Among all the battle rank, holy knights, priests and the like are the fastest, but when they reach the high rank, they are the least.
The reason is actually very simple. They need to establish a link with the gods and obtain the help and favor of the gods... Or after they have a preference, they naturally grow rapidly. In a sense, this is a profession that depends on the face. The talent is suitable for the person who bears the divine power, and the growth will be faster.
As long as there are enough gods, there are cases where someone else's life-long efforts can be surpassed overnight. This is also the reason why Roland would be called the son of glory in those days. Except for the gods like the bastards of the Holy Light, other people can't Explain a legendary human paladin who is less than 14 years old, and the radiance of the sun-like holy light.
The Golden Rank Paladin is probably the best of all professions, but the further Legendary Rank has the lowest rate of advancement. As for the reason, priests often blame themselves for not being pious or experienced enough, but the reality sometimes More cruel than you imagined.
This has nothing to do with piety. The divine server never looks at this. What he looks at is pure efficiency and investment income ratio.
"The same divine power can make 10,000 bronzes go into silver and a hundred silvers into gold, but not being able to make a golden pinnacle find its own way and successfully enter the legend, from the point of view of efficiency, it is natural to choose the former. As for Why is the normal progression rate so low... The golden stage that relies on external forces to advance has an unreliable foundation, stripping off divine power is just pseudo-gold, so why enter the legend."
However, the middle and low-level advancement is easier, but it is very suitable for humans whose highest combat power is hovering between gold and silver. At least this is one of the roots of the Holy Church’s combat power vaguely surpassing the entire human world. Faith is secured by force. to be able to go further.
And even if the progression rate is low. But this world is always full of geniuses and geeks. Those who are diligent in sharpening their body and mind can break through their own limits. As long as the base is large, there will naturally be more than legends. However, the low threshold and no requirements for entry make it more convenient to spread to the mainland. every corner.
But it can be said that the fire is passed down from generation to generation. The initial cultivation of all priests starts from establishing a connection with the God of Light, and as long as they pray, they can get a response, even if they do not discuss the doctrines born from the extension, come up from a divine power server. speak. He is undoubtedly super qualified, and he will help those new priests to realize the Holy Light, and provide divine power to help those excellent voters go further.
But there is an unavoidable dead end here. Since the God of Holy Light is a divine power server, if one day he disagrees with him, or even becomes a hostile party, will he be titled and lose the ability to use Holy Light from now on.
"The answer is yes, those fallen angels and fallen paladins. Didn't they all lose the ability to use holy light? Since paladins are all holy light seeds obtained through the god of light, then. Let people lose this seed. The ability to perceive the Holy Light is also naturally possible."
So, is it true that without the God of Holy Light, there is really no Holy Light...
"I thank the God of Holy Light, at least, he made me appreciate the greatness of Holy Light."
Along with the lost power and youth, there are also memories and strengths, which seem to be revolving lights before death, and those memories of the past emerge in Estrada's eyes.
Outsiders do not know his age, not even the church records, only he knows that he was born 1,442 years ago, such a period of time is too long for a short-lived human being. memory.
Unlike those legends, his pursuit of the path of the Holy Light was not because of the call of the true God or the pursuit of glory. He chose to become the apprentice of the old priest in the town, just because his family was poor, and that Sick old priests who need apprentices to take care of their lives are probably the only people in town who can afford to care for idlers.
"Oh, I just wanted to eat a meal, I didn't expect it... Is this fate?"
With the loss of life breath, the brilliance that overflowed everywhere will turn into meteorites of light, and amid the exclamations and disbelief of the world below, the memory of the immortal is as clear as ever.
The old pastor didn't live long in the end, but in the end he entrusted his teaching job to this young man who was sloppy.
But the pastor of the small town was not so easy to be. Perhaps, in those eras that belonged to the pioneers of the wild and the pioneering knights, the Church of the Holy Church was the most honest organization in the world...
Although the holy war has ended for nearly two hundred years, and the mainland has entered a period of recuperation, the fact that a weak human being can become the master of the main plane has exceeded the expectations of most races. This is too easy. Unstable, the sea clan who were driven into the deep sea, the orcs who lost their empire and the plains, and even the elves who clearly won the war but became weaker and so on, no one wants to withdraw from the stage of history like this.
