Apostle of the Goddess of War

Chapter 48

Ch.48 Apostle of the Goddess of War

“He couldn’t withstand even a single strike. He wielded not a blade, but light. My body collapsed from within and turned into light.”  

“……”  

An astonishing story.  

The Apostle of Light was a being even Sion’s master, Garfenn, avoided comparing himself to.  

‘The pinnacle of mortal existence.’  

It was said that no one could reach him, except the Goddess herself.  

His power and authority touched divinity, and he was universally acknowledged as a ‘Demigod’.

“But you’re alive.”  

“Do I look alive to you?”  

A chilling voice echoed. He stretched out his arm and clenched his fist.  

But his arm trembled violently, as if he couldn’t even control his own hand.  

“One arm. The only part of my original body I managed to save from that utter defeat.”  

“……?”  

“I had to drink a thousand lives’ worth of blood just to escape. From within the range of that damned Apostle of Light’s attack.”  

The Apostle of Blood let out a deep sigh.  

“Since then, I’ve been like this. Without soaking in a bath of blood, I can barely maintain my body. Even after hundreds of years, I haven’t recovered.”  

Gradually, his voice grew heated.  

His fury toward the Apostle of Light scraped violently against the cave walls.  

“But soon, the grand design begins. Before such a great purpose, shouldn’t I also contribute to my body? I must use every means to restore my strength.”  

A voice soaked in blood resounded.  

“I received an oracle saying that if I obtain the Heart of Emily—a sacred relic possessing unparalleled life force—I could achieve it. That’s what I’ve been scheming for.”  

“……”  

“But then.”  

He paused briefly. His presence was slowly growing, making sweat trickle down Sion’s spine.  

“Someone appeared and interfered. Because of that, I’m in this state. I can’t endure without submerging my body in filthy human blood.”  

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. His red eyes reflected the moonlight, glowing as if they would seize Sion.  

“The one who interfered has come to me of his own accord.”  

Kiiing!  

Sion drew his sword. It seemed the peaceful conversation time was over.  

The Apostle of Blood slowly raised his arm.  

He spread his fingers—three of them.  

As he folded each finger one by one, he spoke.  

“There were three oracles. One was to obtain the Heart of Emily. Another was to drink the blood of the entire empire. The last one was…”  

He glared at Sion. The peaceful atmosphere instantly froze.  

“To seize the body of one possessing exceptional talent.”  

Goosebumps rose on Sion’s forearm. Without needing to hear it, he knew whose body was being referred to.  

“……”  

“A vessel with talent favored by the Goddess of War would be more than sufficient for me. I could become stronger than in my prime.”  

He giggled maniacally.  

“My Goddess’s arrangement is so exquisite. Come, child of the War Cult. Become one with me.”  

“…I’d rather not.”  

Whoosh!  

Sion swung his arm without warning.  

Immediate and decisive.  

The blade flew, igniting black flames.  

Kaaaaang!  

At the moment Sion’s full-force strike split the air, a thunderous explosion erupted.  

Compressed air instantly surged outward, even creating ripples in the blood bath.  

Puff!  

Out of nowhere, a kick sent Sion flying backward. He rolled his body using a falling technique to minimize impact. Regaining his stance and lifting his head, he saw another person.  

‘Finally appeared.’  

The blood demon Sion had been seeking—Belzama.  

Though clearly an overwhelmingly strong one, even she seemed infinitely small in presence beside the Apostle of Blood.  

“Hello? Cute one? It’s even better seeing you here.”  

Belzama smiled, retracting her left arm stained with blood, emphasizing the arm Sion had just struck. Sion grimaced in disgust.  

The Apostle of Blood spoke.  

“Belzama.”  

“Yes, my lord.”  

Belzama instantly knelt and bowed her head. The playful atmosphere she showed toward Sion vanished completely.  

Their hierarchy and loyalty were now evident.  

“This child will be my new vessel. Handle him delicately. I want him intact.”  

“Understood.”  

Belzama ran her tongue over her red lips. It was time to hunt delicious prey.  

‘I’ll cut Belzama too.’  

