Paladin of a Fallen Order (Novel) - Chapter 36 - Mountain City Barkuntol (Part 6)
Chapter 36 – Mountain City Barkuntol (Part 6)
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Translated by Pratt
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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The devil’s arm, wavering like black flames, flew toward Rombel.
A situation where his guard was caught. Rombel judged quickly.
‘I cannot avoid it perfectly. I will just make sure I do not get caught.’
Just as Elbridge’s physical ability easily surpassed that of ordinary humans, Rombel’s physical ability was also outstanding to the point that it could not be compared to most dwarves.
However, even with such a body, he could not withstand a devil.
An attack from a devil would likely kill him if he allowed it defenselessly, and he would also be highly likely to die if he opposed it with strength.
Therefore, Rombel showcased a defensive movement etched into his body.
Just before the devil’s hand touched him, Rombel lightly jumped in the direction the devil’s hand was moving.
Subsequently, after setting up the broad side of his large double-bitted axe like a shield, he crouched his uniquely stubby dwarf body and hid behind the double-bitted axe. It was a movement possible because he was a short dwarf.
The devil’s grasp sought to wrap around and hold Rombel and the double-bitted axe in one fist.
If Rombel’s axe had been an ordinary blade, Rombel would have been caught along with the axe by the devil and crushed. However, Rombel’s axe was an item blessed by priests and paladins of all sorts of orders in the past.
Sizzle—
Smoke rose from the devil’s grasp that touched the axe blade. Eventually, the devil spread its hand again and struck Rombel as it was.
Clang—
Through the axe, an impact that shook his skull approached. Rombel desperately clung to his senses.
Rombel’s body was bouncing back violently. Rombel slightly turned his gaze back to check what was in the place he would collide with.
A wall of a building was visible. Rombel twisted his body in the air. And the moment his feet touched the wall, he bent his knees slightly, absorbing the impact even if just a little.
Crumble—
The wall of the building collapsed, and dust billowed.
Rombel stood up from his spot, leaning on his axe. His knees, which had roughly absorbed the impact, tingled. However, his legs were not broken. This could be called an almost perfect hundred-point defense.
Spit.
Spitting, Rombel raised his axe.
And like a veteran warrior, he synthesized the information gained about the devil so far.
‘It collapsed the gate by throwing a magic beast. That means it cannot exert other supernatural powers that could collapse the gate.’
‘Judging by the size of the arm, its actual size is on the larger side even among devils. There is a high probability that it heavily relies on physical force.’
‘The range of motion of the joints seems similar to a human’s.’
‘I felt a faint heat just before the impact. The black flames rising from the arm… It seems to be a devil that takes strong physical strength and the heat of hellfire as its main weapons.’
‘But it won’t be able to manifest the heat as it pleases. Because the warping-type magic beast it took as a passage won’t be able to withstand that heat.’
‘It seems it can only use its physical strength limitedly as well. With the build of that warping-type magic beast, it cannot withstand the recoil.’
Rombel reached a conclusion.
‘It’s doable.’
However, there was one variable that even the experienced warrior had failed to calculate.
The magic beasts that were not captured by the authority of blockade Elbridge deployed.
*
Elbridge mindlessly cut down the magic beasts and dedicated their corpses to the Goddess.
1171, 1170, 1169…
Fatigue accumulated. However, the strength dwelling in his body gradually grew stronger. Rather than being consumed, the Goddess’s authority gradually accumulated. At this rate, it seemed he could hold out indefinitely.
However, the moment Rombel defended against the devil’s attack, Elbridge felt a sense of incompatibility.
The sound of Rombel defending against the devil’s attack, and the sound of the building’s wall collapsing.
He felt the attention of the magic beasts being drawn backward by that noisy commotion.
To make matters worse, he could see the devil’s arm rampaging inside there.
‘…Did Rombel’s surprise attack fail?’
No matter what happened in the back, the magic beasts captured in the authority of blockade could not escape.
However, the problem was that the magic beasts that were not trapped in the authority of blockade and were waiting for the authority of blockade to be released were also numerous.
The magic beasts not captured by the authority of blockade changed direction and began to move backward.
