The Birth of a Savior

Walking through the desolate mountains, the paladin's expression remained solemn. Blood had long since stained his once gleaming silver armor, emanating an unbearable stench of blood. However, compared to the paladin's physical wounds, the blow to his heart was clearly far more severe.

That damned Magic Empire!! Those darn Arcane Mage!!

Henderson did not lose his fighting spirit. Even on that nightmarish day when he witnessed the fall of the god he worshipped, it did not change his mind. He firmly believed that the rampant evil was only temporary, and only justice was eternal! Now, that evil empire, that evil mage, and that evil bitch, their smug expressions would not last much longer!! Because, before the God of Justice disappeared, he had already given his most trusted paladin the next divine oracle.

Cross the desolate mountains to the place ravaged by undead creatures, where a boy wielding a wooden sword will appear. He is the nemesis of the Magic Empire; as long as he exists, the Magic Empire will surely be destroyed once again.

"Everything is the will of the great god."

Henderson gritted his teeth and pressed on. He was one of the few paladins who had escaped the war. Although the disappearance of the God of Justice had led to the loss of most of his power, he still retained his own divine power. The God of Justice was still by his side, watching over him and encouraging him. The current defeat was only temporary darkness. As long as he persevered, the light would surely shine on this land once more. Evil would eventually dissipate; this was the truth of the world.

We'll be there soon.

Without any apparent reason, Henderson had this premonition, and in fact, all he received was the divine oracle. But for some reason, after that, Henderson had this strange premonition, and he chose this path based on his intuition. Unlike other paladins who chose to leave the Federation, he ventured alone into its most dangerous areas to find the savior who could save the world.

This is his mission, and also his duty.

Finally, as he rounded the bend in the mountain road, Henderson stopped.

Then, he opened his eyes wide, his bloodshot eyes burning with a terrible rage.

Under Angela's policy of "resistance dies, non-resistance dies, the entire Five-Nation Alliance must die," the undead army has frantically conquered every inch of the Federation's territory. They possess patience, strength, time, and speed unmatched by humans. They tirelessly squeeze into every crevice, rummage through every inch of land, search for every survivor, turn them into food—and then into their companions.

And it's the same here.

This place may have once been a beautiful little village, but now, raging fires and thick smoke have shrouded everything in harmony and peace. Undead creatures are everywhere, searching for and tearing apart any humans they can see, greedily devouring their bodies and flesh.

"Whoa!!"

Sharp claws easily pierced through the leather armor, tearing the skin raw. Dark, foul blood and internal organs flowed out together, forming a strange and beautiful picture on the ground.

"Ah... ah..."

The boy stood trembling in the corner, gripping a wooden sword, staring in terror at the horrible, rotting undead creatures before him. Just moments before, his father had been torn apart alive by these undead while protecting him, and now, those repulsive monsters were shoving their heads into his father's abdomen, gnawing on the spilled, tender, and delicious entrails.

"Darling!! Darling!!"

Seeing this, the boy's mother could no longer contain herself. Grief and anger overwhelmed her fear. She shoved the boy aside and rushed towards her husband, crying out. But quickly, a dark shadow leaped up and pinned her to the ground. The woman only had time to raise her head and look at her husband before her neck was pierced by sharp, pointed teeth. Trembling, she reached out to grab her husband's body, but in the next instant, another Ghoul opened its mouth and bit her smooth, white hand, tearing off a piece of flesh.

"Dad!! Mom!!!"

The boy cried out, but he couldn't move. All his strength was only enough to keep himself standing there. He had no extra energy to do anything else. For a young child, this was all he had.

The boy's cries naturally attracted the attention of the Ghoul. They raised their heads, opened their mouths, and let blood and rotting flesh drip from the corners of their lips. In the eyes of these undead creatures, nothing could be more delicious than this tender and palatable food. They couldn't wait to devour it and enjoy the incredibly delicious feast.

"Get out of here!! Damn corpse!!"

