Chapter 31
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Apostle of Heavenly Thunder (3)
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"It's just I was simply branded."
A brand.
Evans eyes narrowed at Peters words.
He reached out and pulled Peters arm toward him.
Then, he pushed up Peter's sleeve, intending to see the so-called brand for himself.
A startled Peter tried to shake Evans hand off, but his strength was no match for a man who had trained in martial arts his entire life.
Evan pushed up the sleeve and saw a black symbol etched into Peters forearm. He spoke.
"This is"
"Do you know what this mark is?"
"The mark of a Hero."
Peters face stiffened.
The mark of a Hero.
Though he had spent his life far from any temple, Peter was not ignorant of the word "Hero."
Heroes were beings from the old tales his family used to tell.
They were mighty warriors who wielded special weapons, possessed extraordinary combat skills, and defeated evil gods.
A tight knot formed in Peters chest as he heard about the Hero.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
His mind grew faint as his pulse pounded violently.
To think that what he believed to be the brand of an evil god was actually the mark of a Hero.
Fearing he had misheard, Peter asked Evan again.
"A H-Hero? Are you sure?"
"It is unmistakably a Heros Mark. And one chosen by the Goddess of Honor, at that."
Hearing the conviction in Evans voice, Peters hand began to tremble faintly.
This man was a former Holy Knight of the Holy Land.
There was no way he would lie about something like this.
If what he said was true, Peter was in an extremely dangerous situation.
The man before him was an Apostle who served an evil god.
To someone like him, a Hero would surely be a thorn in his side.
"Um"
Peters mind raced as he tried to speak.
He was a Hero.
And Evan wasn't the only potential threat he was facing.
There was the Apostle Yutenia. And Archbishop Loan.
If either of them discovered his mark, his life would be in peril.
To survive, he had to ensure no one in the cult learned of his identity.
"Is there something you want to say?"
"Could you please keep the fact that I have this mark a secret from everyone?"
Backed into a corner, Peter chose to ask the Apostle before him for help.
He didn't know why he had made such a choice.
The only solution he could think of was for Evan to pretend he hadn't seen anything.
Evan let out a hollow laugh.
He released his grip on Peter's arm and looked at the young man, asking.
"Is that what you want me to do?"
"Yes, yes I don't want to worry everyone over a single mark."
"You've chosen a difficult path. It will be an arduous fight from now on."
"Yes."
He had to hide the mark among the countless followers of an evil god.
Peter was well aware of the danger.
The thought of wrapping it in bandages had even crossed his mind.
But Evan's next words were more shocking than anything Peter could have imagined.
"If you're going to hide it, hide it completely. From the cult's followers, and from the people of the Holy Land."
""
"The cult and the Holy Land. If either side confirms you have that mark, they won't let you live."
Not just the cult, but the six temples of Crossbridge might also try to kill him.
Peter couldn't help but be bewildered by the warning.
Heroes were supposed to fight alongside the temples against evil gods.
At least, that was the role of the Heroes in the old stories he knew.
But the words coming from Evan's mouth warned of an unexpected danger.
This contradicted everything he thought he knew, and Peter asked Evan for the reason.
"What what do you mean? Why would the Holy Land want to kill me?"
"In the early stages, before the mark fully manifests, it's not difficult to replace a Hero. The sole survivor of a sacrificed village would be a risk factor from the Holy Land's perspective."
"It's possible to replace a Hero?"
"If the Divine Artifact hasn't bonded with you yet, another Hero will eventually appear, though it might take some time."
Another Hero would appear, even if it took time.
The meaning was simple.
If the temples discovered his connection to the cult, he would likely be killed.
Peter was already deeply entangled with the cult.
If the Holy Land learned of his past, it would be only natural for them to try and eliminate him.
As his head began to ache, Peters hand clenched tightly over the Hero's symbol.
Because of this damned mark, even the thought of escape had become difficult.
"Of course, even after enough time has passed, it would be best if your identity is never revealed."
"Yes."
"Because if, after time has passed, the temples discover your identity, I intend to dispose of you with my own hands."
Evan's sharp gaze fell upon Peter.
His lips curled into a cold smile, but his eyes held a complex mix of emotions.
It was a good thing that he wasn't going to kill Peter right now.
But could he truly call the Apostle before him an ally?
Gulp.
Facing Evan, Peter swallowed without realizing it.
Evan patted the tense boys shoulder and walked past him, approaching the edge of the slope.
"You seem to be having a hard time understanding why I'm making this choice."
"That's not"
"I was a Holy Knight who served the Goddess of Honor."
