Chapter 282

“It’s been a while since we all gathered like this.”

In a dimly lit space, the 1st Apostle, Phelus, who had been sitting alone, spoke up to the other Apostles. His voice, still distorted to conceal his identity, carried a certain weight.

“Can we really call this a gathering? We’re just relaying voices through artifacts, after all,” the 4th Apostle retorted sarcastically. His voice belonged to a man in his thirties, the same mage who had conversed with Ryurik at the northern wall in Novgorod. He wasn’t particularly fond of the organization’s excessive secrecy, as if they were always ready to cut ties when someone became useless.

“We couldn’t even do this much before. Everyone’s been too busy,” the 2nd Apostle gently chided the 4th Apostle. The cracked voice of an old man cut through the younger Apostle’s sarcasm.

“So, why did you call us? I heard Isabella was taken down by a variable. Is that why?” the 3rd Apostle asked, directing her question at Phelus, the 1st Apostle who had summoned them. Her voice, sultry enough to imagine her beauty, carried a hint of irritation. Things in her region, the Great Plains, still weren’t going well.

“Isabella. She acted like she was invincible, but she fell much easier than expected,” someone muttered.

“What exactly took her down…?” the 5th and 6th Apostles sighed in disbelief.

Isabella, the witch. She was a powerhouse even the Apostles couldn’t guarantee defeating. In fact, the odds were against them. In a world where the Heavenly Barrier limited power, her abilities were overwhelmingly destructive.

Even if Princess Ha-shal-leur Ai-shan Gi-or was strong, she was still at the beginner level of a hero. Taking down Isabella with that level of power was practically impossible.

Their confusion was understandable. Who could have guessed that turning Isabella into a virgin would nullify her resurrection powers? It was an absurd solution.

“Not a bad outcome, though. Even if we were on the same boat, the devil worshippers would eventually become our enemies. That wench was a tough opponent for us too… If she bows out now, it’s something to celebrate,” the 2nd Apostle chuckled. He had always despised devil worshippers, so hearing of Isabella’s demise was cause for celebration. Even if he had abandoned the old faith, his deep-rooted hatred for devils remained.

“Don’t be too harsh. She was an enemy, but she achieved more than expected before her death. We should at least wish her peace,” Phelus said with a soft smile, stopping the 2nd Apostle.

Isabella’s early defeat was unexpected for Phelus, but her usefulness had already run its course. Thanks to her, they had collected more than enough deaths.

“Does that mean… the third Holy Grail has been destroyed? I haven’t noticed any significant changes,” the 5th Apostle muttered, his rough voice carrying a violent edge. It was natural for him to be puzzled. If the third Holy Grail had been destroyed, the world should have undergone a change, just as it had when the first and second Grails were shattered.

But nothing had changed since the second Grail was destroyed. The power limitations remained at the beginner hero level, and no other anomalies had been reported.

“The third Holy Grail is in a state just before destruction,” Phelus replied casually. The deaths Isabella had caused numbered well over a hundred thousand, so the third Grail, having collected all those deaths, could be destroyed at any moment. Phelus had simply chosen to hold off for now.

“Why? The sooner the Grail is destroyed, the sooner the ‘Ascension’…” the 7th Apostle pressed, her voice low and questioning. The destruction of the Grail was their goal. Why stop now after using variables to speed up the process?

“Even so, timing is crucial. The benefits of liberation aren’t exclusive to humanity. In fact, in the short term, other races stand to gain more. Isn’t that right, 4th Apostle?”

“Indeed, Ryurik, the Beast King, grew exponentially stronger after the second Grail was destroyed. He nearly breached the northern wall. We managed to make him retreat by informing him that the Empire’s civil war had ended, but if we hadn’t, the north would have been devastated,” the 4th Apostle explained. That was why he had informed Ryurik of Isabella’s death. Phelus had ordered him to slow down the Beastmen’s advance.

Thus, even though the civil war had ended, Ryurik wasn’t informed that it would take time for the Imperial Army to reach the north. Misjudging the Empire’s speed and strength, Ryurik retreated to the Heavenly Mountains.

…Though they hadn’t expected him to completely destroy the northern wall before leaving.

“Exactly. The Beastmen are manageable. Their strength depends on lineage and combat experience, and Ryurik is the only one who has reached that level. The most dangerous race right now is the western elves. Unlike other races, their growth wasn’t stunted; they were simply suppressed. Once the restrictions are lifted, they’ll regain their former strength.”

The elves. They were the reason Phelus had halted the destruction of the Grail.

—

Originally, even if the world’s restrictions were lifted, it wouldn’t immediately…

It wasn’t something that could make you stronger just by doing it.

