Chapter 53

- Are they really... heroes who dedicated themselves to the continent and humanity?

This is something Father Andrew cannot understand.

How can they so easily destroy the gravestones of the comrades who died fighting alongside them?

They were 500 knights who embarked on the Great Expedition to the Demon Realm, leading from the front and dedicating themselves.

Though they did not make a name for themselves across the continent like the 8 Heroes, and though no one recognized them, the citizens of this city, the 'Garden of Knights,' erected these gravestones to honor them at their own expense.

He could not understand why they had destroyed and defaced them.

"......"

I stood quietly in the center of the city square, looking at the gravestones that were breaking and scattering.

Originally, the names of the 500 knights should have been engraved here,

"James, Noah, Lucas, Jacob, Zion, Behma, Bram......"

Their names, still vivid in my mind, should have been etched on these gravestones.

They deserved it.

They had risked their lives, dedicating themselves alongside me at the forefront of the Demon Realm.

They were honorable people who could throw away their lives to protect their families, friends, and others.

But the gravestones were broken, the surface worn away, and instead, other names filled them.

『Maxim.』

『Gracia.』

『Master.』

『Darkstar.』

『Obsidian.』

『Fanxi.』

『Wilhelm.』

『Lucifer.』

—The eight great heroes who saved the continent from the Demon Realm,

who saved humanity from the Demon King,

as if their own praise was more important than the 500 knights.

They filled it so tightly.

I understood how the 8 Heroes, at least Maxim, thought about those who died in the Great Expedition.

They were pushing away and erasing those who truly fought.

They were erasing the very fact that the Great Expedition had taken place.

Perhaps like Wilhelm.

"......The honorable ones all died back then."

Only those who knew no honor,

only the cowards and the shameless, survived.

However, I have no intention of shifting the blame to those who fled in fear.

Fear is an instinct, and that place was hell.

But to erase the fact that they fled and to tarnish the honor of those who fought with all their might is something I cannot stand to see.

Not only tarnishing it, but also claiming it as their own, turning the real into the fake and the fake into the real, made me feel sick.

And among those eight who shouted for honor, there were even those who did not participate in the Great Expedition.

I was genuinely curious.

Why are they doing this?

The world is in danger.

Panginea, Earth, everything is in a dangerous state.

At a time when we need to unite, why are they so intent on dividing?

Why are they so intent on provoking my anger?

"Knock it down!"

"That way! Put more force into it!"

"Ah, it's falling!"

Rumble!

Turning my gaze to the noise, I saw the statues falling.

The statues modeled after the honorable knights who led the Garden of Knights.

They were the identity and pride of this city.

They were using the citizens to knock them down.

"I can't do it anymore!"

"Why do we have to do this?"

"If you want to knock them down so badly, do it yourselves!"

The people resisted.

Then a soldier drew his sword.

"Do you want your heads to be hung in the square too? This is a direct order from the great Hero Maxim. Duke Wiser has agreed to it."

"He must have been forced. The Duke would never agree to this!"

"Bad bastards. What kind of 8 Heroes are you? What did Old Lady Mae do wrong?"

"How can you do this to someone who finally found the strength to live?"

"You bastards! I can't take it anymore!"

As the people rose up, the soldiers stood against them.

"Anyone who resists will die!"

"Do you think we'll be afraid of you just because you say that?"

"Draw your swords!"

No matter how much they were Maxim's soldiers, Maxim was also part of the Balan Kingdom.

These soldiers were also part of the Balan Kingdom, and this city was part of the Balan Kingdom.

Yet they so easily drew their swords against their own people.

They did not hesitate to kill.

I looked at the heads hanging in the square.

'Mae.'

The old woman I saw weeping in front of the gravestone when I first visited this city.

The grandmother of Zion, one of the 500 knights whose name was engraved on the gravestone.

I remembered bringing her to Father Andrew when she had fallen.

She had finally, after refusing to accept her grandson's death and spending sleepless nights in tears, tried to live on.

The problem was this.

The gravestone. She must have protested about her grandson's name being erased, and that's why her head was cut off.

- Ignore it and avoid it. If the successor is here, Maxim will not let it go.

Father Andrew's words echoed in my mind.

Ignore it and avoid it.

Right. It's not an unreasonable suggestion.

Maxim is strong.

Even though I am a fugitive, I was the captain of the mercenary group I hired myself.

At least level 10.

And not just any level 10, but one with the 'Qualification to Transcend.'

The 'Qualification to Transcend' means that all abilities have been maxed out to the level cap.

Only those who have reached level 10 and maxed out all their abilities to 100 can transcend.

If he has become even stronger since then, or if he has transcended, I have no chance of winning.

The most realistic option would be to ask the White King to blow up Maxim and his city.

"Ah!"

"You bastards!"

So, should I endure it?

Compromise with reality.

Should I pretend not to see it for now?

"I'll do it."

"Isn't this the time you hired me to dirty my hands?"

Isabella and Isaac drew their weapons.

At that moment.

《'Party' has been formed.》

《'Unity' effect has been added.》

Now, for the first time, we were in sync.

《'Iron-Blooded Monarch's Heart' does not exclude the emotion of 'Rage.'》

《This is something a monarch should rightfully be enraged about.》

《'Hidden Trait Quest: Iron-Blooded Monarch' has started.》

I shook my head.

