Chapter 1474: The First Apostle Hunt (8)
KWHAAAANG!!!!
The glass windows surrounding The Nest shattered, and Lennok’s body fell toward the corridor below.
Wrapping his coat around himself to block the showering fragments, Lennok slid to a halt against an inner wall littered with corpses.
The moment Lennok, covering his face with one hand, raised his gaze, a black-haired boy leaped out from within the broken window.
KUUUUNG!!
As he landed in front of Lennok, the heavy chains bound to both his arms let out a deafening clang.
The boy moved as if unhindered, despite being burdened by a mass of chains that looked heavier than his own body.
“It’s been a while since I’ve moved my body, so I’m a bit stiff. When facing a strong opponent like you, even such trivial things become a concern.”
“…”
“I’ve heard stories about you to no end, Adamant Thunder. The peerless genius who defeated an Ascendant in a human body, they say?”
The boy, slowly getting to his feet, stretched his neck languidly and spoke.
“I should have met you in Vulcan, but I was far too late. But things always have a way of flowing as they should.”
“…I see.”
Contrary to his youthful appearance, his speech was grave and stiff. A barbaric yet menacing fighting spirit, reminiscent of an ancient warrior.
The killing intent surging from his entire body seemed to materialize, coiling and rising around the boy like smoke.
An intense sense of incongruity that would be impossible to miss even in a crowd, one that made it impossible to think of him as an ordinary human.
“So you’re the Cult’s Third Apostle.”
The Guido Cult’s Third Apostle.
Does this mean a top-ranking Apostle, whose hierarchy is comparable to the Second Apostle, has joined this assault?
“I didn’t expect the Cult’s 3rd Apostle to have such a youthful appearance.”
“Outward appearances mean nothing to us.”
The boy spoke in what seemed like an old-fashioned tone.
CHAAENG!!
He swung the chain bound to one arm, and it whipped out, tangling among the weapons scattered all around.
Snagging a massive halberd once used by a Knight of Rectitude with the chain, the boy pulled it toward him and stepped forward.
“It seems you’ve been opposing the Cult for quite some time. I heard the 11th Priestess is going mad, unable to withstand your power.”
“…”
“You possess outstanding talent, yet it seems you’ve chosen the wrong side to stand on. It was inevitable that our paths would cross.”
CHALKEOK!!
The boy, shouldering the chain-bound halberd at an angle, spoke.
“To be able to feel an opponent’s momentum this intensely with a clear mind, even after the Holy War… At times like this, I can truly appreciate the Priestess’s ability.”
“From the sound of it, you must have been lost in madness for quite some time. Did you return to the battlefield with the Priestess’s help?”
Hearing the 3rd Apostle’s words, Lennok immediately recalled the information he had seen about him in the Power Ranking.
[3rd Place. 3rd Apostle, Hughes. Level 8 Martyr. Guido Cult.]
=A top-tier power of the Guido Cult. The third apostle who serves the Demise of the Outer Sea, ‘The Crusher’. Has the appearance of a young boy.
=A meritorious retainer who has existed as an Apostle since the Cult’s early days. Famous for being violent and mentally unstable.
=Numerous records state he was responsible for carrying out one-on-one duels among the Apostles during the Holy War.
=Seemed to be focused on conquering the Central Front’s advance base, but was recently marked on the ranking after appearing on the Eastern Continent.
The existence of the 3rd Apostle, ranked 3rd in the Power Ranking despite having been active on the Eastern Continent for only a very short time.
If he was responsible for one-on-one duels within the Cult, then regardless of his violent nature, he must be immensely skilled.
A top-ranking Apostle Lennok had never fought directly before. Moreover, he was one of the Cult’s pinnacles, ranked within the top three.
Considering that higher-ranking Apostles receive a stronger blessing from their Outer God, it was inevitable that the 3rd Apostle was also a monster who defied all standards.
He didn’t think he would lose, but this was not an opponent he could underestimate.
Above all, there had to be a reason why the 5th Apostle brought the 3rd Apostle, knowing full well of Lennok’s power.
The moment Lennok finished his assessment in an instant and began chanting, raising the magic in his entire body.
The figure of the 3rd Apostle standing before Lennok vanished right before his eyes.
FWOOSH-
“…!”
A perfect void, undetectable not only by the naked eye but also by his Magical Perception.
Sensing it, Lennok immediately used Flicker to leap ‘forward’.
KWHAAAAAANG!!!!!
