The Paladin of the Sacred Kingdom Part I

by Kugane Maruyama

  The optimal way to use angels against a powerful opponent—

  The angels swooped down to attack Jaldabaoth all at once. Not slashing with their swords, but tackling.

  —was to stop them in their tracks.

  That was effective.

  Perhaps he was feeling some pressure? Jaldabaoth transitioned to offense and sent several angels back to the void with a single swipe of his claws.

  But the gap made by any angel that had been cut down was simply filled by another that continued the assault.

  That was the true horror of summoned monsters. They were beings for whom death didn’t count as death, so they could use their abilities to the fullest.

  Remedios’s eyes widened as she watched the waterfall-like hammering of angels and the way Jaldabaoth handled them as if he were working an assembly line. However…

  He’s letting his guard down!

  After approaching quietly, she waited for Jaldabaoth to be critically distracted by the onslaught of angels and then leaped into range.

  “What?!”

  “Ahhhrraahhhh!”

  She activated a skill and struck a mighty blow with her Holy Sword using a martial art.

  Her instinct whispered to her that it wasn’t time to unleash the sword’s greatest reservoir of power that could only be used once per day.

  On the receiving end of her second most powerful attack, Jaldabaoth went flying in what seemed like a horizontal flight path. Then he ducked into a shop on the opposite side of the square.

  Remedios stared down at her sword hand.

  “Crap!”

  “Honored sister, you did it!”

  Kelart sounded so happy, but Remedios yelled back at her. “Not yet I haven’t! There’s no way he’d go flying like that.”

  “I think it’s possible given how insanely strong you are…”

  “No, he flew away on his own!”

  Yes. Not only had she let him slip through the encirclement, she’d given him the opportunity to hide in a building.

  The only reason they’d had half a chance against him was because they had him surrounded and forced him into a fight of one against many. Combat in a cramped house would be too dangerous for Remedios.

  And maybe Jaldabaoth had decided that playtime was over and would change up his moves.

  “Remedios! What should we do?” Calca cried out to her.

  Usually it was Remedios asking the questions and Calca answering, but this time it was the reverse. Apparently, when it came to combat, Remedios was still more likely to arrive at the correct answer than the other two.

  “Destroy the building without getting anywhere near it!”

  Following her directive, the priests began casting attack magic.

  The building came tumbling down bit by bit, but it was hard to imagine Jaldabaoth dying under a pile of rubble. With her enchanted armor, even Remedios wouldn’t die from something like that unless she got awfully unlucky. And besides—

  Remedios eyed her clean blade.

  Did he really absorb that powerful blow just by flying away? Did he use a martial art like Fortress? Or was it a special demon ability? There were lots of possibilities, but if she couldn’t figure out the answer, they were in serious trouble.

  With great cracks and pops, the building was completely demolished by the area-of-effect spells. Remedios found herself having a coughing fit in the cloud of dust it kicked up.

  “Hey, Remedios, why isn’t he coming out?”

  “…Honored sister, do you think he could have teleported away already?”

  That arrogant demon? I doubt he would unless he were injured…

  “…It’s time for a fire attack. Let’s pour oil over this and burn it. And then could you bless it, Holy Lady Calca?”

  “A Holy Flame Rite, honored sister? Should a paladin really use that to damage an opponent…?”

  “I don’t mind. If Remedios thinks that’s our best option, I’ll do it. No, it’s what we must do. If he’s a demon, there’s no way it won’t hurt him.”

  Many demons had resistance to fire, but a Holy Flame had both holy and fire attributes, so resistance to fire would only block half the damage.

  “All right, Holy Lady Calca, let’s prepare for the ceremony…”

  “There’s no time. Can you do a simplified version?”

  Looking at Calca, she saw her sister out of the corner of her eye as she said, “Um…”

  Simplifying the Holy Flame ritual magic put quite a large strain on the caster. This wasn’t the sort of proposal someone entrusted with her safety should have been making. But they couldn’t afford to give Jaldabaoth time.

