Chapter 127

Ch.127 Apostle of the Goddess of War

‘Master.’

As he cut down monsters and demons, Sion thought of his master.

Was it truly unavoidable?

Couldn’t there have been a better way?

Perhaps they should have sent Garfenn straight back to Elim instead.

But these were meaningless hypotheticals and regrets.

Garfenn wouldn’t have left anyway, and without his sacrifice, Sion himself would have been powerless to stop the Evil God’s will from being fulfilled.

He carried on his master’s resolve.

That was all Sion focused on.

To not bring shame upon his master, to not tarnish the name of war.

CRACK!

Sion sliced through the ancient monster’s carapace as easily as chopping firewood. Normally, the creature possessed far greater strength and sword energy than Sion.

But right now, Sion was stronger than ever before. Though imperfect, he was undeniably the Apostle of the Goddess of War.

“Who… is that guy?”

An apostle who did not recognize Sion spoke up.

They were in the midst of assaulting the uppermost floor of the Grand Cathedral.

Ahead, he sensed Naru’s presence.

Her energy had weakened greatly.

It was unmistakable, even from afar.

Unable to receive Eru’s power any longer, her eventual demise was certain.

The Apostle of Light’s duty was to guard the Heavenly Gate with every last ounce of her strength.

Until her death, she would never cease swinging her blade of light.

[You have come, Apostle of the Goddess of War.]

From afar, a mental voice resonated—equal to the Goddess herself.

It was bearable compared to their first encounter. It pained Sion’s heart. Naru’s time, too, was running out.

The young swordsman briefly grew despondent. So many had vanished in a single day.

What is war truly for?

For whom?

What does it leave behind?

…The new Apostle of the Goddess of War had only just begun finding his answer.

[I shall buy as much time as possible. Please ensure the forces of evil do not advance even a single step.]

‘Understood.’

Sion replied inwardly.

His cloak fluttered like a blade of grass. The sword in his hand took on the hue of the night sky. The keenly honed sword energy hummed menacingly, ready to instantly eviscerate the Evil Gods’ apostles.

The next instant—

BOOOOM—!

A storm of black-and-white sword energy engulfed the evil forces front and back. Sword strikes too fast for the eye to follow resembled an unstoppable natural disaster—akin to a tsunami, a sandstorm, or lightning itself.

…Time stretched.

The Apostle of Light and the Apostle of War had reached a different dimension of time.

They could split a brief moment into thousands, even tens of thousands of fragments and perceive each one.

Launching a storm of sword energy to carve a path in an instant, Sion charged straight through that opening.

And in the fleeting moment as he crossed paths with Naru, they exchanged wills swiftly and silently.

[I shall fulfill my long duty as guardian here.]

‘Thank you for your efforts.’

[Go forth, young knight. Guide the future rightly.]

‘It was an honor meeting you, however briefly.’

It was a conversation completed in the blink of an eye—so fast not even a single blink occurred.

THUMP.

His heart beat once, and Sion leaped straight past Naru’s back.

By the time the demons regained their senses, Sion had already vanished without a trace.

“Damn it. We’ve been had.”

“We let our guard down…”

“Achille has chosen that brat?”

By the time the Evil God’s apostles realized it, it was already too late. They now had to face the Apostle of Light once more.

Now, there were no more restrictions.

Having sent even Sion—the one he’d been waiting for—to the Heavenly Gate, there was no longer any reason to hold back his power.

“Now.”

BOOM!

The Apostle of Light spoke.

Her voice—the only transcendent being among humans aside from the Goddess—crushed the evil forces like a massive iron hammer.

Groans erupted everywhere. Merely hearing Naru’s voice was enough to make moderately powerful monsters or demons lose consciousness or go mad.

“I shall deliver divine punishment.”

BOOM!

As she spoke, Naru stepped forward.

Though her footfall seemed light, the ground trembled distinctly.

A sword of light materialized in the Apostle of Light’s hand—a true blade imbued with heavenly power. Flames of annihilation against evil surged forth.

The sword energy was so immense and powerful that monsters began disintegrating into nothingness merely from its emission.

Naru swung her arm horizontally.

WHOOSH!

The air inside the Grand Cathedral was violently expelled. It was an airwave akin to a giant’s fan. The killing intent within it shredded monsters, demons, and apostles of the Evil Gods indiscriminately.

SWOOOSH!

The aftershock was even deadlier and more transcendent.

Golden sword energies sprouted from tens of thousands of points, each seemingly possessing its own will, hunting down and cutting apart everything that still drew breath.

“Damn it! Goddess! Aid us!”

The Apostle of Wrath bellowed furiously toward the heavens.

An oppressive spiritual pressure descended, powerful enough to push back even the Apostle of Light’s might.

It seemed the Evil God of Wrath was attempting to manifest to save his apostle.

“Not here. You filthy—”

The Apostle of Light wouldn’t allow it. A miraculous sword strike, reaching the heavens, swept through the Grand Cathedral.

It was a sword dance so sublime that even the Evil Gods’ apostles dared not fathom its depth.

As Naru’s sword dance bloomed, the ominous spiritual pressure scattered and vanished. True to her status rivaling a Goddess, she had blocked the manifestation of Wrath with a single sword.

“Crazy.”

The Apostle of Wrath spat out a curse in sheer frustration. His last thread had snapped. Only death awaited him now.

The Apostle of Light, hovering in midair, appeared like an angel of death.

“What are you staring at? All of you, charge and kill her!”

The Apostle of Death stepped forward.

With the Apostle of Darkness absent, he was now their leader. The Goddess of Death watched silently, scheming only how to kill the Apostle of Light.

The answer was surprisingly simple.

“Throw your subordinates at her. Keep her fighting until she tires. Then we kill her.”

