Paladin of the Dead God-Chapter 380: Painted Paradise (1)

After the battle with Pallor ended, the Issacrea Knight Order began handling the aftermath and recovering casualties.

Since Pallor, who had been tightly controlling the Death Knights, was suddenly defeated, the Death Knights were unable to move properly. However, since the spirits would eventually resettle into their flesh over time, they had to act quickly.

Fires burned throughout the area, consuming the Death Knights and fallen warriors alike.

Gebel watched his departing comrades with a heavy heart, but it was something he had prepared himself for ever since he decided to fight. Having fought shoulder-to-shoulder with Isaac, much of his old resentment and regret had been washed away.

He would never be able to forget them — they were like family to him.

But people naturally live with a hollow space in their hearts. And Gebel was now ready to fill that void with his new family and disciples.

However, before he could do that, there was still something that needed to be resolved.

***

Smoke rose from burning Armyes scattered throughout the area.

By one of these pyres, Isaac and several Paladins gathered in a circle. In the center lay the body of the last remaining Death Knight — Linde.

Linde had not regained her senses, as Pallor and Winterfang, which had dominated her body, were both destroyed simultaneously.

If they waited, her spirit would naturally settle into her flesh, and she would regain consciousness. However, since there was little time left before the promised deadline, Isaac decided to take action.

“First, I must apologize for performing this unholy ritual before you all.”

Before Isaac lay all the items prepared for the ritual: Linde’s intact skeleton, her armor, and even the broken fragments of Winterfang. Everything was arranged neatly. It was essential to have her body and all her belongings gathered in one place to expedite the return of her spirit.

“Don’t worry about it, Isaac. Even if you told me you were going to embrace the Immortal Emperor himself, I’d believe you had a good reason for it,” said Rottenhammer, offering Isaac his unwavering trust. The surrounding Paladins nodded as well.

Since the campaign against Pallor, it wasn’t just Rottenhammer; nearly every Paladin treated Isaac with a level of reverence close to what they reserved for an Archangel.

In essence, he was being regarded as a living Archangel.

Although the defeat of Pallor played a part in this, it was the actions of Ansel that had left a lasting impression on them.

Isaac was a chosen one, blessed with the love and grace of the gods. But Ansel was a mere Paladin.

And yet, Ansel had managed to break through the Archangel’s barrier and land a blow.

For a Paladin, what greater glory could there be?

And they all knew Ansel had been able to do so because of his unwavering faith in Isaac.

“...I will now begin,” Isaac announced.

With a grim expression, he began to prepare the ritual to call Linde’s spirit back into her body.

The ritual of summoning a spirit into a dead body was a ceremony of the Immortal Order. Isaac had neither the holy relics nor the priests necessary to override the standard procedures of the Immortal Order. Therefore, he had no choice but to resort to a workaround.

Isaac pulled something out of a small handkerchief.

It was none other than a blue rose petal.

Rottenhammer, despite his resolve, grimaced the moment he saw it. The blue rose petal was a symbol of the Issacrea Knight Order’s disgrace.

The blue rose petal Isaac held had been collected from the belongings of soldiers and Paladins who had died. It was unclear whether they had it because they had not yet burned it or because they hadn’t had the chance to void their "insurance contracts" before death. Regardless, the fact that some of them still possessed the petal was enough to make Rottenhammer feel a mix of anger and shame.

“I apologize once more,” Rottenhammer said, his voice low.

But Isaac shook his head.

“I don’t believe carrying the life insurance of the Immortal Order means one has betrayed their faith or surrendered,” Isaac said firmly. “Fearing death is only natural. Our enemies inspire such terror that even the bravest would falter.”

Isaac meant every word. He never expected anyone to leave the petals untouched when Beshek had scattered them before them. Overcoming that kind of temptation required more than human resolve.

Watching silently, Gebel reached into his coat and pulled something out.

It was a blue rose petal.

Rottenhammer’s eyes widened at the sight.

