Chapter 144: The Final Destination (2)

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When Cedric charged again, Verut reinforced his body with magic and dodged to the side. Though smaller than Cedric, he was still larger than average.

Yet, despite his build, he was agile and flexible.

He swiftly closed the distance to the Guardian and drove his reinforced fist into the man’s ribs.

The sound of impact was, unsurprisingly, not one that belonged to a human body. Cedric, shrouded in magic, absorbed the blow and seized the heretic’s wrist as if he had been waiting for this moment.

Crunch. His grip alone was enough to crush bone. Verut immediately grimaced and countered by injecting his own magic.

Tch. The Guardian released his hold and stepped back. Another’s magic was like poison—rejected the moment it entered the body.

It had to be avoided.

“Not drawing your staff?”

Verut didn’t resort to magic either. Like Cedric, he fought barehanded.

Cedric found magic battles tedious. Muttering incantations was a waste of time—throwing a punch was faster, stronger, more satisfying.

A personal opinion, of course.

“It’s part of my training.”

Surprisingly, the man answered when Cedric asked out of curiosity. But with his ears gone, he couldn’t make out the words, lip-reading wasn’t easy.

‘One hand’s broken. Just need to break the other before moving to the next phase.’

He wasn’t just deafening himself for no reason.

Originally, he had considered using magic to deafen himself in order to block them, but upon reflection, their very nature was curse-based—it wouldn’t work.

Well, the infirmary would patch him up.

They had to.

‘…Right?’

The Guardian muttered the Saint’s name and lunged at the heretic again.

***************

The fusion designated as Object No. B-13 concealed her magic and scouted the area. Her reconnaissance confirmed the presence of holy knights stationed around Steele.

Were they preparing for another ambush?

They had come fully prepared. With the confrontation against the Apostle now certain, it seemed they had gathered their forces.

Verut’s words about the “Time of Martyrdom“ hadn’t been idle talk. They had to break through the Guardian, and even if they succeeded, they’d have to face another wave of enemies in a weakened state.

‘Aren’t you failing to uphold the Revelation?’

He had said the Revelation spoke of trials and messages. Considering their final destination, it must have been about trials and messages for the Saintess.

‘The Revelation must be carried out by my hand. You, return now.’

So she hid and observed. She had promised to watch over him, after all. The sight of him boldly charging into the Guardian’s stronghold in broad daylight was downright foolish.

B-13 hesitated. Should she help the Apostle or not?

‘If it’s for the sake of the plan, I have some autonomy to act…’

A Revelation from the Evil God, who had been silent for years.

An Apostle who hadn’t stepped outside in years, now moving.

It was all too sudden, a chaotic mess of variables with no clear outcome. What effect would this have on the plan? If the crow had been here, she might have asked—but of course, it was gone now.

‘If I ask Master…’

Her master. The leader of the Cult of Unity.

After a long moment of contemplation, B-13 gathered her magic.

‘If I go ask now, it’ll take too long. By the time I return, it’ll all be over.’

Besides, she was an Apostle too, wasn’t she?

So, she had to follow the Revelation.

***************

‘This is really uncomfortable.’

He was clearly running, gasping for breath, yet none of the sounds reached him—it was like walking through a dream.

The sense of reality had vanished.

‘Still no sign of the Gem Dragon fusion. Are they avoiding direct confrontation?’

Last time, too, once her mission against the Inquisition was done, she had disappeared immediately.

She hadn’t bothered fighting them.

‘Fine… At least both his hands are disabled.’

Looking at the Apostle before him, the man was panting heavily, his swollen hands hanging limp.

Had it been too much for him to face a battle-hardened veteran?

Just as Cedric prepared to fully subdue him, a small girl descended from the sky like a beam of light.

“Ah. So you finally showed up.”

Landing between the Apostle and the Guardian, she summoned her power. In response, light began to emanate from her horns.

A barrier that rejects all.

Power gathered for the creation of a sanctuary. Wasting it here would delay the sanctuary’s completion, so she had to be frugal.

Seeing the barrier form, Cedric acted as if he had been waiting for this moment—firing a magic bullet into the sky.

Instantly, a massive magic circle unfolded around them and armed Inquisitors materialized.

A group that existed solely to combat heretics. Alongside the holy knights stationed around Steele, these were reinforcements prepared to deploy once the Apostle’s power was neutralized.

Among them was one holding a strange, phonograph-like device.

