Chapter 1488: The First Apostle Hunt (22)

I’d been feeling a vague sense of unease.

An uncertainty that had surfaced while listening to the Order Alliance Leader’s plan for the First Apostle hunt.

Why had the Leader insisted that he must descend and face the Second Apostle himself?

Merely stopping the Second Apostle and successfully completing the restoration of the Great Connection would have been a de facto victory for the Alliance.

Why had he shown such an obsessive insistence on confronting the Second Apostle personally, even more so than on restoring the Great Connection?

Yet, I couldn’t be certain, because the Second Apostle Lennok had faced was just that dangerous of a monster.

Just as the Leader had declared, he was a mighty Transcendent capable of shattering the balance between the Alliance and the Guido Cult on his own.

He had swayed the Eccentric Monk during the Alliance’s operation, single-handedly wreaked havoc upon the Crystal Tower where the restoration ritual had begun, and plucked the necks of resisting spell masters like weeds.

Even with his Apostle Spellcraft half-sealed, he was the head of the Guido Cult who had held his own against the Order Alliance Leader’s Ideological Domain, pushing him to the brink of a final clash.

Lennok, too, knew how dangerous the Second Apostle’s abilities were, so he hadn’t questioned the Leader’s decision to step in personally.

However, the real reason the Leader had sought to confront the Second Apostle himself was—

Thud!!

With the sound of a footstep, the Second Apostle, who had been looking at Lennok, turned his body.

He shoved even the corpse of the Leader he had killed down the hill, his entire body caked in blood.

He tossed aside the glasses he’d been wearing, and slowly walked down the ridge of crushed flesh.

But to Lennok, his movements looked awkward, as if he were adjusting to a newly acquired body.

“The Second Apostle was the head of the Guido Cult, who had long stood by the Pontiff’s side.”

Whoooosh…!!

The Second Apostle spoke as he slowly walked down the corpse-covered hill.

“The authority of freedom he possessed was a miracle itself, granted by the Pontiff in exchange for semi-permanent bondage.”

“…”

“By existing to serve only the Pontiff, the Second Apostle did not suffer from madness. He was bound by almost no restraint or rule, not even causality…”

The Second Apostle stopped walking and said.

“And so, he has assisted the Pontiff since the First World.”

“…I see.”

Lennok, who had been staring at the Leader with a cold, hardened expression, opened his mouth.

“Is that the reason you wanted the Second Apostle’s body?”

“…”

“From the beginning, you knew everything about the Second Apostle’s identity and abilities. And you had no intention of stopping at simply killing him.”

Lennok spoke coldly to the ‘Leader,’ who was silently gazing at his own hands.

“So this… was the true story behind the [First Apostle Hunt].”

An Apostle of the Guido Cult is an Incarnation Body that has transcended humanity by receiving the power of the Outer God it serves.

And the Second Apostle was a Transcendent from the 1st World who served the Pontiff as his god, receiving the authority of chance as his Apostle Spellcraft.

For an immeasurable length of time, the Second Apostle had existed as the Pontiff’s apostle, and his body itself had become an existence that deviated from causality.

And so, the Leader had marked the body of the Second Apostle—who had departed from all shackles and restraints—as his new ‘vessel.’

“Having fought the Guido Cult for a long time, I too have come to learn a great deal about the existence known as an Apostle.”

The Leader said, slowly lowering his hands.

“An Apostle’s mind is assimilated with an Outer God’s dream, so there is no way to save it. The body that received the Outer God’s power, on the other hand, has its uses.”

“…”

“Even so, body and mind are inseparable, so ordinarily, it would have been impossible to take an Apostle’s body as a vessel. However—”

“Because the Second Apostle served the Pontiff and not an Outer God, it was a gamble worth taking.”

The body and mind of a typical Apostle are already steeped in an Outer God’s dream, making them unsalvageable.

But the Second Apostle was the only apostle within the Guido Cult who served the Pontiff, so he had not been contaminated or assimilated by an Outer God’s dream.

That was why the Leader could take possession of the body of the Second Apostle, a Guido Cult apostle, without being consumed or contaminated by an Outer God’s dream.

Lennok cut the Leader off and replied as he walked down.

“But that wasn’t the only reason, was it? You knew from the start that the Second Apostle was a Transcendent from the First World.”

“…”

“Since you yourself are a fusion of Ascendants from the 2nd and 3rd Worlds… did you intend to achieve a true trinity by taking a body from the 1st World?”

I didn’t know which Ascendant from the old world constituted the Order Alliance Leader, but having come this far, it wasn’t difficult to guess he was from the 2nd World.

Seonjong of the 3rd World. Another Ascendant from the 2nd World. A body from the 1st World.

To unify three different ontological statuses into one coexisting whole, while simultaneously maintaining their distinct hierarchies.

