Episode 60: Apostle (2)
Time flew by like an arrow, and two weeks had passed.
Vanquisher was making final preparations for the operation.
In one corner of the waiting room, Park Gwangchul let out a groan.
“Ugh, hey, stop! Stop!”
I shook my head as I looked at him.
“Isn’t it too tight?”
“It has to be this tight.”
“Come on, it’s cutting off my circulation.”
“Good for you.”
Park Gwangchul grumbled but eventually let it be. I silently tightened his protective gear.
On the other hand, Sung Ara stretched lazily and let out a yawn, showing no signs of tension.
“It’s not that dangerous~”
The overall atmosphere among the Vanquisher members was relaxed. While this operation was important, it wasn’t particularly difficult in terms of difficulty. After all, it was a domestic operation.
I, too, hoped that the expectations wouldn’t be shattered.
At that moment, the old man entered the waiting room with calm footsteps. His face was as stoic as usual, but there was a noticeable hint of concern.
“Paladin, the Lord, and even the Blue Wind Squad will be joining us.”
He had just finished his final communication with the Association before entering the waiting room.
“Huh? The Lord and Paladin?”
“Blue Wind Squad…”
Sung Ara questioned, and Lee Do-hyun, who was polishing his sword, muttered quietly. The other members also glanced at each other in surprise.
It was natural to find it strange. Even I had only heard about it from Cheon Yeoul last night.
‘If the Apostle really appears… even Paladin won’t be enough, so the Lord and the Blue Wind Squad will join us as well.’
In any case, it was good news.
“Surely it’s not Glory, right?”
When Sung Ara asked, the Old man shook his head.
“No, it’s Team 2, the Fierce Tiger.”
At that, Park Gwangchul tilted his head.
“Wow… what the…”
“Something feels… off.”
Lee Do-hyun, who had been silently sharpening his twin swords, murmured quietly. No one refuted his words. Everyone in the room shared the same feeling.
At that moment, Kim Jin-soo, the dispatched personnel from the Association in charge of equipment, entered the waiting room.
“Preparation is complete. The vehicle will arrive at the terminal shortly.”
Using a portal was not an option. There was a risk of the enemy noticing. Therefore, we would use the portal only up to Pyongyang and then proceed by land from there.
Naturally, we began to perform a final check on our weapons and equipment. Personal combat gear, potions, and other essentials.
“It’ll be fine.”
Someone quietly spoke to me from the side. It was Sion.
“Nothing will go wrong.”
“Thanks.”
Perhaps my expression wasn’t great, as she quietly offered words of comfort. Though brief, her words were genuinely comforting. I nodded.
“Once we arrive at the base, we’ll have a briefing and then start the operation.”
The Old man spoke briefly and decisively. After each of us finished our final checks, we began to move out one by one.
“Let’s go.”
***
The rough wind brushed against my face. The base point was located halfway up the mountain.
After getting out of the vehicle, we quietly headed toward it.
And only then did the reality begin to sink in.
The scenery before me was all too familiar. I stopped in my tracks. This was a place where countless deaths had repeated. The memories washed over me, turning my mind blank.
I closed my eyes. I consciously exhaled and tried to calm myself.
“Haein.”
Suddenly, I felt a gentle grip on my shoulder. I reflexively reached for my spear but stopped. It was Sion again.
“Are you okay?”
I took a short breath and replied.
“I’m fine.”
At that moment, the Old man’s voice rang out.
“Starting the operation briefing.”
I quickly gathered my thoughts and stepped forward. This was the middle of an operation.
The Old man’s explanation was simple. We were to exterminate a demon infested colony that had been discovered a few months ago.
The Lord, Paladin, and the Blue Wind Squad would join us from different base points.
In other words, this operation would proceed by surrounding the colony from all directions.
Finally, the Old man added, addressing us.
“You stay here and wait for the Association’s communication.”
Standby support. That was the reason Sion and I had been brought along.
“Let’s move out.”
The Vanquisher members finished gearing up one by one, and the operation finally began. We watched from behind.
“…”
Of course, I had no intention of just waiting quietly. I gauged the timing, trying to figure out the best moment to follow.
At that moment, my eyes met Sion’s.
We looked at each other and smiled. She was thinking the same thing.
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
We quietly followed behind them.
Stealthily.
A ruined village came into view. From a distance, there was no sign of life. It felt as though the ominous premonition was gradually becoming reality.
On the left, Cheon Yeoul and Yu Hana, along with Paladin and the Blue Wind Squad, were advancing toward the nest. On the right, Kang Arin and the Lord were also moving toward the nest.
And just as we were about to reach the nest.
“Now.”
We quickly joined the main force.
“Hey! What are you guys…?”
Sung Ara looked at us in surprise. However, the other members were unfazed.
“Knew it.”
Park Gwangchul let out a hollow laugh as he spoke.
“There’s no way you guys wouldn’t come.”
We smiled without saying a word.
‘They must have figured it out.’