B-13 immediately grimaced. ‘Looks like I’ll be caught before even seeing the Saintess’ hair.’

Her barrier was strong, but it couldn’t hold indefinitely against so many attackers.

“We should retreat—!”

But Verut had also been waiting. Even if he was the Guardian, he couldn’t have planned to face them all alone.

“Cover your ears.”

Calm even in the face of battle, he murmured. His world was utterly silent—so this must have been even more so for him.

Catching the warning, Cedric shouted urgently.

“Activate it now!!”

At his sharp command, the Inquisitor beside him immediately switched on the phonograph.

No song played. It was a magical tool that canceled sound with sound. Even if they couldn’t use their hands, there were many ways to produce noise—this was a precaution. The cancellation rate wasn’t perfect, but it would prevent total devastation.

Yet, even with his power partially blocked, Verut remained expressionless. He stood motionless, utterly still.

Only his shadow moved in his stead.

Ding.

A clear, resonant chime echoed.

***************

“Everyone got their orbs, right? If you didn’t, speak up now.”

Heh. Sugar smirked. Practical exams were her forte, using her body was far easier than using her brain.

Today was the mental defense exam. They’d practiced a few times before, so she was confident.

“Hold the orb and channel a fixed amount of magic into it. You’ll fall asleep instantly—unaware of it. Inside, several trials await, overcome them. The moment you wake, the orb will shatter. Submitting the fragments to me concludes the exam.”

It seemed their score depended on how quickly they escaped. Simple enough. Just get out fast, right?

The tension and slight excitement before the exam made her heart race. Just then, the mental defense professor quietly raised a hand.

“Assume a comfortable position, everyone… Starting at 10. Counting down—10, 9, 8…”

The quiet exam hall. Heavy air thick with tension.

“5, 4, 3…”

Amidst the sound of swallowed breaths, as everyone clutched their orbs and prepared to sleep—

‘…Huh? Wait—’

Suddenly, Sugar sensed something off—

“2, 1—”

[Attention from the Administrative Office! Today’s exam is canceled!]

Ahh! Screams of shock erupted from all around.

[Due to an incident outside Steele, today’s exam is postponed for safety reasons. Further details will be relayed by your professors. Students, please evacuate to the auditorium—]

The tension shattered as students who had screamed in alarm now cheered, “Yes!!!” The word “evacuate” barely registered—postponed exams were far more welcome. Even elite academy students were no exception. Though some grumbled, “I’d rather get it over with…”

“Ah… Well, that’s that. Today’s exam is postponed—retake details will be announced later. Return your orbs to the front and head to the auditorium. Ugh… What in the world is happening…?”

As the professor packed up and students chattered excitedly (“An attack? Heretics? Can we sneak out and earn merits?”), Sugar stared blankly out the window.

The shouts telling them to hurry, the cheers over the postponed exam—everything felt distant.

Sugar had always been weak at detection, relying on the murmurs of ambient magic.

Yet, she could feel something creeping closer.

“What are you doing? Hurry up.”

Riley appeared beside her, hand outstretched.

Near the door, Ian and Leon waited, looking slightly worried.

“…You guys go ahead. I’ve got something to take care of.”

“Stop lying.”

As if he knew exactly what she was thinking, Riley grabbed her wrist. He must have sensed it too.

Sugar looked up at him blankly.

This wasn’t just any incident, they had boldly arrived at Steele in broad daylight. She had imagined this might happen someday—but now that it was real, her heart pounded.

“Riley. Contact Sir Cedric first. And you—get to safety—”

“Did you forget your promise again?”

“That was about reporting to you if something happened! There’s nothing to report now—!”

“What do you think the point of that was, you idiot—”

Both fell silent at once.

Their worried gazes shifted simultaneously toward the same spot.

Outside the window, something stood.

A pitch-black shadow.

Had it been there the whole time? Was it consumed by the shadow, or was it the shadow itself?

Its grotesque, writhing form was unsettling. With each movement came a chime—clear and melodic, contrasting eerily with its appearance.

Ding—

Ting—

Ding—

Clink—

Different tones. A sound oscillating between grandeur and lightness. The lingering resonance seeped into the silence.

Instinctively, she knew—don’t listen. But her body wouldn’t move.

Soon, the sounds overlapped, weaving into a single message.

“I offer all that I am—to deliver your trial.”

Her eyelids grew heavy in an instant.