Chapter 1282: Beyond Human Comprehension (5)

Kugugugu!!!!

The wall of flesh covering the terminal’s interior facilities vanished, engulfed in flames.

Crimson flames painted the space like red pigment, burning away all background.

Soon, it was incinerated cleanly, leaving not even a handful of ash, returning to its original form.

An unrealistic spellcraft manipulation ability that cleanly erased only the traces of forbidden magic covering the interior facilities, without touching them at all.

Overwhelming magical aptitude that controlled fire, the medium, as freely as a part of his own body.

The array device equipped on the arm of the young man, who gazed down at the Apostle with an expressionless face amidst the scattered flames.

Aileen, who had been staring blankly at the sight, slightly parted her lips.

“……”

There was no mistake.

The very person she had debated fiercely with the old gentleman on the train.

The one Aileen had been searching for while meticulously scouring the areas near Deadrise’s 2nd Command on the Eastern Continent.

Known as the master of the First Gate, who had killed an Apostle and a Spell Master, and stopped the Gabihaeng.

The Transcendent, called the strongest flame wizard on the Eastern Continent, was none other than—

[Kuaaaaaaaak!!!!]

Kwaaaang!!!

The former 9th Apostle, who had been collapsed beneath the shattered escalator fragments, sprang to his feet.

The Incarnation Body was engulfed in active flames, writhing and screaming grotesquely.

[Kuaaaaa……!!! Kua, ahahahaat!!! Puhahahahahahaat!!!!]

The scream turned into a groan, the groan into laughter, and the laughter soon transformed into a roar bordering on hysterics.

He raised his mana, his entire body erupting with a heavy engine sound, and pointed at Lennok, laughing madly.

[Cheonbeon!! You are that Cheonbeon……!! The wizard we marked for assassination in the Pantheon!!!!]

“……”

[No wonder, I sensed a subtly irritating presence from you…… you were that Apostle-Slayer. That’s why I wanted to tear you apart and kill you!!!!]

Cheolkeok!!

The Apostle, his melting upper right body dripping, took a step and sneered.

[They said you were a wizard who gained a famous but empty reputation by killing the former 10th Apostle? I heard your name was often mentioned in the Central, making the Priestess uncomfortable!!]

“This generation’s Priestess truly loves recycling.”

Lennok stared intently at the Apostle.

“Does she even try to reuse a top-tier Apostle who has fallen from their rank? Well, if she’s not satisfied until she sees and judges everything with her own eyes, it’s not strange.”

The Apostle before him, whose upper half had melted away, was originally a top-tier Apostle who had held the Ninth Seat.

Although he had fallen from his rank, having lost his power due to degradation, he was undoubtedly a monster who once possessed such immense power.

If the Priestess intended to revive his power by fusing an Imperial artifact with the Apostle, his presence here made sense, but…

“Rather, I’d like to hear more about what you just blabbered. What exactly does this ‘final confrontation with the Order Alliance’ mean?”

[Hah, why should I tell you? A wizard who was defeated and brought to his knees by Adamant Thunder dares to speak so presumptuously……!!!!]

The 9th Apostle echoed with a seething voice, yet did not cease his mockery.

[I heard all the rumors about you. That you were afraid to fight that lightning again, and ran away, even kicking away a commander position at the Legion Parade, didn’t you?]

“……”

Lennok glanced, and Aileen, who had been staring blankly at him, inadvertently averted her eyes.

Only then did Lennok understand the Apostle’s reaction and somewhat deduce the situation.

It seemed that news of the Legion Parade and the Subjugation Operation had spread, causing Cheonbeon’s reputation to plummet significantly.

If even a high-ranking Apostle, who usually paid no attention to worldly affairs, knew of it, then the rumor must have spread widely throughout the Central Front.

As if more exhilarated by Lennok’s reaction, the Apostle pointed a finger and yelled loudly.

[You pathetic loser!!! Are you calling yourself an Apostle-Slayer, you coward who ran away from a war!!! All your achievements must have been just lucky coincidences!!!]

“……”

[How dare you still operate in the Central after suffering the humiliation of your rank dropping in the Power Ranking!!! Aren’t you ashamed?!!!]