No wonder they kept letting us sit in on all the operation briefings.
As we entered the village, the Lord approached from the opposite side, while Paladin and the Blue Wind Squad entered from the left. The groups that had taken different routes finally met in the central square.
However, there was no trace of demons—or even humans. Only the ruins of buildings and dry dust scattered by the wind.
A guild member from the Lord muttered.
“There’s nothing here?”
When Kang Arin quietly looked at him, he flinched and immediately bowed his head.
At that moment.
—BOOM!!
A massive explosion erupted in the center. In the blink of an eye, flames shot up, and shockwaves spread in all directions.
Park Gwangchul and Yucal immediately deployed a force field. They contained the explosion, forcibly blocking it and redirecting its energy into the air.
—KABOOM!!
A flash and roar that seemed to split the sky. The flames that exploded in midair dyed the ground red.
“……”
Park Gwangchul shook his hand with a cold expression. A momentary silence. But everyone must have felt it—that attack was different.
“Hmm… Blag, didn’t you say one hit would be enough to kill them all?”
A mesmerizing voice that tickled the ears. A mocking tone mixed with a snort echoed throughout the village.
And then.
“Doesn’t look like it, does it?”
A cackling laugh scraped against our ears.
One of the Paladins’ lips twitched and stiffened. From his mouth came a low whisper, almost like a groan.
“A… Apostle.”
The Crimson Spider, Mary. The being who single-handedly shook Shanghai into Chaos.
However, what shocked me wasn’t that.
“Five…”
From the shadows of the massive ruins. Five silhouettes emerged one by one.
I had expected Apostles to appear.
But not three—five.
“My, my. There seem to be more people here than expected.”
A white-skinned man with no eyes, nose, or mouth. Waves rippled from his mouth as sound flowed out.
“I heard it was just one team, but there are so many? Barkus, are you sure you can handle this without us?”
“Shut up.”
When Mary provoked the white-eyed Apostle, Barkus, he responded roughly.
“Take it easy~ We’ll finish this quickly and be out.”
Mary cackled with laughter. Her eyes were filled with ecstasy.
The group was engulfed in silence.
Apostles. A name that only existed in stories. Few had ever faced them in reality.
But now.
They are right in front of us.
An overwhelming presence that dominates the scene. An aura that cannot simply be described as “strong.”
Everyone here realized it.
Sometimes, rumors can fall far short of the truth.
“Prepare for battle.”
The Old man gave a firm signal.
Everyone immediately took their positions. But their bodies were trembling instinctively.
“You two, stay back.”
Park Gwangchul stepped forward, blocking us.
That’s when it happened.
“Wait a moment?”
Blag, who had been emitting a disturbing wavelength, spoke in a low voice.
“Before we proceed, I must convey the will of the great one. We, too, are tired of unnecessary battles.”
Ahem.
He brought his fist to where his face should have been and pretended to cough. Then, he changed his voice.
“Eliminate the humans.”
The moment those words fell.
The air grew heavy.
“For this, I shall grant you power.”
At that moment.
The Apostle, Mary, who had been sneering in front of us, waved her hand lightly.
And then.
— Swish.
She disappeared.
“Saintess!!”
A scream erupted from the Paladin camp shortly after.
I turned my gaze.
‘Cheon Yeoul?’
Red chains appeared around Cheon Yeoul as if sprouting from thin air.
Squirm, squirm.
Like living creatures, they began to wrap around her wrists and ankles.
“Stop her!!!”
One of the Paladins shouted as if in agony.
But before the shout could reach her, the space distorted.
— Clang!
The red chains tightened in an instant, and her form vanished as if being sucked into the void.
And then.
— Swish.
— Swish.
The forms of the two Apostles beside Blag also disappeared like dust.
“Miss!”
“Vice President!!”
Yu Hana’s body dissipated like scattered dust in a calm wind.
Kang Arin was swallowed by a black shadow, with no time to react.
The Apostles.
Their target wasn’t Vanquisher.
“So, we’ll see you later.”
Even Blag, who had been sneering and explaining in front of us.
— Swish.
Disappeared.
Who would be next?
Me? The Old man? Or…
At that moment.
Sound vanished.
All sound around me.
The wind, the breathing, even the heartbeat.
I reflexively turned to the side.
“Sion!”
Transparent ripples spread beneath her feet.
Like a swaying wave, the air rippled.
Her form swayed gently.
I instinctively reached out. The Old man also reached out beside me at the same time.
But she sank into a transparent space, as if being separated from reality.
I grabbed at the empty air, as if trying to hold onto her.
“Sion!!!!”
The Old man stepped forward.
He stretched out both hands, but there was no trace of Sion left anywhere.
The Old man’s face twisted.
Then.
— Rumble.
The ground shook.
There was no time to mourn or hesitate.
“The fact that I remain… will be your despair.”
The last remaining Apostle, with white eyes.
Barkus.
With anger in his voice.
Began to gather his power.