  “If you say that’s better, then let’s go with that plan. But if I cast it alone, I won’t be able to give you any more support afterward. Please remember that… So will you light it for me right away?”

  “Understoo—”

  “Hoh-hoh-hoh. That puts me in quite a pinch.” Jaldabaoth’s voice suddenly came to them from beneath the rubble.

  “Honored sister!”

  “I’m on it!”

  Remedios stood in front of Calca and held her sword at the ready.

  Apparently, the demon really was trapped beneath the rubble. And if he was talking to them now, it must have meant that Holy Flame was the correct attack. Surely he hadn’t been knocked out by the impact of the rubble.

  “It seems I’ll have to actually start putting some effort into this fight.”

  “Ohhh? You could have done that a long time ago. I’ve been waiting, so won’t you show me what you’re capable of…? Holy Lady Calca, Kelart, get back.” She instructed the pair in a lower voice.

  At the same time, Remedios backed up and left a wall of angels between her and Jaldabaoth.

  “Hmm. Then please take some distance. It wouldn’t be much fun if you were killed in the shock of me getting up.”

  The pile of collapsed bricks and wood rose. And as the debris fell away, some sort of giant slowly stood up.

  “…Jaldabaoth?” Remedios murmured in spite of herself.

  The being standing before them was something altogether different from the Jaldabaoth of a few moments ago. She wondered if he had switched places with another demon. But there couldn’t be that many demons this powerful out there.

  There was no doubt in her mind: This was Jaldabaoth; it was Jaldabaoth’s true form.

  Wings of flame whooshed open. The tip of his long tail was also burning. Even the ends of his terrifyingly thick arms were on fire. His sinister face was rage incarnate.

  “Priests! Have the angels charge!”

  Following Kelart’s order, the priests sent their angels forward. Jaldabaoth didn’t even counter when the angels attacked with their weapons—he simply took the hits in silence. Being surrounded and assaulted didn’t seem to bother him one bit. It was like a paladin in full plate armor being pummeled by a child.

  “This is my true nature.” Jaldabaoth spoke in a deep, weighty voice that seemed to come from the pit of his stomach. Then he took a step forward with a massive leg, forcing the angels back.

  Ignoring the angels’ attacks entirely, he clenched a fist enclosed in flames. Fire blazing, it was red-hot like a volcanic bomb.

  “You daft, flying insects—be gone!”

  With a bang, the angels that should have been shielding Remedios vanished.

  Even her sharp vision only registered a momentary afterimage of Jaldabaoth swinging his fist at great speed. The resulting blow had demolished the wall of angels that had been protecting her.

  This was the real Jaldabaoth.

  Slaying several angels at once so easily. In the face of such overwhelming power, Remedios swallowed hard and gripped her Holy Sword. She broke into a sweat and could sense the clothing beneath her armor changing color.

  Can I win? Eh—

  “Daaaaaagh!” Remedios charged with a roar—to shake off her fear. Perhaps it was a reckless move, but if she didn’t advance now, her mind would have been forced
to acknowledge her defeat. Clenching her sword, she raced forward.

  Jaldabaoth neither defended nor dodged.

  He repelled her so simply it was laughable.

  “—Huh?”

  Her sword, forged of an unknown metal as hard as adamantite, glanced off Jaldabaoth’s skin.

  When she looked up, his gaze wasn’t even directed her way—just like how a human wouldn’t look down on bugs crawling in the dirt.

  “It’s a chore to fight you unarmed… Oh, wait, I have a good weapon.”

  Jaldabaoth set off walking, paying no attention to Remedios. She was forced aside by his hulking form.

  “H-hey! Sh-shit!”

  She attacked from behind, along with newly summoned angels, but her sword couldn’t penetrate the skin that possessed a strange metallic gleam.

  Attack spells flew at him but were all deflected.

  He’s not even slowing down. Where is he head—?

  When Remedios figured out his destination, the blood drained from her face. He was aiming for Calca and Kelart.

