Chapter 132
Chapter 132
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: A Grand Omen - The Nine Apostles
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***
—Something is amiss.
And it keeps going further astray.
A space far removed from the Empire's front lines.
The daily flood of monsters on the front lines, the inexplicably overwhelming number of apostles.
A darkness holding the truth that every officer on the front lines yearned to know.
Within that darkness, strange ripples continuously emerged.
“It is unknowable.”
A small voice echoed in the darkness.
It was a peculiar voice, one that any listener might have mistaken for a child's.
For that reason, it was utterly dissonant with the intensely dark space.
For such a clear, child-like voice to resonate in this deep space of endless, lightless gloom…
“So, Leteia has failed.”
And at the calm, masculine voice that followed, several beings within the darkness began to powerfully manifest their presence.
—!
———!
——————————————————!!
Beings that swallowed the darkness, radiating an even greater presence.
Each time they revealed themselves in succession, a great ripple spread through the gloom.
The number of mighty beings thus revealed was no less than eight.
More than half of them were entities unknown even to the commanders who could be said to hold the real power of the Empire.
“Failure? Now that’s a ridiculous word. Isn't it strange to even mention 'failure' in connection with someone like Leteia? What could an apostle of her caliber possibly accomplish?”
After a cynical female voice followed, several beings concurred with her words in silence.
—Leteia, the Apostle of Sacrifice.
To those who manifested their presence in this darkness, she was a mere vessel, just one among many apostles.
“Still, was not a considerable amount of effort invested? It couldn't have been easy to create a being with such connections inside the Empire. One could say Leteia was quite intimately connected.”
As a peculiar, androgynous voice followed, the gazes of the eight powerful beings naturally turned toward an even deeper darkness.
They fixed their eyes on a place where a darkness remained that could not be erased, even by their own distinct and powerful presences.
And as if awaiting an answer, they all fell silent for a time.
“...The prophecy is going astray.”
From within the deep darkness, the delicate voice of a child echoed once more.
Her words were not even aimed at Leteia, who had previously plotted her dark scheme.
It was a peculiar voice, as if encompassing all things.
“Hmm…”
“Yusillia’s prophecies… could go astray?”
“I see.”
Yusillia’s voice was as unexpected as it was unsettling, enough to make most of the beings murmur.
And thus, the name of the being with the child's voice was revealed.
—Yusillia.
For the past several centuries, Yusillia's prophecies had pierced through all of reality.
Whether trivial or of immense influence, Yusillia would inform those present of all prophecies without any prior sign.
And more than half of the beings present here owed their lives to Yusillia's prophecies.
A confirmed fate of death. Yet, she was a mighty being who could foresee even such deaths and twist fate itself.
To the eight powerful beings present here, that was who Yusillia was.
An absolute being who could not be measured by strength or the level of her presence, and a being who signified ‘the one and only’ among the countless apostles.
Yusillia looked at the few beings focused on Leteia from within the darkness and slowly parted her lips.
“Anastasia. One of the beings who serves as the Empire's greatest mainstay has left her post on the battlefield.”
As Yusillia’s voice rang out again, several beings instantly manifested their presence with an intensity incomparable to before.
——!
As the fiercely surging energy threatened to consume the darkness even further, one being broke the silence.
“All of you, quell your agitation.”
Though the voice was deep and subdued, most of the beings who had been radiating their presence had to immediately withdraw their energy.
Nevertheless, a profound question settled among them.
“...In that case, shouldn't we move up the schedule for our Grand Plan?”
An extremely cautious female voice rang out.
And every being present here felt it.
But… no one was quick to answer her.
—A Mainstay of the Empire.
All the beings present here knew of the entities who were called mainstays of the Empire for their immense power.
And now, Anastasia, one of the stronger humans who supported the Empire and maintained the front lines, had been removed.
The first step of the Grand Plan hinged on Anastasia, and Yusillia was saying that it had now gone awry with her absence from the front lines.
At those words, they realized the immense gravity of what Yusillia meant by her prophecy going astray.
“……”
“Haa.”
As silence and deep sighs intertwined,
most gazes turned once again to the deep darkness.
Originally, there was no hierarchy among the apostles gathered in this darkness. All nine apostles gathered here were equal, able to voice their opinions on the same footing.
That was like the first principle pursued by the apostles present here, but they had an unspoken agreement.
—Yusillia.
That her opinion carried the most weight.
“There is no change to the Grand Plan. But it is certain that my prophecy is going astray. There is a being interfering with my prophecy. No, a being causing it to go astray.”
And to that, Yusillia gave a very strange answer.
The Grand Plan would proceed unchanged.
But there was a being interfering with the prophecy.
“Does that mean there is a being we are not aware of?”
“Strange… If there were a being powerful enough to disrupt Yusillia’s prophecy, we should have been aware of it.”
