Chapter 334

Some time ago…

[Young Master! I have found information about another apostle within the memories of the Apostle of Evolution!]

Beru shared the information he had learned while consuming the Apostle of Evolution's brain with Suho.

[The Apostle of Conquest! He operates in a different manner from the other apostles thus far. While the Apostle of Paradise corrupted the ecosystem and the Apostle of Evolution turned humans into test subjects, the Apostle of Conquest has been secretly breeding his own army.]

"Breeding?"

[Yes, his ability is to breed countless butterflies! They are all his clones, sharing a single consciousness and purpose. Akin to a hive mind…]

"What is the number of his troops?"

[That…]

Even the Apostle of Evolution didn't know the extent of the Apostle of Conquest's forces. Since the apostles served different gods and viewed each other as competitors, they thoroughly concealed important information. Only the Apostle of Paradise, who had provided Elvenwood to the Apostle of Conquest, knew his hiding place, but even he had no idea about the scale of the forces. However one thing was certain. Even at this very moment, his forces were continuously breeding. Just as he was wary, the Apostle of Evolution had likewise been cautious of the Apostle of Conquest.

[Fortunately, the Apostle of Evolution had researched the power possessed by the Apostle of Conquest.]

Beru shared the characteristics researched by the Apostle of Evolution with Suho.

[His butterflies are subordinates and clones that perfectly share his consciousness. Therefore, if the main body dies, the strongest remaining butterfly among them is designated as the new main body.]

"What? Then isn't he effectively immortal? Is it because they share memories and consciousness?"

[Yes. The more butterflies there are, the more ceaselessly they revive, truly cockroach-like creatures.]

"Hm. Truly like cockroaches. You mean if they aren't eradicated all at once, they'll keep breeding somewhere and crawling out. At this rate, shouldn't he be called the Apostle of Reproduction, not Conquest?"

It was a considerably tricky characteristic. Based on this information, Suho formulated countermeasures with Yoo Jinho and Woo Jinchul. And they decided to use the Tower of Trials, which was currently under preparation.

"So, you mean to use the Tower of Trials as bait. Then we'll need to advertise it quite extensively."

"Yes. To make those hiding crawl out on their own, we must blatantly spread the shadow energy they are wary of, all over the world."

The Apostles of Itarim encountered so far had all been wary of shadow energy. As people say: once bitten, twice shy. Having encountered Sung Jinwoo's energy even from the far reaches of outer space, the aura of the Shadow Dungeon would surely serve as sufficient bait for them. However, even with a trap set, Woo Jinchul's expression remained serious, as there were more than a few concerns.

"If their forces are that numerous, we must thoroughly prepare for the safety of civilians."

No one knew when or where the invasion would begin. If they all emerged at once. Even with Hunters worldwide, it was impossible to be constantly on high alert for an attack whose timing and location were unknown.

"Therefore, the citizens themselves must be trained to take responsibility for their own safety. If they at least have the strength to protect their own families, the Associations of each country can handle the rest."

As Woo Jinchul spoke, he recalled the hopeless catastrophe he had experienced long ago. The people of the world who hadn't even listened to the simple instruction to evacuate as far as possible from the battle… Humanity at that time was ignorant. And because they knew nothing, they prioritized reckless courage and desire. And the result… was nothing but utter despair and frustration. However looking back on those days, the result likely would have been the same no matter where they fled. Woo Jinchul knew that fact.

"After all, if Hunter Sung Jinwoo hadn't been there, all life on Earth would eventually have been extinguished, no matter where they ran. Perhaps even the planet Earth itself."

In the war of great and supreme beings, humanity was… infinitely weak. But from among those weak humans, the great Shadow Monarch was born.

"An E-rank Hunter. The young man called Humanity's Weakest… ended all wars."

That great myth was still unbelievable, a history of the universe that would shock even the Rulers. Therefore, Woo Jinchul believed that even though humans were weak, they could become strong.

"Of course, not all of us can become like hunter Sung Jinwoo, but if we could at least follow in his footsteps, even a little…" At Woo Jinchul's words, Suho smiled meaningfully and summoned Harmakan.

And Harmakan, instead of casting a mirage illusion over the entire Haeundae beach like Javier did, extracted the most intense parts from the memories of just one person: Woo Jinchul. Trauma. Just as the word implies, the most intense, unforgettable memories of war… And since all the history of the universe, directly injected by Sung Jinwoo, was intensely engraved in Woo Jinchul's mind…

'Tower of Trials: Tutorial' was thus born.

"Did you know? The time on Earth was rewound several times in the past. By the power of the 'Cup of Reincarnation' created by the Absolute Being."

Once, Earth was a battlefield for the Rulers and Monarchs. Caught up in that endlessly repeated war, the living beings on Earth met their end numerous times. And to undo their fleeting deaths, the Rulers had used the Cup of Reincarnation to rewind Earth's time.

"Which means."

"My father's generation. That is, the souls of all humans living at that time had already repeated death and life several times."

Suho nodded immediately, understanding what Woo Jinchul was trying to say. Having visited the Sea of the Afterlife, the dimension where dead souls wander, several times, there was no way he wouldn't understand the meaning of those words. Especially Harmakan, the demonic spirit, a sorcerer who dealt with souls, understood its meaning even more precisely.

[Even if the memory isn't left in the body, the moments of death will be eternally engraved upon their souls.]

Souls that had repeated death numerous times. From his perspective, they were truly coveted test subjects. But playing with human souls for mere amusement could get him severely scolded by Sung Suho, so a proper justification was needed. Such as, the 'Tower of Trials.' At Harmakan's proposal, the Monarch of Trials, Ammut, bared his teeth and laughed heartily.

