Golden Mage - Chapter 88
Volume 3, Episode 28
Struggling to stand up from his seat, the Pope groaned in pain, still trembling from the power of the Golden Phoenix he had just faced. It was truly an extraordinary force. Despite deploying the strongest defense magic, he couldn’t stop it.
“But with this, our will cannot be broken.”
The Pope, now standing, opened his mouth with a firm determination in his voice.
However, in the next moment, the Pope couldn’t speak. He froze in place, staring at the spot where Golden Knight stood before him.
The Golden Knight was pulling back his bowstring, and in an instant, an arrow identical to the one blocked before was ready to be fired again.
They had created arrows in the time it took to block the Golden Phoenix.
Observing the frozen Pope, El spoke in a cold tone.
“Disperse it, Tana!”
Whoosh!
As Golden Knight released his aim, the undeterred Golden Phoenix was launched again, far more powerful than before.
“….”
Seeing this, the knights, as well as the officials and the Pope, wore expressions of surrender. They couldn’t muster the courage to face the Golden Phoenix, which had deflected the blows of a hundred knights and shattered the strongest defense magic.
The knights near the Pope quickly stood in front of him. They had decided to protect the Pope even if it meant sacrificing themselves, as they couldn’t find any way to stop the Golden Phoenix.
Then, a voice resounded precisely through the center of the battlefield.
“Oh my, oh my. Even if it doesn’t match my plans, you’d go as far as to kill… despite being the Pope who governs the Holy Kingdom.”
Along with the words, a brown-haired young man appeared before the Golden Phoenix as if teleporting. He smiled slightly and extended his left hand towards the Golden Phoenix.
Paff!
A translucent barrier formed in front of the young man, blocking the path of the Golden Phoenix. The barrier and the Golden Phoenix collided.
Zzzt!
An astonishing thing happened! The Golden Phoenix, which couldn’t be stopped even by the strongest divine defense magic, shattered like sand, disintegrating into pieces.
“….”
Everyone who had experienced the power of the Golden Phoenix, including El, stared in awe at the shattered remains of the creature. Then, as they looked at the young man who had blocked the Golden Phoenix, he turned his head, revealing a faint smile.
“Sorry for intruding all of a sudden, Your Holiness. I’ve brought a letter from Lord Raisen, the Towermaster of the Blue Tower.”
Listening to the young man’s words, the momentarily petrified Pope nodded.
“Oh, I see… thank you.”
The young man, who had approached the Pope in the meantime, handed over the letter, and the Pope nodded in gratitude.
“I’m just doing my duty.”
The young man, with a slight smile, chatted casually with the Pope. Witnessing this, El felt an unsettling sensation, as if his mana was trembling throughout his body.
“Gasp!”
He felt a fleeting sensation that suddenly vanished as he regained his composure. It was the unique feeling only El, a seventeen-year-old with superior mana resonance, could experience.
Trusting his senses absolutely, El decided to retreat. He gave an order to Golden Knight.
“Tana, enter the astral plane.”
Tana poured out his blue aura and replied, “Plane. Beyond. Awaiting.”
With that, a spatial distortion occurred, and Golden Knight’s body vanished into the astral plane. El had cast teleportation magic. After completing the teleportation, El glanced at the Pope.
“I won’t end it here. The conclusion of this incident will only come when either I die or the Holy Kingdom changes its resolve.”
After saying that, El focused on the young man who had blocked the Golden Phoenix and activated magic.
“Teleport!”
Thud!
A white light erupted, enveloping El entirely. And when the light faded, El had disappeared as if he had never existed.
The attack on the Pope’s residence caused a great commotion. The overwhelming presence of the Golden Knight left the Pope deeply shocked. Only Grandmaster Dyard, the Duke, could possibly face the Golden Knight one on one, even overpower him.
But that was it. Suppose the Golden Phoenix was part of a raid on the Holy Kingdom with Grandmaster Dyard included. In that case, what if the Golden Phoenix teleported back to the Pope’s residence, where Dyard wasn’t present? No one could stop the Golden Knight.
Because of that, the Pope summoned Grandmaster Dyard to the Holy Kingdom and began devising a plan to confront the Golden Tower.
The Holy Kingdom decided to temporarily suspend the dispatch of their forces. After all, they keenly felt that they needed a certain means to counter the overwhelming power of the Golden Knight.
With this decision, a temporary state of peace settled in the Holy Kingdom and its surroundings.
Chapter 9: The Approaching Black Hand
As news of El’s attack on the Pope’s residence spread across the continent, the existence of the Golden Knight and the reputation of the Golden Tower spread far and wide.
The tale of the Grandmaster and the Divine Golem, the Golden Knight, had turned the Earl of Ainheart of the Blyard Empire into a pitiful sight.
The attack on the Pope’s residence caused significant repercussions. The Gaia Sect was the largest religious faction on the continent, and most neighboring countries were Gaia believers.
They were outraged by the fact that someone had dared to attack the Gaia Pope’s residence. Many nations, including the Gaia Kingdom, offered to send reinforcements.
However, the Pope declined all offers. He believed that even with tens of thousands of additional troops, they couldn’t withstand the overwhelming power they had witnessed from the Golden Knight.
The Pope felt the existence of an absolute entity. Undoubtedly, there was a Grandmaster in the Holy Kingdom, and that was Grandmaster Dyard. If Dyard participated in the Golden Tower raid, he might be able to fight the Golden Knight one on one, or even overwhelm him.
But that was all. Suppose they included Grandmaster Dyard in the expedition to the Golden Tower. In that case, if the Golden Knight teleported back to the Pope’s residence without Dyard’s presence, no one could stop him.
This was why the Pope had summoned Grandmaster Dyard to the Holy Kingdom. He needed to find a solution. However, despite temporarily halting their external activities to devise a plan, the sudden retreat of the Holy Kingdom from the frontlines attracted the attention of the continent.
To the people of faith armed with their beliefs, keeping the word of their goddess meant they would face death without hesitation. Yet, if they were to die hopelessly without keeping the word of their goddess, it would be an empty death.
For the sake of the Golden Tower, they needed another Grandmaster. This is why the dark forces that had been hiding in the eastern part of the Serdia Continent started to stir.