âApostle?â
When Kreon asked, looking shocked, Noah smiled.
âI understand your surprise. Even I was surprised when I was suddenly called the apostle.â
â⦠I didnât hear the news about the apostle being born.â
âit is the will of God. There is no need to let his believers know.â
Kreon frowned at Noahâs words, which said that Zenithâs sword was a believer.
âAre you referring me as just a believer?â
âHahaha. Of course, you arenât just a believer; you are still Zenithâs Sword. Butâ¦â
Noah smiled and asked Kreon.
âHow long do I have to stay silent?â
âWhat?â
âI continue to respect you; however, having seen how the other believers act, I just canât help but wonder, is this how youâre meant to treat someone above you? â
âAbove⦠me?â
âAm I wrong?â
Noah spread his arms widely.
âI was chosen by father, Zenith, and turned into his alter ego. I am the second highest being in the church after father, and you? Ah. Of course, I know you arenât a lowly one. But even so, you arenât in the highest position, right? You havenât even sworn your allegiance.â
Kreon was puzzled as he looked at Noah, and he laughed.
âKikikikiki! Kuakakakaka!â
âOh. What is so funny?â
âFather, oh Father! Is this a test you inflicted on me?â
Kreon looked up and shouted like a madman.
âI see.â
And he reached for the corpse of the soldier he killed. The sword held by the corpse got pulled into his hand.
As soon as he held it, an aura erupted around him. The power was unrefined and yet felt like a Grand Master aura and began to swirl like a storm.
Noah mumbled.
âYou must have been tired for the past 5 years.â
And then he slowly raised his hand.
âit wouldnât be a bad idea to start changing your habits. One way or another, you are fatherâs sword, and I cannot cast you aside without fatherâs permissionâ¦â
The pure white holy power of Zenith began to condense on his fingertips.
âIt is said that the nature of a hunting dog gets refined through training, meaning this can be seen as education.â
âYou have been spouting nothing but nonsense!!â
Unable to hear it any longer, Kreon burst into anger and ran to Noah.
Even if this man was Zenithâs Apostle, Kreon was a Grand Master.
Unlike before, he sincerely swung his sword, intending to kill Noah at once.
âI will show you the difference between us!â
Noah reached ahead and slightly extended his hand, and Kreon immediately tried to chop it off.
Tuk!
Noahâs right hand was merely pushed back a little, no visible damage being dealt.
The fluttering aura on the sword burned in the air without inflicting as much as a scratch, leaving Kreon flabbergasted.
No matter how strong the hand, his sword should have cut it down.
Right now, the aura on his sword could cut down a massive rock as if it was paper, but it didnât cut a human hand?
He couldnât understand it.
The opponent didnât even use much force. Nor could he feel a large amount of holy power.
And Noah said.
âI told you, I am the apostle.â
Apostle.
Godâs representative.
Godâs body.
The one ordained by God.
âIt is definitely a great thing to be born as a human and acquire power that exceeds a humanâs limits through the sword. But that is all.â
Kreonâs aura shook.
An unknown and unprecedented power began to scatter Zenithâs holy power. Kreon couldnât help but be flustered by it.
It felt like everything in him was succumbing to what was happening.
As he was about to step back, Noah grabbed the blade.
It was such a light pull that he felt as if he could fight it without breaking a sweat. However, Kreon didnât draw it back.
It was impossible no matter how much he tried.
Being a Grand Master represented reaching the pinnacle, which only served to further Kreonâs shock. While thinking that, Noah calmly spoke.
âSeems like I have a lot of power.â
âWhy⦠why didnât your hand fall?â
âHuhu. You seem to be misunderstanding things.â
âWhat is that supposed to mean?â
Noah answered Kreon.
âYou canât even take back the sword, and you are asking why my hand didnât fall?â
âYou think I cannot take it back?â
It couldnât be.
Kreon was still struggling to take back the sword.
See.
Arenât the arms of the Grand Master trembling? It sure was that.
âWhy am I the only one struggling?â
The man was holding it, but he didnât seem to be straining himself.
Why was he having the illusion of pulling?
No, he was really pulling it, so why?
âThereâs no point, Sir Kreon.â
âYou⦠what have you done?â
âI did nothing. This is a natural thing.â
ââ¦â
âI am fatherâs representative, his alter ego, and the savior whom father sent down to this land. And you are the sword which is supposed to protect father, in other words, protect me.â
âNoâ¦â
âIt is impossible for a guardian sword to target its god, right? It is against the holy law and cannot exist, especially under father.â
Noah put down the sword and took a step toward Kreon.
Kreon stepped back. He tried to kill Noah a second ago, but now he couldnât.
No, something was welling up within him. It was incomprehensible, but he knew what this was.
