Chapter 7: Existence Beyond Understanding (III)

In the end, I still couldn’t catch up…
It was just a little too late. Why?
Professor…
Staring at the shiny ring lying quietly on the ground, Thors felt an indescribable sense of oppression, for he remembered that it once belonged to Professor Hord, serving as proof of his marriage to Eibell. It shouldn’t have been here at all…
Unhelpfully, Thors recalled Eibell’s expression as she tried hard to hold back her tears.
Thors remembered that Eibell had always been kind to him. At first, it was merely because he was Professor Hord’s apprentice, but over time, they grew familiar with each other. In fact, he and Avi had quite admired her, even though she was over a decade younger than Professor Hord…
In this regard, even Thors felt a bit sorry for her. After all, Professor Hord was far too passive when it came to emotions. It was hard to imagine a professor from Riox remaining single at the age of thirty-seven. Perhaps he also felt something for Eibell, but due to the age difference, he never dared to mention it… No, he probably didn’t even dare to think about it.
If it weren’t for Eibell taking the initiative… Ah, truly the “witch” who gave all the senior professors in the Vandel Mage Tower headaches. But even witches can cry…
Professor, why?
What could be more important than being with the one you love?
Didn’t you promise Eibell you’d stop interfering in Argus’s affairs?
Didn’t you promise me we’d fight again once we reached Vandel? I said I’d beat you—this time, it would be you lying on the ground gasping for air…
Didn’t you say a man’s vows cannot be broken?
So, why?
After that angry roar, silence returned to the area near the giant pit by the river. Yet Argus didn’t dare to be careless. In his eyes, that little brat standing not far away, head bowed and silent, was no less formidable than any previous challenger, including Hord Kendi who had injured him so badly!
Because Argus had long suspected that little brat… was also an Apostle!
An Apostle, essentially, was the host of a powerful [Great Will] in this world, akin to a representative who carried out soul transactions. Thus, behind every Apostle lay a powerful will. Before uncovering the true identity of the opponent, Argus tried his best to avoid battles between Apostles.
Yes, even against the ancient will Mammon behind him!

Compared to the infinitely vast realm of the gods, this world is far too small. Foolish humans will never know how many powerful wills lie dormant in the shadows. As Agus borrowed more and more of the power that belonged to Mammon, he came to understand even better the futility of humans against such power.
Yes, futility—just like Hod Kendi. Though he only partially mastered elementization, who else in the human camp could be stronger than him? Yet even such a figure had almost no chance of resisting Mammon’s true power.
Humans cannot kill apostles, but apostles can…
Would he die?
Watching the powerful dark aura swirling around the boy in the distance, Agus smiled self-mockingly. Then, taking a deep breath, he said in his usual teasing tone, “Well, Thors, long time no see, right? If I count, it’s been about six months, I guess?”
But the boy showed no sign of responding. He simply stared intently at the ring on the ground, quietly, even as the angry expression on his face gradually faded.
“Trouble…” Agus thought to himself, sensing something was wrong. He knew well that the boy hadn’t calmed down—this calmness was like the stillness before a storm.
That brat must be furious, he guessed.
As Agus had expected, the expressionless Thors was breathing heavily, clearly trying to suppress his anger. As time passed, his breathing grew more labored, and tremors began to appear at the corners of his eyes.
This is bad…
Just as Agus inwardly grimaced, the boy took a deep breath, pulled something out of his pocket with his right hand, then looked at Agus, raised his right hand, and said in a deep voice, “Agus!”
“Hm?” Agus forced a laugh. Those words seemed to appear directly in his mind, and the deep tone imposed immense pressure on him.
The boy slowly relaxed his clenched right hand, and a shiny silver coin fell from his palm, clinking onto the ground.
“…” Agus opened his mouth, perhaps wanting to say something, but after glancing at the coin, the smile on his face faded as well. He casually created a shield for Lily. No matter how the little girl tapped at the shimmering wall of the shield out of confusion, she kept walking toward the boy step by step.

