For Azadin, this was utterly absurd. It was true that he had killed Gazrek, but the man had been a criminal who had murdered civilians. And more than anything, was this really their chosen method of investigation? To turn him into an undead and have him chase down his killer?
"This Sir Gazrek appears to be an evil undead now. Isn't there any collateral damage? Are you saying he only targets his enemy and doesn't attack other humans?"
"Of course, if he has no enemies left or fails to absorb the blood or flesh needed to maintain his physical form, he may attack whoever is nearby, but don't worry about that. We have him well under control."
"Can a holy knight really do such things? Raising the dead with black magic and using them like this? And if you lose control, won't he end up attacking innocent civilians?"
Azadin posed a fundamental question to the holy knight standing before him.
"It wasn't me who raised him. This is merely an unfortunate accident."
"..."
Azadin took a deep breath. It was the familiar scent of preservative fluid.
It smelled very similar to the embalming fluid that Count Kazel had been preparing in his own palace.
Gazrek standing before him was an undead whose internal organs had been removed and whose body had been embalmed. An undead that had been artificially reinforced by removing rotting parts and preserving the flesh with rituals and embalming treatments. A corpse that had been tampered with to ensure prolonged usability, meaning there was no way it had risen on its own.
And yet, this holy knight before him, who had used black magic, had the audacity to say such things.
"In this case, wouldn't it be right to first resolve Sir Gazrek's grudge and then grant him peace? More importantly, can we really allow something as dangerous as a member of the Herald Clan to roam free?"
Both Zekt and Azadin were withholding what they truly wanted to say, skirting around the issue while testing each other's reactions. However, one fact was evident just by looking at this holy knight.
'He's incredibly strong.'
Azadin could tell just by looking at him. The man was a monster. This was likely Judge Zekt himself.
Thanks to the magic he had cast, Gazrek had become immensely powerful. His entire body was infused with black mana, making his form as hard as steel. With the addition of plate armor, he was now far sturdier than any human.
"That man is the one who killed my father, the so-called pilgrim from the Herald Clan!"
Executive Knight Meiya was glaring at Azadin from beside him. Meanwhile, Zebeck stood a step back, looking troubled as he observed the situation.
"How dare you act innocent right in front of me after killing my father?!"
Meiya, furious, drew her sword.
"Your father was a piece of trash who slaughtered innocent civilians. He massacred helpless farmers."
"Lies! You not only took my father's life but now you're tarnishing his honor as well?!"
As she grew agitated and stepped forward, Zebeck stopped her.
"Wait, Dame Meiya. If you go alone…"
"Let's attack together. That bastard is an unholy wretch, a soulless heretic! There's no need to concern ourselves with a knight's honor or anything of the sort!"
Meiya was seething with rage. It seemed that the fact that Azadin had deceived her and feigned innocence right before her eyes angered her far more than the holy knights resorting to black magic.
"First, let's give Sir Gazrek the opportunity to resolve his grudge himself."
At Judge Zekt's words, Gazrek lunged at Azadin.
***
Gazrek had been restless, eager to attack Azadin the moment he saw him. However, he had been restrained by the holy knight, Judge Zekt. And now, Zekt had released that leash at this very moment.
Like an unleashed hound, ir Gazrek charged at Azadin, rampaging like a wild beast. His movements had no resemblance to the principles of swordsmanship—he was a frenzied animal.
Each of his strikes was heavy and powerful enough to send an ordinary person flying with just a graze. The relentless storm of attacks poured down on Azadin, but he calmly raised his sword and deflected them with ease.
Azadin, too, possessed strength beyond that of an ordinary human, making it relatively simple to parry the attacks. The real problem, however, wasn't Gazrek—it was the holy knights watching from behind him.
"Hmm, impressive. Not many people can handle Sir Gazrek so effortlessly."
Judge Zekt, holding a censer in his left hand, drew his sword with his right. The blade was a massive two-handed sword, its length comparable to that of a child's height, yet he wielded it effortlessly with one hand. Using the censer as a catalyst, he began to chant a spell.
—Chain Magic Bullet!
Despite being a holy knight, he used colorless magic. Unlike white magic, which relied on prayer and faith, colorless magic required extensive research into the nature of magic itself to be cast.
This meant that Judge Zekt was also highly proficient as a mage.
Azadin caught Gazrek's charge, deflecting him to the side before reaching out to grab his helmet. With a swift motion, he twisted Gazrek's direction and threw him directly into the path of the incoming Chain Magic Bullet spell.
Effortlessly, he used the rampaging undead as a shield against the magic!
But then—
—Variation!
The bullets scattered like a flock of starlings, then regrouped midair before surging toward Azadin. Reacting quickly, Azadin unfurled his cloak, swung it forcefully, and struck it with his palm.
— 'Beauty of Nature, Azure Thunderclap, Kazas Haeseo.'
The bullets detonated the moment they touched the cloak.
And in that instant, Judge Zekt closed in.
"This is interesting. You're not using Beauty of Nature, are you? It looks similar, but it's something else entirely."
"..."
Azadin was momentarily taken aback. Judge Zekt had seen through him at a glance.
The Azure Thunderclap, Kazas Haeseo, which Azadin had used, appeared indistinguishable from magic to most observers. No one had ever identified it as martial arts upon first sight.
Yet, Judge Zekt had immediately recognized it.
He had experience fighting against the Herald Clan—likely extensive experience.
