Episode 59: Apostle (1)
A little over two weeks remained.
There were two key things I needed to focus on during the remaining time.
The first was the improvement of my personal combat strength.
If, by any chance, an Apostle appeared as I had seen in the trial, the means to inflict direct damage on them would be extremely limited.
Of course, the Apostles at this point were expending their strength to revive the Evil God.
Their energy was gradually leaking out through the fissures, preventing them from using their full power.
Even so, they remained overwhelmingly powerful beings.
In the timeline I had witnessed, I couldn’t even properly handle a weakened Apostle—I died without putting up a fight.
‘Fragments.’
Ultimately, how well I could utilize fragments was the key.
Acquiring additional fragments would be difficult.
Even with the growth of the heroines—Yu Hana, Cheon Yeoul, and Kang Arin—even if they obtained fragments, they would still struggle against an Apostle.
It wouldn’t be easy for me either, but in the end, I had no choice but to become stronger myself.
The version of me in the trial could revive upon death, but the me of now could not.
If I failed, that would be the end.
Even a single moment of carelessness could lead to my death,
So I had to train without resting for even a moment.
The second key focus was Yoon Chae-ha’s growth.
Once the operation was over, if I was still alive, the exchange match would take place.
It was only right to help Yoon Chae-ha grow as well.
I had found a way to tackle both these priorities at once.
During a mentor-mentee session.
After the instructor’s theory class ended, Yoon Chae-ha hesitated for a moment before calling out to me.
“Um… could you…?”
I turned my head and looked at her.
“What is it?”
She seemed to be struggling to say something, hesitating.
For some reason, she always acted like this in front of me.
She was usually bold and always spoke her mind.
Biting her lip, she cautiously asked,
“The technique you used when you captured Medusa… could you show it to me…?”
It was then that I realized what she wanted to ask.
It seemed that the biggest reason she had transferred to Gaon was Cadenaccio.
She probably wanted to analyze that technique.
I had been curious about her true motivation, but now I finally knew.
I took a short breath.
This was perfect timing.
I needed to practice Phalanx, a variation of Cadenaccio, anyway.
With a smile, I spoke.
“Alright.”
“Really…?”
Her eyes widened.
A mix of excitement and surprise flashed across her face.
Normally, asking someone to demonstrate their technique was considered rude.
After all, those techniques were personal assets of each hero.
But I didn’t mind.
“On one condition.”
Yoon Chae-ha looked straight at me.
I continued, speaking slowly and firmly.
“Once you see it, you can’t go home until you can do it yourself.”
Her eyes sparkled.
Instead of tensing up, her face lit up with energy.
“…Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
At that, she clenched her fists, filled with anticipation,
Like a child discovering a fascinating new toy.
We headed to the training grounds.
Then, we entered a secluded private training area.
Yoon Chae-ha followed closely behind me, looking around.
“I’ll start.”
Stepping into the center, I spoke.
Yoon Chae-ha nodded slightly and took her stance across from me.
I gathered all my strength into my legs and leaped into the air.
I wove a clone and thrust toward a single point.
Then, at that moment—
The trajectory of my spear and the movements of my clone overlapped in perfect unison.
Phalanx.
-Boom!
A shockwave powerful enough to tear through the air.
As the spear strike cut through the empty space, the wall cracked, and dust swirled in a chaotic vortex.
The training ground had a self-repair function, but it seemed to have reached its limit.
I descended from the air.
Only then did Yoon Chae-ha, standing across from me, let out ragged breaths.
“Haa… haa…”
Despite gasping for air, her crimson eyes were still burning with intensity.
She hadn’t missed a single moment of my technique.
Just analyzing it must have consumed a significant amount of mana.
Her eyes gleamed.
“That move… at the end… did you modify it?”
Her fingertips trembled slightly.
“Yeah.”
I gave a short reply.
The moment I spoke, Yoon Chae-ha took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Yet, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
Raising her hand, she began tracing the spear’s trajectory in the air,
As if trying to perfectly recreate the scene she had just witnessed.
I silently watched her for a moment before standing up.
Yoon Chae-ha was already sinking into her own world.
***
Late at night, or perhaps early morning.
Cheon Yeoul was checking every personal training room one by one.
“Where on earth is he?”
The person she was searching for was, of course, Jung Haein.
She had something to give him and had waited outside the dormitory entrance for quite some time, hoping to surprise him.
But in the end, he never showed up.
After waiting for hours, she came to only one conclusion.
She had to go find him herself.
She knew well that Jung Haein was a training addict.
Which meant it was obvious where he’d be at this hour.
Starting from Training Room A, Cheon Yeoul searched through them in order.
By the time she reached Training Room C, an unsettling feeling crept over her.
“… If he’s not here either.”
And finally—
Training Room D.
She grabbed the doorknob and pulled.
-Thunk.
“…?”
The door wouldn’t open.
Cheon Yeoul narrowed her eyes.
It wasn’t common for training rooms to be locked at this hour.
-Bang, bang.
A sound came from inside.
She pressed her ear against the door to listen more closely.
What she heard was a mix of male and female voices.
“…What the—?!”
The male voice—unmistakably Jung Haein’s—sounded desperate.
There was no need to hesitate.
Cheon Yeoul forcefully pushed the door open.
The moment the door swung wide, an intense wave of heat burst forth from the enclosed space.
She instinctively inhaled.
Sniff.
One scent was familiar and pleasant—Jung Haein’s.
