novelraw Chapter 56 : Apostle “Gravedigger of the Gray Tomb” (1)
Chapter 56 : Apostle “Gravedigger of the Gray Tomb” (1)
Chapter 56: Apostle “Gravedigger of the Gray Tomb” (1)
The Paladins and Priests spoke of what they had experienced.
The being they had encounatered before reaching the Apostle—
and what that thing had done.
The assault team had been wiped out without even being able to resist properly.
Even the Saintess had done her best to command them, yet she had lost consciousness after sustaining severe injuries.
All they could remember was that the survivors had carried the Saintess into the seminar room and were holding out there.
And after that...
Just as they had said earlier, they were pursued by monsters dressed in nurse uniforms before being rescued.
“……”
Yohan went over the story several times in his mind.
“Th-this isn’t something ordinary.”
“For the Saintess herself to be overpowered….”
The faces of the others stiffened.
“Kuahaha! Sounds fun. That monster must be a warrior-type, right?”
Some of them had rather strange reactions mixed in.
“Please, I beg you. Save the Saintess.”
“If you help us, the Vatican will never forget this grace.”
The Paladins and Priests knelt down.
“Understood. Since our goal is to deal with the Apostle anyway, we’ll rescue the Saintess along the way.”
They first needed to confirm things.
To understand exactly what had happened.
＊＊＊
“Kyut!”
Based on the information relayed by the Vampire Bats, they moved through areas with the fewest monsters.
At the same time, they didn’t forget to gather some materials available in the hospital.
‘Good.’
Yohan lit the scented candles he had crafted himself along the way.
Whoosh!
As the flames ignited, a peculiar scent tickled his nose.
Then… he dipped his finger into a liquid mixture of special ingredients and blood, drawing runes with it.
Tsk. The shape wasn’t quite right.
The tip should have curved a bit more upward to be perfect.
“What’s that?”
Lagertha asked.
Even as a primitive priestess familiar with various herbs, it was the first time she had seen such a combination and fragrance.
Naturally, her curiosity was piqued.
“Insurance.”
Yohan condensed his long explanation into a single word.
He hoped it was nothing more than a needless precaution.
But he couldn’t shake the feeling that things might turn out for the worse.
How long had they walked like that?
Following the Paladins’ and Priests’ guidance, they finally reached the seminar room.
A half-collapsed door.
The holy barriers spread throughout the area were riddled with holes.
“I don’t sense any monster presence.”
“Are they lying in ambush? Or did they just give up and leave?”
Park Juhee and Lagertha cautiously scanned the surroundings.
However, there was no movement at all.
“Seeing that it’s not completely destroyed, it seems they managed to endure somehow. Let’s go in.”
A Paladin spoke while keeping watch on the rear.
Given the circumstances, it was highly probable that the Vatican strike force had survived.
“Hold on. Let me light one last candle.”
Yohan placed the final candle on the floor and drew another rune.
Whoosh!
A thicker scent than before began to fill the air.
Soon after, everyone carefully stepped inside.
The interior was pitch dark.
So much so that it was hard to imagine anyone being there.
An unpleasant sense of dissonance pricked at his mind.
This feeling.
This sensation…
“Brother, over there….”
Lagertha’s eyes narrowed.
And at that moment—
[Holy Barrier ‘Fence of the Saint’ activates!]
Rumbleeeee!
Suddenly, the surroundings were dyed in golden light.
The barrier, full of holes moments ago, was completely restored.
The collapsed door shone with radiant brilliance as it returned to its original form.
“Wh-what’s going on?”
“What is this…!”
Voices of confusion burst out at the sudden surge of divine power.
“One, two, three… five. Huh? Someone’s missing. The woman I was most curious about—where did she go?”
Ahead, the Saintess stood with a bright smile.
“She’s… fine!”
Go Hanil shouted.
She had supposedly lost consciousness under the attack of an incomprehensibly powerful monster yet there wasn’t a single scratch on her body.
Her personal guards, too, were perfectly unharmed.
“Drop your weapons.”
“Move and we’ll cut you down.”
The two Paladins and Priests who had been rescued earlier now drew their weapons, blocking the exit.
…They were completely trapped.
Out of all possible scenarios, the worst one had come true.
The Saintess, who had been sitting on a desk swinging her legs, hopped down lightly.
Then she slowly walked toward Yohan.
“Do you remember? You showed me your fortune. Or to be precise—you said you had a natural instinct optimized for dispelling darkness, didn’t you?”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm. That’s strange.”
The Saintess tilted her head slightly.
“What do you mean by strange?”
“I did some checking. I’m not paranoid, but something didn’t sit right with me.”
The Saintess pulled out a scroll from her robes.
Chalak.
On the unfolded scroll were several records.
