Chapter 128

Ch.128 Apostle of the Goddess of War

The heavenly era, once thought eternal, had come to an end.

By Sion’s descending blade, the connection between heaven and the mortal realm was severed.

Heaven still existed, but only as a resting place for the dead—reachable solely through death itself.

The Goddesses who once ruled heaven had descended to the mortal world. Though their divinity had not vanished, they had grown far weaker than in their heavenly days.

The age of Goddesses was fading. Naturally, the age of humanity had begun.

Yet humans remained frail. They would continue to worship Goddesses and yearn for their guidance—  until the day they could live without divine aid.

Sion entered the square and dragged his palm across his face.

“Master?”

Sion gasped for breath as he spoke, staring at Garfenn lying silently on the ground.

His master was missing an arm, and a gaping hole pierced his chest.

Not just Garfenn—nowhere in the Holy Kingdom remained untouched.

A massive assault. A large-scale battle.

Because the Evil God himself had intervened, the Holy Kingdom had become a ghost town stripped of its light.

The aftermath of war was always like this—only brutal consequences remained.

Sion was no exception.

He had lost so much.

His conflicted emotions refused to subside.

Sion’s limbs trembled uncontrollably. Whether from exhaustion or the shock of what he’d witnessed, he couldn’t tell.

He simply felt numb.

“Master, Master… I’m here.”

Sion collapsed to his knees beside Garfenn. Seeing his motionless master, his heart turned to stone.

His eyes reddened. Snot dripped down his nose.

“We hadn’t even properly greeted each other yet.”

This sudden farewell struck hard. Sion had always been weak against partings—never adapting easily, no matter how often they came.

Whether losing his family overnight or now losing the master with whom he’d promised to return together—

it always felt the same.

Sion placed his trembling hand on Garfenn’s shoulder. Right beside it gaped a hole. His heart shattered imagining the agony his master must have endured.

Yet even in this state, Garfenn had slain the Apostle of Darkness.

He had perished alongside humanity’s greatest foe. His feat would be remembered forever.

Sion could no longer hold back his tears. He collapsed forward, burying his face in his master’s chest.

“Master…”

“…Sion?”

Garfenn’s chest rose slightly. He exhaled a faint breath and slowly opened his eyes.

“Master? You’re not dead?”

“Why do you keep treating a living man as dead?”

“No…”

How could he possibly be alive?

The wounds were so severe that such a question felt natural—almost reasonable.

Just from the surrounding damage, survival seemed utterly impossible.

“Haa… What… happened?”

“Huh? Ah…”

Sion wiped his tears. Garfenn’s breathing was shallow and raspy—as if his lungs were punctured.

He was still breathing, but his condition looked dire—so much so that Sion wondered if he’d merely been briefly roused from a slow death.

“I finished it somehow. I severed the Heavenly Gate. The Evil Gods fled.”

“I see…”

Garfenn closed his eyes again. Only then did a look of relief flicker across his face.

“You’ve done well, Sion. I’m proud of you.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Master.”

Garfenn exhaled with great effort. His face held so much left unsaid—but time wouldn’t wait for him.

“Master…”

“I’m not dead yet.”

“Did I ask if you were dead? You need treatment right away!”

“…No. It’s too late for me. My heart is gone. What keeps me conscious now is only Lady Goddess’s divine power.”

Sion choked back a sob.

“Then pray to the Goddess! I’ll pray for you! I—I can hear her voice now.”

“Really? Good. Just as I said, then?”

“…It was… blissful.”

Garfenn smiled clearly.

“See?”

“Enough. Stop talking now. I’ll pray.”

“You’ve truly become a proper Apostle now. So devout.”

“Of course.”

Sion squeezed his eyes shut. Tears streamed down his cheeks.

He tried to focus, but his concentration kept slipping. If he stopped speaking, he feared his master’s breath would cease entirely.

“Sion. It’s enough. Even the Goddess cannot heal wounds like this—especially now that the connection to heaven is severed. She can no longer mend fatal injuries with divine power as before.”

“Don’t say that! There must be some way…!”

Garfenn drew a long, labored breath before speaking.

“Sion… Still, I’m glad I got to see your face before I go. I almost left feeling regretful.”

“…”

“From now on, serve faithfully as a true Apostle of War.”

“…”

Shhh… shhh…

Garfenn’s words grew longer. He’d never been one for nagging—but Sion hated hearing this ‘nagging’ more than anything.

“I won’t hear your nagging anymore. I’m the Apostle now.”

“Yes. You’ll handle things well on your own. Please… faithfully serve our Goddess. Carry out her will—eradicate the remaining Evil Gods factions… and also…”

Garfenn gave a faint, bittersweet smile.

“…Please ensure my unborn child lives in a peaceful world.”

“No! You raise them yourself. I hate that kid.”

Garfenn chuckled softly.

“Tell Anna I’m sorry.”

“I said no…!”

Sion sobbed. His tears fell onto Garfenn’s cheek. The light in Garfenn’s eyes dimmed further.

“If it’s a boy… name him Galahal. If it’s a girl… Siana would be nice.”

“…”

Sion didn’t truly hear Garfenn’s words. He couldn’t. His wailing drowned out everything.

He’d thought he could send his master off calmly—but now that the moment had come, it was impossible.

“There’s… more I wanted to… say…”

Garfenn strained every last thought from his dying mind. Each word brought excruciating pain through his punctured lungs—but he gritted his teeth, enduring it all for his lone disciple.

“Well… anything you don’t know, ask Gustein or Kegan. Pass my regards to them too…”

“Huh… huh…”

“Don’t cry, Sion. Death is the way of humanity.”

“There’s no law saying you must die now!”

