Apostle of the Goddess of War

Chapter 167

Ch.167 Apostle of the Goddess of War

The conquest of the Fire Cult had come to a temporary end.

The Apostle of the Goddess of War defeated the Fire Cult with only three companions. Moreover, there were almost no casualties. Except for a few fanatics who resisted unnecessarily and committed suicide, everyone else surrendered.

The Fire Cultists still did not know that Agnia had disappeared. Some believers who had not yet surrendered continued to pray to their Goddess for salvation.

O Goddess of Fire.

Sprout the flames of hope.

"So… it has come to this."

The executives among the Fire Cultists needed to know this fact. Sion gathered them and revealed the truth.

The Priestesses, Apostles, and Bishops of Fire showed expressions of difficulty.

The Priestess, who had vaguely felt her connection to the Goddess cut off, was expressionless, but the shock received by Anarantis, the Apostle of Fire, was immense. Her lips trembled uncontrollably.

"I can't believe…"

"The Goddess of Water said so, and my Lady witnessed it."

Sion spoke cautiously. There was no reason to worry about the shock Anarantis would receive. Facing reality would be more helpful for recovery.

At Sion's cold remark, the Fire Apostles and Priests did not move an inch.

The faith they had dedicated their lives to and the merits they had accumulated had turned to foam. It was strange that they were still sane.

'The Priestess is truly unaffected. Are all Priestesses indifferent like Kaili?'

Sion spoke to the Priestess of Fire. The Priestess, whose eyes were covered with black lace decorations, turned her head toward Sion.

"I have roughly grasped what happened. Yes. My Lady no longer passes me the spark."

Sion wore a bitter expression. Neither Sion nor Achille had thought that Serine would swallow Agnia whole.

It was malicious to deliberately reveal her presence as Agnia's soul until the very end.

Until the very last moment, Serine was determined to ravage Sion and Achille.

The Fire Cultists gathered separately to hold a meeting. Sion stepped aside for a moment.

They had accepted the surrender and were discussing in what form they would join the Church of War.

Sion slowly walked across the ruins of the collapsed Temple of Fire.

There was no strength in his silent steps.

Stomp, stomp…

'Devastating.'

Kaia destroyed the foundation, and Sion blew away the form. The brilliant history of fire disappeared without a trace by just three people.

This is war.

All that remains after war is debris and ash.

His heart did not feel good.

Sion was also a victim of war. He knew well that nothing remained where war had passed.

Actually inflicting that damage himself and causing the disaster directly made it unavoidable to feel complex emotions.

Achille remained silent.

She knew well what emotions her apostle was feeling now and what he was thinking.

'Sion must think for himself and overcome this.'

Achille did not intervene in Sion's thoughts. She hoped he would establish his own perspective and cultivate convictions about war.

Whatever form that took, Achille was ready to accept it.

Shortly after, the Fire Cultists approached Sion.

Forces that showed the will to resist were all ignored. Since there was not a single victim, there was no proper justification.

Moreover, at this point, the target of the Fire Cultists' anger was not the Goddess of War but the Goddess of Water.

It was the cult they interacted with most frequently, a Goddess they considered to have a bond closer than sisters, yet they were betrayed by her.

They wished for their Goddess's rage to burn them into ash.

"Please take us when you attack the Imperial Court."

Anarantis, who had conveyed the intention of surrender to Sion as a representative, bit her lip firmly and spoke.

She was the one who expressed the will for revenge most strongly.

"I didn't say we were attacking the Imperial Court."

"The Imperial Court was cooperating with our Fire and Water Cults. They even promised large territories when reorganizing world power in the future."

Sion frowned slightly.

"Such… talks were exchanged?"

"Well, anyone can have a plausible plan."

"That is true."

If not for the irrational existence named Sion, the alliance of the Imperial Court, Fire, and Water would have been the most likely hegemony candidate.

If the Imperial Army, the power of the Celestials, and the large-scale forces of Fire and Water joined hands, they could have easily dealt with the Evil God forces and the Magic Guild Alliance.

"Now, war with the Imperial Court, the Magic Guild Alliance, and the Evil God forces is inevitable. I believe the Apostle of War knows best that this is not something that can be avoided by fleeing."

Anarantis spoke only sound arguments.

Sion knew this too, and it was a truly difficult situation wondering how to construct the front lines.

'But if the Fire Cult actively helps….'

There was a silver lining. He had been inwardly worried they might resolve to fight to the death, so this was fortunate.

"Then. Swear loyalty to the Goddess of War. Abandon the faith of Fire and pray to the doctrines of the Goddess of War."

"……That is."

Anarantis hesitated.

She was still the Apostle of Fire.

It was difficult to decide until she accomplished revenge for Agnia.

"……As expected. It cannot be forced, right?"

"Huh?"

Sion understood the devastating emotions the Fire Cultists felt in his soul. It was empathy born from being a party involved.

"Conversion is a recommendation, not coercion. Continue your religious life as you wish. However, when participating in battle, you belong to the War Knights. Is that alright?"

Sion proposed kindly.

"Uh…."

Anarantis blinked. She was surprised by the unexpectedly gentle inducement.

"The Church of War is more—than I thought—"

"More, what?"

Sion tilted his head. The Apostle of Fire did not finish her sentence.

"It is nothing. We gratefully accept the proposal. Shall we prepare immediately?"

"No, come slowly. You have much to organize."

The Temple of Fire must be rebuilt. Even if this place becomes a temple for another Goddess in the future.