When they were about twenty yards apart, Argus stopped in his tracks and said in an unusually cold tone, “Hey, kid, when I gave you this silver coin, I never imagined you’d use it like this! ——I’m so disappointed in you, Thors! You should know I said those two silver coins are more important than my life!”
In response to Argus’s rebuke, Thors raised his head and whispered in a tone filled with murderous intent, “Of course I know, that’s why I brought them!” He paused briefly before shouting loudly, “But you should know why, Argus!”
“Tch!” Argus curled his lips, pointed at the ring, and sneered, “Hey, that’s completely unreasonable of you. It’s your mentor who came to kill me! He wants to kill me? Do you think I’d be so generous as to hand over my life to someone else? Tell your mentor who wants to kill me, ‘Sure, I’ll stand here for you to kill me’? Hm? Should I even smile? So he can feel less guilty while killing me? ——What a joke! If he wants to kill me, won’t he consider the possibility of being killed by me too? A guy who acts without even that awareness is nothing but stupid!”
“Stupid…” The boy instinctively gritted his teeth, his shoulders trembling slightly, clearly on the verge of exploding from extreme anger.
“Aren’t I?” Argus pointed at himself and said in a deep voice, “Anyone who tries to kill me must pay a price! You might say it’s an unfair fight, but when has there ever been true fairness in this world? Am I a demon? Ah, I admit it—I’m not a good person, nor have I ever wanted to be one. I just play by the rules of this world, right? The strong can oppress the weak—that’s the rule of this world! If you can’t accept that, it means you’ve never seen the dark side of this world’s system!” He calmed down his slightly agitated emotions and said in a deep voice, “Since you’ve chosen to be my enemy, there’s no point in saying more. Tch! It’s a shame. I thought we could become friends!”
“Friends…” Thors’s eyebrows twitched slightly, and his long-suppressed anger finally erupted.
“What a joke!”

The furious roar shook even the entire sky; the stars, once brilliant, lost their luster in an instant. Dark forces enveloped the sky, bringing with them an overwhelming pressure. Seeming to sense something, Argus raised his right hand, and soon a circular transparent shield appeared before him. The moment the shield formed, a loud roar was heard, as sudden flames consumed all the ground nearby, turning the crater into a sea of fire. Yet Argus was not someone such flames could deal with—Professor Hode had proven this with his life. A beam of dark energy gradually seeped out from the flames, and then, with a whoosh, the powerful dark force expanded rapidly in all directions, extinguishing all the flames in the crater in an instant. “Not bad… a power that even I can’t help but be impressed by…” Argus, unharmed, smirked mockingly. “But this won’t make me lose even a single hair! Have my injuries inflated your confidence? Understand this, kid—tolerance isn’t weakness! One last warning: leave now, and I’ll pretend nothing happened!” But before he could finish speaking, a black-red beam shot straight at him. “Tch!” Argus’s strength finally showed as he waved his right hand, deflecting the highly dangerous black-red beam and sending it toward a distant hill. In the blink of an eye, the protruding part of that hill vanished completely. Feeling the tingling sensation in his right hand, Argus showed no outward reaction, but inwardly he cursed. Damn it! This kid’s power was even greater than Hode Kandy’s. If he fought him with his severely injured body and still survived, it would truly be a miracle… Argus was well aware that after the battle with Professor Hode, his body was on the verge of collapse. Both his mental strength and magic power, especially his physical strength, had been severely depleted in previous battles, putting him at a clear disadvantage.

But what was worse was that he couldn’t summon the power of Mammon for help—after all, the little guy across from him wasn’t an ordinary human; he was also an apostle, backed by an ancient will as well. If he broke the rules, this battle would inevitably escalate from a human-level fight to a god-level one—a clash between two ancient wills, which was no joke at all…
Not to mention…
“Tch!” After weighing the pros and cons repeatedly, Argus abandoned the tempting idea of summoning Mammon’s power and decided to fight Sos solely with his own dark forces. It had to be said that, having gone through a series of brutal battles, his combat experience and fury were far beyond Sos’s comparison.
Yet Argus felt no joy from this. On the contrary, he grew increasingly worried. After over ten minutes of tentative clashes, Argus could clearly see that the boy’s magic power had hardly decreased at all, while his fury seemed to have multiplied several times over.
Hey, maybe it’s better to let him strike a few times?
Watching the fury in the boy’s eyes grow stronger, seemingly overshadowing all other emotions, Argus forced a nervous smile.
Under such unfavorable circumstances, Argus had to use relatively gentle words to calm the boy’s anger. But the truth was, ever since he saw the ring lying on the ground, the boy had been on the verge of extreme fury and wasn’t listening to Argus’s rare attempts at yielding.
But when the boy ignored him completely, Argus’s anger also flared up—after all, his personality meant he was by no means someone willing to take hits passively.
“Boom! Boom!”
Darkness and flames laced with darkness collided violently. The frenzied energy swirling around formed cyclones, leaving traces on the ground from time to time. Pure darkness seemed to devour the area, and even the flowing rivers dried up due to this force.
After another ten minutes, the collision between the two forces gradually subsided. Even Sos, whose magic power recovered quickly, couldn’t maintain his blazing attacks for long. As for Argus, with insufficient magic power, it was already extremely difficult for him to just defend himself. Add to that his injuries—due to heavy blood loss, he was already starting to feel dizzy.

