The Knight King Who Returned with Gods : Chapter 56
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 56: How Strong Is a Holy Grail Knight?
The merciless violence in the name of testing was over.
The training ground was destroyed and completely
devastated. Gu Dae-seong and the hunters, who saw craters here and there, felt shivers
all over their bodies.
'Even the cavalry charge in the training wasn't full
strength.'
'This is why I took the chance here in the first place.'
How strong was this guy?
Leon sorted the 44 cadets (students) into groups. Group 1
until Group 3. However, they weren't as evenly distributed as the soldiers
(first-batch and second-batch cadets).
There were only Han Hari and Han Su-ho, plus Jae-hyuk and
Cheon So-yeon, in Group 1, and only thirteen people were in Group 2. The
remaining twenty-seven were grouped into Group 3.
"Group 1 will be treated as apprentice knights. You
are not yet proper knights, but you have shown enough promise to advance to the
next level, depending on your training."
In short, they had talent. Such an assessment... Alas,
the other students looked dissatisfied.
"You mean... we're not talented?"
“Well, according to the official evaluation, I’m in the
top of B-class, right? If I do well, I’ll even be in the A-class…!”
"Shut up, you're not even at the level of a squire.
To say that you've been systematically training for more than five years and
you're still at the seed level... I'm speechless."
The students clamped their mouths shut at Leon's words.
What in the world is he talking about, and how could he demean them, the elite
Hunters of Korea?
"However, if you train diligently under me for three
months, you should be able to make some progress. I can see signs of sprouting.
But......."
Leon's gaze drifts to Group 3. Most of the students were
in Group 3.
"You have a long way to go."
Leon said no more, just sighed softly and sat back in his
seat.
“A soldier’s training is simple. It’s about constantly
overloading the body.”
Bones break, heal, and become stronger, while muscles
tear, regenerate, and become denser.
"What about the heart and lungs? Are those who run
long distances born with it from the beginning? They repeat the same actions
and increase their limits. It's a very basic discipline."
It was a training regimen common to the Hunters of the
Pantheon. Leon's four weeks of compressed training overturned the limits of
even the ten thousand-year D-class.
"However, knights are different. I will raise you to
be knights. Group 1 will be trained to be the level of Knights of the
Kingdom... the rest of you will have to advance by at least one level."
"I don't understand the criteria, Your
Majesty."
Cheon So-yeon raised her hand.
"Hmm, in my Kingdom, there are five levels of
knighthood.
There is the knight of pilgrimage (Knight Errant). A
journeying knight who has not yet been formally recognized as a knight. These
journeying knights must travel throughout the Kingdom to prove themselves and
earn their knight's title."
For this reason, no knight will address a journeying
knight as 'Sir' (a form of acknowledgment).
"Knights of the Kingdom are knights who have proven
themselves and received an official title. They are eligible for admission into
the Knights Order and serve directly under the War Knight."
"The War Knight is the next rank?"
Leon shook his head at Su-ho's question.
"War Knight is a post. A commander, if you will.
Next is the Attendant Knight (Questing Knight).”
"Questing Knight?"
“They are those who wander and leave everything behind to
fulfill the quests of the Gods. One must be prepared to endure decades of
wandering just to complete the quest.”
"Ugh......."
"Decades......."
Leon was not disappointed to see them already feeling
exhausted, for his own struggles as a knight had never been easy.
"I don't expect you children to walk the path. It's
too hard for young ones like you."
"Your Majesty... were you also a questing
knight?"
Hari had heard Leon talk about being a traveling knight
or a Holy Grail knight many times. Since Leon had become a Holy Grail Knight,
he must have undergone the path as well.
"That's right. I fulfilled the quest of Ariana, the
goddess of light and justice, through the Path. Thus, I become a Holy Grail
Knight."
"Holy Grail Knight......."
“Huh? I think I heard on YubTube that Yakt Spinner is a Holy
Grail Knight?”
"A machine?"
The students began to share stories about the videos on
YubTube edited by Yappy. Soon it grew to be a hustle and bustle typical of
teenagers.
"Quiet!"
The students were silenced by the loud voice.
"My purpose is to raise you to the level of Knights
of the Kingdom. After that, your path is at the mercy of the Gods and your
faith."
Leon continued to introduce the young students to the
deities of the Pantheon and allowed them to choose which deity they wished to
worship.
However, they were required to make offerings to two
deities that knights were required to worship:
"The Goddess Arianna, the Goddess of Light and
Justice, and Pethos, the God of War and Fire, are the deities that all knights
must devote themselves to."