"Complete the reorganization within a month and join us in Elim. Let's send only the Ash Knights, who can become immediate combat power, to Elim first."

Sion wrapped it up cleanly. He had a proper grasp of the Fire Cult's military strength. Anarantis nodded readily. It was a perfect condition where she could not present even a slight complaint.

"Thank you. Apostle of War."

***

Swish.

The Goddess of Water appeared in the Emperor's bedroom. Manifesting from the moisture in the air, the Imperial Emperor, who had been sleeping, got out of bed and knelt as soon as he opened his eyes.

"Lady Serine. I have been waiting."

The Emperor bowed his head. As a Celestial, the Emperor had been loyal only to Eru. However, the world had changed now, and the Imperial Court had found a new object of devotion.

It was an unavoidable choice to protect their lives and bloodline.

Originally, the Celestials pledged loyalty to the Goddess of Water and Life, who held the highest prestige after Eru.

Serine walked slowly through the bedroom. With every step she took, footprints wet with water appeared. Serine was naked.

The Emperor did not dare to look at the Goddess's naked body. Even the being in the highest position among humanity could only look at the floor before a Goddess.

Serine soon opened her mouth.

"As expected, Achille can no longer be stopped. At best, only Magoth might be able to contend with her."

"……Is, is that so?"

"But Magoth will eventually lose as well. That apostle of Achille named Sion is truly bizarre. If Magoth dies, it will likely be by that apostle's hand."

The Emperor asked cautiously.

"Does the existence of an apostle feel ominous even to you, Goddess?"

"There must be a reason Eru designated him. He must be a special being who will derail the gears of the world. Eru waited for a very long time for such a being to be born."

Serine spoke calmly. Her tone shone with intellect, completely different from when dealing with the other Goddesses.

"That child must be eliminated. He is an impurity that hinders my plan and a nail that will break the gears."

"……Understood."

"So far, everything is according to plan. As scheduled, Achille has awakened and regained her power, while Magoth and his forces are gradually collapsing. The Magic Guild Alliance and Lirienne, that foolish girl, destroyed themselves on their own."

Serine smiled lovingly.

"Pfft!"

Then she couldn't hold back the laughter that burst forth. A giggling sound scratched chillingly through the bedroom.

"You raised the army as instructed?"

"Of course. I have contacted all the lords, and they are gathering at Elim."

Serine opened the window and went out to the terrace. It was the season when the cold winter wind blew.

Serine's body, made of water, began to freeze slowly.

"Good. Let them fight each other as is. The more people die, the better."

"……Are you sure this is alright?"

The Emperor asked with a voice full of concern. Even though it was a Goddess's command, he felt the plan was excessive.

Moreover, the Emperor had not even heard where the endpoint of this plan was. It existed only in Serine's mind.

"……"

Seeing the Emperor's lukewarm reaction, Serine spoke.

"You are curious? About what exactly I am plotting."

"……It is not that. How would I dare."

Serine confessed without much thought.

"Humans are merely byproducts of Eru. You, who boast of being Celestial, are no different. If I fill the world with a new race that accepts my spiritual body, it will become a much more beautiful world."

"A new… race?"

The Emperor swallowed a large breath.

It was a story of a larger scale and dimension than expected. The plan was to overturn everything and start anew.

Serine froze gradually. Leaving her last words while turning into an ice sculpture unlike anything in the world.

"Let all humans die at the hands of the Church of War. Make the Church of War into demons. Then, I will handle the rest……"

Only then did the Emperor raise his head. He closed the window where the cold wind blew, dried his face while staring at Serine's ice statue, frozen with her soul gone.

He had never been so powerless and hopeless since birth.

"Ah, O Goddess of Light. Why have you abandoned us?"

***

"What is this?"

"Hmm, as you can see. It's the Apostle of Purity."

"So why is 'that' here?"

"I am not 'that'! I am not an object!"

Sion stared at Ravienne, who was struggling with a sullen face.

After conquering the Fire Cult and returning to Elim, he found an unexpected person captured.

The size of the cult seemed to be at least double what it was before they left. Most were high-ranking holy knights, mercenaries, and soldiers from various places who had invaded Elim.

"Lady Tartania fought hard. The War Knights also played a part. Lord Marquisin helped a lot too."

"Eh."

Sion heard the detailed circumstances belatedly.

Apparently, they were attacked by a strangely large number of invaders immediately after Sion left. Each time, the War Knights stepped forward to repel them, or when even the War Knights couldn't handle it, Tartania stepped in personally to settle the situation.

"Most news arrived late. Well, since we prevented rumors from leaking out like an iron wall, that's understandable. Loenhaugter also contributed greatly in the information war."

"Haha, you flatter me. Bishop Gustein."

Loenhaugter, standing nearby, clinked wine glasses with him and laughed.

Since Loenhaugter joined Elim, an independent information system unique to the Church of War had been established.

They quickly reorganized the system, collected information from various regions, and were able to respond appropriately to invasions.

"It was worth bringing you to Elim."

"You could say that. Hmm."

Gustein's face looked much better than before. Thanks to the increase in talented people to help Elim.

Now, even without an apostle, Elim was solid. It had become the strongest fortress and the final front line in the world.

'Above all, the existence of the Evil God who became human is reassuring.'

In Elim, there was the ultimate weapon, Tartania.

"Waaah."

"Haa. So you've truly become Achille's dog, Tartania?"

"You got caught too? Kaia? Haha."

But now, the number of ultimate weapons had become three.