Chapter 281

Words : 2452 Updated : Oct 11th, 2025

Chapter 281 The thick scent of blood filled the air. Luize stood silently, staring at the grim scene. Then, after a while, she tapped on Hati with a finger. In an instant, Hati morphed from a mask back into its choker form. With her mouth now uncovered, Luize spat out what she'd been holding in her mouth. “Ptoo!” Blood had been pooled inside her mouth. She’d bitten down too hard at the end of the fight, causing her to bleed. “Damn it...” She clicked her tongue at the dull, creeping pain before checking her condition. The fight had ended quickly in a blaze of firepower, so she hadn’t sustained any serious injuries. Her strength and mana reserves were intact as well, leaving nothing to worry about. Satisfied there were no pressing issues to her condition, she turned her focus to the ambient mana lingering in the air. ...It’s gone. Just moments before, she had felt as though everything around her belonged solely to her. But now, that sensation seemed ridiculous, like some fever dream. Frowning, she reflected on the strange experience. That voice... was it hers? She couldn’t shake the thought that the version of herself from the future had supposedly helped her win the battle. But just the idea of relying on that insufferable personality for help left her with a bitter taste. After all, the dreams in which she’d learned Incantation Magic from her future self had always left her fuming. Aside from the fact that her future self swore at her throughout the entire duration of the dream, her future self’s entire presence was simply too aggravating. I hate how she acts like she’s so important... even though she’s just a figment of Se-Hoon’s imagination. Luize recalled how her future self had constantly berated her for not being ruthless enough, acting as if she knew Se-Hoon personally all the while. And just thinking about the tantrum her future self might throw if she met her future self in the next dream made Luize frustrated, but she still tried to brush it off. Luize knew her future self would just fade away in time, and besides, despite her obnoxiousness, her future self’s intervention had actually helped her win the fight. Acquiring the way she seizes control of the ambient mana... would definitely come in handy later on. Although Luize couldn’t grasp the concept yet, if she could understand even a fraction of what she had seen moments ago, she thought she might reach S-rank in no time. With her thoughts settled, Luize reformed Hati back into its mask form. Taking precautions, she slowly moved toward the body, inspecting the Seeker’s intact left arm lying on the ground. Despite the intense fight, it was still unscathed. And even though she’d deliberately avoided it with her final incantation, it felt like, even if she had struck it, it wouldn’t have left a mark. This is one damn creepy arm. Muttering something under her breath, Luize picked up the arm and immediately cast an incantation. “Incineration.” Fwoosh! The corpse on the ground and all other remnants went up in flames, vanishing entirely. Confirming everything had been cleaned up, Luize glanced at the Akasha floating next to her. “What’s next?” Akasha’s pages fluttered, forming a new line in the air. “Send the arm back and return to the academy first.” Receiving Se-Hoon’s instructions through the Akasha, Luize promptly used the Ascension Ring to transport the Seeker’s left arm to Se-Hoon. Whoosh! A flash of golden light engulfed the arm, causing it to vanish without a trace. Then, after checking to make sure the teleportation was complete, Luize sighed in relief. With that, her role in this plan had ended. Now, all that was left was for Se-Hoon to return safely from Manhattan. Seeing that he’s telling me to go ahead... he must have something going on over there. Perhaps someone from the conference had found him suspicious just as he was about to teleport away. She paused briefly to think before deciding to just follow his orders. If he needed help, he would have said so in the first place. She trusted that Se-Hoon could handle anyone at the conference by himself. Additionally, if she were to charge in recklessly, she might even end up burdening him. Whoosh! Making up her mind, Luize quickly prepared to teleport, grabbing Akasha just before she stepped through the gate. But just as she was about to put it away, she hesitated, then cleared her throat. “Tell him that if he messes this up and comes back empty-handed, I’ll kill him myself.” Akasha’s pages fluttered, passing on her message. Seeing that, her expression grew complicated. While the words had seemed appropriate when she’d said it, upon thinking about it again, she realized it may have been a bit too harsh. “Ugh, whatever.” But instead of attempting to correct her message, she stowed Akasha