Chapter 100: The Thirteen Apostles

Among the apostles, there was never a shortage of the strong nor the wise. One who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Herde in wisdom was Rothus.

Herde answered patiently, “This weapon is unlike any ordinary weapon. Its wielder cannot be any one of us. The dimensional barrier obstructs our true forms; we cannot descend into that world. This is an absolute barrier formed by the differences between dimensions. The stronger an individual among us is, the more fiercely they are repelled.”

“So, we need a messenger,” Rothus said slowly.

“Exactly. Though the dimensional barrier blocks our passage, we can still spread the name of the apostles and erase the differences between the two worlds. In this process, the bearer of this weapon will open the gate for us. Then, the thirteen of us will have a new chance to survive in a brand-new world.”

“I will join,” Rothus said calmly.

“I will join as well,” came another voice.

From the darkness emerged a vague, ethereal shadow, neither smoke nor solid, faintly revealing the silhouette of a seductive woman.

Approaching the blueprint, the mist dissipated, and in an instant, the figure transformed into a woman dressed scantily.

She was the Fifth Apostle, the invisible one with countless faces, the infiltrator Sylock.

The alluring woman smiled charmingly. From her hand emerged a dark purple, smoke-like, intangible orb, which slowly ascended under her gaze.

At the same time, the ground trembled violently.

Heavy footsteps pressed down so forcefully that the earth seemed to groan in strain. Shrouded in darkness, the creature’s enormous form revealed only its head, which alone was larger than all the other apostles combined.

Following a deafening, incomprehensible roar, the massive beast slowly opened its molten jaw, and from its lava-filled mouth, gently expelled a molten lava orb. Within it, lava churned turbulently, brimming with surging and pure flame energy.

The Seventh Apostle, the Devourer of Flames, Anton, was the second to offer a portion of his power.

The fiery energy orb slowly rose and converged at the center of the brilliant blueprint, where it hovered quietly alongside the smoky dark purple orb.

Next came the Conqueror Cassilius and the long-legged Rothus, each separating a part of their power and placing it into the blueprint.

Thus, at the center of the blueprint gathered crimson, deep green, navy blue, and dark purple—the primal powers of four apostles.

These four forces seemed to share a common origin, and under the blueprint’s harmonizing influence, they coexisted peacefully.

Under the watchful eyes of the apostles, Herde slowly raised her slender wrist, pale as the moon. She lifted her scepter, eyes gently closing.

Beneath her left eye, a crystal tear gleamed brilliantly.

Half of that essence detached and swiftly flew toward the blueprint.

It was a pitch-black orb of energy, as dark as night, which slowly joined the others, aligning alongside them.

Moments later, three more figures emerged from the shadows.

A quadruped creature enveloped in black-purple toxic mist crawled slowly to the center of the circular platform. Amid swirling poison fog, the creature’s slender mouth opened, expelling a purple mist-wrapped energy form into the blueprint.

Then the creature retreated slowly, disappearing back into the darkness—the Sixth Apostle, Dirigé, the one who bore the filthy blood, the Black Plague.

Following it, two figures approached from left and right, their auras utterly opposed.

One was a tall, lean man exuding an aura of chaotic malevolence, a cryptic smile curving his lips.

The other radiated an indescribable sacred light from head to toe.

They were the Eleventh Apostle, the revenant, the Chaos Spirit Ozma, and—

The Twelfth Apostle, the one who pierces all falsehoods, the originator of holy power, the Saint Michel.

They approached the blueprint and deposited two spheres of energy—one black, one white—polar opposites in nature.

Like the energies from the other apostles, these two originated from the same source and, upon contact, remained in peaceful coexistence.

By now, eight energy spheres had gathered at the center of the blueprint.

Suddenly, a clear, piercing howl echoed above the platform. A colossal shadow descended, diving lightning-fast from the sky to land before the blueprint, spitting out a gray orb of light.

It was a massive bird with eight wings, crackling with electricity. Each beat of its wings stirred thunder and fierce winds, an awe-inspiring presence.

The Third Apostle, the sovereign of the skies, the prodigy Isis Prey!

Watching the orb ascend to the blueprint’s center, the giant bird let out another piercing cry, then soared upward, circling above.

A small, elderly man appeared beneath the blueprint, seemingly arriving unnoticed.

He looked up, gazing intently at the blueprint.

With white hair and beard, hunched and diminutive, he carried a tattered backpack from which protruded oddly shaped tools—wrenches, hammers, and the like.

His face was adorned with curious spectacles bearing three convex lenses, obscuring his eyes completely.

Without a word, the old man slowly opened his palm to reveal a small, crystal orb the size of a bird’s egg, half black and half white.

This dual-colored crystal slowly floated from his hand and merged into the blueprint.

Then, the old man turned and walked away, making way for those behind him.

This was Luke, the current Ninth Apostle, known as the Silent Earth-Tender, Lord of Hebron, the Maker.

Behind the old man stood the towering Tyrannosaur King, Bakal.

After much hesitation and doubt, Bakal finally resolved to contribute a portion of his strength like the others.

He did not trust Herde—the “sister” who had once designed his death—but he trusted Luke’s wisdom.

Whatever Luke did, he would follow.

A fierce orange fireball, exuding a violent aura, merged into the blueprint—the power of the Tyrannosaur King.

Now, the blueprint contained the power of eleven apostles.

Only two remained.

A graceful figure stepped forward with brisk, light steps. Without speaking, she lifted her hand, and from her slender, orchid-like fingertips, a cluster of pink energy spheres slowly ascended.

Throughout, this apostle had not uttered a word, her entire body shrouded beneath a cloak. Only the delicate point of an elven ear was visible beneath her hood.

At that moment, utter silence fell across the platform.

The man approached the blueprint slowly.

All the apostles involuntarily took a step back...

With each step he took, the surrounding light dissipated. Darkness swiftly swept over him, but even the darkness soon dissolved, leaving only chaos—meaningless chaos.

The man was like a silent black hole. His presence annihilated everything he touched: light, matter, even space itself.

The overwhelming aura of his power induced profound fear in nearly all the apostles present. Only a few were exempt.

He raised his arm, and the circular platform instantly brightened as if bathed in daylight.

From his palm rose an unprecedented, dazzling orb of golden energy, radiant as the sun itself. Under this golden sun, a distant star in the void immediately dimmed.

The golden light illuminated the man’s face.

He wore a peculiar mask, his eyes shining with a brilliance surpassing even the stars. His uncontrollable power rendered all ornate embellishments pale and meaningless.

He was undeniably the strongest among the apostles!

The supreme king of the demon realm!

The First Apostle, the deathless sovereign, the destined one—Kahn!