Chapter 109

Ch.109 Apostle of the Goddess of War

“Haha. I’m a bit late! Sorry about that!”

Lagan waved his hand with an awkward laugh.

A bit?

Someone was nearly killed, and he was acting so calm. Sion wanted to rush over and punch him right then and there.

But at least he had come.

He couldn’t read or decipher blood magic like Sion could. Yet as the Commander of the Order of the Holy Sword, Sion believed he would somehow break through and arrive regardless.

“Interference, interference! I hate it! I hate it! I hate it!”

The madwoman had a fit beside him, stomping her feet violently—so hard that the ground shook as if an earthquake were about to erupt.

Seeing this, the Commander of the Order of the Holy Sword wiped the amusement from his face.

“Apostle of Madness. What are you doing here? This is the territory of the Holy Kingdom. How in the world did you get in?”

He lowered his voice, clearly displeased.

This was also a question Sion had.

Why were there so many servants of the Evil God within this castle, the very gateway to the Holy Kingdom?

This shouldn’t be happening.

The Apostle of Madness laughed like a lunatic.

“Hehehe, uhheheheh, khhkhh…”

Then, she tore at her lips with her fingers and spoke.

“You, you know too, Lagan! The Goddess of Light… her power has grown weak, weak.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Lagan said lightly, drawing his sword as he walked forward.

Kiiing!

The blade, filled with silvery-white light, illuminated the dark hall.

Let there be light in this place.

“I hate it! I hate it! That sword! Put it away! Then, then I’ll spare you! Uhheh, hehe!”

She was frivolous and noisy. Her smiling face was beautiful, but the twisted expression made her look truly hideous.

Yet none of that registered in his mind.

‘What did she just say? The Goddess of Light’s power… weakened…?’

Sion frowned. But before he could dwell on the thought, the Holy Sword members rushed toward him like they were flying.

They stood before him, as if to protect him.

Lagan said,

“Step back for a moment.”

“I want to fight alongside you too!”

“That’s enough. What more can you do?”

Lagan scoffed and waved his hand dismissively. Then he turned his gaze back to the mad apostle of the evil god.

His back was visible.

Broad and large. It even gave the illusion of looking at his master.

“From now on,”

Lagan said, straightening his shoulders, “watch closely, my talented junior.”

Sion unconsciously nodded.

This was a golden opportunity to expand his vision.

An Apostle of the Evil God versus the Commander of the Order of the Holy Sword.

A clash between two who had reached the pinnacle of this world. Just observing would teach him a great deal.

“Kya! Kya kya! Lagan! Are you really going to fight me? Huh? Huh?”

Suddenly, the Apostle of Madness changed her tone and shrieked. She seemed delighted, cackling shrilly.

“What a noisy woman. Her face is pretty enough to look at, at least.”

“Am I pretty? Am I pretty? Am I pretty?”

“Now that I look again, you’re actually ugly.”

Meanwhile, Sion retreated under the protection of the Holy Sword members.

At last, Lagan’s stage had begun.

“I don’t know how the Holy Kingdom’s influence became such a mess…”

The corner of Lagan’s mouth twitched upward.

“But first, I’ll have to crush all these vermin, won’t I?”

The Apostle of Madness, who had kept an artificial smile with her fingers on her lips the whole time, finally removed her hand.

“But, Lagan. Are you sure you’ll be okay? I only need to kill that kid. I’ll leave quietly then!”

“…Isn’t that exactly why I came to stop you?”

“Oh? Really? Huh.”

Lagan scratched his cheek.

The Apostle of Madness removed her fingers from her lips. Saliva stretched from her fingers to her mouth.

With even the forced smile gone, the apostle’s expression turned much colder. Apparently, her natural look was that of a cold-faced woman.

“Still a beauty, I see.”

Lagan chuckled.

“A pity to kill, but oh well.”

Sssk— A gleam flashed in the Apostle of Madness’s eyes. A greatsword, unnoticeably drawn at some point, rested on her shoulder.