Kreon stood facing Noah and knelt down on one knee. And he said,
âThis knight swears to dedicate his body to the representative of God.â
âRight, Sir Kreon. I hope we get along well.â
A light shone through the cracked ceiling. Believers gathered around and joined hands as they began to pray to their father, Zenith.
The churchâs main hall, where five colors of light poured through the stained glass.
An impressive boy with silky brown hair was kneeling and praying.
The boy looked like he was in his mid-teens with a pure white robe and holding a rosary made of pure gold in his hand.
And someone opened the door and entered the hall. A handsome man with blonde hair and paladin clothes.
He bowed his head with his right fist on his chest and said to the boy.
âHoly Executioner Lars Armetic has arrived.â
âYou are back?â
âIf I had known you were praying, I would have come a little later, sorry.â
âYou donât have to apologize; we are quite close. The Goddess must have commanded me to receive Sir Larsâ greeting right now.â
At that, Lars smiled and shook his head. And the boy, too, got up.
âPhew. Todayâs prayer is done. Shall we eat something?â
The boy, Ricky, turned with a smile. Seeing that cheerful look, Lars smiled and nodded.
âThey said the food is ready.â
âIt is easy to talk when itâs just the two of us.â
âIf it is just us two, we should be more serious. You are no longer a child.â
â13 is a kid.â
Ricky had turned 13 this year and was fulfilling his duties as an apostle of Goddess Pyro.
As a result, Lars and the others didnât treat him like a child anymore.
Ricky himself thought that he had grown up, but he still referred to himself as a child because he felt he had given up on his childhood too early.
âAnna?â
âThe saintess seems to have gone out for a while.â
âWell. It is fun to go around.â
Ricky smiled, thinking of his younger sister.
Anna, who was blind, fully awakened her holy power a year ago, and her eyes finally opened.
After spending 10 years in the dark, she regained her sight from that day, and she couldnât stop going around.
âAnd the condition?â
âWell. the nations of side have Masters, and is also in a state of balanced power, so only small-scale battles are happening.â
The eastern continent led by Zenith church.
In order to subdue the Zenith Church, the northern alliance and Pyro church united around Seldam.
Because the cause was in the northern continent of , and expressed their intention to intervene.
And the central continent didnât speak their choice.
But the leaders all knew.
âThere hasnât been a proper engagement yet, but when the war begins in earnest, there is a high possibility that will join the Lily church.â
Zenith, the God of War and Peace, Brahman, the God of Dragons, and Lily, the Goddess of beauty, were part of the same faction.
The God of Dragon will not intervene as he cannot make dragons move for this. And if he uses the dragons, the high elves and Ran would not stand still.
But with Lily, it was a different story.
âWe should expect other churches to check it. In fact, it seems that negotiations are already happening.â
âI am so glad that the world is made of churches.â
What is very strange is that this continent had freedom of religion. No matter how corrupt the nation is, no one can impose religion.
Ricky thought that it was because the influence of the 12 Gods was too strong.
In this land, the 12 Gods are absolute and not abstract beings but actual transcendental beings, so even the king of a nation wouldnât dare speak recklessly about the churches.
So no one could reject it. Because it feels like an insult to the church.
Due to that, it was often the case that a countryâs military would follow the allegiances of their church. And yet, there were also plenty of cases where the military refused to help.
Churches are more likely to be unified, which gave the Lily Church a significant amount of freedom.
âI am glad that has a perfect alliance.â
âThe Seldam Kingdom played a huge role.â
Seldam, the northern nation, criticized Zenith for summoning demons through ritual and united the power of the north.
But behind the scenes, contracts were being drafted, and the churches opposing Zenith were making their moves.
âThe system of 12 Gods has collapsed. We need to attack first to survive.â
âThat meansâ¦â
âI need to meet her.â
Although he looked young, he was both the alter ego of Pyro and the highest ranking person in the church.
His will is the will of the church, and his decision is the decision of the church.
âRight now?â
Ricky smiled at Larsâ question.
âFirst, we need to eat. We need to eat well to do anything, right?â
With an innocent expression, Ricky spoke.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Lars smiled and nodded.
âRight.â
âBut.â
âPlease speak.â
âIs Jamie doing well?â
âJamieâ¦â
Five years ago, they met in Apton for the last time.
And there was news about him from time to time.
âI heard a few months back, and it sounded like he did a great job.â
âI know he played a huge role in turning back the God Drian and transforming Harmonia into a new nation.â
âHe is such a cool guy. Can I meet him?â
âWe will meet soon. Because Jamie knows it is time.â
Even if the content wasnât mentioned, Ricky knew. So he nodded.
The time wasnât far off.
The great war of life and death of the northern and eastern continent was approaching.