Chapter 1478: Hunt for the First Apostle (12)
Fwoooooosh!!!!
A pillar of pale light shot up, casting a veil that covered everything to the horizon.
At the center of the explosively spreading ripples, the Priestess stood on an altar, hands clasped in prayer.
Sanctuary Declaration.
A power that called not upon the caster’s Root Mindscape, but brought another’s utopia or an Outer God’s dream into reality.
The Order Alliance, using Celestial Spellcraft to project their Leader’s Glass Garden, and the Guido Cult, declaring a Sanctuary in the canyon to embody the power of an Outer God.
Though their methods differed, the results were similar—spellcraft of extreme environmental alteration manifested simultaneously, clashing and eroding one another.
“The moment the Sanctuary was declared, the Alliance’s ritual came to a halt…”
At the same time, Lennok also realized the Guido Cult’s true intentions.
“They never intended to establish a proper Sanctuary from the start. Is it enough for them to simply interfere with the Leader’s descent?”
The restoration of the Great Connection and the descent of the Order Alliance Leader were inseparable. Inside the crystal tower, the reconstruction of the Great Connection and the Leader’s descent were proceeding simultaneously.
While the Grand Spell Masters supported the Great Connection from their respective domains, the high-ranking Spell Masters, led by the Preservation Spell Master, manipulated the terminals to restore the Great Connection.
As the restoration ritual progressed, they would deploy the Miniature Garden in the Crystal Canyon, allowing the Leader, who would be able to move for a brief time, to descend.
However, while the Alliance had to complete the Miniature Garden for their Leader’s descent, the Cult didn’t necessarily need to complete their Sanctuary.
It would be enough just to make the Sanctuary and the Miniature Garden clash, preventing the Leader’s descent.
The young Priestess, acting as a proxy for all of the Cult’s rituals in place of Ureka Naydree, had stepped forward for this very reason.
“They must think it’s the Cult’s loss the moment the Second Apostle falls to the Leader. They’re planning an all-out war!!”
“They’re coming…!!”
Just as everyone realized this, the main forces of the Guido Cult and the Order Alliance clashed head-on, both inside and outside the canyon.
“Waaaaaaah!!!!”
“Kill the heretics…!!”
“In the name of the Pantheon!!”
“Hold the line until the restoration ritual resumes!!”
“Deploy the Spellcraft Barrier! The high-ranking Spell Masters will provide cover!!”
“For the completion of the Great Connection…!!!”
Kwakwakwakwakwa!!!!!
Shouting the names of the gods and answers they believed in, the Spell Masters and priests clashed relentlessly on the battlefield.
The Spellcraft Brigades and Knights of Rectitude providing cover collided, scattering blood and flesh in all directions.
In the blink of an eye, hundreds of corpses piled up as the forces were ground down at an incredible speed.
At that sight, the waiting collaborators of the Alliance moved as one.
[Betagron.]
“Hmph, I’ve been waiting!!”
Click!!
Kwawoooooong……!!!!!
Dozens of siege cannons, installed in an orderly fashion on the canyon ridge, finished charging and focused their mana.
The barrels, compressing the blue light of mana to its limit, glinted menacingly as they aimed at the ground.
They fell into the heart of the Cult’s relentlessly advancing forces, raising pillars of brilliant blue fire.
Kwakwakwakwakwaang!!!!
Dozens of fiery pillars erupted in the middle of the wasteland, sending humans flying like toys.
Torn limbs tumbled everywhere, and charred, crushed corpses lay strewn about.
“Guaaaack!!!”
“Stop, stop!!”
“Hahahaha!!! How do you like that!!!”
Betagron, letting out a mad laugh, manipulated the terminal with bloodshot eyes.
“We haven’t even really started…!! There’s plenty more where that came from!!”
Drones, freshly assembled at the plant, flew over the old man’s head and rushed toward the battlefield.
They dropped pre-loaded incendiary bombs in a line above the heads of the Knights of Rectitude, erecting a wall of blazing fire.
Kwoooaaaaah!!!
Taking advantage of the Cult’s forces faltering from the bombardment that came without warning, the Alliance’s main forces launched a counterattack.
The battlefield instantly descended into a chaotic melee as formations crumbled. Simultaneously, the other collaborators who had been watching the situation made their move.
“Resonance.”
