The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World

Chapter 744- Curse Unleashed, Vanessa Afflicted (2)

"What happened after I entered that state in the Altar?"

Leona recalled the memory from over a month ago and recounted what happened after.

"When you stopped moving, everyone thought you had received some kind of revelation or trial from the Seven Gods. So we waited. But seeing that you still did not react even after multiple days, things became slightly worrying"...

"The Saintess, worried that something might have gone wrong, tried using her powers. However, nothing happened. You simply did not react to anything. You remained exactly the same. Completely frozen. Like time itself had stopped around you."

Leona lowered her gaze briefly.

"Then, the bad news arrived. We heard that the rear lines were attacked. The demons had launched a massive pincer offensive. The timing was too perfect. Your condition together with the sudden assault—everyone immediately assumed the demons were responsible."

Reinhardt listened with rapt attention.

"We attempted to force our way out of the capital immediately. But..."

Leona shook her head.

"It was another trap. The demons had already prepared the surrounding terrain. Thousands of demons continuously bombarded the underground strata. They intended to collapse the entire region and bury us beneath the earth."

"At that time, we had no choice but to fight our way through. It took considerable time before we finally escaped. But by then, the battle had already begun. The Third Division had already engaged the enemy first, and they had suffered heavy casualties."

At that time, while the First, Second, and Fourth Divisions were exploring the Ancient Kingdom of Elarion, the Third Division remained outside and was tasked to be the scouts. It was thanks to the Third Division’s timely warning that the expeditionary force managed to avoid the worst possible outcome.

"The First, Second, and Fourth Divisions all entered the battlefield shortly afterward. For a time, we actually managed to stabilize the situation. Our combined strength pushed the demons back."

Saying that, she shook her head heavily.

"But it didn’t last. More demons kept arriving. Thousands and thousands of high-ranking demons appeared in endless waves. Following behind them were numerous disaster-level Abominations. And the ones leading them were the..."

She looked directly at Reinhardt.

"...three Heavenly Kings."

The moment he heard that, even Reinhardt’s expression became more serious. Although he disdained and looked down on demons from the bottom of his heart, he still recognized the strength of the Heavenly Kings and how troublesome they could be.

After all, he himself had suffered at the hands of one. Although you could argue that was a trap and without it, they wouldn’t have been able to bring him down. But in the grand scheme of things, what mattered was the result. He lost, and that was a fact.

Three Heavenly Kings besieging the Dawnbringers, especially at a time when he was absent. He couldn’t help but think of the worst-case scenario.

"Fortunately, reinforcements arrived. The Fifth and Sixth Divisions joined us during the fight. Days passed by, and for a moment, it looked as though we could still hold on, possibly even drive off the enemy. But the Forces of Darkness were well prepared"...

"They already knew how many Elite, Extreme Knights, and Heroes we had on our side. They had already anticipated our reinforcements. So they brought out their own cards. The Organization showed its appearance."

Just as they had guessed, the Organization had really thrown their lot in with the demons. Although a little surprising, it wasn’t completely unexpected. It just made the situation of the battle on the Dawnbringers’ side even worse.

Leona continued, her voice becoming colder.

"They deployed overwhelming numbers of perfected monstrosities. Far beyond anything we’d encountered before. The battlefield became complete chaos with the appearance of the artificial demons."

Reinhardt remained silent. Although the situation sounded severe, he still believed the Dawnbringers possessed enough strength to win against the demons’ lineup.

After all, his side had numerous torchbearers of the current era. Brutus, Erza, the Saintess, Mordred, Sigurd, and many more. With them on the field, even with his absence, even against such odds, they should have been able to grasp victory.

Unless something completely unexpected happened that prevented them from unleashing their full power.

As if to prove him correct, Leona’s face became unusually grim. As though recalling the scene itself caused discomfort. Her subsequent words caused even him to become serious.

"We thought that we could get through the calamity. However, who knew that the demons had another trump card prepared? They were waiting for all the heroes and powerful knights to gather together. At that time, one of the Heavenly Kings used a demonic treasure. A very powerful one. The moment it was activated, waves of horrifying curses spread across the battlefield."

