**Northeast of the Elysium Continent, in the Eskelda Region.** Majestic mountains loom through the mist, lush green forests sway in the breeze, and crystal-clear rivers nourish the land.

  The Holy Knights Order, led by **Hardy Skyblade**, was en route to reinforce the Kingdom of Graham when they received word that Shinka Village was under attack by **Beasts**.

  The picturesque village, with its red-tiled roofs and white walls, was facing a dire crisis. Hardy split his forces, taking a small elite team to rush to the village’s aid.

  * * *

  When me and the Holy Knights Order rolled into Shinka Village, black smoke was billowing from all over the place.

  I cast **Farsight Magic: Aquila Oculus** and spotted a few figures on a red-tiled roof a few dozen meters away. One of ‘em was decked out in fancy silver-and-blue armor. My old buddy, ex-Holy Knight **Greif Valoacrest**, was scoping out the village with a crew of thieves.

  “…No freakin’ way, Greif?! You’ve sunk *that* low?!” I shouted.

  I charged in, no chanting needed, and hit myself with **Agility Magic: Valoa Soma**. A hazy white glow wrapped around me, making me feel about 60-70% lighter.

  I leaped up to the roof in one bound and swung at Greif.

  *CLANG!!*

  My longsword **Falcon Shadow** clashed hard with Greif’s **Holy Greatsword: Clau Solas**, sparks flying everywhere.

  “What the hell?! Why’re *you* Holy Knights here, Hardy?!” Greif yelled.

  Guess you could say it was an unexpected reunion between us active-duty Holy Knights and the ex-Knight turned thief.

  We’d heard Greif had fallen in with the **Serpent Thieves’ Guild** after ditching the Order. Or maybe he just went back to his old ways.

  “Stay outta this, you punks!” Greif barked, and the thieves scattered, keeping their distance to watch.

  *WHAM! CLINK! CLANG!!*

  Our swords clashed over and over.

  With **Agility Magic** keeping me light, my attacks were weaker, so I’d quick-switch to **Strength Magic: Forsa Soma** for strikes, then back to **Agility** for dodging. Gotta stay sharp and make split-second calls.

  “Cut it out, you idiots!”

  The gorgeous but foul-mouthed Holy Knight **Giselle Elding** stormed in, wielding a short rod, and wedged herself between us. We both froze mid-swing.

  *BOOM!!*

  Her signature **Compression Magic: Compressao** unleashed, and the rod she’d been compressing shot out to over 5 meters at explosive speed.

  *WHAM!!*

  Greif and I got blasted in opposite directions, crashing into separate rooftops.

  “Ow… damn, that *hurt*!” I groaned, pulling myself up.

  “Hardy! You’re too reckless! You’re the damn captain, so chill out!” Giselle yelled, her tone sharp.

  I was wearing a chestplate, but the impact still knocked the wind outta me. I clutched my gut and stood.

  “Yeah… my bad,” I muttered, reflecting.

  Greif got blasted to the other roof but was already back on his feet.

  Then—*BOOM!!*

  A deafening roar shook the ground as an **Earth Drake** burst through the earth, lunging skyward to chomp Greif, who’d just leaped high.

  This Earth Drake was a wingless, mole-clawed beast with a rugged, brownish hide—a level 280 monster that looked like a mix of dragon and sandworm.

  *These* were the Beasts attacking the village.

  But Greif? He didn’t dodge. He powered up with mana and *charged* straight into the Drake’s maw.

  *BAFF!*

  A trail of light particles followed Greif, who specialized in light-based magic.

  Giselle screamed, “Greif?!”

  *WHOOSH! CRASH!!*

  A slashing sound roared with an explosion, and Greif emerged, blood-soaked, having sliced open the Drake’s belly. He swung his **Holy Greatsword: Clau Solas**, flicking off the blood.

  *THUD…* The gutted Drake collapsed, dead.

  Greif looked drenched in blood, but his **Magia Aura** shielded him, keeping the blood hovering just above his skin.

  “**Purificator!**”

  He cast **Purification Magic**, and the Drake’s blood turned to light particles and vanished. The spell cleanses impurities.

  I’d assumed the **Serpent Thieves’ Guild** was controlling the Beasts. My mistake—I’d apologize later.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  *BOOM!!* Another Earth Drake erupted from the ground, stretching its body skyward to snap at me as I leaped into the air.

