Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Advent of the Apostle (4)
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***
Even as a sense of strangeness and crisis washed over him, Cheon-seong didn't turn his gaze from Karite.
That was how important he felt it was to steady Karite's mind.
"...!"
But as the situation rapidly changed, Cheon-seong couldn't maintain that stance.
Sshaaa—!
The world was suddenly swallowed by darkness.
The verdant Aile Forest was stained a deep black, consuming Cheon-seong and Karite, who had briefly strayed from the path.
In an instant, a space composed solely of darkness was formed, like a separate dimension.
Just as Karite's form, right in front of him, became faint, Cheon-seong urgently spun around and raised his spear.
“.......”
He didn't dare speak rashly.
He couldn't identify the source of the darkness that had consumed the area. He only knew that this had happened in tandem with Karite's sudden anxiety.
‘Stay calm.’
Calming his startled heart, he positioned himself in front of Karite, shielding her.
“Karite. I don’t know what’s making you think that way, but I’m fine. You can’t let your heart grow weak. Nothing is going to happen.”
He spoke calmly, staring intently ahead.
The area, now filled with darkness, was so pitch-black that he couldn't see an inch in front of him.
Channeling mana into his eyes and focusing his gaze, he sensed something at the center of the darkness.
Slither....
The strange darkness coalesced, forming an odd shape. Its outline resembled that of a human.
But it was so shrouded in shadow that he couldn't make out any details.
Whether it was male or female, or if it was even human...
“Instructor Vermont! Can you hear me!?”
While trying to guess its identity, I shouted loudly, just in case.
I didn't know how this space filled with darkness had been created, but I figured if my voice could reach the outside at all, Instructor Vermont would appear.
...But as if expectations are always meant to be betrayed, there was no sign of anything.
‘Are we cut off from the outside?’
This situation... might be even worse than I thought.
Come to think of it, we had ended up separated from the other cadets. Even I hadn't been able to make a proper judgment because of Karite's strange behavior.
As a result, it felt like we had walked right into a trap.
Biting my lip, I tightened my grip on the spear.
“Who are you!?”
I shouted loudly at the presence before me, but I didn't expect an answer.
...It was a shout meant to shake off the anxiety trying to take root in my heart.
Just then.
Within the deep darkness, the figure made a bizarre movement.
It looked utterly unnatural.
A strange silhouette rippled in the dark. It was close to a human form, yet the darkness repeatedly churned, coalescing and then scattering.
It was so alien.
...Yet, it seemed to be preparing for something.
As I realized this, a great conflict arose within me.
I wanted to strike first, but I didn't know what would happen to Karite, who was right behind me.
I was in a situation where I had to protect Karite while simultaneously facing an unfathomable being.
Most of all, the greatest issue was that I couldn't be sure what this opponent was.
I could only surmise it was the Apostle of Sacrifice, ‘Leteia,’ or a ‘being cooperating’ with the Apostle.
Just as I was wondering if it was right to keep waiting like this.
“Ah.”
A bizarre voice, one that couldn't possibly be human, drifted through the darkness.
The moment I heard it, goosebumps broke out all over my body.
...This is.
‘Definitely not human.’
The realization of its identity made my grip on the spear tighten further.
A non-human being. If so, there was only one possibility.
—!!
Even in the deep darkness, a vivid blue light coated the spearhead.
“Seizing a body... consumes more energy than I expected. I didn't think it would resist this much.”
The voice that came through the darkness was now distinctly more stable.
At the same time, it carried several meanings.
-Seizing a body.
-Consuming energy.
-Someone is resisting.
Each one was like a clue, but I had no time to think deeply.
Sshaaa....
Even in the darkness, a bizarre, purple-tinged mist swirled, enveloping the shadowy being.
Then, the figure's form, which had been just a faint outline, began to come into clear view. The revealed appearance was nothing short of shocking.
“Human. No, I should call you Han Cheon-seong.”
A strange voice, impossible to distinguish as male or female. However, its external appearance, if I had to say, was closer to a female form.
But to me, it didn't look human at all.
It was a bizarre monster that merely mimicked a human's shape.
"Seeing you directly through human eyes like this, you possess a very peculiar aura. Truly, a very alien feeling."
Even without fully comprehending its words, I was certain of what this being was.
—The Apostle of Sacrifice, Leteia.
After seeing the purple mist, I was able to confirm the being's identity.
It really was... an Apostle.
“You don't seem to be a being of this world originally. Am I right?”
But its next words left me speechless for a moment.