If you’re human, you’d need to steadily accumulate achievements to reach the next level, and even for dragonkin, advancing the “dragon flame” takes quite a bit of time. Beastmen, too, were a race that grew stronger through repeated battles.

But fairies are different.

Beings who’ve lived for hundreds of years. From their earliest days, whether they were weak or unconstrained, they didn’t accumulate power—they reclaimed it.

The strength of fairies relies more on the blessings of the World Tree than their individual power. So, as long as the World Tree regains its influence, they could instantly become as strong as they once were, without needing time or effort.

The patrol units, which had weakened to the level of knights, would’ve regained their master-level strength by now, and the few remaining guardians would’ve reached the early stages of heroism.

Though their numbers are small, at this point, fairies are likely the strongest race.

And the moment their military power reaches a level where they can overwhelm other races, they’ll undoubtedly start rampaging to reclaim their former glory.

The arrogant sense of superiority born from their long lifespans is the very essence of their race.

That’s why Feyrus needed time.

Time for talented humans among the masters to grow and reach the early stages of heroism.

They only sought transcendence and ascension, not the annihilation or domestication of humanity.

“Fairies, huh…? Now that I think about it, they’re definitely dangerous. They’re like trash you can’t even associate with. So… what’s the situation in Alvheim?”

The 7th Apostle’s words were a bit extreme, but no one objected or refuted them.

After all, everyone shared the understanding that the nature of fairies was beyond even being called trash.

“They seem to be concentrating their forces in the south… but it’s not certain. As long as the World Tree and the spirits’ surveillance network remain, it’s impossible to get detailed information about movements within the Great Forest.”

The 2nd Apostle expressed his frustration.

Though his jurisdiction was close to Alvheim, there were limits to what he could know without infiltrating spies into the Great Forest.

“The south? So, Himmell…? I thought they’d target the Empire directly, but this is unexpected.”

The 6th Apostle groaned upon hearing the 2nd Apostle’s words.

As someone who frequently traveled between the southern regions and Himmell for business, the news of fairies invading Himmell was anything but welcome.

If Himmell’s borders were sealed, trade would come to a halt. For a merchant like him, it would be a massive loss.

“It’s a wise move. If they targeted the Empire, the beastmen of Himmell would attack the now-empty Alvheim. But if they target Himmell instead, does the Empire even have the resources to support them? The north and east are already in chaos. Oh, wait, maybe not the east?”

The 4th Apostle threw a sharp jab at the 3rd Apostle.

It was a dig at his incompetence, despite his usual arrogance.

“That little brat…”

The 3rd Apostle’s expression twisted fiercely as he glared at the Crystal Sphere.

“…You talk big. Unlike the stupid beasts you resemble, Orhan isn’t someone you can control. If he showed even the slightest suspicious behavior, he’d be discovered and torn to pieces. And that fool Amin, who I incited… turned out to be even more of an idiot than I imagined. We still need more time to fully establish ourselves in the east.”

The 3rd Apostle snapped back in an irritated tone.

Already annoyed by how Amin had messed things up, the 4th Apostle’s taunting only added fuel to the fire.

“Amin? Who’s that?”

While they knew that Ka`har’s leader was Orhan, only the 3rd Apostle knew the details of who was under his command.

Unlike Hashalleur, whose infamy had spread even to the west, the others were only active in the east.

“Orhan’s third son. A miraculous idiot who managed to annihilate thousands of troops in a single day. From what I can tell, he’s hiding with his maternal relatives… but he won’t last long with Orhan and his eldest son, Targien, after him.”

“Haha, to entrust a task to someone you yourself call a ‘miraculous idiot’—truly, the 3rd Apostle’s discernment is beyond my comprehension.”

The 4th Apostle burst into laughter, dripping with sarcasm.

“Surely, even if things go wrong, you’ve prepared some countermeasures I couldn’t even imagine, right? Or perhaps…”

“…That’s enough. The matters of the east have been entrusted to the 3rd Apostle. It’s not your place to interfere.”

Feyrus cut off the 4th Apostle.

The anger and firmness in his modulated voice left the 4th Apostle no choice but to shut his mouth.

The 2nd Apostle sighed. This wasn’t the first time the 4th Apostle had acted like this.

He seemed to dislike the fact that he was only the 4th Apostle and that the seemingly incompetent 3rd Apostle was above him, constantly picking fights.

What he didn’t realize was that his attitude was the very reason Feyrus didn’t trust him.

And whether he even understood that crossing the line could lead to his own purge.

—

With Feyrus calming the atmosphere and issuing instructions to the other Apostles, the day’s meeting came to a close.