Signpost (2)
“I ran here as fast as I could, but I ended up being just a little late.”
Shuuuuu...!!
The sky gradually darkened.
Amid the smoke-filled ruins, a clear female voice rang out.
“I heard those detestable Apostle-killers were busy killing each other, so I rushed over to watch. What a shame~”
“Well, now that I think about it, maybe things turning out like this isn’t so bad.”
The woman smiled brightly, her face covered in extravagant makeup as red as blood.
Yet no one gathered here could easily answer her.
Lariata Armush.
The Seventh Apostle of the Gido Cult.
No one had expected that one of the ten greatest combat assets within the Cult would suddenly appear on the battlefield at this moment.
“The Cult...!! You’ve lost your minds.”
Roevid, the metal-type ability user who had been beaten down by Jebyeok, glared at Lariata through gritted teeth.
“This is territory belonging to the Spell Federation. For people at war with the Federation to interfere here—!!”
“You’re noisy. Why should I care?”
The bat wing hanging from Lariata’s back lashed out at incredible speed.
KWAAANG!!!
The impact rippled across the metal plate Roevid raised in defense.
The steel shattered like glass and collapsed.
“Khak...!!”
Unable to withstand the backlash of his own ability, Roevid doubled over and vomited.
Internal injuries that had remained hidden even after suffering a twisted neck during his battle against Jebyeok.
The Seventh Apostle disabled Roevid with a single flap of her wings and burst into laughter.
“The Conjoining Sorcerer is dead, so how can this still be Spell Federation territory? Is there something wrong with your head?”
“....”
“....”
“I heard the Brigade was busy trying to conquer the Four Heavenly Demon Realms. Guess you somehow found the spare manpower to come clean up the Gate.”
PUDUK!!
With a casual wave of Lariata’s hand, the head of a retreating ability user was ripped clean off.
Gripping the severed head in one hand, the Seventh Apostle smiled coldly and tightened her grip.
“Or is it only possible because of that disgusting Aphelia’s ability?”
CRUNCH...!!
The human head was crushed together with the skull under Lariata’s grip.
As Roevid gritted his teeth and gathered his psychic power while witnessing the atrocity, Lennok silently observed the Seventh Apostle.
‘Impossible to gauge her rank. Has she already ceased being human?’
The swiftness with which she sensed the Conjoining Sorcerer’s death and rushed here immediately.
The stealth that allowed her to slip through the senses of countless powerhouses hidden within the darkened sky and reach the Gate City.
She was unquestionably an overwhelming powerhouse, yet it was impossible to discern her level or hierarchy.
Because Lariata Armush had already degenerated into something beyond classification.
The giant bat wings hanging from her back.
They were part of her true body, transformed after awakening into an Avatar of the End.
Like the rabbit giant of the Tenth Apostle Amrita.
Like the goat-headed draconic form of the Sixth Apostle Anathema.
Her true essence was likely closer to a bat.
‘It’s not that she isn’t hiding the wings. She’s become too insane to hide them anymore. She’s turned into a monster.’
The Seventh Apostle had deteriorated so badly that she could no longer maintain separate human and monstrous forms.
She looked capable of conversation on the surface.
Inside, she was probably already a rotting monster.
Having reached that conclusion, Lennok glanced toward Jebyeok lying in the distance.
‘If the Brigade and the Apostles aren’t working together, then this is my only chance.’
Lennok escaping alone wouldn’t be difficult.
The problem was Jebyeok.
Lennok didn’t particularly like Yanicus Barbaria’s personality.
But at least he had tried to help him here.
“Ah, wait!”
At that moment, Lariata suddenly turned toward Lennok and shouted.
“Don’t move. I know exactly what you’re thinking.”
“.....”
“I’m honestly not interested in these bland little bloodbags. My real target is you.”
The moment the Seventh Apostle raised a hand toward the sky, her bat wings wrapped around her arm.
After a sound like something being vomited up, the wings withdrew.
Something remained in Lariata’s hand.
KUUUNG!!