The moment he heard this, Reinhardt’s pupils contracted sharply. Painful memories from the past flooded in. Pain surged through his heart, causing him to grit his teeth.

Of course, this pain was completely illusory and was just a subconscious reaction of the body.

It couldn’t be...

In Reinhardt’s mind, an image of an artifact appeared. The very artifact that had made the previous him miserable.

"The curses unleashed by that demonic artifact could ignore armor and even ignore barriers to seep directly into the body. What’s more, they were also extremely fast and could spread like a virus. Many powerful knights began collapsing one after another. Their strength and even their senses were greatly affected. No one could resist it, not even the powerful Extreme Knights or Heroes. Everything and everyone was corroded by the waves of curses. Although we tried to hold on, before long, the entire Dawnbringer force was rapidly weakening."

The more Leona spoke, the more certain Reinhardt became. The artifact in question was definitely that item.

"An item that could spread endless waves of powerful curses..."

Leona nodded.

"That artifact was extremely powerful. There was no other choice. The Saintess stepped forward and activated her greatest purification miracle. To cleanse the battlefield and restore the fighting prowess of the knights, she forcibly drew all those curses into herself."

A heavy silence followed.

Leona slowly lowered her head, shedding a tear.

"Thanks to her, the army was saved. But Saintess Vanessa herself collapsed. Among the curses that hit our Dawnbringers were some particularly powerful ones. Because she drew all the curses into herself, she suffered the full backlash of those accumulated curses. Her condition became critical. With the Saintess no longer able to support the battlefield and the knights still recovering, the battlefield became one-sided."

The moment she said that, Reinhardt’s eyes opened wide once again.

"Saintess Vanessa’s condition was critical? How is she now?"

His voice was even noticeably louder than before. He looked at Leona, hoping that things hadn’t drastically escalated out of hand.

But Leona said nothing. Her lips parted slightly before slowly closing again. Her silver eyes lowered.

It was only then that Reinhardt realized a crucial fact.

Leona had not been describing recent events. She had been recounting everything that had happened over the past month.

The curses unleashed by the demonic artifact... Vanessa’s sacrifice... The collapse of the battlefield. Those events... had all taken place many days ago.

Seeing Leona’s silence, Reinhardt no longer needed an answer. He understood, and his expression darkened.

He did not ask another question. Instead, he slowly closed his eyes and let his divine senses spread outward.

One mile... Five miles... Ten... Twenty... Fifty... One hundred...

His perception continued expanding. Every battlefield. Every mountain and valley. Every fluctuation of mana, aura, and demonic energy entered his awareness.

As his senses spread, he immediately sensed many familiar presences. Erza, Brutus, Gareth... The First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth... all the divisions were here.

Yet even after searching across a vast expanse of land, he still couldn’t find the presence he was looking for.

Among the countless conflicting energies filling the battlefield, Holy Energy should have stood out the most. Especially Vanessa’s. As the Saintess, she possessed a purity in Holy Energy second only to his own. (Second because his had already upgraded into Divine Energy).

Finding her should have been easy.

Yet no matter how hard he searched, he could not find her presence at all.

Sensing this, his brows slowly tightened.

At this moment, Leona finally opened her mouth to speak.

"Reinhardt, Saintess Vanessa, she..."

"Don’t."

Reinhardt interrupted her quietly. Although he was plagued with countless worries, he still kept a calm exterior.

"I know. Don’t say anything more."

Without another word, Reinhardt bent slightly. One arm slipped beneath Leona’s knees. The other supported her back.

Before she could react, he had already lifted her into his arms.

Leona blinked. Her face reddened slightly. Yet seeing the expression on Reinhardt’s face, she remained silent.

The next instant, two pairs of magnificent golden wings unfurled behind him. He turned toward the assembled knights.

"Knights of Dawnbringers. Regroup and recuperate. After you have sufficiently recovered, join the main expeditionary force immediately. I will go ahead."

"Yes, Commander!"

With that, he flew through the air once again. A golden streak shot into the sky.