Episode 819
Knot (6)
“It’s over.”
The sea is so deep that the depth cannot be guessed.
It is a dark and rough terrain so that an ordinary human would be crushed by the water pressure.
A huge underwater cave that exists deep beneath the sea.
A young man wearing glasses was sitting leisurely in a dark beacon at the end, sipping coffee.
“It appears that the war mercenaries of the Pandemonium War have moved. “If he had tried his hand at it, the memorial tower would not have maintained its shape.”
[…Croken Asilus himself came out?]
A gloomy roar could be heard from inside the cave.
At the same time, a slippery tentacle wriggled in front of the young man, revealing complex emotions.
The young man chuckled as he listened to the other person’s answer.
“Khamrodal. Why do you pretend not to know? “It would have been you who accompanied Seina until the very end.”
[….]
“You knew… that Seina was heading to Yorta to fulfill her role, right?”
The infinitely calm voice of a young man. However, the emotions felt beyond the tone were by no means favorable.
A confidence bordering on cynicism rather than pure curiosity.
The 8th apostle Kamrodal remained silent, unable to refute the words of the young man who seemed to be interrogating him.
A secret story that happened in the swamp area heading to Yorta.
It is also true that the young man in front of him knows that Kamrodal tried to kill the priestess and eliminate her.
This was because he knew perfectly well that Kamrodal could not do anything about that fact.
The second apostle of the church who is said to be the most perfect among the existing apostles.
Free from the madness that inevitably comes to apostles, he came to see Kamrodal in person.
He, who spreads his influence throughout the church and handles important matters of the Holy See on behalf of the church leader, came to Kamrodal in person.
“The position of a priestess who holds the position of priest must always be prepared to be replaced, and anyone is no exception.”
The second apostle put down his coffee cup and said.
“Just like the previous priestess Izel, Seina also had to give up her position as a priestess when the time came. But…”
The two apostles’ mood suddenly changed sharply as they looked at the tentacles wriggling in the darkness.
“That wasn’t the case now.”
[….]
“The capture of the first gateway and the war with the Federation. It goes without saying that the role of the priestess is important in the process of simultaneously handling the petition with Ascended Jinwa. But can you truly say that you are not responsible for Kamrodal Seina’s death?”
When Seina Naidry’s body was found in the swamp, Kamrodal refused to cooperate and tried to kill Seina because he could not trust her as she had been cursed by Jinwa.
However, regardless of the fact that Kamrodal warned Seina of Jinwa’s existence, there is clearly a part of him that aided and abetted it despite knowing that her personal safety could be in danger.
Did Kamrodal truly try to kill Seina because he thought she was being consumed by Jinwa’s words and could not be trusted?
As soon as the Second Apostle heard the situation, he realized the intention and went to the hideout where Kamrodal’s main body resided to directly interrogate him.
[…It’s surprising.]
Kamrodal spoke slowly.
[You may have cared for Izel Naidri, but you would not have had much interest in the current priestess. Still, is it possible to be more angry about her death than about Ezel’s?]
“….”
[You could say that we are making a strict distinction between public and private, but this is a very interesting thing for apostles like us.]
Kamrodal spoke to the silent two apostles.
[It’s amazing that even though you’ve lived as Hwashin for that long, you can still suppress such raw emotions-]
Ugh!!
At that moment, the tip of the tentacle that had been waving in the dark was crushed.
It was crushed flat as if it had been crushed by an invisible, intangible force, and its fragments were scattered in tatters.
A terrifying thought that completely tears a pair of giant tentacle legs off the spot.
[…!!]
“Kamrodal.”
The Second Apostle spoke with an expressionless face as Kamrodal faintly dropped its tentacles.
“I am not unaware of your desire to escape from madness.”
[Uhm….]
“You worship God, but at the same time, you are afraid of it. Part of that is probably imitating the ascended ones and splitting their consciousness infinitely.”
The Second Apostle slowly tilted his head towards Kamrodal, who was writhing in pain.
“But your desires must not take precedence over the church’s wishes. “It is already wrong at the point where I have to say this with my own mouth, but…” The
second apostle’s eyes pierce through the shape of a huge cephalopod writhing in the darkness.
“I hope you can help me avoid repeating the mistake of disposing of the same apostle.”
[…Then tell me the way.]
Kamrodal muttered to the 2nd Apostle, who was turning away from his half-filled cup of coffee.
[How can I escape this terrible madness? How can I wake up from the dream of foreigners like you?]
“….”
[From the moment we accept the fate of an apostle, we can only choose how we will go crazy and be ruined. But I did not sacrifice myself to the church for this end.]
The red eyes of the eight apostles flashed in the darkness.
[Even though it may be broken and broken after an eternal struggle, we cannot tolerate the shameful behavior of destroying oneself alone…!!]
Kamrodal’s thoughts are heating up wildly, as if they will collide at any moment.
However, the 2nd Apostle calmly let go of the 8th Apostle’s vicious flash of energy and turned his gaze away.
“The Holy See has confirmed the candidates for the next priestess. “Sooner or later, I will ascend to the pantheon, receive blessings, and officially inherit the authority of a priest.”