  *WHOOSH!* A soft, spiraling whirlwind of light enveloped my legs below the knees. With a quick *“SHWIP!”* I dodged the Drake’s attack effortlessly.

  Greif’s eyes gleamed, a mix of frustration and admiration.

  “That’s the **Demon Deity Artifact**, huh? You’ve already mastered that thing…!”

  I’ve got the **Demon Deity Artifact: Winged Anklet** strapped under my boots, letting me float and fly freely.

  Right now, I’m dual-wielding. I crossed my curved longswords **Falcon Shadow** and **Hawk Harrier**, channeling **Magia Aura** to sharpen their edges.

  The Drake stretched toward me again.

  “Here we gooo!” I roared.

  *BOOM!! CRASHHH!!*

  I accelerated explosively, spiraling around the Drake in a helix, slicing it to ribbons as I descended from the sky. My signature **Falcon Spiral Slash**. Didn’t yell the name, though.

  *THUD…* The shredded Drake crashed down.

  I landed, dropping to one knee.

  Using a **Demon Deity Artifact** takes a hell of a toll on the body.

  “Huff… huff…”

  “You okay, Hardy?!” Giselle ran over.

  “…Yeah. Just not fully used to this **Demon Deity Artifact** yet,” I panted, sheathing both swords.

  “Captain Hardy! Are you alright?!”

  The 15-year-old healer **Minya** rushed up.

  “Lemme heal you! **Ereme Pisera!**”

  A pale green glow of mid-tier healing magic enveloped me, patching up minor cuts. But the main damage was from the **Demon Deity Artifact**’s strain, which healing magic barely touched.

  “Thanks, Minya!” I ruffled her hair, and she beamed. But Giselle’s icy stare made things awkward.

  Greif approached, and our eyes locked.

  “Greif… sorry for jumping to conclusions earlier. But why *are* you here?”

  “That’s *my* line. Ain’t you supposed to be rushing to the Kingdom of Graham?”

  “Yeah, but I’m not some mission-obsessed robot who’d ignore a village under attack. I sent over half the team ahead.”

  I pressed again. “So, why’re *you* here?”

  “My crew’s seer predicted Beasts would hit this village. We hauled ass to get here.”

  “That rumored clairvoyant, huh…”

  “We’re known as righteous thieves, but we ain’t exactly in a position to join the Kingdom’s war…”

  Sure, they were called righteous thieves back when they were the **Crescent Thieves’ Guild**. But since rebranding as **Serpent**, their rep’s gone downhill. Greif either hasn’t been part of their shadier jobs or doesn’t wanna admit they’re no longer “righteous.”

  My turn to explain. “We’re an elite squad of 18. Sent 30 ahead already. We’ll clean this up quick and follow.”

  The Holy Knights, clad in pure white armor with gold trim, gathered around.

  The **Serpent Thieves’ Guild**, about a dozen strong with faces half-covered, watched from a distance.

  I turned and barked orders. “Split up again! My Silver Falcon Squad and Giselle’s Violet Lightning Squad head to Graham now! The rest handle cleanup! Milo!”

  “Sir!”

  “Milo, your team’s on post-battle duty. Got it?”

  “Understood, sir!”

  Greif smirked, and Milo winked at him as he passed. Old friends.

  The Holy Knights Order is split into squads, and Milo’s a squad leader too.

  “Tim and Vick! Check on the evacuated villagers!”

  Two young knights answered, “Yes, sir!” and bolted toward the square.

  “…You’ve changed,” Greif said, glancing between me and Giselle.

  Giselle, once a tanned tomboy, was now a pale beauty. I’d changed more in status—now captain of the core Silver Falcon Squad.

  “Only my hair and gear’s different, Greif,” Giselle shot back, her rough tone clashing with her looks.

  “Hah, still the same old Giselle,” Greif chuckled.

  “W-What’s that supposed to mean?!” Giselle flushed.

  *THUD!*

  A sinister wave of mana hit us.

  *BOOM!! CRUNCH!!*

  A roar and a chewing sound echoed, followed by something being spat out, slicing through the air, and hitting the ground.

  *Thud, splat…*

  It was… pieces of Tim and Vick.

  “NOOOO!” the Holy Knights screamed. Flesh was scattered everywhere. We stared, frozen, breaths caught.

  *CRASHHH!!*

  The ground split, and a massive **Earth Drake** emerged.

