Chapter 780: Ghostly Expedition (6)

The Guido Cult’s special combat force, the 8th Apostle Camlodal.

Did that mean one of the elite, single-digit Apostles was sending his will here now?

As Lennok furrowed his brow at that fact, the High Priestess calmly requested.

“I will explain the situation myself. Would you entrust me with confronting him?”

“…….”

As Lennok silently fiddled with the ring, the High Priestess’s spiritual body glowed and floated behind Lennok.

Fwoosh!

The Apostle, who had raised his hammer, flinched and stepped back, and the tentacle clinging to his shoulder tilted its head.

“Camlodal. I thank you for finding my body.”

At the High Priestess’s clear telepathic message, the tentacle finally writhed as if flustered.

“……High Priestess? What are you doing here?”

“Due to unavoidable circumstances, I have decided to cooperate with this individual. I wish to explain the situation to you.”

“으음, 그렇다면 설마…….”

Camlodal finally let out a deep sigh, as if he had grasped the situation.

“I thought I was lucky, but that was a misconception. Did I only find the trace after you allied with the heretic?”

It seemed he immediately realized that his pursuit had only succeeded after Lennok discovered the High Priestess’s presence.

As Lennok tilted his head at the Apostle’s uncharacteristically calm reaction, the High Priestess responded composedly.

“Regarding Jinwa’s corruption, I will personally explain it before him. For now, would you recover my body and return to the Papal Seat?”

“Hmm…….”

The sight of the tentacle swaying as if lost in thought. Its parasitic attachment to the Apostle’s shoulder was utterly grotesque.

But instead of pondering for long, Camlodal slowly shook his head.

“I’m sorry, but that would be difficult. Are you asking me to overlook a heretic who stole a devotee’s soul?”

“Camlodal. Normally, I wouldn’t make such a request-”

The High Priestess calmly shook her head.

“It just so happens that this individual’s destination coincides with the one instructed by the Papal Seat.”

“…….”

“Though it’s a mere coincidence, if the destinations are the same, isn’t there no reason to break the larger flow?”

Only then did Lennok understand why the High Priestess had reacted that way upon hearing his destination.

No, he had merely put off acknowledging a vague suspicion because of his concerns about the Pontiff.

The reason the Guido Cult’s devotees were isolated in the middle of this swamp.

The reason they were transporting the High Priestess’s corpse through such difficult terrain instead of recovering and interring it at the Papal Seat.

Wasn’t it so they could cross the Headrain River and head to Military City, just like Lennok?

The Guido Cult’s isolated position, with almost no contact with other cities.

Their unique organizational structure, which was hostile to almost all factions yet respected by them, had made him slow to notice.

The Guido Cult, or more precisely, High Priestess Seina Nadiri, was heading to Yorta to resolve a problem connected to her death.

“Although he is a sorcerer affiliated with Pandemonium, his abilities and conditions matched, so I unwillingly requested his companionship.”

“Pandemonium? Ah, I see…….”

At that moment, Camlodal’s viscous voice seemed to thin slightly.

“Hearing that, I understand. I heard a rather peculiar special-type sorcerer joined Pandemonium.”

“…….”

“I heard that he only handles extremely sensitive cases or individuals, so many are increasingly wary of his actions. I never expected to encounter him in a place like this.”

At Camlodal’s words, tinged with a faint laugh, the High Priestess also nodded with an expressionless face.

“Once the Spell-Word placed upon me in Yorta is removed, I will personally report to him. So, for now, could we at least minimize the current situation-”

“……Wrong.”

At that moment, Lennok, who had been silently standing with his arms crossed, lightly flicked his finger.

A faint illusion of space distorting before his eyes.

Swish……!!

The moment the jet-black shadow robe fluttered and vanished from that spot.

The flat side of a colossal hammer struck the place where Lennok had stood at subsonic speed.

CRACK!!

Striking nothing but air, a sound like a deck splitting echoed, and the impact sent air blasting outwards in all directions.

RUMBLE!

Lennok lightly descended onto the commotion that had instantly overturned the swampy ground once more.

Behind Lennok, the High Priestess, who had been observing the situation, asked coldly.

“Camlodal. What are you doing?”

“What am I doing?”

Camlodal swayed his tentacles as he replied.

“I am interrogating the heretic who extorted the High Priestess’s soul right here.”

“You didn’t listen to my words.”

“No. I did.”

Camlodal laughed.

“But High Priestess, you haven’t forgotten how you met your death, have you?”

“…….”

The tentacle parasitic on the Apostle’s shoulder, snorting fiercely, emitted a different, metallic tone than before.

“You could not escape Ascendant Jinwa’s Lost Paradise and were condemned to death by a Spell-Word. Do you not understand what this means?”

“……That’s.”

“It means that not only your body, but your spiritual essence itself might have been destroyed, leaving you incapable of normal thought.”

Camlodal said.