“I think… it’s time I rested.”

Memories of the past flowed through Garfenn’s eyes—days of unbearable, relentless hardship.

“I’ll go ahead and rest first.”

“No! Work more! The War Cult is finally growing!”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Master?”

Sion looked at Garfenn with swollen eyes. His master no longer breathed.

Silently, Sion checked for breath—none came.

The great, sturdy tree had fallen.

No more tears came.

He simply knelt quietly, prayed to the Goddess, and honored his master’s final moment.

* * *

“Garfenn. My child.”

“Goddess.”

Garfenn’s soul met Achille.

Though he’d always sensed and seen her presence, this was his first time encountering her in pure spiritual form.

“I have no face to show you.”

Achille spoke with genuine sorrow. She couldn’t even meet Garfenn’s eyes—so deep was her guilt.

“I never did a single good thing for you. I only used you… sacrificed you.”

Garfenn shook his head.

“That’s not true. You gave me salvation.”

“Where is salvation in what I did?”

Achille replied, utterly dejected.

Garfenn stepped closer. He gestured to the space beside her.

“May I sit beside you?”

“Of course.”

For the first time—not kneeling, but sitting at her side. It was new for both Goddess and servant. And it felt far better without the weight of hierarchy.

“It feels fresh.”

“So it does. Perhaps a closer bond between Apostle and Goddess isn’t so bad after all.”

“But you still need dignity, don’t you?”

“Haha. You’re right about that too.”

Achille smiled, then quickly wiped the expression away. A heavy melancholy pressed upon her.

“Garfenn.”

“Yes, Goddess?”

“You may resent me. You may curse me—I won’t be offended in the slightest.”

Garfenn gave a small, knowing smile.

‘What a timid Goddess.’

“You’ve already saved me—saved my soul. You gave purpose to my dying life and raised me up again.”

“That purpose was revenge. I used you as a tool for my return to the Round Table.”

“I know. But I also know it wasn’t just that.”

“What do you mean?”

“You couldn’t bear to pass by a dying man without pity.”

“You think too highly of me.”

Garfenn was certain.

There was no Goddess in this world as foolishly kind as her.

She governed the cruelest concept—war—yet remained warmer than anyone else. How could she be evil when War itself sought to end war?

“If you hadn’t done that, I would’ve given up on life. Without revenge… I wouldn’t have risen again. I’d have died right there. I’d never have met you, served you, or saved my family’s souls.”

Garfenn sincerely thanked Achille for her compassion.

“I’m grateful that through thirty years of service, I can bring my family into your garden.”

“…The Heavenly Gate is severed. Your garden remains, but I can no longer tend to it. You must find and guide your family’s souls yourself.”

Garfenn nodded.

“Then that shall be my final journey.”

“…Are you truly alright with this?”

“Yes.”

The Goddess pressed her lips shut, as if accepting his resolve.

“I leave my family in your care. I’m especially ashamed before Anna and the child.”

“Worry not. I shall care for them with all my heart.”

“Elim too.”

“Of course.”

“…And please watch over Sion as well.”

The Goddess smiled warmly.

“If you’re so worried, stay by my side forever and care for him together.”

Garfenn laughed heartily and rose from his seat.

“I’d like that—to watch my growing child and Elim, and see this changed world.”

“…”

“But I feel guilty toward my family, who waited thirty years for me.”

The Goddess rose with him. With the gentlest smile in the world, she bade farewell to Garfenn’s final moment.

“They truly can’t wait any longer, can they?”

“You’re right, Garfenn. Tell them I’m sorry for making you suffer so long.”

“Kuhuhu… I will.”

Garfenn’s soul gradually faded. Heaven began drawing his spirit away.

“Goddess.”

“Garfenn.”

“It was an honor to serve you as your knight.”

“And I was happy to have you as my Apostle.”

Achille opened her arms and stepped forward.

“May I hold you, just for a moment?”

“I’ve missed the warmth of your embrace, Goddess.”

With a tender, heartfelt hug, Achille and Garfenn parted ways.

Thus ended his long service.

* * *

Garfenn was dead. Many had perished.

A joint funeral was held in the ruined Holy Kingdom. Those who survived carried on into the next day.

The surviving Apostles and high priests of each cult joined forces to manage the aftermath.

An unprecedented transformation in human history had begun.

First, the sun no longer rose.

It was the age of eternal night.

The age of humanity—and the unstable rule of Goddesses now dwelling on earth—had commenced.

Though the Evil Gods had temporarily retreated, it was only a brief withdrawal.

With the Sovereign Goddess gone, this was their perfect chance to fully dominate humanity.

A new central Goddess was needed.

The age called for a strong leader who could resolve this crisis and overcome it.

The Apostles gathered for a council.

They debated how to face the future and discussed various proposals.

New faces appeared compared to the previous meeting—not only Garfenn, but other Apostles had fallen too.

Each began their introductions.

“Arwen, Apostle of Wisdom.”

“Roger. Survived by luck—blessing of Abundance.”

“…New Apostle of Fire. Anarantis.”

“Attending as proxy for the Apostle of Water. I hold no official Apostle status.”

“Ravienne. I’m now the most senior among us.”

“Egel, succeeding the former Apostle of Penitence. I ask for your cooperation.”

“Proxy priestess, sent to convey the will of the Goddess of Life.”

“The Commander of the Order of the Holy Sword, Lagan, has not yet regained consciousness. Thus, the Light Cult abstains. With the Sovereign Goddess gone, there shall be no seat at the Round Table for now.”

“Then…”

After all introductions concluded—

Creak.

A young knight sat in the remaining seat at the Round Table and spoke.

“Apostle of the Goddess of War. I am Sion.”

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