Apostle of the Goddess of War

Chapter 25

Ch.25 Apostle of the Goddess of War

Whoosh!  

By the time Tier regained his senses, a knife was already buried in the neck of the bandit who had been on guard duty.  

“You killed him… by throwing a knife?”  

The distance was quite far.  

Even if one ran, it would have taken a long time to cover it.  

Yet from that distance, Sion had thrown the knife with an arm whose muscles hadn’t even fully developed and hit the target perfectly.  

‘Is that even a human being?’  

Before Tier’s exclamation had even finished, Sion had already retrieved the thrown knife and entered deeper into the camp.  

He declared:  

“In the name of the Goddess of War. I shall punish you all.”  

The moment those words ended, Sion’s figure vanished.  

“What—what the hell?!”  

Tier hurriedly ran forward, peeking out just his head.  

And what he saw was…  

A scene of pure massacre.  

The bandits were utterly disoriented by Sion’s surprise attack.  

None of them, whether friend or foe, could even grasp the situation.  

When something small, like a wild animal, darted past with a whoosh! and struck, a warm liquid gushed from their abdomen.  

Thud.  

“What?”  

Looking down, they saw blood and entrails spilling out helplessly.  

When they tried to locate the small beast that had attacked, it was already far away, repeating the same act on another comrade.  

The figure moved as if appearing and disappearing at will.  

“C-crazy…”  

A bandit who witnessed this from afar screamed at the top of his lungs.  

“It’s an a—tta—ck!”  

Slash!  

The bandit who had shouted was already beheaded by Sion, who had closed the distance without a sound.  

Splat!  

Blood splattered along the path Sion walked. The ground was dyed rose-red, as if a painter had flung paint.  

‘Incredible…!’  

Tier witnessed all of this with his own eyes.  

And his gaping mouth didn’t close—it only widened further.  

Sion’s sword dance far surpassed anything Tier had ever imagined.  

It wasn’t just a matter of exceptional swordsmanship.  

Raw power capable of slicing through body parts like chopping vegetables.  

Speed so fast it resembled a wild beast, impossible to follow with the naked eye.  

And judgment sharp enough to avoid numerical disadvantage and swiftly move to advantageous terrain.  

Tier would have dismissed all of this as a fabricated tale had he not seen it himself.  

‘He’s not human.’  

There was no other way to describe Sion.  

He wasn’t human.  

This wasn’t a skill any ordinary person could imitate.  

Stronger than the Holy Sword Brigade.  

His abilities weren’t limited to merely defeating a Mains.  

‘That’s not a human—that’s something else entirely…’  

In that moment, Tier realized it.  

A knight.  

A holy knight of the Goddess of War.  

‘Ah…’  

So this was what a being blessed by the Goddess looked like.  

Sion’s figure, swinging his sword in a state of selflessness, was incredibly brutal.  

Yet to Tier, it looked like a miracle being performed.  

Unexpectedly, Tier felt the presence of the Goddess.  

Thud.  

Tier fell to his knees.  

And he prayed.  

‘Almighty Goddess, Lady of War.’  

Enchanted by Sion’s swordsmanship, he had come to believe in the Goddess.  

Achille was the only Goddess who had helped him, and she had shown her power through Sion.  

Faith naturally arose in the heart of one who had tasted a miracle.  

‘From today onward, I dedicate my life to the Goddess of War.’  

Even though a bandit might discover him and attack at any moment, Tier didn’t care.  

Such things were no longer important.  

This was a precious moment. A miraculous experience.  

Slash! Aaagh!  

The sound of blades and screams sounded like hymns. Everything felt sacred.  

Though he had never heard such a hymn before in his life, Tier imagined this must be what one sounded like.  

“Grant the Goddess’s messenger strength, courage, and whatever else—just shower him with endless blessings…”  

“What are you doing, Tier?”  

The messenger of the Goddess spoke to him.  

The young man, who had lived his entire life in the mountains, had transformed into a fervent believer.  

“Ah, Sir Sion. Messenger of the Goddess.”  

Sion stepped back slightly, taken aback.  

‘Why is this guy acting like this again?’  

***  

“It’s—unbelievable! I saw it with my own eyes and still can’t believe it!”  

“Don’t get so excited at a massacre scene. Ah, wait a moment.”  