Just as the boy closed his eyes in despair, awaiting death, a figure filled with white light descended from the sky and landed in front of him, accompanied by an angry shout.

"You wicked undead!! You have no place to be arrogant before me!! Go back to the darkness! Return to your eternal slumber!!"

With a furious roar, the white figure raised its longsword high, and from it, a pure white, holy light burst forth, enveloping everything.

Screams, a storm, and flashes of light caused the boy to involuntarily close his eyes. When he opened them again, he was astonished to find that the dozens of undead creatures that had been in the room had all vanished into thin air. And before him, a tall, burly middle-aged man had appeared, wearing armor covered in blood, his expression serious and solemn.

"Who are you..."

"Come with me quickly."

Without answering the boy's question, the knight grabbed his hand. Because of the sudden incident, the roars of Ghoul could now be heard all around, and their numbers were increasing.

With a final, sorrowful glance at his parents lying lifeless in a pool of blood, the boy turned away. Led by the paladin, they swiftly departed from this horrific Hell.

He didn't know how far or how long he had run. Anger, sadness, confusion—all sorts of emotions intertwined deep within the boy's heart. He didn't know how he should live his life, or what he should do. When he came to his senses, the sky was full of stars, and he didn't know when he had found himself sitting beside a burning fire in a wasteland.

"Have you finally come to your senses?"

The paladin sitting opposite, tending to the fire, watched the boy with a kind and sorrowful expression in his eyes.

"Where am I...? Where am I...?"

"I don't know exactly where this place is either, but I think you know better than I do what happened."

"..."

The boy remained silent in the face of the paladin's words, gripping his wooden sword tightly and bowing his head.

"I know..."

Then, the boy spoke, his voice choked with emotion.

"So many terrifying monsters, so many horrible undead creatures, they were so brutal, so evil... I... I couldn't save anyone. My sister, my parents, my friends... they were all killed by those horrible creatures, and they... they even..."

At this point, the boy could no longer hold back. He squatted down and sobbed softly. The sorrow he had been suppressing and enduring since the attack finally burst forth.

Gazing at the weeping boy, Henderson said nothing more. In fact, he arrived too late; besides this boy, he hadn't rescued anyone else. These evil, terrifying undead creatures were filled with unimaginable malice. Along the way, Henderson had encountered such scenes more than once. Although he could sometimes destroy the undead, those bitten by them could never return to human form. Watching the cold, deadly poison corrode their bodies, turning them into evil and terrifying monsters, all Henderson could do was let their souls rest in peace.

The boy's cries gradually subsided, and only then did Henderson reach out to stroke his hair. Feeling the paladin's broad hand, the boy looked up, gazing blankly at the paladin before him. Then, his eyes slowly hardened.

"Sir Knight!!"

The boy suddenly stood up, then faced Henderson and bowed deeply.

"Please train me, and make me a paladin!!"

"..."

"I know this request is abrupt, but I still hope you can help me fulfill this wish. I am too weak; I cannot protect the most important people in my life, whether it's my sister or my parents. When they were killed by those terrible monsters, I couldn't protect them; I could only watch them die! I don't want to do that anymore. I hope I can become strong; I hope I can have the power to destroy these evil forces!!"

"... You must understand, these evils are not easy to eradicate."

Henderson gazed at the boy, a hint of approval in his eyes.

"I will try my best! No matter how tough the training is, I will try my best!!"

The boy's resolute answer made Henderson hesitate. Although he had long considered this boy to be the savior from the prophecy, the boy's current appearance made Henderson swallow back the words he was about to say. Since the boy had already made such a decision, was it still necessary to tell him the truth? Was he too young to bear such pressure? However, the prophecy was absolute, and Henderson would never disobey the command of the gods.

"I see."

Henderson's words made the boy look up in surprise.

"I will teach you how to become a paladin, and I hope that you will wield your sword for justice and light."

"Yes, Sir Paladin! I will certainly do as you ask!"

"Very good, child. Now, tell me your name."

"My name is Mobius, esteemed paladin."

