Arctos: Kill Them!

As Hellerchein was giving his sermon, Pegasus obediently came over and stood behind him.

He reached out and placed his hand on Pegasus's head, while raising his voice and saying, "We firmly believe that the Mediators ' cause is just! We fight for those other than ourselves, for those who don't know us!"

"That is why, if I had to choose between a wrong life and a right death, I would choose the latter."

"Yes, brothers and sisters. The giants are incredibly powerful and difficult to defeat. And behind them is the Supreme Heaven —the supreme god, the god of boundless power. If we fight to the very end, we will all be destroyed by the palm of the Supreme Heaven."

"I never lie, but this time was an exception. Yes, I lied."

"I told my wife that this was just an investigation. I would go back home and wait for my baby to be born after the investigation was over. But I knew all along that I wouldn't be able to go back."

"I am a flag! Everyone is looking at me; I am the embodiment of the ' Mediators '!"

"To this day, I have traversed countless battlefields and mediated countless disputes. I come to judge right and wrong, mediate disputes, and stop war and death."

"And now, people are looking to the kingdom of giants Arctos."

"This is a good thing, brothers and sisters. Humanity has begun to question the giants' atrocities and is looking us in the eye! If I were to retreat and go home now, it would mean that the elves have chosen cowardice, that justice has hesitated! Then they too will be cowardly, they too will hesitate! So I will fight to the very end."

"I know that in the end, we are destined to be unable to cleanse this island of evil. But I will never back down."

"If I back down here, it would be tantamount to bringing war to the Theocracy; and if I apologize for my actions in order to mediate the war, it would be tantamount to disgracing the name of justice!"

"I will launch an attack, I will invade, I will die! I will take responsibility for my actions, I will not bring disaster upon myself for anyone. I will walk my path, be buried here after the battle, and be beheaded after defeat! But I will fight to the very end! Friends, brothers and sisters, my comrades—hear me!"

"Incomplete justice is compromise! Justice that is adept at compromise is no different from atrocities!"

"Listen to me! I will leave my name here with a clear conscience, and let the sword of justice be wiped clean with blood and shine! If in the future anyone claims that the Mediators is nothing but a bully who preys on the weak, then you may say my name!"

"Here, some fought bloody battles, for those other than themselves—"

"I will do everything in my power, until my dying breath."

Hellerchein said so resolutely.

After his speech, silence remained on the deck.

It's not that people can't accept it.

On the contrary—everyone's eyes shone like bonfires.

People looked at Hellerchein as if he were a god walking on earth.

Hellerchein did not speak, so they obeyed the order and remained silent.

Once back inside Hellerchein's body, Iver realized what had happened from Hellerchein's previous speech.

—Although Hellerchein is still alive... in a sense, "Hellerchein" is already dead.

"Hellerchein" is not just a person, but also a mark and a symbol.

He is a righteous enforcer of justice.

When someone commits evil and there is no one to punish them, if he and his followers descend upon this place, they will surely fight against this injustice. He will surely seek justice for the oppressed.

... The "Mediators" of this era seem somewhat different from Mediators of Iver's time. Their behavior is more extreme, and they may even actively resort to force.

Now, however, we have reached a critical turning point.

The giants' evil deeds began to be known and taken seriously. At this time, everyone was watching the attitudes of the "Mediators" and "Hellerchein".

Although at this time, Hellerchein's wife happened to be pregnant...

But he had no choice—he could not remain silent at this moment.

Under such expectations, he had no excuse to turn his back. Even if his wife was indeed pregnant, that was not an excuse. But he had to make a statement at this moment; he could not back down.

—And without a doubt, Hellerchein could never defeat the Giant Country.

His previous mediation was precisely because they were in a position of absolute advantage. Compared to races like humans and Lizardman, with their vast heritage, were undoubtedly a "superior race." Like giants and dragons, they were born powerful.

The question people are now asking is: if Hellerchein's target was not someone weaker than him, but a giant as strong as him or even stronger, would he still act as he said?

This is a very reasonable question.

