Return of The Martial King

Chapter 241

Orcs had no gods they trusted or followed, as they revered their ancestors instead.  

Trolls, on the other hand, lacked a tribal deity they followed for an entirely different reason.  

Trolls worshipped nature itself, venerating the flow of the world as it was. Unlike other races, they did not elevate a single "personified" entity as the ultimate object of faith.  

Nature, in its entirety, encompassed all things. Within it coexisted day and night, light and darkness, peace and chaos, flames and waterfalls.  

Without distinctions or divisions, the troll philosophy sought to perceive and pursue the essence of all things.  

Thus, trolls did not have hierarchies such as warriors, priests, or mages. They only had shamans and gurus, who strove to become ever closer to nature.  

Living in harmony with the flow of nature was considered the proper way of life. The teachings of the guru, the one most attuned to nature, became the way of life and its ultimate goal. By following the guru’s teachings, all things prospered.  

Every aspect of troll life was grounded in the shamanistic magic of their gurus. From building homes, reproducing, and obtaining sustenance, all activities required the power of their rituals. A troll shaman was simultaneously a warrior defending the tribe, a healer curing sick children, a priest guiding the tribe’s spirit, a priestess conducting rituals, and a king steering the tribe’s destiny.  

Because of this, troll gurus bore immense responsibility and power, and the selection of their successors was never taken lightly.  

But a successor to Attila, the highly respected Grand Guru even among trolls?  

"Whoa..."  

Sillan clicked his tongue as he stared at Titima. Like a troll, Titima was tall and slender, but her thin arms and delicate waist did not seem strong at all. Then again, most trolls had similar builds. Attila was the unusual one with his particularly thick and robust frame.  

‘Still, I thought someone who could succeed Attila would be an enormous, hulking troll with unmatched strength...’  

"Why are you staring at me like that, Young Saint?"  

Titima tilted her head, puzzled by Sillan’s gaze. Sillan flinched and quickly waved his hands.  

"Oh, it’s nothing. Also, just call me Sillan. Young Saint... that’s, uh... too much."  

The title "Saint" was an unbearably heavy burden. Though, to be honest, the most uncomfortable part was not "Saint," but "Young."  

‘Come on, I’m twenty years old now. Do I still have to hear people call me young?’  

Titima beamed and nodded enthusiastically.  

"Alright! Sillan!"  

‘No, I didn’t mean you should start using informal speech...’  

It felt unfair for Sillan to keep using formal speech when the other person had switched to informal speech first. So, he casually followed suit and did the same.  

“Anyway, that woman is the enemy. Got it?”  

Just in case Titima misunderstood, Sillan even pointed at Christine for emphasis, repeating himself.  

“Got it! That woman, enemy!”  

Meanwhile, Christine was gripping her sword, her face turning various shades of red and blue. Sillan had run off, only to suddenly become dazed while staring at that troll girl.  

‘So this is why people say you have to keep a tight leash on men!’  

Christine nodded to herself in understanding. Clearly, if you didn’t hold on tight, they’d wander off just like this. Her reasoning seemed to mix up physical restraint and emotional fidelity, but that was typical of Christine.  

“How dare you try to seduce my Sillan!”  

With a furious shout, Christine lunged at Titima. A normal person might have been bewildered by Christine’s absurd accusation, but Titima, being equally oblivious, didn’t give it much thought. If Sillan said she was an enemy, then she must be an enemy.  

“Oro-ro-ro…”  

Humming an incantation, Titima charged to meet her head-on. Christine’s sword and Titima’s dagger clashed several times in midair.  

The contrast in their fighting styles couldn’t have been starker.  

Christine’s strikes were powerful and precise, every slash radiating with brilliance, while Titima deflected her attacks with strange, fluid movements imbued with shamanistic energy. Where Christine poured her strength and skill into a single blade, Titima wielded her dagger as an extension of her body, countering with her whole frame. She used not just her dagger, but also her elbows, kicks, and even the occasional headbutt to launch relentless assaults.  

Watching Titima fight Christine evenly, Sillan couldn’t help but marvel.  

“Wow…”  

A Holy Knight of Seiya was a recognized elite, renowned even among the continent’s various religious orders. Christine, in particular, was a formidable fighter whose abilities were widely acknowledged. Yet here was Titima, holding her own at such a young age, and even pushing Christine back at times.  

‘To think she’s Attila’s successor… It makes sense now.’  

Christine’s expression grew increasingly grim as the exchange of blows continued.  

