Apostle of the Void

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 59: Wintering (10)

"The spirit of Nak residing in the moisture of the air and the rune of Song , now heed the command of me, Merry, and bring forth the harmony of your power! Bondrad!"

The witch's incantation turned into a spell, transforming into hundreds of water droplets that surged forward.

The Apostle did not dodge.

It would be beneath him to avoid such things from a lesser being.

‘I simply give commands instead!’

Arzen reached out his hand and shouted:

"An eye for an eye! A tooth for a tooth! Poison for poison! Su Ja Kunia!"

Fifty standard units instantly fused into twenty-five combined entities!

Simultaneously, Hodok emitted from the poison sacs, forming a barrage.

This power, which creates a devouring space at the impact coordinates, swallows even the finest particles of water droplets.

“!”

Merry’s eyes widened in astonishment.

'What is that power...!? I didn't see that ability while secretly watching his lumbering!'

Merry had no time to dwell on her confusion.

A threatening flapping sound drilled into her ears, and giant hornets appeared from all directions.

‘The poison barrier I spread around me!’

They were tearing it apart with their massive jaws, clearing a path for the honeybee entities.

“Unlike your pathetic spells, my power allows for ultra-short incantations! It’s just beginning! Evakta!”

The Void Beasts that had emerged to assist the Apostle roared silently as they charged forward.

Merry felt a shudder run down her spine from head to toe at the sight.

Sensing the threat to her life, she summoned her broom.

'Good, neither the hornet nor the honeybee entities can match the broom's flying speed!'

Although the Void Beasts were fast, their large size caused them to be constantly obstructed by the forest's obstacles.

'Hmph, judging by their movements, it's clear they’re novices in combat! I'll bide my time and sink poison into their blind spot!'

But then, a massive shadow loomed before her... it wasn’t a Void creature.

‘A... tree?’

Trees were collapsing one by one in Merry’s path.

"Re Taripo! I’ve perfected the art of felling trees in the desired direction during this winter!"

A small demon, with wings much too small for its massive body, slowly flapped forward.

As they slammed into the trees and exploded, the trees fell with a thunderous crash.

The power and knowledge the boy had gained during his lumbering days formed a powerful synergy, suffocating Merry's escape routes.

"The only escape route left for you, blocked in front and behind, is upward! Ha! But even there, an elite squadron of worker bees is already waiting for you!"

“!”

"To borrow Jerome's words, from start to finish, you were nothing more than a dancing magic monkey in the palm of my hand! Farewell, pathetic trash witch!"

Arzen thought.

‘There's no point in capturing Merry, that witch, alive.’

Thanks to the protective measures unique to witches, her punishment would only be slightly reduced at best.

And more importantly—

As the witch herself said, while Arzen’s identity was unclear, hers was certain.

‘And up until now, the Witch Association hasn’t found any evidence from the people she poisoned.’

In the end, if this case went to trial, it would be Arzen who would be cornered.

'There is only one answer!'

Erasing her existence completely, leaving no trace. The command was to have the Void beings devour her.

"You insolent brat, where do you think you're crawling to──!"

Surrounded by the Void minions, just before Merry's very existence was devoured, she shouted.

"──Don’t mess with me! The reason I came this far without fleeing was just to get close to you!"

At that moment… Eren, who had collapsed beside Arzen, twisted her body in agony.

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Yellow droplets floated up from her nose and mouth.

These were the toxins that hadn’t been purged.

They solidified like icicles and shot toward Arzen.

‘But this is no problem either!’

Arzen still had one loyal subordinate, reigning at the pinnacle of the Void minion hierarchy.

"Barolus."

The demon, emerging from the horizon beyond the dimension, where everything fades into oblivion, extended its hand.

That hand enveloped Arzen.

That hand completely blocked the threat that dared to blaspheme against the Apostle.

"Pathetic witch! Useless! A one-trick poison fool! It’s time you knew your place and became bug food!"

By this point, Merry was already engulfed by the Void creatures.

‘Who is this brat... Could he be a mage sent by the Special Unit?’

The task Merry received from the Black Church was to experiment with the Anti-Dragon Barrier.

According to the upper echelon of the Black Church, the Three Sacred Dragon Lords visited the outskirts of this village every year.

Merry's task was to test if the newly revamped Anti-Dragon Barrier could work against the Three Sacred Dragon Lords.

‘The witch poisonings were just a part of that…!’