An enormous greatsword taller than Lariata herself.
The blood-red blade curved outward on both sides like an axe, giving it a horrifying shape designed to tear humans apart.
Lariata summoned the greatsword and casually swung it.
A violent gale swept through the ruins.
BAAAANG!!
A weight that crushed the surroundings through sheer existence alone.
A blade wider than Lariata’s own body.
The wind produced by a single swing tore at the earth itself.
The moment Lennok instinctively raised an arm—
Whoosh!
Lariata’s painted face was already right in front of him.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Evan Martinez.”
“You’re that Archmage who gained fame after killing Priestess Izel and little Amrita at the Far East Branch, right?”
Lariata scratched her ear with a long fingernail and muttered,
“I definitely heard about it, but I was pretty crazy when I heard it, so I don’t remember much.”
“I’ve heard there are almost no Apostles left in the Cult who are still sane.”
Lennok looked at her elaborate makeup and replied,
“You must be one of the ones who already broke.”
“Oh? You know quite a lot.”
Lariata laughed and threw back her head.
Resting the massive greatsword on her shoulder as casually as a reed stalk, she spoke.
“Well, if you killed Amrita, then I suppose you’ve seen all kinds of unpleasant things.”
“.....”
“It’s hard for me to stay conscious for long. Sometimes several months have passed every time I wake up, so my sense of time is completely broken.”
The Seventh Apostle tapped her forehead and laughed.
“I’d already given up and was just waiting to become pig feed, but our Priestess absolutely loves recycling.”
“Priestess?”
The Cult’s new Priestess.
Ureka Naidri.
Her authority allowed her to control mad Apostles according to her will.
But could she really restore even a monsterized Apostle’s humanity, even temporarily?
“Well, that part isn’t important.”
Lariata grinned.
Sharp fangs appeared beneath her lips.
“This miraculous story of Lariata returning to active duty. I’ve wanted to tell it to someone at least once.”
Bat wings.
Fangs.
Blood-colored makeup.
Long fingernails.
She didn’t seem interested in hiding any of it.
She had almost certainly been born a vampire before becoming an Apostle.
‘So she was the Apostle who killed the Substitute Sorcerer.’
The three-way conference involving High Priest, Leader, and Lennok.
While preparing for that meeting, Ureka Naidri had mentioned that the Seventh Apostle killed the Spell Federation’s Substitute Sorcerer and stole his sorcery.
Lennok had heard that while disguised as Bolt, so he couldn’t react openly.
But if Lariata was a vampire, it made sense.
An Apostle’s authority related to blood-drinking.
If she used that to steal the Substitute Sorcerer’s magic, it wasn’t impossible.
“I’m not particularly interested in the past of beasts consumed by faith.”
Lennok answered lazily and slowly stepped backward.
Watching Lariata naturally move forward to maintain the distance between them, he asked,
“So, are you done talking?”
“No. I told you already, Apostle-killer.”
Lariata shrugged.
“I came here to see what kind of bastard killed our little Amrita.”
“......!!”
The greatsword hidden between her wings rotated at subsonic speed.
A terrifying slash erupted beneath Lennok’s feet, tearing apart the earth.
KWAAAAANG!!!
A blood-colored blade arc shot upward diagonally and carved through the ash-covered ruins.
Gray-white ash drifted through the air like falling snow.
Standing at the far end of it, Lariata laughed.
“Yahoo~ Your face and everything else are way better than I expected. If it weren’t for the smell, I would’ve sucked every last drop of your blood right down to the marrow!!”
“That’s not something I can just ignore.”
THUD!!
Lennok emerged from the storm of ash, rubbing his shoulder with a tired expression.
“No matter how filthy I get, I doubt I smell worse than a monster that eats people.”
“No, it’s the smell of an Apostle-killer’s blood that bothers me.”
Lifting her greatsword, Lariata replied,
“When I drink blood, I can smell dead Apostles. It feels like cannibalizing my own kind, so it’s disgusting.”