“This can’t be! To think I’m struggling against a monster like this!”  

She wasn’t some famous swordsman. She wasn’t even someone Christine had heard of before. Just a no-name troll girl standing in her way! Furious, Christine took a deep breath, her rage amplifying her strength.  

“Hmph!”  

With a shout, she unleashed a sudden surge of power, momentarily multiplying her physical strength.  

“Take this!”  

As Titima crossed her dagger to block, she let out a pained grunt.  

“Ugh!”  

Suddenly, her swordsmanship multiplied in power?  

Startled, Titima leapt back, twisting her body to deflect the amplified sword energy. She steadied her posture, her awareness heightened. The force of the strike had been so immense that even the shockwave alone tore her skin in several places, causing blood to drip. Though her troll-like regenerative abilities quickly healed the wounds, her arms still throbbed painfully from the impact.  

“Wow! That human’s strong!”  

Christine’s expression grew even more menacing. She had expected Titima to collapse from her blow, yet the troll was marveling instead? Breathing heavily, Christine muttered in agitation.  

“If that’s how it’s going to be…”  

She sheathed the sword at her side.  

“A sword like this is too good to waste on a mere troll…”  

Then, she drew another blade.  

Schwing!

As she unsheathed the sword, a chilling metallic ring echoed. Sillan’s eyes widened in alarm. The weapon's form was anything but ordinary.  

“What’s that?”  

The blade shone with a dazzling silver light. While the hilt appeared modest, the guard was intricately designed, radiating an air of grandeur. The moment Christine gripped it, the runes etched on the blade began to glow, enveloping her in a radiant aura.  

She shouted, “Seiya, bless me with your power!”  

Through the sword, an intense wave of holy energy coursed into her entire body. It felt as though she had received a blessing from a high priest, her physical abilities surging to their utmost limits.  

Christine swung the sword, continuing her invocation.  

“Seiya, let your blade shine brightly!”  

A pure white light flowed along the blade, glowing brilliantly. It was the Holy Sword, a sword technique wielded by the Holy Knights of Seiya. However, the energy emanating from this particular Holy Sword was of an entirely different magnitude. It rivaled even the blade aura of a seasoned aura user.  

Vrooom!

The Holy Sword hummed with a resonant vibration as Christine raised it high, yelling at Titima.  

“I’ll tear you apart, filthy troll scum!”  

Looking at the runes engraved on the blade, Sillan suddenly realized the sword’s identity.  

“That’s the Sacred Radiance Sword, Messiah?”  

  *      *      *

The Sacred Radiance Sword, Messiah.  

This renowned blade first made its appearance 130 years ago in the hands of Nodis, a priest of the Sky Goddess Aerius.  

While giving a priest a legendary sword might seem pointless, after all, priests are not warriors, Nodis became famous for saving countless lives despite being only a low-ranking priest. His feats were made possible by the unique properties of Messiah.  

The Sacred Radiance Sword, Messiah amplifies the abilities of its wielder.  

Written like this, it might not seem like much, but in truth, this was an incredible ability.  

If wielded by a swordsman, it enhanced physical prowess. If held by a mage, it amplified magical power. If used by a priest, it strengthened divine power. No matter the type of power the user employed, Messiah adapted to it and enhanced it. It was the epitome of versatility.  

The sword’s first wielder, Nodis, was a priest who lived selflessly, using the sword’s power to help others. For this reason, the sword became known as the Sacred Radiance Sword, Messiah. However, after his passing, Messiah gradually faded into obscurity.  

This was due to the limitations of Messiah’s enhancement abilities.  

While Messiah undoubtedly boosted its user’s capabilities, its limits were clear.  

If the wielder’s skills were up to par, it could grant power equivalent to that of an aura user. However, it could not turn someone into an aura user. Likewise, it could grant immense magical energy to a low-ranking mage, but it would still fall short of the might of a Grand Mage.  

In short, the sword’s amplification had no effect on true elites such as aura users, Grand Mages, or high-ranking priests.  

For the truly powerful, Messiah was of no use. But for those of middling ability, it bestowed the strength of champions. This peculiarity made Messiah a frequent target for second-rate fighters, passing from one owner to another in endless conflict. Eventually, amidst this chaos, the sword vanished.  

Having disappeared from history for over a hundred years, Messiah is a legendary artifact on par with Eusus’s Eldrad, despite its limitations.  

Sillan muttered in astonishment.  