“Enough… is it enough, kid?” Argus, panting heavily, couldn’t help but speak. “If you want to keep fighting, I’m willing to go along, but if anything happens, I won’t take any responsibility!” He meant the intervention of those two ancient wills. After all, though they were not in their full form, those forces were by no means comparable to Argus and Thors at present. Not only would this area be affected, but even the Saxon Imperial City, not far from here, might be drawn into it.

Unfortunately, Thors, who had been extremely enraged by Professor Hode’s death, became even more violent as he failed to harm Argus for so long. His black eyes, tinged with dark gold, gradually began to emit a faint red glow…

“Argus!” Even the holy light from his left hand could no longer suppress Thors’ negative emotions. The massive shadow behind him gradually became clearer, and those huge red eyes also lost their rigid appearance, seeming almost human as they strangely began to move.

Argus, who had subconsciously raised his head, witnessed all of this.

“Damn it!”

That was Argus’ inner thought the moment his gaze met those huge red eyes, for the feeling they gave him was all too familiar…

“…”

Just as Professor Hode had seen earlier, everything around them gradually disappeared, replaced by those growing larger red eyes that seemed to cover the entire sky…

Staring at those eyes, Argus suddenly felt an unprecedented exhaustion.

So tired…

What was all this for?

What was the point of what he was doing?

It makes no sense… Ah, it makes no sense at all…

Somehow, Argus seemed to hear a voice, and then his eyelids gradually grew heavy.

There’s no meaning in living… Nor in revenge…

“Hm?”

Suddenly, Argus, who was about to close his eyes, snapped them open. He then realized those huge eyes had disappeared, and the surroundings had returned to normal.

What was that just now?

Argus didn’t think it was just an illusion like Professor Hode did—he was too familiar with such powers. But strangely, he felt no abnormal harm at all!

He instinctively glanced at the boy, who was still speaking in an angry tone. This gave Argus a strange feeling, because he had been staring into those huge eyes for several minutes, yet in that time, the boy hadn’t even finished saying a single sentence. Looking at the seemingly unaware boy, Argus was certain that what had just happened was definitely not an illusion. Just like the power of Mammon, from what he understood, anyone who saw those eyes would have their mind dragged into a space where time stood still. If they didn’t have enough willpower to resist that force, they could never escape—in other words, they would be killed… This was also why Argus had said earlier that he could kill Professor Hodde in an instant—after all, that was a divine realm! Had he accidentally unleashed this ability due to extreme anger? If that brat could control this ability like he did, he would likely already be dead… Argus secretly felt lucky, but this also allowed him to conclude that the ancient will behind the boy must be a terrifying existence on the same level as Mammon! What a troublesome brat! Argus shook his head, feeling slightly relieved. After all, compared to the powerful and dark forces of the ancient will, he feared even more those irresistible special forces—what he called “divine power.” Since this brat couldn’t use that power, all he had to do was avoid provoking the hostility of that ancient will behind him. But this brat was quite tricky… With this thought, Argus’s expression relaxed somewhat. He looked at the boy and said mockingly, “Hey, hey, enough already, kid? How about we call it a day for today?” “End it? What a joke?!” As Argus had expected, Thos roared in furious anger, “Argus, no matter what, you must die here! Die!” “Die? How are you going to kill me?” Argus shook his head and laughed. Suddenly, his whole body trembled violently. His left leg gave way, and he knelt on the ground. He clamped his right hand over his mouth, but it couldn’t stop a gush of blood from spewing out… How is this possible?! For a moment, Argus felt all his strength leave his body. Blood seemed to flow backward inside him, causing intense pain. His heart started pounding violently, as if it might explode at any moment. Along with this, a pain that felt like his soul was being torn apart made Argus scream out loud. “Ah!”