The blessings of the gods, large new territories, and the skyrocketing population have led to the establishment of countless new towns, but then they suddenly disappeared for various strange reasons, some because of a sudden plague, or perhaps some Some of the evil gods were slaughtered by the orcs and put on a landscape of human heads, while some were even just a herd of hungry beasts. The dead walking in the dark night was still a nightmare for the living.
At this time, priests and paladins are actually not separated. No, it should be soldiers and civilians who are not separated. They usually work hard to make a living, but when they are in danger, they will go to the battlefield if they leave agricultural tools.
"What? Uncle Marton's foot is broken? You want me to help you connect it. Wait, I haven't mastered such a high level of magic."
"... A new baby is born in the Aiwen family? It's a good thing, you want me to name and bless? Wait, I can't read. You can say whatever you want?"
"Are you priests too? Why are you wearing armor? Paladins? What is that? Wait, you're here to get rid of this hidden necromancer? Wait, let me clean up and I'll show you the way."
However, Estrada, who was driven by the duck, fell in love with his profession more and more, and even participated in the birth of the Paladin profession in order to protect his people from the cruel outside world and natural environment. Many Paladin codes of conduct and special magic are also created by him. But he never said it. I'm afraid not many people know at all. This strongest paladin is also the original group of paladins.
"A new profession? Isn't that a priest in armor? But we need a new name. Paladins? Pious, humble, strong, brave, holy, we are the knights of the gods, and the guardian of the night, Guardian knights who protect the church and the people."
When the first paladin Inst Khaki raised his holy hammer, there was a small figure under the stage who longed for his light.
The original Paladins were not holy. They are just slightly stronger warriors than ordinary warriors, they are just priests in iron skins, they are just a group of pioneers who feel that the original way of the Holy Light is not enough to protect their people, but they have fulfilled their oath.
They traveled in the dark night and wilderness, hunting dangerous demons and beasts, chasing lurking vampires and necromancers in the crowd, fighting demons and devils in desperate situations, and defending their homeland from foreign attacks.
The first Paladin of Glory, Inst Khaki, did not go very far, and fell in a desperate ambush, while his younger brother. Winster Khaki took over the glorious warhammer, and he, who was slightly weaker than his brother, only lasted for three months. Just before he died, he gave the silver warhammer to another brother.
"Ain Casso, who died at the end of the werewolf war, he could not have died, as long as he was willing to leave the farmers who asked him for help, he was a hero."
"Shadi, the half-orc in the desert sub-region, although he was not recognized by the world at first, he still adheres to the way of protection and is our most trusted brother. He is a hero."
"Fendikard, in order to save the plague in the Brighton area, perished with the evil god Abbott. He was originally a peerless genius who was most likely to become immortal, but he walked between light and darkness under the temptation of the evil god. In the end, he overcame himself, and he...was a hero."
"Ayton Levin, my most cunning adopted son, I thought you could take over this warhammer, but why did you give it back to me first. Do you know that kid? The worst thing in this world is to say goodbye to one. A brother who didn't die by himself, it's the damn white-haired man who sent the black-haired man. Boy, but considering that you did your job in the end, you, the fool who challenged the Demon Count alone, are also a hero."
The old knight whispered that the owner of the warhammer from generation to generation, in the year when the supplies were extremely scarce, any weapon was priceless. This has indeed become the tradition of the Paladins.
"Roland, stinky boy, I thought you could take this warhammer, you are as cunning as Ayton, and in this fucking era, only a slicker can live well and take this pedantic road of protection. down..."
And it is precisely because of this tradition that this common weapon infused with the soul of the paladin has become the exclusive guardian of the paladin—the holy sword and the holy hammer.
Naturally, the silver-made warhammer was infused with the heroic spirits of countless paladins, and it became the first holy weapon exclusive to paladins in history, and perhaps the strongest holy weapon, and in the end, it naturally fell to that The first Paladin who is still alive...
"The Light of Despair, the guardian warhammer of the Dawn messenger!"