[….]
“It would be nice if we could retrieve Seina’s remains and place them in the main castle before then, but even if that’s not the case, you will be contacted soon.”
The 8th Apostle Kamrodal uses the apostle technique ‘Kamrodal’s Doll’ to escape from the madness that inevitably comes to apostles, but apart from that, he is a being with a nature quite different from the other apostles.
Although they follow doctrine and serve their religious leader, their faith is far from blind fanaticism.
They are self-conscious, have a strong calculating side, and have high intelligence, but as independent individuals, they are quite emotional.
The dogmatic attitude that appears on the outside is far from that of a faithful believer.
Wasn’t ignoring Seina Naidry’s request also a very self-righteous decision that did not follow the will of the Holy See?
As an apostle who follows the religious leader, ignoring the Holy Father who acts on his behalf is a serious crime that cannot be ignored.
However, although the Second Apostle was clearly aware of this and questioned him directly, he did not actually try to punish him here.
As fellow apostles, condemning each other is only possible when the madness has spread to the bone marrow and the two have become so broken that even their masters cannot recognize them.
Moreover, it was because he knew that Kamrodal’s disposition was also the kind of talent that the church needed.
There is a need for someone to provide some sort of balance among the apostles who are going crazy with love and hate for their religious leader.
That is why, although the Second Apostles questioned and condemned Kamrodal’s decisions, they did not attempt to purge him.
“Until the day the Great Crusade opens again, we must operate under one doctrine.”
[….]
“Even if one day, the paths we take change depending on the dream of God we have chosen… we must stand under the same battlefield until the end.”
The second apostle spoke quietly.
“That’s what he wants from us.”
[Well… I still don’t know.]
Kamrodal muttered quietly.
[Unlike him, we are very unstable. Will I be able to survive until that day comes again?]
In the darkness, the cephalopod’s eyes glowed somewhat sadly.
[Or does he want us all to become uncontrollably broken?]
“….”
[I guess I can’t refuse. However, even though I am afraid, I want to know.]
Slurp…
Kamrodal’s presence becomes blurred as he casually regenerates the crushed tentacles under the power of the two apostles.
[I wonder if he still remembers the grace he gave us…]
When the hideout where the main body was hidden was discovered, there was no longer any need to stay here.
Of course, the Second Apostle will find the main body of Kamrodal whenever he wants, but that is no reason not to change his hiding place.
The image of Kamrodal, writhing in the darkness, slowly blurs and soon disappears completely.
The Second Apostle silently watched the moment Kamrodal disappeared until the end and then turned around.
The two apostles who walked out of the hidden space in the undersea cave slowly raised their heads.
As soon as they came out of the boundary, heavy water pressure weighed down the apostles, but the two apostles did not hesitate due to the pressure and began walking down the middle of the deep sea.
Deep-sea fish and all kinds of magical beasts that were swimming in all directions, with their eyes flashing, hurriedly avoided him and split to the left and right, creating a huge passage under the waterway.
The Second Apostle muttered without even looking at the demon beasts desperately running away around him.
“I thought I had filled the vacancy of the 10 apostles, but now the priestess has left.”
Master of the church. Understanding of all gods.
All but one person at the pinnacle of conversion must be replaced immediately within the Order at any time.
Even if it is the position of a priestess with the most outstanding priestly talent, the Holy See has already prepared a candidate to replace her.
Nevertheless, it was virtually impossible to completely replace Seina’s absence.
Seina Naidry is a talented person who took over the title of priestess, which is inherited upon death, from Izel through her own abilities.
Even throughout the history of the religious order, it is rare to find a priestess with such talent.
Moreover, even within the Holy See, Seina has mediate several subtle conflicts between the apostles and the Holy See with her relatively moderate disposition.
No matter how talented the next priestess is, it is difficult to ask her to play the same role as Seina.
That was truly a fatal loss for the church, which had resumed its activities simultaneously across the continent.
This is especially true for the second apostle, who has recently been deliberately reducing his influence within the denomination.
“Where did things start to become like this?…”
Okay, maybe everything went wrong starting with the tragedy that occurred at the Far East Branch.
From the moment when the former priestess Izel Naidri sacrificed herself to become an apostle, destroying both Amrita and herself.
And from the fact that in Cheong’s eyes, there was a strong person who could defeat those two people single-handedly.
From the time I had to face the body of Izel, my personal favorite, lying at his feet.
“…Evan Martinez.”
Where is the wizard who imitated the apostle, imitated the apostle, and eventually defeated the apostle, and what is he doing now?
From that day on, the Second Apostles have been keeping an eye on Evan’s movements, but contrary to the active activity of the Blue Eye, Evan has not been seen throughout the season.
Is that because Evan Martinez himself cannot move?
Or is it because the identity of Evan itself is a mask made only for Cheong’s eyes?
There are circumstances that make me even more suspicious because it is rare for a wizard to possess both such talent and temperament.
Thinking thus, the Second Apostle raised his magical power to its full potential from the depths of the sea.
