The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World Chapter 746- Divine Paladin Takes the Field (2)

Reinhardt never looked away from Vanessa. His eyes trembled as he thought quietly. A moment later, he asked, "How long?"

The knight blinked.

"Commander?"

"How long has it been since the curse claimed her life?"

Both Leona and the Extreme Knight exchanged puzzled glances. Neither understood why he would ask such a question.

Nevertheless, the knight answered honestly.

"Five days... it has been a little over five days."

The grief in her voice was unmistakable.

"Five days, huh..."

Reinhardt softly repeated. Then he nodded and calmly spoke to them.

"Leave the tent."

Leona frowned.

"Reinhardt?"

The man remained firm.

"I need a few moments alone."

Although confused, neither Leona nor the Extreme Knight questioned him further. They silently stepped outside.

Once they were gone, only Reinhardt and Vanessa remained. The silence felt almost suffocating.

Reinhardt gazed quietly at the sleeping woman. A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Vanessa, it’s still too early for you to rest. We still haven’t wiped every last demon from this world. The peaceful future we dreamed about when we first became knights is still far away."

Saying that, he slowly reached toward her hand.

"So allow me to bear this burden instead."

The next moment, an overwhelming divine radiance erupted from his body.

"[Ultimate Skill... Resurrection of the Fallen]."

Resurrection of the Fallen: An ultimate divine miracle that calls back the soul of those whose thread has not yet completely faded from the world. By offering an equal burden upon himself, the caster restores life, vitality, and soul as though death itself had been momentarily denied. The greater the cause of death, the greater the price the caster must personally bear.

A blinding pillar of golden light engulfed the entire tent.

Outside... every knight instinctively looked toward the dazzling radiance, unsure what was going on inside.

Some time later...

Reinhardt walked through the central encampment toward the command tent. Everywhere he passed, the knights stopped what they were doing. Eyes widened and conversations died midway.

By now, the news that Reinhardt had returned had already spread all across the encampment. Of course, many knights were still happy and delighted to see him.

However, right now, what they were surprised by or rather, what their eyes were staring at was not him.

But rather at the person walking behind.

One knight dropped the crate he was carrying. Another rubbed his eyes several times.

"Am I seeing things?"

"That’s... No. That’s impossible."

"Wasn’t she supposed to be..."

"That’s right... how is that possible?"

A knight from the Guardians of Divine Radiance stood completely frozen, both hands covering her mouth. Another knight looked from that person to Reinhardt and then back again, as if trying to confirm that neither was an illusion.

"How can this be? I saw her body myself. There wasn’t even a heartbeat."

The whispers followed them throughout the encampment.

The person being stared at responded to the growing attention with her usual gentle smile.

Reinhardt paid little attention to the surrounding reactions. His gaze remained fixed ahead.

The command tent was already in sight. He reached the entrance and pushed aside the flap.

Inside, the atmosphere was tense.

Erza stood at the head of the central table. Beside her were Brutus, Sigurd, Gareth, Orion, Seraphina, and several other renowned heroes of the expeditionary force. Maps covered the table. A subordinate knight was midway through giving his report.

"The eastern defensive line has fallen back another twelve kilometers. The distractionary force has established a temporary position along the Broken Ridge, but they cannot hold it for long."

It was right at this moment that the tent flap opened. Every head immediately turned toward the newcomer.

Then the moment they saw who entered, everyone wore expressions of delight and relief.

"Reinhardt!"

Brutus was the first to react. His usually ferocious expression brightened, though it still looked quite fierce.

"You’re finally back."

Erza slowly released the breath she had been holding.

"So the reports were true."

Gareth laughed.

"Hah! I knew disappearing for a month wouldn’t be enough to kill you."

Orion shook his head helplessly.

"You certainly know how to make everyone worry."

Even Erza, who was always cold to him, softened her expression after seeing him.

"Commander. We have been waiting for you."

The other Extreme Knights also felt the tension in their shoulders ease a little. After that, the knights began offering their own words of welcome.

Right then, they seemed to have noticed someone else entering the tent behind Reinhardt from the corner of their eyes, and their voices abruptly stopped.