With Sion’s resolve firm, a cluster of stars sublimated and burst forth behind his back. The divine power of the Goddess of War, repelling the cold aura of blood, protected Sion.  

At that moment, Sion’s sword surged forward. A ruthless direct strike.  

Creeeak!  

Sion’s sword was blocked by a sharp blade of blood. A chilling magical force struck hard. Belzama didn’t move, using blood magic to oppose Sion.  

Still, an extremely powerful magic.  

Then, blood-red thorns formed a coral-like structure and surged forward.  

The space was filled with blood and magical energy. Fighting in the enemy’s lair put Sion at an overwhelming disadvantage.  

Creeeng!  

Sion’s arm, blocking the attack, vibrated to the bone.  

‘Won’t be easy.’  

This was a decisive battle with the being known as the Seventh Lord of Blood.  

All previous fights felt like children’s play in comparison.  

‘I’m so excited.’  

This was Sion’s peculiar trait. Each time he fought a strong opponent, he felt exhilaration and saw it as a stepping stone forward.  

This battle was the perfect opportunity for growth.  

“Haaah!”  

Sion began explosively drawing out his sacred power.  

Whoosh!  

The sword swung like lightning, illuminating the dark cave. Star dust scattered through the air.  

Paaang!  

Along with his fluttering black cloak, he unleashed his all-out strike. His maximally enhanced body could even catch up to the demon’s speed attempting evasion.  

Kiiing!  

A blood barrier enveloped Belzama. Too fast to create a blood blade in response, this was automatic defensive blood magic.  

Creeak.  

Sion’s sword created a crack in the barrier.  

Adding more force, the crack spread across the entire blood sphere and shattered it.  

Maintaining his sword trajectory, he brought it down on Belzama’s crown.  

A chill ran through him. Instinctively, he withdrew his sword and pulled his body back.  

Whoosh!  

At the same speed, blood thorns pierced the spot where Sion had just been. If he hadn’t withdrawn his sword, Sion would have been the one to die.  

‘Even during combat, spreading divine power has its effect. Just as my master said.’  

Later, this stage should continue even during sleep. Only when detecting the surroundings with divine power becomes as natural as breathing can he advance to the next step.  

“You’ve gotten stronger?”  

Belzama said, caressing her lips.  

To her, it was a suspicious situation. They had only met a month ago.  

‘It’s impossible.’  

The Sion then and now were entirely different people. Back then, she thought him strong, but never imagined he could avoid a trap like that.  

‘He sensed my intent in advance and withdrew his sword. That’s certain.’  

If it were just luck, maybe.  

But that was clearly a skill.  

She couldn’t believe he had grown this much in such a short time.  

‘If I let him live, what kind of hidden danger might he become…’  

Certainly, it would be best to cut off the boy’s breath while he’s still young.  

If she could offer him here as a sacrifice for the apostle’s resurrection, it would be perfect.  

“I won’t be defeated like last time.”  

Sion wiped a bit of blood on his cheek and raised his sword. He thought he’d dodged well, but it had already grazed his cheek.  

Belzama was indeed a threatening opponent. Objectively, she was still stronger than Sion.  

To reverse this, he’d need to display innate genius.  

“Hmm. Is that so?”  

Belzama smirked. A blood droplet gathered and condensed right before her nose.  

Only a single drop, yet the magic within it evoked even fear. A blood magic she’d never seen before.  

‘Avoid what I don’t understand.’  

Belzama raised her finger and flicked the blood droplet like a slap.  

Pababat!  

The blood droplet split into thousands, raining down on Sion like arrows. Sion realized his judgment had been naive at the unexpected speed and density. This wasn’t something he could dodge.  

‘It won’t work.’  

Flutter!  

Sion curled his body as much as possible, wrapping his cloak around him. The black cloak covered Sion, protecting him.  

Tatatat! Piuuung!  

The split blood droplets shattered the cave walls and marble floor without discrimination.  

That small amount of blood could destroy solid rock walls. A direct hit on a person would leave no trace of their form.  