As Sion said this, he knelt before a corpse.  

He plunged his blood-soaked blade into the ground, and the blood began to be absorbed into the blade.  

‘Good heavens!’  

Tier almost cried out in shock.  

A living sword?  

‘No, the sword isn’t alive.’  

The blade, now soaked in blood, turned black and began to sparkle like stardust.  

Whatever it was, it was a mysterious phenomenon. Since it was something performed by a holy knight, it must be related to the Goddess’s power.  

In other words, proof that the Goddess truly existed.  

‘Don’t doubt, you fool!’  

Tier scolded himself for the unbelief and irreverence that came as naturally as breathing.  

‘Since it’s the Goddess of War, maybe he’s offering the blood of fallen enemies as tribute? It’s kind of creepy, but…’  

But so what?  

He had experienced the existence of the Goddess of War and witnessed the miracle.  

From today, he would become a follower of the War Cult, and he intended to observe and learn everything about Sion.  

“Sorry, did I make you wait long?”  

Sion had finished his offering prayer.  

The pool of blood on the ground had completely disappeared. It was a miraculous wonder, no matter how many times he saw it.  

In return, he gained restored stamina and a slight increase in holy power.  

“W-what should we do now, my lord?”  

Tier spoke without meeting Sion’s eyes. A mix of wanting to grow closer and recognizing the other’s nobility coexisted within him.  

“Before killing the last one, I asked where the leader was. He said he was over there.”  

Sion pointed with his finger toward a cave entrance with a deep hole.  

“Oh, there. That’s the mine entrance.”  

“So it is.”  

“It used to be where the village men worked… but they couldn’t anymore.”  

A dark shadow passed over Tier’s face.  

But now, thinking that Sion would soon resolve everything, he smiled.  

“Let’s go. Let’s rescue the people quickly.”  

“Yes, my lord.”  

When they reached the cave entrance, Sion frowned.  

Tier also jumped in surprise and hid behind Sion.  

An unfamiliar voice echoed from inside the cave.  

“Well now, this is troublesome. Did you two kill all my men?”  

A man emerged from inside the cave.  

He was clearly different from the bandits they had defeated so far.  

From his build to his gait, nothing about him resembled an ordinary bandit.  

‘Is this Holt?’  

Sion guessed, but couldn’t be certain.  

One thing was clear: this man was undoubtedly the leader who had seized the mine.  

“Are you Mr. Holt?”  

The bandit leader’s eyes narrowed.  

“…Who are you? Who sent you?”  

“The Goddess sent me.”  

“The Goddess? Hah. How ridiculous.”  

The bandit leader scratched his head. He looked back and forth between Sion and Tier.  

“One of you is the boy who escaped from the village. I should’ve killed him when I had the chance.”  

His observation and memory were sharp.  

Sion and Tier were secretly surprised and wary of him.  

Indeed, the leader was different.  

He wasn’t someone meant to merely serve as a bandit chief.  

Shing.  

Sion drew his sword and pointed it at the man.  

The bandit leader still hadn’t drawn the twin daggers at his waist.  

“What did you do with the kidnapped women?”  

He frowned. He clearly felt deep displeasure.  

“That’s none of your business, brat. You’re about to die anyway.”  

Grrr. Sion gritted his teeth.  

Dark thoughts flashed through his mind.  

‘So words won’t work after all.’  

Sion took a deep breath.  

Don’t get excited. The opponent is a veteran. This is just cheap provocation.  

If I fall for such shallow tactics, the gap in skill will only widen.  

Kiiing!  

Sion instantly closed the distance and swung his sword.  

The leader tilted his head back, narrowly avoiding the attack.  

His reflexes were sharp enough to react to Sion’s lightning-fast assault.  

“You’re indeed strong…”  

He was no ordinary man.  

Sion gave a slight smile.  

The opponent responded with an equally bitter smirk.  

Without a doubt, this was the strongest enemy he had ever faced.  

And so, he couldn’t help but feel joy.  

Defeating a strong enemy would please the Goddess, and greater blessings would return.  

“Are you going to keep stalling? If you don’t hurry, it’ll be dangerous—for the women. Kik.”  

“……”  

The provocation was becoming increasingly blatant.  

Regardless of the true intent behind the words, one thing was certain—it was in poor taste.  