Approximately 30,000 people had opened Fortune Cookies.
Among them, three had drawn Great Fortune.
She didn’t know exactly what the message of Great Fortune was, but—
She had learned quite a bit, including the names, ages, and genders of those who drew it.
However—
“You weren’t one of them.”
The Saintess’s gaze began to change.
It turned chilling.
The air froze.
“Why did you lie? Ahaha, I’m just genuinely curious.”
Her lips smiled, but her eyes did not.
Depending on his answer—on the intent within it—
The Saintess would once again deliver the Judgment she had shown at Daejeon Station.
To think she realized it this quickly….
Indeed, the Vatican was holding some interesting cards.
Just like when Pack Bedro had brought the Sacred Relic during the Withered Garden incident, there was no doubt another skilled individual had intervened this time as well.
Swish.
Yohan’s gaze shifted toward the Saintess’s surroundings.
Thirty in total.
Paladins and Priests—a formation renowned for their top-tier endurance.
The one in charge of heavy offense was the Saintess alone, but breaking through them wouldn’t be easy.
It even looked like they had brought some dangerous Sacred Relics.
At the very least, Park Juhee and Go Hanil would die.
Ragnar Lodbrok and Lagertha would likely lose their limbs as well.
“Why can’t you answer? It’s simple, isn’t it? Why did you go so far as to falsify the Fortune Cookie prophecy just to enter this place—why interfere with the sacred envoys of God… and just how are you even able to wield holy power?”
Shrrrrr…
Golden chains burst out from the ground, aiming straight for Yohan’s feet.
“…I told you to answer.”
Kwa-kwang!
Yohan quickly widened the distance and gathered his mana.
“Calm down. I’ll explain. The truth is…”
Yohan’s voice sank low.
As seriously and calmly as possible,
he performed the role given to him with emotion.
“I’m an Inquisitor. I infiltrated this place under orders from a Bishop-rank Cardinal. There’s a reason I couldn’t say so earlier.”
As the Sacred Flame activated, brilliant light poured out from his Stigmata.
“Ha! A Bishop-rank Cardinal and a Stigmata, really? You must take me for a complete fool for pretending not to know. Aren’t you just faking the Sacred Flame by mixing some unholy tricks with a Knight’s Token?”
Hmph. It didn’t work after all.
Well, someone like the Saintess would obviously know about the Knight’s Token.
Pack Bedro had been so naïve—he believed every word.
He suddenly found himself missing that muscle-bound priest.
In any case, this had thoroughly ignited the Saintess’s fury.
[Joanna Siondarc activates her Unique Ability — Night of the Catacomb!]
The result was a horrifying instrument of torture.
An Iron Maiden appeared, weeping blood.
Clang! Clang!
As the iron doors swung open, the interior—sticky with blood and torn flesh—was revealed.
The infamous maiden of iron that forced confessions even from the innocent.
“Kuahaha! A fight, is it?!”
“Tch. Guess we’ve got no choice.”
Ragnar Lodbrok and Lagertha took their stances.
“W-wait! Just a second!”
“Don’t shoot! I’m just a porter! Just a humble porter!”
Park Juhee and Go Hanil backed into the farthest corner they could find.
It was a situation on the brink of explosion.
Even so, Yohan didn’t answer the Saintess’s question.
‘Good thing I prepared some insurance, just in case.’
He had burned a particularly strong incense toward the end, and with all this noise they were making in conversation…
It should be arriving right about now.
Thud!
Heavy footsteps echoed.
The building trembled.
The hospital stairs shook violently.
＊＊＊
“An entity with tremendous demonic energy is approaching!”
“Five hundred meters—three hundred—one hundred! It’s moving fast! It’ll reach the Fence of the Saint any moment!”
The Priests shouted all at once.
And barely a second after the last cry—
Kwaaaang!
A black scythe burst through the door.
Its shape was reminiscent of a beast’s claw.
“Kihihihihi….”
A chilling, blood-freezing laugh followed, and a crow-shaped helmet came into view.
It was the master of this hospital—one of the Apostles—the Gravedigger of the Gray Tomb.
“Why is that thing here…?”
The Saintess murmured blankly.
According to their investigation, Apostles were non-aggressive monsters that never left their designated domains.
And yet—
It was charging in this recklessly.
She couldn’t comprehend it.
“Well, whoever’s responsible must’ve done something incredible. For it to go berserk like that—that’s definitely not normal.”
“Hm. Even I, a great warrior, can see that. Do you know why it’s acting so?”
“How would I know? Anyway, things just got really dangerous. A torturer Saintess and a scythe-wielding crow? Damn. The world really is going mad.”
“A land where only the strong survive—this Korea of yours.”
Yohan clicked his tongue and shook his head.
Ragnar Lodbrok did the same beside him.
