Chapter 198

[Wizard Eye]

The mages used magic to check on the distant Academy. Their expressions turned subtle.

“Um… that’s…”

A hesitant voice.

“Jeanne? Siorin…?”

Even Lytol showed a pleased expression, as if he’d spotted familiar faces among the buildings.

Then they all turned to look at me at once. Without saying anything, just shifting their eyes this way and that.

I could only manage a bitter smile.

“Why? Do you see people moving around?”

The mages glanced at each other and nodded slightly. The 6th Circle and higher wizards stared ahead with serious expressions, hands pressed to their heads, while the only 7th Circle wizard, the Wizard of Arrogance Yeon Gae-bu-so, seemed to sense something as he pressed his necklace against his handbag.

I looked around at the other mages who couldn’t sense anything.

I slowly pressed my necklace to my handbag.

This is truly terrible.

“I can see them too. But there are no living beings.”

“Then what are those people…?”

“The dead who suffer even in death.”

Clang!

The moment I finished speaking, the handbag flew open. <Samantha> sprang up and enveloped me.

-You’re hurt. This place has completely rotted.

-Horribleee…

-Dangerous!

The voices of Ari, Inggolli, and Gyeolli mixed together before gradually being absorbed into my consciousness.

In that moment, I reached the 9th Stage and became an entirely different being.

[Whoooo—]

Black magical power surrounded my entire body. Even my simple breathing had transformed into that of a god.

When I spoke, mana burst forth, and with a single gesture, poisonous plants bloomed and withered.

And then,

A chill ran down my spine. What I couldn’t see before became clearly perceptible. I instinctively realized who had left traces of the terrible devastation spread before us.

“So it’s you. Apostle.”

The moment I confirmed our enemy,

Flash—

Flash—

Red, blue, green, black, white.

Clusters of light spread out.

Thirty-seven handbags clattered open!

[Uoooooh!!]

The gods created within them arose. Thirty-seven mages simultaneously donned their magical exoskeletons and elevated their realms by a step.

Splash—!

Plains of Revelation.

The sky where stars had been twinkling beautifully began to writhe at that very moment,

And at that same moment, the people who had been laughing and chatting at the distant Academy suddenly turned their heads and stared directly at us!

They opened their mouths simultaneously, and countless voices created a perfect resonance that shook heaven and earth.

[[[You know now!]]]

Little bastard…

Did you think we wouldn’t figure it out?

“It’s coming! Everyone stay sharp!”

Immediately after,

Magic manifested.

Fireballs, ice chunks, storms, landslides floating up from all directions…

The one problem was that none of it was magic we had cast.

“What is this…?”

It was somewhat understandable that the ‘dead’ mages from the distant Academy had cast spells. But that was only a small part. Blades of grass in the field, passing breezes, mountains in the distance… the entire world began to writhe and spew forth magic. Spells covered the world so completely that nothing could be seen. Everyone was at a loss for words.

“Urgh… urgh…”

Some people vomited until the ground was soaked, overcome by indescribable revulsion.

I understand.

The phenomenon we were facing was that disgusting. It was on a different dimension from the sixth apostle I’d seen through the Magic Emperor’s memories and the fifth apostle I’d faced directly.

‘Erosion. No… infection?’

This wasn’t the kind of physical work of butchering and tearing apart our world to devour it and insert the Outer God’s order in its place. This apostle was chemical… no, perhaps biological.

Every life that had been here was infected while still alive. A few alien commands that had infiltrated the Akashic Records defining existence changed everything. Like a virus penetrating to steal control of the body, they were transforming into entirely alien beings.

The mana that defined life was torn into fragments, transformed, and absorbed into mountains, fields, and wind. The human forms visible in the distance were merely shapes—their essence was torn to pieces and mixed in murky confusion. What was more horrifying was that they were still alive throughout all of this. They were controlled by the Outer God’s apostle while still living. In every blade of grass in the field, in every passing breeze, the mana of mages that had been torn to pieces and scattered cast spells. Even in death, the suffering didn’t end.

“Uweeek!”

The Ki-blood magic users, who showed exceptional ability in controlling their bodies, fared better. The problem was the Circle mages. Even among 5th Circle mages, those with lower achievements continued vomiting. Sensing the power that eroded mana—the very source of existence—they instinctively tried to expel it through vomiting. Of course, it was futile.

