Chapter 36

Ch.36 Apostle of the Goddess of War

“What do you little rats think you’re doing, trying to leave without permission?”

A man with red hair and pale skin ran his tongue across his lips.

He was an eerie being. Not even a trace of human presence could be felt from him.

‘That’s a demon-blooded being.’

Not a half-demon born from a human infused with demonic blood, but a pure creature created directly by an Evil God.

His power was entirely different from that of humans, and his innate physical and mental abilities were unmatched by any other.

It was said that only an Apostle of the Goddess could stand against such a demon-blooded being.

“You relied on luck. The scent of wildflowers clouded my mind, didn’t it?”

“……”

“But it’s useless.”

The demon-blooded being raised his fingernail and scraped his own wrist. Thick, dark red blood immediately began gushing out.

Soon, the scent of blood overpowered the floral fragrance.

Even the Goddess’s power that had clouded the blood cultists’ minds vanished in an instant.

Just before Sion’s plan could succeed, it was ruined.

The demon-blooded being’s power granted by the Evil God was stronger than expected.

Kiiing……

Sion slowly drew his sword. Swallowing hard, he assessed the gap between himself and his opponent.

‘I can’t win. The difference between me and my master is just as incomprehensibly vast.’

Sion was a once-in-a-lifetime genius, but as a swordsman, he was still far from complete.

He was aware of this fact, and objectively, it was true.

If you included elves and half-demons who had lived for countless years, the number of warriors who could overpower Sion would increase dramatically.

And now such a warrior stood right before him. He felt as if a mountain had crushed down upon him.

Despite being an enemy, the first emotion he felt was awe.

“Sion.”

“……Yes.”

“Don’t engage. That one is my opponent.”

“Understood.”

Garfenn warned him. Sion wanted to fight, but he had to suppress the urge. He had no choice but to admit that the time wasn’t right yet.

But the enemy’s numbers were overwhelming. The presence of more and more Evil God worshippers gradually converging on their position grew stronger.

‘Still, it’s worth a try.’

Except for the demon-blooded being, most of them were no different from ordinary men wielding swords.

Even if many such people gathered, they wouldn’t be able to defeat even one Sion.

“Tier. Stay close to me. Stay sharp.”

“……Yes, my lord!”

Tier tightly gripped his axe.

Seeing that he reached for the axe first in this most critical situation, it seemed the axe was indeed the weapon best suited for him.

The red-haired demon-blooded being glared at Sion and his companions, then twitched his lips.

“Attack.”

Paaat!

The moment the command was issued, blood cultists hidden within the forest burst out simultaneously and launched a furious assault.

True to their nature as Evil God worshippers, the weapons they wielded varied wildly. Swords and spears were hardly visible.

Whips, scythes with chains, bladed claws……

Those who wielded edged weapons were relatively more human-like.

Most of them bared their elongated fingernails and fangs grown like those of wild beasts, aiming straight for necks.

“Kyaah!”

“What in the world—!”

Sion swung his sword, feeling bewildered. Blood began splattering in all directions.

“Grrruuuh!”

“Aaagh!”

Garfenn, needless to say, fought fiercely, and so did the Wildflower Knights.

With movements resembling a dance, like flower petals drifting down from the sky, they cut down the charging blood cultists.

The impact was significant. Although the number of blood cultists was clearly decreasing, the enemy’s attacks grew increasingly violent.

Did the worshippers of the Evil God never lose morale no matter how many fell? Did their stamina never diminish?

“It’s the blood!”

Fwuuuk!

Garfenn pierced a blood cultist’s abdomen with his black blade and shouted.

“So this is what it means—they go berserk when they smell blood!?”

“Yes! Don’t let your guard down just because their numbers are decreasing!”

Kaanng!

Sion nodded, blocking a club made of coiled iron wire.

Sure enough, the eyes of the blood cultist wielding the club were as red as blood.

He was truly intoxicated and insane from the scent of blood.

It wasn’t just that they raged like wild animals.

They had literally transformed into beasts drunk on blood.

“How dare you!”

The iron-wire club, along with the upper body of the blood cultist, was cleanly severed. Sion split the space with his holy-imbued blade.

Hwaaaah!

As the enemy grew stronger, Sion also pushed himself harder. Even if he didn’t want to, he had to protect Tier while fighting.

“Don’t worry about me! Focus on your fight, Lord Sion!”

Tier fought surprisingly well for his skill level. He focused only on enemies without weapons.

Chaaang!