Immediately after, the 3rd Apostle’s body appeared as if swapping places with Lennok, slamming down and crushing the ground entirely.
The boy, who had been bent over with his chained arm plunged into the floor, straightened himself up.
“You dodged forward? Your instincts are excellent. Or are you just that experienced?”
‘The weapon…’
The blade of the halberd the 3rd Apostle had been holding was horribly mangled, as if it had been crushed.
Monstrous strength, enough to destroy a weapon made of hard steel with a single light swing.
“Not only do you steal others’ weapons, but you use and discard them like consumables. Is that the power of your Apostle Spellcraft?”
“An old habit. I used to fight with a whole arsenal of weapons heavier than this.”
The 3rd Apostle replied as he turned toward Lennok.
“During the Holy War, I had to fight one powerful adversary after another. I couldn’t feel at ease unless I had several weapons by my side.”
“You’ve been talking about nothing but the Holy War. Can you not speak without mentioning that experience?”
“Perhaps.”
The boy readily agreed with Lennok’s provocation.
“My time stopped long ago. For a very long time after the Holy War ended… I had to wander through the dreams of the Outer God I serve.”
“…”
“Because I remained broken for so long, even now, facing you, it doesn’t quite feel like I’m alive. I am merely vaguely aware of what I must do.”
CHALKEOK!!
The boy spoke, winding the chain around his arm.
“So I hope you are a worthier opponent than the adversaries of the Holy War. In truth, this is all I can do for Him now.”
“An Apostle who serves an Outer God, spouting nonsense as if you were some prideful warrior.”
Lennok smiled coldly.
“Don’t worry. Blasting Apostles’ heads apart is my specialty.”
KIIIIIIING…!!!
With those words, Lennok raised his magic, and the Eight Trigrams Formation began to spin, slowing his perception of time to the extreme.
The instant the 3rd Apostle’s body vanished and reappeared in Lennok’s vision, which was enhanced by his Mystic Eye and the Golden Rule.
Inside the collapsing Nest, the figures of the wizard and the Apostle clashed at tremendous speed.
TADADADADADANG!!!!
Blue lightning exploded from Lennok’s hands after he fired, while the 3rd Apostle swung both arms, his chains lashing out to snatch nearby weapons.
Dozens of weapons scattered among the corpses were ensnared by the chains, spinning and thrashing about at incredible speed.
An eerie light flashed along with the illusion of a distorting atmosphere, and a shockwave exploded, centered on the two of them.
KWAANG!!
Breaking through the glass inner wall, the figures of Lennok and the 3rd Apostle shot out and accelerated side by side.
Despite exchanging hundreds of blows in the blink of an eye, neither Lennok nor the 3rd Apostle was scratched.
However, watching the boy run wild while swinging the chains on his arms, Lennok’s eyes flashed coldly.
CHAREUREUREUK!!!
‘He parried all of them? What monstrous reflexes.’
The number of lightning spells Lennok had chanted toward the 3rd Apostle since the start of the engagement was 42 types, for a total of 667 times.
He had thrown the first 81 to test his opponent’s skill, then layered double the number of spells with twice the power underneath them.
He had drastically increased the number of chants with the Extreme Art, Fifth Law and individually altered every trajectory, yet the 3rd Apostle had parried all of Lennok’s lightning head-on.
With the chains bound to his arms, he snatched the abandoned weapons nearby and swung them, using every single one like a disposable item that broke after a single use before tossing it aside.
His proficiency in handling those heavy chains was incredible, but what was more astonishing was the 3rd Apostle’s reflexes in reacting to and striking down Lennok’s magic.
He wasn’t winning a psychological battle against Lennok, nor was he continuing the exchange through strategic calculation.
The 3rd Apostle was literally ‘seeing’ the magic Lennok fired and reacting to strike it down.
“Hahahahat!! So there was a reason he was so concerned!!!”
The boy, planting his hands on the ground and changing direction like a beast, burst into laughter.
“He said we had to make a move beforehand, and it was true!! How can a wizard…!!!”
The moment Lennok’s hand swept sideways through the air, various lightning spells were multi-casted and poured out, following his fingertips.
A pillar of white lightning struck down, and a sphere of lightning rose from below, rotating and scattering fragments.
The exploding fragments of lightning became sharp thunder lances, raining down as shockwaves rampaged.
But the 3rd Apostle didn’t even try to dodge the barrage raining down from all sides, charging straight through it.