"Ah"
Evans eyes gazed up at the empty night sky.
The brightly lit moon was reflected in his pupils.
He stared at the dark sky for a moment, then moved his gauntlet, clenching his hand into a tight fist.
The sound of grinding metal echoed from Evan's gauntlet.
"Trapped in a small cave to escape a threat to my life, I cried out the goddess's name endlessly."
"Yes."
"The gods never answer the calls of mortals. The only ones who take an interest in the weak are the otherworldly gods who seek to claim this world for themselves."
The evil god who looked down upon their world.
The immense presence that observed the land during every ritual flashed through Peter's mind.
Peter had only ever faced one god.
A being that coveted the offerings on the ground with its giant eye.
A monster that sent Yutenia to devour his entire village.
It was something from another dimension, something a mere mortal could not hope to oppose.
And yet, the great gods revered by all on the continent never intervened directly.
The most they did was etch a crude mark onto Peters arm.
"Even for a Holy Knight, the goddess never answered."
Grind.
The sound of teeth gritting echoed around them.
In contrast to the calm voice that flowed from his lips, the Evan in Peters eyes was filled with malice.
Facing the sky, Evan raised his gauntleted hand into the air.
He looked as if he were grasping something.
Extending his hand toward the sky, Evan called out the name of his Divine Artifact in a solemn voice.
"Astrape."
The moment Evan spoke its name.
A blue flash erupted from his grasp.
Crackle. Sizzle.
Sparks flew from the light in his hand, and it began to grow in size.
In time, the flash in Evan's hand took the form of a massive spear.
Its radiance was so intense it illuminated the surroundings.
Wielding the heavy spear of lightning, Evan shifted his angle and aimed it at the sky.
"Those who refuse to look down upon the world below have no right to reign from above."
As if in response to his sentiment, the lightning in his hand trembled.
Evan hurled the spear of lightning toward the sky.
KRA-KOOOOOM!
The spear flew from Evans hand and pierced through the clouds hanging in the sky.
As the blue trajectory tore through the clouds, the pierced clouds began to unleash lightning.
CRACK! RUMBLE!
A thundercloud formed in the sky, pouring down lightning bolts toward the ground.
Watching the bolts rain down, Peter's jaw dropped.
As the rain of lightning continued, the sound of thunder echoed repeatedly in his ears.
""
The turbulent atmosphere.
And below it, a downpour of lightning.
Witnessing the scene before him, Peter understood the message Evan was trying to convey.
This was a warning.
A warning from Evan, who had become an Apostle of an evil god, to both Peter, who bore the mark of a Hero, and to the goddess herself.
The lightning that filled his vision was not an attack a human body could withstand.
The moment Peter was completely out of the cult's sight, the attack he had just witnessed would come flying for him.
"Do you understand what I'm thinking now?"
"I think I'm starting to get it."
"Good. I intend to drag them down with my own hands."
A declaration of war against the heavens.
After uttering his proclamation of insubordination, Evan extended his gauntleted hand toward the empty air.
Crackle.
Blue lightning erupted from the gauntlet.
Peter stared at the light-wreathed gauntlet and asked Evan.
"Is that really possible?"
"You think it can't be done?"
"That's"
"I rolled in the mire and crawled on the ground. I drank muddy water and starved, yet I continued to cry out the god's name."
The image of Evans wretched state resurfaced in Peters mind.
When he had been brought in by Yutenia, Evan had looked so different from his initial appearance.
The proud Holy Knight from the first day was gone, replaced by a filthy man, exhausted by hunger and thirst.
If he had endured such hardships during that time, it was understandable why Evan had been so broken.
"For seven days, I clung to my sword and prayed. I constantly doubted my faith, yet I tried again and again to steady my heart."
""
"If not today, then tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then the day after. I believed that salvation would come someday."
But the Holy Knights hope was mercilessly crushed.
For the one watching him was not the goddess he served, but an otherworldly evil god observing humanity.
He was bent. He was broken.
He was trampled into the darkness as he tumbled through the abyss.
As his steadfast faith crumbled, what emerged from beyond was a human malice of unfathomable depth.
"And yet! If after all that, the result is this kind of mockery!"
Evans bloodshot eyes stared at Peter.
Grin.
He wore a smile that was unbefitting of his former solemn demeanor.
A twisted, unsettling smile.
With that smile on his face, Evan declared to the being that had branded Peter.
"Now, it is time for them to pay the price for my long-held faith."
CRACKLE!
A bolt of blue lightning struck down over Evan's shoulder as he stared at Peter.