The quaint and shabby warhammer once again bloomed with a dazzling golden brilliance. Even if the God of Light had abandoned his knights, how could this guardian holy weapon infused with countless heroic souls abandon their brothers.
The old man had lost the blessing of the Holy Light, but the white-haired and white-haired old man stood there. One by one, silver souls came out of the warhammer. They turned into soul shields and used their soul fragments to protect their brothers.
"Brother Einkaso... the bastard Ayton Levine... Brother Shati... Inster Khaki's mentor..."
Familiar faces appeared in front of him. Even if he was abandoned and betrayed by the God of Light, the old man was not shaken at all, but at this moment, he was full of tears.
"I... I know what I'm going to do and how we're going to go."
The old man raised the warhammer again, and the splendidly burning light of the soul turned into a flaming holy flame, and the whole sky was ignited by it, but those too "pure" angels burned in the holy flame, wailing in disbelief.
And this old knight just stood there, the holy light that had just been extinguished was ignited again, only this time. That holy light did not come from a natural god. But from the holy hammer that has been passed down for countless generations. From the depths of the old knight's heart.
"... It turns out that from ancient times to the present, it is not the high gods who protect us, but our own brothers and sisters. We believe in the Holy Light only because he has given us the strength to protect our family and clansmen. I devoutly believe in the Holy Light, The way to pursue the Holy Light is actually the way of sacrifice and protection of the brothers. Humans never need to remember the gods, and what really needs to be remembered. Only the brothers and sisters who fell on the road. "
The consciousness of the soul ignited the fire of the soul, and the burning holy light shocked the world, making the gods above them tremble and fear, and everything was out of control.
Yes, just like Roland and the Southern Church, he has proved that the Holy Light and the God of Light are two completely different things. As long as you use your soul to recognize and choose the Holy Light that represents protection and sacrifice, you will abandon the God of Holy Light. Sample.
Deprived of the right to use the Holy Light? Oh, to take it back with both hands again.
And at this moment, in front of the world. The first paladins of mankind have once again become the trailblazers of paladins. Became the first batch of Paladins who did not believe in the god of holy light, but believed in pure holy light.
The angels were burning under his gaze. Thousands of years ago, they were enough to ascend to the throne of God and chose the strongest paladin in the world. When he threw away the big stone in his heart, there was no What can stop him, who is far beyond the standard of mortals, from reaching the peak, just by watching to release the anger in his heart, can make these low-level angels go to death.
In the eyes of the "bystanders" below, the strongest paladin regained the holy light that was deprived by the God of Light, and also strangled all the angels, which destroyed their three views, but it was also real shaken their faith.
"Abandoned by the God of Holy Light and still able to grasp the Holy Light, what the Southern Church said is true, the God of Holy Light is really just a false god..."
At this time, the old knight was not happy at all. Looking at the few companions behind him, his heart hurts even more. If he can take this step in the morning, maybe...
"Nothing seems to change, order is perfect and supreme, and mistakes are about to be corrected."
What descended was a young priest in white robes, his slender hair was dotted with a scene of stars, and his handsome face was devoid of any emotion.
"Mortal, your destiny will not change in any way."
The other person who came was an old man with thorns in his pupils, and the face of the ascetic old man was full of sadness.
"Son of Purification and Sequence, God of Truth and Prophecy?"
The mortals below have recognized the incarnation of that god, both of whom are slave gods of the God of Light, and both are gods above the middle.
"Lamur? Potter? Didn't expect to meet you on this occasion..."
The old knight was a little sighed and a little sad. These two were once his companions, but now, what is the difference between those cold eyes and tone of voice and other gods of light who are incarnations of gods? Maybe, I don't want to be myself It also became like this, which was the root cause of his refusal to ascend to the gods.
"Order is supreme..."
"Mortal..."
The two incarnations of the gods are still chattering about their gorgeous appearance lines, but...
"Crack!" "Crack!"
Their opponents are obviously not interested in listening to them finish. In front of the legacy warhammer representing the dawn and guardian, the incarnation of the gods is no different from those angels. Under the continuous dance of the warhammer of the strongest paladin, the headless corpse directly begins to fall. .
In front of Estrada at this time, what is an ordinary third-rate incarnation of a god? A demigod is a special job with no ceiling. In front of him, there are not many people who can stop him.