With the chains on his arms, he snatched the weapons scattered around and spun his body, parrying the falling thunder lances.
JJEJEJEJEJEONG!!!!
The polearms abandoned everywhere were mere scraps of metal that couldn’t withstand even a single strike from Lennok’s lightning.
But the 3rd Apostle utilized the crumbling weapons to their absolute limit, twisting and deflecting the trajectories of the lightning and parrying the bombardment at incredible speed.
Even after all the surrounding weapons were used once and discarded, completely destroyed, he reached out for the ceaselessly falling thunder lances—
He snatched a thunder lance falling from the air and swung it, using it to strike down Lennok’s other spells.
KWHAAAAAANG!!!
“…You’re insane.”
“It’s been a while!!”
He moved without a care, even as his hand caught fire and the nerves in his arm were destroyed the moment he grabbed the thunder lance.
A wondrous feat, grabbing Lennok’s thunder lance to replace his depleted weapons and using it to reverse the trajectory and deflect the bombardment.
Before Lennok could react to this response, which was hard to tell if it was reckless or marvelous, the 3rd Apostle moved.
SWEEEAEK!!!
Through a narrow gap between the downpour of lightning, a space barely wide enough to fit an arm.
He twisted his whole body as if folding it into that space, dodging the lightning bombardment and closing the distance in an instant.
Just as the boy, arriving before Lennok faster than sound, reached out his hand to pierce his heart.
Lennok’s form vanished like an illusion, and in its place, a gloved hand snatched the boy’s face.
THWACK!!
“Got you.”
Within Lennok’s hand covering the 3rd Apostle’s face, a searing blue ball of lightning flashed and compressed.
Just as he was about to detonate it at point-blank range, directly striking the 3rd Apostle’s brain—
“Not a chance!!”
The boy twisted his neck right where he stood, dodging the lightning exploding right in front of him.
[Piercing Trample]
PAAAAAANG!!!!!
Behind the 3rd Apostle, who had unnaturally twisted his neck, the beam of lightning that had narrowly missed him exploded fiercely.
Its aftermath penetrated the collapsing Nest building horizontally and extended for dozens of meters behind.
Lennok inadvertently expressed his admiration at the marvelous reaction speed that was hard to believe even after seeing it.
“…You’re no different from a beast. To dodge that?”
He had seen and dodged a lightning spell fired at point-blank range purely with his reaction speed.
A wondrous feat not permitted even to high-level superhumans, one that relied on instinct to a degree that was almost bestial.
But there was no time to admire that fact or grasp the circumstances.
“Shall we continue!!!”
As the 3rd Apostle raised his magic and rotated his shoulder, Lennok pulled his arm back and constructed a protective barrier.
Immediately after, the 3rd Apostle’s chain-wrapped arm struck Lennok, and a massive shockwave erupted.
KWHAAAAAANG!!!!!
Lennok’s body was thrown back at an invisible speed, crashing through the inner wall of The Nest.
The protective barrier layered over his coat crumbled, its fragments scattering like noise.
Seeing the trace of the barrier on his arm having lost its function and been crushed, Lennok frowned.
‘It shattered. No, was it pulverized?’
It was common for a shield to shatter or break, but even the Fortress of Compression barrier underneath it was damaged.
The moment the 3rd Apostle’s hand had touched it, he felt as if the fundamental structure of the barrier itself had failed to hold and collapsed.
So this was the power of the Apostle Spellcraft bestowed by the Outer God the 3rd Apostle served, The Crusher.
“Your protective spellcraft isn’t particularly remarkable compared to your marvelous offensive capabilities.”
The boy’s voice came from across from Lennok.
The 3rd Apostle, dragging his chains as he walked, cracked his neck and spoke.
“It’s an excellent barrier spell, but it is distinctly different from your lightning. That seems to stem from your un-wizard-like tendency to substitute defense with offense.”
“…”
“To have survived this long fighting like a battle-maniac despite possessing such outstanding magical talent. It’s no wonder your martial prowess has reached the heavens.”
Had he figured out Lennok’s combat style and even read the imbalance in his offense and defense after just a brief exchange?
Only then did Lennok understand that the 3rd Apostle was an outstanding warrior, incomparable to the other high-ranking Apostles.
He seemed to fight recklessly, relying on instinct, yet his handling of various weapons, using and discarding them, showed no awkwardness.
He seemed to rely on monstrous reflexes, but his gaze was observing the battle unfolding on this field with extreme calm.
