Apostle of the Goddess of War

Chapter 182

Ch.182 Apostle of the Goddess of War

Now, wherever one looked, the world was a place so painful it felt as though its chest was fully exposed.

It was the homeland that gave birth to humanity's joys, angers, sorrows, and pleasures, and where the records of countless stars were engraved.

Crash, crackle.

It collapses. It splits.

It turns to powder and scatters.

Even the mountain ranges where giants once lay.

Even the long rivers are said to be born from the tears of the Goddess of Water.

Even the volcanic regions where dragons born of the Goddess of Fire emerged, all turned into a handful of dust and disappeared.

"Wow— You're really crazy."

Arwen, standing beside Sion and looking around, chattered with an innocent voice.

Arwen, the Apostle of Wisdom, looked at Sion and smiled brightly. She, who used to be a crybaby, for some reason stopped crying while seeing the world half-destroyed.

Sion asked Arwen, whom he couldn't understand at all,

"You're not crying now. You don't look sad, nor do you sniffle."

"Eh, uh."

But perhaps because her originally timid nature remained, Arwen shrank a little at Sion's question.

Then she tapped her fingertips together and murmured softly,

"Th-that's... because it's beautiful."

"Beautiful?"

"Yes."

It was an expedition staking the survival of humanity. The atmosphere was solemn, and one's mindset should be heavy.

However, Arwen's atmosphere was still like a flower garden. Sion asked back with a face that said he didn't understand.

"What is?"

"The world."

"Even though everything is dying?"

"Yes."

"Hmm."

Arwen wore a forced smile as if she had swallowed bitter medicine.

"All living things run toward death from the moment they are born."

Sion was silent for a moment, then agreed. It wasn't wrong. Looking at the big picture, every moment of breathing, a living thing is dying.

"……And after death, we reincarnate. Someone's corpse becomes soil and forms the flesh of something else again. It is an infinite cycle."

"You're saying something quite serious, unlike you, Ms. Arwen."

"Hehe. I'm serious toooo!"

"Hmm, are you someone else?"

At Arwen's retort of Pop!, Sion shut his mouth, telling her to continue. Arwen's face flushed slightly, then she gazed at the swamp being lifted up whole.

Elim had already disappeared long ago, and the end had suddenly approached the reception area of the Fire Cult.

"The end of that infinite cycle is approaching. I don't know the end of this war... but witnessing the final moments as a species is beautiful in many ways."

"What does that have to do with you not being a crybaby?"

"……I dislike you now, Sir Sion."

Arwen glared at Sion with axe-eyes, then turned her body.

Sion stood at the edge of a cliff and gazed down.

Humanity's last legion was preparing for the final stand. In the distance, the ground with holes and the sky were mixing mountains and seas up and down.

And if one focused slightly by straining their eyes, someone was in the center of it all.

The God of Destruction who erased everything with every step. The end of humanity. The gift of death.

Before the despair rushed in like a breached dam, humanity felt powerless.

However, with the Goddesses on their backs, humanity rose again.

They decided not to accept death obediently, but to rage against the fate of losing.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

Another large-scale earthquake occurred. As the God of Destruction got closer, the aftermath was significant. It was enough to destroy all humanity with earthquakes alone.

However, it was offset by the power of the Goddesses. Though the Goddesses had lost much power, they could do this much.

As long as humans remained.

If even one person prayed, Divine Power existed.

Whoosh!

Sion jumped off the cliff.

His black cloak spread wide like the wings of a bird of prey. The legion looked up at the sky and pointed.

There, the Apostle of the Goddess of War!

Chests swelled, and magnificent cheers began to burst forth on the battlefield.

"Woooooh!"

A hero appears.

Sion landed lightly at the front of the front lines with his now familiar flying ability. However, he didn't forget the dramatic production.

The moment Sion landed, holy and auspicious energy swirling around him. The Goddesses automatically granted Sion status.

It was a dramatic device to instill courage in humans. The attempt was successful.

"Sion! Sion! Sion!"

The name of the Goddess of War's apostle was called from everywhere. It seemed hard to receive such cheers even if an emperor or Goddess descended personally.

The morale that had dropped soared, and the air grew hot as if melting ice.

Now it was truly right in front. The apocalypse had approached to a distance where one could reach it if it fell over. The God of Destruction was walking without caring about the human army.

What use is it for insects inferior to worms, who would disappear into ash just by walking, to gather?

However, humans did not give up.

The light in human Sion's eyes rippled. Taking a deep breath, he shouted,

"The heavenly Goddesses are with us!"

Swords were held in both of Sion's hands. A great black sword in the left, and the War Sword in the right.

Screeech!

The blade sound tore through the atmosphere loudly. It was sharp enough to make knights and soldiers flinch.

Chaos and killing intent stood on Sion's two swords. They emitted an aura ready to make everything a mess.

To counter chaos is greater chaos.

Sion grinned while gazing at the God of Destruction.

'It's so scary I feel like my head is going crazy.'

Now it had reached a point where it was hard to distinguish between fear and ecstasy.

'My head must be broken.'

A slight tremor occurred in the hand holding the sword. Sion was human too. Facing an existence that even a Goddess could erase with a single gesture was difficult to conceive even in imagination.

'But I must accomplish it.'

Sion repeated endlessly inside, steeling his resolve.

Boooom!

Sion jumped off the floor. In an instant, he crossed the void and arrived near the God of Destruction.

