The Imperial Supreme Commander Has Returned - Chapter 57

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Imperial Commander Returns — Episode 57

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Delram fingered the vial hanging from his neck.
He always did this before facing formidable adversaries or arduous trials.
He gazed at his mother’s portrait inside and breathed in the scent of autumn leaves.

But Delram stopped himself before opening it.
Hadn’t the first trial shown him what he could do?
He didn’t think he’d need it today.
Delram opened the door at once and stepped into the next chamber.

Creak.

This was the second trial.
What lay before him was a cavern.
One vast enough to swallow the entire Vistache estate whole.

Peculiarly, the cavern was packed with clay jars.
Each one different in size and shape.
They filled every inch of available space.
At a glance, there were tens of thousands of them, not mere thousands.

“Well… a genuine treasure hunt, then.”

The trials’ nature was fairly well known, in truth.
Just as with the Maze before it, knowing a trial’s content beforehand offered no real advantage—there was no strategy to employ.
Though that privilege belonged only to the Church’s upper echelon.

In any case, Delram had learned this from Nuark.
The second trial was simply treasure-hunting.
It was as straightforward as the Maze had been—find the exit.

‘Just find one jar.’

Inside it would be the Radiance God’s seal of approval.
Find that, and the test ended immediately.

How?
The same way as the first trial—by praying earnestly to the Radiance God!

‘I want to smash every last one of them.’

Looking at the jars, his fingers itched.
He imagined gold coins or Divine Artifacts spilling out when they broke.

Of course, he couldn’t do that.
If one could simply destroy them all, any dog or vagrant could pass.

So he was given only ten attempts.
Break more than ten or choose wrong, and he was eliminated.
Cast out of the Hall of Proof entirely.

Perhaps the cavern’s brightness was the last mercy shown here.
Delram pondered this as he surveyed the jars.

Crack!
“……”

He made his way toward one side.
The reason for his certainty was simple enough.

A thick beam of light fell from the sky above.
That broad shaft illuminated one specific clay jar.
It was so obvious that even a blind man could have seen it.

To eliminate any confusion, there were no other jars nearby.
Only the one bathed in light existed in that space.

“Good heavens. The Radiance God must be in quite a hurry.”

Delram muttered this to himself as he rummaged through the clay jar.
What emerged was a single necklace resembling the sun.
It was the sign of the Radiance God he was meant to find in this place.

Hummmmm—

Soon the space around him trembled violently.
He was being transported to the third trial.

* * *

The cavern of the second trial undulated like a wave.
The cavern collapsed and folded upon itself, then transformed entirely.
It became none other than the Colosseum.

At its center lay a sandy arena.
Tiered seating ringed the space completely.

Of course, the stands were empty.
He’d have preferred the arena itself to be empty as well—

Boom!
—Grrrrrrrrr……

Unfortunately, it was not.
Delram gazed upward at the snarling beast and muttered under his breath.

“This is insane.”

And there was no way around it.
From head to tail, the creature measured a full seven meters.
Its fur and mane were woven of pure light.
Its very existence bathed the surroundings in a radiance both sacred and overwhelming.
Eyes like molten gold, majestic as the sun itself, burned away the darkness, and with each breath came a shower of luminous particles dispersing like mist.

This was the final bastion of the Radiance Church’s headquarters—the very thing he’d heard whispered about.
The Divine Beast, Bahamut.

—KRRRRRROOOOOOAAARRGH!
Fwoooosh—

Bahamut, facing Delram, unleashed a terrible roar.
The arena’s sand erupted in concentric circles, driven outward in a violent wave.
The sight resembled darkness fleeing before an onslaught of radiant light.

And this was merely Divine Force with almost no offensive power.
His legs trembled faintly beneath him; his entire body tingled with an involuntary electric sensation.
So Delram’s impressions were simple enough.

“…You want me to fight that thing?”

Unfortunately, he was right.
The third and final trial began precisely that way.
Combat with Bahamut!

* * *

“…….”

Silence lingered before the Hall of Proof.
Even at the fastest pace, the trial took a full day.
Delram, meanwhile, had been inside for only ten minutes.
So out of courtesy, they had decided to wait a while longer before taking their leave.

Creak!

And then it happened.
The iron doors swung open from both sides, and a figure walked out from within.
It was Delram, striding forward with confidence.
Naturally—he had been the only one to enter.

“You were all waiting here?”
“……!?”