The nausea was so severe that they couldn’t even defend themselves despite seeing the bombardment of spells covering heaven and earth approaching. The mages at the Academy had probably been taken down this way.

“Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue and stretched out my hand.

The dragon speech magic that Beatrice had favored.

Clank! The entire world stopped. The menacing spells pouring down, the writhing fields and sky trying to swallow us—

Without looking back, I said,

“Pull yourselves together. You are mages.”

I stepped forward and spoke.

“Behold, I am one who speaks to the world.”

With those words, the expressions of the mages who had been helplessly dry-heaving changed.

“One who makes words reality.”

All the mages straightened up with pale faces but quickly. Everyone spoke the covenant with one voice.

“Behold, I have a mouth, so you have lips to listen!”

“Behold! Here are lips! Lips for you to obey!”

They shouted loudly. Loud enough to make the writhing world tremble.

A smile naturally crept across my face.

“Right. That’s who we are. Now, we stop the erosion here and return everything to its proper place.”

[WHOOOM!]

The loud sound of the Circles crying out could be heard. It was different from the past.

The Circles’ cries produced reasonably proper pronunciation.

[ShIIie-ld…!]

[Heaaallliinngg!]

[Cuuuuereee!]

[SooooWwing!]

[Caaaaanceeel!]

Commands that could somehow be understood poured out.

The magic spewed by the world was no longer a problem.

Bang! Crash!

The ice chunks that had been floating in the sky fell to the ground. As the ice melted, what was revealed were white finger bones.

Clatter!

The writhing field convulsed and exploded. Among the exploding clods of earth fell a mage’s teeth, fingernails, and hair.

The corpses of mages who had been eroded by the apostle’s power, mixed together in suffering, regained their original forms one by one.

‘Thank you… thank you…’

The grateful words of the dead souls faintly brushed past my ears.

Our gazes turned coldly calm.

“Damn… Jeanne too… Siorin too…!”

The rage of Lytol, whose hometown this had been, was even more intense. Magical power covered his face and entire body, blazing bright blue.

I stood in front of everyone.

“We’ll take its head in one strike. Follow me!”

Whooooom—!

With a single step, the scenery rushed backward. The buildings among the distant mountain peaks were instantly pulled before our eyes. With a tearing sound as the wall of air split, the writhing world dried up and scattered like dust.

Behind me followed thirty-seven mages wearing magical exoskeletons.

With our gestures, the Outer God’s order crumbled, and with our breath, we restored the eroded Akashic Records.

[[[You are ruining the wine to be offered to our masteeeeer!]]]

A man with brown hair and brown eyes, once an Academy mage, spoke thus.

Thud!

I could crush his head just by passing by.

[[[Ah, the vermin don’t know their place!]]]

A woman with purple hair and blue eyes opened her mouth again.

Crack!

I shattered her to pieces with a sharply shot wind.

It wasn’t difficult. These things were merely phenomena created by the apostle anyway. The real problem was…

“Ha! Are you scared? Stop yapping and come out!”

Finding the apostle’s presence in this place where the Outer God’s order and our world’s order were mixed half and half was difficult. But this apostle was different from those we’d encountered before.

[[[Hahaha, you killed the fifth and sixth? Yes. Looking at you now, I can understand. The vermin have gained the power of ancient gods.]]]

It kept jabbering without ever revealing itself.

[[[But back then, the sixth was still young and the fifth was merely sleeping.]]]

“Right! If you’re so great, then fight!”

[[[Why should I? When there’s delicious prey scattered all around, why would I bother with you troublesome ones?]]]

What did it say? What is this bastard talking about?

[[[I left some quite appetizing ingredients down below. They’ll make excellent wine… wine that my master will love… enough to make up for ruining what was here and then some.]]]

You… this bastard, don’t tell me?

Crack!

I unconsciously ground my teeth. My hair stood on end with anger and sense of crisis.

“Catch it! We absolutely cannot let this bastard escape!”

[Wish!]

I unleashed every possible spell. The surrounding spacetime froze.

The Ether dimension opened, and my spirit-based cognitive abilities exploded. I used [Wish] to try to grab the apostle’s tail.

