Chapter 64: Apostle (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 64: Apostle (6)
Clang!
Clang!
It took only a few clashes to realize the bitter truth.
The gap in our strength.
I’d already been sent flying by his blows more than three times.
The moment we met head-on, it felt as if my spear shaft was being sucked into a void.
The feeling in my fingertips was starting to fade.
Screams and the sounds of battle echoed from all sides.
My vision swam, and blood trickled from my ears.
…Dammit.
I had trained relentlessly since enduring the trial. I thought I had improved.
And I probably had. If I hadn't, I would be a corpse on the ground right now.
What I truly felt was that I wasn’t yet at the level to be in this fight.
And that the realm he had reached after thousands of deaths was not something I could catch up to in a short time.
Twisting my body in mid-air, I launched myself forward again. At the same time, I began to weave my clones.
Catenaccio.
Followed immediately by Phalanx.
It was the strongest attack I could muster right now.
All or nothing. I had to do it before it was too late.
Now, while Park Gwang-cheol grappled with Barcus, drawing his attention.
I gripped my spear with all my might.
Fatigue was already weighing down my body.
Gritting my teeth, I drew up my mana and deployed the clones.
Finally, ten spearheads surrounded Barcus, all aimed at him simultaneously.
But in that instant…
His gaze flashed, locking sharply onto me.
And then.
“Hah!!”
KRA-KOOOOM!
Like a raging tempest, Barcus’s roar thundered out.
A massive vibration tore through the space, and all the clones hovering in the air exploded at once.
The shattered illusions scattered into the air, leaving behind only blood-red afterimages.
I flinched instinctively, but it was too late.
An overwhelming shockwave washed over my entire body.
“Kugh…”
My ears went numb for a moment.
Shattered stone fragments flew through the air, embedding themselves deep into the ground along with my body.
My limbs tingled.
A crushing pressure squeezed my chest. My head grew hazy. A dull pain slowly spread through my nerves.
Just then, I saw Park Gwang-cheol vomit blood out of the corner of my eye.
The Old Man, too, was biting his lip hard as he received healing from a Paladin priest.
But his breathing was still ragged, as if even the healing magic was struggling to keep up. His injuries weren't something that could be healed in one go.
“……”
I understood perfectly.
This was as far as I could go on my own strength.
It was time to pour out everything I had.
I closed my eyes and gripped Catastrophe.
The red, engraved sigils along the blade began to burn.
Soon.
[Aldebaran's first Authority, ‘No Step,’ is awakening.]
[Aldebaran's second Authority, ‘Ghost Slash,’ is awakening.]
[Show me.]
A voice that resonated deep in my bones pierced through my entire body.
[The reason I chose you.]
The power of Aldebaran, gained through the first and second trials, had awakened.
But my body wasn't healed or restored.
I was a wreck. My muscles screamed in protest. My whole body ached, and sticky blood oozed from torn skin.
Despite it all, I stood up.
He still wasn't looking at me.
He was only watching those who posed a potential threat to him.
In other words, I wasn't even worth his time.
BOOM!
At that moment, a sacred sanctuary opened before my eyes. It wasn't a perfect one—merely an imitation.
But their will shone brilliantly.
All the Paladins.
They advanced in formation, their steps synchronized.
A golden Holy Light slowly expanded, and a sacred sigil materialized beneath their feet.
Slowly, but without stopping.
At last.
Their holy procession finally reached Barcus.
CRACKLE!
Lightning exploded from his fingertips.
A cascade of black lightning poured down, violating the Paladins' sanctuary.
“Kuh…!”
The Paladin leader at the forefront, his shield raised, gritted his teeth.
The barrier of Holy Light distorted for a moment, and cracks began to form.
“Foolish.”
With one hand outstretched, he amplified the lightning.
Just then.
Thump.
The ground beneath his feet sank.
Yukal, in a low voice, chanted an incantation, carving a magic circle into the ground.
“Qolais… sio… kal!”
A red magic circle was etched into the floor, and hands bound by massive chains shot out from the air, lunging for Barcus.
As the great magic circle activated, the mages of Maengho filled in the blind spots of each formation.
Blood trickled from Yukal’s mouth. It seemed he hadn't yet recovered from his earlier damage.
SHIIIIINK!
The chains wrapped around the Apostle’s limbs, tightening their grip.
“Hup!”
The time it took for him to break the chains: a mere second.
Still, that was enough.
From behind him, Lee Do-hyun and Seong Ara charged.
Lee Do-hyun’s twin swords drew a dazzling arc as they slashed across the Apostle’s waist, and Seong Ara’s iron fist slammed directly into his side.
His barrier wavered violently.
“Swarm of flies!”
Barcus swung his arm lightly.
That alone was enough to nullify their attacks.
A tremendous recoil sent the two of them flying.
But there was no end to it.