In response to Henderson's question, the boy answered respectfully.

"Very good, Mobius."

Henderson stood up, drew his longsword from his waist, and placed it on the boy's shoulder.

"Follow me, say it word by word."

"Yes, Holy Knight!"

Although he didn't know what Henderson wanted to do, the boy quickly stood up straight and stared firmly at the man in front of him.

"I, Mobius, here swear an oath to the glory of knighthood and to a just heart."

"I will dedicate my life and soul forever to the one and only great God of Justice, and strive for His glory."

"I will always abide by the rules of the God of Justice, and dedicate everything I have to protect the peace and tranquility of this world."

"Here, I swear to the God of Justice that we will never back down in the face of evil and darkness!"

"For the honor of the great, one, and glorious God of Justice!"

"For the honor of the great, one, and glorious God of Justice!"

"Very good, child."

"Oh... I'm sorry."

Looking at the boy who almost repeated those words, Henderson gave a gentle smile.

"You are now my squire, and I will teach you everything about paladins. But before that, I think you must understand what kind of evil and darkness we are about to face."

"Of course, Your Excellency Paladin."

The boy nodded seriously, staring intently at Henderson. Under his gaze, Henderson slowly began to recount everything that had happened.

"First, I must tell you that these undead creatures are not Magic Creature from another world. They were all once human, living on this continent just like you and me. However, the evil Magic Empire changed everything. Back then, five heroes, inspired by the God of Justice, led Five-Nation Alliance to destroy the evil Magic Empire and seal it away completely. But now, the evil ruler of the Magic Empire, the Arcane Mage, has reappeared in this world."

"My Lord Paladin!"

Upon hearing this, the boy's eyes widened in surprise.

"You mean... those undead creatures, they are...?"

"They are soldiers of the Magic Empire, transformed from the wretched dead using evil magic. The wicked mages did not even spare the corpses of these poor souls after their deaths. Mages are the most evil beings in legend; they once plotted to destroy the world. However, this terrible ambition was thwarted and annihilated by the Five-Nation Alliance and five heroes. But now, they are about to return, reclaim their territory, and destroy this world."

Upon hearing this, the boy was completely stunned. He never imagined things would turn out this way. He had heard many evil legends about the Magic Empire, but he never expected that these undead creatures would be products of the Magic Empire. He felt an overwhelming fear and rage. How could they desecrate corpses like this! These damned, evil mages! How could they commit such a terrible atrocity!!!

"The Magic Empire has returned, greedily absorbing power, and has returned to this world. Clearly, it intends to resume the evil plan that was previously thwarted by the Five-Nation Alliance. We, the Holy Knights, will absolutely not allow this wicked conspiracy to succeed! We must once again unite all our strength and utterly destroy the Magic Empire!!"

As he spoke, Henderson stood up and looked at the gloomy, dark sky.

"The God of Justice attempted to stop it, but the evil sorcerer, through his cunning schemes, weakened the power of our great god. However, this insidious plot will ultimately fail. I believe we will surely achieve final victory!"

As he spoke, Henderson turned his head and looked at the boy.

"You must understand, this is not our war, not just our war as paladins, but the war of the entire continent. If we fail, the entire continent will become a terrifying world of death, evil, and darkness. We must rise up, defeat evil, and destroy the Magic Empire once again!! This time, we must kill all the mages of the Magic Empire, eliminate everything related to the Magic Empire, and absolutely not let any mage or any enemy escape."

"But, Holy Knight, what should we do next? How can we stop and destroy that evil Magic Empire?"

Hearing Henderson's unwavering words, the boy was immediately inspired. He stared intently at his teacher, awaiting his answer. He was filled with fervor, eager to throw himself into the great cause of fighting against evil and darkness. Henderson, too, already had a plan. Now that he had found the person the gods had spoken of, their next task was simple and clear.

"We must return to the Temple and send a message to all the nations on the continent, urging them to unite against the Magic Empire's attack. Only by uniting as one can we withstand this terrible darkness and evil!"