Just the warping-type magic beast and the single devil’s arm were formidable opponents.
In the midst of this, what would happen if dozens, or hundreds of magic beasts rushed at Rombel?
‘He will inevitably die.’
Until the magic beasts that began running back swept over Rombel.
In the meantime, could Rombel avoid the devil’s arm and eliminate the warping-type magic beast?
‘…The probability is too low.’
To save Rombel, he had to move right away.
However, the moment Elbridge stepped out of the authority of blockade, the authority of blockade would disappear like water mist.
Since it was as clear as day that numerous magic beasts would sweep over the dwarves in that case, Elbridge had no way to move.
1165, 1164, 1163…
At that moment, Marcus’s shout was heard from behind.
“Sir Elbridge! Go!”
Elbridge could not look back.
However, he could notice that Marcus’s breathing was uneven. It seemed he had run over hurriedly while fighting.
Elbridge shouted.
“If I pull out, the authority will also disappear.”
“Because we’ll take care of that ourselves!”
“We?”
Elbridge looked back.
Beyond the makeshift barricade, he saw the dwarves who had run over together with Marcus. Crude items to be described as weapons were held in their hands.
At best, pickaxes, shovels, crowbars, and the like.
However, what drew Elbridge’s attention was not the dwarves’ armament but their eyes.
The dwarves did not dream of a perfect victory without sacrifice. They were ready to bear sacrifice. Just like the dwarf warriors he had met on the battlefield two hundred years ago.
Looking back, every dwarf was a bit of a warrior.
What sturdy bodies and stubborn temperaments they had.
Elbridge hardened his heart and shouted.
“I’m going!”
Elbridge ran at full speed, breaking through the midst of the magic beasts.
The path Elbridge had blocked until now was wide open.
“Push—!”
“Aaaaargh—!”
The shouts of the dwarves were heard.
As Elbridge rushed in, the magic beasts poured attacks as if they had been waiting.
Large and small scratches were engraved here and there on Elbridge’s armor, and wounds also appeared on his body beneath the armor. However, unless it was an attack that must be blocked, Elbridge did not mind.
1131, 1130, 1129…
Finally, Elbridge jumped up, stepping on the dorsal carapace of an insect-type magic beast.
And then, Elbridge’s body made contact with the pillar created by the authority of blockade.
At that moment, the stone temple made of authority disappeared like a mirage.
Not only Elbridge but also the magic beasts that had been captured in the authority of blockade regained their freedom.
Some magic beasts turned back following Elbridge, and some magic beasts swept over the dwarves who blocked the path leading to the mountain city Barkuntol.
“Block them, block them!”
“Aaargh!”
“Hold out!”
The screams and shouts of the dwarves were heard. However, Elbridge did not mind at all.
Since worry was for those who were not prepared.
Elbridge ran at full speed toward Rombel. Several magic beasts that had started first changed direction and aimed at Elbridge.
“Get lost!”
Elbridge ran while swinging his sword and blocking attacks with his shield.
Ultimately, Elbridge arrived by Rombel’s side faster than any magic beast.
“Rombel!”
An expression with a mix of half doubt and half bewilderment appeared on Rombel’s face. True, it was natural since Elbridge, who should have been blocking the fortress wall, had rushed over, bypassing the crowd of magic beasts.
“Elbridge! Why are you here—”
At that moment, the devil clenched a giant fist. The devil’s arm rushed toward Rombel. Its speed was horrifyingly fast. A situation where it was clear he would be crushed if hit.
Rombel could not finish his words and sought to avoid the devil’s fist.
However, Elbridge shouted to Rombel.
“Rombel! Go!”
Rombel trusted Elbridge, and trusted Elbridge’s judgment.
If it was a judgment made by someone of Elbridge’s caliber, there was bound to be a reason.
Rombel stopped judging and immediately ran toward the warping-type magic beast.
Elbridge took a deep breath and offered a prayer to the Goddess.
“Goddess. Bestow the authority of no retreat upon me!”
Thanks to Elbridge killing magic beasts without rest and dedicating their corpses in the authority of blockade, the amount of authority the Goddess of the Rusty Shield could utilize was in a state increased compared to before the battle began.
