Chapter 489: The One Beloved by the Gods (2)

In the underground dungeon of the burned-down temple.

Lennok was confined in the most secluded and isolated solitary cell.

Even though he wore the standard coat provided by the Lighthouse, a chilling cold penetrated his body without mercy.

He wanted to shift his body to escape the cold, but heavy chains bound to his limbs prevented even that movement.

Clank!!

The handcuffs, made of indigo alloy, were thicker than Lennok’s forearm. They were likely a type of blocking metal designed to suppress mana flow.

However, Lennok was immobilized not so much by the function of these handcuffs, but by their sheer weight.

As dozens of Correction Knights stood around the cell, watching Lennok, suddenly.

Thump!!

Footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor, entering the prison.

It was Geobin Melwood, the grim-faced Captain of the Correction Knights, who arrived in an instant.

Geobin, looking down at the bound Lennok with an expressionless gaze, muttered to the knights standing behind him.

“I told you to sever all his limb tendons.”

“…We apologize. Our strength was insufficient to pierce through that wizard’s skin.”

“Even after he was wearing twenty layers of mana-blocking devices?”

“It seems there’s a special enchantment on his blood vessels themselves.”

Of course, there was no such thing; Lennok, unaffected by the blocking devices, had simply manifested a simple barrier over his skin.

But the Correction Knights had no way of knowing that Lennok was unaffected by the restraints.

The belongings they confiscated upon his capture were only trivial items he didn’t immediately need, like a dagger or a lighter.

Geobin glared at the knights as if reprimanding them.

“You should have called in the Delegates and dealt with it properly. Didn’t I say that even if his limbs were severed, as long as he remained alive, he would be a perfectly suitable sacrifice?”

“That’s…”

“Enough with the pointless acting.”

Lennok, who had been silently listening to the knights’ conversation, let out a chuckle.

“It’s getting hard to listen to.”

“What did you say?”

“If you truly intended to sever my limbs, you would have done it right there, when the Delegates and knights were gathered. Wouldn’t you?”

“…”

Of course, Lennok had never recklessly thrown himself into a dangerous gamble, only to worry about his safety after being caught.

He remembered that all hundreds of corpses offered as sacrifices to the 10th Apostle, Amrita, in the secret passage of the armory where she slumbered, had no injuries other than a hole under the armpit.

This implied that for a proper human sacrifice to the Apostle, the victim’s body had to be completely unblemished.

Lennok had been fully aware of this fact from the beginning, which allowed him to confidently surrender in front of Nidri.

If Nidri truly intended to use Lennok as a living sacrifice, she wouldn’t have even thought about harming his body in the first place.

The fact that no one had attempted to wound him, merely bringing blades close when he was surrounded by the Delegates, also supported his conjecture.

“You can’t inflict any harm until right before the sacrifice to Amrita… Your subordinates couldn’t possibly be unaware of that…”

“How dare you…”

Geobin’s face, contorted in anger, suddenly withered, as if a switch had been flipped.

Returning to his expressionless demeanor, Geobin confirmed in a grim tone.

“You’re right. Indeed, this kind of work doesn’t suit me.”

“You received orders?”

“To give the impression that your limbs could be severed at any moment, so you’d stay quietly locked up until the ritual begins.”

Geobin’s eyes sharply scanned Lennok’s entire body.

“Though, looking at you now, it seems unnecessary.”

“Remarkable loyalty.”

Lennok smiled.

Geobin saw this and a faint glimmer appeared in his eyes.

“You’re not afraid.”

“Afraid?”

Lennok, gazing at Geobin through the bars, chuckled.

“I don’t really know what that ‘ritual’ is in the first place. I’m not one to fear what I don’t know.”

“No, everyone fears it.”

Geobin shook his head decisively.

“A sinner who defies the great doctrine and attempts to plunge everything into chaos becomes like that. The unknown is frightening, eerie, grotesque, and makes one tremble.”

“…”

“But you don’t seem to be.”

He wasn’t wrong.

To Lennok, who possessed a target-designated resistance ability, such restraints were practically meaningless.

Moreover, as long as he held Jindun’s control code, he was confident he could break free from all these binds at any time.

