Chapter 27. Debut

The oppressive scent of death hung heavy over the tense front lines.

Rotting flesh, the howls of hateful wraiths, and commanding it all…

The Death Lord, Elder Lich.

Everything was supposed to proceed smoothly.

Today, he and his army would… sweep across the Regarium Kingdom and gather new subordinates.

Whether those subordinates were the Kingdom’s illustrious Knighthood, or the remnants of the massive Religious Order once called "The Absolute," didn't matter.

This opportunity was a dramatic moment, as if the will of the stars was pushing him forward.

-Whoosh!!

“…Huh?”

At least, it was, until a massive halo of Divine Power suddenly descended from the heavens.

“My Constellation, what is that…?”

Elder Lich asked his Constellation, his heart filled with unease.

-…

No response.

“…My Constellation?”

The “Flesh-less Prophet of Death,” who had been equally silent, finally spoke.

-There must be some trickery at play. Humans are adept at illusions; they must have devised some method to deceive your eyes.

“Indeed.”

Now that he mentioned it, it made sense.

The fact that he felt the presence of both The Absolute and the Holy Sword within that Divine Power…

It was simply too illogical.

First, the Holy Sword.

His Constellation had personally blocked the Flow of Stars that could summon a Hero.

And hadn't he, Elder Lich himself, personally wiped out the entire village of the “Sword Saint,” the Hero’s supposed guide?

And next, the most illogical part – the presence of The Absolute.

-He cannot be here. Surely, all traces of his existence were erased from this world…

It wasn't just him; other Constellations had confirmed it as well.

The erasure of existence meant the disappearance of the absolute power that constituted his being.

Unless there was a force in this universe capable of anchoring his existence, The Absolute could never return.

He *shouldn't* be able to return.

Therefore…

-Do not be fooled by their petty tricks. Proceed with the expansion of your forces.

“…As you command.”

With renewed confidence filling his empty skull, Elder Lich commanded the army of death.

[Invasion has begun!]

And at that moment…

“Look at these guys.”

Seeing the red dots rushing towards him like moths to a flame, even after he’d unleashed his Divine Power…

The Constellation, Ron, felt a surge of amusement as he looked at the Hero nestled in his arms.

“Wooow…”

“What do you think?”

“It’s really amazing…”

The young Hero wasn’t paying any attention to the tense situation of the war unfolding below, captivated instead by the sensation of floating in the air.

Ron smiled at her innocent fascination and began to prepare for his grand entrance.

[Follower, ‘Lisia,’ witnesses your presence.]

[Follower, ‘Herien,’ witnesses your presence.]

‘Yes, yes.’

Meeting his two Followers was important, but right now, this was all for the Hero, and the Hero alone.

The story of a Hero saving a kingdom in peril.

‘How can I resist this?’

“Ready?”

“Huh…?”

Ellie looked up at Ron with a questioning gaze at his sudden question.

Knowing the true nature of her innocence, Ron returned a reassuring smile.

“It’s okay. It’s okay.”

His unwavering demeanor washed away any lingering anxieties.

With pure light filling her heart, Ellie smiled back, ready to follow his lead.

‘With all the Blessings I’ve given her…’

High-level Blessings, of course.

[Celestial Armor (S)]

A protective barrier that shielded the caster and nearby allies from all physical and curse-based attacks.

And further…

[Celestial Aura (S)]

A top-tier faith skill that nullified all threats in the surrounding area. It subtly enveloped them both.

He'd even cast additional skills to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, reducing the possibility of any attack landing on them to practically zero.

‘She’s a human weapon.’

He would never do it, but if he were to drop Ellie onto the enemy lines right now…

Her mere presence would unleash hell upon the undead army.

‘Is she a tactical nuke or something?’

It couldn’t be helped. Her Progress was already high enough to make that a reality.

-Grooo…?

He glanced at the undead army staring blankly up at them, then searched for a suitable landing spot.

A perfect debut.

For that, first impressions were more important than actual achievements.

‘Over here.’

The edge of the defensive line where Lisia and Herien were positioned.

A little further ahead of them, he locked onto the coordinates.

“Let’s go.”

At his words, Ellie steeled her resolve, clutching the fabric of his clothes tightly.

He’d already used Summon from the sky.

Therefore…

[Dawn of Judgment (S)]

Ron activated a skill purely for dramatic effect at the designated coordinates.

-FWOOOSH!!

A sacred light poured down intensely from the heavens.

The area, once shrouded in darkness due to the influence of the undead, was brightly lit once more.

“...!!”

The expressions of both forces witnessing the phenomenon were instantly painted with shock.