But he smiled wryly.
"time is limited… "
Yes, the holy light that landed in the sky that day turned the whole world into the brightest noon hour. How familiar the familiar light is. For the devout, this is a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. , No, someone has already knelt down directly.
"God of Holy Light!"
Yes, when his plan is blocked, when this unsightly old knight will become his obstacle, and even greatly shake the source of his belief, and when his subordinates from the incarnation of God cannot play a hindering role, the God of Holy Light Nature descended its own avatar.
It was a pure combination of light that made it impossible to see the face at all, but only to stare. It makes people feel hopeless from the bottom of their hearts.
And when he appeared. The sun has disappeared from the sky. The whole world has become silent, and his incarnation is enough to rewrite all the rules of this world.
The old knight closed his eyes and felt the suffocating power of the most powerful god. He could only show a wry smile. The gap between the strongest mortal and the strongest god is too great. Humans can rewrite this result.
"You guys. If you don't run, you want to die here?"
After so many incidents, there are only very few people who are still so devout that they kneel on the ground to welcome the coming of the God of Holy Light, and if the deeds that blaspheme the Holy Light in front of them are spread, the God of Holy Light will naturally be damaged and their faith will be greatly reduced. Then, it is only natural for him to kill and silence him, and he has done a lot of this kind of things.
There is no shortage of smart people there. Those smart people who figured everything out in an instant have already started to retreat quietly, but most of the people in the jihadist coalition still have hope. I don't think my gods are so heartless.
But unfortunately, this "server" has already calculated the gains and losses. The Fall of the Holy Light that fell from the sky was his decision.
The almighty god is no longer the legendary hero who pioneered the path of holy light in the past, and he feels that even talking to mortals is a waste of time.
Under the order of the Lord God, the starry sky was opened, countless stars fell, and all of them were golden light, and under these golden holy lights, there was no possibility of life.
but…
"stop!"
The God of Destiny may be very good at telling bad jokes, or why are there so many satirical plots in the dramas he arranges, and now it is Their enemy just now - Estrada.
And now Estrada's condition is not good, his hair is all gray, and every hit of the meteorite makes him vomit blood, and it can be seen from the flame of the soul in his eyes that he has already started to burn own soul.
"Lord Estrada, hurry up, you can still escape, leave us alone!"
Finally, the exclamation of the familiar voice made him a little relieved and a little sad.
He knew that he had nowhere to go...
"Because the Holy Light must be redeemed, Estrada must die. Oh, little Roland, you have seen through it all. You do this, and I am very proud of my mentor."
With a wry smile, Estrada shook his head helplessly.
Suddenly, a strange thought echoed in the world, but everyone understood it.
"Estrada, I will forgive your sins if you will be my slave."
The next moment, Estrada smiled.
"Become your puppet and tool? Okay, as long as you let the following children go, and then promise not to interfere in the mortal world."
"… "
There was no answer at all. The countless pillars of light that suddenly appeared behind the Holy Light figure, the meteor that suddenly increased by more than two times, was his response.
"Estrada must die, because the Light must be redeemed."
The murmured old knight muttered words that no one could understand again, but silently raised his warhammer.
"Our paladins take pride in judging the evil and saving the good, and even extended the way of judgment and the way of lay on hands, but in my heart, the way of the strongest paladin has always been..."
The warhammer slid from his hand suddenly and fell to the ground in a whirl. The next moment, what emerged from the warhammer was a ring-shaped wall of light that surrounded all mortals.
"...Our paladins were born in the battle of guardianship and grew up in the battle of guardianship. Our strongest way has always been the way of protection!"
The old man's roar reverberated in the sky, and the burning soul unfolded the strongest barrier in history. At this time, the ring of light unfolded from the warhammer blocked everything, and even angels and gods were helpless.
The meteor and the pillar of light kept falling, but they couldn't penetrate this wall of life. It was a forbidden curse from life, so how could it be easily penetrated.
And the barrier he held up just stood there, and the attack hit without a ripple, as if the attack of the God of Light was just a meaningless mosquito bite.
And he himself, still fulfilled his oath...
"Estrada must die, because the Light must be redeemed."