“Interesting answer. You consider Apostles your own kind rather than vampires?”
Lennok slowly lowered his stance and began gathering mana.
“The Apostles I killed didn’t seem like the type who would consider filthy bats their kin.”
“...Hehe.”
The corners of Lariata’s mouth stretched wider and wider.
“Considering how you’re swaying like you could collapse at any moment, you sure know how to talk.”
“......”
“Let’s see whether your skills are just as impressive.”
Wooooo...
A cold silence descended before battle.
Eyes of flame and falling ash drifted down from the darkening sky.
The distance between Lennok and Lariata, who adjusted her grip on the greatsword, was roughly fifty meters.
But Lennok knew such a distance meant nothing to an Apostle.
If Lariata Armush was truly a vampire, then she had probably possessed tremendous physical capabilities even before becoming an Apostle.
‘In the worst case, she can use blood magic as well... No, that’s practically guaranteed.’
The fact that she appeared here without a trace of presence proved she wasn’t merely a physical combatant.
If she was skilled enough to kill the Spell Federation’s Substitute Sorcerer, her mastery of sorcery was likely substantial as well.
CREEEEAK...!!
The Seventh Apostle’s bat wings expanded dozens of meters to either side.
They contracted.
Then exploded outward.
The moment they propelled Lariata’s body forward—
Lennok turned around without hesitation and fled.
“...Huh?”
PABABABAT!!
Using Blink, he instantly crossed the battlefield and grabbed Jebyeok by the collar.
[Flame Step]
[Forward Thrust]
Flaming petals falling from the sky aligned beneath Lennok’s feet and launched him forward at tremendous speed.
FWOOOOSH!!
In the blink of an eye, Lennok retrieved Jebyeok and escaped.
“Ah~ Is that really how you’re going to play it?”
Staring blankly after him, Lariata spread her wings with a horrifying smile.
“I treated you with respect as an opponent, and now you’re playing with my feelings?!”
BAAAANG!!
The moment her wings narrowed vertically, Lariata accelerated.
She shot through the ruins of the Gate City and began chasing Lennok at terrifying speed.
DUDUDUDU!!!
The shadows of Lennok and the Seventh Apostle rampaged through the ruins like bombardment.
Crossing between burned-out structures, Lennok repeatedly changed direction while accelerating.
Jebyeok’s body, dangling from Lennok’s grip, shook violently.
“Khup...!! You bastard, what are you doing...!!”
Unable to suppress the blood rising in his throat any longer, Jebyeok roared.
“Running away with the enemy right in front of you? And you call yourself the strongest Watcher of Eyes of the Blue?!”
“I don’t recall ever receiving such an embarrassing title.”
Avoiding Lariata’s pursuit, Lennok caught a flaming petal falling from the sky.
“My mana has recovered somewhat, but my body hasn’t even recovered half as much. More importantly—”
Just as he scattered flames beneath his feet and turned around—
A pale radiance flashed beyond the ruins.
PIIIIIIING...!!
TATATATANG!!
Prayer sorcery used by the Cult.
At the same time, Correction Knights and high-ranking priests appeared beyond the streets.
“Pursue the Apostle-killer!!”
“Today we shall deliver his corpse to the headquarters no matter what...!!”
Priests ran through the ruins searching desperately for traces of Lennok.
Hidden among collapsed pillars, Lennok gestured.
“The moment an Apostle arrives, it means the Cult’s priests have already reached the Gate City.”
“.....”
“.....”
“The situation isn’t any different elsewhere. Look.”
KUGUGUGUGUNG...!!
Not Lennok’s pyromancy.
A dazzling pillar of flame erupted near the shattered black market district.
A tank fused together with tentacles emerged from the location where the search unit infirmary should have been.
“......”
The extermination force of the Blaiver Magic Tower.
The fallen monsters of the Hedro Warlord Clan.
Cult priests.
Mercenary companies swarming in pursuit of opportunity.
“Fighting the Seventh Apostle here would be nothing but a meaningless war of attrition. I have no intention of doing everyone else a favor.”