Without any excuses, Gebel spoke. “I have no intention of making excuses, Isaac. Punish me if you must. Call me a traitor if you like. I thought... I thought there might be a path with the Avalanche Knight Order before I came here.”

He paused briefly, then let out a deep, weary sigh.

“But my family had long since left this world. And by the time I realized I already had a new family here, it was too late. If I became an undead, I would only end up burying my loved ones again and again, each time with fresh wounds.”

With that, Gebel placed the blue rose petal onto Isaac’s pouch. His gesture caused a stir among the soldiers and Paladins, their eyes flickering with uncertainty. Then, one by one, others began to step forward.

The first was Ian, a young Paladin who had once dueled with Isaac.

When Isaac saw him, he remembered how Ian had once mistaken him for a woman. He chuckled to himself without thinking.

Ian blushed at Isaac’s reaction and hurriedly retreated. Soon after, more soldiers and Paladins stepped forward hesitantly, each taking out a blue rose petal and placing it before Isaac.

Rottenhammer clutched his face in both hands but did not stop them.

This was enough, Isaac thought.

Beshek had tried to sow discord among them, but instead, it had only strengthened their faith and trust.

With a sufficient pile of blue rose petals in front of him, Isaac continued the ritual. He gazed down at Linde’s body and called her name.

“Amarinde, Amarinde, Amarinde.”

The blue rose petals began to float and flutter, swirling like soft snow.

***

The ritual Isaac was performing was simple.

The Blue Rose Petals

The blue rose petals had a unique power: simply possessing one bound the soul to its body. If the person had signed a "life insurance contract" with the Immortal Order, they would rise as they were in life. If not, they would wander the earth in a state of endless forgetfulness, mindlessly existing without self-awareness.

The most useful aspect of the blue rose petals was that they could forcibly summon a soul even if it had drifted far away. Isaac grabbed a handful of petals and scattered them over Linde’s body, even prying open her mouth to place a petal inside.

Although the ritual had no direct relation to the formal rites of the Immortal Order and lacked the presence of an official priest, such formalities were, at their core, mere ceremonial procedures.

All rituals to honor the dead shared common elements: replicating the appearance of the deceased, calling their name, and involving those who were closest to them in life.

"Amarinde, Amarinde, Amarinde."

Gebel also joined in, calling her name to hasten Linde’s return.

At some point, the blue rose petals began to burn with a brilliant blue light. The glow resembled the eerie shine of an undead’s eyes or the flickering of will-o’-the-wisps.

A moment later, a faint bluish glow began to seep out from within Linde’s skull.

"Captain Linde."

Gebel spoke, his voice low and tense. Linde gazed blankly at the air above her. Isaac watched closely, wary that a stray soul might have been pulled in by mistake.

Then, all of a sudden, Linde spoke.

[Gebel, you’re still alive, huh? Looks like I lost, didn’t I?]

It was undeniably Linde’s voice.

With a faintly hoarse tone, Gebel responded, “Seems I’ve got a stronger thread of life than you, Captain.”

[That’s good to hear.]

Linde tried to rise but found her limbs bound. She didn’t appear frustrated or angry, as it was only natural for a Death Knight’s body to be restrained after revival. Instead, her gaze shifted as she noticed the shattered remains of Winterfang.

She stared at it for a moment, silent, before she finally spoke.

[My sword... It’s broken.]

“It was a wicked cursed blade,” Isaac replied firmly.

[I know. I kept it because I couldn’t destroy it, and I didn’t want it falling into the wrong hands if I threw it away. I kept it in check right up until my death.]

Isaac believed her. Her death hadn’t been caused by Winterfang, after all. It was due to the incomprehensible betrayal and orders issued by the Codex of Light.

At that moment, it seemed that Linde finally realized the significance of Winterfang being broken. She asked,

[Did you defeat Pallor?]

Isaac answered her directly.

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"Most likely."

Whether Pallor was truly dead was uncertain. The angels of the Immortal Order maintained their power at the risk of annihilation, but they were still notoriously difficult to kill. When Isaac shattered Pallor, the flock of birds that had blotted out the sun did not fall to the ground but dispersed instead. This suggested Pallor might not be dead.

