The False Apostle
A blue wormhole shimmered as a group emerged from the other side.
France's top ranker. Europe's strongest player. Rene Davis, a man burdened with countless titles, led the way.
"R-Rene-nim, how did the raid go?"
A balding man asked, sweat pouring down his face. Guillaume Garel, the current mayor of Paris and a seasoned politician, was clearly out of his depth in the face of this gate crisis.
The Eiffel Tower, Paris's symbol. The gate that had appeared beside it carried an S-rank difficulty—an utterly merciless rating. If they failed to prevent a gate break, they would have no choice but to abandon the heart of Paris.
Rene Davis offered a gentle smile.
"The raid was a complete success."
"O-Oooh! As expected of Paris's hero! Magnificent!"
At the mayor's exclamation, the orchestra members who had been waiting in advance began to play. An impromptu street performance. The nearby roads grew congested, yet no one complained. The citizens were simply overjoyed at the hero who had saved Paris from disaster—the pride of France.
"I love you, Rene-nim!"
"Our pride!"
"France's dignity! Apostle of justice!"
"Take me! Waaah!"
Rene Davis kept his smile intact as he waved leisurely at the cheering crowd. Meanwhile, the guild members following behind him maintained calm expressions and offered slight bows, as if willingly yielding all credit to their leader.
The atmosphere was strange, but the citizens, relieved to have escaped the gate's danger, felt no sense of dissonance.
"We'll escort you to the guild house."
"Yes, I appreciate it."
Rene boarded the waiting armored vehicle. The moment the window rolled up, the smile vanished from his lips.
"How tiresome. This is why the masses are such a bother."
Contempt laced his voice. Rene Davis gazed at the cheering citizens with cold, sunken eyes.
"Keh keh keh, the Apostle of Justice shouldn't speak so harshly, should he?"
An old man already seated in the vehicle replied in a hoarse voice. He was a sapling of Harab Serapel—the Qliphoth faction's seedling.
"I told you to restrain your behavior in public, didn't I?"
"A major variable appeared. I couldn't simply stand by."
"I am the one who judges the weight of such matters, not you."
The vehicle's interior became saturated with Rene's killing intent. The dense malice was thick enough to kill a weak-willed person through sheer shock. The old man wiped the sweat from his brow and forced out a reply.
"Multiple formation arrays have been destroyed."
"Formation arrays?"
"Yes."
"Didn't you claim that no one could destroy Harab Serapel's formations?"
Rene frowned. The formation arrays being installed in Algeria and Niger were massive rituals designed to siphon power from the ley lines and the people living above them, gradually implementing the Qliphoth—the inverted world.
This is troublesome.
Rene stared intently at the old man seated across from him. Through his contract with the Qliphoth and becoming a sapling of Harab Serapel, he had obtained power that transcended several stages in an instant. Receiving the Qliphoth's baptism had allowed Rene Davis to surpass the limits of a player. Installing the formation arrays was the price for that power. Using his connections with government officials and corporations, he had helped the Qliphoth faction establish a foothold in Algeria.
"Isn't this disaster the result of your incompetence?"
"Keh keh, I admit it. Therefore, the new sapling must lend us his strength."
"Then first, explain why the formations you claimed were indestructible have been broken."
"We've roughly identified the cause."
The old man pulled an orb from his robes. A large darkness writhed at its center. The undulating black energy transformed into a human shape.
"An Easterner."
"He is the one who destroyed the formations."
"Nadia, can you identify him?"
The woman seated beside Rene stared at the orb.
"It's Yu Jinho, the Korean player."
"The small country in the Far East?"
"Yes."
"Wait. If my memory serves, wasn't it Yu Jinho who stopped the measures prepared by the Gaag Shevla sect?"
"Correct, Master."
Rene pressed the bridge of his nose with his right hand. The Gaag Shevla sect had conducted operations in the DMZ, attempting to create chaos in Korea and summon more monsters from the otherworld through the resulting victims. That plan had failed spectacularly. The remaining remnants had contacted the Harab Serapel faction and were now rebuilding their forces under Rene's patronage.
At the time, it seemed beneficial to me.
A bitter taste filled his mouth. Back when he had taken in the remnants of the Gaag Shevla sect summoned to Earth, it had been advantageous for Rene. It felt like only yesterday that he had even felt a hint of gratitude toward Yu Jinho in the Far East.
The news brought by the sapling of Harab Serapel ignited his fury.
"This is troublesome."
At Rene's single remark, the vehicle's interior fell silent. Unlike earlier when he had radiated killing intent, now a chilling cold permeated the space. The word "troublesome" was something Rene habitually uttered when his anger approached its breaking point.
"How much of the formations have been destroyed?"
"Fourteen percent."
"When did Yu Jinho begin his sabotage?"