The bloodbath seemed endless.

Subjectively, he felt like he’d already cut down at least a hundred blood cultists.

And yet, the enemy forces still seemed far from depleted.

Then, the demon-blooded being, who had remained hanging from a tree, watching the battlefield with a mocking sneer, raised his hand.

“Enough.”

He looked at Sion and smiled.

At the demon-blooded being’s signal, the blood-intoxicated cultists, panting heavily, stopped their advance.

“Grrr… grrr……”

Foam filled their mouths, making it clear they were struggling to maintain rational control.

Swish.

Thud!

The demon-blooded being dropped lightly from the tree and landed on the ground without even a tremor, hands clasped behind his back.

‘What incredibly well-trained physique. How can someone be so light?’

This being had far surpassed the limits of humanity.

How much human blood had he consumed? The thought made Sion feel nauseous, almost retching.

“You’ve spilled enough blood. I appreciate you providing such a fine meal.”

The demon-blooded being smirked unpleasantly and opened his palm upward.

Uddududuuu―!

Suddenly, the pools of blood soaking the ground began to vibrate. They splashed and trembled as if heavy raindrops were endlessly falling.

Whirrr!

Then, the blood began gathering toward the demon-blooded being’s hand. Like holy energy converging into a single point, droplets of blood floated into the air and merged into one.

Sion watched the scene in stunned disbelief. Garfenn glanced at Sion.

“That’s a demon-blooded being. A power that’s lived at least three hundred years.”

He defied natural phenomena and twisted the laws of reality.

Magic.

Negative, powerful, and mysterious knowledge granted by the Evil God.

Sion realized that the half-demon he had defeated in battle was nothing compared to this demon-blooded being.

‘That’s the real thing. The magic of half-demons was just a clumsy imitation.’

He felt as if the blood had drained from his head. He regretted his own complacency.

‘If I had met such an enemy in Foil’s Forest, I would’ve died without even being able to move.’

Now he understood why Garfenn had tried so hard to stop him.

A small red sphere formed in the demon-blooded being’s palm.

“Hap.”

The demon-blooded being grotesquely twisted his lips and then, as if to show off, swallowed the sphere.

So this was how the blood cultists grew stronger.

Utterly ruthless, a brutal law of the jungle.

Not a shred of humanity remained.

‘What exactly are these worshippers of the Evil God……?’

While Sion recoiled in disgust, Garfenn shouted and charged forward.

“Now!”

This was the perfect opportunity—the moment the demon-blooded being swallowed the blood and was digesting it.

He would be immobile and at his most vulnerable.

Sion and Marquisin immediately lunged forward as planned.

Kaaang!

But the blood cultists, who had been motionless, suddenly moved and blocked their path.

They formed a wall with their bodies, acting as living shields.

They willingly became meat shields solely to protect this one demon-blooded being.

“Damn it!”

They truly had no intelligence. They didn’t even care about limbs being severed, obsessed only with stopping the enemy’s advance.

“Kikik.”

The blood-demon laughed mockingly at the sight.

By now, the spilled blood had merged within his body.

“Inoooom!”

The Goddess of War’s divine power surged through Garfenn’s entire body. An overwhelming force kicked up dust and wrapped around his blade.

The next instant, Garfenn’s sword struck the ground.

Kwajak, Kwaaaaaaang!

It was unimaginable strength. The earth split open, and violently rising dust surged outward like an explosion.

Even the blood cultists serving as meat shields were helplessly thrown aside.

An opening appeared.

Swaeeeeeeek!

Garfenn unleashed a massive arc of sword energy.

Krrrrrrrk!

The sword energy slammed into the demon-blooded being. The impact was so enormous that everyone froze in place.

As the thick dust dispersed, the demon-blooded being revealed himself.

‘He’s… not dead?’

Sion’s eyes widened. He had expected that a fully powered strike from his master would have split the body in two.

But at most, it had only left a wound on the forearm.

─Slurp.

The demon-blooded being licked the blood flowing down his arm with his tongue.

It was a disgusting provocation.

“Is that all? The Apostle of war isn’t as impressive as I’ve heard.”

Fwip.

Paa― Kwaang!

The blood-demon swung his arm.

Blood flew in a crescent shape. The destructive power was ferocious. Leaves and branches in the forest snapped and flew away.

Sion and his companions blocked the blood blades with their swords. True to a demon-blooded being who had consumed the blood of a hundred people, he now had the strength to face five elite knights alone.

