Paladin of the Dead God
Chapter 423: The Immortal Emperor (5)

"Midas’ Hand? What is that? Is it really that important?"

Rottenhammer asked with a puzzled expression.

Isaac was reminded that Midas’ Hand was a closely guarded secret. The existence of a relic that could grant wishes could cause problems if it became widely known—especially when no one truly understood how it worked.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Rottenhammer, but there were too many ears listening.

"It’s a powerful relic possessed by the Immortal Order. The Immortal Emperor is likely using it as a weapon."

"Ah... I see. I’ll be careful, then."

Rottenhammer seemed to realize that pressing for details was sensitive, especially since Isaac had brought a child into such a dangerous battlefield.

"Angela, can you lead us to Midas’ Hand?"

Isaac asked, feeling a twinge of guilt.

If Midas’ Hand was as dangerous as he suspected, then even angels might hesitate to use it—but the possibility still existed. Isaac wanted to eliminate any chance of an angel, the Immortal Emperor, or any unforeseen enemy making an unwelcome wish.

And if it was an object coveted by all, that alone made it valuable. He could even use it as a bargaining chip if necessary.

Isaac considered the possibility that Angela might not respond.

But after gazing at him silently for a moment, she suddenly stepped forward as if entranced. Isaac noticed her pupils had dilated.

From the moment she set foot in Holy Land Lua, she had been in a trance-like state.

As if something were calling to her.

Isaac suspected that "something" might be Midas’ Hand. He followed her gaze.

"A temple?"

It was the Great Temple on the eastern side of Holy Land Lua.

Even in the dim, ruined city, the massive structure stood out.

Like the Fisherman’s House in Miarma, it was a colossal pyramid.

A deep sense of déjà vu washed over Isaac.

That was where the old man in yellow robes had performed the ritual that unleashed the White Plague.

"Isaac?"

Rottenhammer called out cautiously, sensing his sudden tension.

Isaac waved a hand dismissively. "It’s nothing." Then, he took a step forward.

The narrow, dark alleys stretched on endlessly.

The stagnant, lukewarm air and the oppressive atmosphere made even the seasoned paladins uneasy, their breathing growing heavier.

They were deep in enemy territory—a domain ruled by a god.

One misstep could lead to instant death.

"Damn it."

No matter how cautiously they moved, it was impossible to remain unnoticed in a city teeming with wandering wraiths, Eclipse Army soldiers, and fanatical undead cultists.

Before long, a shrill scream tore through the sky.

A thing that lives! A thing that breathes! A thing that must die!

A grotesque undead abomination soared overhead, its body stitched together from dozens of wings.

At first glance, its form resembled the Archangels of the Codex of Light, likely born from a twisted admiration for them.

But to any sane observer, it was nothing but an abomination.

Hearing its screeching cries only made it worse.

"Damn it. Prepare for battle."

Rottenhammer braced himself, gripping his hammer as the sound of rushing footsteps grew louder.

"Don’t let yourselves get surrounded! Keep moving while you fight!"

Isaac led the charge without hesitation.

As soon as they emerged from the alley, a giant undead cultist blocked their path. His spine had been grotesquely extended with additional vertebrae, making him unnaturally tall.

The moment the cultist saw Isaac, his torso was severed in two.

"Gebel! Protect Angela!"

"Understood!"

Gebel scooped Angela into his arms and ran. Since they already knew where she was headed, they only needed to get her to the Great Temple and have her guide them further.

The commotion quickly attracted more undead, but none were capable of slowing Isaac down.

As he fought, Isaac realized something.

"The density of undead is lower than expected."

"Is it because of the monsters?"

The Burning Maiden had blasted a hole in the southern walls of Holy Land Lua, but that wasn’t the only breach.

Isaac himself had led a horde of monsters through another southern entrance earlier. The Immortal Order’s forces were likely occupied trying to contain them.

Holy Land Lua was vast. With forces divided between the northern and southern fronts, troop density was bound to be low in certain areas.

But that wasn’t the only factor.

Isaac had prepared one more thing inside Holy Land Lua.

Zihilrat.

During his last visit to Holy Land Lua, when he opened the breach, he had secretly infiltrated Zihilrat into the city.

There was a risk the Immortal Emperor would detect and eliminate it.

However, Zihilrat was a creature evolved for stealth, and it had successfully gone undetected.

Compared to the monstrous enemies surrounding the city, its threat level was considered low, allowing it to slip through unnoticed.

Under normal circumstances, sneaking it in would have been impossible.

"Yes, my master."

"Report enemy positions and movements."

Through the hundreds of rats released by Zihilrat across Holy Land Lua, Isaac’s senses expanded. Though overwhelming at first, his perception soon adjusted, granting him an almost aerial view of the battlefield.

He spotted the undead forces advancing through the alleys.

"Enemies incoming."

Isaac muttered as if prophesizing, then, the moment he rounded a corner, he bisected an ambushing undead fanatic in a single vertical slash.

The paladins marveled at his seemingly prophetic insight, though by now, they wouldn’t have been surprised even if he truly possessed such abilities.

After all, being a game possessor meant he had a form of foresight.

Despite being isolated in enemy territory, deep within Holy Land Lua, Isaac’s leadership allowed the group to move forward without hesitation.

However, before long, he was forced to slow his pace.

"They’re setting up an encirclement."