[Incense of Delirium stimulates the target’s dark desires.]
A type of stimulant.
The incense burned continuously along their path heightened the Gravedigger’s primal instincts.
Its ferocity multiplied severalfold, and its regeneration increased too—
an item absolutely forbidden in a raid scenario.
However—
if one’s goal was to make the Apostle go completely berserk, the story changed.
‘The Saintess being “easily defeated” had seemed suspicious. She looked far too intact for someone who supposedly escaped such a monster.’
Her acting hadn’t been bad—but her attention to detail was lacking.
At the very least, she should have sacrificed a limb or two from her bait to make it convincing.
Then he might’ve believed her more.
Just then—
Shhk!
The black scythe sliced the door clean in half.
“Kihihihih… Kyahahahaha!”
The Gravedigger, over three meters tall and wearing a crow-like helmet, stepped inside.
A stench of rot and death quickly filled the room.
[Gravedigger of the Gray Tomb activates Skill — Agonizing Wound!]
[Wound gains effects: Bleeding + Intense Pain!]
Fwoosh!
The Gravedigger moved.
Its rag-cloaked form vanished in an instant.
Thwack!
“Graaagh!”
The scythe pierced straight through the chest of a fully armored Paladin.
The Gravedigger lifted the Paladin into the air—
Pupupupuk!
Black thorns erupted from the Paladin’s body.
Crimson blood gushed out like a waterfall.
“Kihih… Kyahahahaha!”
Soaked in blood, the Gravedigger howled into the night.
“Unleash your holy power!”
The Saintess leapt away from Yohan.
From this moment, her priorities had changed.
And thus—
the stench of blood heralded the beginning of battle.
Kwaaang!
Kwa-kwang!
The Iron Maiden split open to both sides, spewing golden chains from within.
Shrrrrr—Kwa-kwakwa!
The Gravedigger twisted its body in bizarre movements, dodging the chains.
The Paladins and Priests, too, unleashed [Sign of the Cross], [Blessing], [Holy Oil]—various sacred skills—as the raid began in earnest.
Tap. Tatat!
Despite its size, the Gravedigger moved with eerie grace as it darted toward the opposite wall.
In one of its hands—
a Priest was already caught.
“P-please! Please save me… I-I don’t want to die!”
The curly-haired blonde female Priest trembled uncontrollably.
“Anelosa!”
“Damn it, when did it grab her?!”
The Paladins tried to assist immediately.
But—
“Maintain formation!”
The Saintess’s voice rang sharp and firm.
It was already too late.
Rushing in now would only add more bodies to the pile.
“Kihit. Kkik… keek…”
The Gravedigger drew its scythe across the Priest’s neck from left to right.
Slash!
Shhhk—shhhh!
A flood of blood drenched the floor.
Then—
[Gray Tomb craves the Blood of the Pure!]
Gurgle, gurgle.
Distorted faces appeared on the walls and the floor.
Black mucus dripped from their eyes and mouths.
For a moment, it felt as if their minds were drifting into delirium.
“No way…”
“What is this…?”
Gasps escaped from everyone’s lips.
There was no doubt.
That thing was trying to turn this place into its new Nest.
It was clearly using the blood of its victims as fuel.
“I will activate the Sacred Hymn!”
The Saintess reacted immediately.
Wooooong!
Golden flames surged in all directions.
A wide-area control technique manifested through Word Spirit.
She planned to immobilize it and burn it down in a single strike.
The Paladins and Priests poured every last drop of holy power they had.
But right then—
Boom!
“Ugh!”
A small explosion erupted behind the head of the Paladin standing at the far right.
“Sorry.”
Yohan raised his hand timidly.
He had meant to help, but the glare of holy power made it hard to distinguish things clearly.
Maybe he should’ve brought sunglasses.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
“Kyaaaah!”
This time, ping-pong–sized fireballs exploded around the waist of a female Priest who had been chanting fervently.
“It was an accident! My mistake!”
He raised his hand again—wearing a sheepish expression for good measure.
Seriously, why were they all standing so close together? Should’ve spread out a little. Tsk.
Crackle—crackkk!
The ground froze solid, restricting everyone’s movement.
“M-my feet! My voice… I can’t speak properly!”
“No, no! This can’t be!”
The chilling frost even reached their throats, disrupting the very vocal cords needed to recite the Sacred Hymn.
“Ah! I’m really sorry this time! Geez, what’s wrong with me today? My aim’s totally off.”
Yohan bent at a perfect ninety degrees in apology.
He swore to the heavens—the last one really had been a mistake.
“What on earth are you doing?!”
The Saintess glared at him with eyes sharp enough to kill a man.
Of course.
There are always those who misunderstand sincere intentions and ignore genuine apologies.