Chapter 199: The Last Apostle [2]

Chapter 198

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Episode 49 - The Last Apostle [2]

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The pillar of the Power of Chaos rose into the sky, and from within it, the Apostle emerged.

At first glance, it looked like a typical humanoid demon.

But demons do not exactly resemble the angels portrayed among humans.

Beings with enormous feathered wings, extraordinary beauty, and a presence that inspires reverence and absolute devotion.

An Apostle, however, was the complete opposite... except for its appearance.

Its enormous black wings swayed gently, while its long hair, reaching down to its shoulders, fluttered in the wind.

A pair of antlers resembling those of a deer extended from its head, while its expression and gaze remained completely neutral.

The Apostle looked around with unfocused, confused eyes. Then it fixed its gaze on the two people standing before it, not far away.

"...."

Its expression became strange. It frowned, and then a long spear appeared in its hand.

The air around the Apostle twisted, and moments later, the Power of Chaos engulfed the spear, causing an amethyst-colored flame to appear.

"....?"

At that moment, on the other side, Adel and Lumina could not help but sense the presence of the flames surrounding the spear.

’It seems capable of attacking the soul.’

’I don’t think they’re actually flames meant to attack the soul. It’s something else.’

Adel took a deep breath and, a moment later, let out a sigh.

’I don’t know what will happen next, but...’

He raised a hand to his eyes, and then the bandage disappeared as it was stored inside his Inventory.

A notification immediately appeared in his mind.

〖Effect: Pandemonium has been activated〗

〖You can see the past, present, and future regardless of your Will〗

’This effect doesn’t actually consume Mana or anything like that. Instead, it uses Will, so in theory, I can fight while watching the enemy’s next attack.’

It was the first time Adel had done this, and he wasn’t entirely sure how the battle would unfold.

’It’s better to avoid the worst-case scenario whenever possible.’

In an instant, the world around Adel changed.

***

Boom!

The Apostle’s figure blurred. It did not utter a single word upon seeing Adel and Lumina standing before it.

It simply vanished and attacked as though it had no intention of wasting any time.

Adel and Lumina used Mana and leaped backward.

Boom!

A storm of amethyst-colored flames erupted, creating a massive explosion where the two had been standing only a moment earlier.

From within the vortex of flames, the Apostle spread its wings and flew into the sky.

Several meters above the ground, the Apostle looked down and fixed its gaze on the pair.

Without hesitation, it raised its spear. The Power of Chaos swirled as space and time around it twisted in agony.

Then the Apostle tensed its arm and hurled the spear.

Slash! Boom!

The air crackled with a deafening explosion.

The spear reached Adel in an instant.

Adel gritted his teeth, and using all his strength, Dark Mana enveloped his entire body, enhancing his physical abilities.

Then he thrust his sword forward with perfect precision, pouring an immense amount of Dark Mana into the attack.

Kaaang!

The tip of the spear collided with the tip of the sword, and for a single second, absolute silence filled the battlefield, but then...

Boom!

Dark Mana and the amethyst flames erupted into a violent explosion.

The very next second, both the spear and the sword were thrown back.

The Apostle raised a hand, and the spear flew back into its grasp.

Meanwhile, Adel was sent flying backward as though struck by a devastating blow before crashing into the ground.

However, he quickly got back up and rose to his feet once again.

The next moment, the Apostle vanished and reappeared directly in front of Lumina.

Without showing the slightest surprise, Lumina swung her sword, and the Apostle attacked.

Kaaang! Boom!

Lumina’s sword was forced back, and the Apostle’s spear drove her several steps backward.

Lumina gathered a tremendous amount of Mana around both her body and her sword.

The blade shone with a brilliant silver radiance.

Then she shifted her stance, and in the next instant, her figure blurred.

"...?"

The Apostle lost sight of her for a split second, and in the following instant, it twisted its body in an unnatural motion and spun its spear.

Kaaang!

Lumina’s attack was suddenly blocked, but without the slightest hesitation, she pressed the palm of her hand against the Apostle’s shoulder at the perfect moment.

A stream of silver lightning burst from her palm, spreading across the Apostle’s entire body.

