Apostle of the Goddess of War

Chapter 43

Ch.43 Apostle of the Goddess of War

At his disciple’s reckless momentum, Garfenn seemed amused as he raised his sword.  

Whether he intended to use full strength as if truly facing a demon-blooded being, he even summoned the Dragon Slayer into the air.  

Gulp.  

‘He’s serious.’  

Overwhelmed by that immense presence, Sion swallowed hard. For a brief moment, the thought crossed his mind that he might die right here, right now.  

“Well then. Let’s see……”  

Garfenn assumed his stance.  

His grip on the massive sword, as large as his own towering frame, was astonishingly powerful.  

Yet his focused, unwavering posture inspired awe.  

Kwaaaang!  

As Garfenn stepped forward and stamped the ground, an explosive sound erupted.  

A chill ran down Sion’s spine. Death had casually arrived to claim him.  

An instinctive urge to flee this place immediately tugged at his being.  

Wuuuuuung!  

Garfenn’s greatsword vibrated. It emitted a sound like a giant beast roaring.  

‘The sword’s cry!’  

Sion’s hair stood on end. This was truly dangerous. If he didn’t stay completely alert, he would be cleanly cut in two and lose his life.  

Even as he tensed, Sion couldn’t help but admire Garfenn’s sword aura.  

‘He’s become one with the greatsword. It’s not that he’s swinging the blade—it’s as if the sword itself becomes him, and cuts.’  

Sion inwardly paid respect to a realm several dimensions higher.  

That was it.  

Now, the fight had to begin.  

Soon, his master’s overwhelming attack would come.  

There would be no time to even breathe. The slightest opening, and he would die on the spot.  

Just one exchange.  

He had to endure a single strike.  

‘How will he come at me?’  

He predicted countless possibilities. His scalp heated up, burning with intensity.  

At the same moment—  

Jeongeongeong—!  

Cracks spread across the ground.  

His master’s figure, standing directly in front of him, vanished. The airflow became explosive. It was already too late to follow with the eyes.  

Fortunately, he had learned something.  

He had already spread divine power around himself, using it for detection.  

Thanks to that, he could react.  

If he waited to spot the form and then reacted, it would be too late.  

Instead, he had to sense the flow of divine power and preemptively position himself where his master would appear.  

Kaaaaang!  

He blocked it!  

Though a shock like broken fingers shot through his arm, he successfully blocked Garfenn’s attack.  

The impact instantly compressed the air, creating a vacuum in the space where Sion stood.  

He couldn’t breathe.  

Only divine power dominated the space.  

“……!”  

As if the first exchange wasn’t over yet, Garfenn’s blade slid up along Sion’s sword.  

This time, the strike was imbued with black divine power, clearly intending to cleanly sever Sion’s upper body.  

‘I can’t block it.’  

He had already lost the tactical advantage. With his sword already below, he would be cut before he could react.  

The strongest strike from decades of slaying evil descended like a typhoon. It couldn’t be blocked, couldn’t be met head-on.  

The wise choice was to avoid it.  

Then—  

He had to pull his body back.  

Beyond his master’s speed.  

His master asked a question.  

‘Can you avoid it?’  

Sion had to answer.  

Using everything he had learned from him.  

Fortunately, Sion had practiced thoroughly.  

Through solitary training, he had refined his divine power utilization.  

He reinforced his body using the Achille-style divine power method.  

And then—  

Sion went one step further.  

―!  

A fleeting moment stretched like an eternity.  

Sion’s brain felt like it was boiling, his head burning hot, blood flowing from his nose.  

At this instant, Sion’s genius nature blossomed into full bloom.  

By interpreting the Goddess of War’s method and advancing it one step further, his physical enhancement technique pushed his reflexes to the extreme.  

Ssak.  

Sion pulled his body back, arching his back and lifting his head.  

The greatsword meant to sever a dragon’s neck grazed Sion’s nose as it swung upward. Immediately after, a massive wave of sword energy hurled Sion away.  

He avoided it—but not completely.  

“……”  

Sion tumbled across the ground, but Garfenn didn’t move a muscle.  