The Blue Witch of this place, Zyra, was the last disciple of the former priestess Juliana.

Juliana was the disciple of the legendary priestess Tureina.

‘In truth, the Three Sacred Dragon Lords neither knew nor solved the calamity that struck this <Marind> village…!’

The Void creatures began devouring Merry’s clothing, skin, muscles, tendons, fibers, and even her internal organs.

‘I was so close to returning for my reward, and now because of some brat…!’

The indescribable pain.

Everything that had once existed on this land with a clear trace…

In the silent feast, it all returned to nothingness.

"────────!"

A silent death cry resounded.

The Void creatures scattered widely, signaling that the devouring had ended.

There was nothing left at the center.

Not a single sign of life remained.

‘Only emptiness!’

Only after confirming this did Arzen cough up blood and collapse to his knees.

“Huff, huff, huff.”

Indeed… It’s different from chopping down trees; real combat is on a whole other level.

‘The burden of power, perhaps, is several times greater overall.’

And in real combat, he didn’t even have the thought or the chance to use a dual incantation.

As the witch said, it seems that mastering it for real combat would require a lifetime of training.

Even while panting for breath, Arzen wore a deeply satisfied smile.

‘But the intense training this winter has certainly paid off… The Void summons are perfectly synchronized, creating a powerful synergy!’

At that moment, Eren stirred.

Blood oozed from her mouth, and her stitches from the surgery were not fully closed, so blood seeped from there too.

But with the unknown poison taken care of, this kind of internal injury was within Arzen's area of expertise.

“‘Cast off the old ways rotting within the flesh and put on the spirit of light, 《Immeasurable Love》.’

Arzen had only learned combat-focused miracles during his time with the Divine Guillotine.

This was a high-level healing miracle for a single target.

The miracle's healing effects were comparable to an elixir.

‘But the energy consumption is so great that using it even once causes fainting!’

Even nuns renowned for their abilities as saints could only use it two or three times a day.

For that reason, Divine Guillotine officers were forbidden from using it unless it was a life-threatening situation.

But now, Arzen faced no such restrictions. The choice was his alone.

‘I swore I'd never use this ability again after it rendered me useless... but!’

He would save her!

He had resolved this ever since he first heard that Eren had gone missing!

“Urgh…”

As golden peace flowed through his fingertips into the girl’s body, the opposite happened to Arzen.

His body instantly lost vitality and grew cold.

The Tersian Scriptures teach that as one ascends through higher miracles, the power of substitution (代贖) becomes stronger.

‘The leader of the Ones Who Came... The healing power of Tersia doesn't simply make sickness disappear.’

It bears that pain and suffering in place of the one being healed.

‘My sight... ah, my consciousness...’

As his awareness sank rapidly into darkness, the boy, having spent all his strength, collapsed beside the girl.

***

“...Arzen!”

“...Eren!”

“...Where are you?”

By the time Dave, Tom, and other villagers arrived at the path, a few hours had passed, and dusk was turning into night.

“Wait a second, that's one of Arzen's bugs!”

“What? A bee that big?”

“It's one of Arzen’s summoned creatures! It seems like it wants us to follow!”

Bzzzz…!

The largest and longest of the Void Bees led the villagers.

The bee had already grown familiar with the villagers.

“Where is it taking us?”

Deep within the path.

To a location that would normally take a day or two to find after a thorough search.

There, the boy and girl lay collapsed.

“What happened here? All the trees are knocked over.”

“This is Arzen's way of breaking trees, isn't it?”

“Could a monster have appeared?”

The bee, having completed its mission of leading the villagers to that spot, halted its flight.

And then, as if its task was complete, it dissipated into void matter and was sucked into the dimension of oblivion.

“Witch! We found them! It’s Arzen and Eren!”

The witch, riding her broom as worn and tattered as her body, came to the boy and girl.

“Haha, look at this. These two look just like siblings who ran away and fell asleep from exhaustion...”

The villagers couldn't help but smile.

The boy and girl lay next to each other.

Asleep, with peaceful smiles on their faces.

The witch Zyra sensed the lingering echoes of battle in the air.

The spirits were rampaging.

She could feel the remnants of evil in Eren’s body.

However, that evil seemed to have been uprooted by something unknown.

That mysterious force—Zyra sensed it from Arzen’s now-vanished summoned creature, as well as from Arzen himself.

‘Arzen, you did something. You did something to protect Eren from the evil that took all my disciples.’

