Ch.45Ep.45 Upheaval

# Radios Magnum said he would take a short break and spent the night holed up in a mountain valley.

The rain had stopped long ago, and there was no one to comfort him.

He breathed in the fresh mountain air and reminisced about the past.

His first meeting with Veichel couldn’t be described as pleasant.

“What’s with that guy who looks like he could cross a continent with those dark circles?”

“…?”

It was a first for him.

For Radios, who had always been revered as the Heresy Inquisitor.

He never dreamed that a woman he’d never met before would hurl such insults about his appearance.

But conversely, it piqued his curiosity.

What kind of woman could spit such scathing insults in front of Heresy Inquisitor Radios Magnum?

“Who are you? Do you think it’s right to insult someone you’ve never met?”

“Me? I’m Veichel Breate, Athena’s apostle. Aren’t you Radios Magnum, Hades’ Heresy Inquisitor?”

“…You know who I am yet you act like this?”

“Should I not?”

He wanted to ask if she was crazy, but held back since that would make him no better than her.

Anyway, how uncomfortable it was to see her face, not understanding what was wrong with her words.

What made it even more shocking was that their first meeting took place in the Underworld Lord’s temple.

What kind of crazy woman comes to another god’s temple and insults the Heresy Inquisitor?

If the Underworld Lord’s apostle hadn’t appeared at just the right moment, something terrible could have happened.

He thought he would never meet Veichel again after that.

“Oh? Aren’t you the dark circle guy?”

“…It’s Radios Magnum, you idiot.”

“This guy is insulting an apostle to her face?”

“…Sigh.”

Their reunion happened at the Guardian Spirit founding ceremony.

Many Kadinant people gathered to resolve to annihilate otherworlders.

At the end of the meeting, it was decided that Athena’s apostle, Veichel, would be the first commander.

And somehow Radios ended up as the vice-commander of the special unit directly led by Veichel.

“Wow, you’re pretty strong?”

“…That’s rich coming from you.”

Their combined strength was comparable to the might of the Third Corps.

Until the full-scale invasion of otherworlders began.

Veichel and Radios’ special unit was the Guardian Spirit’s best unit, bringing news of victory after victory.

But as everyone knows.

Their glory did not last long.

“A crazy woman named Namgung Ihyun has appeared.”

“Fujiwara Ren. This bastard is also difficult to deal with.”

“I’m… disbanding the special unit.”

After the appearance of Namgung Ihyun, apostle of the Boundary Dweller, and Fujiwara Ren, apostle of the Crawling Chaos, two of the three major Outer God factions.

They judged it too dangerous to continue operating as a special unit and disbanded.

Later, when Milia, the apostle of the Witch of Dreams, also reached Kadinant.

Together with Arsia, they put into action the so-called “Ant Lion” operation to annihilate the otherworlders in the Demonic Prison.

But the result was only half successful due to the absence of goblins.

“Veichel! We need to retreat! If we continue like this, we’ll all die!”

“…I can’t go.”

“Veichel!”

Despite her body being in tatters.

Veichel stubbornly insisted on staying behind alone.

Radios tried to persuade her again, saying absolutely not, that he would take her with him no matter what.

But her resolve was firm.

“Heresy Inquisitor Radios Magnum. I appoint you as the next commander of the Guardian Spirit.”

“Veicheeeel!”

“I wanted to see you cross the continent with those dark circles, but I guess this is the end.”

With a faint smile, Veichel rushed forward.

Radios wanted to follow her, but his comrades held his arms and legs, preventing him from going after her.

That’s how he thought he had lost everyone precious to him in the Demonic Prison.

Five corps commanders out of ten corps lost their lives.

Even Commander Veichel threw herself into the fire pit to ensure the survival of others.

If asked to name someone whose first and last impressions were the most different, he would unhesitatingly name Veichel.

But then.

He met Veichel again, whom he thought was dead. And as an enemy.

They fought like mad, and the backs they once pressed together to face a common enemy.

Had transformed into body parts to stab with swords and spears.

And the outcome of that fight was Radios’ victory.

More precisely, it would be correct to say that Veichel took her own life despite being able to win.

Why did she do such a thing?

Thinking rationally, her choice was right.

Veichel’s body was in a half-dead state due to excessive waste of life force.

Even if she had killed Radios, she herself would have died not long after.

If that happened, the person who could end Olympus would disappear.

Of course, there was a way for the Outer Gods to bring down Olympus.

But Veichel made a request to Radios by saving him.

To bring down Olympus with only Kadinant’s power, without borrowing the power of the Outer Gods.

That’s why she saved him.

Her intention was so clear that Radios thought of striking Olympus before the Outer Gods.

Thanks to this battle, Radios faced one possibility.