“Where did Christine find something like that?”  

*     *     *

Just like she did for Teslon, Eusus, and Stefan, Serelein wanted to provide Christine with an appropriate artifact. However, there was a problem when she reviewed the available options.  

Holy power inherently conflicted with magic. Yet most of the artifacts crafted by the Sage of Silver were activated by potent magical energy. None of them were suitable for Christine, who was a Holy Knight.  

While deliberating, Serelein stumbled upon something stored in an ordinary warehouse corner, the Sacred Radiance Sword, Messiah.  

Although it was regarded as a remarkable weapon in historical records, Messiah was not highly ranked from the perspective of the Sage of Silver. Its power wasn’t the issue; rather, the amplification feature posed no significant problem for modern humanity, even if its existence became widely known.  

The remarkable versatility of the Sacred Radiance Sword, Messiah did not stem from modifying or altering the wielder’s body to enhance their abilities. Instead, the sword contained a vast array of different energies within it, and it automatically provided power that matched the user’s needs at any given moment.  

Designed from the beginning as a multipurpose amplification weapon, its operating principle was fundamentally the same as Eusus’s Eldrad.  

If it had been a forbidden item, it would never have gained historical recognition. The Sage of Silver had simply stumbled upon it by chance and kept it in storage, without making any particular effort to prevent its exposure to the outside world.  

Still, the sheer power of the Sacred Radiance Sword, Messiah, rivaled that of most forbidden artifacts. Christine, her entire body empowered, let out a spirited cry as she launched herself forward.  

“Take this!”  

Titima quickly invoked her shamanic magic to block the attack.  

Clang!  

The pure white Holy Sword clashed against Titima’s dagger, and her slender frame was forcefully thrown backward.  

“Huh?”  

Titima’s eyes widened in shock. It had only been one strike, but her cherished dagger was now almost half-shattered.  

Christine pressed her advantage, unleashing a flurry of follow-up attacks. The radiant blade scattered streaks of energy as it relentlessly tore into the troll girl.  

“Ugh! Ahhh!”  

Christine’s strength and speed were now incomparable to before. Though Titima managed to evade the strikes, her body was being shredded in the process. Her shoulders and thighs were repeatedly slashed down to the muscle, leaving her covered in wounds. It was only thanks to her troll regeneration that she remained standing. Had she been from any other race, she would already have collapsed from critical injuries.  

Titima blinked rapidly, overwhelmed by the relentless assault.  

‘Huh? How did this human get so strong all of a sudden? What’s going on?’  

Christine, pointing Messiah at Titima, spoke in a haughty tone.  

“Hohoho! This is the sword bestowed upon me by the great Sage of Silver, a gift for our love! Consider it an honor to die by this blade, troll!”  

As expected, Christine lacked discretion. Once she got excited, even the presence of the Sage of Silver, which she was strictly forbidden from mentioning, slipped carelessly from her lips.  

Naturally, Sillan’s eyes gleamed at that moment.  

“Huh? Sage of Silver?”  

It was a title he had never heard before. But if they were someone capable of giving away the Sacred Radiance Sword, Messiah, they were clearly no ordinary figure.  

For now, though, he had to deal with the immediate crisis.  

Sillan calmly observed the battle between Christine and Titima. As expected, the power of the Sacred Radiance Sword, Messiah, was just as remarkable as the stories said. Titima, who had been evenly matched with Christine until moments ago, was now on the verge of defeat.  

However…  

‘It’s still not at the level of an aura user.’  

The sword’s amplification, as he had heard, depended on the wielder’s abilities. But Christine’s strength, even boosted by Messiah, didn’t seem to match that of an aura user. It was more akin to a high-ranking priest receiving a divine blessing. Compared to the body-enhancing effects of aura, it still fell noticeably short.  

‘If it’s just at that level!’  

Sillan rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward. Clasping his hands together, he began reciting a divine incantation.  

“Philanence, grant your servant the bravery of a lion! Let the strength of a giant fill these sword-wielding arms, the sharpness of a hawk’s vision enter these eyes, and the steadfastness of an ox empower these legs to strike down our foe!”  

Drawing on his immense divine power, Sillan unleashed a barrage of enhancement spells upon Titima. If it were someone like Attila, whose body enhancement from shamanic magic far surpassed divine blessings, it might have been useless…  

“Huh?”  

But for Titima, it seemed to have worked remarkably well. She looked visibly astonished.  

“My body feels so light all of a sudden!”