“You monster dare to spout nonsense…!”

Aileen flared up, but the Apostle ignored her glare and looked around at the surging flames.

[I’m not afraid of your flames!!! They’re just flashy with no real substance, aren’t they!!! Isn’t that what all flame magic is like?!!]

“I wouldn’t know.”

Lennok replied to the Apostle’s mocking roar.

“I’ve never had any particular impression of it since I first learned it. Obtaining flame-heat magic was almost an accident to begin with.”

“……”

“I added various meanings as I built up my rank, but most of them were spontaneous results.”

Aileen flinched and averted her gaze, but Lennok quietly looked down at his own hands.

“Ultimately, no matter how I say it, it wasn’t my foremost means. Perhaps that’s why I’ve used this ability merely as a tool all this time.”

[Puhahahahahaat!!!! Are you trying to attach a plausible reason to your unsightly behavior now?!!]

“No. What’s the point in pretending it wasn’t true now?”

Lennok chuckled.

“I’m merely being a little more honest than before. After all, all magic is just a part of my means.”

[What nonsense are you—]

“If it’s a tool, it should be treated like a tool. If it’s a weapon, like a weapon. Thoroughly and reliably, that’s enough.”

Hwareuk!!

The moment he clenched his fist, intense heat erupted from the array device.

Lennok, wreathed in scattering flames, fixed his gaze on the Apostle, his red eyes flashing.

“Just as an Apostle should be properly crushed.”

[Khahahahahahaat!!!! You wizards really do talk such shit!!!!!]

The Apostle roared with laughter, drew forth mana, and charged at Lennok.

[I’ll rip out your tongue and smash your head right now!!!]

Kwaaaaang!!!

Pipes and wings erupted from the Apostle’s melting upper body, transforming him into a form beyond human.

The Apostle, now in the shape of an inhuman monster, accelerated explosively with a heavy engine sound, becoming a dull light.

The monster, roaring as it burst through and crushed the air, ravenously reached out for Lennok in the accelerating time.

Swaaaeeaaek-!!!!

The Apostle’s sharply raised grasp distorted as if to seize and tear out Lennok’s neck.

Simultaneously piercing and crushing the Adam’s apple, he would then grab the human tongue that had grown above it and rip it out in one go.

In the accelerating consciousness, as the Apostle unhesitatingly confirmed the outcome and poured strength into his entire body, at that very moment.

“You haven’t understood a single word I’ve said.”

The Apostle’s massive body, which had lunged right in front of him, was vertically pressed down in place and slammed into the floor.

Jjeoeeoeoong!!!!

[Kahak?!!!]

As a reddish shockwave rose like a halo, his back bent backward, his spine fractured, and bones twisted.

All the grotesque, membranous wings that had sprouted like a rash on his body shattered and broke, scattering polluted blood.

An immense impact, capable of shaking the entire terminal main building as if it would collapse with a single spellcraft.

The Apostle, whose head was buried beneath Lennok’s foot, vomited only after understanding what had just happened.

“I meant that the output and limits of magic have been meaningless to me from the start.”

[You, son of a……!! Impossible……!!!]

“Enough. Tell me what the cult is doing here right now.”

Kwajik!!

Lennok, stepping on the Apostle’s head, which was bent like a broken wing, looked down at him while smoking a cigar.

“This is a crossroads leading to the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors, even from the outskirts of the Central Front. It’s no coincidence that an Apostle like you was loitering here.”

[Kul-luk!! Kueeok……!!!]

“The ‘final confrontation with the Order Alliance’ you mentioned seems different from the plan I ‘know’. That must be related to some ritual the Priestess is preparing.”

The only foreseen clash between the Order Alliance and the Guido Cult that Lennok knew of was the Order Alliance Leader’s ‘Second Apostle Hunt’ plan.

However, the cult couldn’t possibly know that, so the confrontation this monster spoke of must be something else.

If the ritual led by Ureka Naydree was related to that confrontation, it would mean the Priestess’s objective was completely different from the Order Alliance’s.