His body was already in tatters from the battle against the Conjoining Sorcerer.
He had only just begun recovering.
How much longer could he continue fighting?
He had restored his mana by fully blooming Thousand-Mile.
But combat without a body capable of supporting it was simply suicide.
Without using the Divine Barrier, he probably wouldn’t even be able to move normally right now.
“I got what I came for, so I’m leaving the city. I’ve already killed enough Brigade members for the inheritance of the Consciousness Weapon to proceed without issue.”
Now that his objective had been achieved, there was no reason to remain obsessed with the Gate City.
Lennok glanced at the bat wings demolishing streets in the distance and accelerated.
KUGUGUNG!!
Dozens of metal pillars slammed down in a line and began chasing him relentlessly.
Ability users leaped from the bending metal pillars and pursued him.
“The Ability Awakening Brigade.”
“Mage. Where do you think you’re running off to alone?”
KWAANG!!
Roevid burst through the side of a ruined street and stomped down.
Countless metal fragments surged from beneath his feet like a storm.
At the same time, buildings and fortress debris blocking the way were shoved aside, instantly shortening the distance.
Lennok changed direction to avoid the ability users rushing him from every side.
Watching Lennok shake off pursuit through a combination of acceleration and deceleration, Roevid sneered.
“We didn’t account for an Apostle’s intervention, but if all you’re doing is dragging around that old man and running away, that’s hardly a problem. If you surrender now, the Brigade might still be willing to protect—”
BAAAANG!!
A shell flying in from somewhere smashed directly into Roevid’s face.
He transformed his armor with incredible speed and blocked it.
But the impact threw him backward.
KWAAAAANG!!
A weary middle-aged man’s voice echoed above Lennok’s head.
“Seriously, why are there so many idiots in our Brigade?”
“Bernard...!!!”
The moment Roevid recognized the source of the shell and gritted his teeth—
A dense frost instantly froze his arms and legs to the ground.
CRACKKK!!
“Evan! Over here!!”
“...Angel.”
“We prepared an escape route, so let’s return to Vulcan. The Chairwoman is waiting.”
Half of Angel’s body had transformed into ice.
Sweating profusely, he waved at Lennok.
“Before that, could you lower the temperature a little? I already feel like my entire body is melting.”
“This doesn’t seem like the time for jokes.”
“Bernard! As a member of the Brigade, you’re siding with a non-ability user?!”
KWAANG!!
As Lennok reduced the output of Flame Step, Roevid shattered the ice imprisoning him and shouted.
“You’ve become drunk on the reputation of the Pioneers. Is defying the words of the Throne of Aphelia truly what’s best for the Brigade?!”
“Since when has stabbing a Watcher in the back after he finished his battle become what’s best for the Brigade?”
Standing atop the half-melted fortress wall while loading a cannon, Bernard answered.
“Reporting the Conjoining Sorcerer’s death to our superiors is enough. Do you have any idea how dangerous it would be if Evan Martinez died here?”
“......!!”
“He may have left Eyes of the Blue, but he was the Watcher the Lighthouse Keeper cherished most. If the Brigade lays a hand on him, it’ll create lasting hostility with Eyes of the Blue.”
Click.
Bernard loaded another shell and aimed it downward.
“I doubt even the Throne of Aphelia would be pleased with that.”
“Y-!!”
KWAAAAANG!!!!
Before Roevid could respond, Bernard fired directly into the fortress.
The shell exploded on impact.
The outer wall of the city collapsed.
Bernard immediately jumped outside.
“Treadburn, follow me!! There’s an emergency Pioneer route beyond the Gate City—”
FWAAASH!!
The moment they escaped onto the grasslands beyond the fortress, the atmosphere changed completely.
Not the scent of fresh grass or wind.
The smell of ashes and dust gave way to the scent of volatile gunpowder and mana that felt ready to explode at any moment.
Realizing that, Bernard turned toward the distant plains.
[Ah.]