The reason for obtaining the Second Apostle’s body, transcending the Duality the Leader possessed, and attempting to reach the great mystery of a trinity.

“Not ending with a momentary descent, but to remain in this reality semi-permanently… you were after the Second Apostle for that.”

Lennok asked coldly.

“From the very beginning, you had no intention of achieving a perfect victory against the Guido Cult in this war.”

Only then did Lennok understand why the Order Alliance had been so passive in this war.

At first, he’d thought it was because they had divided their forces to simultaneously restore the Great Connection and allow the Leader’s descent.

But even after the Order Alliance Leader had actually descended into reality, the Alliance’s movements against the Guido Cult had been largely lukewarm.

It was a question he had felt was strange but couldn’t find the answer to when the Leader and the Second Apostle were clashing.

“Were you restraining your movements, afraid that the Second Apostle wouldn’t show up if the Alliance pressed the Guido Cult too hard?”

Lennok asked with a chilling expression.

“Just in case the Second Apostle didn’t appear, or you might miss him… you handled everything this way? Do you have any idea how many people died in the process?”

“I don’t understand why you’re asking that. From the very beginning, I don’t believe I’ve ever told you a single lie.”

The Leader, now possessing the Second Apostle’s body, stroked his chin and smiled faintly.

“I said I would hunt the First Apostle, but I never said I would annihilate him. I clearly stated I would drag the Second Apostle down from his seat as an Apostle.”

“…”

“The sacrifices that accompanied that process were unavoidable. In fact, they were indispensable. If we hadn’t created a situation where the Guido Cult was cornering the Alliance, the First Apostle would have been more cautious.”

The Leader said, slowly spreading his arms.

“The reason I invited the Eccentric Monk was because I knew he was someone untethered by factions or interests. I believed that apostate monk would play along until the very last, precarious moment, regardless of which way the balance of this war tilted.”

“…”

“Of course, the First Apostle was also an existence who knew how to readily exploit the Eccentric Monk’s nature… and he also knew that he couldn’t avoid this fight. That is why I have now been able to obtain this body.”

Until a short while ago, I wouldn’t have been able to clearly understand what the Leader was saying.

But now, having met the Pontiff and returned, Lennok could understand everything the Leader was saying.

The First Apostle was a being granted freedom by the Pontiff. But because of that, as long as the Second Apostle existed, the Pontiff could not be free, bound by the causality of the past.

After assisting the Pontiff for so long, even across worlds, the Second Apostle’s spirit had reached its limit, which is why he decided to die to set the Pontiff free.

The Priestess and the Pontiff, knowing all this, respected the Second Apostle’s will and watched this war to its very end.

For the Pontiff’s sake, the Second Apostle accepted his end, and the Leader guided the stage to obtain his own freedom, just like the Pontiff.

The war between the Alliance and the Guido Cult was over, but neither of them had lost.

Instead, the worst possible outcome had come to this world: the leaders of both the Alliance and the Guido Cult had been simultaneously set free.

Only after meeting the Pontiff and returning could Lennok finally, clearly understand the whole story.

“All of this… was just so you could escape the Glass Garden and walk in reality?”

“You wouldn’t understand yet.”

The Leader, placing a hand on his bloodied waist, smiled faintly with the Second Apostle’s face.

“In this universe, transcendence or ascension is no blessing. It’s closer to an ascetic trial or torture that eats away at oneself.”

“…”

“You carve away everything else, leaving only the barest sliver needed to exist as yourself. The senses lost in that process grow as vivid as phantom pain over time, eventually making you forget even what you once were.”

The Leader said slowly as he walked toward Lennok.

“Looking down upon the world from the outside may seem lofty, but in truth, it’s merely proof that you’ve lost the right to forge your own destiny. Not even the great gods are any different.”

“…”

“There is no such thing as freedom without restraint; only with order can chaos be defined. I have simply realized that only after being bound and constrained by something… can one truly become free.”

The Leader, with the face of the Second Apostle, slowly swept his hair back with his blood-caked hands and spoke.

“Therefore, from now on, I must complete, one by one, the things I couldn’t do while trapped in the Glass Garden.”

“Things you couldn’t do while trapped in the Glass Garden?”

“That’s right. If I had to give an example…”

The look in the Leader’s eyes as he stared at Lennok instantly turned chilling.

“It would begin with the interrogation of the Grand Mage who used the moment the war with the Guido Cult reached its climax to secretly communicate with the Pontiff.”

“…”

An incomparably cold air flowed between them.

The Leader, wearing a chilling smile, and Lennok, staring back at him with an expressionless face.

“You wouldn’t say you’ve forgotten, would you? While the Second Apostle and I were fighting, you contacted the Priestess to meet the Pontiff.”