irritably and stepped into the gate, slipping away as if she were fleeing. *** “It doesn’t matter if you fail; please just come back safely, my love.” “...” “I’m serious. It’s not exactly those words, but it’s close enough.” “Sure, sure. Now shut up.” Ignoring the Seeker’s rambling whispers, Se-Hoon examined the arm that had just been teleported to him. Looks like things went smoothly on her end. To prepare for any unexpected developments, he had stationed Fenrir, one of Wurgen’s elite undead, in the forest nearby, but it had been a quiet mission. He could sense Fenrir’s boredom, which confirmed that Luize had handled things without issues. Neutralizing his powers must have been the killing blow. Left Arm was known for storing vast amounts of knowledge in the Akasha, enabling his body to regenerate from any injury and even resurrect. However, Se-Hoon had deleted that stored information through the Seeker’s power, creating a gap for Luize to exploit and defeat him. With the only witness erased... the rest is up to me. Se-Hoon composed himself before calmly scanning his surroundings. Whoosh- Dozens of black stakes were floating ominously in the air, pointed directly at him. And while the stakes themselves were intimidating enough, their real threat lay in the power sealed within—a force that seemed to reject the very fabric of reality. Yet despite being in the center of such an ominous situation, Se-Hoon faintly smiled. “It’s about time we reached a conclusion, wouldn’t you say?” His voice echoed through the empty conference hall, but silence continued to fill the room, heavy as though no words had been spoken. It was at that moment. Near the entrance, a figure finally stirred. Apostate, with his ghastly pale face, opened his mouth slowly. “So, you’re saying that you killed him to quell their rebellion? What a pitiful excuse.” Apostate sneered openly, acting as if he knew all the secrets of the world. But Se-Hoon remained unflinching. “Indeed, it may look foolish, as this means I couldn’t even manage one idiot properly.” “Are you just going to keep lying?” “You know what, I should be the one asking that.” The moment Se-Hoon turned to face Apostate directly, the stakes shot toward him, aiming for his eyes, throat, and heart. But when they were just inches from their targets, they all stopped, threatening to skewer him at the slightest movement. Yet Se-Hoon simply looked on, unaffected. Swish. He finished turning around without a hint of hesitation. Woosh! Crash! The stakes flew in to impale Se-Hoon’s various vital spots, but they all drove into the floor—they missed. Apostate’s gaze hardened. The stakes missed? The Desecrator’s Brand, Divine Magic that subjugates targets through contact or mere proximity, usually made evasion nearly impossible. But Se-Hoon had just slipped through without moving out of the way. “Do you really need to paint me as a traitor here? Sure, I’ve joined you guys only recently, but that’s not the only reason, right?” Maintaining his guard, Apostate stared at Se-Hoon as he answered the question. “Isn’t that enough of a reason already?” “Maybe, but all I’m asking is that you look at the essence of this matter.” “...” “Although Left Arm maintained ties with other Watchers and the Demon Force for a long time, in the end, he recognized himself as a Region.” In the face of Apostate's suspicion, Se-Hoon remained calm and steady. “Whether it was Glen trying to cut me up, kidnap me, or me killing him for his ignorance and his misdeeds, they were all for His resurrection.” “...” “No matter what happens along the way, none of them are a reason for you to interfere with this. This is all His will, and it’s only our duty to follow.” Apostate watched Se-Hoon silently, his attention held by Se-Hoon’s unwavering words. If Glen had ever mentioned the possibility of Se-Hoon betraying the Watchers, he would have ignored anything Se-Hoon was saying. “This person is essential for His resurrection. Under no circumstances should we kill him.” But Glen had never once done so; instead, Glen spoke of Se-Hoon as if he were someone who needed to be protected. So, with just a brief moment of contemplation, Apostate withdrew his magic. Whoosh! The stakes embedded in the floor disappeared one by one, and the dark world that had covered the area returned to its original state. Phew... Seeing that Apostate had fully withdrawn, Se-Hoon checked the Veil of Whitespace cloaked around his body. It’s a bit tight... but I hope it’ll hold out a little longer. Despite the waning hostility, he remained vigilant. Knowing Apostate’s notorious history from before the regression, he couldn’t predict what sudden move Apostate might make. Maintaining his vigilance, Se-Hoon stared down at Apostate. “Are you satisfied now?” “Don’t get too cocky. I’ve simply decided to keep an eye on you