Given his master’s profound level, he instantly recognized how exceptional Sion’s reflexes were to have evaded such a decisive strike.  

“The flow of divine power is slightly different. Did you modify what I taught you?”  

Garfenn asked his disciple, who was brushing dust off as he stood up.  

“Yes. What you taught me is optimized more for strength enhancement, so I reinterpreted it to suit my lighter physique.”  

Sion replied calmly.  

Garfenn remained silent. Instead, the Goddess whispered to him.  

[This talent is difficult even for a Goddess like me to comprehend. It’s new every day, fascinating.]  

‘If the Goddess says so, how can I possibly feel otherwise?’  

[Indeed, astonishing.]  

‘I think I wet my pants.’  

[You’re a grown man.]  

That was how shocked he was—by Sion’s extraordinary talent.  

Garfenn, who had the privilege of witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime genius, slowly opened his mouth.  

“Have you named it?”  

“……I just call it the War-style Divine Power Utilization Method.”  

Simple, yet full of identity.  

It was a name that also reflected Sion’s warm and humble nature.  

Swish.  

Garfenn returned the Dragon Slayer to the air.  

This was a sign he had passed the test.  

“I permit you to hunt demon-blooded beings. Coincidentally, we’ve just received new information.”  

Sion’s eyes lit up.  

“So you weren’t just lazing around after all!”  

“What kind of master do you take me for?”  

“I thought you just slept all day, sir.”  

“You ungrateful disciple.”  

Kwank!  

Sion got a flick on the forehead, but it didn’t hurt at all—instead, he felt happy.  

His master had believed from the beginning that he would succeed.  

***  

“Brother! Me too! I wanna go too!”  

“No. You have to stay and protect Ruina and Kaili instead of me.”  

“B-But! I can fight now too!”  

Set, standing beside Sion as he checked his gear before the demon-blooded extermination mission, was throwing a tantrum.  

No meant no. Set was clearly still a child.  

Sion wasn’t exactly an adult either, but Sion was an exception.  

“Big brother, come back safe.”  

Beside them, Kaili stood blankly, hugging the wooden statue of the Goddess Achille like a teddy bear.  

Her round, blank face was dripping with obvious disappointment toward Sion.  

‘Kaili……’  

He had no idea how this child had become a vessel for the priestess. He’d heard divine power was innate.  

Perhaps her habit of idly staring at the Goddess statue or the sky was actually her seeing or communicating with something others couldn’t perceive.  

‘For Kaili’s sake…… I need to quickly build up achievements.’  

He had to eliminate Evil God worshippers, save more people, and restore Achille’s power. To prevent Kaili from being taken by another Goddess, he needed to work even harder than now.  

Sion gently patted Kaili’s head and squeezed Set’s shoulder.  

“Take good care of your sister, Set. You understand what I’m saying, right?”  

“U-uh, yeah. I got it.”  

“And Kaili, listen to your sister and brother, okay?”  

“Hmph. No fun.”  

Pouting, Kaili stomped off somewhere.  

Lately, she’d been visiting Marquisin often—it seemed her uniquely pure soul resonated well with the elf.  

Sion said goodbye to Ruina one last time.  

As always, Ruina met him halfway, her expression half-serious, half-playful.  

“Don’t get hurt.”  

“Yeah. I’ll be careful.”  

“If you come back injured, I’ll die too.”  

“Why do you keep saying scary things?”  

Sion forced a smile. Was Ruina always like this? She hadn’t been like this back when they were slaves together……  

“Please take good care of the little ones.”  

“Yeah.”  

Ruina waved. Sion waved back as he walked down the church hill.  

Down below, at the entrance to Elim, Garfenn was waiting for him.  

“Si— Siiion naaariii!”  

Just as he reached the slope, someone came running toward Sion.  

“Mr. Tier?”  

“Hah, hah. S-Sir Sion!”  

“What’s wrong?”  

Sion gave him a moment to catch his breath. But Tier, gasping heavily, didn’t stop talking.  

“Me too! Me too! Please take me with you!”  