"Dismantle."

As she murmured those words, the power of her Trait activated, and the Apostle’s body dropped to its knees.

Slash!

Lumina swung her sword and severed the Apostle’s wings, cutting away a large portion of them.

Then she raised her sword to strike again, but suddenly...

"....?"

Her vision went completely black for a few seconds. She blinked, and then realized something...

Kaaang!

A sharp pain coursed through her entire body. She was launched through the air as her abdomen was stained a deep crimson.

Boom!

The Apostle rose back to its feet and then extended the palm of its hand.

An amethyst-colored flame emerged, creating multiple spheres in the air before launching them at Lumina.

Lumina gritted her teeth as blood dripped from her mouth. Then she looked at the spheres.

In an instant, she raised her sword and, using all of her mana, created a shield around her body while cutting through them.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The spheres slammed into the mana surrounding her body, forming cracks as purple flames engulfed everything around her.

Lumina closed her eyes and stopped attacking. Then she raised the palm of her hand, and in the very next second, the space around her became distorted.

As if it were a black hole, a silver light emerged, and then the spheres, the flames, the air, and everything around her began spiraling into the palm of her hand.

She gritted her teeth and then hurled everything she had gathered in her palm toward the Apostle.

At that moment, the Apostle, sensing something, raised his spear, and flames streaked through the air around him, but at that very instant...

Adel appeared and grabbed the flame-covered spear.

An immense amount of Dark Mana surged from Adel’s body into his hand.

Distorting the air around him, Adel swung his sword with his other hand.

The Apostle suddenly waved his free hand, and it transformed into a thin blade that blocked Adel’s sword.

Then the Apostle attacked again, and Adel defended himself, but at that very moment...

Boom!

Something shot forward and struck the Apostle’s body.

The Apostle’s body was launched like a cannonball, and whatever had struck him continued driving him forward, destroying everything in its path and carrying him farther and farther until...

Boom! Slash!

A massive explosion erupted several meters away, sending a powerful shockwave through the air and pushing everything around it aside.

The explosion was filled with yellow flames and silver light.

Without wasting a second, Adel vanished, and in the blink of an eye, he reached the Apostle.

At that moment, most of the Apostle’s body had been shattered to pieces, yet his expression had not changed.

"...?!"

The Apostle rose to his feet, and new wings emerged from his back. Then he took to the sky.

As soon as Adel realized the Apostle was about to do something, he created a pair of wings with mana and chased after him.

"...!"

The Apostle flew toward the pillar of Power of Chaos from which he had emerged and, without hesitation, grabbed it with both hands.

Then the pillar shrank, and the sky split in half.

Power of Chaos enveloped the entire area, intensifying the gravity and pressure on the ground.

Adel’s body crashed violently into the ground.

Boom!

Using all his strength, Adel forced himself back to his feet and then looked up.

The pillar of Power of Chaos had disappeared.

But then Adel noticed the Apostle’s body.

It had completely recovered, and above all...

’Class 8... No, he’s about to reach Class 9...’

Power of Chaos covered the entire area. An overwhelming pressure had descended upon the ground.

Everything around them was being crushed under that immense pressure.

At that moment, Lumina appeared beside Adel and said,

"If we don’t kill him before he reaches Class 9, we won’t be able to win."

Adel tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword as countless thoughts raced through his mind.

But unfortunately, he had no time to think.

The Apostle, his eyes closed, clenched his fist, feeling revitalized.

Sensing his strength returning at a rapid pace, he looked at the two of them and, for the first time, spoke.

"What an amusing children’s game. Even a pair of mere Four-Star Awakened nearly killed me while I was at the peak of Class 7."

"Mhm, it seems humans have become more... talented and stronger."

He swung his spear as though examining himself, trying to gauge just how powerful he had become.

"Very well, let’s see if you can do the same thing again."

"....?!"

"....?!"

Lumina and Adel reacted too late. The Apostle’s figure vanished, and in the very next instant, he appeared directly in front of them.

Using nothing but his fists, the Apostle struck the two of them. Their bodies twisted violently before being sent flying.

And a deafening explosion erupted through the air.