A robed sorcerer who met Bernard’s gaze spoke in a chilling voice.
[So you finally noticed.]
Outside the Gate City fortress, robed sorcerers of the Spell Federation stood in formation.
They had completely surrounded the outskirts of the city.
Complex magic formations floated above them one after another.
“Oh.”
Bernard climbed down from the collapsing fortress and scratched his head.
“I didn’t account for this.”
[Did you truly think you could kill one of the Federation’s Great Sorcerers and leave the Gate so easily?]
WOOOOOOONG...!!
At the head of hundreds of Federation sorcerers, the robed figure spoke coldly.
[The atrocities committed today are unforgivable crimes in the eyes of the Federation.]
[Ability Awakening Brigade. Gido Cult. Mage Towers and the Hedro Warlord Clan.]
[And even those filthy mercenary dogs.]
The moment the robed figure raised a hand, hundreds of magic formations across the plains erupted with brilliant light and began rotating.
Backlit by blazing mana, the figure tilted his head back.
[Today, we shall build a new Gate atop your corpses.]
WOOOOOOOOONG!!!
Had they been preparing this interception outside the Gate City from the very moment the Sorcerer died?
The power gathering in the spells aimed this way was extraordinary.
Hundreds of bombardment spells.
Each powerful enough to destroy half the city in a single shot.
If all of them were focused upon the Gate City, every trace of it would vanish completely.
Bernard stared stiffly at the Federation’s spell formations before slowly turning around.
“Well... if we want to survive this, I think we’re going to have a really hard time.”
KWAGAGAGAGANG!!!
Outside the fortress, Mage Tower mages cast spells one after another.
Monsters of the Hedro Warlord Clan rampaged through the ashes.
Mercenary companies advanced in formation.
Cult priests chased Lennok through every corner of the ruins.
The surviving Extermination Squad members of the Ability Awakening Brigade surrounded Lennok in front of the ruined fortress.
“...Evan?”
Not long after the battle against the Conjoining Sorcerer ended.
Countless forces had converged upon the Gate City.
A battlefield sinking deeper and deeper into chaos.
A situation so tangled that survival itself could not be guaranteed.
Yet Lennok ignored all of it.
He simply stared silently at the sky.
The sky that had been growing darker all this time.
“Evan, get a hold of yourself!”
“...I see.”
Angel shook his shoulders in panic.
But Lennok could no longer pay attention.
The reason he kept missing the arrival of other superhumans after the battle.
The reason his senses, despite functioning, could not extend beyond the city.
The reason he remained within the Gate City even as events spiraled out of control.
The reason he hesitated after recognizing the sense of incongruity.
All of it originated from the darkness approaching beyond that horizon.
Even while understanding it was an unforeseen anomaly, Lennok accepted what was about to happen.
Perhaps because, somewhere in his heart, he had always expected to meet him in a form like this someday.
And naturally, the words escaped his lips.
“Run.”
“...What?”
Lennok released Angel and Jebyeok by the collars and stepped forward.
“Run with everything you have. Pass through the Gate City and go deep into the front lines.”
“What?”
FWOOOSH!!
At that moment, darkness spreading from the horizon instantly blackened the opposite side of the sky.
A wave of darkness so brief that neither Angel, Bernard, nor even Jebyeok could perceive it.
The sky above the Gate City became a darkness devoid of even a single ray of light.
Only the flames of Thousand-Mile remained, distorted into a circle like a solar eclipse.
An immeasurable sense of dread.
Savage ferocity that sliced through the heart.
A primal terror that seemed to pierce and crush the soul itself.
“!!”
“Hhk...!!”
“No way. This is...!!”
Federation sorcerers.
Brigade ability users.
Mage Tower mages.
Cult priests.
A chaos none of them could comprehend.
Only Lennok stared at the approaching tide of darkness.
And spoke.
“He’s coming.”
Creee—
Rii—
Rik—
The harsh sound of clock hands twisting violently.
Beyond the darkness approaching from the horizon—
A gigantic black crown appeared.