When the shield of protection released by life covered the sky, the old knight's body had already fallen to the ground, but it still stood there. Even if he had lost the breath of the living, he was still like a sculpture roaring up to the sky, but his soul was no longer in the body. among.
"Lord Estrada!"
"...No, it's impossible..."
"Woooooooooo! Lord Estrada!"
When the crying crowd surrounded the old knight's corpse, the incarnation of God in mid-air found that the strength of the barrier of light had exceeded the limit of the world's rules. Unless the sacrifice incarnation could not penetrate it at all, he left without hesitation.
At the same time, two oracles have been issued to the headquarters of the church at the same time. One is to deprive Estrada of all honors. The God of Light was still in full swing, and everything was forcibly reversed back to its original point.
A week later, what was placed in front of Roland was a white ice crystal surrounded by holy light and a worn and still fading silver warhammer.
Looking at the ice crystal and the man's last words, the room fell into a long silence.
After a dark night, after a long silence, the pale Roland carefully picked up the ice crystal, put it into a black box, and then closed it and put it into his own world.
But in that instant, Heloise saw everything in the box.
In the four gaps above the box, three elemental artifacts have been placed, leaving a gap that is very conspicuous.
Among the four crystal gaps below, there are only three.
The first piece has blue water light, the second piece has just been delivered, and the third piece has only a gap without a crystal. The ice crystal with the slightest brilliance was exactly the same as the other two ice crystals before they were sent out.
At this time, I looked at the worn-out warhammer and touched it lightly, but I was very tired and uneasy...
"Estrada must die because the Light must be redeemed... all my sin... if I don't write..."
"Roland! It's not your fault, it's your mentor's own choice! Even without your letter, he would have made the same decision! He is Estrada!"
I nodded weakly and shook my head again. Heloise wasn't comforting me, she was telling the truth, but she couldn't deny that I pushed him at the last minute.
"Roland..."
The unknown black cat jumped off his shoulders, turned into a fair-haired elf girl, and approached, seemingly intending to continue comforting me, but I shook my head again and stood up straight.
"...Relax, I'm not that vulnerable, we're running out of time, get ready for the next step. At least, at least... "
My eyes were unknowingly blurred by tears, and my ideal plan was washed away by the sudden emotional torrent. Before I could react, I knelt down and cried instinctively.
"Master... Estrada..."
At this moment, there is no cunning natural disaster Roland here. The one crying on the ground holding his knees is just a teenager who has just lost his father-like mentor.
It suddenly started to rain outside, and the downpour passed as fast as time.
The past years kept reverberating in his mind. Prince Proton, who was studying alone in a different place, even though his mental age was far more mature than his appearance, his inner ups and downs were never less.
And the luckiest, at this age that yearns for fatherly love the most, was able to meet Estrada. Maybe the rough knight would not take care of people at all, but he used his actions to make me understand the world.
"Little Roland, why do you avoid training again, is knight training so boring?"
"Come on, what is the age, and you still talk about the ancients every day, chivalry? Protecting your companions? It's already outdated, okay? Now is the era of peace, and we have to focus on the economy and industry, and the gold coins are the biggest. Knights or something, antiques should be in museums! "
To this day, I still remember the hurt eyes and raised hands. I knew I had said the wrong thing, but when I closed my eyes and was about to be slapped, I felt someone touch the top of my head.
"...You'll understand later." The old knight smiled reluctantly, but he was worried that I would think too much. When an elder who was really kind to me showed such an expression, I was very regretful at the time.
Yes, I understand, when my knight sacrificed his life for me, I learned the value of sacrifice and loyalty, sometimes justice and relatives, home security, and the seemingly ordinary peaceful sleep, all It must be exchanged with countless lives. Calamity is the final reward. When the knights fell in front of me, I knew the meaning of protection. Unfortunately, it was too late.
In the cycle of doom, I really understood such a world. This world yearns for the glory of chivalry and sacrifice. It is not that they are pedantic and dull, it is not that they voluntarily give up the good life and yearn for the so-called honor of war, but this The world is too cruel, someone has to sacrifice in order to let more people live.