Kwawoooong!!!
The Young Master of the Twilight Veil Bloodline formed a hand seal and extended his hand, and a sphere of darkness rolled across the ground, grinding the Cult’s priests to dust.
“One at a time!! No, two or three at once!!!”
The mercenary in the hideous iron mask threw a cannonball, shattering the heads of the knights.
Kwaang! Crunch!!!
[Everyone. Do not forget the original plan.]
The calm voice of the Preservation Spell Master echoed through the communication network.
[Your role is to buy time against the Apostles while the ritual proceeds. Leave dealing with the Cult’s main forces to the Alliance.]
The role assigned to the collaborators in this affair was to buy time against the Cult’s Apostles while the restoration of the Great Connection was underway.
It was less about directly confronting the Cult’s army and more about dealing with the high-ranking Apostles who would come for the descent ritual.
Helping the Alliance to stop the Cult was fine, but becoming absorbed in it could be counterproductive.
“Preservation Spell Master. It will be difficult to proceed with the original plan like this. The ritual stopped the moment the Cult made their move.”
Lennok, who had been watching the scene from beside Betagron, spoke up.
“Unless we can block their interference from our side, the Leader will not be able to descend into reality.”
[….]
Kuuuoooooooh!!!!
On the makeshift altar that rose at the edge of the horizon, a young girl was praying alone with her eyes closed.
That alone was enough to disrupt the ritual, as the light of the Great Connection pouring down from all four directions failed to connect properly.
Although the exact details were unknown, everyone knew that the girl standing on that altar was single-handedly halting the Great Connection ritual.
And also that the young girl, who didn’t even look ten years old, possessed a talent for priesthood superior to any Transcendent present.
Though her face was not clearly visible from a distance, Lennok already knew who she was.
“The Cult brought a new Priestess for this. They’ve staked everything on this, so we can’t afford to be complacent.”
[The 12th Priestess….]
Ruining something is far easier than completing something.
No matter how talented the Cult’s Priestess was, the reason a single individual could interfere with the Great Connection ritual…
…was likely because the Priestess was focused solely on preventing the restoration of the Great Connection.
Bringing the Priestess here, who should not have moved from the main headquarters, was itself proof that the Cult was desperately trying to prevent the Leader’s descent.
“We’ll need a variable to intervene over there. I assume you’ve prepared a skirmishing unit for a situation like this.”
Lennok said as much and turned his gaze.
“It’s your turn, Valefor’s Tower Lord. Can you create a crack in the Cult’s main forces, even for a moment?”
[I’m on my way, even if you didn’t ask!]
Whoooosh!!!
The moment the cheerful voice echoed over the communication network, a green wind swept in from the side of the battlefield.
It zipped through the intermingled priests and Spell Masters at an incredible speed, accelerating to the rear of the Cult’s forces in the blink of an eye.
Kalion, gripping twin swords in a reverse grip, plunged through the ranks of priests and knights, sprinting toward the altar.
[Priestess, we didn’t get to greet each other properly last time!!]
Swooooosh!!!
Kalion, accelerating like a gust of wind, stepped on the blade swung by a Knight of Rectitude and leaned forward.
As if he had no weight, he leaped off the shoulders and heads of the charging superhumans without even a hint of impact.
As red lines, as if drawn by a knife, appeared on the necks of the priests and knights, blood bloomed like flowers.
Immediately after, as if on cue, Betagron’s bombardment from kilometers away incinerated the confused Cult members.
Kwakwakwakwakwaang!!!!
“Guaaaaaaack!!!!”
Carried by the screams, Kalion’s form became a gentle breeze and landed right in front of the altar.
The Tower Lord crossed the daggers in his hands, crouched low, and gathered his mana.
[Let’s see if you can keep praying with a knife at your throat…!!]
The moment Kalion, with the exploding pillars of fire behind him, leaped at supersonic speed toward the praying Priestess on the altar.
The Fifth Apostle, drawing his sword, blocked his path at an incredible speed, pressing down on Kalion’s form to prevent him from rising.
Kaaaaaaaang!!!!!
“…!!!”
“They say you wield the most agile magic on the continent. Your reputation is not unearned.”
The old man in the fedora looked down at Kalion, holding a frozen sword.
“However, I cannot allow a non-believer to see Her Holiness’s face so easily.”
