The audience room inside the temple.
Duke Yuma was facing Bell.
“Bell.”
Bell gazed weakly at Yuma. No matter how much she swung her sword, she hadn’t achieved that level of mastery.
She had once displayed the sword path she received under the [God of War’s Blessing].
Despite her relentless efforts to replicate that sword path, recreating a sword that had transcended its own limits was still impossible.
Bell responded softly to Yuma’s words.
“Uh-huh.”
Without hesitation, Yuma spoke.
“I appoint you as my Apostle.”
Right after Yuma finished speaking, a female voice echoed inside Bell’s head.
[The God of War has appointed you as an ‘Apostle.’]
Apostle.
A red aura shaped like a sword flared up behind Bell.
It was proof that the God of War had appointed her as an Apostle.
Bell felt a surge of power rising from her toes.
It felt like her body was being forged into something stronger.
“You don’t need to blame yourself for not reaching a higher level yet. Bell, you’ve already surpassed the limits of what a human can achieve. From now on, you will grow further with my help, drawing on my strength.”
Yuma placed his hand on Bell’s shoulder.
“Do you understand?”
It was just a harmless and gentle touch. Yet, to Bell, it felt incredibly heavy.
“I understand.”
Bell scolded herself for leaning on Yuma once again. She felt a pang of self-loathing. Still, she accepted everything without avoiding it.
By accepting her helplessness, she could gain the power to transcend her limits.
“I’ll do my best.”
“That’s right.”
Yuma patted Bell’s shoulder with a smile.
The enormous sword shape that had risen like a great wing from Bell’s back scattered its red light and vanished.
When she unleashed her power to the fullest, that sword shape would spread out like wings again, but in the meantime, it was orbiting around Bell’s heart.
Yuma stepped out of the audience room ahead of Bell.
As Yuma exited, he came to a halt.
In front of him stood Cloney, the black-haired, golden-eyed mage, staring intently at him.
Cloney was peering right through Yuma’s soul.
“Hey, did you just appoint Bell as your Apostle?”
Yuma nodded.
“Yeah.”
He couldn’t deny it; it was indeed true.
How did she know?
“But how did you find out?”
Cloney promptly replied.
“Ermel told me. No, it’s more like… I unintentionally overheard her shaking and stumbling over her words. It felt like I was the only one who heard it beside her.”
“You know, it’s not that I told you… I accidentally overheard you trembling while speaking. It seems like only I heard it.”
The Holy Maiden had never been told that her communion with the God was so profound that she knew everything the God did.
Perhaps it was just an inference derived from watching Duke Yuma call her separately.
‘Anyway, knowing too much is also a problem.’
In a way, it was possible that Ermel, the Holy Maiden, knew more about the God than the God himself.
“Am I still lacking? In terms of standards?”
Cloney asked bluntly without any hesitation.
“Yeah, you need to ascend one more level to be appointed as an Apostle.”
Cloney instantly understood what level Yuma was referring to.
‘…7th Circle.’
The realm she had been determined to surpass soon.
It became even clearer to Cloney now why she needed to reach that level.
Meanwhile, Bell, who was listening to the conversation between Cloney and Yuma, pressed her ear against the door of the audience room, quietly avoiding Cloney.
‘…Cloney’s gaze is terrifying.’
There were times when Cloney’s gaze fell on her, just like when Yuma looked at her. At those times, a chill always ran down her spine — eyes narrowing like a crescent moon.
Bell completely forgot that she was five years older and was genuinely terrified.
“Please wait a moment.”
Cloney started to speak again.
“I will definitely reach the 7th Circle.”
“Yeah.”
Even though Yuma had just heard promises from both of them about getting stronger back to back, those words never felt insufficient.
It was indeed crucial for Yuma that both of them became stronger.
With the appointments of the Holy Maiden and Apostle completed, it was now time for action.
Yuma stepped back onto the platform.
It was time to announce their mission.
“There is no one here in the Intermediate World who can stand as a God besides me.”
Yuma continued,
“Therefore, the beings occupying the Silmaria Continent and other continents cannot become Gods. They are merely invaders that must be dealt with.”
By lowering the status of the targets, he aimed to boost the morale of the legion.
“I will be the fortress that protects you.”
What he really dreaded the most was the notion of saying such nauseating words, but it was a necessary formality.
“I will be the sword that strikes down those who confront you.”
Bang───
Yuma slammed his sword into the ground, sending clouds of dust spreading outward in a circle.
“It’s time to deploy.”
Srrng-
Swish—
The sounds of warriors checking their weapons echoed endlessly.
Heat rose from the bodies of the various races’ warriors.
