Chapter 141

Ch.141 Apostle of the Goddess of War

A feeling of being submerged deep underwater is conveyed. It even pressed down on the eardrums. It was the first time the sound of bubbles was eerie.

‘I can’t see ahead. This is, the Abyss…….’

Only the water currents stirred by unidentified abyssal fish were indirectly felt. It was a presence tinged with killing intent. Being underwater, aside from the novelty, it felt suffocating enough to die.

‘And it’s incredibly large.’

Probably, it would be large enough to swallow even a human in one bite. Its enormity was felt even without seeing it. This is what it means to be overwhelmed by a presence.

A large shadow approached unusually fast. It was like a shark spotting its prey and swimming.

The shadow of the abyss was truly a shark.

But its size was that of a ship.

It seemed like it would still be hungry even with hundreds of people in its belly.

The abyssal shark opened its mouth like an anglerfish.

Sion felt curiosity and fear towards this sea creature he had only heard of and raised his power.

‘There’s no way to win underwater.’

His body feels immensely heavy.

Neither evasion nor defense is possible.

The range of the gaping maw alone made evasion impossible.

‘Dangerous. I must establish my domain—’

……Soon, its mouth covered Sion’s field of view, and the world inverted.

Swoooosh—!

The moment he was swallowed by the maw.

Only red seawater assaulted Sion.

Because the space within 3 meters around Sion had become not the domain of the abyss, but the domain of the Apostle of War.

The giant shark, which had charged relentlessly, instantly burst apart, spraying blood.

It looked as if Sion’s invisible sword strikes had shredded the abyssal shark the moment it approached. Conceptually, it wasn’t much different.

“Kkhuk!”

Blood vessels bulged intensely in Sion’s eyes.

The process of tearing through the abyss’s domain and projecting his own mental world was extremely taxing.

In the middle of the vast, open sea, the Apostle of Abyss was nearly invincible. The malevolence of the Evil God sustaining him lurked everywhere.

An overwhelmingly disadvantageous fight.

But if he doesn’t manifest it, he dies.

A crossroads between life and death.

As always, if he can’t overcome it, he dies.

The Goddess of War’s Apostle cannot be allowed to lose in war.

‘I’ll do it.’

Constantly self-hypnotizing, he pursued the Apostle of Abyss. He honed his senses to the limit.

Even now, he must be hiding in his own kingdom, targeting the vulnerable Sion.

It was then.

Sion suddenly turned his head sideways. Thanks to his heightened senses, he could hear the sounds in the water.

‘Something is approaching fast.’

Faster than the abyssal shark. Fast enough to believe lightning was streaking through the abyss.

From far away.

Sswaeaeaeeaek—!

An abyssal fish with a sharp, long spear-like snout, capable of piercing even steel armor, charged at Sion.

Its sharply developed upper jaw resembled a sword.

Being impaled means instant death.

Chwa chwa chwa chwa chwa!

The abyssal fish vibrated rapidly left and right like a shot arrow, tearing apart everything in its trajectory.

Sion’s eyes widened. He focused all his concentration and divine power into his vision, gauging the precise timing.

His stretched-to-the-limit concentration pinpointed the moment.

Chae chae chae chae chang!

He swung his sword sideways. A massive vibration traveled up his arm bones. A huge shockwave. He almost lost his grip on the sword, nearly splitting his upper and lower body apart.

Swaek!

‘Monstrous fish.’

Its size, as large as a ship, and the sword-like length growing from its jaw was like a mast. More troublesome and threatening than the shark.

Dodging or blocking this carries immense risk. Just now, he couldn’t even react and had to parry it first.

‘Damn it.’

Blood came from Sion’s hand. Just from parrying the swordfish’s charge, the skin on his palm was completely torn to shreds.

His hand trembled uncontrollably. Gripping the sword properly was impossible.

‘……It’s coming again.’

The swordfish that had disappeared into the distance was turning direction and coming back. It seemed it would never stop until it pierced Sion. Its killing intent was projected long, like a thrown spear.