But at the very least, they were certain she was gravely wounded.

“I destroyed the part of Pallor that corresponds to the head. It won’t recover for a while.”

Pallor’s physical form was divided into thousands of parts, but its soul resided in only one place. The three-headed dove that Isaac had faced directly was the very core of Pallor’s essence. The flocks of birds that surrounded it never strayed far from that core. Since that "nest" had been destroyed and the flock scattered, it would be difficult, even for an Archangel, to recover its full strength anytime soon.

After hearing Isaac’s explanation, Linde muttered in awe,

[It’s true. I can’t feel Pallor’s influence at all. My mind is so clear. This is the first time I’ve felt like this... You’re quite an impressive Paladin, aren’t you?]

Hearing Linde’s admiration, Gebel cleared his throat and muttered with feigned modesty,

“Defeating an Archangel is nothing new for Isaac. It’s not even that difficult anymore.”

[Really? We’ve got ourselves a big shot, huh?]

Isaac thought Gebel was being a little too boastful. But out of respect for her mentor, she said nothing.

Still, deep down, she knew that Pallor had been on a different level from the other Archangels she had defeated in the past. The ones she had previously slain were either weakened, isolated for centuries, or defeated with the help of other Archangels.

But this time, she had faced a complete, unfragmented angel — and defeated it head-on.

In a way, it was the first time Isaac had truly overcome an Archangel with her own power.

This also meant that her strength had reached a level that could rival an Archangel.

‘Of course, Pallor isn’t exactly the strongest in head-to-head combat,’ Isaac admitted to herself.

If he were to face Sword of May Lion Knight, the outcome might be entirely different. Every Archangel had distinct abilities, divine blessings, and different circumstances affecting the battle. The results could vary wildly depending on those factors.

Isaac was more surprised that Linde had called him a "rookie."

That single word acknowledged her as a part of the "family" of Immortal Order believers.

The bonds of the Paladin Order may have been stronger than faith itself.

Which made her betrayal all the more difficult to comprehend.

"Captain Linde. Why did you betray us?"

Gebel’s voice was low and calm, his eyes locked on Linde.

“If you hadn’t betrayed us, we could have freed your soul by burning your body. No matter where you were — buried in some remote region or working in a mine — we would have pulled you out and granted you rest. But now…”

[But now, as a Death Knight, I’ll always be bound to the Immortal Order. If I lose my body, I’ll have no choice but to wander as a ghost until I seize a new one.]

Either way, there would be no true rest for her. The undead could never find peace.

Knowing this, Gebel’s face contorted with mixed emotions. Linde had known all of this — and still, she had chosen to betray them.

“Then tell me, Captain. Why did you betray us?”

Isaac, too, wanted to know. Linde’s death had been caused by the betrayal of the Codex of Light, not from any flaw in her faith.

Was she afraid of death?

Did she want to avoid the endless suffering that might await after death?

But Linde’s answer defied their expectations.

[Because God willed it.]

Her words carried a weight that was far too heavy to dismiss as delusion.

Both Gebel and Isaac’s eyes narrowed, their faces filled with disbelief.

"What did you say?" Gebel asked, his voice unnervingly quiet.

[I said, "God willed it." It was God’s will that I betray the Codex of Light and follow the path of the Immortal Order.]

Her answer didn’t waver, nor did her gaze. It was calm, as though she had simply stated a fact.

Silence followed.

Even the soldiers and Paladins who had gathered nearby were speechless.

If there was one thing more terrifying than an apostate motivated by fear, it was an apostate with absolute conviction.

Gebel muttered bitterly, “Don’t tell me… The Nameless Chaos.”

Linde’s eyes shifted toward him, but she said nothing.

Isaac’s mind raced. She didn’t need to answer for him to understand. If the "God" Linde was referring to was the Nameless Chaos, then everything made sense.

The offspring of Chaos never question. They only obey.