His body was only slightly inconvenient, but he was recovering his mana in a state virtually no different from when he first arrived on this island.

In this situation, it would be strange not to be afraid.

However, Lennok, knowing what Geobin was implying, didn’t bother to feign fear.

Because if he were to reveal such false emotions, they would undoubtedly become far more vigilant and pressure him even more.

“If you’re hoping for help, you’d best give up.”

Geobin threatened, as if reading Lennok’s thoughts.

“Now that the internal issues of the cult have been resolved, all remaining forces are focused on external defenses. There will be no brazen crawling in through the sewers like before.”

“I see… So you already knew that much.”

Geobin was about to say more to Lennok, who closed his eyes with a composed expression, but.

The rustling of robes nearby made him hastily bow his head.

Nidri had appeared, standing on her own two feet, looking perfectly fine.

She was clad in the High Priestess’s ornate vestments, but her skin, facing the impending ritual, was rigid and pale white, like porcelain.

Nidri, with a strange appearance of blood vessels visible through her bleached white cheeks, nodded with an expressionless face.

“Geobin, there are knights who require your strength. Go.”

“But, High Priestess, this one’s power is simply too much to be contained by these mere cages…”

“Geobin.”

Nidri’s soft voice abruptly cut off Geobin’s words.

Geobin said nothing more, quietly bowed, and disappeared.

Nidri, who had been surveying the now quiet corridor near the underground dungeon, crossed her arms and let out a faint chuckle.

“This prison was originally created to restrain and transport Apostles. It’s in the temple basement, but it’s designed to be detachable.”

“…”

“When I was a High Priestess, I was quite inexperienced in managing the cult. Because of that, I often had to resort to coercive measures, unable to properly enlighten those with sufficient aptitude.”

A faint smile appeared on her stiff, porcelain-like face.

“After the number of faithful grew sufficiently and we could stably select candidates internally, it all became just a distant memory… Hehehe.”

“You seem to be enjoying this.”

At Lennok’s blunt remark, Nidri turned her gaze.

“Indeed. To be honest, I am enjoying it. After long anguish, I finally feel I have earned the right to return to my true nature.”

“…”

“While He wandered in an endless dream, I, too, searched tirelessly but found no answers. I was too hasty, made mistakes, and lost the power of revelation.”

Nidri’s faintly smiling face instantly clouded with anger.

Her emotions fluctuated wildly, as if boiling over. It was clear that she could no longer maintain the sensibilities of a normal human, both mentally and physically.

Otherwise, there would be no reason for her to seek out Lennok and reveal such personal details.

“I thought all the meaning we had built together had faded. Even so, I tried to lead the cult in a better direction… but I realized that even that was not something I could control.”

Lennok keenly watched the crown resting on Nidri’s bowed head.

“The way to atone for my mistakes and return to His side was not through devotion to worldly affairs. What I needed to do was listen to the revelations coming from the Outer Sea, not from this world.”

“…”

“I would do anything to regain that power.”

Nidri whispered.

“And after the plan succeeds, no one will be able to hold me accountable.”

Only then did Lennok understand why Nidri was telling him this directly.

Her absolute confidence in the success of this plan. She was convinced that, given how things had progressed, failure was impossible.

Nidri must have a vague idea of Lennok’s true identity and the existence of other Watchers.

Perhaps she was even aware that the wizard Evan was a warmage who had survived the Hanghasa Labyrinth.

But had she already concluded that even such variables held no meaning before the ritual she was about to commence?

Rumble!!

At that moment, the entire underground corridor of the temple twisted and shifted its terrain, forming a massive incline leading upwards.

The prison where Lennok was held moved as if sliding, pushing up through the incline.

Lennok frowned, realizing that this was not merely a function of the prison, but a natural phenomenon he was quite familiar with.

“The ascending currents of mana found only in the Sea of Understanding. Have you gained enough skill to apply it to a localized area?”

Nidri did not answer.

But Lennok, discerning that her silence was in a way her answer, opened his eyes wide.

If she, who had been unable to control her emotions and casually spilled her story, suddenly fell silent on this topic, then.

Didn’t that itself hold undeniable significance?