“Heh, is that so?”
Screeeech…!!
Even though their blades were locked head-on, he could clearly feel he was being overpowered.
No matter how skilled a War-Mage Kalion was, he was fundamentally a spellcaster. He couldn’t compare his physical strength to the Fifth Apostle, a former knight.
But Kalion, even as his trembling arms were being pushed back, grinned.
“You shouldn’t feel relieved just because you blocked me head-on. This distance is more than enough, you know?”
“What?”
Hwaak!!
At that moment, a wind blowing from beneath their feet violently shook the altar where the Priestess stood.
The impact was significant enough to momentarily shake the barriers and shields protecting the area around the altar.
But even amidst the blade-like winds, the Priestess on the altar did not lose her focus for a single moment.
Entrusting her body completely to the priests, she focused on her prayer as if in a literal trance.
Kalion was astonished by her fearsome concentration, which was unbecoming of her age.
“Hey, shouldn’t you at least pretend to be surprised? She’d probably keep praying even if she fell off the altar!”
“Her Holiness is the one who became the High Priestess, surpassing all other priests in the Pantheon. Her mental fortitude cannot be compared to a non-believer like you.”
Kakakakak…!!!
The Fifth Apostle, pressing the frozen sword to the tip of Kalion’s neck, spoke in a chilling tone.
“The sin of breathing your foul breath upon Her Holiness. You shall atone for it by having your head chopped into pieces.”
“It’s even creepier when you say that with a face stitched together like a patchwork. But we’re not even close to starting.”
Kalion laughed, even as he was strenuously pushed back by the Fifth Apostle’s strength.
“If I’ve kept you, who’s guarding the altar, busy for this long, our side should be able to seize the opportunity, right?”
Click!!!
At that moment, Lennok, standing on the canyon ridge, aimed his sniper rifle and drew upon his mana with all his might.
[Aim Correction = Level 4]
[Range Amplification]
[Trajectory Guidance]
[Penetration Control]
[Focused Shot]
Kiiiiiiing……!!!!
In the blink of an eye, dozens of support spells layered over the barrel, assisting Lennok’s shot.
Before the Fifth Apostle could even notice the prelude, he aimed directly above the altar and pulled the trigger.
Taaang!!!!
The bullet fired upon detonation pierced the battlefield’s sky and instantly accelerated toward the altar.
A unique bullet with a platinum hue. On its surface, spellcraft characters were engraved like tiny grains of sand.
The Mass Magic Bullet Lennok fired exploded as it grazed past the altar. The ‘Lennok’s mana’ contained within it erupted in a dazzling light.
Fwoooooosh!!!!
It was more about scattering mana than having a strong impact. Since the mana contained wasn’t powerful, even the Fifth Apostle’s response was momentarily delayed.
But the reaction of the Priestess, who had not lost her concentration to any external intervention or variable, was completely different from before.
“Ah…!!”
The moment she felt Lennok’s mana explode above her head, the Priestess looked up with a flustered expression.
It was as if she had sensed the presence of someone she knew very intimately, and she fidgeted, not knowing what to do.
That minor wavering was enough to shatter the Priestess’s concentration, and her prayer, which had been blocking the ritual, stopped.
Simultaneously, the halted light of the Great Connection reconnected, and the descent ritual began to restart.
Kwaaaaaah!!!!
[The Miniature Garden’s synchronization has reconnected!!]
[Great Connection re-established. Activating Celestial Spellcraft!!]
[The descent ritual will be complete shortly!]
“Hahaha!! Adamant Thunder was right, that worked perfectly!!
“Your Holiness!! You filthy worm-!!!”
The enraged Fifth Apostle shattered Kalion’s twin swords and thrust his own, but Kalion had already turned his body into wind and was escaping.
He knew how difficult it would be to assassinate the Priestess while surrounded by the Cult, though creating a momentary distraction was another matter.
Just as the Priestess had interfered with the Great Connection ritual, Kalion judged that he could briefly interfere with the Priestess.
But that alone was enough for the restoration ritual of the Great Connection to restart, dyeing the entire sky like a blue galaxy.
“The Grand Spell Masters aren’t fools; they won’t fall for the same trick twice…”
Kalion, escaping through the Cult’s forces, looked up at the sky and grinned.
“I think I’ve done my part. I can leave the rest to them, right?”
