Chapter 526

Episode 526. The Beginning of the War (5)

“Next.”

Following the Apostle’s leisurely voice, silence fell. Before the eyes of Alon Palatio and Penia remained the corpse of the Director, still compressed and lifeless, next to the face of Penia, who observed him with absolute incredulity.

Alon, detecting the visceral terror crossing her eyes, shifted his gaze toward the Apostle.

‘How did she do it?’.

Forcing himself to shake off the chill threatening to paralyze his mind, Alon continued analyzing the situation. He remembered the previous moments with precision. Alon, Penia, and the Director were in front of the Apostle. She, despite emanating a sinister aura and threatening them with death, had remained static, without making any evident offensive movement.

It was then that the Director launched a surprise magic attack and, immediately after, met his death. Everything occurred in such a tiny lapse of time that neither Alon nor Penia could perceive the attack.

Alon held his breath. Regrettably, he did not feel fear for the Director’s death itself. What he found terrifying was the time it took him to die.

Yes, the time. Alon and Penia only realized the Director was dead after it had already happened. Despite being right by his side, and respectively preparing Reverse Heaven (역천) and magic for combat, they had not detected the Apostle’s attack. And if they couldn’t detect it, it meant they couldn’t defend themselves.

They observed the Apostle with renewed tension. She let out a mocking chuckle and returned their gaze, as if scoffing at their momentary paralysis.

“Do you know one thing?” she spoke to them with complete naturalness. “No matter how much you ruin the ritual, I regret to tell you that ‘He’ will descend anyway.”

Alon did not respond. He kept his lips sealed, considering it wasn’t even worth entering into conversation. But she continued:

“Even if the ritual fails and He descends without obtaining all His power, His arrival is a finished fact. And once here, it will not be difficult for Him to find the strength He lacks in this place.”

She sketched a sharp smile and added:

“Ah, but who knows? If you manage to finish me quickly and flee, perhaps you will survive. Although I doubt you can achieve it through the conventional path.”

Alon processed her words with coldness.

‘Is it the truth…? No, it most likely is.’

Alon felt an energy growing exponentially from a certain point. A presence that throbbed with force, as if something were about to be born. Although Rine and Yutia Bloodia had destroyed the social club room and that energy had been reduced by half instantaneously, what remained continued to stir violently.

In summary, contrary to what Alon’s group expected, the descent of the Throne of War (전쟁의 업좌) was inevitable; what they had achieved was simply weakening Him in the process. But it didn’t matter. Alon’s mission did not change: this remained the opportune moment to take care of War.

Alon sighed softly to calm himself and fixed his eyes on the Apostle. She was still smiling. Observing her attitude, Alon began to reason based on a fact he had just discovered.

‘The Apostle does not move. No, to be exact, she cannot move.’

Since she released her aura before the combat, the Apostle had not taken a single step. It was so even when the Director died compressed. She simply remained there, observing the corpse with glee. No physical movement or energy flow was perceived coming from her. The only detectable thing was the fluctuation of power near the Director’s remains.

That meant she had done nothing actively. Reaching that conclusion, Alon recognized a new reality:

‘She is not a Divine Blood.’

That was it. She was a being who merely “received and used” the power of the Throne (업), the next level of the Divine Bloods. Alon knew that the quality of a Throne’s power was different; he himself had faced a level 2 Divine Blood who had not yet reached the rank of Throne. It was an irrational power, beyond all logic.

But a being who only “receives” that power should not be capable of exerting such an overwhelming force by herself. Therefore, the woman in front of him was not using “brute force,” but was applying a “Capability” (능력) of the Throne of War. If she had used real force, Alon and Penia would already be dead.

Alon gathered the clues:

• • The immobile Apostle.

• • The Director who died compressed upon attacking.

• • The irrelevant information she voluntarily provided.

He recalled the moment the Director prepared his magic and the Apostle twisted her expression with anticipation. And finally, he remembered that she served the Throne of War.