He fully realized why the Apostle of Abyss had been undefeated until now.

Why he was the guardian of the gate to the Abyss.

His power and strength were evident.

‘Well, what can I do?’

Sion did not despair.

He felt a sense of crisis, but not the thought of dying.

He sharpened the tip of his sword, raised the blade to his cheek, and took a stance.

‘Focus.’

Just because something seems impossible doesn’t mean avoiding it is the best plan.

There are trees to be cut down.

And mountains to be climbed.

Sion resolved to cut down the abyssal swordfish.

‘If I’ve resolved to cut it—’

Then I must do it.

Thinking that, Sion closed his eyes.

Chasing with sight is futile.

Then, block other senses and sharpen only the necessary ones.

‘Feel with the skin, draw with the mind.’

Create a dense net with the Goddess of War’s divine power spread in all directions.

Read the precise timing when the fish gets caught in that net.

Sswaeaek!

A sound is heard. The swordfish, easily crossing the abyss like cutting cake, vibrating its long blade as it shoots forward.

Sion constantly talked to himself.

Cut it, cut it.

I will definitely cut it.

Gradually, he grew accustomed to the sounds of the abyss, and the pressure crushing his forearm became familiar to his body.

Pulling his concentration to the limit, stretching it out, he established his own domain, placing spacetime beneath his feet.

‘Now.’

The pinnacle of nothingness.

The state of selflessness.

The supreme realm attainable by the Goddess of War’s Apostle.

Sion thrust forward the sword he had raised to his cheek. Smoothly, silently. But with precise motion.

Seu—geok.

The vertical eyes of the Apostle of Abyss opened. Being a transcendent who had also reached the supreme realm, he realized.

That the Apostle of the Goddess of War had grown once again.

He witnessed the monstrous sight of using a life-or-death moment as a stepping stone for growth.

It was enough to make him jealous.

‘Even though I reached this realm after enduring centuries of hardship in the abyss.’

What is that human?

To stretch his foot out in one breath.

His outstretched foot was unhindered. It was as if he knew that was the place to step. That was the only gate of life, yet he forcibly pried open the hidden door.

‘Genius.’

A phenomenon incomprehensible even to a demon who received the Evil God’s knowledge and power.

Both the moment he witnessed it.

And now, as the abyss’s domain is torn apart entirely.

And the moment the Apostle of War’s greatsword cleaves the shark, the swordfish, the colossal octopus, and the armored coral in half.

And.

Even the moment he finally splits the sea in two and presses the black greatsword against his neck.

“Unbelievable.”

……Tok, tuduk.

Even as his head fell, the Apostle of Abyss couldn’t escape the shock.

He had never felt his own talent so shabby as now.

The scenery returned.

They were in the middle of a stormy sea.

Sion knelt before the head of the Apostle of Abyss.

“You don’t vanish immediately.”

The Apostle of Abyss answered.

“Because it’s the sea. It’s the source of my power and life. It’s no different from being in my mother’s womb.”

“So if left alone, you’ll regenerate?”

Sion asked, and the Apostle of Abyss readily answered yes.

“Surprisingly lighthearted. Is it okay to tell me?”

The Apostle of Abyss closed his vertically opened eyes and answered. Judging by his expression, he looked somewhat drowsy.

Exactly like Magwen when she was dying.

“I’ve hit a wall. Even if I train for a thousand more years, I cannot picture myself defeating you.”

“……Weak words.”

“Perhaps I am tired too.”

The Apostle of Abyss spoke like a knight who had truly walked the path of martial arts.

“Having met you. My path ends here. I have no more regrets left. Perhaps I should thank you. Ahh— my Goddess is furious.”

Ggudeuk, ggudeuk.

As he said this, octopus tentacles began to slyly grow from the cross-section of the decapitated Apostle’s neck.

Sion reflexively made a disgusted expression.

“Instead of making that face, finish me off.”

“What about the gate?”

“It has begun to open. When I vanish, the gate will open.”

“What lies beyond?”

The Apostle of Abyss moved his lips.