A monster who had achieved a harmony of wildness and reason, perfected through countless one-on-one duels during the Holy War.
“Your magic pattern changes so erratically from moment to moment that it will be difficult to land my spellcraft, but I have a rough idea.”
CHALKEOK!!
As they moved to a new battleground, the 3rd Apostle swung his chain, snatched a greatsword, and spoke.
“Eldrih. From now on, I permit you to interfere.”
JJEEOOONG!!!
Before he even finished speaking, a numbing cold flowed from one side of the wall, and a massive pillar of ice shot up as if exploding.
The 5th Apostle appeared from beside the encroaching wave of ice, charging in like an arrow and swinging his sword.
“Heup…!!”
KAKAGAGAK!!!
The flash of a sword approaching like lightning struck at Lennok from 17 directions in the blink of an eye.
Lennok, crushing a ball of lightning in his hand, immediately parried the falling sword strikes, clashing with the 5th Apostle at tremendous speed.
Eldrih, unleashing cold air as if breathing and pushing Lennok back by swinging his sword with all his might, spoke urgently.
“3rd Apostle. I can’t hold on for long. Quickly…!!”
“It seems you’ve gotten arrogant after one successful raid.”
KAAANG!!
With a single gesture, he chanted Flying Spear and Stomping Thunder, parrying all the pouring sword strikes and grabbing Eldrih’s sword.
Wrapping his hand in lightning to stop the 5th Apostle’s sword, Lennok looked down at him, his blue eyes flashing.
“Do you think a broken Apostle can be my opponent?”
“I am not so foolish as to gamble on my chances against a human who killed an Ascendant.”
Overwhelmed in an instant, the 5th Apostle raised his Root Mindscape with a bitter smile.
“My role was something else from the beginning.”
Outer World Miniature Universe: Heresy
[Trampling Greatsword]
KUGEUGEUGEU…!!!!
A house-sized greatsword, seeping a numbing cold, appeared above Lennok’s head and fell.
The 5th Apostle Eldrih’s Miniature Universe, a wondrous ability to summon a greatsword and slam it into the ground with its full weight, was manifested.
In the blink of an eye, everything in sight was covered in white frost and frozen solid.
CRACK-
KWHAAAAAAAAAH!!!!
Amidst the raging torrent, the 5th Apostle’s left arm was crushed and sent flying, and immediately after, the 3rd Apostle followed up, clashing directly.
KWANG!!
As the 3rd Apostle stamped his foot fiercely, hundreds of weapons scattered around were simultaneously flung into the air by the recoil.
He swung the chains on both arms, snatching all the weapons dancing in the air, and swung them at Lennok with all his might.
The weapons collided with Lennok’s lightning and were burned and crushed, quickly consumed and broken by the 3rd Apostle’s grip.
But-
CRACKLE!!
“Hahahahahat!!!”
The 3rd Apostle caught a thunder lance fired by Lennok at close range with his bare hands, then bent his back and swung it.
At the same time, he used Lennok’s thunder lance to parry a thunderbolt falling from above his head, a wondrous feat that was hard to believe even after seeing it.
In place of the 3rd Apostle, who staggered from the recoil, the one-armed 5th Apostle pushed his body forward.
[Trampling Greatsword]
KWHAAAAAANG!!!
The frozen greatsword fell from above once more, shaking the axis of the earth and splitting the ground.
A fierce wheel battle against the top-ranking Apostles, continuing without a moment to breathe.
“How long do you think you can keep fighting while throwing away weapons like that?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
CHALKEOK!!
The 3rd Apostle extended his chain far into the distance and laughed fiercely.
“That’s why I called for Eldrih in the first place.”
KUGEUGEUGEU…!!!
In that moment, Lennok realized what the 3rd Apostle’s chain was tied to.
The frozen greatsword that Eldrih had just materialized in the air and slammed into the battlefield.
The moment he realized that the 5th Apostle’s chain was tied to the hilt of the house-sized Trampling Greatsword.
The 3rd Apostle lifted the massive greatsword, dozens of meters in diameter, and swung it at Lennok in a single rotation.
KWHAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!!
“Hahahahat!! Yes, a heavy weapon of this magnitude is worth swinging!!”
Instead of holding the hilt and swinging, the 3rd Apostle leaned his back against the blade’s flat and rotated it with himself as the center.
Every time the 3rd Apostle laughed maniacally and pulled the chain, the frozen greatsword spun in place, grinding everything around it to dust.