Because what Hellerchein was pursuing was inherently too idealistic. If he were to put it into practice, there would only be two outcomes—failure or death.

Hellerchein calmly chose death.

Iver didn't know why he made that choice.

Perhaps it's because he already shows signs of Treeification Disease... Even if he retires, he probably won't live much longer. He doesn't want to struggle his whole life only to have it all vanish in the end.

It is also possible that Hellerchein was simply pursuing his own path; or perhaps both.

But there is no doubt that... Hellerchein's speech even influenced Iver.

Iver looked at his followers, sighed, and added, "—But you don't have to be like that."

"Someone has to live on and tell this story; someone has to remember our deaths."

As he spoke, Iver reached out and took the reins of the Pegasus beside him.

The moment he grasped the reins, he and the celestial horse achieved a spiritual connection.

A pure white steed with swan wings shimmered in the sun. It bowed its head obediently, allowing Iver to mount it.

"I'll go ahead and scout ahead, brothers and sisters. You can think about who wants to stay and who wants to go back. Someone has to leave... to bring the last letter back for the other brothers and sisters."

As Iver spoke, he looked at the elves who were walking towards him with their armor, and waved with a smile, "I will be back later... Let's travel light for now."

"—Let's go!"

At Iver's command, Pegasus spread its wings.

It walked on light and flew directly off the ship.

In the blink of an eye, he flew away from the giant ship.

Once they reached high altitude, Iver truly realized just how big the ship was—if it were used to transport troops, this single ship could probably easily carry more than two hundred people.

With a thought from Iver, Pegasus landed first after flying far away.

Although this advancement was Lunar Eclipse Ritual, Iver actually used it to advance his Demon Scholar profession. This was a job change that Path of Transcendence.

The only problem was that Iver hadn't been through the waiting room. Therefore, he didn't know exactly how long this promotion mission would take.

He didn't know if the ritual would last a day or many days, or even if it would last overnight.

Therefore, Iver did not choose to Great Sin Enhancement through the means of "Card Fusion".

Instead, it directly summoned the Night Demon—

As Iver threw out the Night Demon Card, accompanied by dark purple lightning and a pitch-black whirlwind, the exquisite yet fragmented Night Demon emerged from the vortex and flew beside Iver.

As she spread her wings, the sky suddenly darkened and a scarlet Blood Moon rose.

Looking up from below, one can see a huge black vortex in the sky. And the Blood Moon is the "hole" at the center of the vortex.

Blood rained down like a light drizzle—the viscous blood dripped onto Iver's body, making Hellerchein's originally resolute face appear ferocious and terrifying.

The terrifying aura emanating from the Night Demon startled the Pegasus beneath Iver, causing it to veer off course and plummet into the air.

At this point, Iver, who had entered the ritual through Path of Transcendence, had no healing abilities whatsoever. Therefore, he was unable to use light or purification to dispel the fear.

Therefore, Iver chose to take a different approach.

As the delicate fragrance of sandalwood and jasmine wafted from Iver, a pinkish-purple outline quickly appeared in the pupils of the celestial horse. It stabilized once more, merging with Iver's consciousness anew.

"My master..."

Night Demon Viennes opened his eyes and spoke in a clear, hoarse, echoing voice. "I heard your speech earlier. So, what should I do now?"

Her voice was full of anticipation.

"—It is murder, of course, Viennes."

Riding his winged horse and flying through the sky, Iver proclaimed like a god. "Kill every giant you see, kill every giant within your blood rain range, kill every giant you can kill."

"In my name, all your restrictions are lifted! Hold back! The time has come to unleash your fury; show me your power! Slay these giants!"

"... Finally, I've finally waited for this day..."

Viennes sighed, two streams of bloody tears flowing from his eyes.

Her aura grew increasingly dangerous, and the black energy surrounding her became thicker and more menacing.

Her voice gradually became hoarse and sharp, with a metallic quality. "I will do everything in my power... my master."

Update complete! A bit tired, just so you know, I'm planning to take a day off on the 15th to rest...