Ch.282The Meeting of the Masterminds

====[ Meeting of the Apostles ]====

“It’s been a while since we’ve all gathered like this.”

The First Apostle, Feirius, who sat alone in the dark space, spoke first to the other apostles.

His voice was still distorted, making it difficult to identify him.

“I’m not sure if we can call this a gathering. After all, we’re merely transmitting our voices through artifacts.”

The Fourth Apostle responded with a snide remark.

The voice of a man who seemed to be in his thirties. He was the mage who had conversed with Rurik at the North Wall in Novgorod.

He wasn’t particularly fond of the excessive secrecy within this organization.

It felt as though they were drawing lines, ready to cut anyone off once their usefulness ended.

“We couldn’t even do this much until now. Everyone’s been incredibly busy.”

The Second Apostle quietly admonished the Fourth Apostle.

The hoarse, cracked voice of an old man interrupted the younger apostle’s sarcasm.

“So, why did you call us? I heard Isabella was defeated by the variable. Is that why?”

The Third Apostle directed her question toward the First Apostle, Feirius, who had summoned them.

Her voice was seductive enough to suggest beauty even without seeing her, but her tone carried a strange irritation.

It seemed that matters in her region, the Great Plains, were still not going well.

“Isabella. She acted as if she would never die, yet she fell more easily than expected.”

“What exactly defeated her…?”

The Fifth and Sixth Apostles sighed in disbelief.

The Witch Isabella. She was a powerhouse whom even the apostles couldn’t guarantee victory against.

Objectively speaking, they would more likely lose against her.

In a world where the Heaven’s Wall limited one’s power, her abilities boasted overwhelming might.

No matter how strong Haschal Median Aishan-Gioro might be, he had just entered the Hero rank. With that level of power, defeating Isabella should have been impossible.

Their bewilderment was understandable.

Who could have guessed such a bizarre solution—turning Isabella into a virgin to break her power of resurrection?

“It’s not a bad outcome, is it? Though we shared the same boat, the demon worshippers would eventually become our enemies anyway. That harlot would have been a troublesome opponent for us too… if she exits the stage now, we should rather welcome it.”

The Second Apostle chuckled.

He had always disliked demon worshippers, so when he heard of Isabella’s demise, he was ready to toast to it.

Though he had abandoned his old faith, his deep-rooted hatred for demons had never completely disappeared.

“Don’t be so harsh. She may have eventually become our enemy… but until her death, she showed results beyond expectations. It’s only right that we at least pray for her soul.”

Feirius gently smiled as he stopped the Second Apostle.

Isabella’s early elimination was unexpected even for Feirius, but her usefulness had nearly run its course anyway.

Thanks to her, they had collected more than enough deaths.

“Does that mean… the third chalice has been destroyed too? But I haven’t noticed any significant changes?”

The Fifth Apostle muttered in surprise.

His voice was that of a middle-aged man, extremely rough. It carried the bloodlust characteristic of someone immersed in violence.

His confusion was justified.

If the third chalice had been destroyed, there should have been changes throughout the world, just like when the first and second chalices were destroyed.

However, nothing had changed since the destruction of the second chalice.

The power restriction still remained at the early Hero level, and no other anomalies had been reported.

“As for the third chalice, I’ve kept it on the verge of breaking.”

Feirius responded as if it were no big deal.

The number of deaths Isabella had caused exceeded a hundred thousand, so the third chalice, which had collected all those deaths, could be destroyed at any moment.

Feirius had simply halted it, believing the time wasn’t right yet.

“Why? The faster the chalices are destroyed, the sooner the ‘ascension’…”

A low, subdued female voice. The Seventh Apostle questioned Feirius, unable to understand.

The destruction of the chalices was their goal. Why stop now when they had been achieving it at a rapid pace, even utilizing the variable?

“Even considering that, we needed to adjust the timing. It’s not just humanity that benefits from liberation. In fact, in the short term, other races gain more. Isn’t that right, Fourth Apostle?”

“Indeed, Rurik, the king of the Werebeasts, grew exponentially stronger after the destruction of the second chalice. Strong enough to breach the North Wall. I managed to make him retreat by informing him about the end of the Empire’s civil war… but if left unchecked, the north would have been utterly devastated.”

That was why the Fourth Apostle had informed Rurik of Isabella’s death.

Feirius had ordered him to start restraining the Werebeasts’ advance.

For this reason, he didn’t tell Rurik that it would take quite some time for the imperial army to reach the north, even though the civil war had ended.

As expected, Rurik, misjudging the speed and strength of the imperial forces, retreated back toward the Sky Mountains.

…Though they hadn’t anticipated that he would completely destroy the North Wall before leaving.