That was the cheat-like nature of his power, “Outer Devouring.”

When Yog-Sothoth was about to descend into Veichel’s body and emitted energy.

With the power of Outer Devouring, he not only absorbed all that energy but also forcibly broke the fourth seal.

As a result, Radios was now far beyond his prime.

Without obtaining an Order, he couldn’t release the fifth seal.

But if he obtained an Order and released the fifth seal, it was unimaginable what level he would reach.

Perhaps he might even obtain a “Divine Order,” which only three beings in both the Outer Gods and Olympus possess?

Although all of this was mere speculation, it was quite a plausible one.

Additionally, he was thinking of not using the Sword of Judgment from now on.

The stat boost effect of the Sword of Judgment is certainly superior to Kynee’s stealth.

However, it only serves to expose his abilities to Hades.

When the Blind Idiot God devoured Cthuga, Hades didn’t notice.

But if Hades sees him using the Sword of Judgment and Outer Devouring again.

Something truly terrible could happen.

Even for Radios, confronting Hades head-on right now was too much.

Besides, without an Order, there’s a limit to how much power he can gain with the Sword of Judgment.

In that case, Kynee’s stealth would be more efficient.

‘I’ll organize it like this for now…’

Next is this syringe that Veichel gave him.

She said it was a serum that would undo the Olympus brainwashing that had been placed on him.

‘She didn’t say whose blood it was. This… needs analysis.’

He had no intention of immediately administering the serum to Elysse.

He planned to give a small amount to Kraud for analysis.

And when the time came to enter the Underworld, he would undo Das Pluto’s brainwashing and bring him to his side.

“For now… let’s go back.”

Veichel’s funeral would begin soon.

As it would mark her final moments, he intended to pay his respects to her.

After all, no matter what he did, he would never be able to meet her again.

***

“Kekeke… Kuhahahahaha!!”

After killing all the judges of the River Styx, she devours the dead who were trying to cross the river.

Veichel was finally able to unleash her secret skill that she had kept hidden until now when she came to the Underworld.

‘Soul Eating.’

Consuming the souls of those she killed to make them her strength.

This skill suddenly appeared to her when she became Athena’s apostle.

But being righteous, she never once used the Soul Eating skill.

Even when the Guardian Spirit was at a disadvantage during her time as commander, she absolutely refused.

However, after learning the truth, Veichel decided to use the Soul Eating skill.

The problem was that using that skill might allow information to be passed to the Boundary Dweller.

For Veichel, who was preparing to backstab someday, a golden opportunity appeared.

That was the assassination of Radios.

Mentioning Radios’ name brings to mind the Underworld Lord, and the Underworld Lord brings to mind Hades.

And Hades brings to mind the Underworld, the world of the dead.

That’s right.

From the beginning, Veichel never intended to assassinate Radios, but rather to go to the Underworld.

Especially from the moment she saw Radios possessing Astrape and Kynee.

Veichel began acting to go to the Underworld as naturally as possible.

Even though it was an act, the emotions she expressed then were genuine.

Her act involved severely overusing her life force when using her Order.

She deliberately made her body go berserk to allow Yog-Sothoth to descend into her body.

After all, if her life force was completely depleted, Yog-Sothoth’s descent would be undone.

And she witnessed a shocking sight.

Radios had absorbed all of Yog-Sothoth’s energy.

Only then could Veichel be certain.

That it would be more beneficial for Radios to be active than for her to be alive and moving.

That’s why she chose death without hesitation.

But it wasn’t a lie that Veichel liked Radios.

Even though she hurled scathing insults at their first meeting, the truth was that she fell for him at first sight.

Perhaps that’s why she treated him so curtly.

“Now I must part with you too. Thank you so much, Radios.”

One thing she noticed while using Soul Eating was how strangely quiet it was.

There were no signs of going berserk.

One might think there would be side effects from eating souls, but there weren’t.

Because it converts souls into a certain amount of power and absorbs them.

There was no sign of such effects at all.

When Veichel first saw this skill, she wondered why she had received it.

But now she seemed to understand.

This skill meant to judge.

To bring down the arrogant Olympians and defeat the Outer Gods who invaded Kadinant.

“When that time comes, let’s meet again, Radios.”

Regardless of guilt or innocence, Veichel intended to devour every soul she saw.

They were dead, so they might as well become her strength.

They would become the foundation for executing Olympus, which had toyed with them.

Isn’t that the true meaning of the dead?

Broken justice breeds false beliefs.

And the monster became an even greater monster.

Now nothing exists to restrain Veichel.

Neither the limits of life force nor emotions can stop her.

“Tartarus must have… many?”

A monster with its restraints removed.

The guardian created by Olympus for their safety has now begun to bare its sharp fangs at them.