Jae-hyuk scratched his head and asked,
"Your Majesty, the God of War and Fire is fairly
obvious, but why also the Goddess of Light and Justice? I'm just curious."
“Because no matter how victorious a war is, if the
victory is not just, it is nothing more than an evil deed.”
"Oh......."
With that, Jae-hyuk was quickly satisfied. As Leon was
finishing his explanation, Han Su-ho suddenly raised his hand in question.
"Your Majesty, isn't there still the fifth one
left?"
"Indeed. I have deemed it unnecessary for you to
know, but I shall explain."
No need to know? It was as if he were saying that it was
a spot they would not reach, no matter what.
"Holy Grail Guardian (Grail Guardian). It is a title
given only to the one Holy Grail Knight who inherited the Lion's Heart. To
claim it... is to challenge my kingship."
Challengers to his kingship will be dealt with
unmercifully. Everyone swallowed their saliva at Leon’s vague declaration.
"It's not decided solely by strength, but, well,
this may be the only time you'll be able to challenge me. My strength has
weakened compared to the past, and my strength now is comparable to that of a
Holy Grail Knight."
"What?"
He... had weakened? Then how strong were the Holy Grail
Knights?
"Um, Your Majesty, how strong is a Holy Grail Knight
then?"
"Hmm......."
Leon thought about what to use as an example. The Holy
Grail Knight, Sir Yappy, was present right before them. But right now, Yappy
was also weakened.
Even the Yakt Spinner he saw at the gate fell below the
average Holy Grail Knights.
"The strength of a Holy Grail Knight......."
Leon began to impart the stories of the Holy Grail
Knights in a way that would be easily understood by these modern Earthlings.
* * * *
Offer up sixty lives.
Lee Yong-wan realized that this Holy Grail Knight had no
intention of letting them live.
"What are you waiting for, why aren't you offering
up your neck?"
"Haha... Shit, that doesn't even make sense."
"Hmm... I don't really follow, but that sounds
insulting."
The Majestic Geobrick raised his hammer. The hammer was
the size of a man's torso, and it was a wonder how he managed to wield it in
one hand.
"You have harmed the soldiers and men of the
Kingdom. You shall receive the punishment you deserve."
Full combat stance. Lee Yong-wan chuckled, despite the
tension of already facing the Field Boss.
"No choice, you'll have to die here."
That was the moment.
Behind Geobrick's back. A transparent figure took shape.
It was Hayuri, an S-class Hunter from the Phoenix Guild.
Unique Ability: Absolute Concealment. There were many
stealth skills that allowed one to blend into the darkness, but this one was
specifically tailored for assassination, as it turned the body itself invisible
in broad daylight, eliminating all traces of sight, smell, and touch.
Once she had her foe's back, the assassin would be
unstoppable. Her eyes gleamed as she sensed Geobrick's impending demise.
To be exact, she used a skill that located the weakest
point in the body of humans, monsters, and demons alike. But──
'What?
Is his entire body a weak spot?'
She froze at the skill's incomprehensible display, but
her ambush position was perfect. She aimed for the gap in his armor, the only open
spot on his back, and stabbed her dagger into his neck.
-Kang!
"Huh?"
It was a sound that could not have been the sound of a
dagger piercing human skin. It felt as if she had stabbed a hardened metal.
"What kind of human skin...!"
At that moment, the shield wielded by Geobrick slammed
into Hayuri. She took a defensive stance, but the force of the impact was
enough to make her dizzy.
"Ugh...!"
Hayuri barely regained her footing after being blown
away.
"Ms. Yuri, are you okay!"
"Healers...!"
As soon as Lee Yong-wan spoke, the healers behind the
group started to heal Hayuri. Only after the three healers poured out their
magic power did her injured arm finally recover.
"Hmm... a sneak attack. This level of stealth would
impress even the desert assassins."
Geobrick raised his hammer. He was fully ready for
battle.
"But a lowly assassin dares to attack a knight of
the Gods. That alone is a mortal sin."
"Take your time. Ms. Yuri, you've definitely
'struck' him, didn't you?"
"His skin feels like steel, but... it did cut
down."
At that, Lee Yong-wan chuckled.
Hayuri's legendary-class dagger, Galsa's fang.
The moment it pierces the skin, it injects the highest
level of poison. The poison was so severe that even large monsters would die
from the poisoning.
