Chapter 544: The Apostle's Destiny (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 544: The Apostle's Destiny (3)
A person's stomach expands the more they eat.
But if you eat indiscriminately, your stomach will eventually cry out in pain.
In my eyes, Gluttony was the same.
If it really wanted to, it could devour everything that existed in this world.
“…The only problem is, I’m the one who suffers.”
Cold sweat trickled down my spine.
The red message window before my eyes warned me relentlessly.
[Starving Gluttony devours the energy of its kin.]
[Saturation point reached.]
[Starving Gluttony frantically binges on the energy of its kin!]
[Saturation point reached.]
Saturation point.
This meant I had surpassed the limit of energy I, who was connected to Gluttony, could handle.
If this continued, a disastrous situation would unfold.
At best, my body would be damaged, and my stats would permanently decrease.
At worst… my body might not withstand the energy rushing in like a tidal wave and just… pop.
Neither option was particularly appealing.
“…I don’t have much time.”
The longer this dragged on, the more my body would wear down.
The problem was how to deal with the guy…
Fortunately, there was still an opening to exploit.
Blood Eater, created by combining Gula's Divine Authority and the True Ancestor's power, was flawless.
Depending on how it was used, it could raise an army, as it was doing now, or it could focus its power on the main body.
It could unleash maximum power at both close and long range, and it even had outstanding energy efficiency.
In fact, it had virtually no weaknesses, aside from being crushed by an even greater power.
But that was only true for Blood Eater itself.
“The problem is always the person.”
Ah, should I call that bastard a vampire?
Anyway.
No matter how perfect a power is, various problems can arise depending on the user.
The same was true for him now; he had one major flaw.
It was something he would naturally realize and fix over time, but for that very reason, it was a problem he couldn't easily erase right now.
The other name for this problem was ‘proficiency.’
“He’s still lacking in many ways.”
The Divine Authority of Gula and the power of the True Ancestor.
On the surface, the two powers seemed perfectly fused, but as someone facing him directly, I could see it.
Unlike the perfect exterior, the interior still had many parts that needed to be tuned.
In every spot where a proper balance hadn't been found, the clumped-up energies were slightly repelling each other.
That was why my Gluttony was able to slurp up only the energy of Greed from those red beasts.
The two faintly repulsive energies could be separated with the slightest provocation.
But this alone wasn't enough.
I was using his flaw to nullify his moves, but that was as far as it went.
“If only I had just one more thing…”
A single move to decisively cut off his life when the opportunity arose.
Where could I possibly find it?
As I pondered and looked around, my eyes met someone looking this way, and a thought struck me.
Does that move really have to come from me?
* * *
The beasts died before his eyes.
But the Duke was no longer nervous or flustered as he had been at the beginning.
It’s entirely possible.
For an Apostle chosen by the Goddess of Greed, Gula, just like himself.
Viktor Vadim’s devotion to the Goddess Gula was that noble and sublime.
In fact, he would have been furious, thinking he had betrayed the goddess's faith if his opponent couldn't even do this much.
And for that very reason, a will several times stronger was surging within him.
If I kill him, I can become the goddess's one true Apostle…!
If that happened, ruling over all creation in this world wouldn't be impossible.
Desire stirred.
An unbridled lust for domination, to control this vast world as he pleased.
It melted into his blood, squirming and forging new forms.
A ground army led by tigers and lions.
An air force spearheaded by raptors like eagles and hawks.
It wasn't limited to the forms of beasts.
As time passed, he melted more and more forms into his blood.
From monsters like slimes, orcs, and goblins to tentacled monstrosities with dozens of limbs.
“Now, go!”
He commanded.
“Tear, crush, and devour everything that stands in my way!”
BWOOOO!
Grrrrr…!
SKREEE!
KYAKYAKYAKYA!
Beasts and monsters.
The armies of the sky and land, a chaotic mix of all sorts of creatures, advanced.
Their target wasn't just Kim Do-jin.
Hadn't he commanded them?
To tear, crush, and devour everything.
And that "everything" included Kim Do-jin's comrades.
“They’re, they’re coming…!”
“Form ranks!”
“Magic, what about the magic?!”
“Just a little longer!”
“Dammit!”
The situation was unfolding urgently.
The tankers and melee dealers, adjusting their stances, rushed forward to meet the beasts' claws and weapons.
At the same time, the divine shields created by the Volunteer Group blocked the attacks of the raptors swooping down from the sky.
But it wasn't easy.
BWOOOO!
CRUNCH!
“Gyaaaah!”
SKREEE!
SHLIIICK—
“Keoheok…!”
Unlike the beasts, which were newly born and overflowing with power, the Raid Team was exhausted.