[The difficulty of the trials can be raised indefinitely. Grrrk!]

Weak beings that revive no matter how much you train them to death? For Ammut, it was the ultimate amusement. Simultaneously, it was the perfect experimental ground suited to Harmakan's tastes; thus, the Tower of Trials was completed. However, all those trials were exclusively for 'humans.' It was a training ground designed to foster human growth… 

However, if a non-human crossed the dimensional wall through a game capsule, the system was designed to make them arrive in a completely different dimension. More specifically in the Void… Right in the middle of a nest teeming with Void Insects.

* * *

[Khaha! So it was a trap!]

The Apostle of Conquest burst into mad laughter. Void Insects attacked from all directions! Their numbers were staggeringly vast.

Whoooooooooosh—!

A trap! He had literally become a butterfly caught in a spider's web. As he suspected, this place was indeed a trap, thoroughly designed to ensnare him. But the Apostle of Conquest had anticipated such a possibility. It didn't matter to him if this was a trap.

[Khuhuhu! It matters not if it's a trap!]

[After all, I have infinite lives!]

The initial plan had gone awry, but thinking that he could further satiate his butterflies' hunger, it was actually a favorable turn of events.

[To dare challenge me with sheer numbers!]

[Let us see who is the prey!]

Flash!

Towards the Void Insects closing in from all sides, all his butterflies spread their wings, emitting a sacred radiance.

Fwaaaaaah—!

Eventually, the golden powder began to push back the darkness closing in from all sides.

[Do you see! This light is the divine power bestowed by my great god!]

[It is the highly refined blessing of a god, on a different dimension from mere stardust and star fragments!]

Eventually, the golden light and the darkness began a tense tug-of-war. And Arsha's Void Insects, initially overwhelming, strangely failed to completely swallow the golden light.

Grin—

[Why? Are you perplexed?]

[Are you curious about the source of my power?]

The Apostle of Conquest looked at Arsha, smiling meaningfully.

[Did you truly think my forces amounted to merely this?]

[Could it be that there are more of you?]

At those words, a strange light flickered in Arsha's eyes. But misunderstanding her expression, the Apostle of Conquest pushed back Arsha's Void Insects with an arrogant look.

[Of course!]

[Did you truly think my forces targeted only this single city?]

[My butterflies have already begun invading other locations!]

'…!'

[And now that I know this place is a trap!]

[My other soldiers will not enter the Tower of Trials but will attack the humans outside!]

[Even though I may be trapped, my power shall be eternally infinite!]

Thus, the numerous butterflies, sharing the same consciousness, cried out in unison. And it was by no means a bluff. As he spoke, at this very moment, the skies of cities in countries adjacent to Russia were already being covered by countless swarms of butterflies.

Flutter! Flutter! Flutter!

The golden radiance began to sprinkle across the cities. It was the beginning of the great invasion.

[This is a great holy war!]

[Burn all the souls here, offer them as sacrifices to my great god, and receive even greater blessings!]

[For Itarim!]

[For Itarim!]

With that, all the butterflies began to attack humans, unleashing their killing intent. 

But…

Thud!

Just then, an old man with white hair appeared, glaring at the sky…

"A wicked aura."

He grasped the hilts of the two swords hanging at his waist. And concentrated with tremendous energy he swung them towards the swarm of butterflies filling his vision.

Kwaaaaaang—!

With that single blow, a giant hole was pierced in the sky.

[…?!]

Astonishment appeared on the faces of the butterflies at that formidable power.

The Seven-Star Hunter of China.

Liu Zhigang.

He, once a National-Level Hunter, was here, having regained all his former strength.

"They are just numerous, nothing special. I'll take care of this side."

He leisurely put his phone to his ear and contacted everyone. Then, voices came through in sequence from the others.

– This is Cha Hae-In. I will handle this side.

Rumble—!

Accompanied by the sound of thunder that followed.

Next, came Sung Ilhwan's voice from another city.

– Sung Il-Hwan here. I alone am sufficient here.

And then…

– This is Sung Suho. I have found the hiding place where the main body was concealed.

[…?!]

As soon as Sung Suho's words ended, the expressions of the Apostles of Conquest, who had been full of murderous intent, simultaneously stiffened. Conversely, a bright smile appeared on the face of Arsha, who had been in a tense tug-of-war with him.

[Oh my. Why such an expression? Did you perhaps think these Void Insects were all I had?]

Thanks to the World Tree, its roots stretching across all dimensions. It was impossible for Arsha's Void Insects, nested there, not to find something in this world. Especially if such enormous forces had arrived somewhere, finding the point of origin was not difficult at all.

[Besides, why are you so flustered? Perhaps you hid something important there?]

Grind!

Unable to hide his bewilderment, the Apostle of Conquest gritted his teeth and vented his anger.

[F-first, kill all these insects…!]

[We retreat!]

[…Kiek?] At their abrupt change in attitude, Beru, who had been watching quietly until now, tilted his head. Could it be that this one had never glimpsed him in outer space?

[Escape? Do you genuinely believe you can leave here alive?]

Indeed.

Thinking back, there might be quite a few who didn't know him.

[…Because no one who has met me thus far has ever returned alive.]

Beru muttered, then grabbed and tore off the wings of the Apostle of Conquest's main body, which stood amidst the countless Void Insects and butterflies… So he couldn't escape.

Riiip—!

His wings were helplessly ripped apart by Beru's merciless claws.

[Be grateful to the Young Master. You will not die for some more time. Not until all your clones are eradicated.]