Wow!!
As magic power surged and rotated around the apostle’s body, the seawater weighing thousands of meters deep beneath the sea simultaneously rotated following the gesture.
The ultramarine blue water current wrapped around the image of the Second Apostle pushed his body upward at an incredible speed.
Kwaaaa!!!
Every moment the pressure rises above the surface of the water, the two apostles are pressed down, and steel barriers appear from all directions to block their path.
However, the 2nd Apostle did not take any action against the water pressure and barrier that blocked its sight, but increased its speed further and ascended upward.
Deeudeeudeeudeuk!!
Damn it!!
A red warning light flashed from deep under the sea, and magical powers and intentions that did not belong to the two apostles were rampaging everywhere.
The atmosphere is as if they have finally recognized someone’s intrusion and are frantically moving around to devise countermeasures.
The Second Apostle slightly twisted his head, accepting the human emotions of fear and confusion.
Wedge!!
Sado’s new model, which suddenly approached the surface of the water from thousands of meters deep, turned at a right angle and raced across the surface of the water as if digging.
The waterway split on both sides, gushing out like a fountain, and a roar like a bomb exploding rang out on impact.
Coo coo coo!!
[Stop, stop!!]
[Stop right where you are!!]
The countless fleets blocking Sado’s path and the submarines that followed behind the surface fired torpedoes at the same time as a warning.
However, when the new model of the apostle penetrated the ship’s keel, the sea water exploded and all the warnings and resistance turned to dust and evaporated.
[Magic power pattern cannot be measured. Confirmed by the expression of thoughts at an extreme level or higher. 40% of the 3rd Fleet’s strength is destroyed!!]
[Contact the Supreme Council. I can’t stop it-!!]
[No…!!]
Quaaaaaaaaaaa!!!
Just by moving across the ocean, dozens of ships, hundreds of submarines, and thousands of superhumans can be obliterated.
The fishy smell of blood and steel. The acrid smell and smoke of explosives. Breaking through the sea, as if sucking up all my despairing thoughts.
Sado’s new model, which wiped out the 3rd Fleet guarding the sea area, quickly rose onto the land.
Shoot!!
Fragments of a ship washed up on the waves. A pile of torn corpses with a gruesome appearance.
Meanwhile, the new form of the two apostles, who had been driven by the wave of death, was eerily distorted above the sea surface.
What is reflected through the water-soaked glasses is a mechanical barrier soaring high into the sky and a mechanized fire corps’ artillery unit rotating wildly in all directions.
The Second Apostle, who was looking at the port aimed at him from the shore, nodded.
“You’ve come to the right place.”
The reason the Second Apostle found Kamrodal’s hideout in the depths of the sea was not just to hold him responsible.
This is because he knew that the hideout prepared by Kamrodal to hide his body was located under the waters of the city he was heading to.
Machine City Machina.
A city that suffered great hardships in the past due to the failure of the Ascension Gate, and recently suffered a major terrorist attack that destroyed the entire Meister District.
The Supreme Council and the shadowy tycoons are working together to resolve the chaos. The Second Apostle of Makinae has come directly to the city from beneath the sea area where the Shenseongwan is located.
“If Pandemonium has turned Yorta upside down, it is my job to balance it.”
When the second apostle, who had blown away the moisture from his entire body with a single gesture, raised his hand, the waves crashing behind him shook violently.
In an instant, the level of the sea water rose, and soon it rose up and turned into a huge tsunami that covered the coast.
Kugugugu…!!
“Huh…!!”
The Second Apostle laughed as he looked at the soldiers of the mechanized corps stepping back with pale expressions.
“The flight that Myeong attempted while traveling around the continent… I’ll show you that I can do that much better.”
* * *
Shoot!!
A street so quiet that it’s almost deafening.
The cold water seems to wet my cheeks and faintly tap my eyelids.
How long did it take for him to fall unconscious?
Beyond the limits of the physical body, transcendent mental power forcibly awakens the five senses and connects judgment.
Beyond Lennok’s field of vision, as he struggled to push his eyelids up, he saw the wet, distorted landscape of the canal.
thud!!
A huge hammer fell upside down in front of my eyes.
The shape of a hammer wrapped around black, dried, twisted magical power and violently striking the ground it touches.
While I was staring blankly at the hammer containing the magical power of arrival, a scaly hand grabbed the handle of the hammer and lifted it up.
Ugh…!!
A new form of Croken leisurely walked out beyond the ruins of the collapsed memorial tower.
Even after destroying the center of Yorta alone, there was no change in its momentum.
“Your tenacity has improved. “A topic that was eliminated with just a wave of the hand.”
Kroken, who was looking at the fallen Lennok, chuckled.
“Or maybe it’s me who has changed, not you.”
“….”
The crocodile giant, who was quietly looking at the sky with the hammer on his shoulder, slowly tilts his head.
“It will take a while for Ddaengjung to finish the adjustment. If you have something to say, say it.”
Kroken laughed, staring at Lennok with bright yellow reptile pupils.
“Even if you don’t do that, the leader asked me to tell you something.”
