Apostle of the Goddess of War

Chapter 45

Ch.45 Apostle of the Goddess of War

“Oopsie.”  

Tier let out a foolish sound as he walked. His actions were even more foolish.  

He looked around, then abruptly turned his head.  

“Sir Sion. Something’s… happening…”  

Sion looked at Tier and let out a short sigh.  

“If Tier can sense it too, then it’s definitely confirmed.”  

“Hmm, yes. We’re in trouble.”  

Sion and Garfenn exchanged a conversation that seemed to be known only to the two of them. They had already noticed the oddity that Tier felt.  

“We’re circling the same path over and over.”  

“Huh, really!?”  

Tier brightened with excitement. He felt proud of finally realizing it, even if it was late.  

The next wave of worry had no immediate solution.  

He could only follow the path where Sion walked.  

Sion checked a mark he had carved into a tree earlier. He pulled out a dagger and peeled off the dried bark.  

“Three lines. Yes, this is the same tree we passed before.”  

“When did you even do that!?”  

Tier exclaimed in admiration. It seemed he had truly been the only one unaware.  

He suddenly felt embarrassed about his earlier pride in realizing it so late.  

“It’s a barrier meant to block intruders. Well, a common trick, really.”  

Even Elim now had such barriers. There was nothing surprising about it.  

However, the mountain path was desolate. He hadn’t expected any structures suitable for magical devices, yet they had fallen for it.  

It was a demonstration of the high-dimensional nature of the magic forming the barrier.  

“W-what should we do?”  

Tier stamped his feet anxiously. If they kept losing their way and were discovered, the situation would worsen.  

“At least we made it here correctly.”  

“Sion. Should I take the lead?”  

Garfenn said, leaning against a withered tree. All the trees in this barren mountain had lost their green color.  

“No.”  

Sion also stood up, leaning on a tree. His eyes were as desolate as the mountain itself. In his mind, he was already retracing the paths he had passed.  

“I didn’t take the wrong path. I just walked into the barrier.”  

There was no trigger. It wasn’t spatial teleportation or distortion.  

If anything, it was closer to perceptual distortion.  

“I can find the way.”  

“Lead the way.”  

“Yes.”  

Tier stepped aside, confused. Sion stepped back onto the path.  

‘Use divine power to find the way.’  

Divine power could locate paths unaffected by perceptual distortion. As long as he could spread holy power, any maze could be easily penetrated.  

Sion steadied his breath and closed his eyes.  

Whooshhh.  

A wave of energy rippled over Sion’s shoulders. To Tier, it was a black haze he still couldn’t see.  

The Goddess might guide the way. That would make it much easier.  

But all of this was part of Sion’s training. He needed to accumulate wisdom and experience to overcome any situation. This was precisely what he desired.  

‘The strength to overcome limited circumstances.’  

Sion carefully controlled his holy power as he had learned and spread it outward.  

Then, he could feel a continuous thread leading forward.  

“Follow me.”  

Sion stepped forward. Without opening his eyes, he walked briskly, nearly colliding with a cliff wall.  

“S-Sir Sion!”  

Tier hurriedly tried to grab Sion.  

Swoosh.  

But Sion simply passed straight through the cliff wall. Tier’s hand flailed in empty air.  

“W-what? Huh? Eh?”  

“Stop standing there dumbfounded and walk.”  

Thud!  

Garfenn’s palm pushed Tier forward. Tier tightly shut his eyes and covered his face with his arms.  

Surprisingly… there was no collision with the cliff wall.  

The cliff was merely an illusion.  

The real path blocking their way was beyond the cliff.  

“Well done, Sion. The Goddess is pleased.”  

Garfenn also passed through the cliff. Finally, the proper path appeared—a steep mountain made of rocks and yellow cliffs.  

Oddly, a well-maintained path ran through it.  

It seemed to be a route frequently traveled by blood cultists.  

“Thank you. I’ve learned a truly useful technique.”  

Sion gave a thumbs-up.  

Originally, Sion might have wandered for a long time or even given up searching for the path. With luck, his exceptional senses might have helped him break through.  

