Chapter 140: Apostle (6)


    As I infiltrated the seed, I was met with a space of sheer ck darkness.


    A space where everything, above and below, was engulfed in ck. The floor appeared to be made of transparent ss, facilitating movement. For some reason, visibility was clear, allowing for the observation of the interior.


    -This is the inside of the Apostle…


    -It’s ominous. Just being here makes me feel uneasy.


    ck Heaven frowned as she spoke.


    I agreed. Nodding, I ventured further inside.


    Click-ck.


    I walked with confidence. Somehow, my intuition was telling me this was the right path.


    I readied ck Heaven, prepared to attack at any moment.-It doesn’t seem like it will attack.


    Its behavior was clearly abnormal.


    In battle, the seed only showed perplexity, neverunching an attack against me. Inserting the Sword of Winter into White Rouge, I pressed on.


    -Let’s speed up.


    -Master, don’t rush. It’s more dangerous to hurry in such a ce.


    -It’s alright.


    I was worried about those we left outside.


    Kim Ara and Kim Seo-hyun. Fearing they would try to stop me, I entered without informing them. They might take rash actions in my absence.


    Whirl!


    Inside the seed, countless tentacles were staring at me. Seemingly hundreds of them. Yet, I didn’t sense any hostility from them.


    -This feels bad…


    -It’s natural. The Apostle is a being directly crafted by extraterrestrials. It is more so than most Mines…


    -No, I was referring to its appearance.


    -…I see.


    Click.


    The sound of a switch being flipped in the mind, activating Divine Sight.


    I scrutinized the interior.


    What was visible was entirely ck, a corrupt power. It felt alien, as if it didn’t belong in this world.


    [!?@#? is eroding the user''s consciousness.]


    [Conceptual Stat Energy of Defying Heaven has blocked !?@#?.]


    -It’s annoying.


    Since a while ago, corrupt forces had been converging near me.


    It’s as if they’re attempting to corrupt me. If I was feeling this way, the pressure others must be experiencing was immense.


    -So, most who are consumed by the Apostle emerge corrupted.


    What’s even more ridiculous was that the ritual hadn’t been properly conducted yet.


    A seed of death that had undergone a proper ritual wouldn’t behave like this.


    -That’s why I came.


    Although it’s unstable and in its initial state, I didn’t yet possess the power to directly defeat the Apostle.


    Not yet.


    That’s why I had to destroy it from the inside and interrupt the ritual, sending it back to its original world.


    I knew how. And the Energy of Defying Heaven was quite suitable for that task.


    Tssss.


    From the tentacles, a dense aura of death was condensing. Merely touching it could kill even the mightiest heroes. It’s ironic that this power, which harbored no malice towards me, was its inherent nature.


    Whirl!


    The tentacles of death intertwined and merged to form a figure.


    It was an entity made entirely of ckness, with two eyes and a mouth. It was a sight I had never seen before.


    [Huhuhu… my brother…]


    A buzzing voice that felt like it pierced directly into my brain.


    -Speaking thenguage alone seems to drain my mental energy.


    Kim Seo-hyun’s inner thoughts from Epic World came to mind. It wasn’t as bad as she had described.


    Fortunately, it seemed like the Energy of Defying Heaven was blocking it.


    [Brother.]


    It referred to me as such.


    Then, it must be rted to the Heaven Defying Body I possessed.


    -When you think about it, the Energy of Defying Heaven is really a mystery.


    The same applied for the power of starlight.


    For some reason, the power of starlight was exceedingly suitable for eliminating extraterrestrial enemies. It’s not just a matter ofpatibility; it’s something beyond a natural predator.


    “Brother?”


    [Indeed… you haven’t blossomed yet… it’s alright… soon, you too will be aware of what you are…]


    I frowned.


    Blossoming power? Was there a path for the Energy of Defying Heaven to advance further here?


    And even then, it was a problem.


    The end of the Energy of Defying Heaven might mean bing like those entities.


    “What is your purpose for descending here?”


    [Pleasure.]


    It spoke of enjoyment.


    [Those who follow my deity… offered sacrifices… Their screams and despair please my deity…]


    Its eyes curved into crescents.


    The emotions within were a sticky mess of joy and ecstasy.


    “So it is.”


    I lifted ck Heaven. Clearly, these beings were not ones to converse with.


    Their goal was the destruction of this world, treating humans like livestock for their own pleasure.


    [Do not act like a human… brother.]


    “Don’t call me brother. It annoys me.”


    Zing-!


    ck Heaven emitted a sword cry. The ck me Martial Spirit infused ck Heaven with


    ck mes.


    [That’s a shame.]


    I still can’t use sword energy. My mental state is not yetplete.


    [Then, for a moment… I must imprison you.]


    “Try it.”


    Whirl!