The God of Destruction looked up. The light in that existence's eyes was pure white. It was as if a frozen moon was stuck in its eye sockets.

Nothing remained around. Everything was equal before the God of Destruction.

The existence that announced the end with every step stood still. In an instant, the destructive action stopped. An illusion arose as if time had stopped.

"You are?"

An existence with beauty seemingly molded from a mix of Eru and Serine tilted its head looking at Sion.

Sion could barely endure the aura emitted by the God of Destruction. His black cloak fluttered as if it would tear. Had it not been for the protection of the Fighting God, his skin would have been torn off from the start.

Whoosh!

Sion stood before the God of Destruction with difficulty. It felt like facing a storm.

Sion spoke while overcoming the pressure with a calm face,

"I don't know your name, so I'll call you the God of Destruction."

"There is no name. I simply exist."

"……Understood."

"Why have you come to find me? I thought you had given up."

The God of Destruction asked indifferently. The reaction seemed to show a subtle hint of curiosity.

The feeling now was different from when they first met. If it were when it had just descended upon the world, perhaps even attempting a conversation would have been impossible.

"I declare war."

"……?"

The God of Destruction was flustered by the extremely absurd words. It couldn't hide the emotion on its face.

'Emotions exist. It's okay at this level.'

Sion said,

"I will fight you, staking the survival of humanity."

"There is no hope; wouldn't it be better to spend a little more time with your family?"

"I am fighting because I want to protect a little more time."

Whoosh!

Rough wind blew, and the God of Destruction responded,

"It is meaningless. The world will disappear soon. If you truly think there is a chance of winning, it must be human arrogance."

The expression with which the God of Destruction looked at Sion was empty. The emotional state of one who understood everything and regarded meaninglessness as a habit was clearly revealed.

"Even without hope, fighting is what humans do. In the long history of countless wars, miraculous victories have always happened."

"That might be so when humans squabble among themselves."

"You have to see the length before judging long or short."

"Haa—"

The God of Destruction let out a deep sigh. It expressed fatigue blatantly.

"Goddesses and humans… Well."

The God of Destruction scratched at Sion with a clear voice,

"Since humans are beings crafted by Goddesses, you must resemble them in all unnecessary aspects too. I will understand."

"……"

"Did you say... let us wage war?"

"Yes."

"Good. I accept. That arrogance."

The God of Destruction slowly lowered its head. Shadows fell on its expressionless face.

'……!'

In an instant, the atmosphere of the God of Destruction changed. It was sharp. It felt as if blade edges touched the skin and drew blood.

Sion expanded his nervous system and senses. Sharpening his mind, the information transmitted by his senses and Divine Power went straight to his brain.

Countless afterimages of the future flashed in his head. He removed and refined unnecessary and instantly fatal futures.

The best judgment.

Extreme efficiency.

Movements solely for victory.

At this moment, the Goddess of War's Apostle awakens. An existence born solely to win in battle faces destruction itself.

'The Goddess of War is with me.'

[Go, Sion.]

The moment Achille's jade voice echoed in his mind.

Boom— Bang!

The World War began.

***

Cla-aang—!

Hope dwelt in every touch of Sion. The hope to somehow block the god who is the concept of destruction and save humanity gathered and dwelt in Sion's soul and body.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The war staking the world was like a burning flame. Hope, battle, and form change moment by moment without shape, but burning something to achieve something is the same.

Pwah!

Grind!

Sion's head burst open and regenerated in an instant. Goldina's power and the force of the Evil God of Decay revived Sion immediately.

The spark of hope in people's chests grew larger. The Goddesses were the same. A human becomes the great warrior of the Goddesses and fights the God of Destruction.

Screeeeech!

Boom— Vroom.

Sion was truly a hero. At this moment, the Apostle of War enjoyed a moment of a star greater than the Goddesses.

Stars were born and died repeatedly in the midst of the battlefield.

It was a spectacle that made viewers lose their souls. Even the Goddesses couldn't close their mouths at the mythical battle.

However.

"Ugh—!"

The moment the Goddess of Abundance spat dark blood from her mouth, the dreamlike atmosphere broke, and they began to regain a sense of cruel reality.

"Has it started already?"

Overload came to the Goddesses who were pouring power into Sion. It was only a matter of time; all Goddesses were gradually finding it hard.

'A battle of immense scale, invisible even to the eye, is taking place.'

Achille narrowed her eyes and calculated the war situation. At this speed, it meant Sion had died over 30 times in less than a minute since the war started.

'More than expected….'

The gap was severe. She had anticipated it, but actually experiencing that power made the situation much worse.

But now there was no other way.

'I have no choice but to trust my apostle.'

Achille clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. She felt very sorry for leaving all this burden on the boy.

Even Achille herself probably didn't know she would make her apostle walk such a harsh fate.

"Will he be okay?"

Menesia asked, sweating profusely. With both arms extended forward, she was continuously granting divine power to Sion.

"If you ask about the chances of victory, there are none."

Achille answered coldly. Even so, she was the Goddess governing war. She didn't blur possibilities by being swayed by personal emotions.

One must not lose intelligence. That is what makes a commander.

"Hope?"

Menesia asked wisely.

Achille was silent for a moment, then answered calmly,

"There is. Because he is my apostle."

Boom— Bang!

Five-colored flames soared, and gradually the ground for humanity to stand on sank.

……And, the Goddess of War waited for the time.