Elbridge requested an even stronger authority from the Goddess.
The devil’s fist had already approached right before his nose. There was no leisure to wait for the Goddess’s answer.
Elbridge straightaway raised his shield, blocking the giant devil’s fist.
‘May the Goddess bestow the authority.’
Elbridge’s shield and the devil’s fist made contact.
Although it was only one side of the devil’s arm, the physical difference between that arm and Elbridge was so large that it was hard to compare. It was normal to die unable to block the devil’s blow, and it was a sight where it would be natural to be pushed back for a long time or crushed even if blocked.
However, Elbridge did not get pushed back even a little and defended his spot.
Elbridge’s shield shone brightly.
And Elbridge instinctively knew.
That the authority the Goddess could bestow was entirely exhausted with this single time.
But that much of an opening was enough. Since Rombel was already leaping within range of the warping-type magic beast.
Rombel swung his double-bitted axe while throwing his body.
He could see the large axe blade sweeping across the warping-type magic beast’s neck.
It was done.
The devil’s fist Elbridge had blocked began to scatter like smoke.
It was something that happened because the warping-type magic beast, which was the passage projecting the devil’s power, died.
Not to mention the devil’s arm, the magic beasts that had been running also scattered.
However, neither the devil nor the magic beasts died. Since the subject of warping had disappeared, they were merely returning to the place they originally should have existed.
Elbridge and Rombel looked back.
Beyond the passage connecting Bronzimmar and the mountain city Barkuntol, a blood-soaked barricade was visible.
Regrettably, most of the blood was not of the magic beasts but of the dwarves. As a result of Elbridge leaving his post and running, more than dozens of dwarves met their deaths in such a short time.
However, the dwarves were not swept by sadness and fear.
“Ohhhhh—!”
On the contrary, the dwarves shouted loudly and enjoyed the joy of victory.
The dwarves Elbridge had met on the battlefield in the past did not introduce themselves as paladins.
The paladins of those days also called them warriors, not paladins.
Since they were not a race that could only fight by receiving a god’s help, the name paladin did not suit them.
Rombel also shouted at the top of his lungs, more vigorously than anyone.
“Uaaahhh!”
Subsequently, Rombel picked up the head of the warping-type magic beast rolling on the floor.
From Rombel’s eyes, a joy hard to describe in words was felt.
The gazes of all the dwarves, and the gazes of Elbridge and Marcus, focused on Rombel.
Rombel walked ploddingly toward the dwarves. And after stopping his steps, he crawled up to the top of the highest building in Bronzimmar.
What was he trying to do? A deep doubt appeared in the dwarves’ eyes.
However, quick-witted dwarves guessed what Rombel was trying to do.
They said Rombel was expelled from the order two hundred years ago.
He had said that he wanted to enter the Order of the Steel Anvil again.
He had said that since he had repented of his sins for two hundred years, he would make a contribution one last time to stand proudly before the god and become a believer of the Order of the Steel Anvil again.
Therefore, Rombel would now prove his faith by dedicating that head to the God of the Steel Shield.
Rombel held the head of the magic beast high and shouted.
“God of the Steel Anvil! The warrior expelled from the order two hundred years ago! The dwarf Rombel, who has lived as an unbeliever for two hundred years, stands in this place! I dedicate the head of this magic beast and the glory of battle to you—”
Rombel, who was speaking up to that point, threw the head of the magic beast onto the floor.
The giant mountain city was submerged in silence.
The dwarves were only bewildered, unable to understand what sight they had seen.
Just now, did he throw away the offering he was about to dedicate to the god?
No, he probably dropped it by mistake? To say that, his arm movement was a little…
Facing the gazes of the dwarves swept in confusion, Rombel took a deep breath.
And he shouted, containing two hundred years of resentment.
“…Like hell I would dedicate it, you son of a bitch who is worse than a dog! What did you do so well that I would dedicate anything to a bastard like you?”
The silence deepened further.
Since the mountain city Barkuntol was built, it had probably never been this quiet even once.
And that silence was broken by an unexpected voice.
—Impudent fellow. Is your piece finished?
The giant voice of the god completely filled the mountain city Barkuntol.