The Leader said, taking a slow step toward Lennok.

“The timing was so sharp that I couldn’t react even though I knew. That would only be possible because you, too, were aiming for that moment from the start.”

“…”

“Colluding with the Guido Cult is a grave crime punishable by death. Normally, that fact alone would be enough to sever our cooperative relationship and execute you on the spot… but your contributions in this war are far too great to be handled that way.”

The Leader’s voice suddenly softened.

“You single-handedly blocked the rear gate of the Crystal Tower and held on, maintained the front lines despite the Eccentric Monk’s betrayal, and held off the Second Apostle alone until my descent was complete. Each of those achievements was a critical branching point leading to victory in this war.”

“You speak words you don’t mean.”

“No, I am sincerely grateful for that. Even now that things have turned out this way, the fact that you did your utmost for my descent is undeniable. That is why, despite what you’ve done, I intend to give you one chance, here and now.”

“A chance?”

“Confess honestly, right here, what you discussed with the Pontiff when you met him.”

The Leader’s eyes glinted greedily as he looked at Lennok.

“If you speak the truth, without a single falsehood, I too will cast aside all suspicion right here and pledge to treat you as an unwavering ally of the Alliance.”

“…”

“The Pontiff is the absolute evil of this world who serves the Outer Gods, a fallen savior. The mere fact that you met him means the Alliance can no longer consider you an ally.”

“An interesting answer. Do you think that’s something you, who stole the First Apostle’s body to use as a vessel, should be saying?”

Lennok looked at the Leader and smiled coldly.

“If we were to determine who here is closest to the Guido Cult, it would undoubtedly be you. I’m not sure who is interrogating whom right now.”

“In the final battle against the First Apostle, where I risked my life, I played my last card and took his body.”

The Leader smiled.

“In the process, my incarnated body suffered severe damage and became immobile. Me being trapped in this body was something I had no choice in… that’s probably how it will be announced to the public.”

“…”

“The justification is entirely on my side. I would like you to know that even this offer is a consideration for you. Have I ever broken a promise I made to you in this matter?”

“The First Apostle said you were not a man who goes back on his word.”

Lennok replied coldly.

“But he also said you were not an existence who acts with only a single purpose. He wasn’t wrong in the slightest.”

Lennok turned his steps past the Leader and answered.

“You don’t want to hear the full story because you suspect me. You simply want to know what the Pontiff said to me. Isn’t even the reason you stole the First Apostle’s body ultimately related to him?”

“…”

“You steal the vessel that received the Pontiff’s power, and now you’re curious about what the Pontiff said. That is likely because you are a being lofty enough to understand the hierarchy of ‘chance’.”

Looking at the smiling Leader, Lennok retorted icily.

“However, you never told me the most important truth of the First Apostle hunt until the very end… why would you think I would obediently tell you what you’re curious about?”

The conversation Lennok had with the Pontiff while looking into his memories was about the Pontiff’s final goal.

It was the crucial secret about the Grand Ritual of Cosmic Condensation, which would unify all creation and return it to primordial chaos.

How he had been broken, corrupted, and ultimately worn down through what pain and despair.

How long must he have agonized before finally reaching an answer while confronting the loss that another version of himself had endured.

The Pontiff’s true intention in forcing his intervention in the war between the Alliance and the Guido Cult to find an answer.

Therefore, Lennok had no intention of meekly telling the Leader the Pontiff’s answer.

He knew that the ulterior motives of the Alliance and the Guido Cult in this war were incredibly complex and intertwined.

At this point, after everything was over, he knew there was no longer any reason to side with either of them.

In the end, neither the Alliance nor the Guido Cult were allies to Lennok, and they never thought of him as such either.

The Leader’s attitude of hiding the most important secret of this plan until the very end was proof of that—

Lennok had no intention of giving the Leader what he wanted at this point.

“So if there’s something you’re curious about, it would be best for you to go find the Pontiff and ask him yourself.”

Lennok sneered, looking down at the Leader who now occupied the Second Apostle’s body.

“If you go with that body, wouldn’t the Pontiff be quite welcoming?”

“Is that so… a shame.”

The Leader, who had his hand on his waist, lowered his head deeply.

“I tried to resolve this through dialogue if possible, but I suppose speaking with this body isn’t very persuasive. It can’t be helped.”

“…”

“Therefore, from now on—”

KUUUOOOOO!!!!!

The Leader slowly raised his gaze just as a giant galaxy descended from the sky.

“I’ll have to find a solution through the power of this newly acquired body.”

“If you can, then try it, Order Alliance Leader.”

Crackle, crackle…!!

Wrapping lightning around his fingertips, Lennok clenched his fist and stepped forward.

“This time, I won’t even leave you a body to escape into.”