Chapter 219
I walked toward Rod's house.
The members and the spirits stood in confrontation.
They didn't look hostile.
There were about 300 spirits. Most appeared as ancient Holy Knights, but they seemed a bit different from ordinary spirits.
As I stepped forward, one spirit also approached.
― What is your name?
"Roger Hader."
At my words, the Holy Knight knelt on one knee.
The other spirits lined up behind also slowly took the same posture, showing me their respect.
― We have been waiting for you, my lord.
"Did Rod tell you?"
― He said you would return in his form.
"Are you Rod's companions?"
― Yes, we were warriors who served Lord Apeon and followed Lord Rod.
"Why were you waiting for me?"
― Summon us when war breaks out. We exist now in spiritual form, but if you summon us, we can be incorporated into your army.
"Does that mean you can fight?"
― We will deal with evil spirits, and if we are within your army, we can fight with holy power. There are countless knights of god like us in this land.
"There are more besides you?"
― That's right. Since you restored the holy power of Osu, more and more holy soldiers will awaken.
Everyone was surprised.
It wasn't just the holy power and the giant guardian who awakened after breaking the barrier. These were a type of heavenly army.
"How do I summon you?"
― It is the authority of the lord.
"You mean Yan the Apostle's authority."
― Correct. Soon, Apeon will grant both of you the Apostle's authority.
Looking around at the spirits, I said,
"All of you, go and rest at your sanctuaries. When the demons invade, I will call upon you."
― We will be waiting.
The spirits quickly disappeared into the forest.
Had they given up on reincarnating?
Or were they originally existing heavenly soldiers?
Together with the team members, I headed to Rod's house.
Rod had come here and made this house himself before he died. It was amazing that it hadn't collapsed yet.
Everyone entered cautiously.
Amidst sparse furnishings,
There was a bead on the bed in the far corner.
It was the essence Rod had left behind.
The essence of holy power.
Like the Apostles, it seemed he also turned to light and vanished after death. The essence he left was bright white, filled with intense holy power. The magic power itself wasn't that great.
"We'll have to stay in this house for a while."
"We need to check the time flow here first. It'll be a problem if several years pass by again."
"Right. Yuri, go with him."
"Okay."
Donnie and Yuri stepped outside.
I immediately tried opening the magic vault, and thankfully, it opened here. There was less to worry about food or sleeping arrangements.
/ / /
Three months passed.
I spent the whole time training in the forest. Before coming to this land of light, everyone had been on the verge of evolving.
I, too, felt I was on the verge of stepping up. So, I planned to take Rod's essence here. The essences we obtained from the rift in space-time would be given to the team.
The flow of time here wasn't much different from that in Rac. Still, since a demon could appear and close the door at any time, we took turns guarding the snowy mountain, one person a day.
Meanwhile, the holy power within us grew each day. Two weeks ago, the entire team had become, in the truest sense, Swords of Light. No, even more than that. Eilin as well.
So now, everyone was away from the forest, honing swordsmanship befitting a Sword of Light, and developing their own skills.
I stayed at Rod's house.
I meditated the whole time. Now, I could become one with my soul at will. I could adjust the speed of the world as I pleased.
In deep unity with my soul, connected to the depths of the osu tree, I observed the universe. Then I took Rod's essence and lay down.
I felt my body rising.
There was no explosion of magic power, nor any surge of presence.
There was no particular change in my body.
I only knew that I had surpassed something that once seemed so distant. I sensed my body sanctifying. I could feel I was becoming an immortal being.
And then I saw god.
It appeared as a star.
At times, it appeared as my father. At times, it appeared as Ailin and Eilin. Sometimes, it appeared as my childhood self. The star entered me.
I became one with the universe.
It was becoming one with god.
Thus, I became an Apostle of god.
How much time passed?
In my sleep, someone held my hand.
A warm, feminine touch.
"You're awake?"
Eilin was at my bedside.
She, too, had changed. Her body radiated light.
It seemed she had obtained the Apostle's authority.
"You met god too."
"Yes, today I did as well."
She had also welcomed god.
It's a different matter from magic power. It was just that Apeon had come to grant authority to me and her.
"What power did you get?"
"Heavenly Light."
I nodded.
That was Elin the Apostle's authority.
"What kind of light is it?"
"It gives strength and courage to many, and also seems to heal. It's a power that can drive away devils."
It was the original ability of the holy sword.
It seemed Eilin realized she would inherit Elin the Apostle's authority, which was why she had learned buff techniques.
I would probably be able to summon forces.
Summoning is Yan the Apostle's granted authority. It was also Rod's power to call guardian beasts and all kinds of creatures.
It was the osu tree gift from Aindel.
Leaves imbued with the power of time.
Branches for force summoning.
The osu tree knew I would attain two abilities. To transcend the speed of the world and summon forces with the Apostle's authority.
Those leaves and branches could only be used by someone with those powers. That's why no previous Elin could use both divine items.
There are three osu leaves.
They can each be used once. One for stopping. One for slowing. One for reversing.
There is only one branch of osu.
This I can use at any time with my authority, just like the Apostles freely used their powers.
Outside the house, everyone was waiting.
Everyone was fully empowered with holy energy. Yuri as well.
Donnie spoke.
"All team members now have both ice and storm in their magic power. We've also mastered swordsmanship of lightning, ice, and storm. Naturally, we now have resistance to both attributes."
"Yes, of course."