“How much can I trust an explanation you utter after having your soul seized by a Pandemonium sorcerer?”

“Logical. His way of speaking is unnervingly coherent.”

Lennok, who had been listening to their conversation, let his gaze gleam through the mask.

“The Apostles I know weren’t like this.”

Observing his thought process and conversation with the High Priestess, he was distinctly different from other Apostles.

Most Apostles Lennok had seen so far, while capable of conversation, gave a strong impression of being somewhat intoxicated.

Camlodal, however, aside from his parasitic tentacle form, seemed far more removed from madness than most Apostles Lennok had encountered.

If one were to strictly consider his thought process and conversational ability, he was comparable to the 2nd Apostle, who transcended the others.

But upon hearing Lennok’s words, Camlodal burst into laughter.

“Hahaha, a mere unbeliever dares to judge the thought process of our great Incarnation?”

“…….”

“But you’re not wrong. Sometimes, things are seen more clearly from outside the doctrine. In that sense, your observation of my reason’s solidity hits the core.”

RUMBLE…!!

Along with Camlodal’s words, the ox-headed Apostle he was parasitizing began to raise his hammer once more.

With red light streaming from its eyes, its spasmodic form showed not a shred of intellect.

It was completely opposite to Camlodal, who spoke coherently in tentacle form.

“This is generally the fate bestowed upon us Apostles. To become an Incarnation, to eternally swim in a great dream, never to return…”

Camlodal tapped the Apostle’s body with his tentacle and said.

“Though I wish to die as if falling asleep in a dream, we still have a mission for the doctrine of the Myriad Gods.”

“Mission, you say.”

Lennok chuckled from behind his mask.

“Is it to parasitize the bodies of other Apostles and lead the maddened monsters to the necessary death?”

“…….”

“Tentacle form. Parasitic method. Rational thought unlike other Apostles. Your Apostle spell seems specialized in controlling other entities.”

WHOOSH!

Lennok drew mana threads and draped them over a piece of wood floating above his head, asking.

“Dragging the already ruined Apostle’s body like a puppet, it wasn’t to fully recover the High Priestess, was it?”

“Hoho.”

Camlodal let out a faint gasp of admiration, and the High Priestess’s spiritual body turned its gaze.

“Sir.”

“The Guido Cult already deploys mad Apostles to the battlefield as indiscriminate weapons of slaughter.”

Lennok said, glancing at the ox-headed Apostle.

“If he specifically dragged this mad Apostle instead of another entity, it seems he’s not trying to save that one, but to eliminate any possibility of it.”

“…….”

The High Priestess also fell silent, seeming to have realized something upon hearing his words.

From the moment Camlodal, even after hearing the High Priestess’s words, invoked Jinwa’s power and claimed he couldn’t trust her, it became clear that he had not come to help her in this situation.

“Hah, of course, this isn’t the Papal Seat’s judgment. It’s solely my personal discretion.”

Camlodal nodded his tentacle and laughed.

“But for the sake of the great doctrine, should the safety of the Guido Cult and the High Priestess even be weighed against each other?”

“Camlodal…….”

“High Priestess. I respect your devotion to the Guido Cult and your achievements in fulfilling your duties as High Priestess.”

Camlodal said, leaving the High Priestess speechless.

“However, if your death was determined by Jinwa and not by Him, then the Guido Cult must leave no room for Jinwa. I hope you understand that.”

“…….”

“There are no personal feelings involved. But—”

At that moment, Camlodal’s tentacle elongated and a sharp barb grew at its tip.

The tentacle, which had been swaying on the ox-headed Apostle’s shoulder, pierced directly into the back of the Apostle’s head.

GROWLLL!!!

The Apostle writhed its entire body, letting out a horrific shriek.

Lennok realized this was the result of Camlodal’s Apostle spell beginning to manifest and immediately wrapped himself in mana threads.

SWISH!

Just as the mana threads, wielded like a whip, were about to cleanly sever the Apostle’s neck, slicing through bushes and tree stumps.

The ox-headed Apostle firmly grabbed the bundle of mana threads with one hand.

RIP!

Its palm immediately split open, blood splattering, but at the same time, its body rapidly regenerated with monstrous resilience.

Simultaneously, calm words flowed from the ox-headed Apostle’s mouth.

“Mana threads. High-tier manipulation spell. Severing enchantment?”

“…….”

“He’s not just specialized in manipulation; he’s reached a stage where he interferes with the very nature of the spell, twisting its properties.”

His tone was calm and coherent, unbelievable for a monster that had been screaming senselessly just moments ago.

The Apostle stroked his chin with one hand and stepped forward.

“Indeed, a special-type sorcerer. The scope and limits of your abilities are almost impossible to guess. Any attempt to probe them would be meaningless.”

“Apostles are truly incomprehensible.”

Lennok too, shook his head, realizing what had entered the Apostle’s body.

“Did he take over another Apostle’s body and turn it completely into his puppet?”