Sion loosened his shoulders slightly, then lunged forward like a pouncing lion.  

Clang!  

A powerful sword strike clashed against the twin daggers. Sparks flew, and dust rose from the ground.  

Sion was fully immersed in this battle.  

His opponent was technically superior, and even a moment’s carelessness would mean death for Sion.  

In terms of pure swordsmanship, the bandit leader was overwhelmingly superior.  

Sion fought by instinct.  

Clang, clang! Clang-clang-clang!  

The bandit leader’s attacks grew faster. With both arms, he swung the daggers in dazzling motions, too quick for the eye to follow.  

For Sion, who fought with a long sword, this was a difficult opponent.  

The enemy surpassed Sion’s greatest strength—speed—making the matchup unfavorable.  

With his strength still undeveloped, overpowering the opponent with brute force was impossible.  

Splat!  

A scratch appeared on Sion’s face.  

‘That was close.’  

If he had tilted his head just a moment later, he would have lost his eye.  

Though the leader was thoroughly gaining the upper hand, he stopped his attack first.  

He asked with a slightly twisted expression:  

“You brat… why are you grinning?”  

“What? Me?”  

“Yeah. You look like you’re about to die, so what’s so funny? What’s so amusing while taking every blow?”  

Sion gave a cold, sarcastic smile.  

“Because I’m learning a lot from fighting such a strong opponent?”  

“What?”  

Whoosh!  

Sion’s shadow surged forward. His speed increased even further.  

Damn! The leader nearly lost track of Sion and hastily swung his arms to block.  

“Haa… haa…”  

Sion raised his sword forward again. His breathing had grown slightly ragged.  

“You’re forcing your speed. You’ll die if you keep that up.”  

“If I don’t, I’ll lose anyway.”  

The bandit leader looked at the sharp youth before him. The boy radiated an aura as if he’d cut anyone who touched him.  

‘Trying to match my speed?’  

The bandit leader sneered.  

There was only one way to defeat him:  

To move faster than he did.  

The young swordsman seemed to understand that.  

But—  

‘With that long sword? Impossible.’  

Sssk.  

The leader lowered his body.  

He spread both arms wide, raising the daggers like claws.  

Like a bat about to spread its wings, his shadow stretched long on the ground.  

‘Still, there’s no need to drag this out. I’ll end it.’  

Without blinking, neither man wasted a single breath.  

Just one strike.  

A moment where even the slightest breath could decide victory or defeat.  

Sion sprinted toward the gate of life.  

‘I have to risk my life—otherwise, I can’t win.’  

That was the only way.  

A fight where he was inferior in speed and technique.  

Ultimately, the only means to overcome it was—  

To accept death.  

Fear surged through him.  

Yet Sion didn’t hesitate.  

At that moment,  

Both moved simultaneously.  

An extreme speed duel.  

The leader closed his arms like scissors, aiming to sever Sion’s neck.  

Confident in his speed, he knew there was no way he could lose.  

However—  

Sion’s blade reached first.  

—Cling-clang!  

Blood droplets scattered.  

It was Sion who bled.  

“Gaaah… you damn madman…!”  

Yet it was the leader who fell to his knees.  

He writhed in agony.  

His right shoulder was gone.  

He tried to stop the bleeding with his left hand, but the hemorrhage was uncontrollable.  

Thud, thud.  

Sion approached.  

Blood streamed from the X-shaped wound on his chest.  

The leader’s face twisted.  

“You cut off your own arm just to land a hit… and gave up your heart for it? Are you insane!?”  

“To reach faster, I had no choice but to abandon defense.”  

“…Even so, who in their right mind actually does that?! They’d just run away! If I’d been just a bit faster, you’d be dead! You were just lucky!”  

“But I’m alive.”  

“…What?”  

It was such a hollow, absurd answer that it almost made him laugh.  

The leader twisted his face in disbelief.  

Sion remained utterly calm.  

“I charged in, believing in the Goddess and ready to die.”  

“…What?”  

“You didn’t. That’s why I won.”  

Just one difference.  

That single difference decided victory or defeat.  

In the end, the one who desired it more had won.  

Sion took his final step forward.  

The leader looked up at him.  

A chill ran down his spine.  

Mad, blue eyes stared directly into his own.

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