But thanks to the divine power manipulation technique, he could easily pass through the barrier.  

‘I’ve definitely become stronger.’  

Sion had grown in many ways. Garfenn ruffled Sion’s hair vigorously, then added an explanation.  

“There’s the method you just used to find the path, and there’s also cutting through the barrier itself using divine power. A more advanced method involves using your holy power to analyze and dismantle the barrier from within.”  

“Can that really be done?”  

“High-level mages from the Magic Kingdom could probably manage it.”  

To understand and analyze a demon’s barrier—this sounded like pure magic.  

The advancement of magic would elevate humanity to a higher level.  

“If we had forcibly cut through this barrier, we’d have been discovered. So just now, Sion’s method was the correct answer.”  

“As expected of Sir Sion!”  

“Master, would you have done the same?”  

At Sion’s question, Garfenn smiled coldly.  

“Even as you see me, I am an Apostle of the Goddess. She tipped me off long ago. If I were alone, I’d never lose my way.”  

Sion forced a smile. He also felt a strange jealousy.  

What was it like to communicate directly with a Goddess?  

‘To have a Goddess who tells you the way… seems incredibly convenient.’  

[This Goddess is not a guide. Sion…]  

Anticipating that day to come, the three began climbing the rugged mountain once more.  

***  

“Tier, crouch down.”  

As Sion spoke, his hand was already pressing Tier’s head down. Garfenn had also hidden behind a cliff.  

Ahead.  

Armed blood cultists were visible.  

Two of them.  

They were guarding the entrance to a large crevice in the rocks.  

“That looks like the entrance, doesn’t it?”  

Judging from the structure, there seemed to be a vast space inside the cliff.  

Reaching it was difficult, but afterward, only the War Sect’s specialty remained—time to crush the nest of Evil God worshippers.  

Garfenn grabbed Sion and Tier’s shoulders and said,  

“Now, each of you takes one. Go.”  

Sion moved the instant Garfenn gave the signal.  

—!  

His entire body shot forward like a bolt.  

In an instant, Sion closed the distance and drew his sword. The blade sliding from its sheath didn’t even make a sound.  

Swish.  

Sion’s sword flashed, slicing through a pale neck.  

The blood cultist died without even realizing he was dead.  

Thud.  

The cultist’s body collapsed on the spot. His head rolled far away across the ground.  

Sion flicked the blood off his blade and murmured,  

“Cutting the head quickly is the way to kill them easily.”  

It was Garfenn’s teaching. Since most wounds could regenerate by drinking blood, decapitation was the best option.  

What use was it if they couldn’t drink blood?  

Klang!  

Beside him, the clash of metal had just begun.  

That was Tier’s opponent.  

“Uwaaaaah!”  

Tier’s axe collided with the cultist’s greatsword, sending sparks flying.  

Naturally, Tier was already being pushed back.  

Tier had only just started learning martial arts. He couldn’t compare to someone who had wielded a sword while drinking human blood.  

Thwack!  

“Ugh…!”  

The guard kicked Tier backward. As Tier was slightly pushed back, the guard alternately glared at Sion and Tier.  

“You. What the hell are you? How did you sneak in here!”  

“Tier. Should I help?”  

Ignoring the blood cultist’s question, Sion asked. Tier desperately wanted to scream for help, but he forcibly suppressed the urge.  

“Sir, please watch me. I can do this.”  

“It’ll be dangerous.”  

“…I’m prepared!”  

“I won’t move until you ask for help.”  

“Yes!”  

Tier gripped his axe handle tightly, steeling his resolve. Sion smiled and nodded. He truly had no intention of helping, even sheathing his sword.  

‘Damn it! I don’t know anymore.’  

Tier slightly regretted his decision. This was how he truly grew into a proper warrior of the War Cult.  

“You damn brats! Are you mocking me?”  

Meanwhile, the blood cultist’s anger surged higher.  

He wanted to immediately scream that intruders had appeared.  

He had to. That was the single mission he had for guarding this place.  

‘My voice won’t come out. Damn it. Why?’  

Even trying to say the first syllable in the word ‘intruder’ made him feel like his throat would be torn out.  