Delram’s tone held genuine puzzlement as he regarded the Pope’s entourage.
He seemed to be asking why they hadn’t left.
The Pope’s eyes went wide with shock at such calm composure.

Of course, Delram’s appearance was hardly normal either.
Did he look as though he’d been rolling in a pit of dust and blood?
No, not quite.
Rather, his entire body was damp and glistening with moisture.
Golden fur clung to his clothes here and there.

What on earth could have left him in such a state?
The Pope opened his mouth to ask.

“W-w-w…….”
“Ah, the fur? That’s from Bahamut. I don’t know why—the beast wouldn’t stop pouncing and licking.”
“D-d-d…….”
“Yes, the Divine Beast Bahamut.”

The Pope looked as if his mind might scatter at Delram’s answer.
One of the escorting Crusaders quickly handed him a water flask.
After drinking the cold water, the Pope steadied himself and asked again.

“H-how did you… How could you possibly pass, let alone emerge from the Hall of Proof so quickly? It’s beyond belief!”
“I’m rather close with the Radiance God, you see.”
“Close with… the God!?”

To dare claim familiarity with the Divine—what manner of blasphemy was that!
The Pope began to rebuke him, then suddenly fell silent.
A sudden cognitive dissonance had struck him.

The first trial, in fact, had a surprisingly high pass rate.
Given steady faith alone, twelve hours was sufficient.

The second trial, however, was not easy.
Still, it wasn’t quite impossible either.
Though rare, one person appeared roughly every ten years who managed to pass it.

But the third trial was different.
The Divine Beast Bahamut.
An immortal guardian fashioned by the Radiance God himself.
Though constrained to the Hall of Proof, its strength lay far beyond the reach of any mortal.

The proof was in the success rate.
For nearly fifty years, not a single person had succeeded in that blood trial against the Divine Beast.
One had to wring out everything—conviction and faith, sacrifice, justice, struggle—down to the very last drop before finally earning the Divine Beast’s acknowledgment.

But what on earth was that display?
Licking? Fur getting stuck?

‘It’s not like it’s a pet or something!’

She spoke of the Divine Beast as though it were a dog kept at home.
If that was the case, then she really must be close with that person, mustn’t she…?

Of course, she held the title of Pope.
Recovering quickly from her bewilderment, the Pope spoke sternly.

“From now on, don’t speak such words, even in jest.”
“But it was the truth.”
“Ahem!”
“I shall be more careful.”
“You should be. In any case, I cannot help but acknowledge it… Not only did you pass all three trials, but in the shortest time at that.”

The Pope shook her head slowly.

“Delram Plerr, you are undoubtedly a Crusader of this age.”
“Thank you.”
“But I heard something from the Bishop. I’m told you wish to keep the nature of our Radiance Church’s connection to you hidden for now—is that true?”
“Yes, I would prefer it remain concealed for as long as possible.”
“Then we shall make no official announcement. We should also forgo any commemorative ceremony or celebration. After all, these are hardly times when we humans can afford such luxuries…”

The Pope’s face was drawn tight as she spoke.
The Divine Revelation that Nuark had mentioned—the extinction of humanity!

In truth, her faith in it was mixed.
Seeing that she had caught a demon suggested she had indeed received a revelation… but that alone was no proof that humanity’s extinction was real.
They were entirely different matters, after all.

The one who received the revelation was also troubling.
Normally, revelations came to the Pope, yet this one had come to the Bishop instead.
And so she could not entirely set aside a thread of doubt.
The Radiance Church was, for all its appearance, the single largest religion.
Any rash move would send shockwaves through the world.

‘But…’

The Pope regarded Delram with penetrating eyes.
Three trials that were impossible to pass without divine guidance.
And before her stood a Crusader who had broken through all of them at once.

But who had recommended this Delram?
It was none other than Bishop Nuark.

That meant the Radiance God had willed all of it.
In other words, the Divine Revelation Nuark had heard was real—and it also meant a world where Crusaders were desperately needed was steadily approaching.
Something like the extinction of mankind, for instance.

“Let us move elsewhere. This discussion seems like it will take time.”
“Of course.”

Delram led the way without hesitation.
Mankind’s extinction or not—he needed his armor first.

* * *

A week.
That was how long Delram had not left his chamber.

Of course, nothing was actually wrong with him.
He’d lost track of time entirely, captivated by his new plaything.

“Bryunanth.”
Hum—

It was the armor he wore that responded to his murmur.
Golden in hue, with Divine Characters densely inscribed across its surface.
Thin enough that it looked ceremonial rather than meant for actual combat.