But the other… an irritating, unfamiliar scent from some woman.
Cheon Yeoul’s expression hardened.
Late at night, in a sealed training room, just the two of them—one man, one woman.
The air was hot and oddly humid.
For a brief moment, an unpleasant thought crossed her mind.
Her heart sank, and without thinking, she instinctively rushed forward.
However, the scene before her left her utterly dumbfounded.
Jung Haein was standing, swinging his spear, while a blonde woman flailed her hands wildly in the air like a lunatic.
‘What in the world…?’
At that moment, Jung Haein seemed to sense her presence and turned his head.
“Cheon Yeoul?”
She quickly composed her expression—calm and graceful.
Then—
“There you are.”
She waved her hand broadly and smiled radiantly.
***
At the edge of the world, in a place humans could never reach.
Beyond that boundary lay a forbidden realm that had existed since the beginning of time—yet remained unknown to all.
At its center stood a cracked and crumbling temple.
And within the heart of that temple—
The Round Table.
Only ten seats existed here.
The Ten Apostles.
They were the ones who carried out the will of the gods, the chosen arbiters of judgment.
Only they were permitted to sit in this sanctuary.
And at the lowest seat of the round table—
A woman lay sprawled on a grotesque bed, sewn together with red threads in the shape of human figures.
The Demonic humans barely held their ground, supporting her weight as if they could collapse at any moment.
“What’s the point of calling me here if you’re not even going to show up yet?”
Tap, tap.
Her fingertips moved idly, betraying her boredom.
Her tone was filled with irritation.
Then—
One of the Demonic humans supporting her legs began trembling violently.
“Kugh!”
In an instant, the grotesque bed collapsed.
The Demonic human’s body gave out, causing her leg to sink down.
“I… I’m sorry…!”
The Demonic human immediately knelt, curling up in submission.
However, she simply smiled gently.
“It’s okay~”
Her hand slowly reached for the Demonic human’s head.
And then—
-Crunch!
With a single flick of her wrist, the Demonic human’s head was completely obliterated.
“Next~”
She called out indifferently, and from the shadows, another Demonic human crawled forward to support her legs.
“Don’t splatter blood everywhere. Do you have a death wish?”
A man watching from the side spoke with an annoyed voice.
His eyes glowed stark white as he struggled to suppress his fury.
“Sorry~”
“Haa…”
The man let out a short sigh.
“All this just to deal with a few worthless pests?”
At his words, a low chuckle came from one side of the round table.
“Haha… Still, since He personally summoned us, there must be a reason behind it.”
A white apostle, devoid of eyes, nose, or mouth.
At the place where his lips should have been, faint ripples of distortion flickered.
“Shut up, Blag.”
“Yes, yes.”
A woman with red eyes, seated beside him, spoke firmly.
One month ago, the three of them had received an oracle from the Great One.
—Eliminate the vermin.
The command was clear: annihilate a certain human organization.
For the three of them, the oracle was absolute.
And yet, inwardly, they found it excessive that all three of them were dispatched.
To exterminate mere vermin, they were far too large a blade.
After all, just one apostle could effortlessly erase an entire city.
-Boom.
At that moment, the massive doors at the center of the hall swung open.
A colossal shadow entered, carrying an oppressive aura so intense it seemed to distort the very air.
He walked forward slowly, uttering just one word.
“Oracle.”
All the apostles’ gazes instantly converged on him.
The one who had spoken, the one who delivered the oracle, was none other than Belial, the Third Seat of the Fourteen Apostles.
“So, you’ve arrived?”
The red-eyed woman murmured with interest.
But Belial did not respond.
He simply opened his mouth and spoke.
“The Great One has spoken—The flow has been disrupted.”
In an instant, the atmosphere around the round table shifted.
“Thus, the targets for execution have changed.
It is no longer the vermin—but humans.”
That single statement sent ripples throughout the space.
“Humans?”
“Aren’t they just vermin all the same?”
A quiet sneer echoed from the end of the round table.
But Belial ignored all reactions, steadied his voice, and continued.
“Therefore—they must be annihilated.”
“… That concludes the oracle of the Great One.”
Blood-red tears began to trickle from his eyes.
“And from here on, I shall share my personal opinion as Belial, the Third Seat of the Fourteen Apostles.”
He clenched his fists tightly, his hands trembling.
“The Great One’s plan—”
“Has been ruined for reasons beyond the understanding of lowly beings such as ourselves.”
The apostles stirred ever so slightly.
Even they had not anticipated such words.
The plan of the Almighty One had failed?
“However.”
Belial’s lips quivered.
“The Omniscient and Omnipotent One foresaw even this and has granted us a final opportunity.”
One of the apostles clicked his tongue.
“Haa… We are grateful….”
A woman seated across the round table clasped her hands together, murmuring softly.
“Moreover—”
“The Great One, despite the constraints of the world’s suppression, has bestowed His grace upon us, who cannot fully wield our power.”
The apostles’ gazes sharpened.
“In the face of our incompetence—”
Belial wiped away his bloodied tears and gave a bitter smile.
“I, Belial, can only lament in sorrow.”
And then—
Slowly, yet with unwavering resolve, he spoke.
“The Eighth Seat, The Ninth Seat, The Tenth Seat.”
“Originally, three Apostles were planned for this execution—but.”
He corrected himself.
The final words he uttered changed the expressions of all the Apostles.
“The Apostles for this oracle’s execution… will be five.”