I even awakened the calamities sleeping on Floating Island Sion. Three dragons spread their wings and covered the sky, the Earthquake Calamity combed through underground like hunting lice, and the ‘Spirit of Raging Storm’ crossed dimensions to grab the apostle’s tail.

But all of it was useless.

When the bastard was determined to hide, not even its shadow was visible.

…But even so, you won’t escape from here.

Let’s see if you can keep hiding after I purify all the Outer God’s order that eroded this place.

[[[And this is a gift our master sends.]]]

Crack!

It was what the bastard spat out just as I eliminated the last infected mage.

[[[Despair.]]]

Grooooan—!

-Aaaaah!

-Hiiiiek!

-Grrrgh…

The screams of spirits shook my head.

Clang clang!

The mages wearing magical exoskeletons rolled pathetically on the ground. The magical power surrounding their bodies scattered, revealing the metal armor beneath.

Thud! The dragons that had been flying through the sky fell to the ground with heavy sounds. The rumbling earthquake stopped, and the ‘Spirit of Raging Storm’ that had been creating fierce winds vanished without a trace.

“Urgh…”

I too felt terrible motion sickness for a moment and had to stop in place.

[[[Then I’ll see you next time.]]]

In that instant of vulnerability, the apostle slipped away smoothly.

I missed it. And it wasn’t just missing it. I was severely outmaneuvered.

The mages except for me still couldn’t regain their composure and swayed unsteadily.

“…What is this? How could a few words do this…”

Shadow Library answered my question.

-A curse… the curse that scattered all will and killed the administrators… A fragment of that was just released.

“Such a curse existed?”

-Yes… it once pervaded this world. The disease that massacred the gods who survived to the end. The terrible curse that made all egos and beings of the past forget their past memories…

“An individual apostle can use such power? Why didn’t you tell me beforehand?”

-No. It’s a power that was used during ragnarok and hasn’t been observed once in hundreds of thousands of years.

“Then why now, of all times…”

-It seems the Outer God is taking the current situation quite seriously.

Hah…

I clutched my head.

Anger struck my chest.

I let the apostle slip away right before my eyes. And most of our forces fell into temporary combat incapacity…

“So where did it go?”

Yuria approached unsteadily. Despite being only 5th Circle 5-star, she had quickly escaped the aftereffects of the curse that even wizards were struggling with. Her complexion was still pale, but she had recovered.

I answered through gritted teeth.

“To the rear.”

“The rear?”

“Right. I wasn’t greatly affected by the curse, so it’s targeting the more vulnerable rear.”

“Then… the Wizard of Domestication or the Wizard of Refinement might be…”

“In danger.”

My chest felt tight.

‘I misjudged the enemy’s strength.’

If it were at the level of the fifth apostle we killed, it would be fine. But if such an apostle went to the rear?

I looked at the mages crawling on the ground. Of the thirty-seven wearing magical exoskeletons, about seventeen still couldn’t regain their senses.

‘Certain defeat…’

Should I go back? Should I protect the rear?

As I fell into agonizing deliberation, Yuria said calmly,

“Let’s go.”

“…Where?”

“Forward, naturally.”

“…What about the rear?”

“That’s exactly what the apostle from just now wants. For us to return to the rear.”

I couldn’t say anything.

It was waiting here on purpose to send me back to the rear?

That’s highly likely. But then… what if the defense group is annihilated? We’ll have to fight with our supply lines cut. Even if we win, everyone we need to protect will already be dead.

Knowing all this, Yuria still said calmly,

“Think about it. If we don’t advance? The world nearly perished just from some information on the 90th floor being slightly altered. The longer we dawdle in the rear, the more certain means those bastards will find to destroy humanity.”

Then she took a breath and said,

“Setting all that aside.”

She met my eyes.

“We promised, didn’t we? That we would do this.”

Ah… that’s right.

The promise.

I’d never felt the weight that single word carried so keenly.

From the beginning, I had no choice. The door I’d already opened couldn’t be closed again.

“…Right. We have to go forward.”

Suddenly, I felt the gaze of magical powers watching me.

The remains of gods whose will had been broken and scattered. Things comfortably watching from the sidelines while reminiscing about the past.

I bit my lips hard and spat out,

“Much faster than those bastards.”