  “What are you guys doing? Attack! Cut him down!”

  She gave orders to the paladins behind them. She didn’t think they could accomplish anything, but she couldn’t let Jaldabaoth waltz right over to Calca and Kelart.

  “Get Calca and Kelart out of here! He’s aiming for those two!”

  The paladins and priests formed a wall in front of the pair. What a fragile barrier it was.

  “Stop! Stop! Stop!!” she screamed, swinging her sword over and over.

  But none of her attacks could break the demon’s skin.

  The paladins slashed with their swords, and the priests cast their spells. But they couldn’t stop Jaldabaoth. He continued striding forward as if nothing were happening.

  Anyone brushed by the flames coming off his body fell shrieking to the ground, but Jaldabaoth didn’t even seem to be conscious of attacking.

  “Run, you two! We can’t stop him!” Remedios shouted, her brain in a muddle.

  Didn’t an adventurer drive him off in the Kingdom? She should have been equal or superior to an adamantite adventurer. So why couldn’t she contain this demon?

  There must be something! I have to figure it out! There has to be a way to deal damage!

  There had to be some trick to his invincibility. Just as some monsters were strong against all materials besides silver, he had to be protecting himself with some specialized defensive ability.

  What is it?!

  The instincts she relied on told her nothing.

  At times like this in the past, one of her deputies, or Kelart, or Calca would swoop in with a tip, and all she would have to do was act on it. But this time they had nothing for her.

  If those two escaped, they could at least prevent Jaldabaoth from doing as he wished.

  They seemed to understand that and ran away without even looking back.

  That was fine. On a real battlefield, there was no time to dither like an idiot. Even if Remedios died, as long as they could ensure the survival of the head of the country, the Holy Lady, things would work out. And in the worst case, even if the Holy Lady died, as long as Kelart survived and they could recover the body, she could be revived.

  A few priests—who could probably use up to tier-three magic—stayed near Calca, protecting her. That shield was probably enough to buy them time to escape.

  “Hmph. Greater Teleportation.”

  Suddenly, Jaldabaoth disappeared, and Remedios’s sword sliced through thin air.

  “Wha—?!”

  Whirling around in a panic, she heard a terrible wail. Her heart pounded sickeningly. The scream came from the direction the other two had run in.

  But there were paladins in the way, so Remedios couldn’t see what had happened.

  Her terror was automatically soothed by a magic item she wore, but impatience blossomed in its place. If Kelart and the priests protecting Calca had been killed, that meant the Holy Lady was facing Jaldabaoth on her own. The leader of the country. The kingdom would be doomed without her.

  “Out of my wayyyy!”

  With that scream, Remedios set off running. The paladins jumped out of her path.

  Calca was so far away.

  How sluggish Remedios thought her body was.

  Remedios considered herself to be at the peak of human performance when it came to physical strength and running, and she had always been quietly proud of that. But at this moment, she learned what a sham that all was.

  If she can just survive one hit… Even if she gets horribly injured, there are plenty of priests around. As long as she doesn’t die, things will work out somehow.

  Telling herself that as she ran, Remedios spotted Calca trapped by Jaldabaoth. There was no time to look for Kelart.

  Jaldabaoth had grabbed Calca’s legs with his huge hands. Both of his limbs were enveloped in flames. The sound of flesh roasting was audible from beneath her heated armor. Her face in her helmet was nearly mad with agony, her neat rows of teeth clenched.

  The coward! He’s taken her hostage!

  What does he want?

  Remedios braced herself and then couldn’t believe her ears when she heard what Jaldabaoth said next.

  “This is a good weapon.”

  “—Huh?”

  For a moment, she looked down at her Holy Sword.

  Does he want my sword?

  “I thought she would make a good weapon the moment I saw her.”

  Jaldabaoth lifted his arm, dangling Calca at eye level before bringing her down again—as if he were swinging a sword.

  There was a snapping noise and a muffled cry from Calca.