“What?”  

“Me too! I want to go on the mission! Haaah!”  

“……Do you even know what kind of mission this is?”  

Sion scratched his cheek.  

‘Take Mr. Tier on a demon-blooded extermination mission?’  

For an ordinary person, it was practically a suicide mission. It was that dangerous. Even Sion couldn’t guarantee his own life.  

“I don’t know what it is, but I want to help! I want to gain experience and repay your kindness!”  

This was extremely difficult.  

Sion carefully chose his words.  

“It’s far too dangerous. I understand your heart, but you don’t need to carry this debt. Tier. Just staying in the War Cult is enough.”  

“No!”  

Tier strongly shook his head. His eyes were already firm, resolute.  

“That’s not enough.”  

“……You could die. I might not be able to protect you.”  

“If I become a burden, abandon me. If it gets too dangerous, I’ll end my own life.”  

“No—”  

Besides Ruina, why were there so many extreme people?  

Did people become like this after joining the War Cult? Or were such people naturally drawn to become War Cult disciples?  

‘Do I look like this to others?’  

Sion wondered randomly and asked again.  

“What’s your real reason for wanting to follow?”  

“……I want to grow quickly as a War Cult disciple and devote myself to the Goddess.”  

In truth, in this world, Sion was the unusual one. Most people, like Tier, held deep faith in the Goddess.  

They risked their lives for her, devoted their lives in service, hoping for rewards in the afterlife.  

Tier’s reaction wasn’t strange or excessive. Sion, on the other hand, was relatively cynical about faith.  

“I understand. But my master must approve. He’ll be accompanying us.”  

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”  

Sion had no choice but to bring Tier along as he approached Garfenn.  

Garfenn was chewing a blade of grass, making a ‘chwee-chwee’ sound.  

When he saw the person beside Sion, he spat it out.  

“Hm? What is it?”  

“Good day, Mr. Garfenn!”  

“Uh, he wants to join the mission……”  

Ahaha, Sion awkwardly laughed. Garfenn stared at Tier for a moment, then spoke.  

“You’re following without even knowing what it is?”  

“No.”  

“Bold.”  

“I believe the Goddess will guide my path.”  

“You’re approved.”  

Garfenn firmly gripped Tier’s shoulder. True to the War Cult’s style—straightforward, without formalities or rigid systems.  

“Good is good.”  

Sion had no choice but to go along. Garfenn was always like this.  

Even if he acted this way, he usually had his reasons, so there was nothing more to say.  

“Listen. We’re heading to the northern part of Foils. Since Sion rescued the Wildflower Cult, blood cultist groups have been growing rampant there.”  

“S-So that’s it. Blood cultists……!”  

Tier clenched his fists. That his first mission would be a decisive battle against Evil God worshippers—of course his heart was pounding.  

“According to intelligence, there seems to be a hidden base somewhere in that region.”  

“A hideout?”  

“Yes. They didn’t just lead a group into imperial territory—they’ve actually established a nest.”  

Garfenn said with a serious expression.  

“Normally, heretics are driven outside imperial borders and rarely seen, but lately they keep appearing.”  

“That’s right.”  

Sion agreed. The rumors spreading across the empire were far from normal.  

It wasn’t just blood cultists running wild.  

The Blood Cult, the Darkness Cult, the Death Cult, and so on……  

Followers of notorious Evil Gods were rising up nationwide.  

“It seems they’ve spent a very long time secretly infiltrating every corner of the empire and building their forces.”  

“They’ve been holding back, and now they’ve finally begun operations.”  

“That’s right.”  

Garfenn added,  

“The Holy Kingdom and the Empire have recognized the problem and announced large-scale extermination campaigns. It’s time for the War Cult to achieve great feats.”  

“I understand.”  

“If we destroy the demon-blooded hideout this time, we’ll gain an opportunity to negotiate with the Holy Kingdom.”  

In other words, it was a perfect chance to restore Achille’s power.  

Sion thought of Kaili and resolved to perform outstandingly in this mission.

Schedule: Every mon, wed, fri and sun

Review at

NovelUpdate