Clash of Apostle and Divine Beast (3)
"You planned to send your mana to me from the very beginning, didn't you?"
As Eunhyeon released his grip on the gumiho's arm, she hastily withdrew the arm that had pierced through his abdomen.
Fresh red blood poured from Eunhyeon's stomach, but he didn't scream once, instead activating his unique authority right away.
Time Rewind
The gaping hole in his abdomen reverted to its original state as if nothing had happened, the penetration wound healing seamlessly. Eunhyeon's demeanor—acting as if this were the most natural thing in the world—was so utterly calm it bordered on inhuman, leaving the gumiho with a stunned expression.
Any ordinary human would have panicked, screaming and flailing in terror, but the man before her, who had stared death in the face, remained utterly serene. His willingness to gamble even his own life when necessary perfectly reflected the twisted side of Eunhyeon's personality.
"You're insane."
"I won't deny it, but this world was mad from the start—that's why beings like me exist."
The gumiho frowned, recognizing the words as eerily similar to what she had told those two noble-born male students earlier.
"I'll ask once more. Could you please hold back from destroying this kingdom?"
"……."
The gumiho didn't refuse Eunhyeon's plea, which echoed the same request he'd made before their fight. No, she couldn't refuse. Having peered into his memories, she now understood the path he'd walked and the thoughts that drove him. Among them were recollections of Erin being kidnapped by Ashton, the dilemma of whether to prioritize dealing with the demon or rescuing her, and the moment he'd steeled his resolve after hearing from Verdandi.
"Destroying and taking everything isn't the only form of revenge."
"But."
"Divine Beast."
"……."
"Letting hatred consume you and punishing descendants for their ancestors' sins is far too one-sided and selfish. Don't mistake your true target in your rage."
"Is there... a way? Truly...?"
"Yes."
The gumiho recalled her past betrayal by humans, vowing never to trust them again—but having glimpsed fragments of Eunhyeon's memories, she couldn't imagine him betraying her. She realized he'd deliberately let her stab his abdomen and drain his energy to earn her trust. She could have ignored those memories and killed him outright. To stake his life on that—it was an utterly incomprehensible mindset.
Or perhaps I've been too steeped in the gods' way of thinking.
The gods upheld rules and principles to maintain the world, viewing the deaths of mortals as a natural cycle. From their perspective, all lower-world beings were transient, dying to make way for new life in endless renewal. A few human deaths meant nothing, like crushing an ant or humans raising and slaughtering livestock for food. The gods saw humanity the same way, prioritizing the world's stability above all.
Setting aside his humanity, Eunhyeon as an intelligent being was remarkable, admirable—even pitiable. That made her hesitation all the greater. Her goal was the annihilation of the Pernias royal family; his was preventing the kingdom's chaos. Their purposes clashed irreconcilably.
"I have a question."
"Ask away."
"Peering into your memories, one doubt lingered. You've lived a near-immortal life beyond human spans, yet in every event you've touched, you've never intervened of your own pure will. They were all divine missions thrust upon you, dragging you into the fray by force."
Eunhyeon offered no reply.
"You, who avoided excessive meddling in the human world, hid your identity, and lurked in the shadows even as countless died without stepping forward—what drives you to act so boldly now, solely to save this girl, the host of my body?"
She questioned the root cause of his shift, shedding the 'extra' role imposed by the goddess and forging a new path.
"Back then, I believed it was right. Even with the authority to twist fates, the goddess warned against abusing it."
His role as an 'extra' was to save seeds of heroic talent, nurture them into world-saving heroes. He recalled the stern admonition from his appointment as apostle: never alter other humans' fated paths. Thus, he'd forced himself to ignore deaths, to look away. Even when he could save them, even when he wanted to, he hadn't—because it wasn't his role. He'd endured the resentment and hatred that bred.
"But things are different now."
"Different?"
"The goddess granted me 'freedom.' She said I could act as I wish, save whom I want, and prove myself as her apostle in the way I envision."
He still didn't fully understand why she'd said it then. For the first time since becoming an apostle, a flicker of resentment stirred—why not from the beginning? The gods' intentions remained opaque.
"I just hope you won't choose paths that leave you drowning in self-recrimination and regret anymore."
Yet those words from his goddess had been warm, brimming with affection, so Eunhyeon resolved to trust Verdandi and act.
"My decision to save Erin is my first step. Not just following the gods' script as their puppet apostle, but proving I can avert the 'lower world's doom' my way."
"That's…."
The gumiho's eyebrow twitched. Eunhyeon's words were utterly unacceptable for a god-serving apostle.