“You’re not handsome, but you’re manly. It’ll be fun killing you!”

The Commander of the Order of the Holy Sword’s expression looked strangely satisfied. Apparently, being complimented by a woman pleased him.

“Listen up, members of the Order of the Holy Sword!”

Lagan shouted. For a brief moment, his eyes met Sion’s. He glanced once at Sion, then at his men, and gave a smile.

“Dodge any debris that comes flying at you on your own.”

With that gallant shout, he finally took his stance.

Sion swallowed hard, fully absorbed.

His body felt like a thousand pounds, but witnessing this fight was far more important.

‘Can I see all their movements?’

Probably not.

But even just sensing them would be immensely helpful.

Before his thoughts could finish, the battle began.

Powerful demonic energy and divine power erupted in all directions.

These two intangible forces collided, intensifying the flow of air.

Whoosh!

Without warning, blades clashed.

Kaaa— Ang!

‘Insane…’

Sion thought.

He couldn’t see it. Despite his eyes being wide open, he failed to clearly observe their movements.

Kwaang—!

The second clash.

The entire hall shook. The vibration spread up to the ceiling like an earthquake. From outside, the entire castle would have appeared to tremble.

The Apostle of Madness swung her greatsword, knocking aside the Commander’s blade. Since both used heavy swords, each swing created massive shockwaves and thunderous sounds unlike any other.

Kung.

The Commander delivered a swift kick. The Apostle of Madness was momentarily pushed back but grinned.

“You handle such a heavy sword well for such a delicate body. Isn’t it heavy?”

The Commander asked casually, as if already certain of victory.

“This… is heavy. But my Goddess forced me to.”

“What a strange Goddess.”

“Y-yes! I think so too!”

“Then why not stop believing in her?”

Demonic energy exploded from the Apostle of Madness’s body, launching her forward once more.

“Don’t insult my Goddess—!”

Her charge was like a lightning strike. Dust rose in a storm-like whirlwind as she pushed off the ground.

Bwoong!

The Apostle’s greatsword, swung with both hands, sliced toward the Commander. It left behind an afterimage of a body being split, but the Commander instantly seized her side.

Killing intent.

It was so terrifying that even Sion, watching from afar, shuddered.

The swordsmanship resembled the upright, direct techniques unique to the Order of the Holy Sword. Naturally so, since his swordsmanship was rooted in the teachings of the Light Cult.

But his mastery was exceptional.

Even with the same sword style, skill levels varied greatly depending on the user.

Sion found himself reevaluating the Order of the Holy Sword’s swordsmanship, which he had previously dismissed.

Lagan seemed to have mastered a sword style all his own.

Lagan’s cloak fluttered, and a small splash of blood scattered onto the floor.

The Apostle of Madness quickly created distance, but blood seeped slightly from her side.

“Eh, eh! Blood! Blood! It hurts!”

She cried out dramatically.

Yet, the more she jumped around, the faster the wound closed.

A cut like that was nothing to her.

Lagan laughed playfully.

“Apostle of Madness. Why not live up to your name? Show me some madness. Stop playing around. I prefer women who’ve lost their sanity.”

“R-really?”

The Apostle of Madness spoke in a low voice. Her tone carried a rage that seemed ready to shatter everything within reach.

“Me, me. There. I can’t stay here too long! I have to go now!”

“You’re on a date with a fine man—where are you going?”

“There’s a meeting!”

“A meeting?”

Lagan furrowed his brow. His playful tone had sharpened instantly.

“You know, Lagan. Our world is coming soon.”

“Ah. Are you planning an invasion?”

The Apostle of Madness relaxed her posture and tilted her head.

“It’s already begun.”

“I see.”

Hoo—

Lagan exhaled deeply, then raised his sword.

“This isn’t the time to fool around. These vermin… seem to be charging in more recklessly than I thought.”

“Ehe. It’s already too late, Lagan.”

