A few minutes earlier…
Inside the command center of the aerial behemoth looming above the town, a steady hum of mana-powered engines reverberated through the walls like a mechanical heartbeat.
The aircraft was a flying fortress, a testament to the technological and magical might of the Holy Order.
Within its control room, white-armored knights moved swiftly, passing data tablets and relaying verbal reports, their pristine capes fluttering behind them.
The symbol of the Holy Order — a radiant sun pierced by a blade — gleamed upon every shoulder and chest plate, a badge of their unwavering devotion.
At the heart of the room stood Eugene, clad in sky-blue armor etched with holy glyphs.
His armor shimmered faintly under the artificial lighting, pristine despite the chaos unfolding below.
A snow-white cloak, embroidered with golden threads, billowed behind him.
And his sky-blue longsword hung at his hip, its hilt embedded with sapphire-like crystal, humming with restrained power.
He stood tall, unmoving, and was scanning through the reports handed to him.
His face as he was reading was a study in calm—moderate, sculpted features, and a scar running diagonally across his left eye, most likely a gift from a battle he once had.
Said eye, however, remained sharp and alive, flickering as he processed every detail.
Then—
CLANK!
A knight burst into the control room, breath ragged beneath his helmet. "Your Excellency! We've located the hero candidate's last known position!"
Eugene didn't flinch. "Show me."
Immediately, the room's central projection table flared to life.
WHIRRR.
A holographic map of the town bloomed from the base, its buildings rendered in pale blue.
Amid the grid, a red dot pulsed steadily in the western district, near what appeared to be a ruined plaza.
"The candidate's last mana signature—detected here," the knight pointed.
Eugene stared at the blinking dot. He was silent but his expression appeared to be calculating.
The aide, encouraged by the Paladin's interest, stepped closer.
"If I may, Your Excellency, I recommend we deploy squads Delta and Omega. They can begin sweeping this area while additional units contain the Cult's forces rampaging through the east and northern sector—"
"No."
The word was sharp and immediate.
The aide froze mid-sentence, eyes wide.
"I'll go myself," Eugene said, his tone calm, resolute.
"You—y-you're going yourself?!" The aide stammered, his voice almost a squeak.
Eugene turned his gaze to the man, and in that icy stare was an answer deeper than words.
"Open the hatch," he ordered.
The control room fell silent save for the hum of the engines. No one questioned him further.
SSSSSSHHHK.
A heavy mechanism groaned as the underside hatch of the aircraft slid open with hydraulic precision.
Wind screamed into the control room, and Eugene stepped to the edge without hesitation.
Below, the town burned.
Mana flickered in wild bursts across rooftops. Explosions echoed. Screams pierced the night. Shadows danced among fire and blood.
Eugene stared down, his expression unreadable.
"At the end of the day, humans will be humans," he whispered to no one in particular, his voice barely audible above the howling wind.
Then—he fell.
WHOOOOOOM.
The wind roared past his ears, his cloak snapping violently behind him.
His eyes narrowed, scanning everything. To the south, he felt it — a black, festering presence, twisted and unholy.
Demonic mana.
A demonic human, without a doubt. Nearby, there was another signature. Someone was fighting it. For now.
To the east, he sensed more chaos — civilians caught in the crossfire, hunters overwhelmed, the mayor's guards faltering.
And still, he fell.
KKKRRRRAAAAAKOOOOM!!!
Eugene slammed into the western edge of town like a meteor, earth and stone exploding upward in a circular blast.
A crater formed around him, five meters deep and twice as wide, tendrils of dust swirling around his unmoving form.
He stood.
Drawing his sword from its sheath, the sky-blue blade shimmered like liquid ice. He drove it into the crater floor with a dull THUNK.
"Armament."
CHRRRRRK…
From beneath the blade, a complex magical circle formed — its intricate gears and runes ticking backward like a clock. Seconds passed. The circle spun faster, compressing.
Then—
FWWWWOOOOOOOOSH!
A titanic wave of frost exploded outward from Eugene's position. It tore through the town like a frozen tsunami, engulfing everything in an ever-expanding ring of glacial wrath.
The effect was both beautiful and terrifying.
Cultists screamed as their flesh crystallized mid-motion.
Mana beasts thrashed, their roars silenced in moments as they turned to jagged statues of ice.
Buildings, once aflame, were instantly snuffed out, encased in shimmering crystal.
But the townspeople—the civilians, the hunters—they remained untouched.
The ice parted around them, flowing harmlessly like a cold wind. Their weapons, homes, and vehicles were frozen solid, yes, but not a single soul was harmed.
Up above, firelight reflected off a sudden, eerily still cityscape now bathed in icy silence.
Back in the crater, Eugene pulled his sword free, its blade steaming.
"Shatter."
KRK.
A crack formed across the surface of the ice statues. Then—
KRK-KRK-KRK-KRSHHHHHH!
In a chain reaction, every frozen cultist and mana beast exploded into fine frost, disintegrating into white powder that drifted on the wind like snow.
Where once was fire and death—now stood cold silence.
Only the wind moved.
Only Eugene stood.
And though he couldn't see them, he felt them.
He felt the opposing mana signatures disappear in the northeast near the mayor's residence, as he sensed dozens huddled together, their mana faint and exhausted.
In the south, the demonic signature had disappeared. Normally with the way it's mana signature disappeared and how strong it was, one would think it had escaped.
But not Eugene. He had felt his ice wave entrap it so he was sure. Sure it was dead.
But now, he had noticed them in the sky. The mana signature he had felt clashing with the demonic mana.
He then narrowed his eyes in their direction briefly before turning around to focus on his mission.
"I'll deal with that later." He resolved in himself.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, Eugene brought his sword to rest on his shoulder. The runes along its edge pulsed gently.
He took a step forward—crunching the ice beneath his boot—and vanished in a streak of sky-blue light.
The town had now fallen into an unnatural stillness.
Burning wreckages had frozen mid-collapse.
And the people who watched from shattered homes and behind broken carts and damaged cars, could only whisper one word as frost swirled in the air:
Paladin.
A Paladin had arrived.
And now... finally, God's light had pierced the darkness covering the town.