“The war between the Order Alliance and the Guido Cult entered a stalemate long ago. Why are they moving to end the war now?”

Kugugugu…!!!

As Lennok intensified his power, glaring at the Apostle with icy eyes, the Apostle’s opposite upper body was crushed and flattened.

Every time the Apostle resisted and convulsed, the underwater terminal shook as if sharing the damage, yet his body did not move at all.

As Lennok drew mana, speaking each word deliberately, the muscular Apostle was crushed into the floor.

“Is the Priestess, in the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors, seeking a way to erase the Order Alliance?”

[G-guaaak……!!!!]

This was dangerous.

This was not the flame the Apostle knew.

A terrifying sensation, as if burning the broken and maddened 9th Apostle’s soul from its very root.

Like a real flame, it crushed his Incarnation Body and mind to the very bottom, along with his pride.

Something utterly unimaginable from Cheonbeon’s undeserved reputation the Apostle had heard, something overwhelmingly superior to the cult’s sanctity—

[I don’t know, you fuuuck!!!!]

Paang!!!

As the Apostle, pinned under Lennok’s foot, convulsed and slammed the ground, his mana spread across the surface and extended outside the terminal.

An astonishing propagation speed, comparable to the speed of consciousness. Simultaneously, the ground outside the terminal began to vibrate violently.

Kugugugugu…!!!

“Wait, surely……!!”

An ominous presence, as if something colossal was rushing towards the terminal from afar.

Dozens of flesh-covered trains, derailed from the tunnel tracks, were speeding towards them.

Kwagwagwa!!!!!

Oodeudeudeuk!!!

[Kieeeeaak!!]

[Keureureureuk!!!]

Trains covered in mutated entities, screaming grotesquely, accelerated powerfully and charged towards the terminal.

Hundreds of tons of metal mass collided from all directions, sending fragments like machine-gun fire onto the building.

Soon, accelerating at immense speed, they pierced through the main building where Lennok and the Apostle stood.

Kwaaaaaaaaang!!!!

[Khahahahat!!! You idiotic bastard, do you think I’d tell you that?!!]

The Apostle, standing atop the exploding train fragments after ramming into Lennok, laughed madly.

Even at this moment, he swiftly moved onto the continuously charging trains, dashing forward.

[You may boast of being an Apostle-Slayer, but that’s all you are!!! You can’t kill me!!]

Dudududu!!!!

The Apostle’s massive body barely grazed the terminal building, speeding through the wide-open underwater tunnel to the side.

Aileen, kicking away the debris of the collapsed terminal building, ran out, shouting urgently.

“He’s escaping!! We have to intercept him……!!!”

The entire area was an underwater tunnel stretching over several kilometers. There was no suitable means of transport visible nearby.

If the Apostle succeeded in escaping here, tracing him would be difficult without spellcraft interception.

Aileen, having made a split-second decision, spun around.

“There should be an intact car in the annex parking lot or garage. I’ll bring it, so you just keep him busy for now—!!”

“No.”

The moment Lennok snapped his fingers, he erupted flames, pushing away the debris of the collapsed wall.

Lennok walked out to the tunnel outside the tracks and nodded, looking at the object standing before him.

“This is enough. Get on.”

“……Are you kidding me right now?”

A forklift, abandoned near the tunnel, meant for transporting train luggage.

Far from being a proper vehicle, it was completely open front, back, and sides, allowing wind to blow through.

Aileen, staring incredulously at the forklift, which was unsuitable for speed in every way, asked.

“How do you expect to catch that monster with this? It’s already about to gain speed…….”

Chaltak!!

With a sound like a lighter flicking, a reddish magic circle rotated in Lennok’s hand.

The moment he placed his hand on the forklift, flames erupted explosively from the rear of the vehicle.

Flame-Heat Unique Magic

Property Transformation Manifestation

[Ignition: 48-fold]

[Crimson Wheel Maneuver]

[Flying Flame Swiftness]

Kwaaaaaaaaang!!!!

Dozens of crimson flames exploded from the rear of the forklift, simultaneously boosting the vehicle forward like thrusters.