He vaguely sensed the reason himself.  

The blond boy calmly observing the standoff.  

‘That greenhorn is the problem.’  

After already sending one comrade to the side of the Goddess of Death, that arrogant young knight’s gaze made him unable to attempt anything.  

‘I don’t know who he is, but he’s exceptionally skilled. I’m no match for him.’  

The young knight wasn’t involved in the fight—but if he made a wrong move, that lightning-fast sword would clearly kill him.  

He’d die like a dog without even being able to scream.  

‘That can’t happen. Who would benefit?’  

This blood cultist had enough awareness and intuition for that. Regardless of the indescribable sense of humiliation.  

In the end, he had only one choice.  

‘I’ll toy with this Tier guy and buy time. Then someone will come to help because of the commotion.’  

This was the best he could do in this situation.  

The plan was decently good.  

…The plan itself.  

Whish!  

An axe swung without warning.  

Suddenly, a massive hunk of metal appeared before the cultist’s eyes.  

Honor of knights or duels be damned—Tier desperately needed victory.  

It was an ambush.  

Kaaang—!  

“Ugh, ughaaaak! You damn bastard!”  

“Dieeeee!”  

Tier might lack skill, but he wasn’t weak in strength.  

While the guard nervously swallowed and glanced at Sion.  

Tier seized that moment of distraction with a decisive strike.  

The guard couldn’t react as sensitively to everything while thinking like Sion.  

He barely managed to block with his sword, but the downward force was so powerful that the axe blade couldn’t stop from digging into his shoulder.  

Kwagagaga!  

Tier put everything into this one strike.  

With all the strength he could muster, even the strength from his infancy, he pushed the cultist straight back into the cliff wall.  

“Kraaak! You damn— Help— Ugh!”  

The cultist screamed in pain. Tier quickly clamped a hand over the man’s mouth. Their bodies were so close he couldn’t swing his weapon anymore.  

One hand blocked the man’s mouth from screaming, the other hand fiercely struck the cultist’s torso.  

Thud.  

When the ribs broke, the cultist’s body twitched.  

Then, realizing the danger, his eyes rolled back.  

His bloodshot eyes turned completely red.  

Instantly, his fangs sharpened—and he sank them into Tier’s neck.  

“Kyaak!”  

Tier thrashed violently. Even while his blood was being sucked, he kept striking the man’s broken ribs, desperate to kill him.  

Thud, thud!  

Eventually, the two rolled on the ground. Now, swordsmanship or technique meant nothing.  

The fight would be decided by who was more tenacious and vicious.  

Sion suppressed his urge to help immediately.  

‘This is Tier’s fight. He hasn’t asked for help yet.’  

Tier, perhaps realizing he couldn’t go on, stopped striking and began pushing the man’s face away. If the blood-sucking continued, Tier would die first.  

Using his natural grip strength, Tier seized the man’s jaws and stabbed his right hand into the cultist’s red eye.  

Crunch.  

“Ugh, ughbubub!”  

Next came the throat.  

Soon, the cultist’s body went limp.  

Without being able to suck more blood, Tier strangled him until he died.  

“Hah, huff! Paaah!”  

Tier exhaled a breath he was about to collapse with. His chest inflated and deflated like a balloon.  

Then, tears and snot streaming, he raised both arms high.  

“I… did… it.”  

Unable to shout loudly, he swallowed his roar and savored his victory.  

Sion and Garfenn looked at each other and smiled.  

Because Tier had won alone, the result was even more precious.  

Sion ran to Tier and extended his hand.  

“Well done, Tier.”  

“Ugh, thank you, Sir Sion. But… why am I so sleepy?”  

Psssh—!  

A stream of blood shot from the two holes in Tier’s neck.  

“Tier!”  

Sion’s face turned pale.  

Garfenn chuckled and prayed to Goddess Achille.  

It was a ritual to heal wounds using the blood cultist’s blood.  

The Goddess smiled and readily accepted.  

[I shall personally lend my power for my new warrior.]  

Achille’s grace descended upon Tier.  

Tier had achieved his wish.

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