CH 303.

“...Sir!”

“Com… up…”

It sounded like he was submerged in water, but the voice slowly got clearer, bit by bit. 

“Commander! Wake up, sir”

And just as the voice calling out to him began getting clearer, the battlefield noises that hadn’t been heard were audible.

Kyaaaaa!

The terrible roars and screams; the commander couldn’t get his bearings.

“Commander! Can you hear me?! Do you recognize me?”

“I haven’t gotten so old that I can’t recognize the lieutenant that’s served under me for so many years.”

The noisy voice that had been babbling in his ears was that of the lieutenant who had been entrusted with the command of the battlefield on his behalf. 

“I’m glad, sir.”

The lieutenant let out a sigh of relief before belatedly holding out a hand. 

“Sir, we have to retreat first!”

“What happened? Am I not dead yet?”

Staggering, the commander stood up.

“Although your lost arm can’t be restored, you are most definitely alive, sir.”

The pain from his severed arm was gone, and it wasn’t bleeding any more.

“How?”

At the commander’s question, the lieutenant pointed his hand in a direction.

When the commander turned his head and followed the lieutenant's finger, he saw a man with a white fluttering robe, drenched in blood, yet the man hadn’t lost his characteristic purity. 

“Hm?”

Seeing him, the commander rubbed his eyes with his remaining hand. But his eyes weren’t mistaken.

“Priest?”

The figure running around the battlefield with his white robe fluttering behind him was a priest who had been caught up in the calamity and had disappeared.

“They’re the survivors, sir!”

The lieutenant responded to him cheerfully.

“They’re the Holy Kingdom's priests and Templar Knights who had been stuck on the other side of the barrier, sir.”

The commander had been in a daze but that got his attention.

“How are they…?”

The commander finally saw the white armor and robe hems flashing around all around him. The people who were gathering white Holy Light instead of the five-colored light on their blades were obviously the Templar Knights of the Holy Kingdom.

“They noticed the anomaly just before it happened and tried to escape the Holy Kingdom through the borders of Tennessia. They managed to survive, sir!”

“Ah…”

The commander clenched his fist. The Templar Knights and Crusaders were driving out the demonic beasts in the place of the weary knights. The concentrated fire of the mages, who had recovered their stamina, were attacking as well. 

“The Northern Cavalry are also here, sir!”

Beyond the knights, the commander saw the sight of the continent’s best cavalry galloping on horseback. Chased by the ferocious cavalry, the demons and beasts were running back to their original positions.

“Oh, my God. We really won.”

It was a miracle. The fact he had survived was a miracle, but the fact that the defense line had maintained itself was a miracle as well.

“It seems like something had happened in there, sir.”

However, it hadn’t been an accidental miracle.

“A dazzling white light shone in the distant sky and the golden waves could be seen all the way here. Immediately after that, the demons and demonic beasts began to falter.”

It wasn’t difficult to figure out who was behind the miracle.

“The Warrior and the Indomitable Grand Duke. It is most likely they were fighting the Darkness, sir.”

As if confirming the lieutenant’s words, a yellow and white light rose from the far side of the sky and then disappeared.

***

Unlike the southern defenses, where many of the Adenburg Empire’s elites remained, other defense lines weren’t all miraculously victorious. Unfortunately, the relatively weak defense lines of the West and the North had been breached. 

Among the defense lines, the western defense line was the most in danger. Although communication with the northern defense line had been restored and the situation in the north relayed with much difficulty, the western defense line couldn’t be reached at all. 

In the current situation, the worst scenario couldn’t be ruled out - that the western defense line might have been annihilated. 

“It doesn’t fit my personality to be taking care of people, but I should earn my keep.”

Darun and the cavalrymen under his command checked on the war situation in the West, and then left the battlefield saying that if any monsters had escaped the defense line, they would deal with those monsters.

‘A party consisting of the foreigners and Illusion Beast Master Choi Min-Young has already departed to save the northern defense line. Commander, straighten out the Southern troops and prepare for a potential Wave.’

Thanks to the fast-moving Empire dispatching support troops, even mobilizing the Griffin Riders, the problem of the northern defense line was dealt with.

Now, all that was left was the culprit responsible for this terrible calamity.

“I plan to head inside now.”

The Sword Star, who had fought the hardest in face of the endless influx of the demons, left saying he would check the situation beyond the barrier. However, as he left the frontline, there was a person no one had ever seen next to him.

***

Marek’s face was terrifyingly hard as he left the battlefield. The rough way he was handling the exhausted Griffin was incomparable as he urged it even faster if he was chased by something.

“Even if you hurry like this, there won’t be much you’ll be able to do when you arrive.”

Completely different from Marek, his travel companion’s attitude was too relaxed.

“As long as they haven’t finished the battle, you, who have lost your strength as a ‘weight,’ will not be able to even approach the battlefield.”

Surprisingly, his companion spoke casually about Marek’s hidden identity.

It was only natural.

“You’re not thinking that I’ll step in, in your place, are you? Although, unlike you, I’m still part of the balance.”

His companion was also a person from the previous generation who had been left in this world with the same mission as Marek.

His companion was the Central Adjuster. 

“If you’re not going to help, then why did you follow me?! Did you come because you wanted to see me get beaten up?!”

Marek shouted at him. As if he wasn’t pleased with something, he expressed strong anger at the Central Adjuster.