“I see. If the reason you stayed in the Sea of Understanding for so long was to fully comprehend and properly use its power, then ultimately…”

“Say whatever you wish.”

Nidri turned to Lennok and smiled.

“Thanks to your presence, everything has proceeded faster than expected, and all preparations are complete. All that remains is to create the vessel to receive the great revelation…”

Faint cracks began to spread across Nidri’s skin, which had hardened like white porcelain.

Crack, crack…

She paid no mind as small pieces of skin fell at her feet, as if her shell was about to shatter and peel away.

Nidri gently stroked her cheek where the cracks were spreading, and quietly murmured.

“I shall be the first in this world to attain a new Ascendance.”

A colossal cage shaped from indigo metal stood in the center of the grand temple’s sanctuary.

Dozens of Correction Knights surrounding the cage, each with a hand on the blade at their hip, silently marched towards the altar beyond the sanctuary.

Cult Guard forces, several times the number of Correction Knights, filled every corner of the temple, and priests ascended various parts of the massive balustrade, maintaining vigilant watch.

This entire sequence of actions was merely part of the process to transport a single wizard to the altar.

Lennok observed the cult priests and knights, bustling ceaselessly around him, with an expressionless face.

He was shackled at his limbs with handcuffs and leg irons as thick as rebar, and all his mana was sealed, yet their grand formation showed no slackening of vigilance.

Though parts of the massive crystal palace were scorched by the flames Lennok had unleashed, its form and grandeur remained intact.

They passed through the completely burned sanctuary of the temple, heading deeper towards the colossal altar.

On the altar lay the 10th Apostle, Amrita, breathing slowly in slumber. Her fur was slightly singed, but she seemed peaceful, as if no disturbance had occurred.

And around the Apostle, dozens of magic circles drawn with crimson blood radiated outwards like ripples.

On the walls surrounding the altar, hundreds of humans hung alive, letting out incoherent screams and tremors.

In the center of this magnificent yet horrifying tableau stood Nidri, adorned in the High Priestess’s pristine vestments.

Behind her, a dozen or so Delegates stood towering, as if observing the current situation.

They were powerful individuals representing each branch of the cult, but at this moment, they remained silent, their lips tightly sealed.

This was because they understood that the ritual Nidri was about to perform was a form of revelation rarely seen even within the cult.

A Selection Ritual that she, having lost her power as a High Priestess, was performing by borrowing the aid of the Apostle Amrita and the unique environment of the Sea of Understanding.

The authority of a High Priestess within the cult was virtually equal to or even surpassed that of an Apostle.

It was only natural that the Delegates, who had yearned to be selected as Apostles through this ritual, had waited for this moment with maddening anticipation.

“Come closer.”

Lennok’s cage slowly floated closer to the altar where Amrita slept.

“Ooh…”

“Uh, ugh…”

“Ugh…!”

Groans from the still-breathing people hanging on the altar.

Even though they had lost consciousness due to the ceaseless pain, their bodies automatically reacted, letting out screams.

Lennok stared blankly at the gruesome scene of the altar, now right before him, then looked at Nidri overseeing him from above, and asked.

“Do you intend to hang me among them now, for display?”

“How could I?”

Nidri smiled softly.

“Of course, the most delicious delicacy must be saved for last.”

“…”

“Just before the ritual ends and everything returns to its place, at the moment when her help is most needed, you shall become the foundation stone of the grand cycle. You may be proud enough.”

“You’re taking a long way to say you’re feeding me to an animal.”

“Once the ritual begins, nothing can ever return to the world’s natural order.”

Even at Lennok’s mocking remark, Nidri did not lose her composure.

“So if you have any last words to leave in this world, it would be best to utter them all now.”

“…”

Leaving Lennok, who did not answer, Nidri sharply turned her head.

“The Selection Ritual of the Apostle shall now begin.”

She slowly formed hand seals with both hands and began to utter unknown divine words.

Simultaneously, the enormous magic circle, formed in a grand circle around the altar, floated up and began to emit light ceaselessly.

Whoooosh…!!

Lennok realized that the magic circle was a modified form, borrowing elements from Jindun’s barrier formation.

Nidri had obtained Jindun’s legacy and reshaped a part of his barrier magic for her own purposes.