The tentacle that had been parasitizing another Apostle’s shoulder just moments ago.

The 8th Apostle Camlodal had formally used his Apostle spell to completely take over another Apostle’s body.

Such an exclusive and self-serving act was hard to believe for those within the same organization, believing the same doctrine, and serving the same Pontiff.

The Apostle’s mind, casually committing taboos that would be difficult to commit even against enemies, let alone allies.

But even at Lennok’s words, the High Priestess was calm, as if she had expected it, and Camlodal also replied nonchalantly.

“You seem to know about the Guido Cult, yet you don’t truly understand. Have you still not grasped what offerings mean to us?”

“…….”

“Faith is sacrifice. Sacrifice is devotion. To individually verify intentions when following His guidance is foolish.”

THUD!

Camlodal, slowly raising the hammer the Apostle held, said.

“The High Priestess’s matter is the same. While it is unfortunate that her death was determined by Jinwa, that death must not stray from the doctrine.”

Was he planning to incinerate her soul so that the High Priestess’s death would belong entirely to the Guido Cult?

Lennok still couldn’t empathize with that illogical way of thinking, but the High Priestess seemed to.

Understanding and agreeing with Camlodal’s logic, she hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

“……No. I still have work left to do.”

The High Priestess said, looking at the 8th Apostle who had taken over another Apostle’s body.

“Camlodal. I respect your decision, but now is not the time for promises. The task entrusted by Him still remains.”

“…….”

“No matter what happens, I will head to Yorta’s Wailing Tower.”

“Indeed. But I believe that role can be replaced by a future High Priestess. As is the case for all of us Apostles.”

Camlodal also nodded, seemingly unperturbed.

“If you cannot agree, then we have no choice but to follow our own judgments here.”

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE…!!

From a mindless monster, the warrior’s body was now imbued with the mind of an Apostle as rational as Lennok found surprising.

With just that, the magic power emitted by the Apostle quickly organized itself, transforming into an aura that subtly pressured the surroundings.

Lennok annoyedly tilted his head, receiving the murderous intent that was clearly palpable even through his thick robe.

“I had no intention of getting involved in the Guido Cult’s affairs…”

“Sir. I apologize. I, too, did not anticipate things would turn out like this…….”

The High Priestess replied with a voice full of complex emotions.

“The 8th Apostle is an exceptionally capable Apostle in handling the Guido Cult’s matters. If you’re concerned, you could release the soul bond even now and-”

“Leave?”

Lennok snorted and took a step forward.

“That bastard tried to eliminate witnesses even before he knew the situation. He’d probably still pursue me even if I threw you away and ran now.”

“…….”

If a judgment had to be relinquished, it would be to reverse the very act of recovering the High Priestess’s soul into the ring.

Otherwise, no matter how he dealt with it, conflict with Camlodal would be hard to avoid.

It was more logical to push forward aggressively, acting in line with Victor’s personality.

“Well, fine.”

Lennok, gathering mana inside his robe and clasping his hands together, spoke.

“It wouldn’t be so bad to kill a few more Apostles of the Guido Cult while I’m at it.”

“Utterly arrogant. No matter if you’re a sorcerer from Pandemonium, in a place like this-”

At that moment, Camlodal’s words, directed at Lennok, abruptly stopped.

The moment Lennok, who had clasped his hands together, slowly parted his palms.

Between his hands, the scenery distorted and slowly began to spin.

“Summoning spell.”

KIIIIING!!

With a fierce rotational sound, the cracks in the distorted space quickly turned into achromatic fragments.

At the same time, two withered arms reached out from beyond the imaginary dimension, grasping the cracks and revealing their forms.

“Hehehehe.”

A hook-nosed giant in a dark hood, chuckling unpleasantly.

What was peculiar was that the number of arms protruding from beneath the hood was no less than eight.

On its forty slender, withered fingers hung dozens of times that many bundles of mana threads.

“Manipulation magic is difficult to handle, requiring preparation and adjustment even for me. It often led to significant time wastage.”

When fighting as Victor, he primarily used manipulation spells, which often required preheating.

Lennok himself had experienced this while fighting alongside The Clown in Kabahim, at Jillian’s fortress.

Therefore, Lennok had succeeded in researching and acquiring a new spell system for use in Victor’s identity.

A power so utterly potent, yet with circumstances that no one would suspect if Victor were to have newly acquired it now.

A completely different system of weapon, inspired by Agneta’s abilities and the essence of Naiyav, who had transformed herself into a summon in the Order Alliance.

If it would take too long to catch up to Agneta’s innate senses, born of ancient mixed blood.

Then he could just create a substitute that could imitate Agneta’s abilities.

“Special-type artificial summon. Tailor of Imaginary Dimensions.”

Lennok smiled.

“This will be the perfect stage to experiment on a mad Apostle.”

Khehehehe!!

The Tailor, floating above Lennok’s masked head, began to wildly swing its eight arms, laughing madly.