KWAGAGAGAGAGAGA!!!!
The greatsword, weighing tens of thousands of tons, fell where Lennok had been standing, creating a massive crater on the ground.
The shockwave cracked the earth, revealing the underground facilities of The Nest, and Lennok and the boy fell into the chasm.
Even while falling, the 3rd Apostle madly pulled the chain, swinging the greatsword and pulverizing the ground.
Lennok and the boy, having fallen into the underground cavity, landed on the floor at almost the same time, scattering a thunderous roar.
THUD!!!
“Now that I have a decent weapon, I think I can finally fight properly.”
The 3rd Apostle, perched atop the greatsword that had landed at an angle, looked at Lennok and laughed fiercely.
“It’s not quite like the armaments I used during the Holy War, but a size like this won’t disappoint you.”
“…Right.”
Lennok, looking up at the 3rd Apostle, gathered all his remaining magic with a cold expression.
“I agree. It seems this method won’t work.”
Marvelous physical abilities. Monstrous reaction speed. Countless combat experiences accumulated through the Holy War.
Even a wondrous, tyrant-like ability to wield anything that came to hand as if it were his own weapon.
Had he allowed the 5th Apostle’s intervention just to summon his Miniature Universe and use it as his own weapon?
Despite only a two-rank difference, his military might was incomparable to Eldrih’s. Even though he had barely used his Apostle Spellcraft, his true power was not easily fathomed.
It wasn’t something he couldn’t accept. When facing monsters who had surpassed their limits, a conclusion couldn’t be reached without bringing out an unconventional ability.
Domain or Ouroboros. It would be impossible to settle this quickly without using one of them.
Just as Lennok, having thought that far, gathered his remaining magic to instantly deploy his Will-thought Domain—
The frozen greatsword the 3rd Apostle was standing on vanished from its spot as if it were a lie, leaving no trace.
FWOOSH!!
“…?”
“But, I suppose this is as far as I can go.”
The fighting spirit from the fierce battle until now vanished as if it were a lie.
As Lennok frowned at the sudden turn of events, the boy stepped down to the cavity floor and spoke.
“If I had my way, I’d want to trade blows with you for three days and nights until my heart bursts… but it seems my role for today ends here.”
“What are you talking about…?”
“You’ll find out soon enough without me telling you.”
So saying, the boy smiled and slowly turned around.
“The reason the Cult sought this place today… was decided from the very beginning.”
Instantly, Lennok’s gaze naturally followed the direction the boy had turned.
A narrow, lit corridor visible on the other side of the dark cavity. At its end, inside a secluded laboratory.
Feeling an unspeakably eerie magic from within, Lennok froze in place as if turned to ice.
“…Don’t tell me.”
By then, the boy was nowhere to be seen in the cavity.
But Lennok no longer paid that fact any mind and silently walked toward the corridor.
The deepest underground cavity of The Nest, shattered by the Cult’s assault. Inside a secluded laboratory hidden by piled corpses and debris.
In the remote room he had reached after a fierce battle with the 3rd Apostle, a man was sitting, waiting for Lennok.
“Don’t worry, the others won’t be paying attention to this place for a while.”
“…”
“This was all part of the plan. We had to cause this much of a commotion to avoid suspicion, so it couldn’t be helped.”
“How…”
As always, his characteristic presence was completely undetectable even to Lennok’s senses.
Ironically, Lennok recognized the intellectual face behind the thick glasses at a glance.
At the same time, he also understood why the Cult had been stalling for so long despite having raided The Nest.
The Cult’s Apostles weren’t moving to destroy the restoration ritual or to break The Nest.
Their purpose, from the very beginning—
“It took longer than I thought to set the stage, but at least the objective was achieved.”
The man sitting in the chair slowly leaned his head back and spoke.
“This entire assault was to meet you and buy even a moment of time to talk.”
“…”
“There’s much I want to say, but I don’t want to rush.”
The man, pushing himself up with one hand on the chair, casually gestured to Lennok with his eyes.
“I’m about to go meet the Leader, but before that, shall we talk for a final moment?”
The hunt for the First Apostle that was supposed to happen alongside the restoration of the Great Connection.
The head of the Cult, whom the Order Alliance had been targeting as the most important objective of this event.
The Second Apostle, who should have been the Leader’s opponent, was waiting for Lennok in the innermost part of the Alliance’s deepest research facility.