“……”  

But Sion was unharmed. Thanks to the cloak imbued with the protection of the Divine Cloak, he could block the wide-area attack.  

“An annoying item.”  

Belzama frowned, forming hand seals with both hands. She was focusing on magic. This was also proof that Sion had the upper hand in close combat.  

Kwakwakwakwak!  

The blood in the blood bath swirled upward toward the ceiling like a whirlpool.  

“Truly remarkable! At your age, you’re not even inferior to one of the Seven Lords!”  

The Apostle of Blood cackled with mad laughter, watching the fierce battle. The more he watched, the more Sion appealed to him.  

Sion didn’t focus on his words. His mind was so hot it felt burning—not focused on the fight with Belzama.  

Her magic.  

He was solely absorbing how she manipulated blood magic, instantly analyzing it in his mind.  

Naturally, warm liquid began flowing from his nose.  

‘I think I get it.’  

It was on a completely different level from the previous demons he fought.  

The level and clarity of the magic.  

Seeing high-dimensional magic made its difficult principles paradoxically clearer.  

The previous ones weren’t difficult—they were chaotic.  

‘Still hard to understand. But…’  

It seemed possible to imitate.  

Kwakwakwak!!!  

A blood storm raged, crushing the marble floor. Sion ignored it, taking a large step forward. He swung his sword, imbuing it with the color of night.  

Sword aura.  

A black semicircle tore through space and flew forward.  

Swish!  

Kwaaaaang!  

Massive energy waves burst out. The blood storm failed to engulf Sion. The divine power blade shattered the storm.  

“How can this be!?”  

Belzama’s smile vanished. Could he really grow this much in such a short time?  

Flutter!  

Sion’s cloak fluttered. Rushing swiftly at Belzama, he raised his sword to strike.  

Belzama also turned her blood-stained arm into a blade and brought it down.  

At the point where blood and black energy collided, an explosion occurred.  

Kwaang!  

For an instant, a heavy recoil traveled up the sword, numbing the sensation in his forearm. Sion barely suppressed a groan.  

‘Strong.’  

But he succeeded in closing the distance. This was the moment to decide the outcome. He couldn’t stop his attacks. After a fierce exchange, he had to sever her head.  

Kakang!  

Kwaaaaang!  

Kiiing!  

Sion displayed all his techniques without restraint. He swung his sword, choosing only the best path to sever Belzama’s head.  

Blood blades and blood arms blocked his sword, blood barriers intercepted his thrusts.  

To break through again, he withdrew his sword and layered sacred power, only for unseen blood magic to interfere and counterattack.  

“……Remarkable.”  

The Apostle of Blood spoke. His lips moved silently, unheard. His eyes were filled with pleasure.  

It was truly genius.  

Just by looking, it was clear his swordsmanship wasn’t refined. Instead, he relied purely on immediate instinct to keep up with Belzama.  

Yet admiration poured out.  

His development was visible with each passing moment of the fight.  

‘This… Belzama might be in danger.’  

Sion didn’t care about anyone’s impressions.  

He was fully immersed in this fight.  

Matching perfected, untouchable blood magic with sacred power and instinct alone. A shining talent even in this dark cave. Belzama had also reached the stage of enjoying the fight.  

A state of no-self.  

The battle with a stronger opponent was leading Sion even higher.  

Unaware of this fact, Belzama released the crimson roar she had been holding back. She was simply enjoying this moment.  

“I’m having fun. Cute one! I’d love it if you made me even more excited… but I’ll end it soon.”  

Swish!  

Instead of an answer, he thrust his blade forward. Attacking with a trajectory impossible to dodge, cutting through blood magic with sacred power.  

Belzama extended her delicate arm. The blood droplet swirling in her hand seemed to gather all the blood existing here.  

The essence of blood magic contained within…  

‘I can’t break through that.’  

Sion’s spine turned cold. This was blood magic Belzama had decided to use. She truly intended to end it.  

He felt death blossoming within his body like flower buds. He realized this was the end of the battle.  

Without thinking, he recalled it. Now was the right moment.  

The opportunity to reverse the situation with the enlightenment gained from this fight.

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