Thanks to the Volunteer Group's healing, their wounds were more or less treated, but even they couldn't instantly replenish the team's depleted stamina.
They were being pushed back helplessly.
Every time that happened, what helped them was the large-scale bombardment from the mages who had finished casting, and…
“Fall back.”
“Kuh… thanks!”
…Kim Do-jin's timely assistance as he weaved through the chaotic battlefield.
That's right.
Kim Do-jin was truly all over the place.
As if he had eyes not just on the back of his head but all over his body, whenever someone was in danger, he would appear as if he'd been waiting, drain the beast's energy, and bring it down.
Thanks to him, the battle continued without any major injuries, but that was the extent of it.
Just maintaining the front line isn't enough to win.
On the contrary, we were bound to lose.
I would tire out before Viktor Vadim, who was churning out beasts as if from a mold.
Fortunately, I wasn't just running around without a plan.
In fact, my movements were deliberate.
They were to fill a massive formation, secured through the Domain of the Ruler, with a spell formula.
This wasn't an existing magic, but a new one.
It was a new application of Gluttony, conceived while observing Viktor Vadim, the other Apostle of Greed.
I just have to command an army, too.
Just as he combined the True Ancestor's blood with Greed, I just needed to combine Gluttony with something else.
So, what to combine it with?
Kim Do-jin didn't have a resource that could act autonomously, inheriting its master's will like the True Ancestor's blood.
Even with mana that he controlled like his own limbs, it was only possible as long as his will was connected to it.
If he tried to connect his will to an army of hundreds and control each one individually, his brain would turn to mush.
So, he thought.
If I can't do it internally, I'll have to get a transfusion from the outside.
The "outside" he was thinking of was none other than his comrades, who were fighting a desperate battle against the beasts.
But to do this, one prerequisite had to be met.
I have to be able to take complete control of this entire area.
I'd complained about it before.
Angela has the Sanctuary of Patience, the Saintess has the Sanctuary of Mercy.
How come every other Apostle has their own domain, but I don't?
Back then, Gula had said it wasn't that I didn't have one, I just lacked the ability to use it.
The same was true now.
With the Gluttony I had only just begun to accept, deploying a domain was nothing but a dream.
But I needed it.
I needed to exert absolute influence and take control of this area.
So, I combined them.
I'll force Gluttony into the foundation of the Domain of the Ruler.
The sub-trait 'Domain of the Ruler,' which I received after my Mana stat surpassed 100.
I decided to shove Gluttony into it.
It was difficult.
'Hey, that's not for eating.'
Gluttony just tried to treat the mana as prey.
'Come on, I told you not to fight.'
The Domain of the Ruler frequently treated the trespassing Gluttony as an enemy and attacked it.
It was like the relationship between bacteria invading a body and the immune cells fighting them off.
That was why I had carved the spell formula.
Its role was to establish an unbreakable rule between the two energies that were busy growling at each other.
In that moment, everything became smooth.
With the rule as a skeleton, the gathered mana became the organs, while Gluttony became the flesh and muscle that clung to it.
And so, a new domain was completed.
「Domain of Gluttony」
Not a sanctuary born from a Divine Authority granted by a god, but a domain that was his alone.
The Sanctuary of Patience protects everyone within its domain, and the Sanctuary of Mercy helps heal allies and adds to their strength.
So, what effect did his domain have?
There are two things I can do.
Use it only for myself.
Or use it for everyone.
The way I was using it now was the latter.
The energy of Gluttony, which had existed as one large mass, split into dozens of pieces and attached itself to his comrades' backs.
The role of the now-smaller Gluttony remaining with Kim Do-jin was that of a control tower.
Even if split into tens or hundreds, it was ultimately one.
The saturated energy of Gluttony was transferred to each of the pieces.
The reactions of those surprised by the sudden addition of energy poured out.
“Wha-what is this…!”
“Suddenly, this power…?”
In a battle, hesitation means death.
“Everyone, calm down and accept it.”
Those words were enough.
This power came from Kim Do-jin—the man who had stabbed Francis. That fact alone was proof of Francis's absolute trust in him.
Then there's no reason for us not to trust him either!
Just wait a little longer, Francis.
I don't care what the source of this power is.
As long as I can get my revenge!
The power stolen through Gluttony.
Sharing it through the finely divided pieces of Gluttony to strengthen the entire group.
That was one of the two ways to use the Domain of Gluttony.
「Domain of Gluttony – One For All」
A new power, created from the effort to avoid being ostracized by everyone.
“Let's go!!”
“For Francis's revenge!”
Thud-thud-thud-thud-!
Backed by that power, the Raid Team's relentless advance began.