“If you had done your job properly in the first place, then I wouldn’t have to be making a fuss like this. Why’re you being so proud of yourself? You haven’t even done anything good!”

The Adjuster’s attitude didn’t change even in the face of Marek’s wrath.

“I am a being who moves within the rules. I can do nothing if the opponent decides to thoroughly ignore the rules.”

He annoyed Marek even further when he simply shrugged his shoulders as he continued to prattle.

“That’s what you’re going with?!”

“Even the will of the world never imagined that he would have taken on such a risk to regain his former grace. I am losing my strength, how could I have figured out his plan when even the world couldn’t figure it out?”

Unlike Marek’s decision to work in harmony with the world, the Central Adjuster had chosen to step back and hide from the world. And the 200 years he lived separate from the world had turned the Central Adjuster into something not quite human. 

Almost as if his emotions had been removed from him, his dry attitude didn’t show any joy or sorrow. 

“It’s impossible to talk to you!”

Angrily, Marek gritted his teeth.

“It’s me who should be saying that. I just can’t understand you. As soon as the Transcendentals came to the front of this world, hasn’t it gotten better for proxies? So what the hell is the problem?”

The Adjuster tilted his head as he looked at Marek. It didn’t look like he was teasing. It seemed like he really couldn’t understand Marek. 

“Since you are still upholding the will of the world, you won’t like either the Transcendental beings or the proxies. So, for you, it won’t matter who remains. However, it’s different for me.”

Marek clicked his tongue before answering. 

“If only one of the Transcendental beings were to be left in the world, I want it to be the Dragon.”

“Is that because you’re friends with the Dragon’s Companion?”

Marek shook his head at the Adjuster’s question.

“I won’t deny it. But that’s not the only reason I care about the Dragon’s Companion.”

Marek looked at the golden light sparking in the distance.

“At the very least, the Dragon’s Companion and the Dragon understand moderation and can exercise self-control. I’m saying they’re different from people who’ll become mad for the sake of grace and won’t care if the world perishes. You also know that. Isn’t that why you came to me?”

Suddenly, Marek’s eyes turned very sharp. 

“You and the world have shaken hands. If I had told everything to the Dragon’s Companion at the beginning, then at the very least, I wouldn’t have been taunted and tossed around by that godly maniac.”

For the first time, an expression appeared on the Adjuster’s face.

“The will of the world never fails.”

Marek grinned as he watched the Adjuster express reluctance.

“I have already failed, and you have also failed. The will of the world does not mean that the world is omnipotent or omniscient. It is simply one of the greatest and biggest of the many wills flowing in the world.”

The Adjuster trembled violently. But he didn’t disagree. He couldn’t deny Marek’s words when the world’s will to prevent the Transcendentals from returning went awry and now, there were many Transcendentals already on the ground.

“It’s not too late if you wish to undo the disaster. Help me.”

Instead of pressing the speechless Adjuster further, he pleaded with a desperate look.

“I don’t need anything else. All you need to do is help me get close to the Dragon’s Companion.”

After staying silent for a long time, the Adjuster finally responded.

“I will try.”

While they had been talking, the Griffin reached the middle of the Holy Kingdom.

“From here on, we’ll have to use our own two feet.”

Marek and the Adjuster sent the Griffin, who had been struggling for a while now, back. Then, they followed the light that was stronger than before.

When the demons and beasts saw them, they charged towards Marek and Adjuster, but they were immediately melted by the magic performed by the Central Adjuster.

And so, Marek and the Adjuster went against the force of Chaos and were finally able to reach their destination. 

Covered by dazzling light, the platinum Dragon was pressing down on the immense Darkness. And in front of her was a man who was wielding the pillar of light that was soaring up high into the sky like a club. Kim Seon-Hyeok, the Dragon’s Companion that Marek had been anxiously searching for, was in his War Dragon’s form and was in the middle of tearing apart the raging Darkness.

“Excellent. I can handle that.”

If one more piece had been added, it would’ve been different. However, there were only five Fragments gathered here now, and that alone couldn’t overwhelm the Dragon and the incarnation of God.

“It’s almost over.”

The fight against the great evil that threatened the safety of the world behind the Holy Kingdom was coming to an end.

“It’ll be too late when the battle is over. But if we intervene too early, it’ll break the balance. Do you still plan on going now?”

At the Adjuster’s question, Marek narrowed his eyes and looked at the battlefield.

“Now, please.”

As if he had been waiting, the Adjuster quickly gestured with both his hands and signed a seal. Then, a soft light spread out and embraced Marek.

“If you have the will and focus, you will be able to convey your thoughts.”

It seemed like the Adjuster believed there would be a higher chance of success if he helped Marek in this way instead of approaching the horrific battlefield. 

Marek had no reason to complain since it was enough as long as he could talk to Kim Seon-Hyeok. It didn’t particularly matter how he did it.

“It’s me, Marek.”

Marek focused his mind and spoke to Kim Seon-Hyeok, who was far away. At first, he couldn’t tell if his words were conveyed properly, but seeing how the War Dragon, who had been busily fighting, faltered, Marek could tell that the magic worked.

“Listen to me as you fight.”

Perhaps it was because his focus had been disrupted, but he managed to escape the dangerous moment before going back to pressing the Darkness back.

“Be careful with the Warrior.”

Marek’s expression was more serious than ever before.

“Whether it was his own will or not, it was the Warrior who freed the Fragments of Chaos.”