Paladin of the Dead God

‘Three paths? Not eight yet? I see…’

It was the first time Isaac had seen his sword technique, Isaac Swordsmanship, performed by someone else. Though Edelred could only produce three paths instead of eight, Isaac wasn’t sure if it was due to a lack of power or a unique aspect of Edelred’s style. Still, it was impressive. Considering his age, Edelred was mastering advanced techniques far earlier than Isaac had.

‘Gebel was late teaching him advanced swordsmanship, but… let’s see how he reacts to a counterattack.’

While Edelred’s sword energy came toward him, Isaac had enough composure to analyze and think. It wasn’t that Edelred was slow, but rather that Isaac’s reaction speed had skyrocketed after his battle with Dera Heman.

Isaac moved his sword.

Slash, clash, bang!

In three swift motions, he shattered the three streaks of energy Edelred had unleashed. That part was expected. What was unexpected, however, was what happened next—one of the shattered energy streaks reversed direction and flew toward Edelred.

“Ah!”

Isaac was momentarily caught off guard, and in the blink of an eye, Edelred was thrown back by the counterattack. Protected by *Kaldbruch*, he wasn’t hurt, but the stunned look on his face showed how unexpected the hit had been.

Isaac hurried over to check on him.

“I apologize, Your Majesty. I seem to have picked up a habit while fighting Dera Heman without realizing it.”

“…A habit from fighting him? Did you fight him for hours or something?”

Isaac thought back to the battle. Even with Kalsen’s help, it hadn’t lasted more than thirty minutes.

“Dera Heman had a nasty technique where he could break through an opponent’s big moves and counter them. I must’ve unconsciously mimicked it. I suppose it left quite the impression on me.”

“You’re saying you learned and copied Dera Heman’s technique in just a few days? Impressive…”

Technically, it wasn’t even days—more like thirty minutes—but Isaac didn’t bother to correct him. Edelred already looked disheartened.

Isaac couldn’t understand why Edelred felt so down. After all, he was the youngest Swordmaster and possibly the youngest user of advanced swordsmanship. Even though he had drawn on the power of an angel, his achievements in such a short time were extraordinary.

‘He shouldn’t compare himself to me.’

“But using three paths in advanced swordsmanship is still impressive. I never had the chance to properly teach you, yet you’ve managed to manifest three paths, even if only faintly. That’s an excellent achievement.”

“Only three paths… and they were faint…,” Edelred muttered dejectedly.

Isaac sighed, thinking he had no talent for mentoring. He briefly considered calling in Angela to play the role of a younger sister to cheer him up but found more appropriate words instead.

“Your Majesty, what you’ve accomplished is amazing. You’ve simply set your expectations too high. And we’ll have plenty of time while crossing the sea. I’ll be sure to teach you more along the way.”

Edelred’s face lit up again at that, not so much from the praise but from the prospect of spending more time training with Isaac.

After securing a promise to train together, Edelred withdrew, leaving Isaac to his thoughts.

‘Dera Heman’s swordsmanship… It’s more than I thought.’

***

After sending Edelred away, Isaac returned to his cabin and swung his sword lightly. It wasn’t a vigorous exercise, just an attempt to mimic Dera Heman’s swordsmanship. The confined space of the cabin wasn’t a problem for such precise movements.

After repeating the techniques a few more times, Isaac came to a startling realization.

‘It… devours divinity?’

Dera Heman had a unique body that absorbed the divine energy around him. His massive reservoir of divinity allowed him to wrap himself in miracles and blessings, making him resilient to most attacks. His swordsmanship was similar in nature—it didn’t create any flashy effects but instead rapidly absorbed the divine energy around him. Isaac wasn’t sure if it could completely nullify miracles or blessings, but one thing was clear: it would be incredibly effective against divine beasts or angels.

Isaac adjusted his stance a few more times, testing the different techniques.

With a simple shift of focus, he could seamlessly switch between what he now thought of as the “Dera Heman stance,” the “Kalsen Miller stance,” and his own “Isaac stance.” Since they all stemmed from the same *Saint Arte Swordsmanship*, it was easy for him to switch between them with just a little concentration.

In short, the “Dera Heman stance” was ideal for fighting angels, divine beasts, or heavily blessed opponents. The “Kalsen Miller stance” was better suited for one-on-one duels, while Isaac’s own stance was versatile but particularly effective against large groups.

Isaac gave each style a simple name based on its traits.

“Golden Lion… Hunter… and Tentacle Stance.”

His name for his own stance was unflattering, but since it wasn’t meant to be shared with others, he didn’t care.

The reason he could suddenly switch between these stances so effortlessly was clear.

Kalsen Miller had left a powerful mark on Isaac’s body.

In that brief moment when Isaac had absorbed Kalsen’s swordsmanship, he had felt Kalsen’s essence rapidly fade away. At the time, he had been too focused on the battle to fully realize it, but now it seemed that a complete absorption had occurred.

“Kalsen?”

He called out into the empty air, but as usual, there was no answer. Either Kalsen only spoke when he wanted to, or perhaps Isaac really had fully absorbed him.

Then, Kalsen’s last words floated back to him.

“You, Dera, and the next era belong to you.”

“Hah, that damned fool.”

Isaac let out a bitter laugh, unsure of how to remember the enigmatic knight. Kalsen had been an onion-like figure, with layer upon layer of complexity. In the end, Isaac could only remember him as a Paladin who had served the Codex of Light with unwavering loyalty, only to go down in history as one of its greatest traitors.