Paladin of the Dead God

Isaac took a moment to reflect on the image he’d just witnessed.

‘A twelve-faced monk… if that’s the Archangel I think it is, then it must be The Dead December. He won’t show up here in person, then.’

The Dead December, like the other Archangels of the Immortal Order and the Immortal Emperor, was bound to a physical form. Unlike the others, though, he had entombed himself deep within a burial ground, lost in a state of meditation. He was known to respond to prayers by bestowing blessings and miracles, instead of appearing directly to his followers.

While Isaac was somewhat relieved that no Archangel was physically present, it also meant Horace possessed a powerful artifact or miracle potent enough to invoke the Archangel’s strength.

There was no doubt that the enormous whirlpool was the work of The Dead December.

The catastrophe was ruthless yet fair, sparing no one. Ghost ships unlucky enough to be near the maw of the vortex were the first to be sucked in. Though built to withstand the ocean depths, the ships were torn apart the moment they touched the swirling waters, pulverized like they’d been fed into a grinder.

“…”

Isaac, who had briefly considered escaping by clinging to Horace’s ghost ship, quickly abandoned that plan. Doing so would leave Eidan’s ship without any means of escape.

Eidan, having shaken off the White Eagle warship, was now struggling desperately to steer his ship away from the whirlpool. Isaac couldn’t help but feel a bit of admiration as he watched.

Salt Council captains knew how to handle such situations, even now.

‘Wait, that means Horace too…’

Rumble! Horace’s warship surged forward with a deafening roar, riding the waves of the whirlpool as it chased down Eidan’s ship.

[No one leaves!]

Horace, gripping the helm, guided his ship with feverish precision. He knew that if he destroyed Eidan’s ship, Isaac would be trapped in this sea forever.

Isaac cursed as he tried to catch Horace, but it was difficult on the swaying deck.

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“Damn it…”

And the closer Isaac drew to Horace, the stronger he felt the crushing weight of The Dead December’s presence. Isaac had faced countless Archangels before, but this was on a different level; it was a direct manifestation of hostility and restraint.

He needed to find another way.

[The Nameless Chaos watches you.]

Just then, Isaac’s sword, Kaldwin, trembled with a faint hum.

[Look to the sea, Holy Grail Knight.]

It was Calurien, the Archangel of Elil bound to Kaldwin and tasked with watching over Isaac.

[Even I would rather avoid being imprisoned in the depths for millennia. I sense a sibling nearby, one who serves as the source of this miracle.]

Isaac took Calurien’s advice and focused on the water below.

It was difficult to make out anything meaningful within the violently churning waves, but he eventually spotted a dark, serpent-like form moving rapidly beneath the surface. �

“A serpent?”

[Technically, a dragon enslaved by The Dead December. That creature is the catalyst for this miracle. It’s down there, maintaining the whirlpool and supporting Horace. Can you catch it?]

Isaac had faced merfolk pirates and captured the Drowned King before. But jumping into this whirlpool would be fatal even if the Salt Council invoked the Doctrine of the Waves.

‘Perhaps I could use the tentacle? Or try the Grasp of the Abyss again, maybe invoke the Event Horizon… no.’

Isaac looked around.

The destruction of the Hidden Rite wasn’t entirely a disadvantage for him.

Isaac, too, had allies he could call upon.

Horace wasn’t the only one who could summon natural disasters on the sea.

Boom! Crackle! With a fierce, heart-pounding rumble, lightning surged upward from the ocean’s depths like a dragon, incinerating a nearby ghost ship and scattering its ashes into the sky.

“There he is! Our mad Supreme Commander!”

Through the raging storm, the ship carrying Tuhalin and Yenkos arrived in the misty waters of Nightmare Strait.

***

Isaac had explicitly instructed everyone to wait outside the Strait until he retrieved the key.

But an ally who follows orders to the letter isn’t a true ally. Doubting orders and questioning motives were hallmarks of a genuine ally.

And Tuhalin, knowing that Isaac was a Holy Grail Knight who often took reckless risks, fit this description perfectly.

That was why Isaac had granted Tuhalin and Yenkos permission to act independently from the start. There was a specific reason underlying this decision, too.

Tuhalin was blessed by the Thunder Artisan, granting him control over storms.

While the Thunder Artisan’s blessing was limited to protecting a single ship without calling upon the deity directly, it was still a potent force.

Isaac had considered initially going in with Tuhalin but had dismissed it. Horace might not know Isaac, but he certainly knew Tuhalin. If Tuhalin had been with him, Horace would likely have changed his strategy or hidden himself entirely.

As evidence, Yenkos had isolated her ship just as Isaac had, intending to capture ghost ships, yet she hadn’t encountered a single one—just as Isaac had predicted.

Now, finally facing the enemy, Tuhalin’s fighting spirit surged.

Upon spotting the ghost ship, Tuhalin was eager for battle, but he quickly recognized Isaac standing on the deck and grew curious. Though Isaac was desperately signaling to them, the distance and the sound of the waves made it hard to hear.

However, Isaac’s frantic gestures to look beneath the water were unmistakable. Following his gaze, Tuhalin spotted the enormous skeletal serpent swimming beneath the surface.

Soon, a lightning bolt as wide as a warship arced from the ocean, reaching up to the heavens.