Lennok, trapped in the cage, calmly watched the glow of the magic circle, waiting for his moment.

‘Not yet.’

He needed to strike at a more decisive moment, a single instant from which Nidri and the Delegates could not possibly escape the backlash.

RUMBLE!!!!

The magic circle deployed around the altar lifted from its spot and began to rotate.

The blood-red magic circle revolved around the altar, tracing a three-dimensional trajectory and forming a massive spherical orb.

Humans trapped within it began to lose their breath one by one, uttering desperate screams.

“Sa, save…”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry…!!”

“Auuugh…!!”

As hundreds of human lives were offered as sacrifice, the rotation of the magic circle accelerated, and its pressure intensified as if to shatter space itself.

The spiritual pressure, swelling as if to burst the air above the altar, became infinitely heavy, as if pressing down on the very soul.

Finally, it surpassed its limit and shattered something completely.

BOOOOOOM!!!

The crimson-black ripple shockwave sweeping through the vision inverted all visible colors.

Immediately after a deafening roar erupted, the surroundings became eerily quiet, as if by a lie.

It wasn’t that the surroundings had become quiet, but rather an unnatural sensation as if sound had been blocked.

The moment he realized it, the scenery around the altar was already submerged in endless darkness.

“Hmm…!”

“This is… no way!”

The altar, which had turned pitch black, was completely unlike the white temple scenery.

The Delegates, who instantly grasped the meaning of the darkened landscape, uttered varied gasps with hardened expressions.

Lennok also stiffened his face, realizing this sense of déjà vu existed in his memory.

‘The Well…’

The landscape of the Outer Sea seen through the Well of the Codex.

He felt the manifestation of an overwhelming presence, experienced there, approaching as Nidri began her ritual.

Nidri’s process of receiving the will of the apocalypse through her power as a High Priestess.

It was not simply receiving and conveying the will of an Outer God floating beyond that Outer Sea.

In this world, where the cycle of cause and effect had been closed, it was difficult to even glimpse anything happening in the sea of darkness.

When she possessed her full power as a High Priestess, such obstacles were nothing, but now, having stepped down and become an Archbishop, it was different.

Therefore, Nidri had been preparing to receive the will of the Outer God by constructing the altar’s environment as similar to the Outer Sea as possible.

In the Sea of Understanding, it was not just mana that rose to the surface through ascending currents.

It was about linking it to a specific ritual to rapidly float one’s own consciousness, indirectly creating an environment close to the Outer Sea.

It was for this very moment that Nidri had risked exposure and placed the cult’s Far Eastern Branch island in the Sea of Understanding.

Groooan…!!

A strange sensation, as if the consciousness of hundreds of people near the altar were almost simultaneously soaring into the sky.

A sense of isolation where all surrounding cognitive abilities drifted far from one’s own will.

A bone-chilling cold that froze the entire body and a boundless, deep void gnawed at the mind.

Amidst the hallucinated glide, where mind and body separated and bounded uncontrollably in all directions, even breathing grew gradually fainter and more tenuous.

It was an extreme environment that humans could never get used to.

But within this Outer Sea-like environment, the incarnation of apocalypse, who felt more comfortable than anyone else, also existed.

[Hoo, hoo, hoooo…]

The giant furball, 10th Apostle Amrita, who had been breathing with a purr while sprawled on the altar’s peak, stirred and awoke.

[This is…]

Within her white fur, blue eyes quietly opened and discreetly scanned her surroundings.

The appearance of being utterly consumed by insatiable gluttony was gone; her calm, settled gaze exuded a deep sense of profoundness.

An environment close to the Outer Sea. Therefore, the mad Apostle, who swam in the Outer Sea as part of the Outer God’s dream, had also regained her sanity.

This very moment, as Amrita regained her intellect and truly manifested herself to preside over the ritual.

If he was to intervene, it had to be now.

‘Here I go.’

Just as Lennok immediately pulled out the paper with the control code from his pocket and tried to stand up.

[…Are you going to do it?]

A most peculiar thought transmission pierced Lennok’s mind.

Her strangely clear and transparent eyes had been fixed precisely on Lennok from the moment they opened.

[Are you going to end it, with your own hands?]