    Hundreds of tentacles targeted me with hostility.


    ng! When the tentacles touched ck Heaven, the ck mes burnt them. However, dozens more targeted me in the gaps. Though their power was weak, there were too many.


    “I need to reduce their number.”


    ck me Martial Spirit activated.


    From my shoulder des, single wings spread out. ck mes containing mes and essence began to spread like lotus flowers, cutting through the tentacles.


    [Conceptual Stat Energy of Defying Heaven increases by 1.]


    [Conceptual Stat Energy of Defying Heaven increases by 1.]


    Just cutting the tentacles increased the Energy of Defying Heaven. Perhaps because I harbored an intent to kill unlike before.


    [Indeed… troublesome.]


    The creature murmured.


    I stomped on the ground, leaping towards the center as much as possible.


    Click.


    Intercepting the tentacles with the ck me Martial Spirit. The overwhelming number was covered by drawing the Sword of Winter from White Rouge. What I couldn’t block outright, I blocked with armor.


    [Talent, Sword Demon(S) proficiency increases.]


    Zzzz!


    The Sword of Winter began to freeze everything around it. Now, I could enhance efficiency with just my physical strength.


    I nted ck Heaven into the ground at the center.


    ck God Martial Arts Fifth Art.


    Abyss.


    Whirl.


    A strand of ck me rose.


    Soon, it elerated at a tremendous speed, swirling into a whirlwind of ck mes around me, multiplying into dozens of strands.


    “A bit more.”


    elerate. The Abyss was an abyss that couldn’t even control itself from the start. But because the Energy of Defying Heaven had increased so much, it was still easy to control.


    I felt the ck mes breaking control. The Abyss, swelling as it absorbed everything around, consumed half of the seed in an instant.


    [Ah, indeed. You are my brother… correct…]


    With those words, the seed moved.


    From the tips of hundreds of tentacles, death energy began to condense. Even for me, a direct hit would be fatal.


    The seed attacked the Abyss with it.


    The Abyss twisted intensely. That was the end. The abyss that swallowed everything absorbed even the death energy, expanding its size.


    [Indeed… swallowing everything… But your ability is still immature…]


    As the seed spoke, it gathered death energy in its grasp.


    A power unlike any before began to condense there.


    I frowned. I knew what the seed was trying to do.


    Recall.


    I recalled all of the Abyss that was trying to break control. There was no loss in the process, thanks to The Seal of Absorption.


    “Troublesome.”


    The manifestation of authority used by apostle-level beings.


    Had it manifested, the Abyss would have died, unable to even be recalled. But having caused such chaos, it was about time I found what I was looking for.


    “…Found it.”


    On the opposite side, I discovered a dark seed.


    Nucleus.


    For some reason, it seemed that in China, a suitable sacrifice was offered through human sacrifice to summon the Apostle here.


    It was illogical for the Apostle to appear at this point in time. This suggested that certain conditions were met to barely bring it here.


    Destroying it meant the Apostle would have no choice but to return.


    As I was about to attack again with ck Heaven, I frowned.


    Whoosh!


    A beam of light erupted. I’ve witnessed a simr phenomenon once before.


    “…I hoped it wouldn’te to this.”


    Beforeing here, Kim Seo-hyun and I acquired a specific artifact.<hr>


    「ck Hand that Sustains Illusions」


    : Once a day, allows entry into the interior of a being caught in one''s sight. ---


    The power of an artifact could only be countered by another artifact. That’s the reality of this world.


    “It’s not always the case, though.”


    There were ways to block it. Only equivalent authority or mystic powers could do so. I looked at the Apostle. It must have been easy to enter because this Apostle was not yetplete.


    As the beam of light vanished, a girl with sky-blue hair was revealed.


    “I told you not toe.”


    “But I made it, didn’t I?”


    Kim Seo-hyun looked around and approached me, speaking.


    Honestly, it’s utterly reassuring. She could do everything, whether it’s being the vanguard, rearguard, or midguard.


    ‘Eternal Heaven.’


    -Yes.


    ‘Spam all spells from now. I’ll supply you with the Energy of Defying Heaven.’


    I was nning to slowly build up and attack when the opportunity arose, but it seems I need to adjust my ns.


    “Seo-hyun.”


    “Yeah.”


    “You can go all out here without holding back.”


    “…Did you know?”


    Kim Seo-hyun asked with a puzzled expression.


    Well, I had to know. I didn’t realize she was a girl, though.


    ‘34,174 hours, was it?’


    That’s approximately how much time I had invested in Kim Seo-hyun.


    [Futile struggles… This world is destined for destruction… brother.]


    “Get lost. There won’t be such an ending.”


    I scoffed at the seed’s words and gave it the finger.


    “The Earth will not be destroyed, and you’ll be sent back to outer space.”


    That’s the future I would create.