Since Sion had already torn off the regenerating neck cross-section with black divine power clenched in his hand, no sound was heard.

Instead, he received through lip-reading what lay beyond.

The Apostle of Abyss, having left his last words, turned to ash and disappeared.

He had finally ended his duty as the gatekeeper.

Taat!

Set and Jien crossed over to Sion’s side.

They had also fought and defeated the pirate sailors on the ship.

Since they were demons and demonkin without weapons, they could subdue them without major losses. It also signified their considerable skill.

“What happened?”

Sion asked quietly. While wiping the blood from his cheek. The kid had become so mature.

In a way, it hurt his heart. He wished his younger siblings hadn’t seen or heard such harsh things.

Sion recalled the Apostle of Abyss’s final moments. He traced the shape of his lips.

“Set, Jien. Return to Foils with Captain Rontel.”

“Huh?”

The Goddess told him to rely on them, but the current situation wasn’t the time to consider that.

There’s a degree to the severity of a situation. This was not a level that could end as a good experience.

“Beyond this is truly dangerous. Staying by my side is more dangerous, so please follow my orders.”

Sion stated decisively. Set and Jien couldn’t insist. The Apostle’s attitude was too firm.

Disobeying orders now would be nothing but a nuisance.

“Go straight to Elim. Go and tell Kaili. That I have headed for the Evil God’s stronghold. That they have a separate realm beyond some gate.”

“The Evil God’s……?”

It was then.

Jjeoeok.

The water surface beneath the ship the three were on split open, jjeok, as if opening a maw.

It was a moment where reacting was nearly impossible.

The three were swallowed into the abyss.

Into the abyss, into the unknown darkness.

* * *

“Where is this……?”

Sion checked that Set and Jien, who had fainted, were still breathing before getting up.

However, it was a bit strange.

Considering his last memory was of being swallowed by the abyss.

The scenery before him was far too ordinary.

Rather, the long-stretched mountain range and the vast land spread beneath it.

And the fields, dyed gold and bowing their heads, created a pastoral scene.

It was no different from the splendid scenery one typically sees while roaming the Empire’s territories.

‘What is this?’

A cognitive dissonance began to set in.

He was definitely above the sea.

He was definitely swallowed by the abyss.

The abyss’s anger had clung to him like tentacles, stinging his skin.

“Hello? Are you awake?”

Someone spoke languidly.

The voice was close. Sion quickly turned around. He got chills realizing he hadn’t sensed the presence until now.

“You, who are you.”

The owner of the voice was a girl sitting on a rock. Leaning her chin on her hands clasped like a flower bud, she embodied the pure image of a country girl.

“Well? The being you wanted to see? For now, I’m in human form, I suppose.”

Her way of speaking was fresh. Her slightly messy falling hair was even elegant.

Her bewitching beauty stood out.

Sion read an extraordinary atmosphere.

And.

“Evil God, is it?”

He asked directly.

There was no hesitation in his question.

The corner of the girl’s lips curved like a crescent moon.

“Correct.”

The girl who revealed herself as an Evil God slowly moved her lips.

“I am the Goddess of Corruption. Tartania.”

“A Goddess, you say.”

Sion was not intimidated even with an Evil God before him. Instead, he brimmed with hostility.

Regardless, Tartania, smiling faintly, truly had the demeanor of a powerful being.

“Calm down and listen. I just want to talk. As proof, I’ve kept you and those children alive until now.”

It was a valid argument.

Sion could not refute it.

Clearly, this girl held their lives in her hands here.

Despite her harmless appearance, a difference in rank was felt.

A spiritual power that a human could never reach.

“Hoo.”

Sion took a deep breath and stored away his hostility.

At the signal that he was ready to talk, the Goddess of Corruption smiled.

“Shall I make you a proposal, hmm.”

* * *

Startle.

The white hem of the Goddess Achille’s clothes fluttered. It was because she stopped moving after rapid movement.

Achille stopped and stared intently towards the west.

[Sion……?]

The Apostle’s presence had disappeared.

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