The more blood he drank, the fiercer his killing intent became. It was so sharp it felt like it could flay their skin.

This was no ordinary foe.

But even he wasn’t invincible.

‘I heard he weakens again after using the blood. If we drag this out, we can kill him.’

He had heard the countermeasure in advance.

They were prepared for every scenario.

If he trusted Garfenn, who had countless experiences, victory was possible.

This was a battle of endurance.

It would be fine to kill him recklessly, but they had to consider the aftermath.

The number of blood cultists was still high, and reinforcements could appear at any moment, unpredictable.

“I’ll handle him. The rest of you conserve your strength.”

Garfenn stepped forward.

His face was angry for multiple reasons.

The situation was frustrating, and having been insulted as an Apostle of the Goddess of War, his pride wouldn’t allow it.

[How dare insignificant mosquitoes like these mock me.]

Even Achille was rarely this genuinely enraged.

Fwip.

Garfenn stretched his arm into the air.

Then, something massive materialized in his grasp.

When the object revealed itself, Sion, Tier, the Wildflower Knights, and even the demon-blooded being were stunned.

―It was far too large to be called just a sword.

Enormous, thick, heavy, and crudely made.

‘That’s… Dragon Slayer!’

Garfenn’s true main weapon, revealed in this crisis.

The imposing greatsword’s form instantly made clear his master’s explanation—that it was made to sever a dragon’s neck.

“Apostle of the Goddess of War. I’ve heard your reputation. Now the hunt finally feels worthwhile.”

The demon-blooded being twisted his blood-soaked lips. He finally acknowledged Garfenn as a worthy opponent.

“……”

Tension reached its peak. Time seemed frozen as both sides stood motionless, locked in a standoff.

Yet the battle continued silently.

Goooooooh.

Slowly, the sand grains on the ground began to boil like water. The air vibrated, pressure intensified, making it hard to breathe.

This was a realm far beyond human limits.

This wasn’t just about mastering swordsmanship to the extreme.

It was a high-dimensional duel between those imbued with divine power.

‘Incredible… this is what a true battle looks like between two powerhouses.’

Sion gained enlightenment just from witnessing the standoff between the powerful demon-blooded being and the Apostle of the Goddess of War.

Before he could fully grasp this fresh inspiration, Sion pushed Tier backward.

Marquisin and the Wildflower Knights began guarding the surroundings.

‘What is this? This sensation makes the hairs on my neck stand on end?’

He instinctively sensed someone approaching.

And at an incomprehensible speed.

Fwiiip―!

It was a lightning-fast assault, barely possible to react to.

Kaaaaang!

Sion barely managed to raise his sword in defense.

The one who ambushed him with claws extended like an owl of the night was a woman of captivating beauty.

Sion glared at the woman, who had brought her face uncomfortably close.

“You’re exposed… So you’re a demon-blooded being too. You were the one gathering power deep within the compound.”

“Hello?”

The demon-blooded woman responded with a seductive smile, provocative enough to be a taunt.

In an instant, she twisted her body mid-air and kicked Sion away.

Whirrr!

The female demon-blooded being landed lightly.

She made no sound and had no weight, like an owl.

She was the perfect assassin.

Only someone of Sion’s caliber could have reacted and blocked in time.

Kwaaaa! Paang! Kaang!

The battle at Garfenn’s side had already erupted. Each clash released shockwaves, causing the woman’s bright red hair to wildly whip about.

“I was drawn by the sweet scent. Now that I see your face, you look even more delicious?”

“……”

These words were directed at Sion.

He felt the awareness of being targeted by a demon-blooded being.

‘This has become bothersome.’

Marquisin stepped forward, sword in hand, blocking Sion’s path.

“Sir Sion. I’ll handle this demon-blooded being.”

“……I’ll fight too.”

“Hmm. The noble older brother is handsome, but elves don’t taste good. I’m only interested in that one. Will you move aside?”

“Impossible.”

Marquisin frowned and assumed a stance.

He was determined to protect the young knight at all costs. The entire Wildflower Knight unit shared the same resolve.

“You said no?”

The second half-demon flicked her finger. Immediately, blood cultists poured in from all directions, flooding forward and attacking the Wildflower Knights.

Marquisin hastily shouted.

“Grr! Sir Sion! Retreat!”

Sion and Tier were now isolated.

“Ehehe.”

With a deadly charm, the crimson-haired demon-blooded being approached Sion for a private confrontation.

“Shall we play?”

……Deep down, this was exactly what Sion had hoped for.

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