Chapter 202: Sloth and Thunder (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 202: Sloth and Thunder (4)
Alon did not know much about the Apostle of Sloth.
It was only natural.
The existence of an 'Apostle' had never appeared in Psychedelia.
Nevertheless, the reason Alon was able to devise a plan of his own was simple.
He knew what kind of power the Sin of Sloth wielded.
Of course, an Apostle and a Sin were different entities.
However, every Apostle he had encountered so far utilized the power of their respective Sin.
Still, since he knew nothing beyond that, he had to be cautious.
For instance, while he could guess why the Apostle of Sloth had taken Silli, he had no way of knowing why the creature was committing such acts in the jungle.
Even so, there was a method worth trying.
"Are you... serious?"
"Yes."
Alon nodded toward Deus, whose dry lips were trembling.
Reinhardt stepped forward, looking curious.
"So, what is this method? Based on your description, the moment we step into that black mana, everyone’s mana will be gnawed away until they die."
Reinhardt gestured slightly with his chin toward Deus, adding, "And this fellow wouldn't even be able to set foot inside."
"Correct. If the knights enter the forest as they are, they will be annihilated. Unless they are at the level of you two, they would consume more mana than necessary just trying to resist that black mana."
This was especially fatal for Alon.
Though his mana capacity had grown remarkably compared to a few years ago, it was still far below average because he had started with so little.
Since it was a place where one had to be constantly shrouded in mana to survive, the time allowed to Alon would likely be less than a few minutes.
‘Of course, it might be different if I could block the black mana by shrouding myself in Divinity.’
However, he only knew that Divinity possessed a sense of 'absoluteness.'
It was uncertain whether he could use it to repel mana, and unfortunately, Alon still didn't know how to properly control his Divinity.
It would be foolish to place too much trust in a power he hadn't fully researched.
"Sirkal."
"Yes."
"How far is it from here to the ruins?"
"…In a straight line, it would take at least five hours."
Five hours.
As Alon fell into brief thought, Sirkal pointed in a different direction.
"However, if we don't start from here but go through the eastern jungle of Caslot, we can cut it down to about thirty minutes."
Alon tilted his head.
"…Isn't that deeper into the forest?"
"Yes, but the black mana won't be able to encroach there. That place is—"
"The Silvanus Zone."
"Yes."
Reinhardt interjected, his tone somewhat negative.
"But that seems far too dangerous. The Hundred Ghosts dwell deep within that zone. It is effectively their territory. They do not tolerate those who trespass on their domain."
Reinhardt was overtly reluctant, perhaps due to his previous encounter with the Hundred Ghosts.
Despite Reinhardt's reaction, Alon remained silent for a moment before making his decision.
"We’re going through there."
"Are you being serious?" Reinhardt asked, his brow furrowing.
"Yes."
"…Do you not know what the Hundred Ghosts are?"
"I know. But don't worry. What you fear won't happen, and we will be able to save Silli."
Alon firmly stood by his decision and lightly patted Deus on the shoulder.
"So, don't worry."
* * *
The ruins where the Thunder Snake Tribe had once settled.
The scenery here had changed drastically.
Bizarrely shaped eggs of unknown origin were attached everywhere, and red, vein-like vines covered the ruins like a web.
Thump— Thump—
Hundreds of eggs pulsed individually, yet in a strange sort of unison, like an orchestra of heartbeats.
In the center of it all stood the Apostle of Sloth.
With a somewhat bored expression, the man stared indifferently at the hundreds of throbbing eggs.
Then.
Wooooong—
"…They finally took the bait."
One of the threads made of black mana, which spread out widely around him, vibrated grotesquely.
Seeing this, the Apostle of Sloth smirked.
He hadn't waited long, but the prey he had been longing for had finally bitten.
No, in truth, they were far too weak to be called prey. They were weaklings he didn't even need to put this much effort into catching.
Nevertheless, there were two main reasons he had set this stage.
The first was Deus Macallian.
It was solely to push the man's mind to its absolute limit.
‘That’s why I spared this girl back then.’
The Apostle of Sloth shifted his gaze slightly to look at Silli, who was tightly bound in black threads.
Her mouth was gagged, and she looked as though she had been subjected to harsh torture. Silli trembled, her eyes filled with hollow despair.
Unlike the other Apostles, who killed everyone except the sacrifices, he had gone out of his way to keep Silli alive to easily provoke Deus.
However, the reason he didn't stop at simply killing Silli in front of Deus was the second reason for this stage: Marquis Palatio.
‘That fellow is dangerous.’
Marquis Palatio.
He couldn't quite gauge the man's true identity. There were too many mysterious things about him.
He didn't bother digging deep into the Marquis's background, though. Only one thing mattered.
Marquis Palatio was someone who could throw a major wrench into his plans.
The scene was still vivid in his mind. The Apostle of Sloth had seen it clearly.
Marquis Palatio... disposing of the Apostle of Greed.
Therefore, from the moment the Apostle of Greed was dealt with, the Apostle of Sloth had intentionally held his breath and quietly set this stage.