  The combination of Jaldabaoth’s overwhelming power and her own weight proved too much for Calca’s knees, which bent in a direction they were never intended to go.

  That was when Remedios finally understood what he meant.

  The demon was saying that he would use Holy Lady Calca Bessarez as his weapon.

  “Wh-what are you…?”

  She couldn’t comprehend it.

  But she had to.

  “Ready? Here I come!” A faint, sinister grin appeared on Jaldabaoth’s furious face as he approached.

  What was she supposed to do?

  Remedios backed up, as did the paladins who must have been behind her.

  Wh-what should I do? What can I do?

  Casting around for help, she saw Kelart and the priests who had been protecting Calca sprawled on the ground.

  The priests didn’t so much as twitch, but her sister was twisting around. Maybe she was silently using a spell.

  She’s alive! I guess I’ll have to ask Isandro who to save first.

  “Isandro! What should I do?”

  “Retreat!”

  “Okay! All units, retreat! Fall back! Fall back!”

  “What? You’re not going to fight? And right when I got my hands on this perfect weapon to crush you with…Fireball.” Jaldabaoth lifted the hand he wasn’t holding Calca with and loosed a tier-three attack spell. The flames burst and burned all the paladins in range.

  The paladins had fire resistance magic cast on them, so they managed to avoid fatal damage, but that just meant they weren’t dead yet.

  Calca flailed all she could, but it didn’t seem like she could escape Jaldabaoth’s clutches.

  “Woman, you exasperate me. You’re my weapon right now, so act like it.” He bent down slightly and raised the hand holding Calca.

  “No!” Remedios screamed, realizing what he was about to do.

  But Jaldabaoth didn’t so much as glance at her as he swung his arm down.

  Splat.

  Calca’s attempt to defend herself didn’t make it in time, so her face slammed straight into the ground.

  As Jaldabaoth lifted his hand again slowly, she hung limply, seeming to have lost interest in resisting.

  The front of the helmet she was wearing was open. It was designed that way so she could raise the soldiers’ morale with her beauty.
But now that once pretty face was flattened—perhaps her nose had been crushed—and covered in blood.

  “You bastard!”

  “Don’t! You idiot!”

  One of Remedios’s subordinates had instinctively drawn his sword and charged. She tried to stop him, but it was too late.

  Jaldabaoth swung his “weapon” around so quickly, it was hard to believe he was holding a whole human.

  The two collided, and with a forceful metallic clang, the knight went flying.

  His armor sported an indent like a giant had punched him, which told exactly how powerful the impact with Calca had been.

  Remedios couldn’t take her eyes off the Holy Lady.

  Even humans, with more vulnerable outer skin than other races, could robe themselves in chi or mana and take a slash unscathed, if they were powerful enough and conscious.

  Yes, if they were conscious.

  Her helmet must have flown off somewhere in the crash—her long hair fluttered in the wind. Hanging upside down with her bloodied face and crushed nose, missing front teeth, groaning faintly with only the whites of her eyes showing, Calca no longer had a shred of the beauty praised as the great treasure of a nation. She looked utterly miserable.

  “What should we do? Isandro! How can we save Calca?”

  “I—I don’t know!”

  “That doesn’t help me! I thought your brain was supposed to shine at times like this!”

  “I never could have imagined something like this! We have no choice but to withdraw!”

  “And leave behind my sister and Calca?!”

  “What else are we supposed to do?!”

  When he said that, she realized she had no reply.

  “Sheesh. You awful humans, how can you waste time arguing like that before an enemy? Time’s about up. Yes, I think that’s enough playing around.”

  “What?”

  Jaldabaoth slowly looked toward the sky.

  “My army has nearly reached this city. I need to hurry, break the gate down, and cause a storm of atrocities and murder.”

  “Y-you think we’d allow that?!”

  “You don’t need to. Just accept it—like this celestial gift.” Jaldabaoth raised his free hand up into the sky as if reaching for something.

  “No!”

  Remedios shouted because she realized what he was going to do.