With his roar, there was a hissing sound as countless blood vessels burst from his pores all over his body, as if his veins could no longer bear the reverse flow of blood and burst. Kneeling on the ground, he resembled a man made of blood.
“How is this possible…” Relying on his right hand on the ground, Argus spat out mouthfuls of blood again and again.
Seemingly having lost all strength, he barely managed to support himself. Looking up, he saw the huge shadow behind Thos, staring at him with an emotionless, indifferent gaze.
Damn it! That brat managed to use it unconsciously? But what kind of power is this?
Didn’t I escape from that forbidden space? And there were no signs of any attack at all!
From start to finish, that brat only said one sentence…
Damn! To be killed so inexplicably…
Watching the ground get closer and closer, Argus gradually lost all his strength…
Suddenly, a disappointed and deep voice came to his ears.
[Tsk, what a useless guy! It’s a waste that I granted you such powerful strength!]
Mammon?!
Argus instinctively opened his eyes, touched his chest, then looked around. When he saw the magnificent and dazzling giant palace, he sighed quietly and said, “Have I been killed?”
[Ah, you were almost killed. If it weren’t for me protecting you in time…]
“Heh, it seems I haven’t been discarded yet. I still have value!” Argus said with a mocking smile, then looked up at the black mist surrounding the magnificent palace.
The black mist rolled constantly, and a pair of pale red eyes stared down at Argus without showing any expression. The voice came from all directions around the palace.
[It’s good that you think so, Argus. I am your master. I can grant you powerful strength, and of course, I can take it back too…]
“Yes, Mammon!” Argus bowed in the most respectful manner and said, “I’m sorry for disappointing you!”
[I’m just reminding you of the original intention behind granting you such power—to help me leave this damned place. Although your few years have been very short, I can’t wait any longer. I can’t wait to take control of that beautiful world, hahaha…]
“Yes, master. I’ve already ordered them to build an altar, but it will take several years…”
“Several years? Can’t it be done any faster?” The giant voice sounded impatient.

“I’m very sorry… It will take at least about three years!”
[Well, fine. I can barely tolerate three years, but… Argus, you never told me you met another apostle…]
“…” Argus, with his head lowered, hesitated for a moment before saying in a deep voice, “At first, I wasn’t sure that little brat was backed by someone as dangerous as Mammon…”
[So you almost died, Argus. You almost ruined my plan to descend to this world, you know?]
“I’m extremely sorry!”
[I’m just reminding you that your most fundamental task is to get me out of this damned place. Until that’s done, you must not die! Hmm… I won’t blame you this time. I never expected that guy to wake up too—it’s quite surprising…]
“That guy?” Argus was stunned and raised his head in surprise. “Do you know him?”
[How could I not? That guy is practically my brother, hahaha… You’re unlucky to have run into him. Though I’m curious why he’s interested in you and used such an unorthodox method to kill you, I still remind you: our eyes possess a magical power that humans cannot resist. Even fake eyes are enough to kill you… That brother’s name is Sloth. He’s not as easy to deal with as I am. Anyone who disturbs him will be erased…]
“Erased?” Argus’s expression changed slightly, as if he had thought of something, looking somewhat incredulous.
“Argus, no matter what, you must die here! Die for me!”
Wait… Could it be…
“Die”…
“Die for me”…
No way…
As if reading Argus’s thoughts, that voice sounded again.
[You’re very wise, Argus. As I thought, my ability is the desire to control everything and bring it to light, while Sloth possesses the ability to erase existence. Lives denied by him—both their memories and souls—disappear from the world. In my opinion, it’s the most troublesome ability. But fortunately, Sloth, who has this ability, isn’t someone who likes to cause trouble. Aside from his long periods of sleep, that idiot spends almost all his time pondering the meaning of his existence. If he couldn’t be eternal, he would have already erased himself with his own power. So… try not to anger him, Argus…]
For some reason, Argus felt slightly relieved. He nodded and said, “Yes, Mammon!”