"One day ago."
"How long can they hold?"
"Ten days. That is why we came to see you, Rene-nim."
"Nadia, what's the next schedule?"
"There's an A-rank gate raid scheduled in Nice."
"Cancel all subsequent appointments."
Rene leaned back against his seat. While protecting the formations was urgent, maintaining his facade as the "Apostle of Justice" was even more important. The old man grabbed Rene's hand with a desperate expression.
"Then what about us?"
"I'll dispatch Nadia and one-third of the guild's forces."
The guild members had already received the Qliphoth's baptism. They were Rene's direct subordinates and did not follow the orders of other saplings like the old man. Though unknown to the outside world, their combat power—enhanced by the baptism—surpassed even America's Gold Moon Guild.
"Thank you."
Rene waved his hand dismissively, signaling for them to leave.
I don't know how this Yu Jinho managed to destroy the formations, but…
He forcibly cut off the chain of thoughts. Now that he had decided to send Nadia, Yu Jinho had no means of survival. She was the strongest player aside from Rene himself. Even Ellen Taylor, America's number one, wouldn't be able to defeat Nadia after her baptism-enhanced power.
Restoring the infrastructure will take considerable time.
Yu Jinho's existence had already vanished from Rene's mind.
Three days had passed.
I raced across the Sahara Desert using the movement technique.
Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts — Tenth Form
White Marsh Sovereign Kick activated.
Kwaaang!
The energy I drove into the ground shook the formation array. A light tremor. I had focused the power of the White Marsh Sovereign Kick solely on destroying the formation to minimize collateral damage to the surroundings.
—So this is the last formation array in this village.
"You're making things difficult for people."
After destroying the formation, I checked the map and ran toward the next village.
—But why not use a vehicle?
"I'm faster."
—I know you value efficiency, but this is the first time I've seen you do this.
"It's also to confuse the Qliphoth about my movement routes."
If there was no one around in the desert, I could increase my speed even further. Moving more than four times faster than using desert-specialized vehicles or camels was possible.
"Still annoying, though."
Step. Step.
I muttered while crossing the desert toward the next location.
—It is the path you chose, so endure it with all your might.
"Yeah, yeah. Truly inspiring."
Despite my grumbling, I didn't stop moving.
—In times like these, having knowledge of the future is quite helpful.
"Helpful, my ass. I'm just guessing based on intuition."
—Didn't you use the history that has already occurred to locate the formation arrays?
"The bastards got their starting point completely wrong."
In my previous life, they had absorbed America's Satan worshippers and spread their influence centered on the United States, Mexico, and South America. After my regression, the starting point of the Harab Serapel faction had changed.
—A variable has appeared.
"The location where they appeared should be the same."
Just as the Gaag Shevla sect had revealed themselves in the DMZ like in my previous life, the gate used by Harab Serapel's followers to cross over to Earth should be identical as well. The only thing I could guess was that someone had contacted the Harab Serapel faction after they arrived on Earth.
—Why do you think so?
"Because they suddenly took root in North Africa."
—Then you must have some idea who it is.
"Not quite yet."
The Black Network was currently tracking those who had joined hands with the Qliphoth. They had discovered that the Italian mafia and several French corporations were involved, but they hadn't identified the "mastermind" pulling the strings.
—Oho, are you being cautious with your words even in front of me?
"What do you mean?"
—I can tell just by looking at your expression.
This was why having a quick-witted goddess was troublesome.
"It's highly likely Rene Davis's doing."
—You mean the traitor of humanity?
"If that bastard is involved, everything fits perfectly."
France intervening in Algeria. And the Italian mafia. When I connected it with my knowledge from my previous life, the deduction seemed quite plausible.
—You can't be certain because the flow of time has changed from your previous life.
"Sharp as always."
—Heh heh, I've been watching you for two years now.
Rene Davis had betrayed humanity after 2030 in my previous life. For this assumption to be correct, his corruption would have to have been accelerated by four years. There was no causal relationship that could be explained as a butterfly effect from my regression.
—You trust your memories too much.
"Why? What's wrong with that?"
—There's no law stating that the knowledge from your previous life must be the truth.
Nyx's words sent a massive ripple through my heart. The reason I knew when Rene had betrayed humanity in my previous life was because he had confessed it himself. If I asked whether I could trust his words 100%…
"There's no guarantee it was the truth."
—Now you're finally looking at things without prejudice.
"All thanks to the goddess."
Thanks to Nyx's insight, I had broadened my perspective. If Rene Davis had joined hands with the Qliphoth at an earlier time even in my previous life, then it would explain all the anomalies that had occurred in North Africa.
"I need to inform Madam."
I steeled my resolve. If Rene was connected to the Qliphoth, this wouldn't be something that could be resolved easily. It seemed I would need allies after all.