The small form of the forklift accelerated in place with a roar, using that recoil as explosive power.

Aileen’s body, instinctively gripping the accelerating vehicle, was sharply thrown forward and dragged along.

Paaaang!!!

“……!!!”

Kwagwagwagwa!!!

The forklift, erupting tremendous flames, sped across the vast underwater tunnel at an incredible pace.

The rushing wind pushed Lennok and Aileen, clinging to the forklift, as if lashing them.

Not even riding in the vehicle, but holding onto its frame, the recoil felt as if they would be flung off at any moment.

‘The propulsion……!!’

A speed capable of catching up to an already near-subsonic maritime train and tailing it in mere seconds.

Could such propulsion be achieved just by using flames as boosters and igniting them?

Before Aileen could be astonished by the unrealistic speed, which wasn’t even fully tangible despite being on it, Lennok spoke.

“I’m going to throw it. Jump.”

“Huh?”

There was no reply.

The moment Lennok unleashed a shockwave to push the woman out of the forklift, he also escaped.

Simultaneously, he manipulated the flames to throw the forklift upwards.

Kwaaaa!!

The forklift, wreathed in flames like boosters, gained speed and flew into the air.

The forklift, unable to resist the acceleration and gaining lift, soared towards the wheels beneath the train.

As the forklift was sucked into the fiercely spinning wheels, its entire chassis exploded.

The train, which had just begun to accelerate, lost its balance and slammed its nose into the ground.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaang!!!!

The flesh-covered chassis crashed, tumbling and roaring throughout the tunnel.

Mutated entities screamed and were flung out amidst the scattering train fragments.

Amidst them, the Apostle, whose entire body had transformed into metal, sprang up and roared.

[Puhahahahat!! It’s over, you idiots!!!]

Kwaaaa!!!

Each time the engine embedded in his chest rotated, pipes and wings sprouted all over his body, transforming him into a monstrous, inhuman form.

The screaming Apostle accelerated alone, emitting a fierce engine sound from his entire body.

He traversed the tunnel with such freedom that his previous escape seemed meaningless.

But Aileen, even while falling, saw his form and immediately her expression hardened.

‘He never intended to escape from the start. Then why did he deliberately waste time……!!’

Kwagwagwagwa!!!!

The Apostle’s massive body furiously raced along the ceiling and walls of the underwater tunnel, trampling and shattering them.

Train fragments, exploding upon impact, jammed into the cracks running along the tunnel’s outer wall, adding to the shock.

Through the cracked outer wall of the tunnel, seawater began to erupt and pour down.

Swaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

An enormous amount of seawater began to pour down onto the vast main building of the underwater terminal.

The moment Lennok and Aileen simultaneously recognized the omen and looked up, the Apostle moved without hesitation.

He began low-altitude flight at immense speed, circling halfway. Using his accumulated acceleration as force, he rammed into the falling Lennok.

With a powerful resonance, he slammed Lennok’s body at incredible speed into the annex building of the terminal.

Jjeoeoeoeoong!!!!

The pillars and steel frames supporting the annex building broke, causing the building to collapse in place.

Sports cars in the VIP parking lot near the annex were thrown forward by the impact.

[The demise I serve is a parched wing. It is the incarnation of a disaster that devoured the sun and became a god with a dried, burned body.]

Kwaang!!

The Apostle, landing in front of the collapsing building amidst exploding dust, twitched his body, from which pipes and wings protruded, and spoke.

[I eat what burns, and in exchange for losing my wings, I accelerate faster than anything.]

“So that’s why you’ve been messing around here, treating humans as toys.”

Kuung!!

Lennok, grasping a falling steel beam with one arm, retorted.

Jeongryun Barrier and Divine Barrier simultaneously activated, protecting his body and reinforcing his physical strength.

Lennok slowly threw the steel beam aside and, tossing his extinguished cigar, said.

“Was performing a sacrificial ritual with the terminal as your stage also to draw out the maximum power of the Outer God you serve?”

[Kukukuk, so what if it was.]

The Apostle hunched over and shrugged, as if sneering.

[Now your flames can no longer pose a significant threat to me.]