* * *

Flames took shape.

It was hard to describe their grandeur in just a few lines.

However, the name that resonated in the current age would be Akirea of the Crimson Flame.

The flames landed just below the top of the Papal Tower, where light was waiting.

「Sister!」

Setsunen of the Thunder rushed forward with a simple smile and embraced Akirea tightly.

The Thunder, who was revered for her benevolent dignity, was nothing more than a playful little sister in front of the Crimson Flame.

The Crimson Flame kissed the Thunder's forehead and smiled.

「Nen!」

The Crimson Flame’s laughter was as transcendent as fire, and the Thunder’s laughter was as pure as light.

「How are the elders?」

「They are well. They've been busy caring for the ailing Light Dragon of the Holy Flame every day, but such service brings them joy.」

「I must meet the Light Dragon of the Holy Flame. There is something important I need to convey. Please inform them of my arrival.」

「They already know, so you’ll be granted an audience as soon as preparations are complete. But what brings you here, Sister?」

Akirea told her younger sister about the tragedy that unfolded in that distant land and the events of the Divine Guillotine.

「So, that happened.」

「Yes… In fact, something very sorrowful also happened here.」

「Hmm?」

「And the child you mentioned, Arzen, I know that name. I saw it in the memories of a brave soul who completed their mission and reached this place.」

At that moment, the woman standing behind Akirea widened her eyes and stepped forward.

“He’s alive?”

The woman cried out in shock but quickly tried to compose herself and apologize. However, the Thunder gently shook her head.

「There is no need to apologize, Kirke. In fact, I owe you an apology for not understanding your pain until now.」

Tears welled up in Kirke’s eyes once again.

The Three Sacred Dragon Lords had a way of moving hearts… with their deep compassion.

「Nen, is that child really alive?」

The Crimson Flame urged an answer to Kirke’s question.

「Yes. He was using a strange… neither magic, nor sorcery, nor miracle, but some other power. The memory is blurry, but yes, I’m certain.」

Kirke shook her head.

“No, that’s not him! He only learned a few necessary miracles. To put it crudely, he was just trained as a miracle cannon….”

For a brief moment, Akirea thought she was finding clarity, but then furrowed her brow again at the more tangled puzzle in front of her.

‘Could it be that child…? No, something doesn’t add up. The stories don’t align.’

If Arzen had received power from the Void?

That would explain how he survived alone in the Flowing Desert.

‘But if that child were truly an agent of the Void, how could he have helped move the stakes in the Forbidden Zone?’

Was it all for deception?

However, the power of the Void is something that cannot be hidden, no matter how one tries.

‘The witch must have known, even if she witnessed it.’

And if he were an agent of the Void?

He should have killed his comrades to widen the dimensional rift and then protected that breach.

It would be absurd to escort the transport.

‘And the remnants of the power I sensed from that distant land… they bore a similar scent to my father’s… This issue is more complicated than I thought.’

Finally breaking free from her thoughts, the Crimson Flame grabbed the Thunder's shoulder.

「Nen, you must go to Mir immediately.」

Mir is the affectionate name for the Blue Dragon, Mirngadia.

Only the two of the Three Dragon Lords—the Crimson Flame and the Thunder—could call her by that name in this world.

「To Mir?」

The Blue Dragon, Mirengadia.

The second leader of the White Dragon Legion, and the guardian of the World Tree.

And the head of the Order of Light, the Zerenion.

「Sister, Mir is currently...」

「I know. She is connected to the Pure White Dream, training to observe the future. But you can make contact with the World Tree to convey the current situation to Mir.」

The Thunder considered the Crimson Flame’s suggestion and then resolutely nodded.

「Yes, I’ll give it a try.」

「Good. You’re the most intelligent among us, so you’ll come up with a way to resolve this situation.」

「Should I issue a bounty on that boy, Arzen? If I command my disciples, we can secure him quickly.」

The Thunder was the head of the former Inquisition, the “Children of Gold.”

However, since her appointment, inhumane tortures had ceased. The organization had been restructured into a more refined regulatory body.

「Hmm.」

The Crimson Flame seemed to ponder for a moment before shaking her head.

「That way, he could vanish and cover his tracks. Kirke, would you like to search for him?」

Kirke’s eyes widened, then she bent deeply at the waist.

“If you entrust it to me…!”

Akirea nodded solemnly.

「I can hear the echoes of the former king. Hurry.」

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]