Chapter 73

Ch.73 Apostle of the Goddess of War

Sion pouted his lips sullenly.

“Because my master and Bishop Gustein wished it.”

“I left on my own feet. It has nothing to do with me!”

“But you still miss it, don’t you?”

“What?”

Sion pointed at the mercenary unit’s banner.

“The black banner. Black is the symbol of the Goddess of War. Doesn’t that mean your true essence lies within the War Cult?”

“Are you forcing this argument?”

“No? Really?”

“No.”

“Then never mind.”

Sion shrugged his shoulders. Kegan wore an expression as if he were utterly annoyed by him.

“Anyway, once we defeat the demon worshippers and their apostle who’ve taken over Kashibelli Rock, you’ll quietly come back to Elim, right?”

“…Leave when you get the chance. This isn’t a game.”

“This isn’t a joke from me either. You understand, don’t you?”

Of course he did. To Kegan, Sion was clearly sincere.

“I’ve never seen anyone as reckless as you. Who’d have thought a brat who can’t even be called an apostle would claim he’ll catch an apostle?”

“It’d be tough alone.”

“You want me to do all the work?”

“Yes.”

Kegan’s fist trembled violently. He felt like drawing his sword and challenging him to a duel right then and there.

But—

‘This guy’s actually capable. Honestly, if things go well…’

The faint flicker of hope rising within him clashed with undeniable reality.

And Sion, cunningly, had exploited precisely that. He had calculated everything in advance and clung on like a leech.

“Let’s fight together. Win, and then return home. Back home.”

“…”

Kegan sighed. Regardless of how annoying this youngster was, the demon’s apostle needed to be eliminated. He couldn’t afford to be swayed by personal emotions.

“Fine. But you—do you even know who you’re going up against before you start talking like that?”

“No. I don’t know anything about them.”

“Tch—what a damn frustrating bastard you are.”

“Then please tell me.”

“I can’t just punch you right in the face either.”

Lack of information.

Lack of combat strength.

Elim was lacking in every way.

To fill these gaps, time and effort were essential. Desperately so, because the world was growing increasingly dangerous.

“Their group worships the Demon of Decay.”

“Just hearing the name makes me irritated.”

“Exactly. They’re beings imbued with the power of decay. Even brushing against them is dangerous.”

Kegan continued explaining as he walked side by side with his junior.

“That perverted demon desires to corrupt and erase everything. But there’s exactly one thing it cannot corrupt.”

“What is it?”

“Gold.”

“Oh.”

A sudden flash of insight lit up Sion’s mind. Now he could guess why the Apostle of Decay had taken root at Kashibelli Rock.

“Kashibelli Rock has long been famous for its gold veins. It’s one of the greatest gold mines on the continent.”

“Now it makes sense.”

“Their goal is to corrupt that which cannot decay.”

It felt like such a pointless use of effort. Demons’ purposes were often strangely peculiar.

“Is it possible?”

“How would I know?”

“Maybe if they grow strong enough.”

“That’s why they go around killing people—rotting corpses and offering them as sacrifices to the demon.”

Sion’s eyes narrowed sharply. To abduct and murder innocent people, then rot their corpses—such a vile act. His fists clenched instinctively.

“According to scouts, a swamp has formed at the center of Kashibelli Rock.”

“A swamp created from rotting corpses, I assume.”

“You say that so casually—it’s horrifying.”

Kegan sighed and nodded his head.

“You’re right. They piled up corpses in one place, and naturally, pools formed from blood and fluids.”

“Ugh…”

“Their belief is that this swamp will slowly seep into the gold veins and corrupt the gold itself.”

“How utterly disgusting.”

Kegan gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. This was an atrocity he could not forgive either. It was also proof that Kegan still held onto righteousness.

“For now, their scale isn’t large. With just the Black Banner Unit, we might be able to handle the foot soldiers.”

“The real problem is the Apostle of Decay.”

“Right.”

A shadow passed over Kegan’s face.

“To defeat him, we’ll need divine power. Strong, sacred energy.”

But Kegan, who had turned his back on the Goddess of War, possessed no such power.

To eliminate the Apostle of Decay, he needed outside help.

“I requested assistance from the Wisdom Cult, but they told me to wait.”

“Because of the Chaos faction?”

“Well, that’s part of it. But honestly, that Cult is so selfish I didn’t expect help from them to begin with.”

The Wisdom Cult.

It was the very cult Sion was currently most wary of.

This was because of information given to him by Roenhouther before arriving here.

‘With the position of priestess vacant, they’re very likely to target Kaili.’

Moreover, they were struggling badly fighting the Chaos followers. To reverse the tide of battle, they needed a catalyst.

If the appointment of a priestess could serve as that catalyst, the results would be outstanding.

‘Considering the power and symbolism of the priestess…’

It felt as though the Wisdom Cult’s arrival in Elim was only a matter of time.

Sion refocused on Kegan.

There was something about Kegan that moved him deeply.

“You left the Goddess of War, yet you haven’t served any other Goddess since.”

“…It’s pointless.”

Sion smiled inwardly and nodded.

‘Just as I thought. A good man.’

This man was pure-hearted. Sion had also confirmed that deep down, he desperately wanted to return to the War Cult.

Even while living in suffering, he hadn’t sought refuge in another Goddess.

He had chosen to carry the burden of guilt entirely on his own.

It was foolish, but precisely because of that, he was a noble knight.

‘Now I understand why my master and the bishop wish for him.’

I will bring him back—no matter what.

Sion reaffirmed his resolve once again.

“Anyway, I’ll be the one to defeat the Apostle of Decay.”

Another bold declaration.

Kegan didn’t respond.

He knew better than anyone that there was no turning back now, and that he had no choice but to place his hopes on this young paladin.