“……”

Swaaaaaaaa!!!!

The cracks in the tunnel’s outer wall, shattered by the Apostle, rapidly spread, and seawater poured down.

The stream of water falling from the ceiling intensified, turning into a downpour, mingling with the heat blazing all around.

The Apostle’s true objective in keeping his distance from Lennok and choosing to flee.

It was to partially collapse the entire underwater terminal and drown both of them here.

[The characteristic of flame-heat magic lies in its diffusion and amplification through heat. And through that, the amplification of its output and scale.]

The Apostle spoke leisurely.

[You won’t be unable to use flame-heat magic just because the surroundings are covered in water, but unless you burn away the entire sea, the diffusion of heat you boast of will inevitably be suppressed. Then your options will also be extremely narrow.]

“……”

The Apostle also didn’t think he could perfectly suppress Cheonbeon’s flames with just this much environmental change.

That monstrous wizard would surely try to ignite hellish flames even underwater to burn his soul.

However, the seawater flowing into the terminal would continuously increase, and it would be endless unless the entire Sea of Understanding was evaporated.

No matter how brilliant a genius, simultaneously burning seawater and the Apostle with magic would inevitably wear down his nerves.

[Due to the terminal’s structure, it’s still holding up, but soon the entire tunnel will fill with water, leaving no room to breathe. How long do you think you can last then…….]

The Apostle cracked his shoulders and let out a sinister laugh, as if imagining a rosy future.

[I will rip out your neck and take it to the Pantheon. Bringing the head of the Apostle-Slayer who killed Amrita will repay the grace I received from the Priestess.]

“……”

[I’ll also get back the position of the Ninth Apostle that I lost when I broke. I’ll be more useful than that mad centipede anyway. Khahahahat!!!]

“……Is that so.”

Lennok took a step.

“The rumors spreading in the world. They don’t seem as bad as I thought.”

[What?]

“To come all this way and, instead of running away, try to kill me by attacking in reverse…… If other Apostles are like you, things will be a little easier from now on.”

Swaaaaaaaa!!!!

Receiving the seawater that began to fall like a waterfall overhead, he spread his flame-shimmering hand.

The flames in Lennok’s hand did not lose power even within the falling water stream, burning more fiercely and radiating light.

Hwareureureuk!!!

[Wha- what is it.]

“If my flames frighten you so much, I’ll show you something else.”

At the moment the Apostle, feeling a faint fear of Lennok’s flames from the previous battle, flinched.

Lennok, extending his hand wreathed in blazing flames, slightly closed his eyes and concentrated.

“It seems to have become quite a stage.”

Hwaaaaaak……!!!

The flames that erupted in his hand blazed dazzlingly, raising their heat to the extreme.

The flames, having surpassed their limits and reached transcendence, then lost their inherent properties, ‘shaving away’ to leave behind only opposing attributes.

Flame-Heat Unique Magic

Property Transformation Decasing Manifestation

Jjeojeojeojeok……!!!

It wasn’t just Adamant Thunder’s identity that grew stronger after regaining control of the rampaging lightning magic and achieving transcendence.

The potential gained after restoring magic output control and deepening his understanding of spellcraft.

Here, once again, he manifested the Extreme Art of spellcraft he had learned from Myeong at the First Gate.

A transcendent miracle that, upon reaching the extreme of one attribute, shaves it away, refining and processing only its opposing nature.

A power that could only be wielded by recreating the art of Decasing, which he had only used with black magic and lightning magic, with flame-heat magic.

Holding the potential of the dead Outer God, the Cold Comet—

[……Cold?]

Saaaaak!!

By now, a bluish cold aura was swirling and flowing from Lennok’s hand.

At this moment, when the backlash from the rampaging Incarnation Body and magic had disappeared, and there was no longer any need to conserve power for the Subjugation Operation.

All that remained after hearing Cheonbeon’s reputation and guessing the cult’s objective was to fully unleash and test the new spellcraft on the monster before him.

“Come at me.”

Clenching the icy cold, Lennok took a step forward.

“I’ll show you the power of a god…… which your cult so loves, for a moment.”