We gained those powers after defeating the Apostles of Gadisil and Tak. If we defeat the Apostle Dran, we'll get gravity power as well. Everyone will become absurdly strong.
Our holy power had become the strongest. Our suits of armor and weapons became holy artifacts, radiating with holy energy. Eilin's holy sword grew even more powerful.
"Let's go. Time to finish this."
Shoo–
Yuri transformed into a red wyvern. Maybe because the wyvern's body was smaller and more agile, she had begun ferrying the team around in this form lately.
Everyone quickly climbed onto Yuri's body. She carried us straight toward the mountains where the temple was located.
Spirits sparkled as they saw us off.
/ / /
We returned to the temple in the snowy mountain.
Maybe because they didn't know we had destroyed the sorcery, or maybe they had given up — since then, no devils had appeared.
"How's our news?"
"Nothing special in the new territory. A monster did appear at the construction site, but it was safely captured. The palace has just begun construction."
"What about the capital and the Tris side?"
"The capital is calm. Marls began the Tris purification, but reconstruction seems difficult. No other notable news from Lord Parde's side."
"Your commander is still in place?"
"Yes. Lord Marls asked a few times to join forces, but was repeatedly refused. The commanders' families have already moved to our capital."
We worried that by hindering the Demon King's descent, swarms of devils might burst out. A demon could emerge and attack our new territory.
But it was quiet. It didn't seem like they would retaliate recklessly or move too hastily. There seemed to be a being who commanded devils in place of the Demon King over long years.
The great devil next to the Demon King.
A supporter of the grand duke. Not likely an Apostle. The Apostles were excluded, virtually isolated.
"Let's go in."
Everyone entered the second door.
It connected to the desert. The door to the land of light could be left open, since devils couldn't get in.
This was a different place than before.
There was a temple here too, and upon emerging from it, a vast barren land could be seen. Not every land was a desert.
The temple stood alone on the wasteland.
It was my first time seeing land with neither mountains nor forests.
Donnie said,
"I scouted twice with Yuri, but we didn't see any sorcery devices or Dran the Apostle anywhere. The desert is to the north; the rest of the land looks like this."
"No devils?"
"None at all."
There still was a bit of holy energy of light in this land.
Even where there was darkness, it would quickly vanish.
That was probably why there were no devils.
"Eilin, do you remember anything?"
"Wait a moment."
Eilin looked around.
"This is not quite the same place. I think there was water where the Demon King was sealed. It was extremely dark. The wind was fierce. It felt like someone protected us."
I looked at Donnie.
"Is there any place with water?"
"I'm not sure about places far away, but most of the land was just like this. As if the entire continent had been destroyed."
Rod and Ailin said they sealed the Demon King on Tak's land, but this might not be the place. Since there's a connecting door here, I thought Dran the Apostle had entered.
Hans said,
"If it was very dark, could it have been that place?"
"The black land?"
"Yes."
I asked Eilin again.
"Wasn't there a sharp wind, and a ground that looked all like black quartz? Gravity incredibly strong?"
She looked at me.
"That's right. A black storm raged. It was pitch black everywhere, but there was a lake from which light rose."
"Oh dear."
Everyone let out a hollow laugh.
Now what should we do?
That's the land we went through on our way to hell.
That place where black storms raged.
Time flows much slower there.
"We can't go there."
Everyone was speechless.
Just five hours there would mean a year passes elsewhere. Who knows what might happen in Rac in the meantime.
But we can't just do nothing while the Demon King descends. Too dangerous to send just the team. And the Demon King might already be awake.
"They must have sealed the Demon King there on purpose. A hundred years over there could be a thousand years in Rac. Even for devils, staying there would be difficult."
"I think so too."
Rod may have sealed him there to buy time. There must be a reason he couldn't kill the Demon King.
I turned to Eilin again.
"You don't know the exact location?"
"It was just an extremely dark place—too hard to recall."
"All right. Better not to go in."
If we wander in that land searching for the Demon King, who knows how many years will go by. If we return after a few days' wandering only to find ten years have passed, it'll be a disaster.
"If we go there, the devils will move. It might even be a trap. Just as the empire situation changed when we were in that place."
"That's possible."
"Eilin, do you recall about when that was?"
Eilin searched her memory.
She wouldn't know well, since it flashed by quickly in her past life. Since it was her first life, too, the memory must be vague.
"That was when there were no heroes, just you and me. Only your subordinates were with us. Right. We carried something on the ship and sailed to the Gadisil continent. Back then, there was no ice barrier."
"After that the devils disappeared, right?"
"I think so."
"For now, let's go back."
Everyone began walking toward the temple.
The devils who'd ruled the continent vanished suddenly. They must've returned to hell after the Demon King was sealed.
After returning to the snowy mountain temple, I opened the magic vault and summoned the dark knights to serve as guards.
"Now, I need to visit the past."
"To when you first met Rod?"
"No, to when Rod and Ailin were sealing the Demon King. If I get it wrong, I'll just look for Rod and come straight back."
Since I'm traveling to the past, it doesn't matter if I spend a few days in that black land. If I find the Demon King's sealing location, I can return and look for it as quickly as possible.
After a short rest, I lay on the bed.
A soul journey is possible.
The osu tree will help.
However, rod said that when I first met him, it was year 8 of the Great War, when he was in the western mountains. I'll be meeting him for the first time this time, but for him, it might be his last meeting with me. Since the war would be ending.
Which soul bead should I use?
What's left is the 1 minute, 1 week, 1 month, and 1 year beads.
Who will I end up inside?
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