Bishop Howard strode up the hill and looked ahead. In the darkness, he could only vaguely see the silhouette of the forest and the pillar of light that shot into the sky in the distance.
He didn't know what it was, and the gods didn't tell him, but he was very clear that it was the target he had to destroy.
The battle against evil.
At the thought of this, Bishop Howard couldn't help but clench his fists. It had been a long time since he felt so hot-blooded. He had rushed all the way from the Eagle Plateau, and even his shoes were worn out, but he didn't feel tired or in pain at all. In fact, when he felt the will of the gods in the church, Howard felt as though he was sleepwalking. He could only feel that he was wrapped in a warm golden light, and a voice was guiding him while he moved forward in a daze. When he woke up again, he had already arrived at his destination.
Howard didn't feel how many hardships he had encountered along the way, but he could feel that his body was still strong and powerful, and even his white hair had regained its original golden color.
"Bishop Howard."
A young voice sounded in his ear. Bishop Howard turned his head, and saw Holy Knight Ankos standing there, looking at him with a smile.
Upon seeing the middle-aged Holy Knight in front of him, Bishop Howard also smiled. He strode down the hill to the side of the Holy Knight, stretched out his arms, and hugged him tightly.
"I knew that if you were still alive, you would definitely come.
I know your faith in the gods better than anyone else. "
"Yes, that's why I'm here."
Hugging Howard tightly, the Holy Knight also revealed a happy smile. He clenched his fists, and the bulging muscles on his arms looked strong and powerful.
Just by looking at his appearance, no one would have thought that this burly Holy Knight, who looked like a brown bear, should be an old man in his late twenties.
"I used to think that this would be the end of my life. I would lie on the bed, feel my strength fading, and then die surrounded by my children and grandchildren.
But now, the great God has given me a chance, a chance for me to get what I want.
You see, the battle between good and evil. We will fight for this world until the last moment.
Isn't this what we hoped for when we were young? "
The Holy Knight revealed a smile as he said.
"That's good too. In the future, when my grandchildren ask their father, 'Why isn't my grandfather around?'
At that time, they won't have to answer that their grandfather died on the side of the road because he drank too much. Instead, they'll be proud to know that their grandfather sacrificed his life to save the continent … "
"Don't say such inauspicious words."
Letting go of the Paladin in front of him, Bishop Howard glared at him in displeasure.
"We're not here to throw our lives away. If you want to die a heroic death, you might as well jump down from here.
Don't forget, we came here to fight for this world, and for this world, for our great god, our lives can't be sacrificed casually. Even if we die, we must die with value. "
"I've been listening to you for my entire life."
The paladin extended his arm and hammered Howard's shoulder.
Then, he lowered his head and sized up Howard's attire — a simple yet sacred robe, a chain armor, and a small metal shield and flail on his arm.
"It seems that our Battle Priest has been resurrected too?"
"Of course."
In response to the Paladin's words, Howard also waved the flail in his hand, and then said smugly.
"Battles have never been just for you Paladins. I think I've long proved that we, the Battle Priests, can fight too."
"Yes, this time, I think we can fight to our heart's content.
Don't worry about those troublesome things. The only thing we need to do is fight, fight, and fight!
I believe that we will definitely win, just like before, and nothing will change! "
Upon hearing Howard's words, the middle-aged Paladin nodded.
If it had been any other war, it would have been a very troublesome matter for the higher-ups like them to deal with such a scale of war.
Hence, they needed to coordinate the conflicts between the churches and the interests of the believers of the Nine Saints.
But now, all of this wasn't within their consideration. They didn't even need to argue about whose plan was more realistic.
God would give them instructions, and everyone was clear about what they should do and where they should go.
The only thing they needed to do was to calm down and fight wholeheartedly until the last moment, until the dawn of victory arrived.
At this thought, both of them turned to the back once again. There, a dense crowd had formed into neat phalanxes. The fully-armored believers were conversing with one another, brimming with excitement and agitation.
Many of them were like Howard, devout believers of God all their lives.
In fact, many of them had accomplished many great deeds and wiped out many evils when they were young.
However, with the passage of time, as the days passed, the strength in their bodies began to fade.
Perhaps their faith in God was still as devout as before, but their powerless arms could no longer split the evil beings in half as easily as they used to.
But now, this power had returned to their bodies, allowing them to once again feel the surging vitality from when they were at their peak.
They weren't fools. They were well aware of the price they had to pay in order to obtain this power, but none of them panicked or regretted it. Because to many of them, being able to come here and fight for this continent was already the best outcome.
If they could die in battle here, it would be much better than lying on the bed and dying in despair. Because this was enough to prove that they were still persevering until the very last moment to protect everything that they were supposed to protect.
"Woo … Woo … Woo …"
The bugle sounded.
Warm, gentle radiance descended from the sky, spilling through the gaps between the thick, dark clouds. Looking at the radiance, Howard tensed up and gripped the flail in his hand tightly.
He knew that the battle was about to begin.