepped forward to guide them using his experience as a soldier, was the one astonished.

“N-Nonsense.”

A bare-handed man was easily dealing with a soldier armed with a real sword.

It wasn’t simply suppressing with strength, it was literally the result of completely dominating the distance.

The process was also extraordinary.

The man, who had been dodging the blade by a hair’s breadth, stopped moving at a certain moment and-.

Clang-!

“What!”

He grabbed and twisted the blade striking down with the side of his hand.

It didn’t take long for the soldier holding the hilt to float in midair and be slammed down.

Realizing the situation came much later.

“Uwaaah!!! Captain, I surrender! I surrender!”

It was commendable that he didn’t let go of his sword.

The man who achieved the splendid feat of subduing an armed soldier in an instant with his bare hands looked this way with a blank gaze.

“…I, won against a real sword?”

It was the coward Shek.

And Shek defeated all of Ryugen’s soldiers in just dozens of minutes after starting his training.