"Well, the Field Boss of a Red Gate won't die from
this... but it's still a significant damage..."
“Khahahahahahaha…!”
It was a loud laugh. The maniacal laughter stopped just
as the eardrums of the raid hunters were about to burst.
"What kind of barbarians are you, to believe that
you can harm me, Geobrick, protected by the Goddess of Life and Fertility, with
poison!"
Geobrick responded as though it was nothing, as though he
was unaffected by the poison.
“Get ready for battle, loyal soldiers of the Kingdom! I,
the Majestic Gaebrick, by the protection of the Goddess, am with you!"
""Geobrick! Geobrick!"
""The Majestic Geobrick!""
[System message: Majestic Geobrick’s buff is activated.]
-【Blessing
of the War Knight, 【Blessing
of the Living Saint, 【Blessing
of Life and Fertility】────
The soldiers advance with thunderous cheers. Dallion, the
knight of pilgrimage, also rushed forward on horseback.
There were only about 40 of them charging against an opposing
force of over 150. What an ignorant and irrational act.
But the result was different.
-Kwaang!
First, the tanker that was trying to block the charge of
Dalion Emchain, the Knight of Pilgrimage, was knocked out by a single blow. The
main tanker of Class A in the raiding party was unable to block the horse
charge and ended up crashing into the rear damage dealer.
“W-what!”
“Damn, ugh!”
The raid members unleash a barrage of long-ranged attacks
on the charging Dallion and his soldiers, including the archer of S-class
Hunter Lee Yong-wan and a small number of mages. However──
"How can you harm this army I lead, with cowardly
long-ranged weapons!"
[Holy Law <Shots Nullification> is triggered.]
-Weakens long-ranged attacks by 90% against all troops of
Majestic Geobricks and below.
"What?!"
"What's that damn cheating skill?!"
They were given a barrage of ranged attacks. But 90%
damage was reduced and did not do much damage to the tightly knit phalanx.
Yet.......
"Is anyone hurt?"
As Geobrick inquired, the men who got struck by the magic
bombardment despite the dense phalanx began to heal.
"The damage dealt plummeted, and now they're
recovering?"
"What the...!"
The raiding party realizes that the game had changed drastically
from before, even when they were facing an army less than half their size.
First, they couldn't deal damage. Even as the dealers
attacked the soldiers with their unique abilities, their skin seemed to get
tougher and their armor became horrifyingly hard.
What unreasonable reselience, as if each one of them were
facing a medium-sized monster. Little did they know, it was a blessing from the
Goddess of Life and Fertility.
“Shit, it’s the boss! The boss did something!”
Lee Yong-wan, the main leader of the allied raiding
party, quickly figured out a strategy. The cause of the Kingdom's army becoming
abnormally tough. It was undoubtedly the influence of the Field Boss Geobrick.
"Hwang Gum-cheol, Hwang Yeon-ha! And Yuri, take the
main fighters to attack the boss. 1st Tank Commander Park Chan-soo, you will
encircle the Kingdom troops and carefully mow them down!"
"Understood, Guild Leader!"
Hwang Gum-cheol and Hwang Yeon-ha, who clearly knew they
weren't outnumbered, followed the order. In fact, it was reasonable.
But reasonable wasn't always practical.
Yong-wan fired his arrows to keep Geobrick at bay, but
long-range weapons couldn't do any proper damage to him.
"Hmm?"
There was damage. Geobrick looked puzzled by the pain he
felt, and at that moment, Hwang Gum-cheol's two-handed hammer swung.
Boom! A loud bang slammed the shield. The impact through
the shield must certainly be considerable, but he doesn't even flinch.
"Hmph, that's a decent power."
"Heuk..."
A warhammer striked. Feeling threatened by the one-handed
hammer the size of his two-handed hammer, Hwang Gum-cheol quickly jumped back.
The hammer smashed into his iconic golden armor with a
resounding crack, sending compressed air caving the ground.
Meanwhile, the assassin Hayuri and martial artist Hwang
Yeon-ha had gotten behind Geobrick's back.
Hayuri, the fastest member of the raiding party, targeted
a gap in the armor with her dagger and dodged the hammer swinging like swatting
fly, creating a chance for Hwang Yeon-ha to make a punch with her gauntlet.
-Kwaaaaa!
A violent blast of magic power. The unique-grade
gauntlet, which boasted 65% defense penetration, striked Geobrick's side with
her monstrous power.
“Khaha…! That’s pretty good, young girl!”