'As expected of a Judge.'
Azadin glanced toward the escape route of Midiam and Ishmael. From his elevated position, he could still see the children fleeing. If he didn't stall for more time, they wouldn't be able to get away.
Fighting together would be beneficial, but… Azadin narrowed his eyes at Judge Zekt.
'This man is dangerous. He can use white magic, black magic, and colorless magic, and his keen perception is frightening. More than anything, he exudes the composure of an absolute powerhouse.'
Midiam and Ishmael were skilled enough, and supporting him from afar would be an advantage. However, if things went wrong, they could be killed in a single strike.
If, for example, Midiam and Ishmael fired arrows from a distance, and Judge Zekt or another holy knight suddenly turned to attack them…
If their attack power exceeded their defense, it would be disastrous. It was better for Azadin to stall alone and flee afterward.
Azadin wasn't the only one thinking this way—Judge Zekt seemed to have the same plan. He stood with his sword drawn, ensuring that Meiya and Zebeck couldn't intervene.
"Ah, Sir Zekt, I…"
Meiya stepped forward, sword and shield in hand, but Judge Zekt stopped her.
"If you enter his range, you'll be captured as a hostage in a single exchange."
"What?"
"He is strong. If you don't have a spear or similar weapon, don't approach him."
It was an insulting remark, but coming from a Judge, she couldn't argue. Meiya reluctantly stepped back.
"What about me?"
Zebeck looked conflicted.
He had met Azadin before. When they first crossed paths, Azadin had been a suspicious member of the Herald Clan—an enemy of the holy knights and someone who should have been executed on sight. But after seeing Azadin's actions, he couldn't help but acknowledge him.
And yet, now they had turned his fellow knight into a monster to pursue him. But siding against the King's Church was out of the question, so he chose to feign ignorance and observe from a distance.
"Sir Zebeck, step back as well. Sir Gazrek, stand down. Our sergeants will arrive soon—wait until then. I will keep him occupied for now."
Azadin wanted to buy time for Midiam and Ishmael to escape, and Judge Zekt wanted to stall until his reinforcements arrived.
In that regard, they shared the same goal.
Azadin adjusted his grip on his sword.
"Are you Judge Zekt?"
"That's correct, Herald. And you are?"
"Azadin, 108th Herald of the Emperor."
"The 108th? With your skill? I expected a higher rank."
Judge Zekt tilted his head.
"Well, I don't know much about the internal affairs of your organization. Anyway, shall we begin? You lot wouldn't hand over the copy of the Book of the Divine King until you're dead, after all."
The tip of Zekt's sword began to waver. Though his face was hidden beneath his helmet, Azadin could sense that he was smiling.
Neither waited—the two moved at the exact same time.
Zekt launched a clean thrust. It was a textbook example of a thrust, executed with such precision that it seemed as though the blade had extended on its own, without any preparatory movement.
A ghostly strike, one so devoid of any forewarning that even onlookers felt a chill run down their spines!
Azadin countered by placing his hand against the flat of his sword and deflecting the attack upward.
'Oh? He blocked that?'
Zekt smirked and swung his censer. Before Azadin could counterattack, the censer flew straight for his face.
'Hm?!'
Azadin was wearing a helmet, so being struck by the censer wouldn't be an issue. But this was Judge Zekt's spellcasting catalyst. As expected, he invoked Chain Magic Bullet.
Too close to dodge!
As the Chain Magic Bullet struck his body in rapid succession, Azadin swung his sword horizontally, aiming to strike Zekt in return.
A trade of sword and magic! However, Zekt blocked Azadin's attack with his own blade. Though he was pushed to the side by Azadin's immense strength, it was still clear that Azadin had taken the worse hit in the exchange.
"Impressive."
Zekt took a step back and spoke.
"Even after being hit by my magic, you seem barely affected."
For an ordinary person, even one shot from Chain Magic Bullet could be fatal. Azadin had taken six and was still standing.
"Tch!"
Azadin threw his sword at Zekt.
—Swish!
With the sound of air being sliced, the blade flew toward him. Zekt easily knocked it aside with his own sword. The weapon shattered into two pieces—the blade had already been cracked when it struck Zekt's sword earlier.
—Crack!
The fragments flew toward Meiya and Gazrek, who had taken cover behind Zekt.
—Thud!
A piece of the broken blade struck Gazrek in the head, while another flew toward Meiya. Zebeck quickly deflected it with his sword.
"Ah, th-thank you, Sir Zebeck."
"Focus! Even a moment's lapse against a Herald can cost you your life."
While Zebeck spoke, Azadin leapt backward onto his Kerim mountain goat.
"Go, Sweater!"
The Kerim mountain goat started sprinting.
"Are you trying to escape—"
At that moment, Azadin drew a new sword and threw it at Zekt. Once again, Zekt casually knocked it aside with his sword. But in that brief opening, Azadin untied the bow from his waist and strung it.
"Ah, this is bad."
Zekt frowned as soon as he saw Azadin switching to a bow.
—Swish!
Azadin pulled an arrow from his saddle and fired. The arrow twisted and coiled like a snake, grazing the necks of the horses Meiya and Zebeck had brought.
"What?!"
"Ah!"
The startled horses reared up in panic. As the holy knights struggled to regain control, Azadin increased the distance and loosed another arrow.
This time, it was aimed straight for Zekt's throat.