It was the fervor ignited just before the battle.
Flap—
Whoosh—
The wings of fifty griffins spread out simultaneously.
Fifty griffins swooped down, treading upon the imperial outer wall’s railing as they glided.
The elves provided all the griffins that could be deployed outside the kingdom.
Duke Yuma, riding on Griffin Ethan, had none other than Holy Maiden Ermel sitting behind him.
Beside Ethan, another griffin was soaring. Holding onto that griffin’s reins was Bell, with Cloney and Hestia riding behind her.
“We basically move together. It doesn’t matter if we’re far apart, but send a signal when that happens.”
Bell, the ‘Apostle’, could communicate in telepathic form with God Yuma through the medium of divine power.
At the very least, Yuma designated the range of communication that an Apostle could utilize.
Bell nodded vigorously.
“Okay! My Lord.”
Swoosh!
The two adjoining griffins executed acrobatics in unison.
Yuma’s divine power enhanced the bodies and functions of the griffins as they flew beyond the Gehergen continent towards the Silmaria continent.
*
Woooosh—
The wind seeped into the forest.
The very ordinary sound of the wind felt terrifying to beings holding their breath.
Silmaria continent, Valkares Empire.
Hidden in the mountains of the outer territory of Belmin to the right of the capital, the last remaining royal blood, 3rd Prince Ricardo, stared blankly at the black sky.
It was a journey where he never knew when he might die.
But after five days of this journey, he had managed to calm his heart somewhat.
Ricardo’s blonde hair swayed.
Lowering his head, he looked at the knights, soldiers, and mercenaries who had kept him alive until now.
Unlike him, they were constantly on guard against their surroundings.
One mercenary approached.
“Your Highness, would you like to have a potato?”
Ricardo nodded as he glanced at the brown-haired female mercenary, Camille, who was nonchalantly offering a potato while wearing gloves.
“…Thank you.”
Not now, but at least he realized it wasn’t the time to dwell on manners or hygiene.
He learned a lot just by watching those who silently wielded their weapons to survive.
For two days, he hadn’t seen any treacherous beasts or monsters.
He knew it was thanks to the mercenaries, who seemed to know the geography of the territory like the back of their hands.
“Your Highness… please stay still.”
But it seemed something unusual was happening.
Ricardo heard the voice of Ragnak, his only sword-master level knight left by his side, whispering in his ear.
The voice of Ragnak, the only remaining sword master knight, echoed out.
“Something unusual is happening outside the rocky fortress.”
From beyond the overlapping rocks, a slow cracking sound reached their ears. It was the sound of destruction.
Crack… Crash…
At the edge of the cliff right above where the 3rd Prince’s party gathered, a beast with a black head peeked over the edge.
Grrr…
A massive troll with black skin.
Saliva dripped thickly from the troll’s mouth.
The mercenaries, soldiers, and knights all knew.
That was no ordinary troll; it was a troll enhanced by an unidentified entity.
Since the day of calamity, the trolls they faced had all been mutated ones that could withstand the strikes of expert knights without flinching.
Grrrrrr—
…
The troll, which had only been grunting, suddenly fell silent.
“I clearly killed every member of the royal lineage I could see… I wondered why the royal bloodline of this land wasn’t completely extinguished. So, a rat was hiding here.”
It was a very strange voice.
A grotesque mix of a beast’s growl and a woman’s voice.
The Goddess of the Dead Bones, Angelica, was speaking through the troll’s eyes and mouth.
“Kill them all.”
Crash— Bang!!
The sound of cracking transformed into complete destruction. The rocky fortress crumbled entirely.
Boom boom boom…
The ground shook violently as if an earthquake had struck. Creatures, including trolls and ogres, as well as demon summons made from the corpses of the deceased imperial citizens, swarmed toward the cliff like a swarm of ants.
The 27 members of the 3rd Prince’s party sensed their imminent death.
At that moment.
=Hear me, the living.=
A voice rang out.
=If you are alive, raise a flame.=
The voice of the God of War resounded.
It echoed loudly throughout the Silmaria Continent.
For a brief moment, the movements of the monsters came to an abrupt halt at the voice of the one true deity of the Intermediate World.
Seeing this, the 3rd Prince’s party believed.
Someone was looking down on them.
And that being was an ally.
Flame!
A large piece of wood ignited.
Mercenary Camille raised her torch.
Prince Ricardo rushed to her in urgency.
Together, they held the torch up high and spoke.
“Aserech.”
Ricardo knew how to use magic.
And the incantation he had just cast was a spell to amplify light, no matter its form.
The light from the torch soared up, piercing the cliff.