“......”
It was enough to make me forget the current situation; my thoughts seemed to grind to a halt.
'How does it know that...?'
Even the word 'alien'. It suddenly felt incredibly strange.
“You feel alien, just like us. To feel such a distinct sense of otherness from a human is truly, truly fascinating.”
“What nonsense are you spouting!”
I replied, belatedly mindful of Karite, but my voice trembled.
‘How on earth does the Apostle know about me?’
No, I couldn't even figure out how it knew my name in the first place.
Still, I couldn't play along with the Apostle's words.
“Nonsense, you say... Right. That's what I find strange, too. That you're clearly human, yet you feel alien, just like us.”
The Apostle, who had been speaking continuously, suddenly raised a hand and pointed at me. I tensed up, tightening my grip on my spear.
Just as I took the gesture as a prelude to an attack, unexpectedly, nothing happened.
“Child. Come here.”
But the voice that rang out next... was not referring to me.
My gaze shifted behind me before I knew it.
“......”
There stood Karite, looking as if her sense of self had completely vanished.
And she was trying to walk past me, toward the front. Knowing the Apostle was right there, I didn't have a moment to think.
“Karite!”
I shouted, urgently grabbing her arm with one hand.
Click....
Her steps halted, Karite momentarily tried to shake off my arm as if resisting me. Despite that, I refused to let go.
“Snap out of it! Karite.”
Instead, I tightened my grip on her arm and pulled her toward me.
Shhk.
Watching Karite being pulled limply toward me, my heart sank like a stone.
A strange feeling came over me as I watched the Apostle, who was simply observing me quietly.
‘Why isn't it attacking?’
The situation was the absolute worst of all the scenarios I had imagined.
The dreaded Apostle of Sacrifice. Leteia's direct appearance. On top of that, this whole scene where it seemed to be interfering with Karite... every single part of it was the worst possible outcome for me.
“......”
After being pulled forcefully by my strength, Karite stopped moving completely, like a puppet with its strings cut. Seeing her like that made my heart feel as if it were freezing over.
'...How can I save her?'
Now, I could see only one course of action to take.
Trying to protect Karite now was almost meaningless.
...If Leteia wished it, her fate was already in the Apostle's hands.
Shhk.
Letting go of her arm, I let out a deep sigh and faced Leteia directly.
I had predicted that someone would die, and Leteia would appear to seize the power from the corpse.
But that wasn't it.
Leteia had an incredibly easy way to collect its power if someone involved with it was present.
It could control the one in whom it had planted its power with just a few words.
...That's why I had to turn Leteia's attention completely to me.
“Leteia. The reason you appeared is for a sacrifice, isn't it? To replenish your own power.”
In contrast to my previous silence, this time I initiated the conversation.
Openly stating the Apostle's name and purpose.
“You say some rather fascinating things.”
Leteia's eerie, purple-tinged gaze, which had been fixed on Karite, finally turned to me.
“My true name, and even my purpose... How do you know all of that?"
Staring at Leteia, who asked as if it found me strange, I swallowed a deep sigh.
‘I have to do this.’
A few days ago, I had considered this worst-case scenario.
What I should do if such a situation arose...
Coincidentally, the situation aligned with what I had imagined. The Apostle's attention was, at least slightly, focused on me.
If so, it might be possible to draw its attention entirely to myself.
“Wouldn't a stronger sacrifice be better? I'm much stronger than a powerless cadet like Karite.”
“That's right. The stronger the sacrifice, the better.”
The moment the Apostle's gaze was completely on me, I leaped forward with all my might.
Shhk.
The instant I took a step, mana surged through my body, erupting with incomparable force.
—!
In a flash, my vision locked on, and I shot through the darkness like a beam of light.
In this moment, my entire body enveloped in pure mana, I hardened my resolve in an instant.
‘I won't even give it time to think about Karite.’
I'll end this with Leteia, right here and now.
That form right now must be just one of the Apostle of Sacrifice Leteia's avatars. Then it definitely won't have the Apostle's full power.
In that case, I had a chance.
Sssrrk…….
The moment I made up my mind, a bizarre, spiraling current began to gather around the black spear shaft. Without any prior sign, the spiral current manifested, intensely enveloping the spearhead.
And then.
With only a few steps left, I could see Leteia.
"......"
Meeting Leteia's chilling, purple gaze looking down on me, I thrust my spear in a single motion.
————!!
The moment the spiral current erupted explosively, launching forward more intensely than ever before...
a truly unbelievable... result occurred.