Ssk.
The Cheongpung Sect slipped through the gap. Their weapons moved in perfect unison, hammering against his ferocious barrier.
Barcus detonated his barrier to defend himself.
It was like watching a finely woven net slowly but surely ensnaring him.
Catching a great whale was never an easy task.
Though this was the first time they had fought together, these were humanity’s foremost warriors.
Every one of them knew what they had to do.
They all felt it in their bones.
Just how monstrous a being an Apostle was.
And what a terrible tragedy would follow if they failed to finish even one of them here and now.
And so, every blade on the battlefield…
Turned toward Barcus.
A Wheel Battle.
Like the ceaseless turning of a wheel, they attacked in waves, one group replacing another.
This wasn't a simple, chaotic brawl.
Each faction performed its role perfectly, cornering the enemy in the most efficient way possible.
It was something Vanquisher could never have done alone. Different teams covered each other’s openings, throwing their lives on the line to take on the Apostle.
The plans I had prepared to change the future I had witnessed countless times in the trial…
Here and now, they were coming to fruition.
I simply hid.
I crouched down.
I melted into the heat of this battlefield.
Making them forget my very existence.
Concealing my presence, I waited for the right moment.
“…”
Before my eyes, my comrades were sent flying.
Blasted away, thrown back, vomiting blood.
A chill crept over my body. Watching was never a pleasant experience.
Still, I had to do it. To become the dagger that would tear that barrier to shreds. To become the wolf that would rip out his throat.
I honed my focus, hiding myself even deeper.
The first Authority, No Step.
Catenaccio, followed by Phalanx.
They were fundamentally aerial techniques, impossible to execute without leaping into the sky.
But No Step no longer required the sky. Without rising, I could act as if I had taken flight.
Gravity was now meaningless to me.
The second Authority, Ghost Slash.
The halberd of Catastrophe trembled.
The red, engraved sigils slowly began to burn. As the flames grew stronger, I could feel it more clearly.
Shatter Evil, Reveal Justice.
The wicked must be destroyed. The Demon Slaying energy of the fragment seeped into my spear.
Wider, and wider still. Like a single strike that could cleave the world.
The enhanced Sword Force took shape.
Ghost Slash.
Just as the name implies, it slays ghosts.
I readjusted my grip on the spear.
Lifting my head, I looked at him.
A sensation of being utterly alone with him in this space enveloped my entire body.
[『Mirror-Still Water』 evolves into 『Single-Minded Focus』.]
If the me of the past had acquired the State of No-Self, the me of now had achieved Single-Minded Focus.
I focused on only one thing.
Without distraction, toward a single target.
I refined my killing intent, aiming it at him.
His movements felt like they were in slow motion.
His heartbeat, the sound of his breath. I could hear every detail. All my senses were focused on him.
And then.
In that instant.
He turned his head.
As if startled by something.
His perpetually relaxed expression twisted, as if he had witnessed an incomprehensible phenomenon.
As if he were seeing something that defied all common sense.
“What the hell are these morons doing—!”
He frantically looked around.
“Four of them… all of them…?”
A look of bewilderment.
And on the man who had never once shown an opening, a massive one now appeared.
Now.
Time to bare the fangs I had hidden.
No Step.
I took a light step forward.
Without a sound. Without a trace. I slipped into his blind spot.
I was already in his blind spot.
And that blind spot would become the one and only path to his death.
I surged forward in a straight line. I had only one chance.
Catenaccio.
Not enough.
Phalanx.
Still not enough. It would surely be insufficient.
Ghost Slash.
A massive, jade-green Sword Force shimmered at the tip of my spear.
The energy of Demon Slaying condensed, transforming into Sword Force.
This, then, would surely get through.
The tip of my spear, rushing in like a storm…
Finally touched his barrier.
KRRR-CRACK!!
“What—!”
Seeing me approach without a sound, he was horrified.
But at the same time, a flicker of relief crossed his eyes.
Barcus still saw me as nothing more than a bug.
And that is why you will die.
The barrier that should have protected him didn't last a single moment, torn apart like paper by my spear.
And then.
CRUNCH!
The spearhead finally pierced his heart.
“Kuaaaargh!”
A scream. A shriek. A monstrous cry erupted.
He reached out, desperately grabbing the spear.
I’d seen this scene before.
Back then, it wasn't enough, but…
This time would be different.
KRA-KAAAA-BOOOOM!!
A massive bolt of lightning exploded from his heart. A brilliant flash stabbed at my eyes and shook the heavens.
A dazzling wave of lightning swallowed my entire body.
A searing sensation.
The agony of muscles tearing, of flesh being ripped away.
The roar of the lightning shredded my nerves.
But.
I didn't care.
“Kuuugh…!”
A groan escaped my own lips.
Even so.
The spear embedded in his heart did not waver by a single inch.