The undead weren’t merely being slaughtered—they were herding his group in a particular direction, pretending to retreat while subtly steering them into a trap.

They knew where Isaac’s party was headed.

Isaac realized that the location they were being funneled toward was an inescapable chokepoint.

He adjusted his strategy.

"Rottenhammer, I’m heading north from here. Take Angela and go ahead to the Great Temple."

"What? You’re going alone?"

"The only one the Immortal Emperor is concerned about is me."

Isaac recalled how the Immortal Emperor had been willing to hand over Midas’ Hand to Leonora just to keep it out of his grasp.

If the Emperor was willing to entrust it to another, then taking him down first was the priority.

"I planned to split off before reaching the temple anyway. Go ahead. I’ll kill the Immortal Emperor and catch up."

Rottenhammer was left speechless.

Never in his life had he heard anyone—not even the most fanatical zealots—utter something so absurd.

Then, after a brief moment of silence, he burst into laughter.

It was ridiculous… but if anyone could kill even death itself, it might just be Isaac.

"Alright. We’ll move ahead!"

Rottenhammer acknowledged that if they stayed, they’d only slow him down.

There was no point in mortals interfering in a battle between divinities.

If necessary, it was better for them to scatter so Isaac would have a chance to escape.

"Now then…"

Isaac veered away from the Knights of Isaacrea, heading in a different direction.

His path would inevitably lead him straight into an ambush from the Eclipse Army—but that was exactly what he wanted.

The Holy Grail Knight!

Isaac stepped boldly into a plaza filled with Eclipse Army forces.

The undead, who had been lying in wait, were supposed to swarm him the moment he appeared, leaping from the ground, buildings, and alleyways.

But instead, they hesitated, raising their shields defensively.

Thousands of undead soldiers and hundreds of Death Knights instinctively braced themselves for a single opponent.

It was almost laughable.

But no one laughed.

They all knew exactly who he was—the Holy Grail Knight who had repeatedly defeated and even annihilated Archangels.

[Holy Grail Knight, surrender! Your courage is admirable, but this is Holy Land Lua!]

One of the Death Knights shouted stiffly.

Did they genuinely expect him to surrender?

Were they afraid? Or was this just a formality?

Isaac had no interest in answering.

Instead, he raised Kaldwin, aiming directly at the Death Knight.

A moment later, something streaked out of the darkness—striking the Death Knight’s head and obliterating it instantly.

[Ambush! The enemy is attacking from hiding! Attack!]

The tense silence shattered, and the undead forces surged forward.

Isaac cut down a Death Knight leaping from a building, but his focus remained on the Isaacrea Knights’ movements.

As chaos erupted around him, his distraction allowed the knights to slip away with Angela toward the Great Temple.

Some undead intercepted them, but the majority prioritized Isaac.

"This is enough."

Despite Rottenhammer’s earlier concerns, Isaac was not alone.

He had Hesabel.

And he had the legions of Chaos at his command.

It was Hesabel who had fired the first signal shot, executing the Death Knight with perfect precision.

Her thoughts reached him.

"Shall I lure them elsewhere?"

"No. They’ll notice. Just pick them off from here."

Sssshhhh...

As the undead forces rushed him, Isaac triggered the "Color Beyond"—the amorphous entity he had preemptively spread across the ground.

In response to his call, servants of Chaos began emerging, solidifying into grotesque forms.

A howl split the air.

Ulgare charged first, ramming straight into a Death Knight.

The sheer mass of the creature flattened the Death Knights, sending them tumbling like bowling pins.

Ulgare’s partially crushed head regenerated instantly, revealing dozens of mismatched horns, some infused with Holy Land Lua’s shattered walls.

Oddly enough, an ethereal divine glow emanated from him.

Ulgare rampaged wildly, impaling multiple Death Knights on his horns as he crashed through the battlefield.

Boom!

Suddenly, something massive blocked Ulgare’s charge head-on.

A grotesque three-bodied undead cultist, fused into a single hulking monstrosity.

You wretched insect! You dare flaunt your power?! I’ll twist your—

Even within the Immortal Order, this abomination’s sheer strength was legendary.

But it didn’t last long.

Ssssshhhhh…

From the cracks in Ulgare’s thick shell, countless maggots and cockroaches poured out, crawling into the undead cultist’s exposed bones.

The Immortal Order cultists feared these creatures instinctively.

Normally, undead would repel insects due to their unnatural coldness—but these pests did not care.

Because they were Hectali’s summoned horrors.

"Devour."

The moment Hectali emerged from the ground and whispered, the undead cultist’s body began rotting away instantly.

He shrieked, thrashing desperately—only for his bones to disintegrate and crumble under Ulgare’s sheer weight.

Hectali then unleashed her swarm, flooding Holy Land Lua with an unstoppable wave of insects.

Any priest or paladin who witnessed this scene would have been horrified, but in a city of corpses, such creatures were perfectly at home.

Isaac knew this was enough of a distraction.

Because now, the one he had been waiting for had arrived.

A blizzard roared forth.

The city transformed instantly.

Everything—the buildings, the undead, even the air itself—was consumed by the white storm, turning to dust.

The ancient cityscape melted away, replaced by an endless frozen wasteland.

A towering black figure emerged from the distant white abyss.

Even before he spoke, Isaac already knew who he was.

The Immortal Emperor had come to personally judge him.

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