“True. The Werebeasts are relatively manageable. Their strength is determined by bloodline and combat experience, and only Rurik among them has reached the pinnacle so far. Currently, the most dangerous race is the elves in the west. Unlike other races whose growth was blocked, they were weakened by having their original power suppressed. As soon as the restrictions are lifted, they’ll regain their former strength.”

The elves.

That was why Feirius had halted the destruction of the chalices.

—-

Originally, just because the world’s restrictions were lifted didn’t mean one could immediately become stronger.

For humans, they would need to consistently accumulate Karma to advance to the next level. For Dragonborn, the progress of ‘dragonification’ took considerable time. Werebeasts also grew stronger through repeated battles.

But elves were different.

Beings who had lived for hundreds of years. For them, who had existed since before the restrictions, it wasn’t about building power but reclaiming it.

The strength of elves depended more on the blessing of the World Tree than their individual power. As soon as the World Tree regained its influence, they could immediately return to their former strength without needing time or effort.

The Patrollers, who had been weakened to Knight level, would have regained their Master strength by now, and the few remaining Guardians would have reached the early Hero level, not just Master.

Though few in number, elves were likely the strongest race at this point.

And the moment the elves’ forces overwhelmed other races, they would undoubtedly rampage, claiming to restore their former glory.

Arrogant supremacy stemming from their long lifespan was the essence of that race.

That’s why Feirius needed time.

Time for talented human Masters to grow and reach the early Hero level.

They desired transcendence and ascension, not the extinction or domestication of the entire human race.

“Elves… now that you mention it, they are indeed dangerous. They’re utterly despicable trash. So… what’s the situation in Alvheim?”

The Seventh Apostle’s statement was somewhat extreme, but no one objected or refuted it.

The fact that the nature of elves was too vile to even be called trash was a perception shared by all of them.

“It seems they’re concentrating their forces to the south… but I’m not certain. As long as the World Tree and the spirits’ surveillance network remains, it’s impossible to accurately grasp the movements within the Great Forest.”

The Second Apostle expressed his frustration.

Although his assigned region was close to Alvheim, there was a limit to the information he could gather without infiltrating spies into the Great Forest.

“The south. So, Himmel…? I thought they would target the Empire directly, but this is unexpected.”

The Sixth Apostle groaned upon hearing the Second Apostle’s words.

For him, who traveled between Panam and Himmel for secular matters, the elves’ invasion of Himmel was unwelcome news.

If Himmel’s borders were sealed, trade would also halt. As a merchant, this would be a significant loss for him.

“It’s wise, isn’t it? If they targeted the Empire, the dwarves of Himmel would attack the empty Alvheim. But conversely, if they target Himmel, would the current Empire have the capacity to support them? With both the north and east in turmoil. Oh, or is the east not in turmoil?”

The Fourth Apostle threw a sharp taunt at the Third Apostle.

Implying that despite her arrogance, she couldn’t even handle her assigned task properly.

‘This young bastard…’

The Third Apostle’s expression twisted fiercely as she looked down at the crystal ball.

“…You talk well. Unlike the stupid beasts that resemble you, Orhan isn’t a human who can be controlled. If I showed even slightly suspicious behavior, I’d be immediately discovered and torn to pieces. And Amin, whom I had incited… was an idiot beyond imagination. I need more time to fully establish roots in the east.”

The Third Apostle retorted with an irritable tone.

She was already annoyed because of the complications caused by Amin, and the Fourth Apostle’s provocative manner was extremely distasteful.

“Amin? Who’s that?”

They all knew that Orhan was the leader of the Ka’har, but only the Third Apostle knew in detail who served under him.

Unlike Haschal, whose infamy had spread to the west, the others were active only within the east.

“Orhan’s third son. A miraculous idiot who annihilated thousands of troops in just a day. Given that his whereabouts are unknown, he seems to be hiding with his maternal family… but with Orhan and his first son Targiyan on the hunt, he won’t last long.”

“Haha, to entrust a task to someone you yourself describe as a ‘miraculous idiot’—truly, Third Apostle, your judgment is beyond my comprehension.”

The Fourth Apostle burst into laughter and mocked her.

“Surely, even if things go awry, you must have contingency plans that I couldn’t even imagine? Or perhaps…”

“…That’s enough. The affairs of the east have been entrusted to the Third Apostle; it’s not your concern.”

Feirius silenced the Fourth Apostle.

Even the Fourth Apostle had to close his mouth at the firm determination mixed with anger that came through the distorted voice.

The Second Apostle sighed. This wasn’t the first time the Fourth Apostle had behaved this way.

Perhaps he was displeased that he was merely the fourth apostle, and that the seemingly incompetent Third Apostle held a position above him. He consistently showed his teeth to the Third Apostle.

Ironically, he failed to realize that this very attitude was why Feirius didn’t trust him.

One had to wonder if he was even aware that he could be purged if he crossed the line.

—-

After calming the atmosphere, Feirius concluded the day’s meeting by issuing future directives to the other apostles.