“No, you’re far from done!!”
Kwaang!!
The Fifth Apostle, who had been fiercely chasing Kalion, shouted with a chilling expression.
“You must know that the reason you were able to crawl before Her Holiness wasn’t entirely because of your own skill…!!”
“…What?”
At that moment, a tremendous roar echoed from the direction of the crystal tower where the restoration ritual was taking place.
A three-headed snake burst from the ground, and a hideous monster bird, all its feathers plucked out, roared.
The monsters, their eyes bloodshot as if they had lost their minds and gone mad, drooled and gathered their mana.
The Tenth Apostle, combined with a pure white scale, rose in the sky, and the bizarre Ninth Apostle, who had skewered a human like an insect, appeared.
Kalion stopped in his tracks as he saw the Apostles, who hadn’t appeared with the main Cult forces, suddenly emerge around the crystal tower.
“Damn it, don’t tell me?”
“The other Apostles of our faith have already begun to move to stop the restoration ritual.”
Seeing Kalion halt, the Fifth Apostle smiled coldly.
“Non-believer. You will have to watch your comrades die from this very spot.”
Kwaaaaaaang!!!
[Kieeeeeeeeh!!!!]
The giant snake that erupted from the ground roared, dripping venom.
Betagron looked on with an urgent expression as the monster approached the ritual site in the blink of an eye.
“Adamant Thunder!!!”
“I see it, even if you don’t shout. They were approaching from the opposite direction from the very beginning.”
Lennok looked around and said calmly.
“I thought it was strangely quiet for high-ranking Apostles, but it seems they’ve bypassed the canyon entirely to approach the crystal tower.”
Kalion single-handedly breaking through the Cult’s main forces to create an opening was a great achievement, but it was also true that he hadn’t faced any major obstacles until he met the Fifth Apostle.
From the start, the Cult had mobilized all its subordinate Apostles as soon as they pinpointed the crystal tower’s location.
The Alliance had likely ordered the collaborators to hold their positions because they were concerned about this very situation.
But Betagron looked at Lennok’s composed demeanor with a bewildered expression.
“No, aren’t you supposed to be guarding the crystal tower’s rear entrance…!! If they bypassed the battlefield, that direction would be the most vulnerable, wouldn’t it?!!”
If, as Lennok said, the other Apostles had bypassed the canyon to approach the crystal tower, they would try to infiltrate from the most vulnerable direction.
Targeting the rear entrance in that process was the most obvious move, yet Lennok, who was supposed to be guarding that very direction, was standing in a position with a clear view of the battlefield.
[Kigigigigik…!!]
[Kueeeeeeh-]
But even as the other collaborators began to fight the crazed Apostles on all sides of the crystal tower, Lennok did not move.
Instead, he continuously monitored the entire battlefield of the Crystal Canyon’s chaotic melee and calmly answered Betagron.
“It’ll probably be fine.”
“Probably?!”
“I’ve prepared various spellcraft for today. It can’t be breached by some Apostles who have gone mad and turned into beasts.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Just how amazing is the spellcraft you’ve prepared at the rear entrance that—”
Kwaaaaaaaaang!!!!
At that moment, a lightning bolt of tremendous size fell from the cloudy sky, striking vertically downward.
The shimmering blue lightning rotated like a dazzling pillar of light, blowing apart the mad snake’s head—
And without disappearing, it remained embedded in the ground like a giant pillar, flashing an azure light.
“…Huh?”
Crackle, crackle…!!!!
Enveloped in fiercely crackling lightning, the pillar of thunder stood tall like a giant monument.
Engraved on that thunderous monument, as if scrawled with blue lightning, was an overbearing yet strict command.
The moment Betagron realized that this sight was just like the symbol of the broken Ideological Domain that had recently collapsed.
“Wait a minute, that’s…”
“I learned a few tricks looking over someone’s shoulder from a past experience.”
Lennok, watching the scene with his arms crossed, said.
“Let’s see how the Cult responds.”
Lennok does not waste any of his experiences.
He gives meaning even to the meaningless, making them part of his journey forward.
He seeks to contain all that exists under the myriad things within his answer.
If necessary, even the power of a fallen Ascendant—
“You. Did you steal Jinwa’s power…?!!!”
“Spell-Word Stone deployment.”