For the first time in her career, she can't help but be
annoyed by the raucous cackle of her enemy which came from his helmet.
“You’re so tough, you crazy guy!”
Despite the onslaught of the four S-class Hunters,
Geobrick didn't back down in the slightest. In fact, he was steadily advancing
and pummeling the hunters.
"Keuag!"
"Crazy... How does a class A tanker get knocked out
in one hit?!"
It was a terrifying force. Even if it was a Field Boss,
could a single human-sized entity be this strong?
The nation's top raiding team, which had hunted countless
boss monsters, was powerless?
"Damn it, with ranged attacks damage being severely
reduced, it's as if there's no such thing as an impact!"
"Dealers, do something! The tanks can't hold
out!"
"What are we supposed to do when they heal right
back up?!"
With only one knight joining the fray, the situation
could change severely. Lee Yong-wan shivered and took off his glasses.
"Damn it, Ms. Yuri, do 'it'...!"
"......You said I shouldn't use it because it's
expensive."
"...We could die, it's not about money!"
As if she had been waiting for this, Ms. Yuri pulled
something out of her bosom.
Those were scrolls of parchment. When the antique-looking
things were torn apart, the single-handed warhammer that was about to swing
toward Hwang Gum-cheol was 'bound' in the air.
"Oof...! He almost got me! What was that?!"
"Hmm?"
Geobrick looked at the ring-shaped shackles restraining
his arms.
“It’s magic. It’s quite powerful, a high-level magic.”
"Is that all?"
Lee Yong-wan and Hayuri approached, Lee Yong-wan unfurled
another scroll of parchment.
The most expensive guild supplies that could only be used
by the Vice Guild Leader, Hayuri, and the Guild Leader, Lee Yong-wan.
“The highest level sealing magic that binds even Hydra.
In addition….”
The next parchment was torn. At that moment, a huge magic
circle unfolded beneath Geobrick.
"Is this... some kind of coordinated magic?"
"You ignoramuses knight managed to recognize it!
It's a 2 billion Flame Burst Scroll I bought at the Magic Tower. I’ll roast you
with that entire armor!”
A deadly combo of two 800 million Binding Scrolls and a 2
billion Flame Burst Scroll!
Burning 3.6 billion in an instant made Lee Yong Wan's
eyes shed bloody tears, but he thought it was a small price to pay to be able
to kill such a monster.
"Certainly. It's so powerful that it binds even the
dragon beast, making it hard to move."
Despite being restrained by the binding magic, Geobrick
managed to move his limbs.
"Hey, hey, is he escaping?"
"That's possible?!"
"Ha, haha... don't worry too much, he won't break
free until the spell is lifted."
"Break free? Why would I want to?"
"What?"
He raised his hammer. It was not at a distance where he
can hit someone.
But an intangible energy gathered around the hammer, held
high.
The Hunters, wondering what the hell he was doing, grew
increasingly nervous as they watched him ferociously engulf the air around him,
and then──
Boom.
The giant hammer struck the ground... no, the earth.
The crushed earth smashed and shook, causing an
earthquake. It was so destructive that it was hard to stand.
"......."
"......."
The Hunters, in their dazed state, tried to comprehend
the phenomenon before them, but they couldn't, their common sense refusing to
acknowledge the reality before them.
Of course, the S-class Hunters boasted of the viciousness
of a single punch or slash that could cut through armor.
Many of their unique abilities flaunt ridiculous cutting
power or cause destruction.
It would be no exaggeration to say that mages who were
known for their firepower were human artillery.
But not like this.
The crater created was like a bomb had just dropped.
There was nothing that wasn't blasted away by the shockwave.
The ground was literally pulverized. There was no other
way to describe it.
A single hammer had changed the terrain.
This… Is this something that can be done with human
power?
How can this absurdity, this destruction, be allowed in
the hands of one man?
What on earth did God have in mind to give such
incredible power to one human being?
"Wh- what the hell is this......."
Lee Yong-wan looked at the spot where Geobrick was
standing with a dumbfounded expression. He sought pointless confirmation from
Hayuri, who had torn the two scrolls.
"Wh, what about the magic?"
"Cancelled... no, it was just smashed."
"Cancelled? The magic that had started... can be
undone?"
“Well, in the end, magic only works if the magic circle
is intactIs your first time seeing something like that?”
Holy Grail Knight, Majestic Geobrick.
The force shown by the Field Boss at the Jeju Island Gate
far exceeded their common sense.
***
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