“I admit it. But I still have things to do.”

The next moment, Sion couldn’t keep his eyes open properly.

From the sword Lagan raised upward, silvery-white light burst forth, igniting a strange flame of divine power.

Whooooong!

Wind blew through the Hall of Blood. A sacred light, as if capable of destroying all evil in the world, illuminated the hall.

“Lagan. You’re using the Holy Sword of Light? That’s too much for me?”

The Apostle of Madness grinned. Her eyes reflected the dazzling light, glowing brightly.

A storm of divine power swept through the hall.

‘Incredible.’

How much effort and how firm a faith must one have to emit such light?

‘If I combined all my divine power now, would it even come close to?’

Even if he fully utilized the Apostle of Blood’s power, he’d still have only a slight advantage. Even considering that, the Commander’s aura exceeded imagination.

Lagan laughed.

“The Holy Sword is with the Apostle. This is just a replica.”

“Oh, then I can handle it!”

The Apostle of Madness regained her composure and lowered her stance. She too wrapped her body tightly in dense demonic energy.

The demonic energy was so thick it felt like it could split one’s head just by looking.

“Let’s finish this quickly.”

With the Commander’s declaration,

Tuu— Waaak!

A violent gale erupted.

The two figures became invisible. Only silvery-white and crimson afterimages trailed across the hall, colliding repeatedly.

Sion’s eyes darted back and forth. But except for flashes of light, he could barely see anything clearly.

He even grew anxious.

He couldn’t even begin to guess in what dimension these two were fighting.

Ku, Kwa-aang!

At one moment, a shockwave burst out. Bodies were thrown back, and debris flew threateningly.

Now he understood Lagan’s earlier words about dodging debris on their own. He had foreseen a brutal fight.

Sion focused divine power into his eyes to the extreme. He had to capture at least one exchange.

Kwa, Kwaang!

Kaaaaaaah!

Crackle!

Boulders fell from the ceiling.

The floor cracked with loud, grinding sounds.

Yet, he still couldn’t see either of them.

He could only roughly guess what exchanges occurred based on shockwaves and clashing energies.

‘It’s suffocating.’

His head burned. This was the result of merely trying to keep up.

To actually reach the level of being near that battle—there was still a long, treacherous path ahead.

He couldn’t even estimate how high the mountain he had to climb truly was.

‘The Commander of the Order of the Holy Sword is impressive…’

But the Apostle of Madness was astonishing too.

She was skilled enough to stand against the Order of the Holy Sword’s greatest force.

Could the Evil God’s side really be this powerful?

‘There must be different ranks among the Evil God’s apostles.’

One thing was certain—the weakened Apostle of Blood and the relatively new Apostle of Decay were not on this level.

Time passed as if each second lasted a minute.

It was then, when Sion’s breath—held almost unconsciously—finally released again, that someone broke the silence.

“The match is over.”

It was Lagan’s servant.

Sion saw it too.

“We won.”

Sion whispered softly.

Lagan stood, drenched in blood.

He looked bad. The bleeding hadn’t stopped.

But compared to his opponent, it was nothing.

The Apostle of Madness, who had been spouting madness the entire time, now lay scattered on the floor, limbs and head severed.

She had burned her madness to the fullest and still been defeated.

At the highest level, she had been annihilated in a battle too intense for even Sion to properly see.

“Hoo—”

Lagan broke the silence.

“Clean up the corpse. Finish what needs to be done and return quickly.”

The Commander turned around. His body swayed slightly, but Holy Sword members were already approaching to support him.

Sion slowly walked toward him too.

Up close, the wounds looked even worse.

At a glance, they were clearly fatal. Such severe injuries meant the battle had been incredibly fierce.

“Commander. I’ve learned a great deal.”

“Hmm. For such a confident statement, you took quite a beating. I’m embarrassed—don’t talk to me for a bit, will you?”

Sion chuckled and stepped aside. He followed the retreating figure out of the Hall of Blood.

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