【As for Sloth’s apostle, hey! You don’t need to worry about him. Sloth’s “erasure of existence” isn’t something that can be easily mastered. Moreover, this power can not only erase others but also oneself… Sloth is eternal, but that apostle isn’t. He will gradually be killed by his own power. The reason Sloth remains there almost eternally is that no one can resist the will of his power. So, don’t worry…】
“Yes!”
【You’re lucky. The power that apostle accidentally used isn’t yet at the level of “erasure of existence.” But you must look into Sloth’s eyes! If you encounter other wills, don’t look into their eyes… Human bodies are too fragile. I’ll strengthen your body once again!】
“Yes…” With his head bowed, Argus replied in a low voice, carrying a faintly sad illusion.
【Fights between apostles rarely happen. We try our best to avoid such situations, especially with someone like Sloth. If I intervene in a fight, that guy will surely intervene too. That’s the rule of the game… Just knock your opponent to the ground. Sloth has finally obtained an apostle. If you kill him, who knows what will happen… Go. Don’t forget your mission—build altars, kill more lives, and use their soul power to open the gates of passage! Then, I will descend to this world. Everything in this world will belong to me, hahaha…】
“Yes, Mammon!”
On the other hand, Thos, who had inexplicably “killed” Argus, seemed puzzled, as he hadn’t used any offensive techniques at all. As Argus had predicted, his understanding of beings like Sloth hadn’t reached the level of “divine power.”
Seeing Argus suddenly vomit blood and collapse to the ground, Thos initially thought his injuries had recurred. Just as he was about to kill him, a massive dark force surged from Argus’s body, and a strong gust of wind forced Thos to retreat continuously.
After the storm-like force gradually subsided, Argus, who was lying on the ground, got up. He stared at his scarred body with a strange look. He could clearly forget that those wounds were healing at an incredible speed—this was clearly a healing ability unique to dark creatures…
Finally, after his soul, even his body was abandoned. As a human, what was left of him?
Inexplicably, a sense of sorrow overwhelmed Argus’s heart.

With a self-mocking smile, he raised his head and looked at the stunned Thors. Argus said calmly, “Weren’t you going to kill me? Why are you still standing there?” As he spoke, he glanced at the shadow behind Thors—of course, avoiding Thors’s gaze. Shaking his head, he sneered, “Let me teach you how to use a projected shadow!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a massive figure rapidly expanded from behind Argus’s shadow. It was a shadow born from the projection power of the ancient being Mammon. After absorbing the dark energy from Argus’s body, its upper body gradually turned solid. Two huge heads swayed slightly, and from their mouths came a terrifying screech that even shook the ground.
Soon, its body and wings also became clear and solid, forming Mammon’s bird-headed, human-bodied form. Its sharp claws seemed capable of tearing through space, and the powerful gusts of wind generated by its wings were like storms.
As if to prove Argus’s words, Mammon’s two-headed bird form punched the hard ground. With a loud “boom,” dust billowed into the air. When the dust settled slightly, a huge crater appeared on the ground.
Watching all this, Thors couldn’t help but look astonished. He had never imagined that a solidified shadow could possess such destructive power. He had always thought the shadow behind him was merely a byproduct of using Thors’s power.
Glancing at the stunned Thors, Argus once again looked at his own wounds, which were gradually healing. A rare anger appeared on his face—a look as if his last precious thing had been taken away.
“Weren’t you going to kill me, kid?!”
“Damn it!” Thors gritted his teeth in frustration. Then, imitating Argus, he connected the shadow behind him with his own power.
Sure enough, after gaining more dark energy, Thors’s shadow’s upper body also became solid. It was a dark giant bear covered in scales, with a pair of curved horns extending from either side of its head and a sharp horn protruding from the center of its forehead. The three horns emitted a dark and dangerous glow.
Compared to the two-headed bird, the dark giant bear’s body was even larger. The shockwave from its massive paw hitting the ground was like an earthquake, and deep cracks could be seen forming in the nearby ground due to its power.
“Roar!”
“Grrr!”

As the forces of fire and darkness collided, amidst a deafening roar, the two-headed bird-man and the dark bear crashed into each other, using their sharp claws and teeth to tear and bite at one another, exchanging blows without giving an inch. Perhaps this is what makes the Apostles the strongest, aside from that “divine power”!