Ruuuumble—
The precarious abandoned warehouse finally began to collapse. Massive stone ceilings tumbled down in crashes, yet Eunhyeon and the gumiho stood motionless, eyes locked.
"What I want to prove,"
Eunhyeon looked up through the crumbling ceiling at the moonlit glow.
"is that you're wrong."
The gumiho knew whom those bold words targeted. An apostle denying the gods' ways, wrapped in a gentle divine power that seemed to endorse his choice—she could only stare in disbelief.
"Haha…."
The gumiho's soft exhale grew into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
Having heard him out, she burst into roaring laughter.
"How amusing. An apostle rejecting the gods' path—and a god supporting it? What a spectacle."
Her seething hatred for Pernias's founding king, once boiling within, had cooled, overtaken by intrigue.
"It seems the time isn't right yet."
"You mean?"
"Hearing your tale quenched my urge for immediate revenge. Now... I don't want to die just yet. I want to watch you and this girl walk your path."
Eunhyeon smiled gladly, bowing his head in thanks.
"But promise me one thing."
"What?"
"You said destroying everything isn't the only revenge."
"Yes."
"Then, can you deliver that alternative revenge—one that satisfies me?"
"I'll do my utmost to set up a situation where we can screw over Ortas."
"Heh, that's a pleasing answer. I'm looking forward to it."
Satisfied, the gumiho smirked. But she didn't fully believe every word—he might have staged those memories, though the fragments themselves were unforgeable truths. She suspected lies, yet they didn't feel offensive. After Ortas's betrayal shattered her faith in humans, this man mysteriously made her want to trust once more.
"Fine. I'll play along with your lies for now. It'll likely lead to a worse fate for that bastard Ortas anyway."
"Thank you."
"Now... what next?"
The gumiho glanced at Eunhyeon's haggard form. The abdominal wound was pristine as if never inflicted, but his stamina and mana, drained by her energy drain, remained unrestored. Victims typically fainted for hours in such exhaustion, yet he stood firm, conversing through sheer willpower. She marveled at his tenacity.
"Now we hunt the true culprit who orchestrated this."
"The demon that brainwashed that Ashton fellow?"
"You knew?"
"I glimpsed his memories while draining his mana. This girl's, too. He harbored massive grudge against you—the demon just fanned the flames."
Succubi and gumiho differed in origin, but both seduced humans to steal their essence. Though inferior to hers, the succubus's energy drain-like ability caused similar symptoms in Ashton and other victims, which she'd noted.
"We can use this."
"Use it?"
"Divine Beast."
"Call me Miho. It's the name I've borne since Earth's civilization."
"Miho. Can Erin use some of your awakened powers?"
"With training, yes. Before my awakening, no—but she received massive mana from you alongside it... You planned this too, didn't you?"
Eunhyeon just smiled without confirming.
"Good."
"You explain nothing."
Eunhyeon glanced back, then whispered to Miho.
"For now, go back inside."
"Treat this girl well. She lost control to frustration and rage, letting me out—but until then, she thought only of you. This is my responsibility, not hers."
"I know. I won't disappoint or get mad. I still have high hopes for Erin."
Miho closed her eyes, and the glowing blue mana enveloping her seeped back into her body. Her nine lush tails and fox ears faded, reverting to Erin's original form. Her uniform and stockings were torn and ruined. Though her wounds had healed upon awakening, her clothes hadn't. Erin's unconscious body tilted toward Eunhyeon; he gently caught her and turned to leave the rubble.
"Don't move!"
One knight bellowed, drawing his sword and aiming at Eunhyeon. Five or six more followed, all tense. Eunhyeon realized they'd come on reports from Villad and Grass, who had fled carrying Ashton. Unexpectedly, their crests marked them as Cracir royal guards, not Riod's Artia.
The royals moved directly?
As Eunhyeon pondered, one Cracir knight facing him shouted.
"That girl is a key suspect in the Fernin noble assault chain. Hand her over quietly…."
"I surrender."
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Say that again?"
The knights gaped at Eunhyeon's abrupt declaration. He'd swiftly assessed and decided. Ignoring their shock, he continued.
"I have nothing to offer empty-handed, so no surrender gesture, but yeah—I'm surrendering."
"Y-You suspect, come to us…."
As one approached to seize Erin, Eunhyeon twisted away, blocking him.
"Don't touch my girl."
"What? This lunatic…."
"I'll come along. Throw me in a cell too."
"Hah…."
The knight stared at Eunhyeon like he'd seen the most absurd fool alive, face screaming, What the hell is this guy?