Among them, what caught Ron's attention was, naturally, the instigator of all this and the leader of the army.

‘An Elder Lich, huh.’

Among Liches, a rare few with the potential to evolve into even more powerful beings met the conditions to become an Elder Lich.

Ron had hunted them down several times before, but the strength emanating from this one seemed higher than the average.

‘I put some effort into this.’

Ron imagined the "Fleshless Prophet of Death," who would be observing this situation from afar.

He probably realized by now that things had gone very, very wrong.

However, it was too late to withdraw his forces, meaning Ron's plan, timed perfectly for this moment, had worked flawlessly.

Next, naturally, his Follower, Lisia, caught his eye.

This was the first time he had witnessed a `Summon` in action, but the intense connection formed between the Constellation and the Follower led to a `Realization`.

‘As expected of my Filial Daughter.’

Perhaps because she had informed him of her return beforehand, there was no misunderstanding like with his other Follower, Belladis.

The deep trust and ecstasy filling her eyes made even Ron, watching her, feel joy.

Enough with the emotional reunion with his Follower.

Ron began his official debut.

“Uh....!”

With the surge of intense `Divine Power` and the rushing wind, Ellie instinctively burrowed into Ron's arms.

At her childlike reaction, Ron smiled faintly, trying to encourage her.

“Ellie, whose side do you want to be on?”

At his gentle question, Ellie’s sky-blue eyes turned towards the two sides.

On one side, Knights clad in the `Kingdom`'s armor.

On the other, terrifying undead obsessed with flesh and blood.

The answer was obvious.

“I… the nice misters.”

Feeling satisfied with Ellie naturally choosing the human side, Ron led her to the next step.

“Then, Ellie, do you want to help those misters?”

“Me…?”

Ron's gaze shifted to the back of Ellie’s hand nestled in his arms.

A mark, a symbol indicating the owner of the `Holy Sword`.

`Heroes` used this mark to activate and deactivate the `Holy Sword`, keeping it stored when not in use.

“Mm…”

Although she had followed him without hesitation, now that the situation was upon her, anxiety seemed to creep back in.

Dark clouds gathered over her delicate face, which had been full of trust.

But Ron had no intention of letting the girl back out now.

[Using 'Echo of the Soul (A)' on Follower, 'Ellieon'!]

According to the skill description, it removed negative mental status effects from allies and granted additional `Ability` boosting `Buffs`.

However, the skill's effect translated into reality as—

“....!”

It instilled an unshakeable faith within young Ellie's `Heart`, firmer than any religious belief.

‘It's not a lie.’

Since it was clear that his was the strongest Religious Order in this world, the boundless confidence he bestowed upon Ellie had a solid basis.

“Handsome mister, I… I…!”

“Yes.”

She looked as if she wanted to rush out and wipe out the undead army right then and there.

The `Buff` seemed to have worked well.

‘Motivation is sufficient.’

Ron used additional `Divine Power`, unfolding wings of radiant light behind his back.

“Whoa…!”

Ellie, in his arms, marveled at the beautiful sight.

Her reactions to his every action fueled his motivation.

The sudden appearance and the overwhelming display of `Divine Power` stunned both forces, preventing them from making a proper judgment.

It was the perfect moment.

‘Alright, let’s go.’

Deeply satisfied with the ripe situation, Ron was about to announce the birth of a new `Hero` to everyone.

#

Everything should have gone smoothly.

“C-Constellation-nim.”

The Elder Lich, no longer able to ignore reality, pathetically called out to his own Constellation.

However, there was no response this time either.

Instead of relief from his anxiety, all he received was—

-FWOOOSH!!

Intense `Divine Power`, blinding and life-draining just from looking at it.

The Elder Lich had never seen such potent `Divine Power` before.

-Kiii...?

A Ghoul, licking its lips in anticipation of slaughter, looked back at the Elder Lich.

‘Boss, is this right?’

Feeling the same sentiment through its eyes, the Elder Lich couldn't do anything but share the feeling.

‘There's no turning back now.’

The trigger had already been pulled.

Turning back now meant annihilation at best, and complete destruction as the predetermined outcome.

“Slaughter all those detestable humans.”

Therefore, with his own Constellation remaining `Silent`, the Elder Lich made his decision.

With a do-or-die mentality, he would clash with all his might.

-GROOOO!!

-KIIEEE!!

Responding to their leader's decision, the undead army charged towards the enemy lines with murderous intent.

“Hiya…!”

And, following a deflating battle cry—

-KWAAAAAAA!!

A wave from the `Holy Sword`, no less powerful than a dragon’s breath, reduced a third of the army to ashes.