"We are never afraid of sacrifice, as long as the sacrifice is worthwhile. Perhaps, we will eventually die in a foreign country, and even our names will be forgotten by the world... But this world is not so beautiful that we can live easily, if it is destined to be someone If sacrifices are needed, at least if we go, we don't have to worry about our relatives and our homes."
The annoying "nonsense" of the father's generation is always heard, but it can only be understood when he is an adult, and at that time, he often regrets it.
"...Master, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... It's all my fault, I... "
The tears can't seem to stop, maybe, I'm not a smart person, at least, I've never been aware of my feelings.
"...Every time I reincarnate, I choose to travel the world as a paladin. Perhaps, in my heart, I still long for those days. If those things didn't happen, it would be great for me to be an ordinary paladin."
Every time, I only know how to cherish it when I lose it. It was like this in Lan Kingdom, and it was like this in Lisa’s time. Every time I "understand", there is an extra hole in my heart, but now, the hole in my chest seems to be unable to be filled. on, and if it weren't for today, I don't even know that I still have the function of tears.
The endless remorse poured out, and some people couldn't stand it anymore.
"Stand up, Roland, what will Estrada think when he sees you like this? He just believed in you, that he made up his mind and gave you the key to changing the future and despair."
There was a rare seriousness in Heloise's voice.
"Paladin or something, I don't know. But as a mentor, teaching one's own path is all very pleasant. Even if I am doomed to die, the path I leave will last forever, and that's not my life. Are there any traces? Estrada has more disciples than me. Even if he has fallen now, the paladins walking on his path of protection are destined to grow more and more. And that warhammer, this one will choose its master Holy Hammer, why did it get into your hands, don't you understand?"
"...The path of protection developed by the strongest paladins? Inheritance..."
I hesitated, whether a villain like me is qualified to pick up the holy warhammer that represents light and salvation.
"… Stupid! Yes, you've always thought of yourself as a villain and an asshole, and yes, you've been a villainous asshole, but you've been saving this rotten world in your own way, and no one has done it better than you. Good! In fact, you have never strayed from the path of protection, so what other qualifications do you need!"
I was silent, hesitant, hesitant...
"The most stupid! What qualifications do you need to save and protect others?! Shengguang will never give up his hand for help. The world needs you, so why are you idiots hesitating. If you are still worried, ask 'him' yourself. , doesn't it mean that the sacred weapon contains the will and soul of the masters of the past dynasties."
Hesitantly, my fingertips touched the handle of the old war hammer, and the next moment, a little silver light began to clean the worn and broken hammer body, the sacred pattern flashed across the hammer body, and the holy brilliance was ignited again, The whole room was filled with silver light.
"Illusion?"
It seems that someone in the warhammer is singing the immortal war song, the silver phantom shows me the epic of the past again, countless heroic legends are presented in front of me, the faces of heroic spirits emerge in front of me, those familiar and unfamiliar faces Smile at me, my hesitation is unnecessary, the heroic spirits in Warhammer have already recognized me.
"Estrada..."
Sure enough, the most familiar face is also in it, and at this time, the old knight's encouraging and forgiving eyes have already explained everything, he didn't blame me, he didn't blame me at all...
"The rest of the road will be hard, but I believe in you."
At this time, he expected me to take over this protection road, just like in the afternoon of escaping training...
When the phantom in the dream turned into a bubble, Heloise also looked at me with expectant eyes. It seemed that I had no excuse for hesitation, so I raised the warhammer and slammed it on my shoulder. On, from now on, it will become my most trusted partner.
"...For the sake of the Holy Light, I didn't expect that there would be a day when I would say it."
"Don't hesitate to inherit?"
"Oh, I think too much, the way of protection is impossible to cut off."
Yes, I believe that as long as there are paladins, no, as long as there are humans, the way of guardianship that has been passed down will never be cut off, and my goal will never change.
"...I swear, all sacrifices will be worthwhile! All villains will suffer the revenge they deserve, and the damn holy war will definitely end in my hands!"
Gently touching the warhammer, I silently looked at the dawn outside the window, and there was another relative who must be remembered in the notes. While taking over a new responsibility, I also engraved a deadly enemy on my shoulders.
"Master Estrada, and the goddamn God of Light..."