for now.” Apostate shot a cold, piercing glare at him. “If you show even the slightest hint of betrayal, I’ll tear you apart, limb from limb, and leave your remains on display for the world to see. Understand?” “I’ll keep that in mind.” Se-Hoon didn’t let the threat weigh on him. From the start, he had anticipated that a few would grow suspicious of his actions. Besides, if that was all, it meant he’d already half-convinced Apostate. So showing him the Seeker's power was the right move after all. If he hadn’t brought forth the Seeker’s voice during the conference, Apostate’s suspicion would have escalated beyond control, probably ending in an all-out confrontation that would jeopardize his infiltration plan entirely. Glaring at him silently from the entrance, Apostate soon turned as if to leave. But upon seeing the retreating figure, Se-Hoon called out to him. “You’re just going to leave like this?” Apostate stopped in his tracks, not turning back. “What do you mean?” “Isn’t there something you wanted to discuss with me?” Glen had called off Se-Hoon's kidnapping mid-conference, meaning Apostate didn’t have any reason to stay in the conference so late. Yet he’d lingered until the conference ended, only revealing himself after Glen had teleported away. He’s clearly here with another purpose. Rather than to protect Glen, it was an excuse to observe Se-Hoon more closely. Understanding Apostate’s intention, Se-Hoon quickly guessed what the Apostate’s real aim was. “If it’s about the Pilgrim, I’m more than willing to discuss it. I’m also concerned about him.” A heavy silence hung between them. Apostate had finally turned around, locking eyes with Se-Hoon. “Do you really know how to kill him?” Seeing the murderous intent in his cold gaze, Se-Hoon didn’t flinch and nodded. “As long as I can figure out how to neutralize his powers, it’s definitely possible.” The reason the Harbingers of Destruction could kill the Perfect Ones before the regression was because they could counter their powers directly. That meant that, in theory, anyone could kill the Perfect Ones if they could neutralize their powers. In fact, Apostate himself had probably managed to kill the Pilgrim using the same method before the regression. I don’t know the exact method he used, but one thing’s certain... he didn’t receive any help from the Harbingers of Destruction. In the previous timeline, Apostate had perished alongside the Pilgrim, leaving the question unanswered. But now that he regressed, Se-Hoon hoped to uncover the secret. “...” After a moment of silence, Apostate reached into his coat and tossed something to Se-Hoon. Catching it deftly, Se-Hoon looked down at the object in his hand. Woong- It was a split black ring, held together by a faint black light, that remained intact despite its fracture. Se-Hoon recognized what it was on sight. A Stigma? A Stigma was a unique piece of metal infused with divine mana, mainly used as material for the Stigmatas crafted by the Pilgrim himself. And the black ring given by the Apostate emitted a similar aura. “There’s something in there that will answer how one could neutralize the Pilgrim’s power.” “...” “Figure it out and bring it back to me. Then, I might just believe you...” Whoosh! Leaving behind those parting words, Apostate faded into the shadows, not a trace left behind in the conference hall. “...” Once he was sure Apostate was gone, Se-Hoon let out a sigh before directing his attention to the ring in his hand. “There’s something in here, huh...” Was the essence of Apostate’s power an inherent counter to the Pilgrim’s? Se-Hoon inspected the blackened divine mana tinged with demonic aura, feeling an odd sensation. Whoosh! Suddenly, the divine mana in his body uncontrollably surged from within, resisting his attempt to hold it back, charging toward the black ring in his hand. The divine mana collided with the ring, forcing its way into it. Ting- The ring trembled, emitting a clear, resonant sound. “...?” Confused by the unexpected sequence of events, Se-Hoon examined the ring closely. The ring’s form had changed, with one side now glowing with golden divine mana while the other retained its dark hue. But despite their clean separation, the two halves were interacting, resonating without clashing. Woong- Watching the two halves continue to vibrate, Se-Hoon decided to ask the Seeker for confirmation of his thoughts. “...This is a resonance phenomenon, isn’t it?” “...It surely is.” Sounding similarly dumbfounded, the Seeker confirmed Se-Hoon’s observation. The two opposing manas, resonating instead of repelling each other, revealed a simple but profound truth. Those two had the same divine mana... The Pilgrim and Apostate—those two beings were actually bound by the same divine mana.

Chapter 281

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