“At the very least, we must consider the possibility of a new mainstay emerging.”
“Does this mean the Empire’s strength remains formidable, even after centuries of conflict?”
As different voices continued to share their opinions,
“Haah…”
A very deep sigh cut through the flow of conversation.
As the gazes of the mighty apostles instantly turned to the one who sighed,
“Even after so much time has passed, you all are still… still so hesitant.”
The apostle who let out a twisted laugh contorted his lips and manifested a powerful intent.
“You say we are hesitant?”
“Azazel. What are you trying to say?”
At the ominous air from the apostle called Azazel, several others responded with cold voices. Azazel’s lips twisted further.
“First… I suppose I should explain something. Leteia was one of the apostles who inherited a great deal of my influence. To you, she may not seem like an apostle of great caliber. Her power wasn't even exceptional among apostles.”
Pausing for a moment, Azazel’s eyes narrowed deeply.
—!
At that, a faint scene flickered before Azazel’s eyes again. The vision that emerged was surprisingly the same as the one Leteia had once seen.
Leteia’s plan had been proceeding smoothly.
She had spent years preparing a sacrifice filled with negative thoughts. Just as she was about to use it to cause great chaos, an unexpected anomaly occurred.
Due to the great distance, even Azazel could not fully retrieve Leteia’s memories.
Nevertheless, Azazel could see it clearly.
That a human who should have collapsed and died had manifested a powerful will and performed an unbelievable miracle.
It was a miracle of this world, something that could not happen to him or the other apostles, but was permitted only to humans.
But that was what made it so strange.
He could understand if it were a powerful will manifested by a human on the front lines, which was rare enough.
But in Leteia’s memory, the being who manifested that powerful will was nothing more than a ‘seed’—a cadet.
The reality that a seed, which had not even properly bloomed, had manifested an overwhelming presence and performed an unbelievable miracle.
…Azazel clearly understood what that meant.
“I have a guess as to why Yusillia's prophecy went astray and why Leteia failed. The disappearance of a 'mainstay' like Anastasia from the front lines is a massive deviation, but the place she is heading is undoubtedly the academy in the capital.”
As Azazel cast his gaze into the deep darkness as if he had figured it out, several apostles looked at him with disbelief.
And just as several other apostles looked toward Yusillia,
“...He’s right.”
Yusillia readily affirmed his words.
The direction Anastasia was heading, deviating from the prophecy. Yusillia realized she was clearly heading toward the Imperial capital, toward the center.
And at Yusillia’s answer, Azazel grew certain and smirked coldly.
“You thought a being who would rise to become a mainstay had appeared, but that’s completely wrong. There is a human in the Imperial Academy who will rise to become a mainstay within the next few years. And they are but a seed, a mere cadet.”
“A mainstay…”
“Azazel. You make such bold assertions again.”
“What makes you so sure now, you who couldn't even handle Leteia?”
As they retorted more strongly than ever before, Azazel did not erase the smirk from his lips.
While the other apostles watched Azazel with interest, a great sense of alarm was rising in all their hearts.
—A Mainstay of the Empire.
The exceptional beings among the pillars that supported the Empire were called mainstays.
And in the current Empire, there were four such powerful beings who could be called mainstays.
As the Grand Plan was scheduled to begin the moment one of them could be defeated or removed, the word 'mainstay' was not one to be uttered lightly.
Yet Azazel had just prophesied the emergence of a powerful being on par with a mainstay.
“But if what Azazel says is true…”
“Did Yusillia not just support Azazel’s words?”
As several beings raised their voices in alarm, opinions soon began to clash within the group.
Those who opposed, arguing that Azazel could not be trusted because he was the one who uttered the word 'mainstay,'
and those who replied that it was still necessary to be sufficiently cautious and careful.
Just as the apostles’ opinions, split into two sides, were about to clash endlessly,
one apostle put an end to the ceaseless conflict.
“Azazel. Let us assume what you say is true. Then what do you propose we should do? What is the true meaning behind your words about us being hesitant?”
“What a ridiculous question. The answer is already there. We move up our Grand Plan. A plan that seeks to eliminate all risks and minimize damage is meaningless. If we drag our feet and the mainstay’s power awakens, the entire tide of the war will shift dramatically.”
Unlike his earlier sneer, Azazel conveyed his opinion in a calm voice.
“...The Grand Plan.”
“Nonsense!”
“Did Yusillia not already say it? The Grand Plan must proceed without a hitch.”
At that, the voices of those who opposed grew even louder than before.
Yet Azazel looked at them calmly.
He met the gazes of each powerful apostle one by one, taking in the faces of those who opposed him.
Then he nodded nonchalantly.
“In that case, when a new mainstay appears in a few years, are the apostles who oppose now willing to bear the full consequences? I will take responsibility for my words. I declare that a new mainstay will appear within five years. If not, I will cede ninety percent of my power to Yusillia.”