A stage where he was guaranteed to win.
Furthermore, to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, he had used items hidden in the jungle beforehand to create a reserve force.
He had effectively eliminated most possible variables. Even if Marquis Palatio came, he would never be able to overturn this.
‘It seems they’ve figured out where I am.’
He could feel the presence of the knights approaching nearby.
‘Now, how should I play this?’
The Apostle of Sloth thought, his lips curling into a cruel smirk.
‘Seeing how they’re turning their mana on and off in groups of three, they’ve definitely misunderstood the situation. Hmm, should I just kill them all when they reach the halfway point?’
‘No— maybe I should kill them all once they get here and dump their corpses where Deus is? Yes, that’s not bad. It might be good to kill everyone and leave just one alive to go back. So that he can pour all his resentment onto Deus.’
‘Right after that, I’ll watch the situation, lure Deus in, and kill this girl right before his eyes—’
He turned his gaze back to Silli and smirked again.
"The end."
Beside her lay the corpses of the knights who had entered with Reinhardt, their necks snapped.
They weren't just dead. Their bodies were all severely mutilated.
One was missing an arm. Another was missing a leg. One was missing a head, while another had all their limbs intact but their entrails spilling out.
As if to explain why, the Apostle lightly flicked his finger.
Snap!
In that moment.
Ssssh—
The corpses lying near Silli began to stand up one by one. They moved grotesquely, like puppets in a play.
And then.
Stab—!
They began to swing their swords at each other.
The head of an already dead knight was lopped off. Dark red blood flowed along a blade that had pierced through a breastplate. Limbs were severed and fell to the ground, and intestines spilled out.
There was absolutely no value in these actions. They were already corpses.
Yet, the reason the Apostle continued this was simple.
"How is it?"
It was because of Silli.
The more she broke, the more Deus’s mind would suffer a devastating blow.
Silli squeezed her eyes shut, as if she couldn't bear to watch.
However.
"Oh, we can't have that."
As the Apostle’s finger lightly traced the air, Silli’s eyes were forced open.
"This is all for you, so it’s meaningless if you don't watch, isn't it? The knights who came to save you are putting on such a performance."
The Apostle snickered, his shoulders shaking with laughter.
In Silli’s eyes, where a horrific hellscape was being etched, another layer of despair was added.
* * *
Silli stared blankly ahead.
Corpses lunged at each other with swords. In their soulless movements, dead arms fell away. Entrails spilled from torsos moved by unnatural forces.
She knew.
Those were corpses. Those movements were merely the Apostle's trickery.
And yet, Silli could not watch this tragic play with indifference.
These were the knights of the Solar Eclipse Knight Order. Everyone harming each other— they were people she knew.
"Mmph—"
The arm of Zan, who always cracked silly jokes, was severed uselessly. The head of Millin, who used to playfully gossip about Deus with her, went flying. The legs of Mun, who used to train with her in the yard while looking at her magic with wonder, were hacked off.
With her—
Her—
Silli—
With herself—
* * *
* * *
* * *
Everything.
Everything is because of me—
Splatter—!
Dark red blood erupted and covered Silli’s vision.
It was the blood of Mun, who had praised her magic.
Once again, despair settled in her eyes.
Her stomach churned. She felt like she would vomit everything up at any moment.
A terrible guilt wore down Silli’s eyes into a dull haze, and a lethargic, thick sense of helplessness dyed her pupils black.
Even so.
‘Save... me.’
Silli barely held on.
‘Save me save me save me save me—’
She desperately wanted help. She felt like if she stayed here any longer, she would no longer be herself. She felt like she would have to flee to a place from which she could never return.
—Like she would leap into a bottomless abyss of nothingness.
She was so terrified.
But gradually, a loathing for herself began to wash over her.
At the same time, Silli knew. Even in this horrific situation, her brilliant mind coldly assessed the reality.
Salvation... would not come.
Through Silli’s clouded vision, the dark abyss began to appear.
There was no salvation anyway. If so, wouldn't it be better to find peace now?
Rather, just maybe—
"……."
Just as Silli’s pupils began to be dyed in complete darkness and a twisted smile formed on the Apostle’s lips.
Crackle—!
A sound was heard.
A very small, yet incredibly clear sound.
At that, Silli, who had been sinking into the dull darkness, blankly looked up at the sky.
A flash of light poured down.
BOOM—!
A golden flash descended brilliantly, turning the world bright in an instant.
Zap, crackle—!
By that golden flash, the black mana vanished along with the dust as if it had been vaporized.
At the same time, the black threads on Silli’s limbs disappeared.
"What—!"
The Apostle’s voice rang out, filled with panic.
And then, after the thick dust had settled.
The person who filled Silli’s vision was a man.
Crackle— Zap!
Wearing an ink-black coat that crackled with energy—
"I'm a bit late."
Marquis Palatio.
"Ah……."
An exclamation escaped Silli’s lips despite herself.
The lightning that erupted from Alon’s body, wrapping around him, erased the darkness that had gathered in her eyes.