“I’ll support you.”

“Finally, we’re on the same page, senior.”

“Don’t get cocky. I’m cooperating because I need you. Don’t misunderstand.”

People from the War Cult were all like this—warm-hearted, yet unable to show it outwardly.

It seemed gruffness was their default demeanor.

Sion himself considered himself blunt, but these older men were on a completely different level.

‘My master is like this, the bishop is like this too. Why are they all like this?’

Achille, who had been listening, blushed and twisted her hair into tight curls.

[They all seem like they take after me. Ahaha.]

***

Whooshhh!

Energy surged. A gale blew as if a giant were rising to its feet.

They were camping on their way to the Black Banner Unit’s main base. Sion had eaten a simple dinner and moved to a corner, fully absorbed in his solitary training.

‘The ring is stable. Its power was confirmed when I fought the Sword Ghost.’

The demonic energy dwelling within the cursed sword was immense.

It was the accumulated malice from countless souls devoured before the blade was sealed beneath the Deogel family’s estate.

And he had pierced through that wall of demonic energy—using divine power incomparably superior.

Thus, he had confirmed just how efficient the Holy Ring was, and how much power it could unleash.

‘But this still isn’t enough.’

The Apostle of Decay.

His strength was unknown, but it was safe to assume he was unquestionably stronger than Sion.

Sion had to defeat an enemy stronger than himself.

This was the kind of battle he always faced.

And once again, it wouldn’t be easy.

‘I need something stronger.’

The Mental Realm.

Would that be enough?

If he could step into the domain of a Sword Master, perhaps it would be possible.

‘No, it will be possible.’

His only hope lay there.

When had it started?

A strange, continuous breeze, like a mirage, swirled around him. It was an incredibly peculiar moment. The flow of holy energy and the wind intertwined, forming a single current.

Time seemed to freeze. Nothing around him registered. Sion and nature breathed as one.

His concentration had reached its peak.

A chaotic world. Amidst disorder, order always blooms anew.

Demons seeking to shatter the Round Table of Light.

And in the gaps between, minor cults growing stronger.

Faith was unclear; the path forward, uncertain.

Thus, humans, and especially cultivators, needed a guiding principle.

Only by firmly establishing a direction and walking toward it could one endure.

‘…Then what should I take as my guiding principle?’

The belief imbued into the sword I wield.

It wasn’t some grand enlightenment.

Simply fighting to protect those I wish to safeguard.

This was the vague ‘Will of the sword’ Sion had recently established—a belief.

Sion’s strength stemmed from a sense of responsibility. Losing a precious life once had shocked him deeply.

That was why he never wanted to lose anyone again. He bore the weight of others’ lives. Whenever someone needed protection, Sion would not falter.

A sword of protection.

In other words, the Living Sword.

A sword that brings life to the precious ones took root in Sion’s mental realm.

And to his enemies, this meant there would be no mercy.

In the silence filling Sion’s inner world, his own unique domain began to sprout.

‘I will protect everyone.’

A shiver ran through his entire body, as if every pore had opened.

Whoosh!

A streak of light flashed across Sion’s previously pitch-black mental realm.

A blade. A blade.

Light radiated from the blade, opening his vision.

‘What is this…?’

Sion’s domain.

A brilliant sword had settled deep within his heart.

A sword glowing like a holy blade—Sion couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Vvvv—

Sion extended his holy energy and grasped the shining sword.

At that very moment—

Sion felt the universe. Heat surged to the top of his head, as if something immense had crashed down upon him.

Energy poured endlessly. His body felt as light as a feather. Within the mental realm’s barrier, he could attain such power—so it was true after all.

‘Amazing.’

It felt exactly as if he were receiving power directly from the Goddess of War’s own hand.

Amid this astonishing experience, Sion struggled to memorize every sensation he felt.

Not a single thread, not the tiniest detail would he let slip. It was through such moments that one’s cultivation level rose, and one’s mental depth deepened.

This was the mental cultivation method he practiced whenever he had a spare moment.

And now, without warning, he had experienced a sudden leap in attainment.

‘Inside the domain, it’s as if I’ve become a God.’

The flow of divine power accelerated like a raging current. Even at rest, power surged through him.

He felt as if he could fight nonstop for a hundred days without tiring.

‘Now I understand why battles within the domain are so decisive.’

Now, if only he could bring this mental domain into the outside world, he would reach the level of a Master.

To break down the boundary between reality and the mental realm, and to fully manifest the belief he had established in his sword—this was the realm he sought.

‘Seems close, yet so far.’

That was enough for today. He felt full, completely satisfied.

Sion slowly opened his eyes.

He had known someone was standing in front of him all along.

Since they hadn’t interrupted, he had focused entirely inward.

Someone considerate like that—it was obvious who it was.

“Is there something you need, Senior Kegan?”

When he opened his eyes, he saw Kegan standing there with his mouth wide open.

After experiencing such a profound enlightenment, seeing a middle-aged man make such a childish expression was surprisingly awkward.

“You—you. What did you just do?”

“Huh? I was training.”

“No. You know that’s not what I mean.”

Sion glanced at Kegan’s reaction and smiled inwardly.

‘So my strength really has grown, huh?’

Kegan was a Sword Master. Or rather, he had been a Sword Master.

Now, since he no longer served a Goddess, he was merely someone who wielded a sword skillfully.

Still, that didn’t mean his discernment had vanished.

Once powerful, and still the renowned leader of the Black Banner Unit—his eyes were sharp.

“Just now… you manifested your domain, didn’t you?”

Sion grinned.

“Will you teach me?”

“Teach you what?”

“Everything about being a Sword Master.”

That look again. Endlessly deep blue eyes, yet filled with the most serious, beautiful determination.

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