And its protective capability was indeed mediocre.
Any competent knight could pierce it with their aura if they tried hard enough.
That is, if they could get close enough.

Flash!

Every time the armor flashed with holy light, something changed in the room.
Miscellaneous objects—books, flowerpots, pillows, plates, and the like—
were suddenly enveloped in rounded barriers.

“Hmm.”

Delram picked up the flowerpot and examined it closely.
A sixty-four-sided Protective Barrier, shimmering gold, enclosed the pot.
He rapped it with his knuckles; it felt solid as stone.
Like striking a barrier forged from steel.

His own experiments had confirmed as much.
It would take Delram himself—channeling his full aura and striking with all his might—to shatter it.
Which meant any lower-rank knight was utterly helpless against it.
Could an Intermediate-rank Knight break through? Perhaps.

“But here’s the thing: it’s not single-use.”

If an Intermediate-rank Knight came along and destroyed the barrier?
He could simply cast it again.

Hum— hum— hum—

Delram flicked his finger toward the flowerpot.
The barrier vanished, then reappeared with each gesture.
Its activation was entirely at his command, bending freely to his will.

Naturally, he could distinguish between friend and foe, shielding only his allies.
Or he could concentrate it solely on himself if needed.
Then the Protective Barrier became far more resilient.

‘I’m learning this faster than expected.’

The instruction manual that came with Bryunanth, courtesy of Nuark.
According to it, the technique was supposed to be quite difficult to master.

Placing a Protective Barrier on a target was simple enough at first.
The real problem was timing.
Without sufficient practice, activation took considerable time.
But who had the luxury to spend that long in the heat of battle?

That’s why speed and precision were crucial.
Guard an ally in the front lines, withdraw the barrier when they retreated, then swiftly deploy it to protect another comrade in danger—it was a constant juggling act.

‘This is harder than I thought.’

Which explained why Crusaders throughout history took time to master it.
Those with talent could master it in months; those without, years.

Delram was no exception.
At first, he’d stumbled through the motions clumsily, floundering for ages.
Creating a single Protective Barrier took over five minutes.

But somehow he’d picked it up surprisingly fast.
You might say he’d discovered a knack for it.

—Hoot.

And he had the owl to thank for that.
Bryunanth had a strangely similar resonance to the creature.
When he called upon the Wind in concert with the owl.
When he borrowed its spiritual energy at the bird’s behest.
By studying that pattern and practicing, his skill had grown by leaps and bounds.

‘Now I can protect about ten people at once, I think.’

Delram withdrew all the Protective Barriers from the room.
Regrettably, he couldn’t sustain them indefinitely.
They consumed Divine Force, a finite resource.

Divine Force was stored within the Divine Characters inscribed on his armor.
Ideally, the proper method was for the wearer to replenish those inscriptions whenever they had leisure time, filling them with their own Divine Force in advance.

But Delram?
He possessed no Divine Force to speak of.

So his only option was to wait.
To wait roughly three days for the Divine Force to regenerate on its own.
He was wearing a half-strength version of Bryunanth, in effect.

‘What is this… Do I need to start believing in the Radiance God or something?’

The thought crossed his mind, but he shook his head.
True, the Radiance God didn’t seem likely to reject him.
It had openly favored him during the Crusader trial, after all.

‘I might even end up with Divine Force exceeding the Pope’s.’

Yet despite that prospect, his unease had a simple explanation.
There was the matter of having to abandon all the Mana he’d accumulated so far—

‘But in the end, it’s just strength granted by someone else.’

That was as much as saying his limits were fixed from birth itself.
And what if, against all odds, the Radiance God reclaimed the Divine Force?
The instant that happened, Delram would become nothing—stripped of everything.

Of course, he didn’t think the Radiance God would do such a thing.
Yet this wasn’t a matter of trust—it was a matter of the heart.

‘It doesn’t suit my fighting style either.’

How did Delram fight?
From weaponry to tactics, strategy, and mindset—
everything was specialized in killing his enemies.

But Divine Force was centered on defense, healing, and blessing.
How could he fight properly, shackled like that?

‘Then let’s look at the next ability.’

Delram focused his mind.
The Protective Barrier was certainly formidable, but it wasn’t everything.
There was Bryunanth’s second ability—the true power.

Divine Covenant.

A sacred magic that actually granted the other’s wish.
No—it was the authority of a god.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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