One after another, their eyes shifted past Reinhardt. Toward the woman who had just stepped into the tent behind him.

The silence that followed was entirely different from before.

Brutus’ mouth slowly opened. Sigurd’s body froze as if he had really become a mountain-sized statue. Gareth’s smile vanished. Erza stared without blinking.

For a long moment, nobody could believe their eyes.

"Vanessa?"

Then Seraphina whispered the name as though afraid speaking it aloud would cause the figure to disappear.

Seeing everyone’s reaction, Vanessa smiled awkwardly.

"It is me."

No one moved. No, it would be more appropriate to say that no one was capable of moving at this moment, as everyone was struck dumb.

The reaction was natural. After all, the person they all presumed dead had suddenly appeared before them.

Brutus was the first to recover. He pointed at her with a trembling finger.

"How are you... we saw... that... weren’t you... the curses..."

Brutus couldn’t even form a complete sentence. This showed the level of his and everyone’s shock.

The entire tent became silent again.

Vanessa gently touched her chest. Feeling the beating of her heart again, she spoke.

"I know."

Those words only made their expressions stranger, so she quickly added.

"Sir Reinhardt saved me."

Her gaze moved toward the Divine Paladin.

"If not for him, I would still be... I suppose I would not be standing here."

She smiled softly and beautifully.

Looking at her, everyone opened their mouths, seemingly wanting to say something. But no words formed.

Though Vanessa had returned from the dead, there was no weakness in her body. Her skin had regained its healthy color. Her breathing was steady. Even the holy energy flowing through her body felt pure and vibrant.

There was no sign that hundreds of curses had once ravaged her body. No sign that she had spent five days as a lifeless corpse. Everything seemed like an illusion.

The heroes immediately turned their doubtful gazes toward Reinhardt. The relief in their eyes transformed into bewilderment.

Erza was the first to ask the question occupying everyone’s mind.

"What did you do? Vanessa should have died after taking all those curses. How did you bring back someone who had already been dead for five days? And what happened to the curses?"

Seraphina stepped closer and carefully sensed Vanessa’s aura. Her expression became even more astonished.

"There is no corruption remaining. Not even a trace."

The other heroes also noticed that and nodded.

"Her vitality is completely stable."

"Her soul is intact. She is healthier than most of the people in this tent. There is no trace of her being afflicted with curses anymore."

Brutus looked at Reinhardt.

"What kind of skill can accomplish something like this?"

Reinhardt remained calm. He had already expected their reaction. After all, bringing someone back from the dead... it was a skill that had already surpassed the level of a mortal.

"It was an Ultimate skill."

Everyone waited for him to elaborate. But of course, how could he give out such crucial information?

He thought over for a moment before speaking again.

"It is a skill particularly effective against curses and injuries involving the soul."

That explanation answered almost nothing.

Erza raised an eyebrow.

"That still doesn’t explain how you brought back the dead."

"The effect is complicated." Reinhardt stepped toward the table. "I will explain it properly when the current crisis has been resolved."

Thankfully, the situation played to his favor. He could get away without revealing his busted skills.

The heroes exchanged glances. There were countless questions they wanted to ask. What kind of skill could bring a person back from the dead? What price had the skill demanded? Could he revive anyone? Were there limitations? Had Vanessa truly died or only entered some form of suspended state?

However, Reinhardt clearly had no intention of discussing it further. Considering the situation outside and getting the cue, they reluctantly allowed the matter to rest.

For now, what mattered most was the war. Although they were hard-pressed, with Reinhardt’s and Vanessa’s return, things were finally turning for the better.

Reinhardt stepped beside Erza and cast his gaze across the map. Countless black markers covered the surrounding territory. The expeditionary force appeared almost completely encircled.

Although he had learned much from the knights he rescued and Leona, they too didn’t know about the recent development of the war.

He looked toward Erza.

"How bad is it?"

Erza discarded all unnecessary thoughts. Her expression returned to its previous solemnity.

"Thanks to the Saintess’ sacrifice... we are still holding somehow."