I did not hold back.

As the King of Knights.

As the one who led them, it was right to be enraged.

*

"Are you the fraudster who claims to be the successor of the King of Knights?"

Maxim sneered, twirling his dagger.

He had wondered who was causing such a commotion, and it turned out to be a fraudster claiming to be the successor of the King of Knights.

How many had claimed to be the successor of the King of Knights Wilhelm after his death?

"How amusing. A mere level 6, claiming to be the successor of the King of Knights!"

Maxim laughed heartily.

Because the level of the one causing the commotion was only 6.

Maxim could see the level of his opponents.

The 'Level Confirmation' skill he had transcended twice allowed him to confirm the 'level' of everything in Panginea.

It was only for confirming levels, so he could not know anything else, but that was enough.

Thanks to this, he could confirm everything except for the 'Unobservable' option.

The reason Maxim had survived so far.

He had only fought enemies he could beat, naturally.

And a level 6 was something he could kill with a single finger.

'He's not alone. But even so, it's just a bunch of them.'

He did not think the fake successor had come here alone.

Moreover, there were still people slaughtering the soldiers in the castle.

Probably party members.

They must have helped him make it possible.

"Lord Wiser, did you send this fake to kill me?"

"......!"

"What to do. I must kill him and make you pay for your sins......"

"Fugitive Maxim."

"......?"

Fugitive Maxim.

Maxim frowned.

"Are you talking to me?"

"How can you be called one of the 8 Heroes when you ran away without looking back at 'Ahram'?"

"......"

"How could you become a hero when you abandoned 300 mercenaries who shared life and death with you, just to save yourself?"

"......!"

Suddenly, the smile on Maxim's lips vanished.

Almost no one knew about his escape.

Except for the other 8 Heroes, he had killed everyone who knew.

Yet, here was a 'self-proclaimed successor of the King of Knights' spouting a story no one knew.

"You're barking like a dog."

"By the way, you owe me money."

"Money?"

"12 million gold. The money I paid to hire you."

"......!!!"

The amount paid to hire the mercenary group was separate from the amount paid to him personally.

No one knew that amount except the parties involved.

Only himself and the King of Knights Wilhelm.

Suddenly, Maxim's mind snapped to attention.

Someone who knew everything no one else knew.

"You...... Could it be......"

It couldn't be.

It was impossible,

but if, by some chance, one in a million.

If the fake in front of him was not a fake at all?

The real disciple of the King of Knights Wilhelm,

an insider,

or.

'Phantom......'

Player, Phantom!

If not, it wouldn't make sense.

But seeing the level 6 confidently confront him, it was definitely not Phantom. Phantom, like himself, did not fight losing battles.

Even if not Phantom, it was certainly someone very close to Phantom.

'If I push him to the brink of death, he'll spill everything.'

If he could lure and capture Phantom.

He could become stronger faster than anyone using that information.

Becoming the sole hero, not just one of the 8 Heroes, would be a matter of time.

Whoosh!

Black flames surged from Maxim's entire body.

Demon Heart.

The power that made him even stronger, like a star.

'I'll end this quickly.'

A mere level 6.

He could tear him apart with a single finger.

His movements would be invisible.

Maxim pushed off the ground. In an instant, he reached the target and swung his dagger at the shoulder.

By severing the muscles and tendons and pouring boiling water and salt on the skin, he would make him confess even what he couldn't remember.

Swish!

......But, it was blocked.

He saw and blocked his movement accurately.

Maxim was puzzled.

'What was that?'

It was definitely not the movement of a level 6.

Moreover, his hand and wrist ached as if they would come off.

The damage from such a crude iron sword was definitely not possible.

"Holy water......!"

Only then did Maxim realize that both of the iron swords were coated with 'holy water.'

Not just any holy water, but the finest quality.

To have such a reaction from just a sword clash.

"You had a trump card."

Maxim laughed softly.

Of course, with such a trump card, he would have dared to attack.

But it still didn't make sense.

Even if the swords were coated with holy water, it wouldn't matter if they didn't hit.

The amount of such high-quality holy water would be minimal.

At most, a little would be smeared on the blade.

'Acceleration of Evil.'

Maxim's heart began to race wildly.

His eyes turned black, and the world slowed down.

His accelerated world.

The absolute power he gained by absorbing the Demon Heart!

He moved quickly in all directions toward the slow-moving target.

His speed was so incredible that afterimages were left behind.

It was a mockery.

He would fall without even knowing where he was hit.

If this was repeated a few times, he would tremble with powerlessness.

With a satisfied smile, Maxim stabbed with his dagger.

Swoosh!

Thud!

"Keh......?"

But the scream came from his own mouth.

He had caught the real one among the many afterimages and stabbed accurately.

No matter how he did it, a hit of this level should have been regenerated by the Demon Heart's regenerative power.

But Maxim could not regain his senses.

'What, what is this amount of holy water?'

The flesh around the stabbed chest was rapidly decaying.

A high-level body was as hard as steel. The body strengthened by the Demon Heart could not be cut by anything.

But it was cut. Cut and rotted. It could not regenerate.

He couldn't believe it.

He couldn't believe it.

How could a mere level 6 catch and hit his movements, which surpassed level 10?

This was not just a little holy water.

The entire sword was drenched in it.