“… It’s a Rule, right?” Alon concluded while looking at her.

He saw how, for an instant, her smiling face tensed.

“A rule?”

“Yes, a rule.”

He threw out the conclusion even though he didn’t have absolute certainty. But upon confirming the glint in her eyes, Alon knew his deduction was correct.

“… I’ve been discovered,” the Apostle let out with a laugh of incredulity. But she soon added: “Impressive. But what are you going to do? Already…”

Wuuuuuuuu—!

“… it’s too late.”

With her words, Alon felt a massive resonance. At the next moment, the night sky began to…

Tch-ak!

“—!”

“…”

…open up as if it were the jaws of a beast. The sky was tearing apart. It seemed as if something were shredding it from within, or that the firmament itself was opening its mouth. And behind that crack:

It was a dark, unfathomable abyss that provoked a primal terror.

“Aaaah, finally, finally!” the Apostle shouted, falling to her knees in ecstasy while looking at the sky.

Alon, though overwhelmed by the vision of the abyss, felt a strange dissonance. It was the first time he had seen something like this: the torn sky and that void that stimulated the deepest fear. However, he felt a haunting familiarity with that abyss. As if he had already seen it before. No, as if in that place…

Crack!

A sudden sound erased his thoughts. He looked forward. There was the Apostle, ignoring them completely, kneeling with a smile of madness. And in the center of it all…

A man. No. An Enlightened/Holy Being (용인/聖人). With skin as dark as jet and wearing armor of the same color, but with a clearly human shape.

“Ugh…” was heard at his side.

Alon turned his head toward Penia. Her eyes were bloodshot, unable to breathe from the mere presence of the being before them, as if she were not even permitted to look at Him.

“Blackie!” Alon ordered, pushing Penia back.

[Kkyu—!]

Understanding the order, Blackie adhered to Penia’s body like armor and took her away from there immediately. Alon looked forward again. The feeling was bone-chilling. His heart beat violently. Alon had been tense about the descent of the Throne, but he did not expect to feel this terror. He had faced someone who grazed that level before, but this was different.

This was a…

‘Monster…’.

“Ah… ahhhh! Oh, Great Lord! This humble servant dares to greet Your Excellency!”

While Alon was absorbed, he heard the Apostle’s voice. She cried with pure happiness while contemplating the Throne of War. She seemed to be before her own god. Alon frowned; the situation was dire. He had to deal with a newly descended Throne while the Apostle was still there.

However, the Throne of War, ignoring Alon’s thoughts, looked silently at the woman who venerated Him.

[I have been observing what you have done] — He sentenced.

His voice alone was of such a rank that Alon’s instinct screamed danger alarms. At the Throne’s words, she bowed her head with joy and fear at the same time.

“I am sorry, Great Lord! But do not worry! The preparations are finished! The academy has been ‘Divided’ into isolated spaces by the apostles, so You can absorb the sacrifices calmly and—”

Splat!

In that instant, the Apostle stopped talking. Alon’s eyes widened. The Throne of War, with His hand protected by a dark gauntlet, had crushed the heart of His own Apostle.

“M-my God…?” she stammered, without understanding. He looked at her with icy eyes.

[Do you think I will forgive one who, with the power granted for the holy war, has profaned the conflict using mere rules?]

That said:

Crunch!

The Apostle’s body exploded into a thousand pieces. The Throne of War shook off the remains of flesh with disdain and fixed His gaze on Alon.

[Allow me to apologize.]

“… Apologize?”

[For the fact that the rules created for the holy war were used not for combat, but as a power in itself.]

He inclined His head slightly. Alon confirmed that his deduction about the “Rules” was correct.

[And furthermore, I will take responsibility for it.]

The Throne murmured this with solemnity and raised His right hand. Schwing! He tore His own body. Blood gushed out in torrents, staining His heavy armor, while from His severed left shoulder the red blood billowed as if it were a scarlet cape.

[With this, it should be enough, shouldn’t it?]

Alon held his breath.