“If you wish to try, then try.”

Naru, overhearing this, spoke up. A faint, petal-like smile graced her lips—a smile filled with the condescension of one in an absolute position.

Finally, even the Apostle of Death’s patience ran out. The mask of forced composure shattered.

“Attack!”

A full forty percent of the forces that had assaulted the Holy Kingdom now charged solely to kill a single apostle.

BOOM—!

Another earthquake shook the ground. The entire Grand Cathedral swayed violently.

Even Sion, running far away, staggered. He quickly regained his balance and kept running. His gaze never turned backward.

Even as his chest ached, he refused to hold back.

He would absolutely fulfill his assigned duty.

Behind him, a colossal light erupted explosively.

* * *

Passing through Naru’s garden, he ran without stopping. At its end stood a small, solitary door.

It was neither as splendid as a halo, nor sacred, nor overwhelming.

Just a small, shabby, humble door like one might find in any ordinary village.

Thud. Thud.

Sion walked toward that small door.

It was slightly ajar—as if inviting him in. Pulling the handle, a dazzling vista unfolded before his eyes.

It was a space so beautiful and sacred that even the Holy Kingdom—said to have brought heaven down to earth—paled in comparison, utterly indescribable in words.

“Wow.”

Sion gazed down upon a landscape more beautiful than paradise itself. Words failed him.

For a moment, he even forgot the dire urgency behind him.

“You truly are reckless…”

A voice sounded right beside him—clear and feminine.

Looking aside, he saw not just one or two people, but as if every beauty in the world had gathered here.

Sion instantly recognized their identities.

There could be no other women beyond the Heavenly Gate.

“Goddess, I…?”

“I heard a knight would come to meet me. So it’s you.”

“Yes?”

“But…”

The woman at the front glanced behind Sion, tilted her head slightly, then twisted the corner of her mouth. The chilling atmosphere sent shivers down his spine.

“So you’re Achille’s knight?”

[Sion. Ignore what these ones say.]

“Ah, yes.”

Sion snapped back to his senses. Merely exchanging a few words had nearly made him lose clarity. Had he spoken any longer, his very heart might have been stolen.

Achille stepped forward, pushing Sion behind her. Folding her arms, she faced the Goddesses who had once cast her out and asked,

[Where is Eru?]

“…She’s asleep.”

[Did she leave no special message?]

“Yeah. She said she was sorry she could only do this much.”

Achille sighed and muttered to herself. That was just like Eru.

“We’re closing the Heavenly Gate. From now on, you’ll lose your heavenly divinity and live as earthly Goddesses. Only those prepared in heart may cross over.”

Achille commanded as if she were now their leader. The other Goddesses had already accepted this unspoken truth.

Though Eru’s disappearance was sudden, she had entrusted humanity to them.

Wishing for her sisters to properly guide humanity in a world without the Evil Gods, she had planned to send them all down to the mortal realm.

She deliberately lowered her sisters’ divinity and forcibly severed their connection to heaven.

Now they could descend to the mortal world.

Or rather, if they didn’t descend, they would vanish.

The other Goddesses still didn’t fully grasp what was happening. Fortunately, Menesia, the Goddess of Wisdom, quickly pieced things together and explained it to them.

Though grumbling, they had no choice but to cooperate. Refusing and stubbornly insisting otherwise would mean vanishing along with heaven itself.

“May I pass?”

Menesia stepped before Achille and spoke. The two who had understood Eru’s intentions the quickest exchanged a melancholic glance.

Without a word, Achille stepped aside.

Starting with Menesia, the Goddesses one by one crossed through the Heavenly Gate.

The moment they stepped onto the mortal realm, their heavenly bodies vanished, transforming into spiritual forms.

Thus, they became invisible to ordinary human eyes.

Only those with faith and prayer could see, hear, and feel the Goddesses.

The Goddesses had drawn closer to humanity. Beings once untouchable had fallen.

They saw it as a fall—but humanity would hail it as a blessing.

They stood at the turning point of an era.

And it was Sion’s blade that would begin this age of upheaval.

[Sion, strike.]

Sion raised his sword, imbued with sword energy.

Only the knight chosen by Eru could cut this gate. Apostles of other Goddesses could not.

Only the guardian capable of protecting the world in a realm without Gods was granted this right.

Realizing this, Achille had led Sion here.

The Goddesses stood behind Sion, anxiously watching the end of the glorious age.

Goddesses wept and sobbed. Overnight, they had lost the home they’d lived in for lifetimes. Anyone claiming not to feel conflicted would be lying.

WHOOSH—!

Sion raised his sword.

Far behind, the Evil Gods’ apostles were rapidly approaching.

The Evil Gods themselves, belatedly realizing what Sion intended to do, manifested directly and rushed toward this place.

But now the Goddesses existed on the mortal plane. Many could now directly confront the Evil Gods.

Goddess versus Evil God.

Goddess versus Fallen Goddess.

As they clashed in mythic, epochal battles—

Sion’s sword descended upon the Heavenly Gate.

BOOOOM!

A pure white storm erupted.

A pillar of golden light shot high into the heavens.

It was a column of light so tall and brilliant it could be seen from the farthest corners of the continent.

The light that had once illuminated the world like an exploding star suddenly converged into a single point, then shattered into eight fragments, scattering like comets into the unknown.

…And soon, night fell.

With the light gone, an eternal night began.

Eru had always bestowed light at the proper time, allowing life to sprout upon this land—melting the cold, granting energy, heralding creation and beginnings.

The Goddess had given everything. Yet humanity, taking her presence for granted, never realized how precious she truly was.

Now, at last, humanity understood.

The feeling of a shipwrecked sailor adrift in a vast, lightless ocean.

That the Goddess was gone.

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