  That sound was this hidden Drake bursting out, chomping Tim and Vick, and spitting them out. Dragon-types get smarter and nastier the stronger they are.

  The overwhelming mana from this giant Drake made the air buzz, paralyzing everyone with fear.

  “You bastard! I’ll kill you!”

  Giselle charged first.

  “Giselle, stop! That’s suicide!” Greif yelled.

  Experienced Holy Knights can gauge an enemy’s level. This Drake was 380+. Even Greif and I would struggle.

  Giselle’s level 317. Normally a reckless move, but her unique abilities let her unleash insane attack power. I knew that, so I didn’t stop her.

  *ZAP!* Sparks crackled under Giselle’s feet.

  “**Electro… Recoil!**”

  *ZAP! BOOM! WHOOSH!*

  She cast **Electromagnetic Magic: Electro**, charging her feet and the ground with positive magnetism, repelling her high into the air.

  Then she triggered **Scaling Magic: Massuhaal**. Sparks flew between her palm and her sword’s hilt, and her **Colossus Greatsword** extended to over 10 meters with a *“VRRR!”*

  “Take this… **Gigant Slayer!**”

  From high in the sky, Giselle swung the **Colossus Greatsword** down with all her might, the tip hitting several times the speed of sound—

  *BOOM!! SLASHHH!!*

  A shockwave tore through the air, and she bisected the high-level Drake in one strike.

  *SPURT!!*

  Blood rained from the cleaved Drake.

  Her overwhelming speed and mass pierced even the Drake’s tough **Magia Aura**. That’s her strength. But her weakness is defense—she had no protection against the potentially toxic blood.

  “**Amina Escudo!**”

  “**Purificator!**”

  Allied Holy Knights deployed curved, honeycomb-patterned **glowing purple shields** and used **Purification Magic** to vaporize the blood.

  Giselle specialized in **Compression Magic** and **Electromagnetic Magic**. Her **Colossus Greatsword**, originally a 12-meter, 20-ton blade from the Dwarven Kingdom, was compressed to a manageable size and weight (about 1 ton) and carried in an electromagnetic sheath. When extended, it returned to 5-6 tons, but **Electro** let her wield it weightlessly. The hilt stayed a usable size.

  I staggered, shaken by Tim and Vick’s deaths, and slammed my fist into the ground.

  “Damn it… DAMN IT! More sacrifices…!”

  My face probably looked like despair itself.

  “It’s my fault… I sent them!” Milo choked, teary-eyed.

  Giselle compressed her **Colossus Greatsword** back into its sheath and stormed over.

  “Hey! Captains don’t get to lose it!” she snapped.

  “…”

  “Giselle, don’t blame Captain Hardy!” Minya pleaded, but Giselle just got more pissed, practically twitching.

  Her yelling snapped me back to reality. I had ways to steady my mind.

  “Sorry… I’m good now. We’ll bury Tim and Vick, then head to Graham.”

  Greif gave me a light chest tap. “Captain, drop the soft side.”

  “I know,” I growled back.

  Greif turned to Milo. “Don’t dwell. The Beasts are to blame… or whoever’s controlling ‘em.”

  Milo nodded, tears in his eyes.

  * * *

  We buried Tim and Vick, held a simple funeral, offered flowers, and prayed for their peace.

  Greif approached. “Leave the Beast investigation to us. Get to Graham.”

  “Sorry… didn’t expect to owe you again.”

  Milo walked up, looking uneasy. “Captain… we’re kinda worried. What if more Drakes show up?”

  Greif cut in. “No worries. My crew’s scouted—the last one’s down.”

  “B-But… I’m still nervous…”

  “The **Serpent Thieves’ Guild** will stick around to investigate. We’ll help if you’re cool with it.”

  “That’d be huge! Thanks!” Milo lit up.

  “Was gonna do it anyway, so don’t sweat it,” Greif said, closing his eyes with a smirk.

  “But seriously, why’d so many Drakes pop up here out of nowhere?” Milo wondered.

  “We’re tracking an underground syndicate, **Valdr**. Might be connected,” Greif said, staring into the distance.

  We prepped to move out, and I gave the order.

  “Holy Knights! To the Kingdom of Graham!”

  The knights raised their fists, roaring, “YEAH!”

  * * *

  And so, Hardy’s Holy Knights Order set out once more for the Kingdom of Graham.

  The story now turns back to their younger days…